A/N: I know, I know, I suck. It's not even like I can say I was taking the time to make an ~amazing chapter~. I just spat this out this afternoon I'm sorry to say, which is pretty crappy of me. BUT, if you guys stick around we can get past this game and move on to *dundumbaboo* Original stuff! WHOOP! I'm excited. I also wrote the end, like the real end, and I'm excited to get there. So let's suffer through the draggy stuff and move along to bigger and better things. :D
*Clears throat* anyway, back on topic, I tried to make this chapter fairly goofy to up the fun quotient of this story a bit. The second half of this fic is going to get kind of heavy at times so I figure we should laugh while we can, eh? (wow that sounds ominous. I promise it won't be like dark or anything.)
"Who's Feron?" Shepard asked curiously, peering over the top of the data pad she had just handed over to Liara with interest. They were in the asari's office, Miranda and Garrus standing silently by the door, offering the women some space as they awaited orders.
"He was a friend," Liara replied, setting the pad down on the desk. "He helped me recover your body from the Shadow Broker." Her eyes darted over to meet Miranda's gaze, and a meaningful message passed between them. The friend Cerberus had abandoned, a fact which Miranda had to own even if she had nothing to do with the decision.
There was something else in the gaze too, Miranda had seen it, even if Liara had only lingered on her for the slightest of moments. It was as if she were being studied, evaluated. Almost as if the asari was coming to some sort of conclusion about her, which was odd in and of itself because…
Oh my god she knows.
Dread overwhelmed Miranda, heating through her system in a flash, and leaving her having to mentally wrestle it to the back of her mind.
No, there's no way. That's impossible.
"Were you two close?" Shepard successfully kept any accusation out of her voice, but everyone present understood her interest in the response. Liara leaned back against the desk she stood in front of, a telling expression gracing her features. She didn't think Shepard had the right to ask that question, it was all over her face.
She totally knows.
Again, a rush of heat flooded her body. She had come to protect Shepard, there was nothing in the job description about personal altercations. Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. They were adults, there wasn't exactly going to be a catfight. Just because this was something she had never experienced before didn't mean she had to be scared of it.
It's not a big deal. It's not even your fault, you don't owe her anything. Shepard's the one who…. You could have backed off at any minute and she knows it…
"I owe him everything," Liara finally admitted at length. "He sacrificed himself for my sake." The asari smiled softly, and heaved a sigh as though the entire weight of the known universe had been lifted from her shoulders.
Stop. She doesn't know. Even if she did she wouldn't care. Stop being paranoid, she has better things to do than to keep tabs on your personal life. She doesn't know, that's absolutely ridiculous.
Shepard nodded her understanding. "Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. What's the next step?"
Liara looked a bit lost, clearly overwhelmed at how quickly everything she had been working so hard for had fallen into her lap. "I need to prepare, to think. I'm going home." She walked towards the door of her office slowly, almost dazed.
"You okay?" Shepard called after her, the concern in her voice clear.
Liara turned and smiled more sincerely then, clearly in Shepard's response to offer help so quickly. "I've spent two years plotting revenge," she said softly, and her gaze flickered over to meet Miranda's once more. "Now I have the chance to make it a rescue."
She definitely knows.
"Let us help," Shepard replied. "We'll come by your apartment."
Liara turned to look back at Shepard. "Okay, hopefully I'll have a plan by then. Thank you, Shepard." And then she was gone.
Probably should have stayed on the ship.
"Wow, well that's certainly," Miranda trailed off for a moment, searching for the right word.
Bizarre.
Uncomfortable.
Creepy.
Obsessive.
"Decorative?" she tried at last.
Garrus gave something akin to a snicker beside her. "Come on, let's try over there."
Miranda took one last look at the armor in the display case before following. Shepard was upstairs at the moment, as they had decided to split up and speed their search, but she had no doubt that their commander would have a thing or two to say about the little shrine if they had the time. As it were though, Shepard was far too concerned with ensuring the asari's safety for her usual quips.
Things had quickly taken a turn for the worse since they had reached Liara's apartment building. The apparent attack on Liara and her subsequent vanishing act was concerning enough alone, and now they had to work with this Tela Vasir. Miranda had never heard of her, which in and of itself was a red flag. It had been her business to know everything there was to know about Shepard and her relations during the early stages of Lazarus. Spectres, by association, had become part of her studies. Either the asari was a new recruit, or she was waist deep in incredibly classified operations that Cerberus hadn't been able to get a hold of.
Though she had followed Garrus downstairs to hunt for any clues left by Liara at Shepard's command without argument, Miranda kept her attentions focused on the floor above. Vasir had been well informed on the events that had taken place in the apartment, almost unreasonably so. The way she had so confidently described the situation was unsettling, and then she had proceeded to kick out all of the law enforcement officials, effectively isolating them. Something just didn't feel right about the whole turn of events, and if Shepard was too distracted with worrying about Liara to see it, then it was Miranda's job to keep her safe.
Why would a Spectre even be interested in a case like this? Liara was an information broker, not some noble official the council had a personal interest in protecting. She was nothing to them, unless Vasir had been tasked with hunting down the Shadow Broker as well. Though she had appeared ignorant of the broker being involved until Shepard had dropped the name, it could have easily been an act. That would be the only logical explanation of her presence, considering she should have just let Illium's police force do their job. At the very most she should have merely offered them aid.
The idea that perhaps she really was just trying to help solve the case without personal gain could quickly be rubbed out. It was glaringly obvious to Miranda from the short conversation they had held that Vasir had a bit of an attitude. A Spectre like Shepard might take interest in the case out of the goodness of her heart, but Vasir wanted something. They just had to figure out what.
Or, at least Miranda did. Shepard could be trusting to a fault sometimes. Luckily for her health, that was not a trait Miranda shared.
She turned to watch Garrus prodding uncertainly at some sort of prothean entity or other, trying to invoke a reaction from the inanimate object. Wistfully, Miranda wondered if she might make more of an effort to learn about the protheans in the future. It was becoming increasingly apparent that their fates were heavily entwined with current societies, and though she made a point of never dwelling in the past, perhaps it would prove beneficial in her future to gather a better grasp on the species.
Her musings were interrupted as Shepard tromped down the stairs, graceless in her frustration. "Any luck?" she questioned halfheartedly, already knowing the answer. Both Garrus and Miranda shook their heads, and their leader sighed before scouring the room for more objects of interest.
Miranda tailed her to another display, keeping a wary eye on Vasir as the asari shuffled around in the kitchen area. Shepard stood in front of the item staring at it blankly, as though waiting for it to stand and reveal where Liara had fled to all on its own.
"Shepard," Miranda said softly as she approached, careful to keep her voice low. "What do you know about Vasir?"
"Hmm?" The woman glanced back at her, an eyebrow raised. "Not much of anything, I'm afraid." She turned her focus back towards the item before her, glancing about in search of some sort of trigger or button.
That wasn't very reassuring. "Have you ever even heard of her?"
Shepard gave a dry laugh. "Well, I didn't exactly have time for a get-to-know-your-coworkers party after the induction ceremony. I was a tad busy charging off after Saren, and then you know," she grimaced, "dying and stuff." She trailed off, her attention back on her search.
"You know," Shepard whispered quietly when Miranda didn't respond, gesturing to the prothean artifact before them, "these all honestly look like rocks to me."
Relaxing a bit at the playfulness of the comment despite herself, Miranda hummed in agreement, amusement clear in her voice. "Expensive rocks."
Shepard chuckled as she tentatively reached up and stroked the display. There was an immediate reaction as the stand it rested on made a quiet clicking noise and a hidden shelf popped out. A backup disk rested innocently before them and Miranda felt Shepard relax beside her at some progress finally being made. She had to remind herself that Shepard caring about the wellbeing of others was a good thing, it was one of the things she liked about her. There really was no need for the stab of irritation that had run through her at the action.
"Vasir, we've got something here," Shepard called out as she picked up the small drive.
Miranda bit her lip and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She would have much preferred Shepard hiding the data on her person and then taking her and Garrus to continue the investigation on their own. Now she would have to be on her guard against the asari every minute.
They watched the upper floors of the Dracon Trade Center ignite with wide eyes, speechless. Screams could be heard from all around at the explosion, as debris and ash sprinkled down around them. It was Shepard who broke the silence.
"Liara's in there," she cried, the panic in her voice palpable as she took a few steps forward.
Vasir was by her side in an instant. "They just took out three floors to make sure she's dead." There was a short pause, and then she turned to the commander. "I'll grab the skycar and seal off the building from the top."
Silently, Miranda cursed. She was nowhere near keen to the idea of Vasir running off on her own unsupervised. Briefly she toyed with the notion of offering to join the asari, but her emotions overtook her good sense. Things were clearly getting out of hand and if they were as shady as she suspected she didn't want to leave Shepard's side. Unfortunately, she wasn't in a position where she could suggest Garrus leaving with the woman either without rising the Spectre's suspicions.
Miranda would have to just hope for the best, and pray her instincts were way off the mark.
"I'll start here and work my way up," Shepard called over her shoulder as she headed towards the blast.
Garrus and Miranda trailed her closely, entering the smoldering building without hesitation while Vasir took off. Miranda found herself all but praying for Liara to have escaped the blast unharmed. Her overwhelming bout of bitterness and the insecurities the uncertainty of the situation had forced upon her had so far proven to be unbearably draining as it was. There was no need to add a steaming pile of guilt on top of all that.
Miranda squatted down beside Garrus and peered over the low wall to take a glance at their opponents. The room was absolutely filled with them, hinting that the fight may take a bit more time than they really had to spare. She shared a meaningful look with Garrus as she ducked back down, and he nodded his understanding. Shepard was kneeling behind a desk a few paces in front of them, and brought a hand to her ear.
"Vasir, we're pinned down. Mercs - and they're well armed," she informed their new cohort, attempting to give her fellow Spectre warning, should she face the same resistance on her own travels.
"Say hello to the Shadow Broker's private army, Commander," the asari returned smoothly. There was not a hint of surprise or concern in her voice, no alarm to be heard. She was completely passive.
Miranda bit back a groan. Why hadn't she trusted herself to be right? She was always right. As soon as the firefight was over, they needed to cut the comm link connection and have a chat.
Of course, life was never that easy. They were forced to swim through a sea of the mercs, and Vasir's presence in their communicators left Miranda unable to speak freely. Not that her being disconnected would have really allowed for conversation though, the constant hail of bullets they were being forced to move through made that pretty difficult.
They were travelling through one room after the other without rest, and before they knew it, they were passing through a doorway to find themselves face to face with the Spectre once more. Almost as if the mercs had been throwing themselves at their squad merely to slow their progress forward down and give Vasir time. To do what, Miranda was still unsure.
The asari stood over the body of a mercenary and a salaraian, her expression unreadable. She glanced over at their entrance and holstered her pistol. "Damn it, if I had been a few seconds faster, I could've stopped them."
Shepard put her own rifle away and Garrus followed suit without question. Miranda did the same, but her hand hovered over her weapon, fingers twitching as she kept herself primed. As long as she didn't let on that she was aware of Vasir's less than honest behavior, it was likely the asari would remain passive until either Liara or the Shadow Broker himself was found, depending on what exactly her objective was. All she had to do was keep Shepard out of harm's way, as clearly the woman wasn't looking out for herself.
Concern had overwhelmed Shepard into developing an acute case of tunnel vision. She was so filled with fear for Liara's safety she was blind to the signs of betrayal. In a way, that left Miranda in charge to some extent. She'd let Vasir carry out her plans, let her expose just who she was working for, and then she'd strike, defending her team from harm.
Shepard moved into the room, kneeling before the salarian, sorrow plain on her face. "Is this Sekat?"
"Must have been."
Miranda tensed as their leader exposed her back to Vasir, leaving herself completely vulnerable to attack. They would really need to have a talk about this when everything was said and done. She understood that Shepard was never one to be able to completely shut off her emotions, but a little show of self preservation would be appreciated.
Blinking, Miranda considered the fact she would not have been so accommodating to Shepard's emotional state just a few months earlier. She would have probably offered nothing but scorn to the woman, berating her for being unable to focus on the mission and looking down on her for allowing her feelings to hinder her ability to sense danger.
Now though, she had no right to judge. Not merely because she had changed, but because she had experienced the same fate. Not too long ago she had been in the exact same position as Shepard, chasing after a loved one and blind to the obvious deceit happening just in front of her. Shepard had followed her dutifully then, never looking down on her or offering any condescending words. She had stood by Miranda's side, though she had clearly sensed the betrayal for quite some time, only interfering when her squad mate had most needed her.
Now, Miranda was determined to give Shepard that same courtesy.
"No sign of that data Liara talked about," Shepard sighed out in frustration as she stood. "Looks like a dead end." She turned back to face them, clearly distraught. They had lost the data and were no closer to finding Liara. She could very easily be long since dead, and they may never know what happened.
Pull yourself together, Shepard. If that merc was the one who had just killed Sekat a few seconds ago like Vasir claimed then he would have the data on his body.
"Speaking of which," Vasir replied, almost sounding cruel, "did you find your friend's body?"
Miranda's hand clamped around her pistol. That was it, the show was over. Vasir had just confirmed it was the data she was after, along with Liara's death. The council wasn't involved, this had all been to protect both the Shadow Broker's identity and location. Now that the job was done, the asari had no more use for them.
"You mean this body?"
Before Miranda had time to react, Liara had appeared, pistol drawn and steadily aimed at Vasir's head.
"Liara," Shepard called out in delight, her face softening as relief swam through her. It didn't take long for her brow to scrunch up in confusion however. She raised a hand, trying to calm her old friend. "This is Vasir," she explained quickly. "She's a Spectre."
Miranda rolled her eyes, keeping her pistol trained on the woman as well.
Honestly, Shepard….
Garrus glanced at her, clearly unsure, but apparently confident enough in her to follow her example. Though she knew Liara probably was the cause of some of that faith, she still got a small sense of pride as he too lifted his weapon. Garrus trusted her.
Shepard's face fell as she considered her friends distrust. "This is the woman who tried to kill me," Liara clarified, taking a few careful steps forward.
Miranda felt a surge of pleasure as she watched Vasir's confidence falter and the asari took a few steps back. "You've had a rough day, so I'll let that slide. Why don't you put that gun down?"
"I saw you," Liara pressed. "I doubled back after I left. I watched you break into my apartment."
Not only a traitor, Miranda mused, but a sloppy one at that. Shepard's eyes narrowed in belated realization. "You didn't know where Liara went because she hid the message. You needed me to find it for you."
Miranda bit back a smile at the delayed response. Shepard would definitely be getting teased mercilessly for this later, assuming everything went smoothly from here on out.
Except not by you. That'll be Liara's job.
Vasir shrugged. "Thanks for the help," she deadpanned.
"Once she had my location, she signaled the Shadow Broker's forces. They bombed the building to take me out," Liara continued. "She found Sekat, took his data, and killed him. I'm guessing she's still got the disk on her."
For her part, Vasir looked irritated at the explanations of her exploits, a sentiment Miranda found herself sharing. It was out now: Vasir bad, Shepard and friends good. There was no need to stand around and talk about it for ten minutes. Every second they lingered without pulling the trigger was a second Vasir had to consider possible escape routes.
"Good guess," the Spectre agent replied, holding up the data drive. "Not that you'll ever see what's on it you pureblood bitch," She punctuated her point by throwing a powerful biotic blast their way, sending a wave of glass from the broken window behind her washing over them.
Liara saved them by hastily throwing up a large barrier, but Vasir's purpose had been served, and she turned to flee as they were distracted. Miranda wasn't sure if it was due to adrenaline or sheer anger at being deceived, but Shepard charged after their attacker like a woman possessed.
Without a second thought she threw herself at the asari, effectively sending them both careening out of the window. Miranda's stomach plummeted as she watched the two wrestling Spectre's disappear from view, and she barely registered Liara leaping out after them.
"Come on," Garrus called out, snapping her out of her shock as he watched Liara charging after Vasir and mercilessly tossing aside anyone who got in her way. "We have to get down there."
In moments they were downstairs, and Miranda helped Shepard to her feet, raking her body with a concerned gaze. Shepard winced as she supported herself, feeling more than a little rattled, but wanting to reassure her friends. "It's okay, it's fine."
As soon as Garrus knew she was in one piece, he started chuckling. "So Liara is a total badass now, huh?"
"Oh yeah," Shepard griped bitterly as she rubbed at the soreness in her right shoulder. "She's great."
He gave her a heavy smack on the back, jostling her a bit painfully. "Oh, did you fall on your ego?" He cooed teasingly.
Shepard rolled her eyes, though a smile spread across her face. "Come on, we don't want to fall behind."
They set off after their quarry, having little trouble figuring out which way they had traveled. After all, all they really had to do was follow the path of rampant destruction.
Miranda crossed her arms, sourly wishing Garrus had been able to come along. They weren't ones for conversation, but at least awkward small talk would have offered a small distraction from the exchange happening up front. He had been sent back to the Normandy however, and she was left to suffer alone in the back seat of the fast moving skycar.
Miranda Lawson never sat in the back seat.
Just in front of her, Shepard and Liara were bickering like an old married couple as they chased down Vasir's vehicle. It was a wild ride, and getting thrown around in the back was starting to make her nauseous. No wonder Garrus had looked almost relieved when he realized he wouldn't be coming along, Shepard was atrocious behind the wheel. By the second truck they narrowly escaped colliding with, Miranda was starting to just wish they would crash and be done with it already.
If suffering through the stomach-churning car chase hadn't done enough to cement her foul mood, chasing the rogue Spectre through a seedy 'luxury resort' certainly had. The whole ordeal left Miranda bitterly wishing she had but a bullet in Vasir's head as soon as she had suspected foul play back in Liara's apartment.
It was too late to mourn lost opportunities however, and once they were back on firm ground, the asari really hadn't stood much of a chance no matter how much backup she had called in. As soon as she had hit the ground, lifeless, Liara swooped down upon the corpse. Miranda and Shepard looked on from a few paces away, as she secured Sekat's data pad. Vasir had been powerful and tenacious, but apparently not much of a critical thinker when under duress. She should have destroyed the pad as soon as she had had the chance. Now she was gone, and they had the exact information they needed to take down her employer, assuming the intel was good.
"Hopefully that has what we need," Shepard sighed out tiredly before glancing at Miranda. "Help me search these other guys." She gestured towards the multiple bodies around them. "In case Sekat's data doesn't pan out, they might have something on them that could offer some clues."
That didn't make any sort of sense to Miranda. Obviously these were just low level grunts. Pistol fodder for the Shadow Broker to throw mindlessly at an enemy whenever they got too close for comfort, they would hardly have any Intel on him. She doubted even Vasir had met the enigmatic figure. Still, Miranda nodded and did as she was bid, it wasn't her place to argue, and Shepard rarely lead her team astray.
Wordlessly, Liara moved away from the scene, and Shepard waited just a moment before following. She waited until Miranda was out of earshot before she engaged in conversation. As it had been of late, their discussion felt forced and awkward as they worked out their next move. Shepard assured her friend the Normandy would be at her disposal to travel wherever the data lead them.
"We'll get Feron out of there alive, Liara. I promise," Shepard soothed her reassuringly.
"I know," she replied with a small smile. "You're here to help. Just like always." She let out a heavy sigh, averting her eyes away from Shepard's piercing gaze. "Come on, we should get moving. From here on out, things will be simple. Get in, get Feron, get out."
"Wait," Shepard reached out, placing a gentle hand on Liara's arm. "Can you just calm down and talk to me for a minute?"
Liara's eyes narrowed in confusion. "About what?"
"About us," Shepard supplied, exasperated. She couldn't go on like this, it was driving her mad. Shepard was at a complete standstill. She hated herself for what she had put Liara through, and she needed to work through it with her old friend, to make amends and acknowledge the regrets of the past.
"Shepard," Liara said softly, shaking her head, "listen, I'm glad you're here, but-"
Biting her lip, frustrated with the asari's obvious avoidance, Shepard couldn't help but turn bitter. "Are you worried there might be terminals you need me to hack?" She regretted the comment as soon as it had been made, but there was no taking it back.
"That's not fair," Liara defended. Her features hardened suddenly. "You were dead."
"Yeah, people keep reminding me about that," Shepard shot back. "I'm aware, thanks. I'd also like to get it on the record that it wasn't exactly a conscious decision. I'm sick and tired of my friends holding being dead against me as if it was some malicious stunt I pulled." She took a step forward. "I was gone, yeah, but now I'm back."
"Yes, you're back, and it seems like your main concern now is passing time with Miss Lawson and her low cut jumpsuit."
"Hey now," Shepard was ready to defend, but suddenly she faltered, and blanched. Was Liara spying on her now? The Illusive Man was one thing, he was a dirty snake in the grass and she expected such things from a man of his reputation. But Liara? Really? Keeping tabs on her like that when she had made it so clear in person where her priorities lie?
Apparently recognizing the anger forming in Shepard mind, Liara raised a hand to her head with a tired sigh. "Look, Shepard, I'm an information broker. I learn things."
"Maybe if you would have just talked to me for two minutes I could have shared the information myself," Shepard retorted, words drowning in resentment. She was so caught up in her anger she barely registered the third member of their team returning to them, oblivious to the topic of their discussion.
"There was no…" Miranda trailed off, looking between the two women. Liara was staring down an irritated looking Shepard, and Miranda was hit with the sudden desire to be able to dissolve. It was revealed to her then, the purpose of her seemingly meaningless task. The chore had been given to her to keep her out of the way for a few minutes, that was all. Shepard had wanted to spare her from an uncomfortable exchange.
She really wished she had taken longer to search the corpses. Honestly, sometimes her efficiency was more of a curse than an asset.
They existed in uncomfortable silence for some time before Liara finally spoke up. "Look, for now, let's focus on getting Feron back."
"Fine," Shepard snapped, and the two set off back towards the area where they had first landed without another word.
Miranda trailed behind them, feeling decidedly dreadful. Nothing made sense anymore. Truthfully, it hadn't since the moment Oriana's shuttle had lifted off Illium all those days ago. It was painfully obvious that Liara and Shepard had been at odds with one another before she had approached, and now the tension in the air was near stifling. Of course, the only thing that would have caused the altercation was her own presence on the mission in the first place, she knew that.
What was she even doing there? In no way did she blame herself for the turn of events, it took two after all. Shepard was more than a little responsible for the state of things. They shared in the guilt, yes, but it was Miranda's fault for the trouble now, wasn't it? She should have backed off, pulled away and let Shepard rekindle or deal with whatever was happening between her and the asari. It wasn't her place to meddle, and she was already way out of line becoming as invested as she was in her assignment.
That's what Shepard was after all. Her project, her assignment. She was way out of her depth with the whole situation. It felt petty to even be thinking it, but there was an air of drama now. She wasn't used to drama of this sort. Overbearing bosses and abusive fathers, yes. Love triangles, no. She didn't get mixed up in those sorts of immature goings on, she was a professional, an adult. How had she so completely stumbled into these affairs of the heart without realizing it?
A/N: This was a sort of annoying chapter, and proved to be rather poopy. I see Miranda as super insecure, but also mature. It was tougher than I thought trying to find the balance between her being both sulky and acting like a reasonable adult (especially since the temptation to make her super petulant and adorable was hard to resist). I hope she doesn't come across as too petty, because I honestly can't see her like that.