I'm sorry there is such a long wait between chapters. I am having to work 14 hour days to keep up with bills and Christmas lists. Thanks to those who are sending me reviews and comments. I appreciate you view and your opinion. I hope y'all like the next installment. Enjoy!
Claire sat staring at the file on her vid screen. It sat sealed with her password and id keyed in. All she had to do was press enter and her brother's secrets would be revealed…or at least some of them. She couldn't help but feel like she was invading his privacy. She minimized the screen and stood up.
"Must be something you don't want to read." Mallory said from the door. Claire turned to face her sister and smiled.
"Just an old file." Mallory nodded and sat down on the bed. "You look like you have something on your mind."
"It's Luke. He is really pissing me off with his attitude and his vigilante hero demeanor. He wants to know everything about everyone but doesn't want to surrender anything about himself." Mallory said looking up at her sister. Claire nodded and sat down next to her.
"I think that comes from him working for C-Sec. I've read some of his files and for an eleven year agent, he is really good." Claire said patting her sister on the shoulder.
"I'm not talking about his work history or his professionalism." Mallory snapped standing once more. She started pacing back and forth in front of the bed. "What I want to know is: is he still the brother that we knew as kids?"
"No, he's not." Claire answered. Mallory stopped pacing and stared at her sister for a moment. The answer was so quick and abrupt that it had shocked her into silence, even if only temporarily. "None of us are the same as we were. Luke is scarred in some way that we can't understand until he opens up and tells us about it. That will take time."
"Time? He has had thirteen years to come to grips with what happened! You and I have." Mallory shouted.
Claire wet her lips and looked into her sister's eyes. "I don't know what Luke went through on Mindoir or what he has gone through sense, but do you see the way he looks when he is standing in the aftermath of a firefight once everything is quiet again?"
Mallory crossed her arms and shrugged. "Of course, I've seen it. Everyone has."
"Dr. Chawkwas says that he is most likely experiencing a post-traumatic stress flashback. She says it could be as intense as the original experience." Claire sighed softly. She had no idea of what Luke had been through, but if the brand on his back was any indication, everything she had been through paled in comparison. She could not imagine how she would be able to handle the horrific experiences she had been through if she saw them every time it was quiet.
"We still need to know more. I was doing some digging and I found out what unit took him off Mindoir. I've been through the archives trying to find their mission reports but it seems that they were deemed classified about my clearance. Could you get into them? You are a Commander." Mallory said glancing over at her sister's computer.
"I think we need to wait until Luke is comfortable enough to tell us what happened before we go digging into his past on our own." Claire stated. Mallory sighed and shook her head before standing.
"Claire, we need to know what happened to Luke and why he is the way he is, or he might get someone killed." With that, Mallory made her way out the door leaving Claire to mull over the statement. She had to admit, Mallory had a point. Luke's actions were reckless, although fearless, but he never put anyone else but himself at risk.
Claire patched her omni-tool into the ship's intercom. "Dr. Chawkwas, please report to the CO's cabin." Claire sat back down at the computer and opened the search screen. She stared at the sealed file and waited. One push of a button away from more answers; the question was not could she, but would she.
The door opened and Dr. Chawkwas entered. "You wanted to see me Commander?"
"Yes. I have a few questions that might be in violation of the medical code of ethics but I would appreciate the answers."
"I'll do what I can Shepard." Claire nodded and offered Dr. Chawkwas a chair.
"Luke got hit during the mission on Therum. He came up to see you about the wound. Did you do a full examination?"
"I applied medigel and did a quick scan to check for infections or debris but other than that no. He would not reveal anything except the wounded area. I don't know what happened in his past but I would have to say that he had been abused."
"Why do you say that?" Claire asked squaring off and giving the doctor her full attention.
"He has the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, but he still remains functional. My guess is that he holds a large amount of anger toward whoever hurt him which allows him to keep his composure during combat. But after the fighting is over and he sees the aftermath, his mind immediately opens those old wounds. When he is on the ship, he feels safe so he can be the joking C-Sec officer that we all know, but during a mission, he needs something to focus his rage on or it consumes him and plunges him back into the horror that bore it." Claire nodded and sighed. It was as good an explanation as any.
"Keep an eye on him for me, okay doc?"
Chawkwas nodded and stood. "I keep an eye on everyone Shepard, even you."
"Okay, your turn." Ashley said poking Luke in side. They sat in the crew quarters on the sofa that was tucked in the back.
"No way, that was not an answer." Luke responded bumping her with his shoulder.
"You don't ask a marine what her score was on the marksmanship qualification exam and expect a number. It is like asking for a woman's weight or age." Ashley smiled and turned so her legs were across Luke's lap and her back was against the armrest.
"Wow, you must have scored horribly." Ashley kicked him in the thigh. Luke winced and smiled again.
"I did not… Fine, 47 out of 50. Happy?" Luke nodded and leaned back resting his head on the top of the couch. Ashley smiled and nudged him with her knee. "Why did you decide to come with us?" She asked.
Luke looked at her for a second and sighed. "In the eleven years that I was an agent with C-Sec, I have let three people walk who were guilty of a crime. All for reasons that I'd rather not get into right now, but Saren had been allowed to get away with mass murder and war crimes for years. I'm not going to sit by while a maniac is running around killing people for fun. The whole 'trying to end the universe' thing, that's just an afterthought." Luke paused and glanced over at companion. "Why? Would rather I not be here?"
"I didn't mean anything like that I…" Ashley stopped seeing Luke's lips turn into a toothy grin. She gave him a hard kick in the thigh. "You are a jerk, you know that?"
"I am aware." Luke said rubbing his leg.
Suddenly, Ashley kicked her legs out and jumped to her feet snapping to attention. Luke looked up to see Mallory standing next to a bunk looking at them.
"Sorry Lieutenant, didn't see you there." Ashley spouted. Luke shook his head and crossed his ankles leaning back on the couch once more.
"Could you give me a minute with my brother, Chief?" Ashley saluted and jogged from the room leaving Luke on the couch looking up at his sister.
"So should I be changing into some sparring gear or are you going to talk with your mouth instead of your fists?" Luke asked lacing his fingers across his knees and placing his heel on the ledge of the couch cushion.
"I read your file through, Luke, but all it has is your career with C-Sec, most of which is redacted, and a psychological profile." Luke leaned forward with a smirk.
"I don't hear a question in there, Mal."
"There is another file. A sealed operations report from Mindoir. From the unit that brought you off world. Claire won't unseal it until you're ready to talk about it, but I think we deserve to know." Luke's smirk vanished.
"You think so? Huh? You know I never thought about it like that." Luke sad sarcastically, dramatically stroking his chin. "How about this?" Luke stood slowly and wet his lips keeping his voice low and his eyes focused on his sister. "You maybe use to getting your way here in the military because you are some big shot, but I don't care. You do what you want but don't expect to get any help from me. My life and my hardships are my burdens. I have shouldered them alone for thirteen years. I don't need help."
"Everyone needs help, Luke. Why do you think Kaiden and I are so close?" Luke chuckled and sat back down on the couch.
"What was it? Pillow therapy?" Luke snapped. Mallory crossed her arms.
"Kaiden went through some of the most grueling training the Alliance has other than N7. He confided in me as I did him. It brought us closer as friends and as marines. I know you keep saying you're not a marine but you have to let someone in to help you or that burden you've been carrying on your own for all this time is going to crush you."
Luke lowered his eyes. Mallory had a point. He had been personally estranged from everyone for well over a decade. The only people that he had allowed himself to trust with anything about himself was Bailey and Garrus, but even they only got the basics that could be found on a Citadel id card.
"No promises…but I'll think about it. Good enough?" Mallory sighed looking down at her brother. For the first time since he had come on board, they had had a conversation that did not escalate into shouting or physical violence. Maybe they were making progress?
"Alright." She turned to leave before stopping and turning back to him. "By the way, Williams seems like a good fit for you. You two seem to be getting along well."
"Please don't tell me you're going to give me dating advice next." Luke said rolling his eyes playfully.
"Well, you know, single for thirteen years, I figure you could use all the help you can get." Mallory said leaning against the bunk.
"Single, not celibate." Luke answered with an impish smile. Mallory threw up her hands and letting out an exasperated sigh before leaving the room. Luke chuckled and leaned back once more putting his feet up and closing his eyes.
Claire is choosing not to unseal that file until I am okay with it, but that files says almost nothing about me, at least if it is the file I'm thinking of. Luke suddenly sprung to his feet. The medical report from when I was brought back to the cruiser by those marines, that's what is in there. Maybe it tells part of the story, maybe not, but whatever it does tell them, it is more than I want them to know. Luke opened his omni-tool and brought up some of his old personal case notes. He needed to contact an old comrade that had high level connections that could very easily seal that file so that not even a spectre could get to it. He knew just the person.