March 21st
1:15 PM
SSV Normandy SR1 / Enroute to the Citadel
oOo
Rolling over, I yawn a bit, before stiffening. This… wasn't my bed… I slowly and hesitantly open my eyes, looking around blearily. Metal plates and dimmed lights slowly come into focus.
"Commander, She's awake." I hear a very familiar voice call from the edge of my 'bed'.
I slowly sit up and take in my surroundings once more. I was in the medbay, on the Normandy.
'Crap… why me…?' I whine internally.
Shepard stands from where she was sitting on a vacant bed close to the door, and makes her way over to me. Her back was stiff, and her eyes watched me closely, as if waiting and anticipating an attack.
"Thank you Chakwas." She nods at the Doctor, who's stationed herself at the foot of the bed where I lay, trying to look busy on her computer.
I stare in an awkward silence as Shepard makes her way over to me and leans against the bed across from mine, crossing her arms. She returns the stare, as if trying to study me.
After a very long and awkward silence, (at least on my part) Shepard speaks.
"So?"
"So…. what?" I ask slowly, and hesitantly.
"You've quite a lot of explaining to do." She doesn't take her eyes off me.
"Um…Well…" Stuttering, I rub the back of my neck. Where do I even start?
I can't tell her where I'm really from. She'd label me insane. I suppose I have enough in-game knowledge… she could always believe I'm indoctrinated and working for Saren, and that's how I know so much… And If I don't say anything, it's just as bad… Amnesia wouldn't work… Chakwas would be able to see right through that… maybe…? I wouldn't want to risk it… If she can, then Shepard would have all the more reason to suspect me… And if she does believe me, that risks her not giving a crap as it's not real… but… She's also Commander Shepard. She would give a crap. Too much of a crap because this is her world, Her home. If I try to lie, then she could always see right through it and again, be very much suspicious… not to mention I'm a horrible liar… I suppose… there's only one way to do this… Well… farewell, life… it was nice living you…
My mental tirade is interrupted by Shepard clearing her throat, her brow raised and her fingers tapping her arm.
"S-sorry… Um… I'm not even sure where to start…" I stutter in reply, wringing my hands as they lay in my lap.
"Let's start with what happened to your clothes." She gestures to my pajama pants and t-shirt.
'Crap…' I wince.
"Um… okay well… First, I'd… ask you to just… hear me out, and believe me when I tell you I'm not insane…"
She just stares back in silence, looking very unimpressed. Her jaw ticks and it looks like the vein in her forehead is about to pop.
"Okay… Well… so, I'm… Not from around here…" I trail off.
"Where's here?" She asks in a monotone voice.
"Uhm… This… Universe? Timeline? I'm not sure what to call it… I'm from Earth, yes, but… I'm actually from the year Twenty Fifteen."
Shepard's face goes from expressionless to annoyed. "Cut the shit. I'm not in the mood to be toyed with." She growled.
"Seriously! I… I can prove it, but… you're going to be even more… confused, suspicious, and, or, upset…"
Her jaw sets and she continues to stare.
'Tread carefully, Anna…' I take a deep breath.
"Okay… As I said… I'm from Twenty Fifteen… From a small town in the middle of nowhere Nebraska… I know you, and the rest of the crew… And I know Kaidan, but… not how you would think… before I continue… Can you at least promise me you won't shoot me…? At least not until I'm done talking…?"
"Does it look like I have my pistol on me right now?" She asks flatly, as I look down at her Alliance Blues.
'Riiiiight… doesn't carry her weapons onboard the Normandy…'
"Well… where I'm from, which is why I said I'm not from around here… This… all this… You, Chakwas," I gesture to Doctor Chakwas, from where she is standing in front of her console, listening in on the conversation. "The Normandy, even the Reapers… Yes, I know about the Reapers…"
I see Shepard Stiffen and she drops her arms from where they've been crossed since the conversation began.
"All of this… Is just a video game series…" I wince as the words leave my mouth.
If looks could kill, I would have disintegrated right there.
"You have five minutes before I throw you out the airlock." She growls.
"O-okay okay! Um… I… know a few things that I can tell you about… I don't want to talk about anything that hasn't happened yet because… you know… altering the future kinda thing… But… First, I swear I'm not indoctrinated…"
'Cause she'd totally believe me just because I said it.
"So… You're the main character, obviously… And… hopefully you're the one I play…" I mumble the last part, "You're from a small farming colony on Mindoir. You were one of the few survivors when Batarian Slavers attacked the Colony. You were saved by a passing Alliance Patrol, and you joined the Alliance when you turned eighteen. You earned a Star of Terra when you fought off a group of Batarian Pirates on Elysium during the First wave of the Skyllian Blitz. You rallied the Colonists, and when there was a breach in the defenses, you single-handedly held off the enemy until reinforcements arrived."
"Can you try not to sound like you're reading it directly off the Extranet?"
If I didn't know better, I'd think her head is about to explode…
"Okay okay! Just… give me a second… So… Here's something that even if I was working with Saren, I'd have no other way of knowing… You were assigned to the Normandy for her Shakedown run. Originally the ship was supposed to join the Alliance fleet afterwards, but the Shakedown run was a covert pick up and thinks when sideways, fast. When the Colonists were excavating to expand the Colony on Eden Prime, they discovered a Prothean Beacon. Captain Anderson was assigned, Along with Nihlus, to pick up the Beacon and bring it back to the Citadel for the Council. Nihlus joined the assignment, because your name was put forward as a candidate for the Spectres, and he was evaluating you. When you arrived at Eden Prime, things went very, very wrong. Geth had landed in the Colony and all but wiped it out. Saren was leading the Geth in an attempt to use the Beacon, and tried to completely wipe it out, but you stopped him, but not before Saren killed Nihlus. The Beacon was intact, but Kaidan got a bit too close and activated it. It started to pull him in, but you threw him out of the way, and instead, got pulled in yourself, where it inserted a vision into your head. Which, honestly, should have killed you, but you're Commander friggin Shepard. It was only one part of many, and It was a warning from the Protheans about the return of the Reapers." I let out a puff of air as I finished. "Do I need to continue on to Feros, Novaria, and Therum?"
Shepard's expression seemed to grow more surprised and aghast as I went on, and now she stared at me in complete shock.
"Eden Prime was top secret… I suppose if you do work Saren, he could've told you… and if he's recruiting children then that's even more of a reason to bring him down…"
I scowl at being called a child.
"Even so… there's no way he would know about where the Normandy was intended to go after the Shakedown run…" She continues to stare at me.
I fidget in place, waiting for her to speak again.
"No… It could be a fluke… or It could not be… Until then you'll be restrained and held in the Normandy, under guard while I'm on the Citadel."
Feeling a growing sense of desperation, I blurt out, "What?! No! I can help! Please! Okay um… How about.. Uh… Ilos! Don't go to the Citadel or the Council will lock the ship down and prevent you from going anywhere! Head straight there! You still have a chance to beat Saren there!"
"No. Udina wouldn't allow that. They're actually offering help and I'm not one to turn it down. We need to gather reinforcements. Besides, it could be a trap. We're going to the Citadel, and I'm going to talk to the Council. When I return, you'll be turned over to C-Sec, or the Alliance for further interrogation." She pulls up her Omni-Tool and hits a few keys, and a pair of holographic cuffs encase my wrists.
"Shepard, please!" I beg, and she just raises a hand to silence me, her face still completely emotionless.
I look over at Chakwas in desperation, who looks between us, unsure what to do or say, as Shepard leads me out of the medbay.
Ashley sits at the table, nursing a cup of what I assume is tea, or coffee.
"Williams, we should be arriving at the Citadel soon. Watch our newcomer. If she tries anything… Shoot her in the other shoulder."
My jaw drops as she seats me across the table from Ashley, who snorts at the comment. "Uh… I mean, Yes Ma'am!" Ashley salutes.
I turn to watch Shepard walk away, and I notice her pistol, tucked into the waistband of her pants in the back. She really could have just shot me… why didn't she…?
oOo
March 21st
3:45 PM
Serpent Nebula / Widow / The Citadel / Docking Bay 422 / SSV Normandy SR1
oOo
My arms are outstretched in the cuffs, and my chin rests on the table as I sit there in Silence with Ashley, who has long since finished her drink.
"Sooooo… Uh… Need water…? Or anything…?" Ashley rubs the back of her neck.
"No, what I need is to talk to Shepard before the Council can lock the Normandy down." I sigh and lean back in frustration, staring at the ceiling.
I think I made a huge mistake by telling Shepard… Who knows what could happen just with that little bit I told her…
"Well, it's a bit too late for that…"
A screech leaves my mouth as Shepard appears behind me.
"I Don't know who or what the fuck you are but… She was right… Udina and the Council shut us down… They locked the Normandy and all her systems down… were stuck here on the Citadel." Shepard crosses her arms and leans against the wall beside the table, looking down at me.
Ashley looks between the two of us. "So uh…. Sorry I… don't know what's going on…"
"Let's give her a chance to explain… Alright… You've got my attention. Speak. What's going on with Ilos?" Shepard continues to stare at me.
I take a deep breath, realizing the urgency of the situation.
"Look, I know you don't trust me, and I get it. But I'm not your enemy. The Council shutting down the Normandy is a huge mistake. We don't have time for politics. Saren is after the Conduit, and it's on Ilos. If we don't act fast, he'll get there first, and the consequences will be catastrophic."
Shepard's expression tightens as she considers my words. "How do you know about Ilos? And why should I believe you?"
"Because I know the details of your mission. The Prothean Beacon on Eden Prime, the attack on the Normandy during her shakedown run, and even the visions you experienced on Virmire. I'm not here to harm anyone. I just want to help stop Saren and prevent the Reaper invasion. If we don't act now, the consequences will be disastrous for everyone, regardless of which reality or timeline I'm from."
Shepard narrows her eyes, studying me intensely. "You're on a thin line, and if you're lying or trying anything funny, I won't hesitate to deal with you. But right now, I need information. Tell me everything you know about Ilos and the Conduit."
I take a deep breath, preparing to share crucial details about Ilos, hoping that Shepard will see the urgency and reconsider her current course of action.
oOo
"So… wait… The Catalyst… is a Mass Relay… and the sculpture in the Presidium… Isn't actually a sculpture, but a working Mass Relay, and is a backdoor into the Citadel…?" Ashley blinks, trying to take it all in.
"And Saren is planning on using it to infiltrate the Citadel… and open a Relay into Dark Space, to let the Reapers through?" Shepard wrinkles her brow. "You know how crazy that sounds, right?"
"No more crazy than a race of sentient machines waiting in dark space to wipe out all advanced galactic life every fifty thousand years." I shrug, still reclining in my seat.
"That's…! Fair." Shepard sighs, and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Alright… I… Suppose you've proven yourself enough for me to at least not turn you over to C-Sec… if at least because the Council and kiss my ass for the time being… But you're staying here on the Normandy once we reach Ilos."
"But-!"
Shepard raises her hand to cut me off. "No if's and's or but's. You're staying here. If you're working with Saren, having you with us will give him an edge. If you're not, then I'm putting a child in harm's way."
My eye twitches when I am called a child once more. "Come on! I showed I could fight back on Virmire!"
"And you also got yourself shot." She says flatly.
"That's not fair. I was being dragged along behind you and couldn't dodge." I cross my arms, almost pouting.
"You wouldn't have been able to even if I weren't holding your arm." She raises her eyebrow. "Now, stop throwing a tantrum and head back to the Medbay. I'm sure Chakwas wants to check on your shoulder. Joker said something about Anderson on my way down here. I'll be back." She pushes off the wall and heads over to the stairs.
I sigh and grumble as I stand to head to the Medbay, Ashley awkwardly still cradling her now empty cup. Glancing down, I notice the cuffs are gone… What is going on…? I know how difficult it can be for Shepard to Trust… Why would she just… leave me free to do as I please…?
Entering the Medbay, I find Dr. Chakwas engrossed in her work. She glances up as I approach, concern evident in her eyes.
"Back again so soon?" she asks, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.
"Seems like it," I reply, rubbing my unbound wrists. "Did Shepard mention anything about letting me roam free?"
Chakwas looks surprised. "No, she didn't. The captain usually doesn't let people just wander around freely on the ship. What happened?"
I recount the conversation I had with Shepard and express my confusion about not being restrained. Chakwas frowns in thought.
"It's unusual, but perhaps she sees something in you that we don't. Shepard has a knack for making decisions that defy the norm. Just be careful, and don't do anything to betray her trust."
I nod, acknowledging the advice. Chakwas then proceeds to examine my shoulder, checking the wound from the Geth attack on Virmire.
"It looks like the medi-gel did its job. The burn is healing nicely. You're lucky Shepard got you out of that situation. A bit more and it could have been worse."
"Yeah, I owe her for that…" I admit, feeling a mix of gratitude and confusion about the whole situation.
As Chakwas finishes up, she looks at me with a serious expression. "Listen, I don't know what's going on, but if you're here to help Shepard, then I'll do what I can to support you. But one wrong move, and you'll find yourself in a very different situation."
"I understand, Dr. Chakwas. I don't want any trouble; I just want to make things right," I assure her.
She nods and gestures for me to leave the Medbay. "Rest up. Shepard will likely need you once we reach Ilos."
Reclining on the bed, I can't shake off the feeling of being both a part of and apart from the events unfolding around me. I wonder what other surprises this journey through the Mass Effect universe has in store.
oOo
Stuck in the Medbay during the 'theft' of the Normandy, I couldn't help but huff in frustration. Sure, I get why Shepard wants me to stay put, but seriously! I can be useful here. Chakwas was being all mother-hen over me, making it feel like I was under constant surveillance. Internal grumbling aside, Shepard's entrance interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey, feeling up to attending the debrief?" she inquired, arms crossed, her gaze feeling like it was drilling into my very soul.
"U-um… Why… do I feel like this is a trick question…?" I responded cautiously, a sense of wariness in my tone.
A slight chuckle escaped Shepard's lips. "Because you aren't as naive as you pretend to be. But it's not, you have my word. I need you to be honest with me, and that you're not hiding anything else."
"I am, I promise… I just… I don't know how else to put it but how I did… All I can do is say that I don't work with Saren, and that I just want a chance to prove myself…"
"We still don't know if you're indoctrinated or not. It's next to impossible to tell… But… If you think you can prove yourself… the best way would be to take you with us, and see what happens. As much as it would suck to have to hurt a child… I feel confident in my ability to incapacitate you should the need arise..." Shepard stated, making it clear she was giving me a chance, but keeping her guard up.
"Alright! I promise I won't disappoint!" I couldn't help but smile.