.

Loyalty and Limerence

Part 2

Chapter 5

Omega, Present Day

A number of armored and booted feet clambered down the jetway from the Normandy's airlock, and Garrus soon found himself back at one of the last places he wanted to be. Omega's stench was as stale and effusive as ever, and he was unprepared for the well of emotions that overwhelmed him. He slowed, stopping as he drew his eyes down to his own feet, forcing himself to focus on the details of his boots to distract him from the thudding pain growing behind his temples and deep in his chest.

"Garrus, you okay?" He looked up to see a few pairs of eyes turned to look at him and forced a smile at Jane where she stood a few paces ahead of him.

"Yeah, just feels weird to be coming back after everything that happened."

"Is it safe for you here? Will they recognize you?" Garrus considered her question before shaking his head.

"I don't think so, it should be fine. I'm fairly certain 'Archangel' was only ever seen in his helmet, so I'll probably be fine." Looks bounced between the other crew members before Shepard nodded in understanding. The others took that as permission to return to their previous conversations, which were promptly cut off again as they neared the docking area's exit.

"Okay, this is our last chance to pick up any supplies we need before we head out, so finish up any business you might have. Omega isn't safe on a good day, but we've caused a little trouble lately, so I think it's best not to be caught alone or unaware. We're-" Shepard gestured to himself and Garrus, "-going to head to Afterlife afterwards for a drink, so feel free to meet up with us." Heads nodded and the group dispersed, heading mostly toward the market district.

"So what all do you need to pick up, Shepard?" Garrus asked, his hands finding his pockets to keep them occupied as he fought the unpleasant feelings creeping up his spine at the view of Omega before him.

"Just a few last minute things, maybe a few mods, too. Oh, and-" Shepard's voice dropped to a whisper, taking a half step closer, "Maybe a belated birthday present for Jane, as I missed a couple when I was…" Shepard trailed off, and Garrus knew better than to delve further. "Anyway, I'm thinking maybe a model ship, she used to love putting those together if I remember correctly. Any idea if I can get something like that here?"

Garrus was about to answer when Shepard's head shot up and he called out. "Jane, Zaeed, why don't you two stick together if you're both heading in that direction? I don't think it's a great idea for anyone to be caught alone, particularly those of you involved in the Archangel incident." Garrus followed Shepard's line of sight to see Jane and Zaeed turn to look back at them. Both were heading toward the market district, but with enough distance between the two that it was clear that there hadn't been an intention of 'sticking together'.

Jane stared at Shepard for a long moment before turning to look at Zaeed, who glanced at her with a seeming lack of concern. She quirked one eyebrow up to match her crooked smile as she put a fist on one hip in a playful manner.

"As much as I might love the company of a big, strong man to keep me safe, I'll have to pass this time, Old Man." Jane drawled sarcastically with a flippant shrug of her shoulders, "You'll have no problem finding willing arm candy if you need it, I'm sure." With that, she turned and headed down a side street, her stride dripping with confidence nearly to the point of swagger. Zaeed rolled his eyes before turning toward them, a wry smile on his scarred face.

"Little minx…" He murmured as he crossed his arms, his gruff voice a mixture of amusement and annoyance. Shepard sighed in irritation as he stepped forward, his eyes following Jane until she darted out of sight around a corner.

"She's going to be the death of me." Shepard grumbled, and Garrus declined to comment. He couldn't keep his eyes from the older man before them. He knew very little about the other man except for snippets he'd gleaned while fighting alongside him, and even that was a blurry mess in his memory at this point. Garrus took a step forward and offered a hand to him.

"I don't think we've been officially introduced. Garrus Vakarian. Shepard and I go back a while, to the original Normandy. Thanks for your help the other day." Zaeed looked him up and down for a moment before grasping his hand in a firm shake.

"Zaeed Masani. Pleasure. I'm just bumming around with these fools until I get my payday, but it seems like they attract an interesting amount of mayhem, so it promises to be a good time. Good to have you aboard, Vakarian." They took a step apart and Shepard clapped them both on the back before passing between them to lead the way into the markets.

Garrus was interested to get to know the crew of Shepard's new Normandy, curious to see if they were going to knit together as tightly as they had during the Saren mission. He was struggling to get a good read on some of them, and Zaeed in particular seemed like a bit of a head scratcher. If Garrus had to guess, based what the man had said, he'd say mercenary. He didn't seem to belong to any of the major groups, but had clearly seen his fair share of action. He probably had an interesting story or two to share.

And of course, he hadn't missed Zaeed's apparent familiarity with Jane. Garrus wasn't sure if he was reading it correctly, but it had seemed almost flirtatious. Those two couldn't be involved, could they? He suspected not, he was well acquainted with Jane's playful sarcasm, but it didn't prevent a small sliver of unease from wedging itself under his plates.

Regardless, as they picked their way from stall to stall, shop to shop, he couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for the grizzled old man. He was acerbic and gruff, but Garrus had been right to guess he had a few amusing tales to tell. It seemed like every little thing reminded Zaeed of something he'd done, or someone he'd killed, usually in some outrageous manner. He wasn't sure how much he believed, but it made for amusing stories either way, even if he was a sorry replacement for Wrex.

It didn't take too long to collect what they needed, but by the time the last package was sent off to the Normandy airlock, Garrus felt fatigue starting to catch up with him. He was surprised at first until he reasoned that his body had been put through a bit of a ringer, and the good doctors were probably right about him needing rest.

"Okay, so how about that drink I promised you?" Shepard chimed in, turning to face him and Zaeed with a tired smile. Garrus couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm not sure I remember being promised anything, but I won't say no. Though I'm probably not allowed anything too strong with whatever pain meds I'm on." Garrus replied, and though Zaeed snorted, he just shrugged.

"Fair enough. Regardless, let's head over to Afterlife." Shepard replied before leading on.

As they stepped into the lively club, Garrus wondered idly if he was going to miss Omega after they left. Glancing around at the bored strippers and tired barkeepers, dim lighting and holo screens. No, probably not. Nothing was left but the bitter taste of failure and regret. He wondered if he'd made any difference, or it had all been for nothing. Omega seemed no different than when he'd arrived. Back then he'd sat at a table just like the one they were settling at now, and he'd built castles in the sky with the dreams he had of cleaning the scum and villains off the streets.

And yet here they were, still populating at the tables around him. But back then, it hadn't been Shepard sitting across from him, it'd been a different man.

Sidonis.

Garrus could feel his brow plates draw down as he remembered their conversation when they'd first decided to do something about the crime on Omega. Spirits, he wished he knew what had happened to the other turian. Even though he knew he should give him the benefit of the doubt, deep down, he felt like he knew. When he got situated back on the Normandy, he was going to spend some quality time digging to figure out exactly what happened to Sidonis.

"Not that you two gentlemen aren't phenomenal company-" Zaeed muttered sarcastically as he stood from the table with his drink, "But I see a little lady at the bar who could use a little TLC. If you don't mind…" He smirked as he turned to head toward a tall, light haired woman standing alone at the bar nearby. Both Garrus and Shepard watched for a moment as Zaeed sidled up to her, motioning to the barman nearby.

Garrus watched as Shepard took another sip of his drink, waited a heart beat, and decided to cut right to the chase.

"So why did you really want me to come back to Omega with you?" Shepard froze, eyeing Garrus before he slowly lowered his drink to the table. They held each other's eyes for a moment before Shepard finally broke eye contact and took another sip of his drink.

"How are you holding up after everything that happened?" Shepard asked, and the sudden question surprised Garrus, causing his brow plates to jump up his face as his eyes widened. He considered the question and its possible answers.

"I'm… hanging in there. It hasn't been the best week of my life, that's for sure." Garrus grunted as he looked away, back to where Zaeed was trying his best to impress the taller woman with mixed results.

"Jane filled me in a little about what happened, but I'd like to hear it from you, if you're ready to talk about it." Shepard's voice was carefully even, gentle and not too prying. It gave Garrus a sense of nostalgia for their conversations back on the original Normandy.

"I'm fine. My face hurts a bit, but I'm sure it's nothing another dose of whatever Chakwas gave me can't fix." He met Shepard's deadpan stare with one of his own, feeling the walls going up almost immediately. He'd promised Jane an explanation, too, but he just… couldn't. Not yet. He rammed the feelings back down into that box again. Not yet.

"That's not what I-"

"I know. But I'm fine, Shepard. Seriously." Garrus tried to imbue his voice with a firmness that felt beyond him.

"Uh-huh."

"Look, I fucked up. I got a bunch of good men and women killed. End of story." Shepard opened his mouth to reply, but Garrus jumped in before he could. "Just give me a few days, and I'll give you the whole story. I'm not really ready to talk about it yet." He could feel a tightness in the back of his throat and hoped to the spirits that Shepard would leave it be for now.

"That's fine, I understand. When you're ready to talk, I'll be there to listen. But I think that it might benefit you to talk to Jane about it, she might be the best person for you to open up to." Shepard's words seemed innocent enough, but Garrus felt his face flush and panic started to bite at him as his eyes shot back to the Commander's. Was it possible that Shepard had been one of the admittedly large group of people who had been aware of his feelings for Jane aboard the original Normandy? Was that why he was suggesting he confide in her? The thought was fairly mortifying.

"Shepard, I-"

"I'll start by admitting I don't know all the details." Shepard cut him off as he looked down at the glass in his hands, his expression growing somber. Garrus suddenly got the feeling that this had nothing to do with silly crushes. "Honestly, most of it was classified, and I didn't delve very far into it at her request. But, years ago Jane was part of a mission that didn't go as planned. Even though it was deemed a success, the Alliance hushed it all up as best they could, choosing instead to focus on the prior victory on Elysium. Better for morale, or perhaps their reputation, you see. But from what I can tell, it was a bit of a blood bath." They sat there, staring at their glasses in silence as Garrus digested the information.

"I- I see."

"She was a wreck when she got back, and she never really got over it completely. That's why I brought it up, though. I think that if anyone can understand what you've been through, it might be her. It might be that the situations were completely different, but I think she'll still be able to understand your loss."

"Yeah. Maybe." The more he learned about her, the more Garrus realized he didn't know Jane. Not really.

"She's never been quite the same after that mission. She'd always had a bit of a temper, even when we were kids. She's always been a bit rough around the edges. I guess it got a bit worse when we were teens, but after that mission it was something else altogether. I think you've seen a little of that side of her, she tends to get a bit, er… physical. Sorry about that, by the way." Shepard winced, and Garrus realized he must have heard about their blow out fight at the memorial service.

"No, it's okay. It took a little time, but I understood, for the most part. Everyone deals with grief in different ways." Garrus couldn't help but wonder how he would deal with grief. When he started opening that box, he was going to have to figure it out, he supposed. "So, is that why you're hesitant about trusting Jane? Her temper?" Shepard cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? No. No, nothing like that." With a quick glance about, Shepard returned his eyes to Garrus. His expression went from thoughtful and reminiscent to serious in a heartbeat. "What worries me is why Jane joined Cerberus."

"Hmm, well, Chakwas said she joined in order to help you and Joker." Garrus murmured, bringing a hand up to chin in contemplation.

"And Joker joined because the Alliance grounded him and all he cares about is being able to fly. While thats a little questionable, Cerberus is a terrorist organization after all, I suppose I get it. But Jane has yet to give me anything resembling a reasonable answer to that question." Shepard stated as he gripped his drink so tightly it nearly sloshed over his fist. Garrus frowned at the table as he considered.

"Is it so hard to believe that she would join in order to help you, just like Chakwas? I can't imagine she'd hesitate to leave the Alliance if it meant getting to join your crew again to fight the Reapers."

"That's the thing though. She joined Cerberus about a year ago and from what I can tell, she wasn't given any information about the Lazarus Project until just before I woke up. She knew first hand what Cerberus truly was, she saw those experiments and knows what they did to Kahoku." Garrus felt his eyes go wide at that.

"I thought she joined because they rebuilt you."

"No. And I can't figure it out. Everytime I bring it up, she shuts up like a clam."

"What's a clam?"

"It's a small earth anim- Gah, nevermind, that's besides the point." Shepard waved off the question and brought a hand up to massage his temple. "She won't talk at all about what she's been up to the past two years. I don't want to believe her capable of the sorts of things Cerberus does, and until I get to the bottom of this, I just can't trust her. Just like how I can't trust Miranda or Jacob, or most of the rest of the crew, honestly." As Shepard opened up about his concerns and anxiety, Garrus couldn't help but appreciate the trust and confidence the other man was placing with him. Years ago, Garrus had always felt like something of a student of Shepard's, or perhaps a younger brother, someone to be guided and taught. Now, though, the dynamic between them seemed so different as Shepard confided in him, almost as though they were equals.

"I can understand that. I'm sorry, Shepard. It must have been rough waking up to all of this." After a moment, Garrus shut his eyes, frustration and concern making his brow plates hurt. He really didn't know Jane, did he? Not anymore, at least. Surely she wasn't capable of sympathizing with a terrorist group bent on human superiority?

"You have no idea. It's like… I saw you all a few weeks ago, and yet now you're all somehow different people. It was the same when we saw Tali, she's changed so much, grown up so much." Something in Shepard's eyes softened before he sighed and looked up at Garrus. "How about this: When you're ready to talk about what you've been through, I'll tell you what it was like dying and waking up to gunfire on a secret science station."

"Now that sounds like a story."

"You have no idea. Anyway-" Shepard downed the last of his drink, wiped his mouth with the back of his gauntleted hand, and stood up. "Let's gather up Zaeed and figure out where the rest of them are. I'll shoot Jane a message, tell her to get her ass back here." He pulled up his omni-tool and typed a quick message before turning and heading for the bar, Garrus in toe. "Come on, Zaeed, say goodbye to your friend and let's get going."

Once Zaeed had extricated himself from his friend, they made for the door before Shepard's omni-tool pinged. He froze, reading the message before sighing, his expression pained.

"Seriously, Jane?" He sighed again, and Garrus was about to ask when Shepard turned on his heel and headed to the back of the room toward a staircase. With a jolt, Garrus realized they were heading straight for Aria's loft. They paused for a moment as Shepard spoke with the man standing guard at the bottom of the stairs before he stepped aside to let them pass.

Garrus had never met Aria, but like any other denizen of Omega, he knew not to fuck with her. He was about to ask why they were heading up to see Aria, something that made him admittedly apprehensive, when he remembered something Jane had said just a little while earlier. He hadn't given it much thought at first other than to be appreciative, but at second thought it had been somewhat extraordinary. Something about Aria lending her some men to handle what he'd left behind at the apartment…

His suspicions were confirmed as they reached the top of the steps and came to stop. Aria lounged at her ease in the middle of the large couch, her expression deceptively languid and nonchalant. And sitting across from her, one arm thrown over the top edge of the couch lazily, the other loosely clutching a drink, sat Jane with her trademark crooked smile.

"Staying out of trouble, I see." Shepard stated dryly as he crossed his arms, causing Jane to chuckle.

"You could say that." Despite the air of ease and disinterestedness, Garrus could see the sharp edge in Jane's eyes as her smile faded, along with the hard set to Aria's jaw, and wondered exactly what they had been talking about before they'd arrived just now. "Well, thanks for the drink and the company, Aria." Jane stretched as she stood up, handing her nearly empty glass off to one of Aria's men without a glance.

"Of course. It was nice… catching up. Always a pleasure, Shepard. Ah-" Aria's eyes flicked to John Shepard for a moment, her smile growing as an amused eyebrow rose. "My, now that might get confusing. Shepards." Her eyes flicked away, her attention shifting to something else in a clear dismissal.

"Aria." They both said as they turned and made their way down the stairs again, leaving Garrus and Zaeed to follow. The grizzled mercenary shot Aria a quick speculative glance before heading down after the other two humans.

"That woman has more balls than any man I've ever met." Zaeed muttered, his voice caught somewhere between distrubed and awe. Garrus chuckled, having nothing to add to or detract from the statement. They caught up with Shepard and Jane near the door to the club where they had slowed, their heads together.

"-wouldn't mess around with her too much. Aria's-"

"Aria and I have an understanding, we've been… acquaintances for a while now." Jane cut her brother off with a wave of her hand, her expression unconcerned.

"How, exactly, did that happen?" Shepard's voice carried a worried edge, which Jane determinedly ignored.

"I spent a little time on Omega last year, not long after I left the Citadel. We met, we got along. Not much to tell." Garrus felt his ears prick up at that.

"You were on Omega last year? Why?" Jane turned to face him at his sudden question, her eyes measuring and careful. Garrus thought back to all the times he'd thought he'd seen her in the crowd, suddenly wondering if he hadn't actually been going crazy.

"I had… business to take care of. Now that I think of it, I might have heard a whisper or two about Archangel back then. You must have just been starting to make a name for yourself." Jane grinned at him, the sudden change of topic leaving him stuttering.

"I, er… I suppose." He felt his hand come up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Enough, you two. Let's get back to the ship, seems like we're the last few still out, everyone else is back aboard." Shepard announced, looking down at his omni-tool. "Plus, I think I owe you a tour of the ship, Garrus. If you're feeling up for it?"

"Oh definitely." Garrus replied, though it was a few heartbeats longer until Jane's piercing green eyes left his own.

"Last but not least, this is the Main Battery." Shepard said as they stepped through the doors into a dimly lit room. Garrus felt his eyes widen as he took in the ship's cannons, display screens, and control console.

"Well, now, this is interesting." Garrus murmured as he stepped into the room, his hand coming up to flick through the holo controls over the console.

"I thought you might be interested." Shepard chuckled as he crossed his arms, remaining by the door. "If I remember correctly, you have some experience with calibrating, modifying, and maintaining weaponry from your service time. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not wrong, it was one of my specialities, actually." Garrus couldn't keep the excitement out of his voice as his eyes ran along the long, sleek lines of the cannons before him.

"As I suspected. Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to leave these babies in your capable hands, then."

"Absolutely. You can count on me. Seems like we have a bit more to work with this time around." His eyes flicked over the monitors, taking in the details and eager to get to work, despite the growing pain in his jaw and face that told him he had been pushing himself a little too hard.

"You can say that again. Alright, I'll leave you to it. I'll have your stuff and new packages sent over to your new bunk in the crew quarters, and if I were you, I would stop by to see Chakwas again soon or else she'll have both our asses."

"Gottcha, thanks Shepard."

"No problem. I should go." Garrus waved vaguely in the Commander's direction as the door whooshed open and the other man's footsteps faded. He quickly lost himself in his work as he acquainted himself with the hardware and software, his fingers flitting through the holo controls with ever increasing ease. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he looked up at the sudden melodic tone of the door preparing to open. Turning around, he saw none other than Jane standing in the doorway.

He felt his heart thud slightly at the sight of her standing there at her ease, her hands in her pockets. She was so… effortlessly beautiful. He shook his head a little, trying to push the thoughts away. That wasn't something he wanted to be dwelling on at the moment. There was a lot he didn't feel like dwelling on at the moment.

"Jane… Need me for something?" He glanced down at the time on his omni-tool, and realized he'd been working nonstop for three hours already.

"You got a moment?" She stepped forward, her eyes darting around the room quickly before returning to him. As he took a closer look at her, it seemed almost as though her pose was purposely relaxed and collected, as though she were forcing herself to be so. Was she anxious under that calm facade?

"Yeeeah." He blinked, and for a split second, it wasn't the intentionally calm Jane that stood before him, but the bedraggled, rage filled specter that had haunted him since the memorial. He blinked again, and the vision vanished. Hesitating, he continued. "Yeah, of course." She seemed to pick up on his unease, and sighed. She stepped further into the room, coming to a stop just before him.

"Look, I-" She coughed, clearly uneasy, her eyes on the floor, "I wanted to apologize. For how I behaved, for how I treated you before, at John's memorial. I was a complete ass." Garrus felt his browplates shoot up, surprised at the sudden admonition. "I know this might not be the best time, but I really didn't want to let this sit between us any longer. I regretted it almost as soon as it happened, it should never have happened. I'm so… so sorry." She looked up, and he was nearly speechless at the well of emotion in her eyes. He was so used to her almost overwhelming confidence that it was jarring to see the sudden vulnerability etched across her face.

"It's- it's okay, Jane. I understand. I was upset at the time, but I understood. Your brother had just died, you weren't in the best place."

"That's no excuse." She spat, her irritation at herself evident in her pained expression as she ran a hand through her hair. "I never should have treated you like that. You were my best friend, you deserved better. You just wanted to help me. And I lashed out at you." She stepped away, walking toward one of the other consoles at the side of the small room, running her hand across the sleek surface. She looked up, her eyes darting between his as she seemed to peer into his soul.

It should have been me.

He caught himself before he could visibly wince, hating how her words that day seemed to resonate through his mind almost nonstop since he'd woken up in the medbay earlier. As the thought ran through his mind again, his knees seemed to shake as he suddenly realized just how exhausted he truly was.

"It's okay, Jane, I forgive you. Seriously." He murmured and she continued to stare at him, her eyes narrowing.

"You sure?" Sighing, Garrus stepped forward, bringing a hand up to gingerly place on her shoulder.

"I'm sure. Let's just put it behind us, okay?" Jane continued to watch him closely for a moment before a small, melancholic smile graced her lips.

"Yeah. Sounds good. Thanks." She let loose a deep breath before turning to head for the door. "Anyway, I'll let you get back to work. If I'm not on duty, you can sometimes find me in the port observation deck if I'm not in the mess hall. Stop by and say hello sometime, okay? Don't be a stranger." Her smile brightened momentarily as she gave him a lazy salute before returning her hands to her pockets as she walked through the door.

"I'll do that." Garrus said and she paused, turning around.

"We're good, right?" She asked, concern back on her face. Garrus forced a small smile across his aching and exhausted face.

"Yeah. Now get out of here and let me focus, I have calibrations to finish up." She chuckled before waving and leaving. The door closed, and he was left alone again, unsure if that made him feel better or worse. Somewhere behind him, ten pairs of dead eyes were watching him and he shivered.

His eyes drifted to the console Jane had run her hand across, and they froze on an unexpected but familiar object that hadn't been there before. Laying on top of the console was his visor, looking almost as good as new. Slowly, he moved closer, taking it carefully in hand, letting his fingers roam the familiar lines and curves of it. He carefully brought it up to his usual spot over his left eye. Pressing the small power button, he waited with baited breath as it powered on.

The display sprang to life and he breathed a sigh of relief. Jane. She must have fixed it for him after it was damaged in the explosion. He felt a flutter in his chest.

…Which promptly ceased up as he noticed the note which popped up as soon as the OS finished loading.

G-

Congratulations, the encryption actually made me sweat for a moment!

Shit. She'd bypassed his encryption during her repairs. He kept a number of private and sensitive files on his visor, which by and large he trusted her with, but they included a number of pictures he had of her, and if she had found those… Well that would be beyond embarrassing. Not that they were in any way indecent, he wasn't that kind of turian. But regardless, they would cause questions he wasn't currently looking to answer.

He tried to stop panicking and read the rest of the note.

Don't worry, I didn't poke around in your files, as tempting as it was. I did my best to get your visor up and functioning again, it was a little battered after everything that happened. Hopefully, this can help make things right between us again. Maybe things can go back to the way they used to be. I've really missed you the past two years.

-J

Garrus realized he was smiling, a true and genuine smile, and he couldn't help but save the note in his visor, tucking it away in the file where he kept the photos he had stored of her. His chest felt lighter, his pulse leaping in a warm and tender way that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Quickly, he flicked through his other important saved photos, each tugging at his heart for different reasons. One of him, his mother, his sister, and his father, all standing in front of their house on Palaven when he was younger. He should let his father know he was okay…The next photo was him and his old C-Sec friends having a drink together at the bar. Then one of the original Normandy crew.

His heart sank as he lingered on the next photo. His team on Omega. Shutting off the visor, he closed his eyes, letting his head fall into his hands as he collapsed onto a nearby crate. He wondered how long it would take for this ache to fade. It was so sharp it made it hard to breathe.

Looking down at his feet, he saw a tool box, and an idea occurred to him. Flicking it open, he found a tool sharp and fine enough, and turned his visor over to run his thumb over the smooth metal casing. Bringing the tool down, he started to carve.

Erash, Monteague, Mierin, Grundan Krul, Melenis, Ripper, Sensat, Vortash, Butler, Weaver.

Sidonis.

3 Months Ago

Being recruited by Cerberus, it turned out, was easy. Finding the information she needed, however? That was another matter entirely.

Two or three months after arriving on Omega, she was approached by an operative after leaving Afterlife one evening and given the exact opportunity she had hoped for: An offer to join the elusive pro-humanity organization that she'd been gunning for. In a flash, she'd packed up and said her goodbyes to Aria, who'd known their arrangement would be temporary, and agreed to keep in touch.

Before she knew it, she was settling into Cerberus' introductory training program. She must have passed whatever screening system they had, as she was treated no different than any of the other ex-alliance recruits.

When she was assigned to one of the cells, she quickly discovered it was not related to whatever the project was that the council was so concerned about. It was some small information gathering cell that seemed completely unconnected to any other project, as far as she could tell.

And there she sat, month after month, gnashing her teeth with no ability to gather any information on any other cells or projects. Cerberus seemed to be run in a completely compartmentalized fashion that left each cell completely detached and unaware of just about everything else going on within the organization. You knew what was important for your project, and not a lick more.

Even after she was finally transferred to another project cell connected to a major research base, she was given no further information that could be of any use to her true mission. She occasionally managed to send off and receive encrypted messages from the council, and she could tell they were beginning to become as impatient as she herself was feeling.

But Jane's hands were not completely tied, and she had thus begun planning her current move. No small amount of preparation, reconnaissance, and planning had gone into it, and it was a somewhat last ditch attempt to learn something, anything about the mystery project. It was a tad bit risky, though.

Slipping out of the security office, she fizzled back into the visible spectrum and quietly slipped down the hall toward what she knew to be a momentarily unused lab. She had disabled the cameras in that area of the station for a short time, setting the system to loop old footage instead.

Having managed to get a hold of the shift schedule, Jane knew no one was due to use the lab for about twenty minutes, giving her the perfect opportunity to access a particular highly ranked doctor's console. Slipping a stolen and decrypted omni-tool onto her wrist, she held it up to the scanner in the door, which blipped green with a chime, allowing her access.

"Thank you, Dr. Johnston…" Jane muttered as she darted toward the console in the corner, quickly letting it scan the stolen omni-tool as well before sitting in the chair, allowing her fingers to begin their work over the holo display. Pulling up her own omni-tool, she input the commands to begin her hacking program she'd developed specifically for this purpose, and watched with a pleased smile as it got to work.

Time ticked on as Jane navigated her way through the files, exhilaration shooting through her as each gate fell before her assault. But as her timer slowly ticked down, she began to feel anxiety prickle up her spine from her belly. She had yet to find any useful information, and she was quickly running out of time. She had to leave the lab, return the stolen omni-tool, and return to reset the security system all within a few minutes and without being spotted. Weeks of preparation had led up to this moment, and she was not about to walk out of there empty handed…

"Ah ha!" Swiping her omni-tool over the console, she copied over a series of encrypted files that she was about 80% sure were related to the project she was interested in. In a mad dash, she erased all evidence she'd been there, closing down the console before dashing out of the room and down the hall.

By the time Jane made it to the privacy of her own bunk later that night, apparently having been undetected during her little escapades, she was biting at the bit to get a look at what she had found. But as she attempted to open the files, she found that their encryption was nothing to scoff at. Even with her considerable skills, they were nearly completely beyond her with her current tools.

Beyond that, they seemed to be partially incomplete, having been reconstructed from deleted files she'd found. When she finally managed to cobble together something understandable from one of the files, she really didn't get much more than a few names and a little info.

Lazarus Project…?

That must have been the name of the project she was after, particularly because it seemed to have a research base all its own. There was some evidence of massive expenditures. And there was some high ranking doctor by the name of Wilson?

When she managed to scrape some data out of the second file, it seemed to be mostly medical data, perhaps something from someone's physical? Something about neurological activity, blood pressure, and… bio-synthetic fusion? Whatever the hell that was.

Jane realized she had her job cut out for her, but she was ecstatic to finally be moving forward with her mission after nearly a year of dead ends. Even if it was just a few names and garbled data, it was something. With a little more work, perhaps she would have something to go off of. As soon as she had a window of opportunity, she was going to submit a report to the council with what she'd learned.

Hopefully it wouldn't be long until she could wipe her hands clean of Cerberus. Being amongst them made her feel dirty in a way she couldn't describe. While some of them were fine and normal enough, a vast majority were hard to stomach. They would not have approved of John's diverse crew aboard the Normandy, that's for sure.

The sooner it was all over, the sooner she could begin her investigation into the Reapers pick up where John had left off. Jane felt a sharp pang in her chest at the thought of her brother. Even after all this time, the pain never seemed to lessen.