Chapter 29

[POV: Shepard]

I was not as happy to return to the Normandy as I would have hoped. I was, in fact, not happy at all. How could Ashley blame me for this, me?! I'm the one who always deals with everyone's bloody messes. The galaxy's problem solver, except I never seem to get rewarded for it.

Look, I get it. Cerberus are scum, and I hate having to work with them, but what fucking choice do I have? The council won't do anything. The alliance is stretched too thin after they lost the fifth fleet to Harbinger, they don't have the resources to patrol the terminus systems. They could if the other races weren't so stingy with their resources, but the council continued to spit on our sacrifice for them. So yes, when the only one offering me help was the terrorists, I accepted it.

After all we went through together Ashley, why would you blame me like that?

Her blame for Cerberus was sadly likely less misplaced, and I intend to find out if that's the case.

"Commander Shepard. Well done on your mission." T.I.M's hologram nodded towards me, raising a glass of amber liquid. "I hear the colony is safe, and the collector's driven off. We can use this, gather valuable data from it."

"We still lost many."

"An unfortunate loss, but you have to think of the bigger picture. This is far from the only colony that will be attacked, and far from the first. It is the first time we have repelled them, and with each encounter we learn more about the collectors."

I grit my teeth at how easily he brushed off the loss, and likely death, of thousands. As if our gains offset such a thing.

"As you say. But there is one thing I want to ask about, why are there reports that Cerberus announced we would be on the colony?" TIM's faux smile faded, and his eyes narrowed.

"Because we did." He commented, taking another sip, not even concerned about being called out. "Oh, you thought I would deny it? Please. We both know how lucky it was that the attack was close enough for you to respond to. One of the few things we knew about the collector's was that their attacks finished fast. We could have spent months attempting to catch them as we lost colony after colony. Do the math Shepard. Horizon's sacrifice was an unfortunate necessity."

I breathed in and out deeply, restraining the urge within me to attack him. He was a hologram, it wouldn't do me any good, no matter how satisfying it would be to try. I glared at him even so, attempting to make my feelings known, but he just stared back with his robotic looking eyes, they looked mechanical too.

"Nothing else to say then? Must mean you agree. Let's move on, as of right now I have nothing new for you about the collectors. I'm looking into leads, but it's a difficult task. In the meantime, I've sent you some more Dossiers for potential recruits, look them over. We don't know when the next strike will come, but we know it will be viscous. You need all the help you can get, and make sure there are no conflicts of interest. We nearly lost our most valuable recruit in the opening salvo, that doesn't bode well for the future."

The illusive man ordered me before his hologram flickered out of existence, not waiting for me to respond. I snarled at I turned around and left the room. I fucking hate that man, the condescending son of a bitch. I'll look over the dossiers when I've calmed down, but I can't right now. Not after what he just admitted to me, after what he admitted. Not after how he made some fucking sense!

That's what I hate the most, that more often than not he has a point. I don't doubt that every conversation we have is carefully crafted by him. He tells me exactly what he wants to, and nothing more. His actions unfortunately make tactical sense, but the thought sits bitter in my mouth. We almost lost Fury because of him, and he was right. She was the most valuable recruit on board, more than that, I somehow found that I trusted her. Maybe it's because she's never lied to me. Never mislead me.

Fury was cagey, but she wasn't malicious. She didn't have to vouch for Grunt like she did, didn't have to go so far on the mission. I have little doubt that we would have lost someone on Horizon if not for her, instead we almost lost her. I don't know how injured she was in truth, she was blasé about it when I asked, but she was clearly hurt. I should check on her, make sure she's alright.

Mind made up, I travelled to the med bay in question, and hesitated when I raised my hand to knock on the door. Fury was antisocial and liked her privacy, would she even want to see me right now? Just then, I heard laughter from inside the bay. One was Chakwas, the soothing bell-like laughter familiar to me, the other wasn't. Was that Fury? It was higher pitched than I expected through the voice changer. Just how the hell did Chakwas manage that? Deciding, I knocked on the door and the laughter stopped. There was some muffled conversation for a bit before the door opened and admitted me.

"It's a pleasure to see you Jane, it's been too long." Chackwas greeted me cheerfully from a spot on the bed sitting next to the armoured form of Fury, in between them was a near empty bottle of a familiar blue liquid. You didn't. I opened my mouth in attempt to say anything, but nothing came out.

"Did you need something?" Fury asked me, head tilting to the side as she leant back on her hand, legs swinging off the side of the bed. The sheer strangeness of the sight knocked me out of my stupor.

"Chakwas, did you really share your Serrice with Fury, willingly?" I asked incredulous, but I could feel the laughter attempting to bubble up. I tried to supress my mirth, but a smile still came to my lips.

"I did, didn't I? Say, how much did we even drink?" Chakwas muttered, glancing down at the opaque bottle, and giving it a shake. Didn't seem there was much left in it. "Bugger, I don't have any more."

"I'll get more if you'd like to drink them with me, This was nice, relaxing. We should do it again." Fury told her, far more casual than normal.

"How's our patient then, can't be too bad." I asked, bad mood gone.

"I'm fine." Fury nods.

"She'll be fit to return to service in a week." The doctor amended, blinking her eyes heavily in an attempt to focus. "She's free to return to her bunk though, probably should do it soon. She's on some painkillers at the moment, but when they wear off she's going to be very sore." Chakwas tried standing up, but her balance was unsteady enough that she sat back down and held her head for a moment, groaning. "On second thought, can you take her now? I have … work to do."

"Un-huh, sure." I chuckle, walking over to Fury and offered her my hand. She looked at me askance for a moment, then took it lightly and shook it.

"Why are we holding hands?" Did she forget or something? I pointed down and her head followed shortly after. "Oh, right." Fury then grabbed onto my hand tighter, standing up with my assistance. I then put her arm around my shoulders somewhat awkwardly. I was a bit tall to do this, but we'll make do.

"Bye Karen." Fury called out as we left, which Chakwas waved in response to. Karen? Did Chakwas make a friend? I smirked at the thought.

The deck was silent as I walked through it with Fury. Most of the crew was in bed by now, all but the essential crew, which wouldn't be up here. It left us alone, and that won't change for a while. Walking like this wasn't fast, and while Fury seemed content to remain silent I'd rather not. Silence … doesn't really do it for me anymore.

"What exactly were your injuries anyway?" I asked my silent companion.

"Hm? Oh, nothing too bad. My wrist was heavily sprained, but no actual bone damage. The skin of that arm was also slightly burned. Aside from that, two ribs were cracked. Karen fixed them up nice and quick and gave me a cream for the rest of the bruising."

"And the foot." I reminded her.

"And the foot." She agreed.

"See, aren't you glad you saw Dr Chakwas? You didn't have to make such a big deal."

"I was perfectly reasonable." Of course you were. "Chakwas isn't like the other doctors I've seen, Mordin reminds me far too much of them for me to see him willingly, but I'm alright with Karen." Not like the other doctors? Chakwas was fairly similar to the other doctors I knew of, if sassier. Mordin was the one I would say stands out to me, more of a researcher than a doctor. And he reminds her of 'them'? Wait a minute …

Fury is wary of doctors, says she's had negative experience with doctor's like Mordin, with medical researchers. I could be wrong, but with the impression Fury's given me … was she experimented on? I swallowed at the distasteful thought and attempted to ignore it. That never works though.

"Chakwas is a favourite of mine as well. These doctors of yours, were they the ones to give you your foot?" I asked my question nonchalantly, trying to keep Fury from raising her guard.

"Yeah, back when I was young." Fury didn't say anything else, so I guess that's all I'm getting, I don't want to press when she's being so open with me. What else is there to talk about?

"Just how did you convince Chakwas to share her alcohol with you though? I've been trying for years and she's stingier than the council with praise."

"I guess I'm just prettier than you." Fury chuckled.

"Ouch." I laughed at her joke. Who knows, maybe she was right, but that was yet to be decided. Maybe one day.

"Just making sure you know that this can't be a common occurrence, can't afford for you to be unfit to participate in missions."

"I'm aware." Fury sighed. "It would help if there was something to actually do here though, your entertainment is severely lacking."

"Not quite like the afterlife?"

"The music was eh, but at least the dancers were nice to look at when I had a break. The atmosphere would certainly be improved," Fury they 'muttered' "who knows maybe people will stop staring at me so much."

I winced at Fury's complaint. I could understand her plight, having experienced much of it myself. Being the Lion of Elysium was one thing, but the saviour of the citadel? I was almost glad to return to service after that, if only it was with my crew.

"I'll see what I can do, but I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm not sure Miranda would approve of the expense of mission funds." I offered while assisting Fury into the elevator, leaning her against one wall as I pressed the button for the engineering deck.

"Maybe we could get her to do it, what exactly does she even do on the ship anyway? Hell, maybe I'll give it a whirl for old times sake."

I chortled at her suggestion to have Miranda do so. I would love to see someone ask her that, not me obviously, but someone. Just for a moment I hoped the ship had as much surveillance as I normally feared, just so Miranda would hear this conversation.

As we made out way out of the elevator, I also pondered what Fury finished with. Old times was it? Fury does work for Aria, and some of her movements on the battlefield certainly held a familiar grace from clubs I had been to during some of my missions. My missions, yes.

"Leader!" Grunt cried out from the crate he had been sitting on, standing up and walking over to us. He stood there, a satisfied look on his face. What is it today with people liking her more? I'm so confused.

"Hello grunt, how did you like the mission?." Fury asked the Krogan.

"It was glorious." Grunt nodded. "I was somewhat bruised by the Insect creature when it knocked me away, but I healed up quickly with the cream Mordin gave me."

"I'm glad you're alright then. Sadly I was a little more injured." Fury commented, reaching up and rubbing the Krogan's head. He seemed shocked at the action, but pleased all the same. That was when he registered what she said and saw her missing leg.

"You're hurt?" he sounded concerned, did no one tell him?

"I'm fine, I have a spare in that box I showed you before the mission."

She showed him where to get the spare foot before the mission, did she anticipate this somehow? Must have just been out or paranoia. Grunt turned around to go grab it shortly.

"People can just grow spare body parts?" he muttered to himself. Should I tell him? Nah.

I helped Fury over to the Crate Grunt was just using, settling her in and finally taking the load of my shoulders. Fury wasn't particularly heavy, but her armour weighed a decent amount on top of her bodyweight.

"Here." Grunt offered a secure looking box to Fury. She inputted a code into it and waved her Omni tool over a scanner before it opened with a click, a hissing noise audible as it did. Inside was a work of mechanical art. While her other foot had blended in with the rest of her armour, this one stood out. It had a solid metal structure, one that would match an armoured boot, but it was also heavily decorated. There were brightly coloured orange, yellow and red lines on a black background creating a fascinating geometric pattern. The workmanship also looked custom made, it was unlike any prosthetics I'd seen, and being in the military I'd seen more than a few.

"It's beautiful."

"A friend made it for me, just in case I lost my last one. She was insistent I take this with me when I left on this mission. I guess she was right."

Fury picked it up out of the box and set it aside, lifting her amputated leg and slotting the mechanical leg into her shin, twisting it around until it sealed with a mechanical lock. She gave it a few tugs to make sure it was secure before putting it down and standing up once more to her full height, taking a few steps before nodding.

"Seems to work." She shrugged.

"Good, make sure to test it out fully before your next mission. I'm just sorry you lost your old one in the first place."

"Don't be. It was the most fun I've had in months. Sparring with Aria can get old after a while, doesn't hold the same challenge it once did."

She sparred with Aria? I suppose that makes sense, but from what I knew Aria was a renowned warrior. Then again, Fury was her bodyguard, that might have been for a reason.

"I'll take my leave then. Get some rest Fury." I nodded to her, then to Grunt. "Grunt."

"Bossman." The Krogan finally acknowledge my presence, using that accursed nickname. I think I'm going to have to accept it at this point. It better not spread.

Walking back to my room was much faster, but I think I preferred when Fury was with me. Without the distraction that she provided, I was left to my thoughts. Fury had revealed some information today that she hadn't previously, enough for me to get a decent feel for her and her motivations.

I was always confused by why she joined this mission. She admitted she was looking for information about Cerberus, but not why. I don't think she meant to reveal as much as she did today, but the alcohol loosened her lips a little. She had bad experiences with doctors, it left her with an aversion to them. They were also the ones to give her the prosthetic, which meant she lost it while under their care. I can't be certain how that relates to Cerberus, as while it certainly sounded like something they would be involved with Cerberus hadn't been around long enough for them to have been behind what happened to her.

If I didn't know better, I would say her experiences were at the hands of Salarians. Her reluctance to be treated by Mordin would support it, and I already knew of one such Salarian from Garrus. I would believe that there were others like him that came before. Was that what Fury was trying to do, to stop what happened to her happening to anyone else? I know too little to make any guesses, but I have enough for suspicions.

That's enough about her, she wouldn't have told me so much if she hadn't been under the influence and I could picture what her reaction would be once she no longer is. I have other things to worry about, such as the dossiers the illusive man sent me. I've already been burnt by ignoring them before, it shouldn't happen again.

Another Asari, an Assassin … and Tali? Why's she in here. I ignored the other two reports over hers, reading it in depth. What's she doing on Haelstrom? It doesn't matter, she needs help. The others can wait while I go to her. She might be safe, but the last time I thought that and stalled we almost lost Liara. She had been critically dehydrated by the time we got to her, and I'm not risking it again. To Haelstrom we go.

[POV: Jack]

"The solar radiation on the planet is intense, so full helmets will be required. Grunt, I want you to come with me on the mission, and I've got a helmet for you to try on. You're coming as well Garrus." I raised my hand to ask about the mission, but Shepard shook her head at me. "You're still recovering Fury, you know this. You can't do more than walk, There will be more missions to come." I scowled but lowered my hand, knowing her to be right.

Walking to the briefing room had been an experience. Waking up without painkillers wasn't fun, it let me feel how much my muscles ached. My ribs were mostly fixed, but they cracked in the first place because I crashed into the ground on my back. As you might expect, I was one big bruise back there. Still, I could mostly ignore that. What wasn't so easy was the new foot. My old one exploding hadn't left me unscathed, as the entire stump was bruised and tender from the residual energy transfer. I really am lucky that the particle beam ran out of juice right after it struck my foot, the amount of heat those things gave out was ridiculous. I may also be just a little hungover. Just how much did Karen and I drink?

"Everyone else can remain on standby, I'll call the Normandy if assistance is needed. We should be getting to Horizon in approximately 37 hours from now, be prepared. That will be all." Shepard ended the meeting with a nod then walked out to go get armoured up.

"You'll be fine?" Grunt asked from beside me, he had been hovering since he discovered that no, losing a foot isn't something normally so easily shrugged off. Why'd Garrus have to tell him? He had been excited about it.

"I'll survive. Have fun on your mission, but I doubt it will be as exciting as our last one. I'll get back to my room just fine, so go see what Shepard wanted."

"Fine. Leader." Grunt nodded before walking off. He was one of the last to do so, leaving just Miranda and I. Why'd she linger behind the others? I waited so there would be less people to see me hobble out, and because I couldn't really move that fast right now. Miranda was instead typing something on her Omni-tool before she looked up to find me watching her.

"Still here Fury?" she smiled at me, standing up and walking over to me leisurely.

"I was just leaving."

I try to stand up normally, but the pressure on my leg sent a jolt of pain through it. In my attempt to adjust for it, I had a small spasm in my back from the bruising, further disrupting my balance. I had to catch myself on my chair to stop myself from falling back into it, that would be even more embarrassing than this.

"Come on, let me help you." Miranda offered her hand to me but I stubbornly did nothing. I'll be fine on my own, just need to adjust my walk a little for a day or two. Karen said the cream she gave me would remove the pain within a few days, I can handle this till then.

"I won't bite Fury, I'm not exactly someone you need to be wary of." Miranda's smile strained a little at that, and sighing I admitted defeat. I grabbed onto her arm and tried to lean on her shoulder with it, but the height difference was too much. Why am I shorter than everyone on this ship?

"Here, put it around me." Miranda moved my arm around her torso, pulling me into her side firmly. I grimaced at the close contact with a woman I didn't trust, but it was somewhat of a necessity.

"Now, where are you going?" she asked curiously, tilting her head. Where am I going? I can't really train like this and there's nothing for me to work on. Nothing for me to really do either. "Hadn't thought of that eh?" Miranda sounded amused, a smirk on her face. "Let's go to my office, I haven't got much to do either. I overestimated how much use Shepard would have for me on the field."

I didn't necessarily trust Miranda's intentions with this conversation, suspicious of why she wanted to talk now, but I had been meaning to find a way to snoop around her office for some time now. Why waste this chance?

"Fine."

"Then let's go." If Miranda was put off by my curtness, she didn't show it. We took the walk slow, but even so it was unpleasant, and not for the reasons I'd expected. It's been a long time since the facility, long enough that I had somewhat forgotten what that constant pain was like. I could ignore it sure, but pain is there for a reason, it generally means something you shouldn't be doing. With each step my stump ached a little more. Every impact, no matter how soft I tried to make it, sent a sharp jolt up my leg and it was getting harder to resist making a sound. The longer we walked, the more I required Miranda's help, having to further lean on her the longer we travelled. I was letting out soft grunts by the time we reached her office.

"Here, let me get a chair for you." Miranda told me as she gently leaned me against the wall, moving off to clear away some clutter she had sitting on the only other chair aside from hers. She helped me over to it once it was clear, and I sunk into it with a sigh of relief, finally taking the load off my leg.

"Do you want me to get you something for the pain? You look like you need it." Miranda asked with concern on her face.

"No." I shook my head emphatically, denying her offer. Miranda quirked a brown but took a seat all the same. I could deal with the pain, what I didn't want to deal with was the way I'd relaxed, the way I'd let my guard down last night. I'd told Shepard more than I ever intended to without realising it. It was only this morning during the briefing that I realised such a fact, much to my regret. I didn't mean to let my guard down so much, but the act of drinking the Serrice with Karen? It was too much like my times with Aria. They were some of my most treasured memories, and I had been missing her. I also had never been able to relax since I first stepped onto the Normandy, so when I was offered a drink by the doctor, I accepted without thinking. One drink led to another, and so on.

"It seems like you had fun last night, I noticed Dr Chakwas wander out of her office with her head in her hands this morning. You seem fine though, or is that just a façade?" I looked up at Miranda's question, having been lost in thought.

"It would take a bit more than half a bottle of something to leave me like that."

"I am somewhat familiar with the advantages being a biotic brings. It certainly has it's uses." Miranda grinned a wicked little grin at me. The sight distracted me for a moment, but I pushed it aside soon after. "Where are my manners, did you want something to drink?"

I'm in a helmet.

"No."

"Suit yourself." She shrugged then leaned forward with her fingers locked together in front of her face. "Now, I hope you don't mind me asking but I find myself curious about you. For being so competent, you are rather unknown. Just how do you get someone with your … skills?"

I don't care how innocent she tried to look, she was definitely looking for information that she failed to find through other means.

"I had an interesting youth. Really builds character."

Miranda's smile fell a little, some of her frustration coming through. I was somewhat enjoying myself, to my surprise. Annoying Miranda was surprisingly fun.

"Care to elaborate?" she asked almost rhetorically.

"I was a somewhat violent child and was naturally talented at combat. I was taught to hone that talent vigorously, and the rest you can say is history." I waved my hands in front of me, and found myself actually smiling.

"Have I done something to offend you Fury?" Miranda asked suddenly, smile gone. Mine disappeared as well. Seems like she actually wants to talk. My eyes wandered around her office as I pondered my response. There was surprisingly little decoration around, but it was rather spacious. Behind her desk was a combined lounge and bedroom. Her bed looked far more comfortable than mine. Letting my eyes wander back to the still waiting Miranda, I made a decision. I needed more information. Sighing, I straightened my posture and faced her directly.

"You work for Cerberus." I told her dead serious, and that was my main problem with her. Sure, she was a little haughty, but so were more than a few of my friends.

"And why is that so bad? Cerberus does a lot of good." Really?

"Do you honestly believe that?" I asked her, watching her eyes intently. Her eyes narrowed a little before she looked away as she answered.

"They're the only ones trying to do something about the collector's and the reapers."

"And that's out of the goodness of their heart …? No ulterior motives?"

"Of course not." She answered immediately, eyes returning to me.

"Then you either weren't told or are choosing to believe it. I might not know as much about Cerberus as you do, but I know enough. I've seen what they've done, and it disgusts me." I spat out the words, my calm mood fading away as the conversation continued.

"And what, exactly, have you heard?" Miranda scowled at me.

"You really want to know? Then I'll tell you. Lets first ignore the long list of crimes that the alliance officially attributes to them, the reason you're known as human-centric terrorists. Lets ignore all the things that affected alien species and instead consider what they've done to their own. There was the thresher maw beacon that Shepard found."

Miranda scowl remained, but I saw the way her face tensioned at my mentioning of thresher maws.

"The assassination of humans, the experimentations that went wrong such as the husks, the Thorian or the Rachni. Let's ignore all that and talk about what I consider the most heinous of all. They. Experimented. On. Children!"

Miranda lost her mask for the first time, looking confused at my words. Was it fake? Or did she not know. If so, then she's about to find out.

"Cerberus would never do such a thing. I'm the head medical advisor for Cerberus, I would know about it. What evidence do you have?"

"What evidence do I have? How about … one of the people they fucking experimented on." I growled, at the last moment I managed to disguise the fact that I was said survivor, lost to my anger as I was.

"I know a girl who survived the experiments Cerberus put her through, put them all through. She was one among hundreds!" Miranda shook her head in denial, but I pressed on, not giving her a chance to talk. "They were all biotics, experimented on to try and enhance their abilities. To make them greater than they were. This came at a cost though, this girl I speak of? She was the only survivor."

Miranda had stopped trying to speak at this point, instead she just listened. Good, I wasn't done.

"She was taken by them as a baby, a fucking baby, because she was special. She had more biotic nodes then ever found on a healthy human, so she was a prime subject for them. They trained her, made her fight the other kids, and when that wasn't enough for them they made her kill the others. She was the only survivor because she killed the rest. And when she escaped, the Cerberus logo was the thing plastered on the front of the fucking building. Aria found her littered with scars, covered in them from head to toe. Some of them surgical, some of them battle, and some of them from torture. So yes, I do believe Cerberus would do such a thing."

Miranda opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it and swallowed, grimacing.

"If …. If what you say is true, then why are you even helping me, helping us? You knew who Cerberus was, yet you still came." Miranda had stopped denying my words, her denial gone and in its place resignation.

"I came for Shepard, but even more than that, I came to find the girl some answers on who would do such a thing to her."

I was done talking to her, so ignoring the pain it caused I pushed myself up and out of the chair, grit my teeth and limped over to the doorway.

"What …, what's her name?" Miranda's question was quiet, soft, but it made me stop all the same. I … this whole conversation had brought buried emotions to the surface, made me remember things I didn't want to. I never thought I would tell Miranda about my childhood, disguised as it was, but she was just so sure I was wrong. I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't, that what happened to me was Cerberus fault. I believe I got that through to her, but instead of feeling satisfied, I just felt pity. For her, and for me. Miranda sounded so lost, just as I once was. As I still am.

"Her name was Jennifer."

[POV: Miranda]

I didn't want to believe Cerberus to be capable of what Fury said. I didn't, but I knew they were. I may have denied it but I knew what Cerberus was, what they were capable of. I just didn't care.

All I did, I did for Oriana. Getting her away from our father was difficult, keeping her from him even more so. Cerberus helped me do it, laid false trails, hid the true one. Without them, she would have been found long ago. I won't deny I enjoyed my work, the challenge it brought me. Reviving Shepard was my magnum opus, I don't think I will ever do something greater, not with the sheer cost of doing so. I developed so many new procedures while doing so. The thought of what I was doing never even bothered me. I never considered if I should, too wrapped up in if I could.

I was an often-used infiltrator in the past, not Cerberus' best, but a rather good one all the same. It was all too easy to weasel secrets out of men, all I had to do was wear a nice dress, smile at them and pay attention. People reveal surprisingly much without noticing, but I notice.

Those missions for Cerberus never bothered me either. It was always with sleazy businessmen that had ambiguous moral practices at best, and it felt like I was acting against my father every time I did one of those missions.

What did bother me about Cerberus was information revealed to me only recently. I was mainly an infiltrator in the past before Shepard, but the Illusive man saw use for me as an administrator, specifically to do with their medical research. Shepard was the biggest research project that Cerberus' medical division had ever worked on, and the most cutting edge. Having been the head of said project, I was deemed capable of overseeing other projects more distantly, which gave me better insight into what Cerberus as a whole was doing. Oh, I had no doubt I didn't know everything, only the illusive man did, but I knew more than I ever have. Some of those projects Cerberus is working on? They aren't pretty.

I had to read through the lines a little to see what was truly going on, but the implications I found were disturbing. Much of what we did required testing, experimental in nature as it were. Our research was cutting edge in the galaxy, but that was because we were willing to go further than anyone else. Drugs, implants, procedures, we did it all. The rate of progress Cerberus had was astonishing, but the one thing never mentioned was how we learnt some of what we did. They had to come from somewhere, but it was never mentioned. All that the reports told me were the results.

Fury's story was horrifying, but it did remind me of something which I've since re-checked. About a decade back, Cerberus was heavily investing in biotic research, in methods of improvement for them. The research was unlike anything I'd ever seen before, more comprehensive, more specific. I've had a few of the techniques developed by this research performed on myself, the ones with little risk. I was a rather weak biotic initially, and the risk-free procedures only provided so much of a boost, but it did enhance my biotic potential about 10%. Such a shame that dear old dad deemed my looks of more importance than anything else, even biotic ability.

The amount of techniques and procedures they developed was astonishing, and as far as I can tell they were the best funded division we had at the time, the amount of personnel and resources used on them certainly indicates it. That's why, when the research seemed to grind to a halt one day with no real warning, I had thought it strange. It was only a passing curiosity, and there wasn't really anything I could do to find out more, so I'd put it aside until Fury reminded me of it today. That facility she talked about sounds like it was where the research was coming from, and that was what disturbed me most.

If Cerberus was willing to kidnap hundreds of biotic children, all for experimentation, what else were they keeping from me? What horrors were hidden? The thought of something like that happening to Oriana … it scared me. It scared me, and I didn't know what to do about it, didn't know if I could do anything, If I even wanted to. My thoughts sat heavily in my mind, but I couldn't deal with them now. Our mission with the collector's was important, and while Fury's speculation about ulterior motives was likely correct, what did it matter if we helped so many doing so? At least being part of this, it was something I could be proud of. I'm not sure how much else of my work I could.