A/N: Many have remarked that the portrayal of Cerberus in ME3 was rather disappointing. I think that if you accept the explanation that through TIM's indoctrination they are firmly in the Reaper's pocket, everything more or less makes sense... except Sanctuary. If Cerberus really were under firm Reaper control, how come they even allowed TIM and Lawson to conduct research that they obviously considered dangerous? I can't really find a better explanation than the half-assed assumption that TIM had just enough of his mind left intact to get away with it... even if I'm not really satisfied with this explanation myself.
Also, regarding the title... yes, I did watch 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' just recently.
Chapter 108 - Shepard and the Husk Factory
Following the short meeting of the impromptu War Council on the Normandy, Shepard is about to follow everyone out of the War Room, when Specialist Traynor stops her. "Ma'am, I didn't have the opportunity to mention this before, but Admiral Anderson has been waiting on the QEC for a few minutes now."
"Oh, right, I'll go speak with him at once," Morgan nods and turns around to walk back to the comm room, switching on the QEC line and letting the concerned figure of Admiral David Anderson fade into her view. "Admiral. If Hackett asked you to screw my head back on, then I'm telling you straight up that you're wasting your time."
Anderson rolls his eyes and sighs. "No, he didn't tell me to do anything, he simply told me what was going on. So I'm asking you, Shepard... what's going on?"
"I don't really know, David. I thought we were after this Catalyst thing, whatever it is, to complete the Crucible and blast the Reapers. Then, suddenly, we're no longer interested in it, we're trying to chase down some rogue Reaper that millions of years ago blasted one of his Reaper brothers. Apparently that's our new hope for victory in this war."
"Admiral Hackett didn't say a word about that," Anderson shakes his head.
"Yeah, I guess the part where you'd have to indoctrinate your own people to get closer to this rogue Reaper's location looks kind of bad on the resume," Shepard's voice becomes hard as she speaks. "Anyway, I do not care. I'm going to keep chasing down the Catalyst, Anderson. I was so damn close to it, only to have it snatched from under our noses, and now I'm going to get it back from Cerberus."
"What happened? Was it Kai Leng?" Anderson asks.
"Yeah, the bastard totally blindsided me," Morgan admits reluctantly. "I was stupid and I underestimated him, and now it could cost us this war."
"Well, Shepard, just know that all those marines sitting in the rubble next to me here in London believe in what you are doing. I believe in what you are doing." Admiral Anderson tells her with a warm smile. "You'll get that Catalyst and bring it home, I know you will. But Shepard, we can't allow ourselves to be divided at times like these. Reconcile with Hackett as soon as you have done your part."
"Very well, David," Morgan nods, knowing that her old friend is right. "Hopefully that will be enough for him to lose interest in that Leviathan nonsense."
"Good, that is good," Anderson says approvingly. "And listen, Shepard... I heard about Thessia, too. My condolences. I'm guessing Liara is taking it hard."
"We read the reports, we knew it was inevitable," Morgan shrugs. "They managed to get a lot of people out and the rest are hiding in rural areas which will take Reapers many years to cleanse. But yeah... despite it all, it was a hard blow. Liara's a fighter, though, this will only motivate her to battle on even more ferociously."
"That's the kind of attitude we need if we're going to win this war," Anderson agrees. "When you take a hit, get right back up and get angry."
"Oh, I'm plenty angry at Kai Leng and Cerberus right now," Shepard chuckles darkly. "Forgive me for saying this, David, but I probably won't limit myself to shooting the clown in both of his legs, if you know what I mean."
Anderson winces a little, before allowing himself a small smile. "Just had to mention that, didn't you, Shepard? Alright, alright... go fix my mistake, as you always seem to do. Good luck, Commander."
Shepard is about to correct him and insist upon being addressed as Spectre, but she swallows the comment, forcing a smile upon her lips. "Good luck to you too, Anderson. This will be over soon..."
Morgan is relieved to see Liara settled in comfortably on the bed in the captain's 'loft' quarters, snoozing fully clothed atop the blankets. She kicks off her own boots and swiftly joins the asari, who reacts to her presence by slipping into a comfortable embrace, the couple resting in each other's arms.
"Not enough time for proper sleep, I'm afraid," Morgan whispers to her bondmate. "We haven't really rested properly since Thessia. Or... even before that. Since Rannoch? I can't even remember the last time I was able to sleep for as long as my body demanded it."
"I managed to get in a little bit of rest on our way to the Citadel," Liara replies, gently nuzzling her head against Morgan's chest. "Not enough, but it will have to do. Time is of the essence."
"Yeah. Really feels as if we're in that final stretch, doesn't it?" Morgan says. "We'll need to rest and recuperate before we launch our final assault, though. I won't bring us into the battle suffering from sleep deprivation. Stims are not an acceptable alternative, in case you were about to ask."
"I... would regret it if we didn't have at least one more opportunity to be together, before we bring the fleets to Earth," Liara whispers, her grip on Morgan tightening.
"We must definitely make time for that," Morgan whispers back.
"I can't help being worried that the whole thing will be... as you say it, a wild goose chase," Liara eventually confesses. "What if the Catalyst has been moved elsewhere and Cerberus is making use of it already? Our intel seemed solid, but..."
"It is solid, babe," Morgan tells her reassuringly, even if she herself is not completely convinced. "There's something very strange happening there on Horizon, and we will get to the bottom of it. At the worst, it will paint the next target for us."
"You are right, of course. Have you picked a squad already?" the asari asks.
"Miranda won't stay onboard even if I ordered her to, and you are joining as well, I insist upon it," Morgan smiles at her fervently nodding bondmate. "Dr. Michel told me that Tali still needs time for her injuries to heal, so I will leave her and Garrus behind for this one."
"They are very cute together, aren't they?" Liara chuckles. "I'm sure Garrus would be extremely embarrassed if he heard what I just said."
"Yes, so we should tell him that," Morgan grins broadly. "There has been nowhere enough teasing aimed towards them, and we should rectify that at the earliest opportunity."
"That is very tempting, Morgan. But I would not wish to upset Tali. She takes everything so very seriously."
"You don't get to say that about anyone, Miss Seriousness," Morgan lightly bonks Liara on the top of her head. "Anyway, the squad. I'm starting to trust Lia'Vael as much as I trusted Joker, but unless there is a dire need, I would rather leave EDI with the ship at full processing capacity. As for Javik..."
"I can work with him despite everything," Liara says, a little stiffly. "Fate of the galaxy is more important than my personal grudges."
"Well, I don't think it's necessary to involve him. I'm sure James will be more than happy to escort three lovely ladies on this highly dangerous mission. Hah, I wonder if he's seen Miranda yet... this should be good..."
"Knowing Operative Lawson's temper... perhaps not so good for James," Liara adds, drawing another chuckle from Morgan.
"I quite agree. But enough of that," Shepard says then. "Let us see if we can manage an hour or two of rest... chances are, we're going to need all our reserves of strength..."
A couple of hours later the Kodiak shuttle leaves the Normandy and piloted by Lieutenant Steve Cortez speeds towards the surface of the planet Horizon. "So where exactly is this Sanctuary?" Shepard inquires, squeezing into the pilot's cabin to grab a look at the visual outside.
"It appears to be a more rural area, with no other major settlements nearby," Cortez informs her, having looked at the scanned maps.
"Perfect location, they would want to stay out of the limelight as much as they could," Miranda remarks.
"Speaking of perfect things and staying in the limelight..." Lieutenant James Vega speaks up at the back of the shuttle, looking at Miranda. "Is that... suit of armor... standard issue for certain rank of Cerberus operatives?"
"No, it was custom made specifically for me," Miranda replies, surprisingly politely.
"And... were you in charge of recruiting for Cerberus?" James continues his inquiries.
"No, I was not, Lieutenant."
"Oh. I see. Well... thank you for indulging me, miss Lawson," Vega finishes the conversation with a broad grin.
"There is a signal coming from the facility," Cortez suddenly informs them. "It is very weak, but I'll try to boost it."
Immediately, they hear the crackling voice of a young woman. "This is Oriana Lawson. Stay away from the Sanctuary. It is not what it seems. Please, you must listen to me! They're using..." The signal dies off there, and they all as one stare at Miranda, watching the raven-haired woman sagging heavily into one of the seats.
"Ori is there... Ori is down there!" she exclaims, looking greatly worried and near panic. "That... that means my father must be nearby! Shepard, we're on the right track, we're on the right track here!"
"That is a good thing, Miranda, we can get the intel we need, deal with your father and save your sister, all at once," Shepard speaks reassuringly. "Just breathe deeply and try to remain calm and rational, okay? Everything will be fine, Miranda, trust me."
Miranda follows her advice, taking several deep breaths and then looking up at Shepard gratefully. "Thank you, Shepard. Of course everything will be okay, you are here, after all."
Shepard smiles, before shooting a more serene look at Liara, the asari responding with a weak smile of her own. Me being there sure didn't help Thessia... but let's hope Miranda is more fortunate.
"Closing in on the LZ, Commander," Cortez reports, Shepard seeing a complex of white buildings appearing in the middle of the lush farmlands and patches of verdant forests, looking more like a scientific facility than refugee shelter. Curiously enough, there seems to be smoke rising from several parts of the complex. "I'm seeing some damage, Shepard, but I can't detect any activity."
"It has definitely been ravaged by some kind of fighting," Shepard peers forth as they are almost upon the LZ, seeing signs of heavy battle everywhere she looks, the facility is heavily demolished, rubble and burning wreckage strewn everywhere. "But who would attack a secret Cerberus facility here?"
"Perhaps some kind of local militia, after learning of this establishment's true purpose?" Liara suggests.
"Hmm... I don't think so. To do damage as heavy as this against the upgraded Cerberus troops? I highly doubt it," Shepard shakes her head. "Still, no point spending all day navel-gazing, let's find everything out ourselves."
"Navel-gazing? Shepard, I don't understand," Liara speaks as the Kodiak finally lands and Steve opens the doors to let them out. "Your belly-button is lovely, but why would I want to stare at it the whole day?"
As the others burst into laughter, Shepard just sighs and gives a fond if exasperated look at her perplexed bondmate. "Another one of those confusing human expressions, babe. It stands for pointless introspection or something similar."
"I see," Liara scowls a bit, undoubtedly finding the idiom incredibly silly. They carefully traverse the rubble-littered courtyard, moving towards what appears to be the entrance into the main facility. Miranda is moving ahead of everyone, and while Shepard is slightly concerned about her emotional state, the ex-Cerberus operative appears to be still taking great care as she constantly scans their surroundings for danger.
"Goddess!" Liara suddenly jumps next to Shepard, tugging sharply on Morgan's arm. "Look above!"
Morgan rears her head swiftly, seeing a shuttle flying low above the main facility, pursued by a Reaper harvester, attempting to shoot the transport down and being successful as the shuttle suddenly loses its altitude and crashes on the balcony of the building, remaining precariously balancing on the edge.
"There are people trapped in that shuttle!" Liara exclaims, unsure whether to dart forth to help or not.
Morgan quickly brings her sniper rifle up and takes a look through the sights. "Those are Cerberus phantoms, how about we don't help them?" The question becomes moot when the harvester continues to pepper the crashed shuttle with heavy cannon fire, making it burst in flames, killing everyone inside, only one of the phantoms managing to jump out unharmed. However, while the phantom is picking itself up from the tiled floor, the burning shuttle tilts over the edge and crashes down, splattering the hapless Cerberus agent into a small pile of goo.
"So that's who this facility is under attack from," James remarks. "Reapers are gunning for Cerberus now!"
"Yeah... that's really strange, though," Shepard nods as they move onwards faster now, with harvesters flying around Morgan realizes she would rather prefer to find herself and her squad inside the facility. "I mean, we haven't really seen them fight each other before. They used to be best buddies! Wonder what upset their precious friendship."
"I'll try to warn Cortez and tell him to get to safety!" Liara exclaims, switching the comms back on. "Damn it, the radio's dead," she then sighs in frustration.
"Of course, they were jamming all signals coming out of the facility," Miranda says as they finally get past the entrance and into the large and empty halls of Sanctuary. Through the glass roof of the processing hall, they can see that a whole squadron of Cerberus shuttles pass by above them, hastily departing from the facility. "It looks like they are fleeing! Shepard, if my father escapes with Oriana..."
"I know, Miranda, but we can't rush in without thinking, especially if the Reapers are here," Morgan warns her. "First and foremost, we need to understand what is going on, preferably without getting killed ourselves."
"Hmm, do you see that tower right ahead of us?" Liara asks, pointing to a tall white spire, clear to see through the glass roof. "I think that's where the signal is being jammed from."
"Then that's where we're heading!" James exclaims, gripping his assault rifle even tighter.
"That does seem like a good idea," Shepard nods, as they wander around the empty hall, looking to see if they can spot anything that would provide them with a clue about just what Cerberus have been doing here. The vids showing hundreds and hundreds of refugees flocking to this place confirms fears that they have been used to create expendable Cerberus shock troops, but Shepard can't shake the feeling that there is something even more sinister to this place, and the unexpected Reaper interest seems to agree with her.
Having looked through several logs on the consoles at the processing checkpoints, Liara rejoins them, shaking her head. "Nothing of much use, they mention a central scrambler up in the tower, so just a confirmation of what we already suspected."
"We're wasting time here," Miranda says impatiently, pointing at a large stairway leading to the lower level, the only direction open to them. It leads to another landing pad on one side, covered in wreckage of crashed shuttles, the dead inside both civilians and Cerberus. On the other side the stairway opens into another wide hall, littered with corpses of Cerberus troopers as well as Reaper ravagers.
Hearing a quiet murmur of voices ahead of them, Morgan quickly raises her hand in warning to silence her squadmates. "We've got hostiles ahead," she hisses, activating her cloaking. In the end, such caution proves unwarranted, as they discover merely a few banged up Cerberus troopers, the remains of the squad that had survived the encounter with the ravagers. They are lifted in the air by Liara's singularity, detonated by Miranda's warp field, and the lone survivor of the blast silenced by Morgan putting a bullet through his skull.
"Dr. T'Soni, I believe it will be both an honor and pleasure working in tandem with you," Miranda allows herself a tiny smile as she acknowledges the asari's biotic prowess.
"I believe you may be correct, miss Lawson," Liara replies with a faint smile of her own.
"I'm just happy to have two biotics on my squad ripping enemies apart like that," Morgan chuckles, the spectacular devastation of a pair of skilled biotics combining their abilities with maximum efficiency never ceasing to amaze her.
"Doc, maybe we could get you a matching outfit like the one that miss Lawson is wearing?" James asks hopefully, Morgan nodding enthusiastically.
"I think you can file this suggestion away with the rest of your fantasies that will never come true, Lieutenant Vega," Liara shakes her head with exasperation.
"Through here!" Miranda tells them urgently, pointing at a narrow corridor leading out of the hall, everyone but the ex-Cerberus operative having missed it. "There's something left on this console..." she speaks, approaching the terminal in the room that the corridor has led them into. Image of a young and very attractive brunette appears on the screen as Miranda brings up the vid message. "Ori... that's Ori!" she exclaims, as they all gather around to listen to the message of Miranda's terrified looking sister.
"This is Oriana Lawson. Whoever is watching this, please listen to me! This is not a refugee camp. This is a Cerberus facility run by my father, Henry Lawson. Turn back now! There is no help to be found here and they are blocking all communications from the central tower. Sanctuary is a lie. Stay away!" thus ends the distressing message left by Miranda's sister.
"It seems as if this is one of several messages she had set up for automated broadcasting at regular intervals, hoping for a break in the jamming of the comms," Miranda notes quietly. "Ori was always a smart one. And as I suspected... father is here. He must not escape, Shepard. I cannot let him take Ori again!"
"There is nowhere left for him to run, Miranda," Shepard replies, trying to remain encouraging. "We'll get him and we'll save Oriana, too."
"Sure would like to know what your father is doing here that has pissed off the Reapers so fiercely," James remarks, as they leave the room through the only exit, again finding themselves back outside the facility.
"Perhaps Cerberus is not under such total Reaper control yet as we believed," Liara muses. "Or else they would not allow them to do something that they so obviously consider dangerous, otherwise they would not have attacked."
"Truth be told, I'm really not interested in speculations right now," Morgan growls a little irritably. "I just want to shoot Miranda's dad and Clown Leng if he's here, save Oriana and get the Catalyst. We can figure out the rest later."
"Bad news, Lola," James says suddenly. "We're cut off, there's no path forward," he points at where the path should continue, stairs leading downwards, but they are completely covered by water and unusable. "Strange, I don't think we missed another exit?"
"I don't think we did, James," Morgan says, shaking her head. "Just... what a strange place for a swimming pool, really. I mean..."
"Swimming pool, nothing!" Miranda exclaims, almost jumping upon another access console near the wall. "They have flooded the passages with water to cover and hide something! Let me see if I can crack security and drain the water... ah yes, there we go."
The water level in the passages drops rapidly, emptying through the trenches in less than a minute, leaving behind an accessible walkway, spreading through strange looking contraptions of unpleasantly familiar looking tech. "This sounds oddly recognizable..." Morgan muses, suddenly having a very bad feeling about this whole venture.
"Do the words 'Reaper tech' ring any bells, Commander?" Miranda asks sharply, almost jumping down the now usable stairs, the rest of them quickly following.
They swiftly proceed through the slightly damp walkway, surrounded by the complex systems of menacing tubes, intersected by computer terminals and monitoring stations at regular intervals. "This is a bit like the Collector base, but not quite the same..." Morgan muses as they reach the back entrance to a different part of the main facility and enter without hesitation. "They seem to have modified the Reaper tech for whatever purpose..."
Inside, in the first of the halls, the view is just as it was outside, thick brown tubes and Reaper wires and connections, plenty of powered down computer stations. "This looks more like a factory than anything else," Liara remarks quietly as they continue their path through the facility.
The next hall looks more like an empty storage room, but the one after that is far more interesting. For one thing, it is sinking in almost complete darkness due to power being cut, but even so through the windows, looking into the massive space beyond, Shepard can see that all those countless brown tubes are each connected to a small pod. "There's a power switch here," Liara speaks up, standing at what looks like the central operating hub. "Turning the power back on..."
The lights return immediately, and with them, the vid screens around the operations console come back to life. Some of them seem to be replaying previously recorded footage. "What the... what am I seeing here?" James speaks up, looking at the screens, two Cerberus guards throwing a struggling refugee into one of the pods and then locking it, as the hapless man bangs on the glass, demanding to be released.
"This does not look like a procedure for outfitting them with implants and creating more Cerberus shock troops," Liara remarks quietly.
"Because it is not," Miranda shakes her head. "Look there, at the tubes, they are... oh god..." Her voice becomes a whisper when she sees something being pumped through the tubes, it is like a sickening cloud of grey-brown dust. Through the cloud, they can see the shape of the refugee twisting, turning, throwing itself against the walls of the glass prison, writhing in agony before collapsing.
The filthy cloud is getting sucked away through the tubes moments later, giving them an excellent view of what is left behind and Shepard is unable to stop herself from releasing a savage, primal and murderous cry as she sees the twisted shape of a Reaper husk crawling out from the pod...