Pt.5 Foundations

1800 hours, Monday, April 21, 2183 / Presidium, Citadel, Widow System, Serpent Nebula / 3 years, 1 month, 2 days Pre Reaper invasion of Earth

"As cleanup efforts on the Citadel continue, word that one of the Alliance's top ships, and the commander reportedly at the heart of the effort to end the Battle of the Citadel, has gone missing. We'll go in depth after this short break."

There it was.

The news of Shepard's and the Normandy's disappearance had spread like wildfire since the official, public announcement late last night. A standard degree of shellshock covered the faces of all species that caught word of the great battleship's sudden absence. Normandy had seemed so invincible, particularly her commanding officer. Most civilians still clung to the hope that their savior would return, that the Alliance would continue their search. After all, humanity's first and only Spectre had colored the vids and posters for months.

But, finding the truth was not difficult for those that looked hard enough. All I had to do was scout one of luckier bars in the Presidium, and discover every single Alliance marine in mourning. Including the one I was looking for.

"Jacob Taylor," I called to the man hunched over a counter, ordering another of only god knows what. "Last time I saw you, you were celebrating."

His heard perked up at my voice, and his gaze swiveled round to find me. Recognition passed through his brown eyes. Even in his drunken stupor, I caught a flash of delight. But there was that same melancholy defeat, the same deadness floating through them all. "Lawson?"

"You don't look like you're celebrating," I mused wryly.

"Why would I?" He slurred, turning back to his drink. "We got our asses handed to a race of AI's. What's everybody calling them now? Flashlights?"

"Flashlights," I agreed.

"The Council is telling everyone the geth are nothing to worry about," Jacob let out a sour laugh. "Right. The geth are nothing to worry about."

"No," I decided sardonically, waving a bartender down. "They just wiped out the Fifth Fleet…"

…Thanks to Shepard.

My tactical mind- instilled by mentor- had already done the math a hundred times over. Had Shepard chosen to abandon the Council, the cost of human lives would not have been so devastatingly high. Regardless of the faith other species now supposedly bestowed in our race, perhaps it had been a faulty decision. But, there was no changing the past.

"Exactly. And, what's making it worse: The Alliance is swallowing the lie."

"Not surprising. Hopefully it tastes like razor blades. Is that all that's led you to drink yourself to death?"

"Well, Normandy is missing. Along with Commander Shepard. But that's nothing to worry about." His eyes darted downwards in apprehension. He was trying to convince himself.

I frowned, crossly. "This is undignified, Jacob. The last time we worked together, we made quite a splash. And here you are, beating yourself up over rumors and one bad battle."

He clinked his glass to mine, downtrodden. "Here's to the good ole' days then."

I rolled my eyes. "Three months ago."

"Feels like a lifetime ago," He drawled crossly, staring at the drink he had yet to consume.

I couldn't help but wonder if he had ceased drinking because I had arrived, or simply because he was trapped in unhappy thoughts. Either way, my patience with Jacob's indecisiveness was beginning to wear thin. I had spent far too much time searching for him. When I hadn't found the marine at his apartment on Bachjret Ward yesterday, I had scouted Flux on the Tayseri Junction, then discovered the rubble of Chora's Den- thank god it was closed- and today I had found him in the Diplomat's Lounge. Once prestigious, it had become a mad house for commoners and soldiers. I had a missing hero to find.

I kept myself in control of the situation. One way or another, I would lure the sobering Jacob in. "You know, Mr. Taylor, I came here to offer you a job. One of even greater importance than rescuing a couple million people from a bioweapon."

"Oh, yeah?" He muttered glumly.

"That's right. But frankly, I don't think you're up to the task."

"Well, that makes two of us."

Jacob's psych profile, and the week that I had spent with him investigating, had given me the fair impression that if given the opportunity to do something meaningful, he would snatch the chance. So, with his final word, I turned on my heel, and began to saunter out of the bar. I called loudly over my shoulder. "Too bad. You could have made a real difference."

Completely sobered, Jacob gave chase, providing an opportunity to be thankful I had not been incorrect in my assumption that he would follow. I was halfway down a semi-demolished hallway when he called out, "What kind of job are we talking about?"

I slowed my pace by a fraction so he could match my steady canter. I kept my voice level as we passed a broken Aveena terminal. "I work for an organization unbound by the laws and regulations of the Alliance. Or, the Council for that matter. We seek freedom, growth, and equal rights for humanity."

"You never told me who you worked for," Jacob stated it like a question, not an accusation.

Peering out of my peripherals, I glanced at him sideways. "Do you trust me, Jacob?"

"Yes." And he had technically only known me for a week.

"You've undoubtedly heard of us. We've received some recent media attention." I started, allowing him an opportune moment to narrow his own guesses. "The organization I work for is Cerberus, and we know there's something much larger than simple geth to worry about. More importantly, we're doing something about it."

"About the Reapers?" Jacob floundered for words. "But, Cerberus is a te-"

"Terrorist organization?" I finished for him with raised eyebrows. His silence was all the confirmation I required. "Hardly. But it is the reputation the press likes to give us."

"Really?"

"Really."

"They did seem rather well funded from what I could tell, with our last mission."

A small smirk graced half of my lips, "If you're thinking we launder, you're slightly off base. There are a lot of people on Earth who believe in our cause: Advance humanity."

Jacob pursed his lips in hesitation as I made my way onto an elevator. "Right," He drawled, "All the xenophobes."

There was no need to scowl over such a common assumption. The prejudice was typical. So, I simply asked, "You think the Alliance is free of prejudice?"

"Oh, no. I've met my fair share of racists in Alliance uniforms." At least he agreed on something. "But we're accountable for our actions, not our beliefs. Cerberus seems driven by its beliefs. Like the SSV Geneva incident."

"First, I was a child. Second, we never sponsored them," I decided to enlighten him. "The sole captive was a rogue operative, and used us as a scapegoat." Wryly, I added, "We purchase our tainted antimatter fair and square."

Tainted antimatter was illegal.

Jacob's sense of humor was almost worse than my own, as evidenced by his next statement. "I don't know who you're accountable to, Miranda."

"We are accountable to humanity. If we fail, then so does every human alive."

"How do you know if you're failing, or succeeding?"

"You'll have to decide for yourself, Jacob."

His voice was hesitant. "I'd have to leave the Alliance…"

"I thought you took sabbatical?" I teased.

"I did, but with the geth, Brass asked me to pick up a gun again."

"Come on a mission with me," I insisted. "See for yourself what we're doing. "

Mr. Taylor was silent for the longest of moments. War raged in his eyes, but I knew which side was losing. The moment the lift came to a halt, he asked cautiously, "Where would you go?"

The doors opened to reveal an absolutely horrendous view of the Presidium. Rubble and soil eroded the ground of the balcony we stepped out onto, along with the lakebed. And some areas continued to smolder. Something I considered a fire hazard.

"Well, location is classified. I could tell you more tomorrow…if you show."

"What kind of mission are we talking about?"

"A mission to bring back a fallen hero. Someone who has the ability to save us all from the greatest threat this galaxy will ever face."

"This hero have a name?" Jacob wondered as I leaned against one of the sturdier railings I could find.

"Commander Shepard."

1030 Hours, Saturday, July 4, 2167 / Nos Astra, Illium, Tasale System, Crescent Nebula, Terminus Systems / 18 years, 10 months, 19 days Pre Reaper Invasion of Earth

"Are you going to continuously refrain from telling me where we're going, or will I be forced to hack the car and drop us out of the sky?"

I was somewhat serious. While I regarded putting myself at the mercy of someone else as a test of character, I was never unprepared for them to fail. Perhaps it was reflex that drove me to drop that bombshell on Lentz. Even in the most light hearted of ways.

"Has the commander tried to get you to work on tact?"

I mulled the thought over for only a fraction of a second. "Petrovsky appreciates straightforward coercion."

My companion snorted. "Because threatening double suicide is very compelling."

"Who said anything about me dying?" I countered.

A crooked smile wormed its way across Lentz's face as he leered out into the bustling traffic of the asari-dominated planet. Even after the usual morning rush hour, the skyways were flooded with individuals willing to kill themselves to reach their destination on time. So, I was very uneasy when the lieutenant removed his dark eyes from the road and placed them on me- my eyes, my mouth, downwards, and then back up all in a matter of an instant.

"That usually comes- you know- with the whole crashing, falling hundreds of feet to the ground like a brick because the passenger suddenly decides she wants to reroute the car's interface." He peered at me sideways. "Unless Petrovsky has recently taught you a thing or two about flying."

"I happen to be a fantastic pilot."

"Ah, that's right!" Lentz's eyes lit up wolfishly. "I thought I heard about your little escapade through New Thales last week. Bravo. Only twenty recorded traffic violations and counting. Very subtle."

I scowled, slightly perturbed. That assignment had been privy to myself, and my mentor. "I utilized all my options to accomplish a task. Besides, I don't believe anyone asked you. Snooping around files, Lentz?"

"Cerberus is full of secrets, but our HQ is something special. Everyone at The Farm is like one big, unhappy, gossiping family," He explained wryly. "The report was no longer classified, and Petrovsky likes to gush."

My face grew hot, deeply offended. My mentor was a stoic man of articulate thoughts, a vivid and colorful diction, and a level head. One that I took great pride in. He was above petty gossip. "Petrovsky does not gush."

"He certainly speaks highly of you, Lawson."

A surge of pride swelled up in my chest, but it easily gave way to my renewed suspicion. The car had dropped numerous stories in elevation on direct descent. The density of skyscrapers had lessened along the horizon, and the city center was several kilometers behind us.

"So where are we? You haven't driven me all the way to the suburbs just to dump my body somewhere," I surmised before adding a pointed, "Right?"

"No." He let out an abashed laugh and averted his eyes long enough to settle the speeder down. "I'd be much too afraid to upset the Illusive Man. Or you."

"No secret society you're going to induct me into?"

"One too many cults would take its toll," He teased.

We landed on the outskirts of a park atop a skyscraper, wide enough to encompass ten biotiball fields, near the edge of the Nos Astra arcology. Heat made surface settlement on the majority of Illium practically unbearable for any race- aside from the natural flora and fauna. Polar regions were lucky to be renowned for their jaw-dropping resorts. While the rest of us residing around the geographical tropics enjoyed the dazzling city lights and constant muggy weather.

A breeze swept across the field, tussling the large, spiraled leaves of the dendrites scattered about the clearing- an oak native to Thessia- and clearing the sky of its grey blankets as we began our trek across the grounds. After several minutes of wandering, we came to halt beneath one of the largest trees. Unceremoniously hurling me a pair of binoculars, Lentz pointed upwards and instructed me to climb.

"Excuse me?" I said, reproachful.

"Just to the seventh branch."

The seventh branch was at least thirty feet above us.

"You first," I insisted, not quite prepared to turn my back on him.

He shrugged, tightened the straps to the backpack he had brought with us, and found his footing amongst the roots. "Fair enough."

I was right behind him. "I'm going to be sorely disappointed if all we're doing today is climbing trees. You're not wasting my day, are you Lentz?"

"What's with all the questions?" He called down, a combination of amusement and exasperation in his tone. "Don't you trust me? Well, no…wait. I guess you wouldn't. You don't seem easily won over…Even if I did help rescue you and your sister."

"Answering my questions would certainly help me determine whether or not I should." I told him as he offered me a hand to help me clamber up onto the wide, twisting branch he had chosen to settle on.

Lentz released an exaggerated sigh. "I told you-"

"It's a surprise?" I drawled. Lamely finishing his current mantra, I pegged him with a steely glare for the umpteenth time that morning.

"We're going to work on your surveillance technique." He corrected, directing my attention to the swarm darting in and around the gazebo approximately half a klick beyond crystal clear range for my impeccable vision.

I frowned lightly, struck by curiosity for his peculiar surprise. "What's over there?"

"Take a peek," Lentz suggested before leaning back against the trunk of the tree and folding his hands in his lap with a wide smile berthed across his face.

"A party? No...wait." All of the color drained from my face. My throat constricted around my words. "Why did you bring me here?"

Held in her mother's arms at the center of the gazebo, surrounded by family and friends, was my sister, celebrating her very first birthday.

A/N: Hey, guys! I'm so, so, so sorry about the delay with getting this out! Nursing school has made my life hectic. Good news is, the next chapter should be out Thursday, or Friday at latest. I'm sorry it's short, too. Hopefully, it's enough to satisfy you. Thanks to my reviewers, followers, and favoriters! Much obliged.