A/N: Yikes, I'm really sorry this took so long. I woke up this morning and forced myself to get it all out for you. I'm really sorry I've gotten so bad with updates, I'm just stretching myself a bit thin of late and taking on too many projects. Unfortunately, because I don't get paid for it, this has to be lowest on my list of priorities so I have like zero time to dedicate to it. I just hope the quality doesn't decline for you and you can all continue to enjoy it. As always, thanks for your support, patience, and understanding.
As soon as the newest entry had begun to speak, Miranda had them identified. It was the first of her father's creations that they had had the misfortune of running into. It was the one who had caused all of this, the one that had destroyed all of her carefully laid plans.
Her grip tightened on her pistol.
"No," she was practically screeching, and Miranda could hear the raw panic in her voice. "There were two. I said there were two."
Miranda cursed under her breath. She had been leading these imbeciles along on a merry chase. She could have likely kept it up for as long as Shepard had required if it had not been for this interruption. There was no call for it now, someone would be sent after Shepard and it wouldn't be long until her location was discovered.
Joining up with Shepard now would merely lead this rabble to the basement all the more quickly, and being unable to injure any of the girls as she was, she would be of no use anyhow. She would have to beat a hasty retreat and hang back while praying that Shepard was far enough along on her task that she could do the same before being captured, or worse.
As soon as the girl spoke, it triggered in Shepard's mind, and she was able to place the memory quickly. Brianna was the one that had shown up earlier in the hall at just about the worst possible moment, the one they had assumed had run off to contact her father.
"I was worried something had happened when I saw Miranda was alone," she said softly.
"You ran into Miranda?" Shepard questioned almost too loudly. "Is she alright?"
"I couldn't tell you." For some reason she chuckled dryly. "I didn't get too close. She fired a few rounds in my direction so I would keep my distance."
Shepard's heart dropped. "She what?"
"It was just a warning," Brianna returned smoothly. "Nobody is that bad of shot," she smirked, "especially not one of us."
Shepard considered her carefully. "So, you figured out about Miranda?" It wasn't as though it was that hard of a riddle to crack, especially once they saw her face to face, but Shepard still felt the need to question the girl. It would be difficult to trust her until she could get a feel for where the kid's head was at.
"No," Brianna replied. "I've known about her for a long time."
Lana's words from earlier came back to Shepard. Somehow, Brianna had learned much more than she ever should have. "Your father told you?" she questioned, already knowing the answer.
Brianna shook her head quickly, a frown forming on her face. "He didn't. We were told the same story as everyone else when it inevitably came up."
Shepard holstered her pistol and studied the girl warily. "Story?"
"The community knew of Miranda. From what I can tell he would show her off every chance he got. If she suddenly disappeared from the public eye, people would have asked questions." She gave a bitter laugh.
A sudden surge of discomfort swept through Shepard. It was almost painful, talking to this girl. Her youth was apparent in every feature, and yet something far darker seemed to lurk just beneath the surface. Nothing like malice, no, but a sort of jaded bitterness, heavy and poisoning the girl's every word. There was something off about her. She was stone faced and cold, even as she smiled or laughed, almost hollow.
In a way, she reminded Shepard of Miranda in the days before they had really known one another, when the Cerberus Operative had first spoken to her with disinterest and perhaps even a little disdain. That was different however, as this was far worse. Brianna wasn't merely professionally distancing herself, she was empty. Miranda was brimming with life, and entire human being full of history and present and future to unlock. But the girl in front of Shepard now was vacant. There was nothing behind the beautiful shell. It was the empty husk of someone who had been broken long ago.
"Lucky there was a fire on the Lawson estate not long after she was gone. Convenient when you need to arrange a fake funeral but have no body to show. Apparently everyone was very understanding when he decided to withdraw from the public eye and purchase a quiet home on the river."
Her eyes narrowed. "It never made sense to me, that story. An entire mansion burning down like that? Ridiculous. One giant mistake." She shook her head again. "Father doesn't tolerate mistakes. It never felt plausible to me, and well, I grew curious."
Shepard let out a heavy breath. "You went snooping."
"I figured someone must have started it," she continued. "It wasn't until I did some digging that I realized it was her. She had set a distraction so she could escape. Father had it taken care of of course, but after she had gotten away, he realized she knew too much. He needed an excuse to flee himself, and so he cleared out what he needed and then burned the rest."
Lana shifted next to Brianna as her sister spoke, completely entranced by the conversation. Shepard briefly wondered just how much she truly comprehended.
"And then I found more data," Brianna sounded excited now. "An entire other creation, one born before me whom I had never met. I read about her, how she was just like us, but she escaped as well." She beamed at Shepard, taking the older woman by surprise. Suddenly those eyes were sparkling with hope. "Miranda rescued Oriana, and I just knew she would come back for us."
And Shepard knew then, why Lana had gazed up at Miranda with the awe that she had. Miranda was her hero, her savior. Brianna had likely coddled the girl with stories late into the night, whispering of the brilliance of Miranda, and how she was going to free them all.
Her stomach twisted. What was she supposed to say?
'No, we didn't come for you'?
'Sorry, but I'm actually after your dad's computer'?
'In fact, we had no idea you even existed'?
It was such a childish sentiment, a romantic fairy tale of a hero coming back to rescue the oppressed and downtrodden. It betrayed the true age of the children. No matter how much information they possessed and no matter how extended their vocabulary may be, these were kids waiting for a savior, and it was a very real possibility that she may let them down.
Shepard nodded, at a loss as she glanced quickly from Lana to Brianna's expectant faces, trying to sort through it all in her mind. "How old are you?" she questioned suddenly.
The girl looked confused, though she answered dutifully. "Fourteen."
Shepard swallowed, unsure of what to say. Her struggling brain settled for something utterly irrelevant and painfully unintelligent. "You're tall for fourteen."
Brianna glanced down at Lana, who would stand almost a head above any other children her age should she find herself beside one. "I guess it runs in the family."
And suddenly Shepard found herself grinning. "I guess it does."
She couldn't let herself be disheartened by this new information. No, they weren't the saviors these children had imagined up for themselves, but she would be dammed if she didn't at least attempt to be.
"I'm going to help you," Shepard said gravely, giving the child a hard look, "but there is something down here I need to sort out." She jerked her head towards the door. "Can you get me in?"
Brianna beamed at her. "Of course. I've come down here before."
"Really?" Shepard crossed her arms as Brianna moved towards the door confidently, rather surprised by the information. Lana had made this area sound forbidden.
"Yes," she replied softly, "though I've only risked it three times. It's not often that father isn't watching us closely."
Well that answered that question.
"The first time I made it so far as this door," she continued on, running her hand along the structure absently, "but wasn't sure how to proceed. When I investigated I noticed some of the numbers were faded, as though they had been used more than the others. Four digits only have so many possible combinations. It has to be something easily remembered. A birthday, an anniversary, something of the like." Her hand hovered over the pad for just a moment, and then her fingers danced nimbly across the keys. "Know a person well enough and it's simple really."
"I'm impressed," Shepard replied honestly as she looked on.
Brianna shook her head. "I didn't figure it out. I brought the numbers to Lana." Shepard's brow furrowed in confusion, prompting the girl to explain further. "I don't know how much you two have talked, but I'm sure you've noticed. Lana is quite intelligent, she retains information marvelously, and problem solving is her specialty."
Shepard glanced down at the girl beside them, who was beaming up rather proudly, head held high.
"We all have one. Intellect just happens to be hers."
Shepard studied her carefully at that remark, hardly registering as the light in front of the door flickered from red to green. "And what's your specialty?" She didn't understand. He was honing just a few certain skills in each child? That made no sense. It certainly didn't add up with the upbringing Miranda had described to her.
Brianna merely flashed her a smirk as the door hissed opened automatically, and moved to pass through the doorway without answering.
So being horrendously cryptic ran in the family as well then, good to know. Shepard followed, smiling as she felt Lana trot up beside her, grabbing a fistful of Shepard's pants to keep hold of while moving forward.
The room was massive, though it took Shepard awhile to realize the fact, blinded as she was when Brianna moved to turn on the overhead lights. The facility was clearly an old storage building repurposed for Henry's work. It was white and spacious and immaculate, rather reminiscent of the station Shepard had woken up in after project Lazarus all those months ago.
There were rows and rows of equipment Shepard would never be able to identify, and she found herself wishing once more that Miranda had come in her stead. She studied the beeping machinery around her, the data flashing along bright screens, completely overwhelmed.
"Brianna," she said softly, glancing about the room with wide eyes, "how do you feel about giving me a hand?"
Miranda slumped against the wall heavily, fighting to regain control of her breath. She pressed her palm against her upper arm and squeezed the shallow wound there tightly. Her escape had earned her the injury, and though it had been a glancing blow that didn't calm her racing heart.
Things were getting too close for comfort.
She was safe for the moment, but it was likely she wouldn't have long before she was discovered once more, and she was tiring quickly. Dragging out their little dance any further could put her in serious trouble.
With frantic fingers Miranda coaxed her omnitool to life. The time for caution had long since passed, and she initiated an open communication with Shepard.
It took a few moments for a connection to be established, long enough for her mouth to run dry and her stomach to constrict painfully. Shepard's voice finally responding quickly alleviated those aches.
"Miranda?" Her voice was breathy, full of an emotion Miranda couldn't pinpoint.
"What's wrong?" she whispered quietly, brow furrowed. "Has something happened?"
"No, I just-" Shepard started, quickly cutting herself off. There was a heavy sigh, and then a dry chuckle. "They're working with the Reapers. You were right." A lengthy pause then. "It's uh…god, I don't even know."
Miranda couldn't believe how tired she sounded, how utterly disgusted, how completely appalled.
"I did what you asked but…Miranda, the Illusive Man has completely lost it. I can't even…"
A commotion stirred closer than Miranda would have liked. She was running out of time. "Whatever it is," she whispered harshly, "just make sure Liara is in. We'll discuss it later. What is your current location?"
"We're still in the facility," Shepard replied dutifully. "And I've picked up another passenger."
Miranda scowled, scanning the room with a careful gaze. She needed to revise her plan. "Any more surprises for me?" she growled.
Shepard laughed quietly and was about to respond when there was a rustling on the connection. Faintly, Miranda could hear another voice over the line, though she was unable to make out to whom it belonged or what was being said. Impatiently, she waited for Shepard to fill her in.
When Shepard finally spoke up once more, her voice clearly trembled. "I think we have some more stuff to figure out over here," she responded as though she herself couldn't believe it. "Where will I be able to find you afterwards?"
"So what is it?" Shepard asked as soon as she cut off the connection with Miranda. She turned on the young girl beside her, knowing they were short on time. It was too dangerous to leave Miranda waiting around for them any longer. "What do you need to show me?"
Brianna looked hesitant, her gaze falling to the hard concrete floor. "Who are you, Shepard?" she questioned quietly. "Why are you here?"
Shepard's face twisted up in confusion. Was now really the time for such questions? She understood to expect these kids' trust she would have to be open with them, but surely this girl understood the urgency of the situation.
"Miranda and I go way back," she settled for at length. "And well, I guess I owe her more than a few favors."
Brianna seemed to consider the statement carefully. "You're in her debt?"
Despite herself, Shepard laughed at that. "Not officially," she chuckled out, "but I feel so, in some ways, yes." As she sobered she offered the girl a curious look. "Why the interest?"
Again, Brianna seemed hesitant, and she physically shrunk away from Shepard as she responded. "You have no ties to us, I wasn't sure if…" she trailed off, clasping her hands in front of her and twisting her fingers together nervously. "I mean, I don't know how…"
For the first time since they had met, Shepard was getting the feeling that Brianna was acting her age.
"Come," was all she managed after a few moments. "It might be better if I simply show you."
Shepard hesitated as she watched Brianna's figure disappear behind one of the many whirring and beeping machines that surrounded them. She wasn't quite sure if she wanted to know what more the girl had in store for her. Something sinister was taking place in this building, and after what she had just seen involving the Reapers, she wasn't sure if she could handle whatever was coming next.
Shepard was caught off guard when she felt a tiny hand slip into her own. She looked down at the child by her side.
"Don't be scared," Lana whispered up at her before setting off, keeping a firm hold of Shepard and towing her along, "just take my hand and don't let go."
"Oh my god," Shepard whispered for what happened to be the sixth time, not that she was currently able to comprehend that fact. Her gaze flickered from Brianna, to the machine the girl was standing beside, and back to Brianna once more.
Her mouth flopped open a couple of times, a slight hiss escaping as she attempted to gather together some form of coherence in her addled mind.
"I can't," she finally managed to splutter out. "I can't," she faltered, not catching the worried expression Brianna now wore. For her part, being unable to truly comprehend what they were looking at, Lana was giggling at Shepard's childish display.
Finally, Shepard merely threw her hands up in the air while making an animalistic sort of noise. That got Lana laughing even louder. "I don't know what to do with this," she stuttered out in an almost accusatory manner towards Brianna. "How would I know what to do with this?"
The girl's brow knit together fretfully and she appeared almost ashamed with herself. "I never knew what to do about it."
Shepard's eyes widened and she pounded both hands to her chest. "Well neither do I," she reiterated rather loudly.
Brianna shushed her frantically, alarmed. "Please don't panic," she begged.
"Panic?" Shepard questioned exasperatedly as she looked at the being before them. "Kid, there is a baby in a tube." Again, her hands were thrown into the air. "You just showed me a baby in a tube."
Indeed, it was as she said. Shepard looked upon a most grotesque machine. It whined and groaned and hissed loudly, kicking up far more of a fuss than any of the other electronic devices littered about the warehouse. Screens and monitors blinked, flashing information on life signs and a dozen other things Shepard didn't have the state of mind for figuring out at the moment.
All of her attention was on the small clear tank before her, where a tiny child existed inside. Instantly, she was reminded of Grunt, as much like the krogan, the baby was suspended in some form of liquid, appearing to be sleeping peacefully, unaware of those looking upon her. She was small, but seemed to be more than an infant. A toddler perhaps, Shepard reasoned, or maybe a little younger.
"I don't know what to do with a baby in a tube," she spat out, causing both Lana and Brianna to take a step away from her. "Why…" she questioned in disbelief, "why…why is the baby in a tube?" She shook her head, completely baffled at how events had so completely gotten out of her control.
"You put a baby in a tube with green jelly," she spluttered out. "Like what is wrong with you people?" She thrust out a finger at the girl, shaking it rigidly in her direction. "This is why, there's such a thing as having too much money."
Shepard wasn't stupid, even in her distress she knew her reaction was uncalled for. This was how it started, this was how they all started. This had been Lana not too long ago, and some time before that, it had been Brianna herself.
This had been Miranda.
Of course she knew that. The thing was, this was the first time she was actually seeing it. Hearing the word 'created' was one thing, but actually witnessing the process, well that was a whole other story.
It was a baby suspended in a cold tube, all alone in an immaculate white lab with only the droll humming of soulless machinery for company. There was no love here. It was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to be.
"Shepard?" Brianna's timid voice broke her out of her own mind, forcing her back into reality.
Licking her dry lips, she swallowed loudly as she felt the dampness running down her cheek. She hadn't even realized she had been crying. Taking a few tentative steps towards the machine, she raised a careful hand and pressed it tenderly against the glass of the tank.
"What do I do?" she questioned softly. "Can I take her out? Is she ready?"
Brianna cautiously moved to her side. "Ready?"
"I don't know, is she like…" Shepard trailed off, pausing to chuckle dryly in disbelief as she considered the situation she now found herself in. "fermenting?" She snorted at her own stupidity. "I don't know."
"Fermenting," Brianna repeated solemnly, giving Shepard the impression that should circumstances be less tense, she would be getting ridiculed.
"Kid, I don't even know about normal babies," she defended herself seriously. "This," she stammered, "this is a tube baby." She shook her head, taking a quick step back and letting her hand fall. "See? I told her, I told Miranda to come to the basement instead of me. This is why. It's things like this…"
Miranda would know what to do. Miranda always knew what to do. She would press a few buttons and out would pop the baby safe and sound.
"Shepard, please," Brianna was begging once more.
Shepard took a deep breath at the words, steadying herself. These kids needed her. Miranda wasn't there, and she would have to take charge.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," she said suddenly, searching for composure. "I'm done."
She glanced at Brianna as soon as she managed to plaster a brilliant, albeit false, smile across her face. The most important thing was to keep these children calm and safe. She could have a mental breakdown on her own time.
"So, I'm not in for any more surprises like this, am I?" she questioned brightly.
Brianna tilted her head curiously, clearly confused by Shepard's sudden shift in personality. "No. Lilly is brand new."
Shepard blinked. "Lilly?"
Stepping around the woman, Brianna moved to the computer systems, tapping at the keys there furiously, bringing up pages upon pages of information. When she seemed to have found what she was looking for, she took a step back.
"Lilly," Shepard read off the screen softly, scanning the rest of the information quickly. Much of it was terminology she didn't quite understand, obviously the equations and techniques that had gone into making the girl.
"I think this is it," Brianna said after a moment. "I think she is it."
"What?" Lana questioned curiously from behind them, unable to see the tall machinery they studied at her much shorter height. "What's going on?" she whined.
Brianna shushed her and ordered her back a few steps. The girl obeyed, but not before crossing her arms tightly and stamping her feet a handful of times in a huff.
"I wasn't sure for a time," Brianna explained quietly, ensuring that Lana couldn't make out her words, "but then he took one of my sister's away and I started to realize…" she trailed off.
Shepard grimaced, remembering what Lana had earlier mentioned about a sister named Trinity. She could unfortunately guess the girl's fate.
Brianna shook her head and continued. "I think this is his final project, his Magnum Opus." She gazed over at Shepard steadily. "We were all his template, trial and error until he found the formula for perfection. I guess Lilly is it, the perfect specimen. The epitome of the very best humanity has to offer."
Again, Shepard found herself swallowing roughly. "So when you said you all have specialties…?"
"Why do you think there are so many of us?" Brianna offered by way of response.
"So it's a trial?" Shepard questioned incredulously. "A study? And then when he gets the information he needs…" She couldn't bring herself to continue.
"Well," Brianna replied bitterly, a hint of dark laughter in her voice, "then we take a trip to the basement."
"But," Shepard protested weakly, fighting the knowledge, "that's impossible. If people know about you kids, he can't do that. You can't just disappear." Of course Henry could pay people off, but not the entire general public.
The girl tilted her head curiously. "Who knows about us?"
"What, you've never left the estate?" Shepard inquired, even as she knew the answer.
"It's forbidden," Brianna informed her simply. "He only takes Dawn or Piper when he travels. And Gwen always stays behind with us."
"Why them?" Shepard questioned. She was starting to understand Lilly's initial fear of Miranda. Apparently, the three eldest clones were of a different sort.
"They're safe, quiet." Brianna gestured towards the monitors before them. "It's all here, I've read it all. He wanted more control; he couldn't risk creating another Miranda. He believed inhibiting emotions was the way to achieve that."
Shepard's brow furrowed as the girl continued on. "Dawn and Piper were first. They're brilliant, stronger than any of us by far, but," she trailed off for a moment. "But he let people see them and there was something wrong. They're too detached, too robotic. They could never continue on with his legacy if they were less than human."
She shuddered as she spoke. "Then was Gwen. A little better, he wrote, but not enough to gain the trust of the public. They're too fearsome, too intimidating in ways that feel alien. I think he realized he would have to change his tactics if he wanted to succeed. We were made next, Lana, Elizabeth, Abigail, and I. Enhanced in specific ways to be masters of certain skills and traits, all leading up to this. The girl who will be a master of all skills, and showered with so much affection she'll never run."
For a moment, Shepard closed her eyes. She needed to stay calm. She didn't want to get angry, to lose control. Not when these girls needed her focus. With a heavy breath, her eyelids flickered open.
"Let's destroy it," she told the girl quietly. "All of it." Once again, her attention was on the child in the machine. "How do we get her out?"
Brianna seemed to truly contemplate the question for a time before shaking her head. "I'm not sure."
"Well," Shepard stated confidently, "let's figure it out."
"And then?" Brianna pressed.
"We'll get rid of it all," Shepard replied, gesturing to the screens before them.
"We will?"
Shepard nodded, confident in her decision, though mostly because someone else had made it first. "Miranda told me she wished she had all of those years ago, so that's what I'm going to do."
Miranda burst into the meeting point panting heavily, praying Shepard would already be waiting. Of course, she was met with nothing. Panic swept through her like a violent wave. Everything had completely fallen to pieces.
She no longer was being pursued, but that knowledge offered her nothing but fear. As those tailing her had fallen behind, she had heard them. They were pulling away on purpose, being ordered to retreat for the time being.
Henry Lawson had finally made it back to the estate grounds, and now he was in charge of the operation. They would be fallowing his direct orders, listening to his demands, and Miranda could already feel herself slipping away.
That feeling was returning, that one that she had not experienced since the day she had left all those years ago. It was the feeling of being small, insignificant, unworthy. It was the feeling of doubt and pain.
It was fear.
"Miranda?"
Her heart leapt. Shepard had come, they were free, they could escape. She turned to the voice, and found her companion rushing to her side.
"Shepard," she breathed out as the woman pulled her into an awkward, one-armed embrace. Usually Miranda would flinch away from such contact while others were present, but she was far too exhausted to resist and leaned into Shepard fully. On some level she wondered why Shepard was no longer wearing the dark jacket she had arrived to the estate in, but the thought was quickly brushed aside as the woman began speaking.
"Thank god you're okay," Shepard sighed out before pulling away to get a good look at Miranda. "What happened to your arm?" she questioned sternly, taking notice of the shallow wound that was already well on its way to healing.
"It's nothing," she replied honestly, brushing off the concern. Her attention fell on the two figures behind Shepard. The smaller one, who was once again gazing up at her with something akin to reverence, was quickly ignored. The elder however, was new to Miranda, and new elements could never be trusted.
She considered the girl carefully, already preparing a dozen questions in her mind, and then it hit her.
Shepard wasn't merely not wearing her jacket anymore, she was holding it gently at her side, securely pressing it along her chest. Miranda licked her dry lips, taking a moment to close her eyes and collect herself.
"Shepard," she started as calmly as she could possibly manage, "why do you have a baby?"
Shepard looked down at the bundle in her arms, then back up at Miranda.
"Surprise?"
"I'm not leaving them," Shepard repeated for the umpteenth time.
Miranda bit back a groan. "You're the one who said we needed to regroup and come back when we're actually prepared."
Shepard shook her head. "We're in too deep now," she replied softly. "They've helped us." She gestured to the girls that were in the room a couple paces away, giving them the privacy Miranda had demanded. They sat on the rug against the wall obediently, side by side, Brianna holding the sleeping Lilly in her arms.
"If we leave them," Shepard explained, "there's no telling how they'll be punished." She took a step forward, lowering her voice even more for the benefit of the children. "We don't have time for a debate. All I know is that he is killing them, Miranda, and I won't be able to live with myself if I walk away now. Could you?"
Miranda glanced down at the floor, rocking back on her heels as she considered the question. After a moment, she glanced up to meet Shepard's hard gaze once more. "How many more are here now?"
Shepard's face softened, and then she glanced back at the children behind her. "Come here, you two."
Lana bounded to her feet in an instant, rushing over to Shepard's side and forcing her hand into the woman's, always with an eye on Miranda. Brianna took a bit more time, having to juggle Lilly as she stood, trying not to jostle the sleeping baby too much. As soon as she reached them, Shepard collected the child with her free arm, relieving Brianna of her burden.
"You said there were two more younger than you, right?" Shepard asked, directing the question towards Brianna. The rest of the girls would need to wait. Brianna had given Shepard the distinct impression that these girls would not appreciate rescue, nor would they even be looking for it. They would have to be retrieved when Henry's whole sick enterprise was dismantled.
"Yes," she replied quickly. "Abby and Izzy."
"Do you have any idea where we could find them?" Shepard pressed further.
It was Lana who spoke up then, obviously tired of being talked over and deemed useless for so long.
"There's a place we have to go if we're ever in danger," she said quickly and excitedly, clearly not grasping just how treacherous of a situation they had found themselves in. Beaming up proudly at Miranda, she tugged on Shepard's hand. "I can show you the way."
Shepard glanced up at Brianna who nodded. "She's right. It would be our best bet."
"Do you have an omnitool?" Miranda questioned. "Some way of establishing contact with them?"
Brianna shook her head sadly. "We're not allowed anything like that."
Miranda let out a huff in response. "Perfect."
"Hey," Shepard soothed. "We'll figure it out. We always do." She glanced at the two young girls now in their care. "Lana, you're going to lead the way."
A triumphant grin completely overwhelmed the girl's face as she nodded vigorously in response, her blonde hair bouncing about wildly.
"Brianna," Shepard continued on seriously, "I'm going to need to be able to shoot freely." Gently, she shifted the sleeping baby in her grasp, and Brianna accepted her charge wordlessly. "Lilly is going to be your responsibility. Keep her safe."
She turned back towards Miranda. "The longer we keep Lilly around, the greater the chance of her betraying our position. We need to get her out of here. I want you to take her and Brianna to where the shuttle dropped us off. Lana and I will gather up the other two girls and meet up with you there."
"We're not splitting up again." Miranda took a defiant step forward.
"You're exhausted," Shepard insisted. "If you push your luck any further you're going to wind up getting yourself killed."
Miranda practically growled as she turned away, but didn't argue the point. She was swaying on her feet as they spoke. There would be no fooling Shepard in her condition.
Brianna tentatively spoke up. "I think I know a good way out," she said softly. "The older ones don't know about it. I doubt even father does. Lana found it, and it's in the same direction as where you're going."
Shepard let out a heavy sigh. "Good, we'll stay together as long as we can then." She locked eyes with Miranda. "Only split up when we have to."
"Shepard," Miranda replied delicately, shaking her head, "are we really doing this with two kids and a baby?"
Shepard smiled softly despite herself. "I don't think we have another choice." Her attention was back on the girls. "We need to move quickly and quietly. Brianna, you stick with Miranda no matter what, okay?"
She was offered a nod in response. Lana was tugging at her hand again.
"And I'll stick with you," she said brightly, clearly pleased with her assignment.
Shepard grinned down at her. "You better," she shot back, earning a giggle from the girl. "Now let's go."
A/N: Next chapter we are finally getting out of here. Sweet jesus this took way longer than I had at first anticipated. I've enjoyed going through it but boy am I excited to move on. It will be nice to have a change of scenery.