Chapter 20.5

Garrus spooned another glob of whatever the cook was calling food into his mouth. He tried to keep his injured mandible from moving, but the utensil grazed it, sending a flare of pain through his face.

"Can help manage pain. Have analgesic that will help," stated Mordin as he sat down across from him.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be okay."

"Non-addictive, if you are worried. Affects local nociceptors directly. Unable to fire. No euphoric effects to cause dependency."

"I'll be fine, Dr. Solus."

"Please, Mordin sufficient. Respect your wishes, but offer stands if you ever need it." He took a bite of food, quickly swallowing it to continue the conversation. "Heard stories about Archangel. People in district very talkative with me. Medical professional seen as trustworthy individual, not likely to expose secrets. Common social trait shared by most species."

Garrus waited for the point, but Mordin simply kept eating.

"And?"

"And?" the salarian echoed.

He sighed. "Never mind."

"Ah. Asking my opinion. People obviously envisioned you as a savior of sorts. Recognized and applauded your intent myself. Worried about your absence, however. Gangs may become more violent to prevent others from uniting. Of course, may not be enough to quell an uprising. Reaction from multiple species inhabiting Omega difficult to predict."

"Well, maybe after we're done with the Collectors, Archangel will need to come back from the dead."

"You would return?"

"If those gangs keep taking advantage, I would."

Mordin nodded and spooned the remainder of his meal into his mouth. "If you'll excuse me. Important matters to discuss with Operative Lawson."

The salarian rose, returned his tray, and entered the XO cabin. The Cerberus operative looked up from her work, surprised at his sudden entrance.

"How did you-"

"Simple locking mechanism. Easily overridden. Unimportant."

"And what, pray tell, is so important that you would hack your way into my office?"

"Wish to discuss the techniques you used to resuscitate Shepard."

"That information is classified."

Mordin presumed that would be the response, but his curiosity wouldn't be sated until he knew. "Must know possible interactions between potential shielding effects and Shepard's body. Know how to work with other physiologies. Shepard's reconstruction may have altered make up."

It wasn't a complete lie. There could be disastrous consequences if his biology was adversely affected by whatever he came up with to protect them from the swarms. The event was highly unlikely.

"Shepard is human. There is nothing that would affect him differently than Jacob or myself. Your concerns are reasonable, but unnecessary."

"Still wish to review-"

"Professor Solus." Her tone was curt and harsh. "Those files are classified, and you are not authorized to access them. If you still have concerns, bring any schematics you have to me. I will review them to see if there will be any complications. But I assure you, Shepard is completely human. Now, I have a lot of work to do."

Miranda turned back to her console, catching the salarian's exit in her periphery. She wasn't sure what he wanted with the information he requested (she doubted it was for the purpose he stated). She just knew he wouldn't be receiving it. Lawson could think of a dozen of new applications the salarian's could develop with the knowledge Cerberus gained from the Lazarus Project. None of those advances led to beneficial outcomes for humanity.