AN: Took a little longer than I would have wanted, but many of my assignments are all due about now. Thankfully, I'm done with most of them now for a better or worse, and only a few more next week remain.
I also think this chapter will bring the story to 250 000 words, a long-time goal of mine, yay!
Chapter 35:
[POV: Wrex]
"Leader, they approach." I looked up from my data-pad at the alert from one of my guards. I nodded my thanks to him, as I hadn't realised. I knew that wrangling the Krogan race would be difficult when I first returned to Tuchanka, but I had thought the difficult part would be establishing myself as the leader. I should have known better.
Re-establishing the Urdnot clan had been easy enough. I was a thousand years old, an elder of my race. I had been killing all manner of things throughout the galaxy for centuries, so proving myself had been easy enough. I just had to beat the head in of anyone who argued against me. Problem solved.
Establishing myself as leader of Tuchanka had been a bit trickier, but nothing too onerous. A few of the younger clan leaders tried their hand at resisting, but making them submit was easy enough. It was the rest of the clan leaders that were trickier. They were fine with me taking over, provided I met their conditions. I should have known it was too easy. Bastards just didn't want to have to deal with all the problems I do now. Since when did Krogans havel politicians?
The trio walked into the throne-room again after just 2 hours ago, except now they were covered in blood and grime. Shepard's hair was stuck to her head, drenched in her sweat and she looked plain exhausted. Grunt was definitely injured, his gait off. Some might think it was the blood-soaked arm, but that wasn't his blood, I knew the difference in shade. Must be his ribs, how'd that even happen? It would take a precise blow to even crack one of our bones without injuring the flesh around it.
Of the trio, Fury seemed the least affected by the Rite, no noticeable difference in appearance from earlier.
"Shepard! I take it you were successful?" Calling out to the commander first wasn't technically correct, as it was Grunt's rite, but the Krogan was young. He wasn't ready to lead yet, so having the commander with him to tell him what to do would have been especially helpful.
"Yeah, would've appreciated a warning though." Shepard narrowed her eyes at me, annoyed. Heh.
"Where's the fun at that?"
Shepard sighed, closing her eyes. She really is tired. She used to be a lot more easy-going about this sort of thing.
"Let's just tell him Shepard." Fury said, stepping forward and around Shepard. She sounded annoyed even through the helmet's filter. What do they need to tell me?
"Gatalog Uvenk is dead. He attacked us after the Rite, so we killed him." Her words were clipped and she crossed her arms, staring at me. My grin left me as I heard what she said. Gatalog's dead? I supressed the initial surge of joy that knowledge brought me, and it was quickly overcome by the political shitstorm I knew this would cause.
"What happened?" I sighed, slumping back into my chair. Shepard told me promptly, and it didn't take me long to figure out what this would look like.
"Fuck!" I slammed my hand into the armrest beside me.
Gatalog was one of my political rivals, more like a pain in my hump, and our mutual dislike was well known. He was good at opposing me in ways that I couldn't actually do anything about, no matter how much I would have liked to beat his head in these past few years.
Shepard's group killing him would reflect on me, badly. It was on my word that Grunt was allowed to do the Rite in the first place, and there was nothing saying Gatalog couldn't be present at the time. Him winding up dead could be used by my detractors for any number of things, and I really didn't need that right now. There were rumours about Clan Weyrloc that had me worried, but the rumours weren't backed up by anything substantial I could use to have them investigated. Clan Uvenk could also be part of it as well, judging by what Shepard had told me.
That's just what I needed, a multi-clan conspiracy.
"Shepard, trust me when I say I believe you. But no-one else will. Gatalog is well-respected and his death will have consequence." I informed her gruffly. "I'll take the flak for you, as it's my mess in the end, but this is gonna get ugly." I didn't bother hiding it from her, she would figure it out anyway.
"Should I mention I record all missions I go on?" Fury spoke up.
My eyes snapped over to her immediately. She had a recording? Oh thank fuck. That … that changes everything. I could prove it was Gatalog's fault beyond doubt. I could even turn this into something beneficial, use it to justify launching an investigation.
"Send it to my Omni-tool." I ordered her, raising my wrist. She did so immediately. I skipped straight to the end of the Rite as I could look over it later, but that could … wait, the Maw was dead?
No, there's time for that later. I stopped skipping forward once I saw Gatalog appear.
Their conversation was short, Grunt refusing the slimy bastard's offer easily. Try to poach my clan member? Serves you right. Fury disarming all of them in an instant was a surprise though, that wasn't a simple use of biotics. Sure, I'd seen it before but the speed she did it was fast. If she'd given them more warning they probably could have held on or shot her, but she did so without warning.
It's a pity I didn't get to watch Grunt beat Gatalog's face in, but Fury's battle was also quite a show. That first Krogan though, … ouch. It's a valid tactic but … did she really have to shoot him in the Quad? That was just mean. Shooting the second in the head was much more palatable, and crushing the first's throat was a fantastic finisher. Suitably intimidating and brutal, I approve.
While I was admiring her actions, in the back of my mind I could also see how dangerous Fury was. She took out the two Krogans in about 30 seconds, and could have likely done it in half the time from what I saw. Getting into close quarters with a Krogan was a ballsy move, and it required great skill to do right. Just where did you find this one Shepard? She could probably pull of some of the same tricks with me, but unlike these Krogans I could actually handle myself in a fist fight. How our standards have changed.
The video finished with Gatalog's execution. Grunt was a better fighter than I'd thought. I would never admit it to Gatalog but he was actually a decent fighter. He was one of the older Krogan's around and knew how to handle himself well. Can't say I'd actually fought him myself, evidently close combat wasn't a speciality of his. Yes, Grunt will be a fantastic addition to my clan.
"Alright, I've seen enough. Thank you for this Fury, you care if I show others?" she shrugged, uncaring. "Good, I wouldn't have listened anyway." I chuckled, turning off my Omni-tool.
"So, what do we do now? Are we investigating Clan Uvenk?" Shepard asked me, stepping forward again and ignoring the glare she got from Fury. At least I think it was a glare, I'm mainly working off her body language here.
"I'll handle it Shepard. This video is all I need to launch an investigation. This isn't something you should be involved with, it's a Krogan matter." I told her. She doesn't have to help out with every little thing she sees.
"… If you're sure." Shepard frowned.
"You kidding? This will be the best thing to happen all month. Still, it was nice seeing you but we've both got things to do. So could you all leave? We can catch up another time." Shepard looked ready to protest but the smaller woman beside her grabbed her on the shoulder and just started to drag her away. Wait a minute … almost forgot in my excitement.
"Grunt!" the Krogan turned around, as did the rest of the group. "You completed the Rite and did so admirably. From this day forth I name you Urdnot Grunt. We'll talk more once you return from your mission." The Krogan nodded seriously, then turned back around and left with the other two. A Krogan of few words, I liked that.
"Barett." I called over to the Krogan on my right, he was basically my assistant. "Make sure Grunt's new status is passed on to the Clan, then call a meeting with all the clan leaders bar Weyrloc."
"What should I tell them?" he asked, typing away at his own data-pad.
"About the meeting? Nothing. We aren't giving Weyrloc the time to prepare."
"Prepare for what?" he asked, but there was a gleam in his eye. He knew full well what I was planning.
"Some good old-fashioned Krogan Politics." I smiled viscously.
I sank back into my bed with a groan, exhausted.
Convincing the clan leaders had been simple with the video Fury gave me, and I was far from the only one to hear about the rumours. There had been some dissent from Gatalog's supporters among the other leaders, but I shut them down easily. They didn't have a leg to stand on, and I would gladly beat them into submission if I had to. They knew it too.
What had started as a fun break from the normal monotony of my life had quickly soured though. Clan Uvenk didn't have anything damning, but enough proof was found about Wryrloc that we could investigate them too.
They weren't so innocent, and we quickly found their experiments. They were experimenting on captured humans, much to my disgust, but we found dead females! They experimented on us! On our females! And they did so with the assistance of a scientist who altered the thrice damned Genophage as well!
I would do anything to see the Genophage gone, but I could see the bigger picture as well. As we are now, as a Society? We couldn't survive what would happen if the Genophage was cured. We would suddenly be a threat to the galaxy at large, without the ships needed to protect ourselves from the pre-emptive strike of the Turians. No, before that could happen we needed to establish ourselves in the Galaxy as more than blood-thirsty savages. Though that description wasn't exactly inaccurate.
I hoped to fix that, but progress was slow. I'm starting to think the Reaper threat might actually be the only chance we'll get, so I suppose some good could come out of it, assuming we survive. Not telling Shepard that though.
Even killing Clan leader Weyrloc didn't fix my mood after what I'd seen. What was supposed to be a triumph over one of my political opponents had turned bitter. I couldn't find joy about it, not after what I'd seen. Only a grim sense of satisfaction when I splattered the wall behind him with his brain.
At least it was done. I could think about it more tomorrow. For now, I wanted to watch the recording of my new clan member's Rite and see if Shepard was still as skilled as ever. Those scars on her face, I don't know how she stood before me today but it wasn't through normal means.
…
Shepard didn't take charge during the Rite? Huh. I didn't realise how close Grunt and Fury were. I'd seen some of the glances but had dismissed them. It was clear to me know though, he admired her in a way few did to anyone. I don't know the full picture, but they're clearly close.
The Varren were dealt with easily enough. Quite a few of them though, probably been a bit too long since the last Rite was done. Not that I cared, they were Varren.
The Klixen were dealt with even easier. Shepard didn't seem a fan though. Understandable as it was considering her experience with the horde of Rachni on Noveria, it was still hilarious. Shepard was normally so in control so to see her go 'die bugs die!' was just … I had to wipe away a tear from my eyes I laughed so hard.
The Thesher Maw was where things got interesting. It was a big one, that's for sure. Second biggest I'd ever seen, must have taken over the area recently. This will be good.
Is she just stepping out into the open? That seems foolhardy. I knew her to be fine but winced all the same when the Maw spat acid at her. She'd raised a strong barrier, considering the amount of energy I'd seen go into it, but it should have worn out quickly. Why didn't it? Then … what? How?
How did she? She just restrained a Thresher Maw! I watched in disbelief for the rest of the fight. Seeing her restrain the Thresher Maw in its entirety was just plain awe-inspiring. I had no idea how she did it, as I'd never seen anything like it in all my years. Was she some sort of Asari battle-master or something? I didn't know, all I did know was that she was integral in killing the Thresher Maw. Grunt may have killed it in, but only because she held it down. Getting that close to one was normally suicide.
Would she be open to doing that again? Killing one with my bare hands sounds amazing!
I sat back after the video ended. I hadn't realised she had been so exhausted when she fought Gatalog's men. Yet she'd still destroyed them. It was … hot. I could feel myself stirring a little, to my surprise. Took a bit for that to happen … I was growing more intrigued by this Fury the more I learned. Seriously Shepard, where did you find her? I wasn't certain I could take her in a fight and … it had been a long time since I felt that way, aside from Saren. It actually left me feeling excited for a battle and, well …
You get the picture. Making a quick decision I sent out this video to all of my contacts. It would help cement Grunt's place in my Clan, seeing as he did kill a Thresher maw, and because they deserve to see this. To hide such a magnificent battle would be tragic.
I also sent a copy off to Shepard as well just in case she didn't have it herself.
[POV: Jack]
Thankfully Wrex wanted to deal with his problem on his own. Why did Shepard have to try to be so damn helpful all the time? She was still grumbling about it even now and we were already close to the ship.
I will admit, my rush to return wasn't as necessary as I first thought, my headache had faded a fair in just the walk over here. I hadn't realised it at first, but I actually hadn't exhausted myself fully in my stunt, the backlash was more due to the sheer rate at which I'd used up the energy. The level of focus I'd needed was intense, but I'd only had to hold the Maw for about 20 seconds in the end.
I was still tired, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't mind lying down right now still, but the half hour since had let my headache fade to just a dull pounding behind my eyes, something easy for me to ignore. I was still a little twitchy though, it was a little difficult to keep a smooth gait. My CNS was feeling strained from the Rite. Worth it.
"I'll take Grunt to the med-bay Shepard." I said once we stepped onboard and let the decontamination commence.
"Thank you, I'll see you around." Shepard nodded, walking away without another word.
"I'll be fine." He grumbled. I shot him a flat look. Then I poked him in the ribs with a little more force than might be advised. He tried to hide it, but I saw how he winced from the poke. I used said hand to point in the direction we had to go to get there and waited. Grunt eventually sighed before walking in said direction. You aren't getting out of this on my watch.
I walked beside him towards the Med Bay, and we got more than a few looks. Grunt was … well coated was probably a good word for it. The flesh and blood was dry due to the decontamination the ship performed, but the stains remained and his entire arm was covered in the stuff. My foot was also stained in a similar manner, but people were less likely to see that. It was a somewhat novel feeling not to be the one stared at.
"Karen?" I knocked on the med-bay door, making sure I wasn't disturbing something before I entered.
"Come in Fury!" she called out, so I opened the door. "What can I do for you?" she asked. I pointed towards the silent Grunt, who'd crossed his arms with some difficulty. "Grunt? What seems to be the problem."
"He's cracked or broken a rib. Could you check him over?" I interrupted. Karen looked over me before glancing at a now grumbling Grunt.
"You'll have to take off your chest piece then. Then I can have a look at you."
It took the help of both Karen and I to get the piece of armour off. It weighed a ton and Grunt wasn't much help. Evidently, it hurt his chest a lot more when he raised his arms. Finally, it dropped to the floor with a metallic thud, and Grunt's chest was revealed to us both.
It was well hidden in the armour, but I could see the massive bruising on his chest. I winced at the sight, knowing how painful that must be, and that it was my fault. The part on his chest that was hit by my right foot was noticeably worse though. It was a darker colour than the rest of the bruising.
Karen hissed at the sight, recognising how serious it was. She quickly got a tool and began scanning his chest, the screen besides her showing what his internals looked like.
"Yeah, he has a few cracked ribs but one is snapped clean in two. How did that even happen?" she muttered. Seeing Grunt's curiosity, she explained further. "Krogan bones are basically solid metal for all intents and purposes. And seeing any broken is near impossible without certain circumstance. What hit you anyway?"
"That would be me." I explained sheepishly as I took a seat next to Grunt on the bed. I raised my right foot and moved it close to Grunt's chest. It made it easy to see how well the bruising pattern matched my foot. Karen looked between the two, a bemused look on her face.
"This should be interesting." She sighed. I shrugged in response, and making a quick decision I made sure the door was locked and took off my helmet. I shook my hair a little, trying to get some cool air on my neck. My face appreciated it as well.
"I have a video actually, if you're curious."
"Maybe later." She responded distractedly as she continued to observe Grunt's insides on the screen. Grunt looked between us when he saw how unphased Karen was at seeing me without my helmet, but quickly lost interest. He was rather fascinated with his insides, can't imagine why.
We spent the next few minutes chatting as she examined Grunt carefully, prodding him in a few places as well, much to his discomfort. I explained how I caught him, for lack of anything better to do as I waited for her verdict.
"Alright, I've seen enough." Karen turned off the machine, putting it away. "Considering his healing factor, he would have healed within a few days." Grunt shot me a triumphant look, which I rolled my eyes to. "Incorrectly though. I'll need to set his rib in place then I can give him some bone-knitting serum. I'm kind of curious how fast that will make him heal, probably only a few hours." She mused. That fast? He'd fully broken a rib, shouldn't it take longer?
"Now that doesn't mean you'll be fully fixed. Your bones will still be weak and the bruises will be just as present as before. That means resting for at least 3 days, am I clear?" Karen stared at Grunt, waiting until he eventually nodded. She had a surprisingly potent stare.
"Good." She nodded. "I'll need to keep you here for a few hours before you can go back to your room." She told him, then turned to me. "You're welcome to stay Fury, but he's going to be put under for that time and I'm afraid I won't be a particularly good in the meantime."
I trust her to look after Grunt, so I'll probably go back to our quarters.
"I'll leave. Do what she says Grunt." I ordered him.
"Yes leader." He sighed, laying fully back onto the bed. It creaked beneath him, which might have something to do with him being almost bigger than it.
"Also, Karen?" she turned to me. "My name's Jack" I said it casually, trying not to make a big deal about it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Jack." She smiled warmly, placing a hand on my shoulder. The emotion it evoked left me feeling a little awkward so I just nodded and placed my helmet back on before leaving the Med-bay.
"Fury!" I heard someone call out behind me, stopping me in my tracks. I sighed but turned around to find Miranda standing near the Med-bay. Was she waiting for me?
"You need something?" she nodded, glancing around.
"I'd like to discuss something with you in my office, if you don't mind."
Eh, why not. I haven't got anything else to do and this must be important. Does she need my help with something … wait, I'm not turning into Shepard am I?
"Sure." She smiled at me gratefully and turned around. I followed her for the short distance between the med-bay and her office. Miranda then closed and locked the door behind me.
"Thank you for agreeing to this." She said, sitting down behind her desk while I sat down in front of it. I nodded, and waited for her to say what this was about.
"Alright, I've got a few things to talk about, but first I wanted to pass this on to you." Miranda pressed something on her Omni-tool and sent a file to me. I opened it immediately, curious about what she sent.
[-
From Oriana (Lawson)
Hello Ms Furee, I hope this letter reached you just fine. Miranda said she would pass it on for me. You better not have peaked at this Miranda! It's for her eyes only.
I'm writing this letter because I wanted to thank you. Miranda hasn't told me much of anything about you, or herself really, but I'm smarter than she seems to think. I can read between the lines of what she glossed over, and I know I have you to thank for saving my life. While I may not have died if I was captured by Mr. Lawson, it wouldn't have been my life, so thank you.
Miranda said you were a private person, so I hope you don't mind me asking if we could maybe keep in touch? I'd like to know about you, at least a little. It's alright if you'd rather not, I'm just grateful for what you've already done.
Finally, I wanted to thank you for helping out my sister, just in case she hasn't herself. Just between me and you, she came off as a little snooty *wink*, so she might have been too embarrassed to say it. But I know that you not only saved my life that day, you saved hers as well.
You may ask how I know this? Miranda didn't tell me, that's for sure. I did a little research after you were my knight in bloody armour, and I saw the report about the sky car that crashed outside the dock. That thing was wrecked. I also saw another report that may have been … slightly illegal for me to see. There was a lot of dead eclipse inside the dock.
Judging by how many things she's been nudging along behind the scenes, and her lack of armour, I'd say Miranda is more of a spy than a warrior. You certainly looked the part though (your armour is awesome!).
Any who, I think I've typed out enough for now. Would you please respond to me and mention whether you would be alright with emailing me? I'll just keep doing so until I hear one way or another and trust me when I say my daily life is boring, and I have nothing better to do.
-]
What …? I read the email through fully, amused at her rambling and threat. It's nice to see Oriana wasn't traumatised by the whole thing, but she sure is a precocious thing.
"I don't suppose you didn't read it?" I asked Miranda. She sent me a dry look, but otherwise remained silent as she had since I began reading Oriana's letter. I figured.
"I wonder if she thinks Fury is my name? She spelled it with two E's" I shook my head, closing the letter after saving it. I'll reply to her later, as I had no problems in doing so.
"Really?" Miranda widened her eyes at me. "It's not?" she asked, 'astonished' as she raised her hands in front of her face.
You sassy bitch.
"What else did you want to discuss? Thanks for the letter but I'm guessing you could have just passed it on without needing to be in your special soundproof office."
"I rather like it." She muttered. Before shaking her head and quickly sobered up.
"The other reason I wanted to speak to you is that I've been doing some … research." Research? About what?
"It's related to what you talked to me about, … Jennifer." She placed her clasped hands down on her desk in front of her.
My froze at her words before sitting up fully and scrutinising her. If this is what I think it was … I was finally making progress. This was what I had been waiting for, a chance, and it took me completely by surprise.
"What have you found?" I asked her softly, waiting with bated breath. I didn't want to get my hopes up, but I couldn't help it.
"More than I thought, and not as much as I hoped." She sighed, opening the terminal on her desk and navigating through quite a few password protected folders. Just how many of those do you need? She finally stopped in a folder that had files in it and made the terminal fully visible on both sides.
"Firstly, I want to make sure you know how confidential this is. I'm now in charge of the branch of Cerberus it fell under and I barely have access to the records that this research was involved with, and much of what I've found out was indirectly. They censored this heavily enough that I didn't realise exactly what was going on until I looked at it from the perspective you gave me." Miranda cautioned me, and I just waited for her to get started. Seeing this, she sighed again, nodding.
"The program didn't have a name, as at the time it was the most secure project that Cerberus was working on. The goal of it was to find a way for Human biotics to stand on par and even exceed the biotic prowess of the other races. You would know as well as I the difference between a human biotic and an Asari." Miranda opened a file that seemed to be background research.
"Asari's are naturally biotic, it gives you greater control, greater reserves and you are ultimately just better suited to it, more adapted. Without any amplification, the artificially created biotics that were humans just couldn't keep up. It was only recently that humanity created amps that didn't have severe side effects like the L2's." She shook her head. "Even then, that only makes the best of us on par with the average Asari."
"Is there even such a thing?" I had seen a wide variance in skill level, but I will admit that most of the stronger biotics I knew were Asari. Admittedly, that might be because I didn't exactly know that many people.
Miranda shrugged before continuing.
"Average Asari are far from the peak though. The only recorded competitors for the pinnacle are a few of the biotic Krogan. They may be artificial, but the sheer resilience of their bodies is more than up to the task of handling the backlash."
While that is fairly interesting, it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I also knew that it couldn't be true, … at least not entirely. I was a living violation of what she'd just told me, but I know that I was a lucky find for the facility. Was another like me actually so rare?
"My apologies if this is only tangential, but I felt it best to give you some background." Miranda said, exiting out of this file. "That was the effective motivation for Cerberus to begin this project, and I can't say I disagree with it." I growled at he, but she shrugged. "The initial research was relatively tame, just gathering data on many different biotics both human and not. Looking for patterns. The data wasn't always gathered legally, but no one was hurt by it." Mirnada paused here, before sighing.
"Unfortunately, what came next changed that." She closed her eyes, grimacing.
"Using the initial benign methods that they limited themselves to, progress was rare. Seeing the lack of results, the program was shut down, at least publicly. This was back before Cerberus got the … reputation it now has. There was significant support for Cerberus among the public with the first contact was still fresh in their minds."
"I would have been proud to be part of that organisation." She spoke softly, staring bitterly at the file on her screen. She then looked up at me again, her eyes full of meaning. Is she admitting what I think she is?
"Surprised?" she snorted. "You were so sure about Cerberus, and I was just deluding myself to believe what I wanted about them. You think you know what Cerberus has done?" she laughed bitterly and shook her head. "You have no idea what they're involved in. I can see why though, they are good at covering it up." She grit her teeth, breathing deeply and exhaling.
"Still, that can wait. A new research facility was created off-planet, I couldn't find where. This is where things got worse." Worse is a good way of putting it. "With their new freedom of methods, they started testing things out on live subjects. And because of their repugnant actions, they started getting results. This came at a cost though, biotic humans aren't exactly common."
They aren't. I looked into the stats a while ago, and even the most basic of biotic ability was already a rare sight among humanity. I didn't even understand how Cerberus had managed their experiments without alerting people, because a couple of hundred is a noticeable amount with how rare we were.
"They started kidnapping people." I stated. People like me.
"Even worse." Miranda admitted hollowly. "They started manufacturing you. It's common knowledge that destroyed ships can spill out raw Eezo into an atmosphere and this will have numerous effects on any nearby population. Cerberus used this and started doing it on purpose."
What? But … almost everyone that gets affected by the Eezo has negative complications. A human biotic resulting from that was rare. How many were they willing to sacrifice for their goals?
"Wouldn't the cost of the ships be … astronomical?" Cerberus couldn't just have limitless assets.
"It was quite ingenious of them really." Miranda sighed. "I have no proof directly about this, but shortly after this facility began testing on live subjects the number of crashing ships started raising drastically. These ships also more often than not were from organisation with competing interests."
I know they were considered terrorists by the alliance, but how big a threat were Cerberus really if they were capable of that? This is starting to sound like a fucking conspiracy.
"It normally took a while to see what the results of these Eezo spills were. So Cerberus had to keep track of them and alter records when they actually took something. This couldn't have been a splinter cell no matter how much my records try to phrase it that way. They had support from the wider organisation." She sighed. "And finally, that brings us to Jennifer."
My eyes narrowed on her as she opened a file.
"The batch she was part of was the third generation of subjects they used. The first two had let them test out many of their theories about what would and wouldn't be possible. All that was left was seeing how risky some operations were. At this point, the pool of adult biotics to test on was exhausted if they wanted to escape notice. That's the reason they used the kids, because it was easier." She growled. Miranda opened up a familiar looking file, if more extensive.
"Jennifer was considered a small miracle by the facility. Her natural biotic ability would have been considerable even without enhancement. Even as a baby, she was comparable to Asari children with the number of nodules within her. That was before they experimented on Jennifer, and even there she adapted well. The theory was it had to do with her being so much younger than the normal subjects. The facility was planning on testing that out in the fourth round of subjects."
They were going to do what?! Do what they did to me to other babies? I'm glad I killed them. My only regret is that it was over so quickly. They deserved that and more for what they did. To me and to everyone else. How many … she said I was part of the third batch, and there was hundreds of us.
"How many did they experiment on?" I whispered hoarsely, I needed to know.
"Thousands." Miranda swallowed, her hand a little shaky. I inhaled shakily at the number but nodded my thanks for the answer.
"What else is there about her origins?" I distracted myself by asking, mostly out of morbid curiosity.
"Nothing I could find, I don't think it was ever actually recorded after she was taken. If it was it wasn't considered important enough to send to the main servers. The personal records of the facility were erased as a failsafe when it was destroyed, so I only know about what happened during her time with it." Miranda looked apologetic, but I waved my hand at her. There's nothing for it then. Nothing left to learn, at least that I didn't want to.
"Would you like to hear about what else they did to her? … It's gruesome reading." She warned. I shook my head at her.
"I probably know more about it than you. Jennifer … remembers much of her time there. She just didn't know of her origins. Of why." I spoke casually, almost considering her another person I'd distanced myself from the name so much,
"Then I'm sorry I can't tell you anymore. I could also tell you what the research was used for?" she offered. "I hate how we gained he knowledge, but some good came from it. Not just for Cerberus but for the rest of humanity. I don't know if it would help, but …"
It really doesn't. I'd accepted it at this point, but I can still see the tiny faces in my mind, the floor litter with corpse and blood, their echoing screams. It haunted me … and any good that came from that was but a pile of dirt before the mountain it came from.
"If you'd be willing to send me a file about it, I'll … pass it on. My omni-tool will be safe."
Miranda winced at my request. Why?
"Of course." Miranda nodded, sending me the file a moment later. Not sure what the pause was about.
"Was that everything then?"
"It was." She nodded.
Alright, then I think I need to be alone for a while. Just to be able to think.
"Ah, Fury?" Miranda interrupted me before I could get out of the chair. Her hand was raised up as if to stop me even from the other side of the desk. "How … how is she?" she asked hesitantly.
"She?"
"Jennifer." She confirmed. "The records were … detailed, about the experiments they put her though. Every little bit of torment was documented thoroughly. It was … so much. I can't imagine …" Miranda opened and closed her mouth a few times, finally lowering her hand.
"I know it might not be my place, but I would like to know. Is she, … is she doing better? I only know of what her life was up to 14. Did it get better?" Miranda practically pleaded with me, so desperate for that to be a fact.
I … what do I say here? Jennifer doesn't exist. It's, I'm just Fury – no, no, I'm just Jack. Could I make something up to satisfy her …? No, even the thought tastes bitter. I do not lie, ever. So, do I stay silent? I … I look at Miranda, truly look at her.
She looked so open, so … unguarded. I could see the desperation within her, the physical need for an answer, something to give her closure about it. Miranda had put in a lot of work to research Jennifer's past, … my past.
She knew what I had been through, what they had done to me. She read through it all, saw all the horrors that Cerberus put me through. Saw what Cerberus was capable of, that they weren't so noble or just. They were just another turd in the pile of shit that was the galaxy.
I … I hesitated. I was at a crossroads here, and I didn't know what to do. Miranda took that lack of response for an answer and her shoulders slumped a little. I felt bad at that and looked down at my lap. My omni-tool was still open, I'd never closed out of Oriana's letter.
"… She's doing good." I murmur in the silence that filled the room. Miranda stared at me for a moment, shocked, then smiled.
And honestly? I was. I may have left behind my home to join this mission, but I left behind friends, family. I had people who would welcome me back. And even if I missed the ones who'd left, Peros, Rimel, Bari and … and Rialle, I was still glad I met them. I would never regret doing so, no matter how much it hurt to separate. That's what made it mean something.
"You're close, aren't you?"
"You could say that." I had to resist snorting. If only she knew.
"I won't ask to speak or meet with her, I know she would hate me for who I work for." Miranda grimaced. "But is there anything you can tell me that she wouldn't mind me knowing? I … I don't want to hurt her any more than Cerberus already did."
Hating you would be an exaggeration, even when I first met you. I think, more than anything, I pitied Miranda. That pity had certainly grown as I got to know her, the real her.
"Jennifer showed up on Omega shortly after the facility was destroyed and was quickly brought to Aria." Miranda hissed at the name. "Don't worry, Aria was good to her. She's a rough woman, but far from the monster she tries to portray herself as." I wouldn't taunt her though, I think she might have a soft spot for me.
"Jennifer began working as a bouncer at Aria's club shortly after, that's how she met her Dancer's." Miranda blinked at that but said nothing else. Was she afraid I would stop if she did? … she might be on to something.
"They took her under their wing. Taught her how to live. It was with their help and Aria's that Jennifer learned to get over her experiences with the facility." My eyes' unfocused as I stared out into space. "She was raised in that facility and that will never leave her, but she is more than what they tried to make her. She's … free." I refocused on Miranda, whose eyes were looking suspiciously wet. "She's free … and she's happy." I leaned forward and grabbed one of Miranda's hands in my own. "I came here to give her closure about the Facility, to finally learn what happened, so thank you. Thank you for doing all you could to help her.." To help me.
My throat felt especially dry as I let go of her hand and stood up. I had talked all that I could today and had reached my limit.
"Fury?" I stopped one last time to see Miranda had stood up as well. She looked at me with kind eyes and offered me a simple "You're welcome." I nodded and left her office, aiming for my room.
[POV: Samara]
What's this?
A video had been posted on the ship's internal communications by commander Shepard, 'For those curious about what a Krogan rite of passage is like.'
Oh? I'd heard of those in the past, and I knew roughly what it would entail. Still, there wasn't much for me to do currently so I may as well watch the video. It will be at least mildly interesting.
Clicking to open the video, I settled back into my seat and began to watch.
Fury's perspective? She must have camera's inside of that helmet of hers. That has it's uses on occasion. The following few fights were a decent insight into the mindset of the most elusive member of Shepard's crew. She was skilled in close quarters, had good instincts and decent situational awareness.
I'd heard some interesting things about her from the crew, but I dismissed much of what I heard, the feats too outlandish to trust without evidence. This showing supported much of it though, she was a worthy addition to this quest.
I was mildly interested in the first two rounds, but the Thresher Maw is what caught my attention. That was no simple foe, I'm not sure I was capable of even surviving against such a specimen, at least not on my own. And I certainly wasn't capable of what I witnessed Fury do.
Restraining the titanic worm was a feat I'd never believed possible, only hearing rumours of such things. I had deemed them a myth, but this was no mere myth. I hadn't realised the pure strength the woman held, and I found myself fascinated. More than that, I found myself wary.
Biotics shouldn't be capable of this, not naturally. I had seen so many of my race among the stars, and few even approached my own level of strength let alone Fury's. and I was familiar with only one way of something like this being possible.
I may be wrong, but I had long since learned to make sure. If there was even the possibility of my hunch being true, than it was my duty to make sure. I was certain than Fury was young, she didn't behave in the way an Elder Asari would. Her mannerisms and movements were actually closest to that of a Maiden. Youth and power, while hiding herself meant I was more than a little curious. I need to learn more.