Chapter 27

[POV: Shepard]

I sat there listening to the rhythmic beating of a heart monitor, in an otherwise silent room. The quiet infirmary gave me to distract me from my thoughts, so I stewed in them. Garrus was stuck in the bed recovering from the injury he took, another of my many mistakes. If I'd focused more, if I'd prepared more, maybe he would be fine. Hell, if it wasn't for me he might have never even come to Omega.

"Well … that was fun." The familiar grumble caught my attention and I looked up to find my friend awake. Groggy from the painkillers no doubt, but awake.

"Just like old times." I mused and chuckled along with him. It was good to see a familiar face, it was nice seeing Tali, but she left so quickly, hadn't hidden the fact she would either. Garrus though, he already stated his desire to accompany me and despite my misgivings on getting him hurt, it was the best news I'd heard since I died.

"Ohh…" Garrus groaned, moving to sit up. I rushed over to help him, supporting his back and placing his arm around my shoulder. It's the least I could do after he took that missile for me.

"How are you feeling soldier?"

"Well, I can't feel my face, so that's a good sign," Garrus commented, reaching up with his hand to prod at his mandibles. Not sure what that could tell him but I doubt it was a good idea. "So tell me, how bad is it?"

"looks the same to me." I assured him, my lips twitching at the way he perked up. I waited until he opened his omni tool to help check before I let the smile form.

"Oh fuck you Shepard."

"What? I couldn't tell a difference. Looks as ugly as ever."

"Shows what you know, but I guess we match now." I sobered up at the reminder of what had been done to my own face. I was trying to adjust to it, to grow used to it, but it was hard. Every time I looked in a mirror it was all I could do to not flinch. Stopping the grimacing will take some more time.

"Garrus … I …"

"Apologies for interrupting Commander, but I feel I should remind you that another recruit is on board the ship. Fury has been waiting for your return since this morning." Wait, when did EDI tell me that? And Fury actually joined up? That was a surprise.

"Sorry Garrus, duty calls." I told him, but he had a funny look on his face and held a hand up for me to wait.

"Did she just say Fury?"

"Yeah, Fury was one of the potential recruits for this mission, alongside Archangel and Doctor Solus. I approached her when I had to meet with Aria. I'm surprised she joined up, standoffish would be a nice way of putting it."

"Fury actually accepted? The hell did you offer her?"

"Not much really. Miranda tried to play on her morals, which apparently worked." I muttered, confused at his reaction.

"Oh, I have got to see this." Garrus muttered, moving to stand up.

"Hey!" I protested, "you're injured, stay here Garrus."

"Not a chance. Either I go with you or you bring Fury here, but there's no way I'm missing this." He stared into my eyes, and I could tell he wasn't bluffing.

"Fine," I sighed "EDI? Direct Fury to my location."

"Very well commander. She's on her way."

"You feel like explaining?" I asked the Turian but just got a rakish grin, figures. The room was silent until the door hissed open, admitting the familiar armoured form into the infirmary. She entered fully, then paused once her head turned towards Garrus, she then nodded at him.

"Archangel."

"Greetings Sinner. You can call me Garrus if you want." Fury stilled for a moment before nodding once more, then turned back to me. Just what was that? I looked between the two who obviously had history.

"I didn't think you would turn up. Why?"

"I have my reasons. I was told you would be deciding on my quarters by … EDI."

"That's right. It's also my decision on having you on the ship, and I've heard some things about you. You will obey my orders while on this ship, is that clear?"

"… crystal."

"Good, any preferences on where you'd want to sleep?"

"I would prefer solitude, and no surveillance."

That both pleased me and made me wary. Having her bunk away from the others would be the best option considering how she made some nervous, but I'm not sure I trust her enough for that.

"I can give you solitude."

"… very well."

"Good," I nodded, "the deck underneath Engineering will prove quiet, no-one goes down there except for them on occasion. You can go there now but know there will be a meeting in 12 hours to introduce everyone."

Fury nodded but left without another word. Only once she was gone did I feel myself untense and turn back to Garrus.

"Sinner?" I asked incredulous.

"A small joke of mine," he shrugged. "I've met Fury more than a few times on Omega. She seemed to find my work aggregable and left me alone, even when she probably shouldn't have. Also helped me out once or twice with information. I think she has something against the gangs on the station, cause she was downright eager to see them suffer."

"You're insane." I shook my head at him. "You know what she's capable of."

"Probably more than you, but she never targeted me, so it didn't bother me."

I rubbed by hand over my face at his nonchalance. That pity I was feeling earlier? All gone.

"I'm sure this is a great idea, somehow. I can't see it myself, but why else would it be happening."

"I thought it was your idea?"

"That's beside the point." I told Garrus, who just grumbled at me. He was looking much better than earlier, able to stand without support. His face was still healing but give it a few more days and he would be back to normal. Scarred, but normal. Still, it was time for the meeting.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" My words were somewhat unnecessary but I still did it anyway.

"I set this meeting for two reasons. The first was to explain our mission in further depth. Miranda?" I gestured for her to bring the information up and explain everything we knew in depth. She had a better grasp of it than I did, and even if I wasn't her biggest fan, she was professional.

"Good, the second reason was to make the combat team aware of each other's purpose on the team, what they're capable of. I believe you can read up on what I can do, that hasn't changed. Garrus?"

"I'm a sharpshooter, best shot on this ship bar none. I was part of Shepard's original crew, so I have a decent idea of how this shitshow will run." Encouraging.

"I'll go next then." Mordin began, blinking his large eyes at me. "Dr Mordin Solus, I am. Excellent scientist, If I say so myself. Excellent doctor as well. I will be serving as combat medic, yes?" he looked to me but continued to talk without waiting for my response. "I will also be investigating the way the collectors are doing what they are, fascinating it is! Excited I am, to research them."

Did he even breath once?

Miranda and Jacob introduced themselves simply as well. They were capable enough, but I wouldn't consider them vital members of the combat team. Jacob was pretty one dimensional, and Miranda while all rounded wasn't outstanding at anything except for sounding like a snob. I'm not sure she would be taking part in the mission much anyway, she was more of a coordinator, at least that's the impression I got.

Fury was the only one remaining, but still she remained silent, seemingly glaring around the room. I raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed and she sighed at me, audibly.

"I am Fury, one of Aria's enforcers on Omega." Well, that was helpful. I glanced at Miranda and found her annoyed, glaring at Fury.

"You left a little out there, but don't worry I'll fill them in for you!" Miranda chirped, a faux-cheerful smile on her face as she brought up a file. "Fury is Aria's head enforcer, the one that deals with the situations the others can't. I unfortunately have no concrete data on her ability with firearms, but she is deemed lethal in close range considering some of the locations she's left behind. Fury is also one of the most powerful biotic users Cerberus has on record. She will be acting as a heavy hitter and front-line support. We have a helpful little clip for demonstration purposes only." Fury audibly growled at that, and the sound only made Miranda's smile wider as she set the video to play on the projector in the middle of the meeting room.

The video was … enlightening. I hadn't seen it of course, but I knew exactly what it was. It was the day she helped rescue me …, my body. The day she helped rescue my body. The camera angle wasn't amazing, but it didn't need to be for me to see the aura that surrounded her as she held back the ship. A near white blinding glow with her silhouette within it certainly left an impression, and the room was silent after the video finished.

"Holy shit." Jacob breathed. Yeah, I agree buddy, holy shit.

"Well … that's all we need to do for that I believe. Our first mission will be in a few days, we're heading towards Korlus to try and recruit a Krogan Warlord, Okeer. More details will be shared closer to the time, be ready."

I then dismissed everyone, who all left except for Garrus. I stared at him, waiting for him to explain why he didn't leave.

"You didn't react normally to that video. What's wrong?" perceptive bastard, no point in hiding it though.

"That was the ship my corpse was on. Fury is the only reason I was … my body was regained. I was told that Fury was impressive, but I didn't realise she could do that."

"Mhm, I'm suddenly rather grateful she agreed with what I was doing. That was … intense." Garrus mused and I snorted.

"Got you all hot and bothered didn't it?"

"I have a type." The shameless bastard shrugged.

[POV: Jack]

My search for answers on this ship has been … less than successful. I hadn't really thought about how exactly I was going to get the information I wanted, just that going on this mission would help me do so.

The first thing I tried was just looking around the ship to see if anything caught my eye, not the smartest idea I know. As you might expect, I didn't find anything. It's not like I could go everywhere either, the places most likely to have what I sought? I wasn't allowed there. Miranda's office was the big one, but the door was permanently locked when she wasn't there. I couldn't just break in either, there were too many eyes on me. Ignoring the fact this ship held an AI likely always monitoring the cameras, the crew also kept their eyes on me. My presence never went unnoticed when I was dressed in my armour on Omega, it was even worse here. The main difference here was that they were less afraid of me though, possibly not knowing about the reputation I'd cultivated on Omega. If so, that still left me a mysterious figure, and goddess knows these people are nosy.

I suppose I could try hacking something, but I didn't really trust myself to do so even on easy targets, technology wasn't really my strong suit. Out of options for the moment, I decided to just wait for an opportunity. Maybe I can try … chatting, to people. That idea rankles even just thinking it, but it was the best I currently had. That being said, I made my way to the mess to gather some food. Reaching the line for the food, I waited in it until it was my turn.

"Usual?" the chef asked me, sighing. I nodded and grabbed onto the tray he gave me before turning around to leave. The kitchen people had tried to stop me at first, but they came to see things my way soon enough.

"Why don't you sit with us Fury?" a voice called out to me as I moved to exit the cafeteria. I paused to find Archangel waving his hand from where he was seated, alongside Shepard. The urge to turn around and leave grew within me, but I sighed as I ignored it. He was currently the most likely to share information with me on this ship, because for some reason unbeknownst to me he didn't seem to mind my presence. You would think his time on Omega would have taught him better, but then again he hadn't exactly seen or experience what I was capable of.

I sat down with a nod, placing my tray in front of me but I made no move to begin eating. Couldn't exactly do it with the helmet and I refused to take it off here.

"So … aren't you going to eat?" Archangel prompted, taking a bite of his own food, something unfamiliar and unappealing to my eye.

"No."

"Ah, you would have to take of your helmet first wouldn't you. Can't have that, the mysterious aura you have would be guttered if you did." He mused, and I actually snorted, to my surprise. I didn't care about said 'mysterious aura', I just preferred keeping my two lives separate, it made things easier.

"Any reason behind that?" Shepard finally entered the conversation, a contemplative look on her face.

"Yes"

"Well if you aren't going to tell me, then I'm just going to have to assume, aren't I?" Archangel mused, rubbing his jaw with one hand. "Ah, you're a vid-star aren't you? Yes, yes it's all coming together. The dramatic presence, the panache, the voice modulator, the ominous name, the cat-like grace, might you be famous hmm?"

What the fuck? How … no, that doesn't ..

"You cannot be serious."

For a moment I wasn't sure, but Shepard's shoulders started shaking across from me and she kept her face down. Archangel began chuckling as well, grinning at me.

"Very funny. Coming from Archangel."

"I told you to call me Garrus, didn't I? It's all in good fun. If we're going to be working together then we should at least establish a rapport." Should we? I didn't really know.

"Speaking of working together," Shepard interrupted us so I turned to find the woman's green eyes boring into mine. "You'll be accompanying me to find Okeer alongside Garrus. There's a good chance we'll find heavy resistance and you have the best armour on the ship."

"I have no objections." Would help with the boredom I was beginning to feel. There wasn't much for me to do on the ship and I wasn't used to having so much free time. If I got bored there was always something to do on Omega, whether that be helping out Vassen or just talking to Aria or Treena.

"Good." Shepard nodded. "we'll be landing in 3 hours, so be ready."

"I will be."

[POV: Shepard]

It was kind of nice to be running a mission with a crew I chose myself again, nostalgic if you would. Garrus was my best friend, my brother, I would have no one else watching my back than him. Fury I didn't trust nearly as much, but at least she doesn't work for Cerberus. They've done too much for me to trust them, caused too much suffering, too much pain. I can still remember the thresher maw trap, and I don't think I'll ever be able to forget it.

Fury was a bit of a wildcard, but I could use her at the very least. Her reputation alone showed her to be competent, as did her role on Omega. That was all I really needed for this mission in a soldier, competence. Miranda wore only that catsuit of hers, and I refuse to bring her along with me until she wears something actually armoured, she not only put herself at risk but those around her relying on her. Mordin was decent, but he was a scientist first and a soldier second. His knowledge would be invaluable when we encountered the collectors, but I didn't want to risk him for this when I didn't have to. The other option I currently had for a combat mission, Jacob? He just wasn't as good as the rest of us.

He was well trained, but he didn't have the same experience I wanted for this mission, he was a decent shot but both Garrus and I were better, he was okay with tech but Garrus alone outstripped him, and that's ignoring the potential recruit I'm hoping I'll gain. Even more than that? I didn't trust him. He worked with Cerberus voluntarily, even knowing what they were capable of. Joker and Chackwas only joined for the Normandy, but Jacob was there before then, before there was such a grave threat that made them a necessary evil. It's not like anyone else was doing anything.

"I'll be waiting nearby if you need me commander." The communicator in my helmet spoke. I then raised my hand up to the side of it and pressed a button.

"Thanks Joker."

The Normandy then flew off into the distance, barely visible at this distance. The fact it was visible shows how close it truly was, he could be near me in seconds.

"Alright, this planet is rife with civil unrest and pollution, so I imagine we will face heavy resistance making our way to Okeer. Garrus, stay back and watch our rear."

"You got it Shepard. I will endeavour to watch your rears" Cheeky shit.

"Fury, you will be staying with me, don't engage anyone unless they do so first."

"I am the very picture of restraint." No, you really aren't.

"Just let me do the talking." I ordered, then we set off. I kept a gun in hand at all times, a proper one this time. No puny pistol for this girl, I've got an assault rifle just waiting to be used.

We were alone at first, having been dropped off in a quiet location by Joker. I if didn't know better, I would call this place abandoned. The buildings were decrepit when they weren't in pieces, the plants sickly and decaying and there was no evidence of people currently living here. There was evidence of people dying here though, the ground was littered with the corpses of blue suns and the occasional Krogan. The absolute silence of the area despite this only made the place feel wrong, it made me expect something to jump out at us at any moment. It was almost a relief when I heard the gunfire in the distance.

"Move!"

We jogged towards the sound as fast as we could and found evidence of the battle first. There were corpses littering the ground outside of a building. No time to waste checking them right now, the gunfire was close. Inside around the corner of some industrial crates if I was right. I poked my head around to see and found a squad of suns battling against another Krogan –

"Shit!" I pulled my head back, narrowly avoiding the gunfire coming from an assault rifle wielding sun. He'd wasted no time trying to shoot me the moment he spotted me.

"I guess they aren't friendly." Garrus stated.

"Not really, no."

"Talking's out of the option then."

"Yes, it is. Fury I want you to - " I was interrupted by movement out of the corner of my eye, and I turned my head barely in time to catch Fury's leg move out of view and onto the industrial crate I was hiding behind.

"She just jumped like 3 metres high." Garrus muttered even as I growled.

"What are you doing Fury?!"

"Creating a distraction."

A few seconds later I heard the sudden whoosh of displaced air and the halting of all the gunfire, there were still some screaming though. Making a decision, I hurled myself around the corner of the building only to find a large singularity suspending all of the combatants into the air. How did she do that so fast …? Doesn't matter right now.

"Well, don't mind if I do." Garrus mused, taking aim at the mercenaries inside of the singularity.

"Leave the Krogan alone for now."

"Already" *bang* "planning" *bang* "on" *bang* "it" Garrus didn't even pause between shots, his aim almost supernatural. I didn't bother firing myself, not trusting I wouldn't hit the Krogan with my assault rifle, but I would have barely had time to either.

"Well, they're all dead." Garrus reported, the singularity vanishing out of existence at that moment letting the pile of corpses fall to the ground in a heap covering the Krogan. A faintly glowing figure landing beside me in a crouch, bending her knees to absorb the impact.

"What the hell was that?!" Is shouted at her, but she just stared at me, unrepentant.

"They attacked first."

"They indeed did." Garrus chuckled, amused by the whole situation.

"You should wait for my orders, don't just run off again." The armoured figure stared at me for a moment as if considering my order, which she shouldn't as I'm her commanding officer -

"No." Fury then turned around and walked towards the pile where a struggling Krogan was trying to dig himself out. Fury's right arm suffused with biotic energy before she reached out in front of her and curled her fist, then pulled the arm back. The Krogan was mostly pulled out of the pile in the same motion, only his legs still buried. He got his arms underneath him and pushed up, shaking his head around a few times before standing up straight.

"That was great, let's do it again!" he grinned at us, and I sighed in aggravation. Still, there's work to be done so I walked over to the Krogan, keeping my weapon handy.

"Who are you?"

"Vil," he answered proudly.

"Who do you work for?"

"Oh, Boss man gives me food, and says there will be fights if I stand here, boss man was right so I work for him." Vil nodded, elaborating when he saw my confusion. I stood there staring for a moment, shocked. No-one said anything, and the Krogan was content to stand there, swinging his arms around. Garrus didn't wait any longer to begin snickering. I whirled around and glared at him.

"Zip it!" I hissed, and he only laughed harder. Fury was also holding herself weirdly, and if I didn't know any better her shoulders were shaking. For fucks sake!

"Who is this 'Boss man', what's his name" I enunciated clearly, gritting my teeth even as I tried to smile at him. Finally, the Krogan paused to think, finally progress.

"… is it not bossman?"

…

"Does this count as a break down in communication?" Fury's monotone voice entered my ear, and I had to close my eyes and breath out for a moment. Don't let them win, you are kind, peaceful. Don't tempt me.

"Just … just how do we get to this bossman?"

"Oh, just go through this door!" Vil slammed his fist into the broken piece of machinery behind him that was basically the bloody wall. He then walked away and pulled out some food from his pocket and proceeded to begin munching. It's not like the door weighed a fucking quarter of a ton or anything.

"What a pleasant chap. Am I using that term right?" Garrus turned to Fury, who just stared at him, then shrugged. "I'm not familiar with it. Do you want me to interrogate Vil?"

Oh, I want you to do more than that.

"Just, open the door." Fury nodded and pulled her arms up, setting them shoulder width apart as she set her stance. Energy surrounding her and moving into her arms. She pulled said arms back with her and the now glowing door lifted off the ground and was thrown behind her in one smooth motion. It landed with a crash even as Fury returned to her ready stance, not even tired from the technique. Not going to lie, that was impressive, and fast.

"Let's move and find …," I sighed, "boss man."

We entered the now uncovered room and continued on, quickly finding more evidence of combat. Vil must have been newly posted where he was, as there was no way the door would have been intact otherwise. My group travelled quietly, no chatter to be had. It was nice to see some discipline for once, kind of ironic how little many actual soldiers have. Rounding a corner with my assault rifle in front of me, I caught some motion out of the corner of my eye and I snapped around to face it, finding a charging Krogan glowing with biotic might.

"Fury, keep him back!" I ordered then opened fire. The enraged krogan didn't even flinch at the bullets hitting him, the heavy staccato joined in by sharp bangs doing nothing to stop him, and the mountain of muscle was moving quickly, his speed unnaturally enhanced. I was preparing to dive to the left when a bolt of blue energy rushed past me with a hum, slamming into him with a crash. It forced him back, his feet sliding even as he tried to continue his charge. Eventually, the technique wore off and he was thrown into the wall behind him on the other side of the room, his hump burying itself into the wall. This kept him trapped for long enough for Garrus and I to finish him off. Seeing he was dead, I lowered my gun and breathed out, my heart pounding and my breath raised from the suddenness of it all.

"Fuck!" Garrus shouted, ratcheting his sniper rifle one final time and ejecting a bullet. I turned to him, waiting for the explanation. "They're clones, I didn't notice until we saw two separate alive ones, but they all look the same." Shit, he's right. Is this related to Virmire? I pushed away the emotions that memory brought with it, unwilling to deal with it right now.

"That means there's going to be more, now that the blue sun's aren't here to soak up the bullets."

"Yeah." Garrus sighed.

"Did you say clones?" Fury asked me, and I turned to find the enforcer observing the corpse, curious about something.

"I did, I've seen this before, Saren was behind it. These Krogan are probably only a week or two old."

"What!?" Fury snarled, her fists clenching and I tensed up myself at the sudden show of aggression. "And we're here to recruit the fuck who would do this?" Fury was wound up, and I held my hand up to try and calm her. The déjà vu was hitting me again, and I really didn't want to think about that place right now.

"We were considering it, but that was before we knew about … this." I waved my hand around us. "I'm not so keen on hiring him myself, damn what Miranda says."

"Good. I have some ideas." Fury muttered, stalking off the way the Krogan came from. I can't say I disagree with her, but she needs to control her temper better. Still, she has the right idea, we haven't exactly been quiet so we can't stay here.

The room quickly led to walkways, the building eerily silent. Where is everybody? That can't have been it, we're still a fair distance from the target location. I kept my eyes peeled, but I couldn't see anything, and Fury wasn't walking terribly slow so I didn't have much time to check for enemies. Didn't even have time to pick up the explosives that were just lying around near the doorway. Not terribly safe, but it made it much easy for me to ste-, ahem 'find'.

"Fury, wait up!" Garrus called, halting the woman. Did he see something I hadn't? "Over there." Garrus pointed off to the side, and as we were currently on a bridge of sorts I could see what he meant. On the walkways we were heading towards, there was a whole pack of Krogan's jogging our way. Shit, shit, Shit! That's too many, they heavily outnumber us and I wasn't terribly confident in taking out two of them let alone the five I would have to for my share. To make matters better, they opened fire even from the poor vantage point they had. You would need a miracle to hit anything.

"Fury, we're retreating!" I shouted, turning around to run back but a sudden explosion threw me back, almost falling if not for the hands that caught me.

"Thanks." I grunted to Fury, looking over to where I wanted to head. The doorway had collapsed from the explosion, what fucking luck, but it was almost expected. Nothing could ever be easy for me, there was nowhere we could go, the bridge we were on was too high up to jump down.

"That is … unfortunate." Yeah, it really is Garrus.

"Guess we have no choice then." I sighed, turning around. Fury was still standing there silently, waiting.

"Wrex would have loved this," Garrus said, then in a lower voice he muttered, "would have loved to have him here too."

This is bad, there is a lot of Krogan, and the only heavy hitter we have is Fury. I didn't know what she was capable of fully, but the video I'd seen was impressive. Lets see if she had any more tricks.

"Fury," the silent woman's head turned towards me, "you got anything that can deal with this."

"… one or two. I suppose I'm allowed to pull out all the stops then?" she sounded almost eager. I was a little nervous of that, but what's the worst that can happen, we're already up shit creek.

"Go ahead."

Fury chuckled, pleased. She began to stretch, showing off impressive flexibility as she did, and no it didn't distract me, maybe a little bit. Once she finished up, and I could see the Krogan entering the building that joined our walkway to theirs, she pressed a button on each of her forearms, a mechanism activating. Previously unseen seems in her gauntlets opened, and out slid some small metal nozzles. Garrus gasped beside me at the sight.

"Are those what I think they are?" he mumbled, stunned.

"It's likely. Just sit back and enjoy the show, maybe stay back a little, there's a splash zone and I'm not exactly used to working with others." Fury chuckling now sounding sinister. She walked forward until she was halfway across the bridge from us and placed her hands together, lowering her head as if praying. That didn't sound right. Biotic energy enshrouding her made more sense, at it wasn't just a little energy, no, it was a ton. The aura around her was hard to look at, requiring me to squint. She was distracting enough that I barely saw the Krogan's charging out of the building. I heard them though. The Warcry's are hard to miss.

It was easier to see them after a moment, as the aura surrounding Fury faded into a soft glow, instead it extended around her now formed Omni blades. The change occurred only a moment before the first Tank-born reached her, and that was when Fury struck. She lunged forward with her arm pulled back at a pace I would struggle to react to, and swung forward toward the Krogan's mid-section, and through it.

The two pieces of him continued forward for a moment, tumbling along the ground even as he left behind his blood and viscera. The omni blade was coated in the stuff, or it was until it shattered in a flash of light. The missing blade was quickly replaced though, and became enshrouded even as Fury struck the next Krogan with her other blade. Taking of this one's head. That was when the rest of the Krogan reached Fury, and what happened next could barely be comprehended.

Fury ducked and dived around the mass of bodies, contorting herself around their undisciplined flailing. She moved in ways I didn't think a body could, and with each moment, each breath, she struck out at another Krogan. Each broken blade accompanied by another corpse, until the last one which she jumped up and wrapped her hands around his head, flinging herself around him and flinging his head into the ground with a painful thud. She landed on one knee and a fist with a splat, landing in a pool of warm blood and organs. She was covered in the stuff, armour dripping, and I swallowed at the grim sight. I don't want to admit it, but I could feel my gun waver in my hands as well. That was … terrifying.

"I think I might see why she was so highly recommended?" I turned to Garrus.

"Yeah … I knew of what she had done, but I hadn't expected … that."

Neither did I. Still, I can think about it later. For now, the currently dripping woman was walking back towards us. There was one thing I wanted to know.

"Why'd you spare the last one?"

"I ran out of omni-blades." Fury sounded unaffected by what she'd just done, and It made me shiver. Her nonchalance only made it worse.

Fury wasn't particularly talkative on the way to Okeer, but that's normal. At the very least she calmed her temper, only took a bloodbath, simple enough solution around me. We found more blue suns as we continued, all of them dead before we got there, or after we left. That brought us to the area the target location indicated. It was a building, so Okeer must be in there. I could see two entrances, and either will do. I entered the building cautiously, Fury right beside me with her hand raised, albeit without a weapon, and Garrus bringing up the rear, checking behind us every so often. Inside was a sight I couldn't quite believe, yet one I had suspected for a while now.

"You." I growled at the sight of the familiar Asari scientist. I remembered every bit of that fucking mission on Virmire, including her participation in it. I spared her that day, offering her another chance. What a fucking waste.

"Oh!" Rana turned around, a pleased smile on her face. "It's nice to see you again commander Shepard. What do you think of my work?"

"… Your work?" Fury asked quietly, too quietly.

"Why yes, I brought the idea to Okeer. It's really quite amazing what we're doing here, curing the Genophage is a monumental thing. Progress had been slow unfortunately, and not much progress has been made since the destruction of the facility on Virmire." Rana explained, turning towards Fury. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

"Fury. Are you behind all of the Krogan's we've come across on our way here?" She was speaking calmly to the scientist, but there was a subtle edge present, one Rana hadn't noticed.

"Unfortunately," Rana sighed, "We are able to successfully clone the subjects with little failure, but they are unsuitable for their purpose. While they are dim, that can be passed off as being a week old and ignored, the issue is that they are aggressive and difficult to control, even worse is that they are fully infertile. The other issues could be solved with time, but the infertility issue is the main thing holding us back. I'm excited to say we are finally seeing progress on that matter though!" Rana cheerfully explained, typing away at a data-pad and ignoring her surroundings. Fury's hand was reaching towards her gun before I placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Let me talk to her." I whispered, and Fury nodded jerkily stepping back. Didn't stop her from fingering her gun though.

"Rana?" I asked her.

"Yes Shepard?" she responded, not looking up.

"I want to see if you remember something. That day on Virmire, do you remember it?"

"I do." She winced, looking up at me. "That was terrifying, and I'm thankful that you saved me from the escaped subjects, but you didn't give me much time, or warning, before you set off the bomb." She chided me.

Breath Jane, remain calm.

"And do you remember what I said to you when I let you go?" I asked calmly, my face blank.

"It's a little hazy, I was frightened at the time. The krogan you had beside you looked like he wanted to eat me alive." I honestly couldn't say if that was true or not.

"Pity, because I gave you a warning. Your work was barbaric, and you served Saren to do it." I smiled at her, it wasn't a pretty smile. Rana's cheer was fading as well, finally realising the situation she was in. "I told you that you could go, but that you were never to continue work, for if I should catch you, it would be the last thing you do." I didn't raise my voice or emphasise any of them. I told her this calmly, cooly. It was a thin veneer over the burning fire within me.

"Wait, No Shepard you can't!" Rana gasped, stepping back from me and into the counter behind her. I took one step forward as well, making sure to keep my eyes locked with hers. I wanted her to realise just how serious I was. "I can help you, give you my research," I took one more step forward and Rana began to tremble, almost collapsing to the ground. "… I can give you information about Okeer, about Jedore, the blue suns are working for Okeer." Rana's pleaded with me, but she finally ran out of things to say. I continued to stare into her widened eyes, looking for any sign of remorse, of repentance. I knew it was a slim chance, she was here after all. I turned around and stopped next to the still form of Fury.

"I'm done with her."

There were no signs to be found, and her pleas fell on deaf ears even as Fury shot Rana with her pistol.

"Garrus, see if you can collect any data she had, there's no point in wasting her research, or letting it be found by anyone else."

"I'll see what I can do." The previously silent Turian nodded grimly, proceeding to go do so. He was hit hard by Rana's actions, he was the one to convince me to let her go free last time, only for her to go and do this. The simmering emotions within me were still there, despite Rana's death, and I knew what to do.

"Let's finish this, and Fury?" The woman turned to face me and I hardened my features. "Anyone working here other than the Cloned Krogan are to be terminated. Leave no survivors." I wasn't taking any chances this time, not again.

[POV: Fury]

I was yet to return to my normal calm, but that's alright, I can fake it. The mission was fun at first, I hadn't had a chance to really break loose in too long, so figuratively 'stretching my legs' was a relief. If only the mission had remained that carefree. Cloning and then discarding Krogans, it hit a little too close to home, and it made me resolve to try harder to learn what I could. I don't know if I could truly trust them, but both Garrus and Shepard? I had a gut feeling, so I'll consider asking them about Cerberus later, we had something else to deal with now.

"What should we do with him?" Garrus asked, standing next to the cooling corpse of Okeer and looking at the pod before us.

He wasn't that hard to take down, for his vaunted reputation. The nerve gas Jedore set off probably didn't help him though, my armour had its own air supply for such occasions. Shepard and Garrus dealt with Jedore while I dealt with him, and they likely had the harder fight from what I could hear. That didn't bother me though, Jedore was just a mercenary, she wasn't the mastermind behind all of this.

"I'm undecided. I don't want to leave him here, he shouldn't face the consequences of Okeer's actions. We would likely be leaving him to die, and I refuse to do that. The issue is, taking him is a risk."

I wanted to say something, about how we should take him, but Shepard was right, taking him was a risk. A genetically enhanced Krogan would be nothing to sneeze at, and breaking just one tiny thing in the Normandy could break the entire ship. There is no room for error in space.

"Ignoring potential aggression from him, would it be right to take him on our mission? He's so young, I don't want to lead him to an early death, and I won't have the time to keep a close eye on him." Shepard admitted, scowling. Don't make me like you damn it. I couldn't help it though, I'd long abandoned the thought Shepard was a clone of the corpse, she was too real, and too opposed to Cerberus, she was rathe vocal about it. The surgical scars on her face were evidence that she had been resurrected. Broke that religious figures record too, I wonder if a church would spring up around her, the church of Jane?

"… what do you think Fury? You seem familiar with this situation." Garrus asked.

"Subtle. He deserves a choice, everyone deserves a choice. Wake him up here, outside of the ship and see what he's like. I … am prepared to monitor him if we bring him with us. If he begins to act out … then I will deal with it."

"You're sure?" Shepard asked, staring at me, her green eyes flickering with different emotions.

"I am. It wouldn't be hard, he can sleep with me as well, there's plenty of room."

"Alright, thank you for offering Fury, I'll trust you with this." Shepard nodded, a small smile on her face as she turned to the pod and pressed a button on it. The pod began opening with a hiss, vapour spilling out the sides as the door fully opened and the Krogan began stirring. He shook his head as he took his first few steps out of the pod, blinking wearily before his eyes focused on our group, and he immediately charged towards us. Shepard and Garrus reached for their weapons, but I stepped forward and let energy suffuse my form. I concentrated it into my fist and I stepped forward and swung it at the Krogan's faceplate, letting the energy explode out and slam him face first into the ground. He was quick to recover, already pushing himself up and turning his face to mine.

"Calm. Down." I ordered the Krogan, raising my fist again and knocking him down once more. I then let up my control so more energy would become visible to him. He considered the obvious threat before nodding begrudgingly, standing up but making no move to charge once more.

"Name." he grunted.

"I am Fury."

"No, mine, I need a name, you have bested me, so you are to name me."

I glanced back at Shepard suddenly unsure, but she said nothing either way. Guess she's letting me handle it.

"It is your right to choose one you like. Pick something that has meaning to you." I ordered him, resolute on this. The Krogan paused, hesitating.

"…"

"I can help you pick, but it is your decision, does anything stand out to you, anything you … remember?"

"I remember Okeer's speech vividly, it … stands out to me." He mused, then fell silent for a minute. I remember the speech as well, I let him give his final say before I finished him off.

"Grunt. Yes, I like that name. It has no meaning, as I currently don't. Will you give me meaning?"

"I think I can help with that." Shepard stepped forward and Grunt turned towards her suddenly more hostile than before. He was one of the calmest Krogan I had ever seen, at least when talking to me.

"Calm. Listen to what she has to say."

Grunt didn't say anything, but he did let himself loosen up a bit.

"Thank you Fury." Shepard nodded to me. "Grunt, I have a mission, a difficult one. It is near suicidal, our enemies mighty and numerous. I could use your help against them, help to save the human colonies they're targeting."

Grunt didn't say anything, instead turning to me.

"I am part of this mission, Shepard hired me to help them, you are welcome to come."

"Then I will." Grunt nodded. Wait, should probably mention this.

"Consider her orders to be mine unless I say anything."

He grumbled.

"Very well leader, I will obey. What do I call her? You are leader and that will not change."

I paused here, turning towards Shepard and an idea popped into my head. Do I dare …? Shepard narrowed her eyes at me, and I couldn't resist a gleeful grin., good thing Shepard couldn't see it.

"Call her bossman." Grunt nodded, accepting it and Shepard glared at me, annoyed. She didn't say anything to stop me though, but she did hit Garrus when he started snickering.

"Lets get going then bossman." Grunt told Shepard, impatient to leave. Shepard closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply and Garrus began outright laughing.