Location: Classified underground Cerberus facility, Ontarom.
There were two things Miranda Lawson hated most. One was failure and the other was incompetence. So when top operative Jin Xiang gave a status report detailing both, it was difficult to not terminate her on the spot. This was a relatively simple mission and now they were six months behind on something that should have taken six weeks to complete.
"Let me try to understand. Tier Six decides to hijack our research, they even go through the trouble of letting you in on the coup by giving you access codes, data and drop points for their specified routes—"
"—Actually, Ms. Lawson, that data was specific to my intended route. They did not give me anything that would tell me where they—"
"—They then pull off this coup," Miranda continued, ignoring the cowering operative on the other side of her grand oak desk. "You were entrusted with the task of hunting them down and getting our research back. And you did absolutely nothing."
Jin squirmed under her gaze, clearly uncomfortable. For once, Miranda appreciated the previous Ontarom facility director's choice in decor. The glass cabinets stretching along the office walls contained hundreds of modern military rifles. They gleamed with high polish, ready to be used for killing. All that was missing was the barbaric bear rug and the menacing atmosphere would be complete.
Seeing nowhere to hide, Jin finally bowed her head in shame. That fierce malice which made the woman an amazing asset was nowhere to be found now. "—Ms. Lawson, I can explain..."
"I don't need your explanations, Jin," Miranda said coldly. "I need results. Clearly you're not here to deliver." The operative stilled, smartly sensing the anger emanating from her superior and finally ready to accept her punishment. "As of right now you are stripped of your Tier Six designation. I would normally ask that you hand any leads on the traitors over to me. But seeing as how you didn't do anything for six months..."
"—I was weeding them out!" Jin yelled, startled by her own voice. Miranda remained unfazed. Thank goodness she at least had a pair of brass ones to say even that much. "I thought if we let them think that no one was coming, they would get sloppy and—"
"That's enough," Miranda said. She was done listening to excuses. "Report to the Operations Chief for your demotion."
Jin remained glued to her chair, head down, unable to meet her eyes. Miranda understood that this was the operative's first major failure. Most officers would say to go easy on the first offenses, but she didn't believe in that. It was better to hammer it in cold the first time so that the subordinate never dared repeat the same mistake again.
"That means we're done here," Miranda repeated when Jin still didn't move. Slowly but surely, and head still bowed, Jin rose and quietly excused herself without so much of a peep.
When her newly minted office was empty again, Miranda reclined and waved her omni-tool to the open comm link. "Keep tabs on her, Suraj."
"Yes, ma'am," the obedient voice replied. There was no need to send armed guards with her, this facility was so secure that it would be impossible to leave without proper clearance. But Miranda didn't get to where she was without caution. The logistics of her current plan were simple: Keep Jin close and eventually she would lead them to the others.
The blinking light on Miranda's terminal let her know The Illusive Man wanted a word. Not one to keep important people waiting, she activated the vid-comm that projected the enigmatic man from her screen. Miranda remained at ease as she awaited his assessment.
Those artificial blue eyes locked on hers as he took a puff from his cigarette. To many, those eyes represented a cold man who was losing touch with humanity, piece by artificial piece. But to Miranda they represented hope. This man gambled everything on her and she would never forget that. In return she pledged her skills, looks and body to the cause on numerous occasions. Yet despite all that, Miranda hoped that one day she would be able to repay him in a way that counted. Whatever way that was...
"Miranda," The Illusive Man greeted as he studied her carefully. "You're letting her go?" It was the plan after all to have Jin removed and interrogated, but Miranda thought of a better way to kill two birds with one stone at the last minute.
"I've put a tail on her which should lead us to the others," Miranda replied casually. "If she's smart she'll run."
"I see," The Illusive Man mused as he took another slow drag from what looked like a Cuban cigar. "And what if she stays loyal?"
"She won't." Miranda narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what he was getting at. The Illusive Man liked to test people and she knew he loved to test her the most with his outlandish scenarios. She hated them at first because it seemed like he was always questioning her judgment. But over time she came to realize how much of this was for her benefit as well. The Illusive Man was training her not to overlook a single detail. As much as she wanted complete autonomy over a mission, she knew she had to prove herself first. "Those who can't decide between Cerberus and betrayal usually aren't."
His lip curled in mild amusement. Miranda ran a hand through her hair in an effort to ease the tension in her head but only felt it heighten. She was taking a big risk here. If the slightest part of her plan went awry then the others would be alerted as well.
"Let's hope your gamble pays off," The Illusive Man said as he tapped the ash from his cigar. Miranda watched the embers flare and die off as they fluttered around the tray. "I know this is sudden, but I need you to name a new director and join Lieutenant-General Petrovsky aboard The Albatross."
She frowned in confusion. After the Tier Six fiasco she was sent here to replace the previous director of the Ontarom facility. This was only her third week cleaning house. "I don't understand?"
"This isn't punishment," The Illusive Man assured. "The general needs someone with your skills to keep an eye on an old friend of ours."
There was a short list of people The Illusive Man referred to as friends. Only one of them she considered mutual...
Miranda quirked a brow. "Let me guess..."
"You don't have to," The Illusive Man said as coordinates flashed across her data pad. "Report to the Albatross as soon as you name a new facility director. Send Banes my regards." The Illusive Man took another drag in silence.
o~O~o
Location: Deck 2 Medical Bay—SSV Dublin—Ontarom
When Liam woke, his head felt like someone swung an axe into it. The lights were so intense he saw only white halos, blinding him of any perspective. Covered in sweat and shaking uncontrollably he tried to sit up but his side protested beneath the white medical gown.
"He's awake, doctor," a feminine voice said beside him while a rough hand on his shoulder made him stop. It sounded familiar but the ringing in his ears was distracting.
Voices came from all directions. "Easy, Loco. Try not to move."
"Lie still, Commander," another voice ordered before expert hands took over and eased him back into bed. "I had to remove shrapnel from your liver. You're lucky to be alive."
When the light was extinguished his eyes adjusted to the kind eyes of a middle aged woman with a relaxed demeanor. Her name tag identified her as Dr. Karin Chakwas. Vega and Ellie sat at his bedside, both looking like they haven't slept in days.
Ellie smiled down at him. "Thank god you're awake. I was about to start blood rituals," Ellie said with a wink.
When it was clear he wasn't going anywhere, the doctor scanned him with her omni-tool. He was about to ask what happened but his question was answered when he caught Vega from the corner of his eye. His buddy was a little rough around the edges. He had a black eye that seemed to be on the mend, white bandages swathed his arms and poked up through his shirt collar. Other than that he didn't look any worse for wear. The guy was a damn tank.
"You alright?" Liam asked, surprised with how hoarse and dry his voice sounded. Ellie and the doctor shared a look. Chakwas glanced at the arms master as she hovered the omni-tool lower over Liam's ribs.
Vega scoffed and crossed his arms with slight difficulty. "Takes a lot more than bullets to end me," he said proudly and then added to Ellie, "Can you believe this guy? I get shot and he's the one taking a week long nap.
"He's lucky to be alive, Lieutenant. Had the shrapnel buried itself a centimeter more to the right, we would need a new commander," Doctor Chakwas replied. Her voice carried an air of clinical precision with an undertone of genuine concern.
"Thank you," Liam said trying to kill the serious atmosphere as Ellie snagged a glass of water from the side table and lifted the straw to his lips. Normally he would jump at the chance to have a pretty woman nurse him back to health, but his wounded ego gratefully relieved her of the glass and he chugged the water from a half sitting on his elbow. It hurt like hell but it was worth it when the cool liquid washed down his throat. Fragments of the mission started coming back to him. There were kids...biotics...carnage. The remnants of memories long forgotten started playing at the edge of his vision, but he forced them back and locked eyes on Ellie. "What happened to the civilians?"
Ellie hesitated as she glanced to Vega. He shook his head solemnly, "They're all dead. Rescue crews are still pulling bodies from the wreckage."
Liam looked between them. "What about the hostiles? Did we manage to track them?"
"Jammers interfered with our signal. We didn't get your message in time," Ellie said as she patted his forearm and shook her head. "What possessed you to go down there anyways?"
Dr. Chakwas saved him from answering. "There will be time to debrief later. He needs to focus on getting better." She turned her gaze to Liam. "The medi-gel might have sealed your wound but the internal injuries need time to heal."
"Weren't they developing specific gels for internals, doctor?" Ellie asked, avoiding his eyes.
"Indeed they are," the doctor chimed in, "but Veti-Gel is still in the early concept stage. With the budget cuts to research I doubt we will see it in our lifetime."
"Yeah, cut down on the stuff we actually need. No surprise here," Vega said.
Liam relaxed into his pillow and decided not to call them out on the blatant change of subject. It already said enough about the civilian's fate. "I was out for week?"
"Had us worried the whole time," Ellie answered as Doctor Chakwas dropped some pills into his palm and he washed down the bitter concoction. "Do you know what happened out there?"
"No clue," Liam replied, as he slowly tested the function of each stiff limb before looking to Vega, "But I'm going to find out."
"What do you mean?" Vega questioned as he rolled his neck gingerly. "I thought we were a team?"
"We are," Liam said, as a pang of guilt returned. There was so much Vega didn't know but who was he to argue with the Captain's orders? She had a point. The fewer people involved, the less likely they'd get a boarding pass to X-19. "Where's the Captain? Did she get a report?"
James shot him a look that said he wasn't dropping this completely, but answered his question anyways. "I told her what I saw. Wasn't much and we're still trying to ID the hostiles, they don't match any unit in our intel."
Ellie sighed in defeat. "She was here every night checking in on you. I think she's hoping you'd give her some answers."
There wasn't much he didn't remember. The uniforms, the civilians the carnage, but none of it meant anything without so much as a picture of the strange unit. All he had was their color scheme and a crazy idiot named Banes who...
"There was a biotic explosion...that Banes...I've never seen anything like it. It's like he exploded." His eyes got heavier when the drugs kicked in but he refused sleep as the recollection came back. "Did you tell her about him?"
Vega shrugged in response. "Sorry no. I was out like a light by that time, last thing I remember was you being thrown out the window."
"But you saw the biotics, right?" Liam pressed, ignoring the sharp rise on the monitor next to him. Chakwas pressed a firm hand to his chest, her way of telling him to lie down.
"Well yeah...but it's not like they're uncommon, Loco." Vega scratched the short tuft he called a haircut.
"That man exploded with enough force to collapse a building," Liam nearly yelled, but exhaustion coupled with drugs was taking its toll.
"A biotic explosion?" Ellie asked, talking slowly as if he was child. "You're sure there was no bomb?"
Reigning back his anger wasn't hard under the influence of drugs but he still felt slightly irritated with their disbelief. Weren't two totaled buildings evidence enough? "I know it sounds crazy but that's what I saw."
"Look, I talked to Casey and Glen. They saw your biotic but they say a bomb caused the explosion," Vega replied with open palms. "I don't know what happened. I was out."
"Biotics don't just explode, Shepard," Ellie retorted, though the softness in her eyes dampened the irritation in her tone.
Vega didn't say anymore and just nodded like a bobble-head. Ellie suddenly looked tired as she swept a bang from her forehead and stifled a yawn. No one seemed to believe him as their concerned expressions returned.
Ellie looked ready to continue but the doctor's sharp look made her reschedule the interrogation. "The Commander needs rest, Flight Lieutenant Donnelly. And frankly so do you, Lieutenant Vega. I'm sure he's looking forward to your questioning but that will have to wait."
Liam was in no shape to say any more as Ellie threw her hands up in defeat. "Alright alright, I'm moving, doctor. No need to lose your skivvies." She sent Liam a coy grin as she tugged on Vega's uninjured arm. "We'll check in on you later, Shepard. I'm glad you're still with the living." With a relieved look Ellie turned to go. James lingered and gave Liam a tight a smile. "Good to have you back, Loco. Thanks for saving my ass. I owe you."
"Don't mention it. I think we were two for two back there," Liam replied tiredly when the door closed on them.
The drugs were dulling the pain in his head at the cost of making him drowsy. Sleep wasn't far away but he forced himself to look at the doctor. There was something about her that told him she didn't believe in sugarcoating things. "Do you think I'm crazy, doctor?"
"I think you're a man in need of rest," Chakwas said as she started pulling the curtains closed but Liam grasped her dainty hand before she could get too far.
"What do you know about biotics?" When she pursed her lips into a thin line and he felt the warmth recede from her eyes, Liam whispered, "Please...tell me it's possible."
"Well it's certainly possible," she mused as she slipped her hand from his grip. "But you claim he destroyed an entire warehouse along with an apartment block?"
"I saw it happen," Liam replied, wishing he could sit up and meet her eye to eye. It was weird looking up at people from below. "Casey and Glen were there too. We all felt the shockwave but...it wasn't like a biotic attack, it was an explosion."
"Theoretically I don't see how someone could release such a destructive amount of biotics and still retain their form," Chakwas continued as she adjusted a monitor that ran an IV to his arm. "Demolishing two buildings," she shook her head and corrected a dial. Liam began to feel its effects immediately, "a maneuver like that would drain an adept if not kill them from the caloric expense alone."
Liam heaved painfully as the fluids trickled into his arm and the drugs attempted to drown his consciousness. He knew the Alliance had the means to make the theoretical possible, but there was no way they would be this sloppy. If this Banes guy was an Alliance lab rat then some Colonel would be handing him a one-way ticket back to X-19 for ruining a good weapon.
His eyes drooped closed as he counted the ceiling tiles. "I see. That's all I needed to know...thanks, doctor."
Her smile returned as she looked down, the lights must have been playing tricks on him because he swore he saw something akin to motherly concern in her gaze. "My name is Karin, Commander."
"Then it's Liam for me...Karin." With his eyes closed but mind still awake he swore he could feel her smile grow.
The next day was full of physical exercises that eventually led to an early release. Karin gave strict orders to refrain from anything physically demanding as well as a full restriction from any field ops. To his dismay the Captain signed off on it but was nowhere to be found, which meant he was now effectively just another prisoner. But it wasn't all bad news, the salvage team managed to find something in the partially intact apartment: a heavily decrypted matrix of files stored in some device that had the techs stumped for weeks.
Although he was eager to take a look, he couldn't help but stew in frustration at the mission overall. They had no idea who those guys were, what they got away with and if they'd be back. The bodies were taken to Ontarom PD's morgue and he wasn't allowed to set foot off the ship. And there was no one to talk to since everyone was either outside debriefing the cops or on base patrol duty. He felt useless as he stared out the cabin window at the training grounds in the hangar.
"Michael Shepard is not available to take your call. Please try again later." Shepard slammed his omni-tool bearing fist against the bulkhead and clenched his teeth at the sting. It was days like these where he hated that an entire galaxy was between him and his only child.
Resting his burning hand against the cool steel, Shepard closed his eyes and thought back to the last day he saw him. They were at a zoo back on Earth, the excited 11 year old was pointing at the leopards with a huge grin plastered on his face. The rest of the world ceased to exist for Liam whenever the boy was happy. Nothing mattered but that ray of sunshine Michael Shepard brought into this world.
His omni-tool pinged with an incoming call. Liam heart quickened as he answered it hastily, only to be surprised when the determined green eyes of his sister met his.
"Fi?" He said slowly, unsure if this was all a dream.
"My own brother nearly got his ass blown to hell and I hear it from my Major?" The fire in her eyes was almost the color of her hair. "When were you going to tell me?"
"I was—" he started, but couldn't think of a good excuse.
"—Being a bonehead, I know," Fi cut him off as she crossed her arms. "Don't get yourself killed, especially this close to Mike's birthday."
Liam suddenly felt like the galaxy'sworst father. There was so much going on in this side of the universe that his own son's thirteenth birthday slipped his mind. Thankfully the preparations were distributed to trusted family members and nothing seemed amiss.
He ran his free hand over his face and gave Fiona Shepard a relieved smile. It was so good to see her again, even if she did look livid. "Did you pick up the present?"
"It's en-route to the Citadel. Do you know if you're coming yet?"
"Not sure," Liam replied, hoping he didn't sleep through shore leave destination planning. "Are you sure you want to send the present this early? We still have a couple of weeks. Who'll hold it until then?"
Fi raised a brow and inclined her head as if wondering who replaced her brother's head with an empty one. "Who do you think?"
"Mom." Liam chuckled to himself. There was only one woman who could put that reaction on Fiona's face. "I spoke to her you know."
"Did you record it? Her conversations tend to last longer that way," Fiona quipped, shuffling around her desk. The screen wobbled for a bit before her image returned, this time at eye level. The call was seamlessly transferred from the computer to her omni-tool. Liam was proud to see some tech knowledge stuck with her.
"You know she'll be there," Liam said softly, studying the nice decor of her apartment behind her. Conservative tones of black and beige lit up with pallets of yellow and red. "I hope it won't be a problem?"
"I'm not gonna stop her from seeing my nephew," Fi said as she stepped over a threshold into another room. "Just keep her away from me."
As much as he wanted to just talk and catch up, Fiona looked like she was running double time and would need to leave soon. Which meant it was crucial to get her opinion now instead of when it was too late. "Fi, I have to ask you something."
"Make it quick please." Fiona started applying her favorite red lipstick and that's when he noticed how well she was dressed. Instead of the usual military garb, she had a nice low cut but modest violet dress on.
"You going on a date?" He asked, watching as she whisked back her stray red strands.
"That's not what you want to know, Liam," she chided without breaking stride.
This reminded him of all the times he wasn't there to be the big brother. He never had the honor of punching her prom date or driving her home after the first night of drinking. That was all John's domain and he only knew about it through letters. "Who's the guy?"
"Kaiden for your big fat information," she replied, with the hint of a smile. It was almost ironic given their track record as a couple. "Now what's up?"
"I thought you two were..."
"On again. I'll leave it at that," Fiona concluded as she inspected her handi-work. "So what's your other burning question?"
"Have you ever made something...explode?"
She stopped her primping and gave him a look that quickly turned into a laugh. "Is that a trick question or did you not read my service record?"
This was good. A happy Fiona would be more receptive to his crazy sighting, at least in theory. "I'm serious, Fi. Have you ever concentrated your biotics enough to cause a demolition strong enough to bring down a building?"
Fiona stopped what she was doing and studied him with concern. "You saw something didn't you?"
"When I 'nearly got my ass blown to hell' as you so colorfully put it," he sighed and hoped just this once to be proven wrong. "Have you seen or heard of anything like it?"
"Liam, I can crush shipping containers and mechs like there's no tomorrow but I can't do that. Even the strongest biotic I know can't level a whole building by himself."
"Wait, there's someone stronger than Kaidy bear?" Liam teased unable to help himself. She was always droning on about how good he was with biotics.
"Shut up, brother. That's not who I meant," she said through a grin, "Though Kaiden is actually getting pretty good."
"I'll take your word for it," Liam replied, remembering the last time Kaiden managed to lift a table with only minimal sweat. "But this wasn't some strategic demolition, Fi. He just exploded. Others reported a mushroom cloud following a blast of biotics." He saw curiosity in Fiona's eyes and even though he had no solid proof to offer, he could sense her belief in him anyways. In a way it warmed his heart.
"I'll keep my ears open for anything eyes-only." She tapped a perfectly manicured red nail against her desk. It was probably the first time he ever saw her go all out. Either Kaiden was going to town or Fiona finally decided to get in touch with her inner fashionista. Either way she earned it. "We both know there's only one employer who specializes in making the impossible possible and they sign our paychecks."
"Thanks Fi," he said, happy to know he wasn't alone in this guessing game. "Sorry to keep you. Now go enjoy yourself and say hi to Kaidy bear for me."
Fiona shook her head in mock dismay but smiled when she spoke. "Will do. Just try not to get yourself killed, okay?"
"That's a promise, sis." When the omni-tool disconnected he stopped to lean against the guard rails and watch the training below. If there is one thing he wished he could change, it's that he had more time with his family both then and now.
A/N: Special thanks to Leej for the 'Kaidy bear' nickname I just had to use. Also I recommend searching Veti-gel on google. We're one step closer to a Mass Effect future!