Chapter 26

[POV: Shepard]

It still didn't feel right, it didn't feel like me. Nothing was physically wrong with me, my joints are better than ever, my muscles are stronger than I ever thought possible, even my tinnitus is gone, yet I would give everything I had just to have my old body again. Still, I knew it wouldn't happen, I was reminded of that fact every time I looked in a mirror. The angry red lines on my face horrific, a constant reminder of what happened. I wouldn't focus on that right now though, I couldn't. There was more important matters to deal with. People that need saving, fights that need fighting, and a crew that need gathering. My mission wasn't an easy one, it was quite frankly suicide considering what I currently knew about my enemy, and I would never admit it but that fact didn't bother me. Not in the slightest.

"Shepard, have you looked over the dossiers?"

I looked up to find the familiar white catsuit. How she goes into battle with that thing I'll never know. Moving my eyes up to her face without lingering too long, I registered what she asked.

"I skimmed them, some of them were … vague." Skimmed might even be a strong word, glanced at, maybe glimpsed. I was barely able to concentrate on the pages she sent me. Every time I tried to read something, my fall flashed before my eyes, the burning pain, the smell of cooking flesh, it was nauseating. I still haven't been able to stomach pork, not sure I ever will again and I loved bacon so.

"You're referring to 'Fury' and 'Archangel', correct?" Miranda's voice gave nothing away about what she was feeling, but I could see the slight wrinkling of her brow, the sudden tension in her smile at my response.

"Can they even be called dossiers when all you know about them is hearsay? What evidence do you have aside from testimonials?"

"While I can't say much about Archangel," Miranda gave me a patronising smile, "The information about Fury was gathered with the hard work of a dozen people over months of investigation and corroborating information into the document sent to you. And what you may have missed considering it wasn't on the first page was the video we had attached. That video is enough proof for me to believe the rumours about her."

Ah, busted.

"Really? Because hers seemed the most unlikely. This information presents her as an unstoppable force that is willing to massacre her enemies. Is that really someone we want on such a dangerous mission?" I asked.

"On the contrary, she's exactly the person we want. There's a reason we put her at the top of the list, even with how little we know about her."

"Really, and why's that?" I was getting annoyed by all of this crap she was spewing, all of the deflection and avoidance.

"She was the one who retrieved you, and I can tell you it wasn't easy." That was her? If she's already worked for Cerberus, why do they know so little. This seems fishy.

"Funny how you keep bringing that up, but never actually explain it. Just what did you see Fury do?"

"Oh, it's something that has to be seen to be believed." Miranda smirked, then turned around and walked away. Smug bitch.

"Make sure to be polite, Aria isn't known for being kind, patient or forgiving. She's been particularly ornery in the past year, so don't test your luck. If Aria wants something done on this station, it will be. If she wants someone dead, they're as good as. Are we clear?"

I grunted back, not wanting to talk to Miranda. She's been like this the entire time we've been on Omega, and as we were getting close to Omega. I think I've got it now, 'don't fuck with Aria.' I've dealt with worse than her, and I'll handle her if I must, that is, if I have to. I'm not sure what to think about the Queen of Omega, on one hand she's sounds like a right bitch. On the other, the Cerberus operative next to me has a negative opinion of her, and I would consider that a positive mark in my book considering what those fucks have gotten up to in the past. I'll make up my own opinion once I meet her, but the general lawlessness of the station isn't promising. We we're attacked twice on our way to Aria's club, it was less than a kilometre's walk.

We followed one of Aria's men up the stairs until we reached a secure looking door which he knocked on, then left without another glance. What? I shared a look with Miranda before walking forward and opened the door. Inside, I found the scantily dressed Queen herself perched upon her throne, a rather enticing looking couch. What is it with these girls and refusing to wear armour, first Miranda now her?

What really caught my attention though, was the person standing in front of her couch. She was one of the most heavily armoured people I'd witnessed on the station, almost period. It wasn't the cheap stuff either, the dark and edgy form custom made, and high quality as well. It was better than the armour I was wearing now, it looked almost as good as some of the spectre exclusive stuff I'd worn in the past. That could be a purely cosmetic effect, but I wasn't so sure about that. I could spot blood stains on the armour, even amongst the dark red highlights that were likely meant to mask them. I moved my attention from the armour to the person wearing it after a moment. Their size wasn't intimidating, I had a good half a foot on her, but her armour more than made up for it. The blank reflective helmet helped as well, that and the subtle readiness in her form, waiting for me to attack.

"Shepard, you're looking … alive."

I returned by attention to Aria, who was staring at me languidly, but was stopped by an outstretched hand.

"Your weapons." The bodyguard ordered us with a deep synthesised voice, it wasn't a request. I gave over my firearm without too much care, it was a piece of shit and likely wouldn't do much against the bodyguards armour, not is such close quarters. Miranda was a little more difficult, but the woman just stared at her until she handed over her pistol with a grimace.

"Thank you Fury," Aria nodded at the now identified bodyguard, then waved her arm towards the couch that extended around her end of the room, "have a seat."

I did so with much more care than before. I hadn't realised who else was in the room with us, but I recognised the name. She certainly looked capable of what she had reportedly done, Miranda hadn't mentioned how close Aria was to her though. Fury remained silent throughout our conversation, a silent spectre that was an obvious threat. I did my best to ignore her, but it was tricky when she was the only one standing, and the only one armed.

"… Thank you for your information Aria. I would also like to request a chance to talk to Fury alone." I glanced at the still silent woman who had remained eerily still, rooted in place the entire time. Aria also looked over, an eyebrow raised. Fury's head tilted to the side for a moment, then nodded minutely. Aria didn't look particularly happy about it, but she didn't say anything against it either.

"Just deal with the irritations on my station Shepard, one way or another. Fury, escort them out." Aria ordered, tone clipped and Fury didn't waste time in walking out. I had to rush after her to keep up, only reaching the woman as she paused at the base of the stairs. She was holding out the firearms she took earlier, and I grabbed mine with a nod of thanks that went ignored. Miranda plain sneered, and I can't say I terribly disagreed. I wasn't so sure about recruiting her, her manner was decidedly unfriendly.

I had almost made up my mind when I noticed just what was happening on the main floor of the club. Fury was walking in a straight line through the throng, the crowd parting before her almost automatically. She didn't even slow down, and what took us 5 minutes on the way in took barely 30 seconds to reach the exit of the club. Fury only stopped once we turned down a thin alley, leaning against a wall hidden behind a refrigeration unit.

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I was told you have a reputation, one for being capable of great violence and little hesitance for doing so."

Fury paused for a second, before an unsettling chuckle was heard. I was surprised she could even laugh, seeing how little emotion she'd shown so far.

"I'm told that's true, although no-one's ever mentioned it to me directly." No shit they haven't mentioned it to you. "Why do you ask?" This was going to be tricky to recruit her. I have very little information to work with and nothing I can offer in return aside from money.

"I'm looking to recruit your help for a mission, a dangerous one. Seeing as I was coming here anyway I figured I'd offer you a job as well." Not really my best pitch.

"I'm not a mercenary you can just pay to do a job. I work for Aria, only for Aria."

That was the issue, wasn't it. If I'd known how close to Aria she was I may have reconsidered this, but then again Lawson has been pushing her recruitment enough that I'm not sure she cared, she probably already knew and just didn't tell me. I was starting to regret only skimming her file, but I just hadn't cared before. I always had a plan, but I didn't even bother to make one for this and it showed.

"You'll be interested in what we have to say, I guarantee it." Miranda interrupted our conversation, having stood there until now.

"You seem awfully confident in that." Fury grunted, uncrossing her arms and moving off the wall. If Miranda even cared about the danger she was in she didn't show it.

"The mission is simple, Human colonies have been disappearing around the terminus systems with nary a trace as to why, that is … until now. We are confident that the Collectors are behind it, using a new technology we've never seen before. We want you to help us combat this threat to human lives and destroy it." Miranda listed off the details without care, staring into Fury's helmet without blinking the entire time.

"While that certainly sounds interesting, human lives aren't my concern. We're done here." Fury stated and began to walk away, making me move aside as she walked out of the alley. Dammit, that's a bust if I've ever seen one.

"Miranda -" I turned to ask her about the next recruit, but she was staring at Fury dispassionately.

"I beg to differ Fury, say what you will but you care more than you think." She called out and finally revealed that smug smirk of hers. Fury froze at her words, her hands opening up and hovering around her sides, as if waiting to draw the single weapon I could see on her form. She turned back but made no move to get closer to us.

"And what insight do you have for me then." Fury growled. I was beginning to tense up myself and let my hand drop to my hip, ready to draw the single pistol I was currently sporting. Kind of wish I had a bigger gun on me at the moment, maybe a missile launcher, just to be safe.

"You were the cause of many a massacre in the last few years, something that is common knowledge. Something less well known is how the targets were connected. Sure, there were a few exceptions but by and large the ones to feel your wrath were part of the slave trade, specifically child slavery. Almost all of the children in question being humans."

"This is Omega, pick a random person on the street and their likely wanted in the greater galaxy."

"But right after Child-slavery stopped on Omega, so too did the massacres. To the best of my knowledge, you've only done something similar 3 times in the years since then, compared to the few per month or more that occurred back then. Face it, you care."

That was certainly something for me to unpack later, but for now I need to remain ready in case Miranda sets off Fury, which she seems to be doing a fine job of too. Fury didn't reply to Miranda, just staring at her, this would be a good time to stop Miranda!

"Then that time you helped retake Shepard's body, that seemed oddly noble for the picture you're trying to portray." Miranda just kept on talking, practically lambasting the woman. It was only here that Miranda's voice softened. "There are a lot of children than could use your help Fury, are you willing to help them?" This was getting too manipulative for my taste. Miranda never used that tone of voice in the time I've known her. I decided to interrupt before things could escalate, because if I was in Fury's shoes I would be on a hair trigger right about now.

"We'll be on Omega for another day or two, my ship's the Normandy SR2, if you want to come just show up there before we leave. I'll leave the choice up to you." I told her, then jerked my head at Miranda to follow me. She did so, but the corners of her lips turned down all the same.

[POV: Jack]

I breathed as slowly as I could, trying to contain the whirling emotions within me. Today had been a good day for me, I had a nice sparring session with Aria, talked to Treena for a while and nothing unexpected occurred, that is until commander bloody Shepard walked through the door alive and well. The dead woman looked rather life-like to me, the scars marring her face a stark difference from before. I thought I helped retrieve the body to bury it, not make a gods-damned clone of one of the few good humans, spitting on what she had done for the galaxy at large.

Then to make things better she was wearing armour bearing a symbol that was familiar to me from the first moment I glanced at it. I spent most of the conversation between Aria and Shepard zoned out, focusing on the damn thing before it finally hit me.

The facility.

Just what the bloody fucking hell is Shepard wearing their symbol for?! Her and the other woman accompanying her, the smug cunt. I'll give Shepard the benefit of a doubt, there are some weird circumstances involved to say the least. That doesn't excuse the other woman though, for all I know she was the one behind Shepard's 'resurrection' and abrupt turning of coats. It was all I could do not to lash out at the pair the moment I recognised the symbol. I used all the restraint I'd learned since my time at the facility and that was barely enough to stop me from doing something I'm not sure I would regret.

Also, it was the first lead I'd had in years, I wasn't going to waste this chance by killing my only source of information. When they requested a private chat with me I couldn't believe my luck, and I wasted no time in finding somewhere to talk. And what a bloody joke of a talk it was. Saving colonies, rescuing children, it must be a cover for something else. There's no way the facility I knew would be so altruistic. Shepard the first, definitely. There probably using her as cover as well, a veritable beacon that grants them their needed shadows.

Being asked to participate almost out of the blue was strange, they didn't exactly make it sound fun, so why would I go? Sure, I liked helping children but I knew for a fact the child slave trade existed outside of Omega, I just knew I would never be able to do anything about it. The fact that I halted it on Omega was already a surprise. And as to why I helped Shepard, I don't really know even after all this time. It was almost instinctual when I witnessed what was happening. Was it to test my limits, to repay Shepard for all she had done? Who knows.

All of that means it would be stupid for me to leave, yet … I could get answers. I could finally get the answers I had lost hope in finding. All I would have to do, is to leave Omega. To leave my home for the first time in nearly a decade. Was I … willing? I don't know. What was even holding me here now though?

[POV: Aria]

"What did they want to discuss?"

Jack didn't respond, not pausing near the door like she normally does and instead she walked over to the couch and sat down next to me. Her posture stiff, her shoulders tense in a way they hadn't been around me for a while now. It took time for Jack to ease up around me again, but I can at least say she lets her guard down around me when we're alone, that's better than it was.

"… Shepard wanted to recruit me for a mission." Jack commented carelessly, almost unconcerned with the fact. What's going on with her? This wouldn't be the first time someone had tried to recruit her, but she always had a bigger reaction than this. Annoyance or amusement, depending on the day and how good an offer it was. She would still refuse every time though.

"Interesting?"

"She wants my help with looking into the disappearance of Human colonies, they have a suspect but know little about them. The collectors, if you're familiar. I think it's why they came to Omega, as I believe they will be trying to recruit the others they asked you about."

That sounds incredibly dangerous. The collectors aren't trustworthy and I would sooner kill one then make a deal with it. If they were behind the disappearance of colonies, it wouldn't surprise me. Still, what's wrong with Fury, she talked to me absentmindedly, her mind on something else. Jack was comfortable around me, but I hadn't seen her this checked out in years. She wasn't paying attention to our surroundings at all.

"What's wrong Fury?" Jack didn't say anything for a moment, leaning forward and placing her arms on her knees, her fingers interlacing.

"I remembered something …, from back then. That symbol plastered on Shepard's armour? That was the one at the facility." Oh shit. I sat up fully, focusing on Jack.

"Are you sure?" Jack nodded. Fuck. I hadn't realised from the description she gave me back then, but I knew that symbol. I sighed at what her reaction would be, but then I told Jack.

"That is the logo of Cerberus."

Jack's head snapped up towards mine, staring at me. She didn't say anything, but I knew what she asked.

"They're a humanity-first organisation, terrorists according to the systems alliance. I don't know exactly what they're involved in, I've got no credible information and I never had a reason to look closer into it. What I do know is they have a reputation, and it isn't a good one."

"Cerberus." Jack growled, finally having a name to blame for what happened to her. I've got a bad feeling about where this is heading. Sure enough, Jack shot up and started pacing in front of me, her stride sharp, angry. She never said a word, but the silence was all the louder for it.

"Fury?" No reaction, so I tried something else.

"Jack?"

Finally, she paused and turned to me.

"I'm going on that mission." Goddess damn it! I open my mouth to say something back, but I hesitate. The last time I tried to restrict her, it didn't go well. I still hadn't fully regained her trust, I didn't want to lose it again. Even so, this mission was dangerous, and I … I didn't want to lose her either.

"There are other ways of investigating them, less dangerous ones. I'll reach out to my contacts, ask them to look into Cerberus." I offered Jack this, hoping she would accept my alternative.

"No. You barely know about them already, and I know you would have tried to find out more. You always do." She sounded resolute in her decision, and I didn't know how I could convince her otherwise. I couldn't order her not to, she wouldn't accept that and I didn't want to try either. Jack was one of the few who didn't obey me out of fear, or really at all. She only listened to reason.

"… what about your dancers?" I was grasping at straws and I knew it, but I knew she was close to them. Jack chuckled bitterly at my question, sinking my hopes.

"What about them? Most of them left a few months ago." What?! When did that happen? I'd purposely ignored their existence since that hostile meeting with Jack. That, more than anything, was the closest I came to shattering our relationship. I threatened them in my anger, and I'm lucky Jack forgave me for it. It might have been out of guilt, but I'd avoided them since, so I didn't know they'd left. I wasn't even sure who they were, and I wasn't going to ask Jack now. It was an obviously dicey subject for her.

There was only one reason left, and I didn't want to ask it, I really didn't.

"… what about me?"

Jack's resolved finally wavered here, fingers clenching and unclenching. I hated how vulnerable my words were, but they were the truth. We still hadn't regained the relationship we once had, and if she left I feared we never might. She could die, and even if she didn't, she might never come back. Omega was a shithole, I knew it and almost everyone else who lived on it did too. I don't know if Jack knew it though, she had never been anywhere else. Despite her manner, she was in most ways sheltered to the wider galaxy. You can read about things, but it was never the same. To truly know something, you had to experience it, to live it.

Jack said nothing for a minute. A long, tense minute, her head lowered. Finally, she raised it towards me.

"Let's have a drink tonight."

… What? She wants to have a drink after … all this time? I … I didn't know what to think, so I just pushed my thoughts away and gave her a small, sad smile.

"Sure, I'll see you in an hour."

[POV: Jack]

I opened the door using my Omni-tool, still having access even after all this time. Walking inside her apartment? It was nostalgic. I actually felt a small smile form as I looked around, reminiscing on all the time I'd spent here, all that time ago.

"Fury?" I turned around to find Aria staring at me, flabbergasted.

"Jack, actually." I rubbed one hand on the other arm, a weak grin on my face. I was dressed in my casual clothes, no armour to be seen and no helmet covering my face. Aria just stared at me for a moment longer, a serene smile forming on her lips. She started blinking heavily and turned around towards the bar, swiping a hand across her face.

"You still like Serrice?"

"Yeah." It's been a long while though. Aria poured us both a generous glass, along with some ice, and handed me my drink as we moved over to her couch. I chose to sat down on the couch next to her, close enough I could actually feel the warmth of her skin on mine. Goosebumps raised on my flesh and I shivered at the sensation, so familiar and somehow so different.

Unsure on what to say, I took a drink of the brandy, savouring the burn even as it let me decide what to say. This situation was awkward, and I should have done this long ago. I don't know why I didn't, my own stubborn pride? Or was it cowardice. This is the first time I had let her see my face since the day I retrieved Shepard. Funny how she was the instigator here as well.

"Why?"

"It just felt, right. I think I just needed a push."

"And what is this, push?" Aria snorted. We both already knew.

"I'm going on the mission Aria."

"You don't have to." She muttered into her drink before taking a big gulp. Making a decision, I let myself lean into her shoulder, the contact making her stiffen up before she hesitantly raised her arm around me, giving me the time to stop her if I wanted to.

"I need to know Aria."

"Do you really though?" She sighed, finishing off her drink. I didn't refute her, as the words were petulant, soft. She'd given up on stopping me, even though she clearly wanted to. It showed she learned from her mistakes. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

"I'll be alright Aria, you know this. You've trained me well, and who can stop you?"

"No-one in the fucking galaxy." She muttered, before chuckling. I did as well, finishing off my drink and setting it aside before wrapping my arms around Aria. I pushed her until she moved herself, stopping once we were both lying down, intertwined. After a bit more wriggling, I sighed and let my body go completely loose. We laid there for a minute, then her hand began stroking my back gently, and I almost melted at the sensation.

"I missed this."

"So did I." Aria's voice was raw and full of words unsaid. I know she had longed for this, could see how she hurt at my distance from her. I didn't mean to be that way, but it was a subconscious reaction. She'd managed to associate herself with them, and removing that unconscious bias was difficult.

"Thank you for not trying to stop me … and thank you for waiting." Aria's breathed hitched, but she only squeezed me tighter. Nothing else needed to be said.

Saying my goodbyes wasn't difficult after that, it's not like I'm not coming back, so I just needed to let them know I'd be gone. Treena was confused about why I was going, as I'd never been able to bring myself to tell her the specifics of my childhood, but she was understanding all the same. I was one of the only friends she had on the station, so she was understandably down about the situation, but she didn't try to stop me all the same. I hadn't thought I would get this close with her when we first met, but after what happened, after they left? I got lonely and she was a good listener. There weren't many like her on the station, they lacked the basic empathy.

Vassen was even easier, he knew exactly what this meant to me the moment I explained and was happy for me to go, to finally get answers. The situation with the enforcers was far better than it once was as well, they were actually prepared to lose my presence without everything going to shit. It was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders the moment that was finally the case a few months back. Just having the option of taking a break, of leaving even, it made the station feel less restrictive, less confining. Parting with Aria wasn't so easy, but she understood the most out of everyone, knew my motivations the best. She wasn't happy to see me go, but at least she understood, and she let me go despite her wishes. That trust was … it warmed me, comforted me. She is who I will miss the most.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I continued making my way towards the space docks. Shepard was right when she said it would be easy to find her ship, it was unique to say the least. I'd lived here for most of my life, and I knew every ship that came here, almost every ship design that existed really. It wasn't cheap to design spacecraft and testing said designs was an onerous chore at best. When a design was deemed decent, it tended to stick around so I knew most ships by appearance, if not name. The Normandy was distinct among the other ships, couldn't tell you a damn thing about its capabilities though. What I could say was that the SR-2 was a breathtaking sheep, … sleek was the word I'd use.

I continued walking towards the ship now in my sight, no-one making any move to stop or even bother me. I was wearing my armour though, so I think that may have something to do with it. I wonder what rumour this will start though, about what was in the bag I was carrying. I chuckled at all the gruesome things I could imagine, and so could they. It was far more boring than that, just my personal necessities for my time on the ship.

Stopping in front of the airlock to the ship, I sent a notification towards the ship, requesting entry. I waited a minute before I heard a response.

"What do you want? This is a private vessel and we aren't paying protection money!" A male voice came out of a hidden speaker in the doorway. Sounded rather jovial considering his words.

"Shepard tried to recruit me yesterday. She told me to just show up to the ship of I accepted."

"Well I was never told of this! You'll have to wait until I get a response, the commander's not currently in." Damn.

"It is fine, Mr Moreau. Ms Lawson authorised her entry in the case of such an event." A cool female voice interrupted the man and the door opened automatically, allowing me entry.

"Hey! Don't do that without my say so!"

"I was just aiming for efficiency, Mr Moreau. My apologies."

"Well don't, also I told you to call me-" and the intercom cut out as I stepped into the ship. It looked more advanced than anything I'd been on before, more advanced too. I tensed up at the decontamination beginning, unfamiliar with the process. The automatic instruction was obvious enough to parse, so I let myself return to my neutral posture. Still didn't like the surprise.

"Hey you! Wait, what's your name anyway? Doesn't matter, come to the front of the ship would ya, let me say hi." The intercom began once again, and for lack of anything better to do I complied. I didn't rush though, taking in the sights. The rest of the ship was equally advanced, but I focused more on the crew. They seemed nervous at the sight of me, and every one of them was wearing the same damn symbol. Into the belly of the beast, I go …

"Over here!" the male voice called me, along with an arm wave. I already knew he was there, but whatever. I made my way closer and came face to face with what I guess was the ship's pilot. Where was the woman though? The man blinked at me a few times, before opening his mouth.

"Well don't you look threatening, my name's Joker, I'm the pilot of this ship. We weren't introduced …?" he trailed off.

"Fury."

"Ominous. Guessing that isn't your real name or are you just unlucky? You interested in sharing with the class?"

"Combatant Fury is known by no other names to Cerberus. Do you wish to be referred to as any other names?" the female voice spoke once more, despite the absence of another being. The orb sitting next to Joker flashed in time with the words though, distracting me. What is that?

"Guess not." The pilot muttered, before noticing my gaze. "Oh, that's EDI, the ship's AI."

"It is nice to meet you Fury." I almost ignored the greeting, grunting in return, confused at EDI's presence. I though AI were illegal, that's what Treena had told me.

"So … yeah, I just wanted to say hi. Is there anything you want to ask?"

"Do you know when Shepard will return?"

"Nah, I wasn't given a time frame but some time today sounds about right. You can wait in the … ah, any suggestions EDI?" Joker turned towards the Orb.

"The cafeteria may work, or if you would prefer solitude I can direct to an empty room for now until the commander comes back, would that be preferable? Keeping in mind that this is a temporary assignment until the commander returns and assigns you proper quarters."

"Acceptable." I nod, then turn around and leave.

"Well, she's just charming." The pilot muttered as I left the room. I barely heard him, and he definitely didn't expect me to, but the helmet I was wearing did assist in picking up sounds, it came in handy on occasion.