Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or The Dresden Files.
A Recruitment Drive
"Talking"
"Thinking"
Miranda had been working on her computer when the commander walked in. She hardly batted an eyelash when she glanced up. "Yes, Commander?"
Commander John Shepard certainly cut an imposing figure. It helped that he was able to tower over others. His hair was military regulated but it was starting to grow out, showing its dark brownness. Since they weren't on a mission, he was wearing a shirt and jeans instead of the Cerberus uniform he had been given (which she wasn't annoyed by). "I've been looking over the dossiers for the team," he said. He held out the pad for her. "And I came across him. Why in the hell would you want him on this team?"
She took the pad and quickly read over the name. "Harry Dresden." She barely remembered the name. She certainly didn't think the man brought anything worthwhile to the team or the mission against the Collectors. But she hadn't been the one to make this dossier. "This dossier was personally recommended by the Illusive Man," she told Shepard, handing back the pad.
"What is he thinking?" he demanded. "Does your boss have any idea what it would take to get this man aboard the ship?"
Now that was an overreaction if she ever heard one. "I assume it would take a hefty compensation, which Cerberus can afford."
"Compensation?" he repeated, his dark eyes showing his disbelief. "That's all you think it'll take?"
"I've read the file, Commander. Mr. Dresden is a private investigator out of Chicago on Earth. His rates are reasonable and even if he comes on for longer than intended, Cerberus can afford to pay him. Perhaps the Illusive Man thinks his skills can help us figure out the Collector's motive." She personally thought it was a stretch. After all, how could a man who'd never left Earth help against the Collectors?
The commander stared at her for a long second. She didn't know why he was looking at her so. "You…don't know?"
"Know what?" She knew her emotions well, which was why she was able to keep her annoyance out of her question.
A smirk crawled across his lips that stretched into a smile. "Oh, this is just too good," he said. "You don't know anything."
Now that was insulting. "I know plenty of things, Commander."
"Yeah, but not about this." He paused, turned thoughtful, and then grinned widely. "You know what? I think the Illusive Man has a point. We should head back to Earth and visit Chicago." He turned around and headed out the door. It might've been muffled but she could hear his laughter.
The commander's attitude was mystifying and left Miranda a little off-guard. She didn't like that. So, while the Normandy traveled to Earth, she researched Harry Dresden. What she found, barely amounted to a page. All she had was his name, his location, his skills, and a few notable jobs he had done through his career. Again, she wondered why the Illusive Man would want him on the team. And why did the commander seem to know more than she did?
The questions nagged at her as they left the spaceport and took a taxi into the city. Shepard had brought along her, Garrus, Jacob, Jack, and Zaeed, leaving behind Mordin and Grunt. Was he expecting that much trouble? If that had been the case, why did he order everyone leave their weapons aboard the ship? She didn't like being left in the dark.
Their ride came to a stop outside a building, close to the basement entrance. Garrus noticed the sign hanging by the door. "McAnally's," he read it aloud. He glanced at Shepard. "This is where we're meeting this Dresden guy?"
"Yeah." He looked at everyone. "Alright, listen up. McAnally's is neutral ground, so behave accordingly."
Neutral ground? That sounded archaic. Miranda didn't believe think such a thing existed in this age. Jack, on the other hand, didn't get it. "What the fuck does that mean?" she demanded.
The commander looked her right in the eyes. "It means, Jack, that if the Illusive Man walks in, the only thing you will do is let him walk out the same way he came in." Miranda had heard him give threats and warnings before but this one seemed different. It was only a curtesy and anything that happened would be on her head alone.
Jack opened her mouth, only to stop and glanced to the side. She did that a lot. She inhaled and said, "Fine," with the exhale. "I'll behave."
"Good."
Once Miranda was inside, she felt as if she was somewhere else. This was not like any bar or club she had been in before. Nothing was sleek. The floor and the bar were wooden. Columns were everywhere, carved to show creatures that only belonged in fairy tales. Fans spun lazily overhead. There were a few other people sitting at the tables, but they minded their own business.
Shepard walked up to the bar. "Mac," he greeted the bartender. The aforementioned Mac was a tall man with a shaved head and professional dress-sense. Miranda couldn't tell how old he was.
"John," Mac said in reply.
"We're meeting someone. There a table free?" The bartender gestured at one of the empty ones. "Thanks. We'll take some beers too. Do you have any dextro ones?" His eyebrow rose, quite pointedly. "Right, I forgot. Sorry."
Miranda wasn't the only who was baffled by the quick conversation. "What was that?" Garrus asked. "How could you tell what he was saying?"
"I've been here before." It was the only answer he gave as they sat down. The beers came soon afterwards.
Jack was the first to take a sip. She paused and checked the bottle. "What the fuck is this?" she demanded. "It's great!"
"Mac's ale," Shepard said with a grin. "The best beer you'll ever have." Any doubt Miranda had vanished when she took a sip. She had drunk plenty of alcohol through the years, yet this was the best she had.
Time passed as they waited. There weren't any clocks on the walls and her omni-tool didn't have the best connection. It had felt like an hour since they came in. Garrus glanced around, letting his training scope the field. "Anyone else noticed that everything in here is in thirteens?" he asked.
Once he said it, Miranda looked around again. Why hadn't she noticed that before? There were thirteen tables, thirteen columns, and thirteen fans overhead. Shepard was smirking. He knew something about it. Did it have to do with the man they were recruiting? "Just who is this Dresden?" she asked him.
"More than a P.I., that's for sure. He's also known as the Warden."
That got their attention. "He runs a prison?" Garrus asked. Memories of Purgatory came to mind. Getting out of there had been tiresome and annoying, for everyone involved.
"You could say that."
Jack scowled. "What does that mean? This fucker either does or he doesn't." She glanced to the side and her scowl tightened. Miranda saw her lips move. She was saying something in silence.
Shepard didn't change his expression as he looked at the biotic. "Think of it this way, Jack: with everything you've done, all the crimes you've committed, you wouldn't be placed there."
It was an odd thing to say. It almost sounded like a compliment, but it also sounded like an insult. Jack took it as a compliment. "You think it wouldn't hold me?"
"No, because you wouldn't qualify."
It didn't take long for his implication to hit home. Jack's criminal record was extensive, one could almost say impressive. And Shepard told her she wouldn't be enough for this supposed prison.
Miranda's mind started figuring out what that meant. If Jack wasn't enough, then clearly this was a prison where people were supposed to disappear in. People who could cause destruction on a wide scale with no problems wiping out whole populations. If this Dresden was the Warden, he was in charge of keeping them imprisoned. That meant he must have the abilities and the attitude to do it. While that was a little more impressive than being a private investigator, she still wondered why they were recruiting him.
"Just who is he?" she asked Shepard.
He was still smirking. "Tell me, Miranda, did you ever look in the Yellow Pages website, in the Chicago section? Last time I checked, he was still listed there, under W for Wizards."
Miranda hadn't checked the Yellow Pages, but that was beside the point. "I don't like being made fun of, Commander," she told him. "Why would Mr. Dresden advertise himself as a wizard?"
"Because he is one."
Her scoff was only audible at their table. "Magic is something told to children to explain things they can't understand." She never had that courtesy, thanks to her bastard of a father. "Now, is it possible to get a better answer from you?"
"It's hard to do that when you're asking the wrong questions, Ms. Lawson," he told her. He took an idle sip of his beer and considered it for a moment.
If that wasn't a challenge, she'd call Jack a charming woman. "And what would be the right question?"
His eyes were nothing but serious as he looked at her. "Why haven't those two said anything?" His hand gestured over at Zaeed and Jacob.
Miranda looked at her partner. He hadn't relaxed into his chair. He sat ridged-still, waiting to be called upon or dismissed. His beer waited by his hand, but it had barely been touched. His eyes watched everything they could, waiting for something. While they did, she saw something else in them. Nervousness, and possibly fear.
What surprised her wasn't those emotions, but the fact he shared them with Zaeed. The two of them didn't get along all that well, since they had different thoughts about loyalty and what it meant to be a soldier. Yet now, they sat exactly the same way, watching for possible threats where the other couldn't, and waited with that nervous fear. They knew something she didn't.
The tavern's door opened, and Harry Dresden walked in. His appearance matched the profile picture. Of course, reading that he was tall enough to play basketball and seeing that in person were two different things. He had dark hair that was already turning silver, matching lines on his face. A heavy leather duster hung over his body while a staff was clutched in his hand. Apparently, he didn't think to shave before coming here.
Shepard stood up as he came over. "Sir," he said with the utmost respect.
Miranda was surprised. She had found Commander Shepard had a tendency to snark and mock his enemies, even people who've annoyed him. She hadn't thought anything of it, until she had been on the receiving end. So to hear him call someone sir and they weren't in the military was not something she expected.
"John," Dresden said, looking him over. "What happened?"
"More than a few things, sir."
"So I've heard. There was one thing I did hear. That you died and then were resurrected." His face frowned, turning dark for a long moment. It was an intimidating look on him. "An explanation about that would be nice."
Miranda felt it was her turn to step in. "Mr. Dresden, I'm Miranda Lawson, an operative of Cerberus," she introduced herself, standing up. "We were able to bring Commander Shepard back from the dead with advanced technology. If you're worried if he's an imposter, I can assure you he is not."
He glanced her away before turning back to Shepard. "The White Court wannabe telling the truth?" That sounded insulting but he didn't care that she was frowning.
"She is. She was the one who brought me back. No magic was involved."
Again with the magic. Why did they persist in talking about that like it was real? Mr. Dresden noticed her scoff. "She doesn't have a clue, does she?"
Shepard shook his head. "Not a single one."
"You're enjoying holding it over her head, aren't you?"
He grinned, widely. "You're the one who said it was addicting. I just happen to agree." He gestured to the free chair. "Please, have a seat."
The second he sat down, Mr. Dresden looked across the table. "Zaeed."
"Dresden." There was a respectful tone in Zaeed's voice, one he didn't give anyone else.
"How's your boss?"
"Still impressed that you found a loophole. Still pissed you exploited and got away with it."
"So, everything's normal?"
"Yeah, guess you could say that." He relaxed, just a little. He glanced over at Jacob. "He need any introduction?"
Mr. Dresden shook his head. "No, I can guess who he is." He looked around the table, finding Jack first. "You need help with that ghost?" he asked her.
Her surprise was visible. Then she scowled. "Who the fuck asked you?"
"That's a no."
"Sir, this is Jack," Shepard introduced her. "She's on my team, and one of the most powerful biotics in the galaxy." The old man said nothing, so he continued. "You clearly already know Zaeed Massani and Jacob Taylor. Ms. Lawson has already introduced herself. So that just leaves Garrus Vakarian."
"Hello," the turian said with a polite nod.
Mr. Dresden looked at him for a long second. "You used to be a cop, didn't you?"
Garrus was surprised by the question. "Uh, yes. How did you know?"
"I've worked with cops. I know what one looks like." His gaze lingered on the bandage on the turian's face. "That's gotta be a story."
"You could say that."
"Feel like telling me? Seems like a good one." He flicked his gaze over at Shepard. "And if you're with John, I'd be willing to bet he was involved."
Garrus took a look at Shepard's scowling and smirked. "Well, you could almost say he was responsible for it."
"Oh, that's the thanks I get for pulling you out of that mess?" Shepard asked.
"I was perfectly fine until you showed up."
"You were stuck, plain and simple."
Dresden heard no heat in the words. They were friends and friends ragged on each other. Mac came by with a beer, sharing a look with him. Old memories bubbled up from where he placed them. Now wasn't the time to be nostalgic. Taking a sip to soothe himself, he looked at Shepard. "So, I'm assuming that why I'm off the island is important?"
"It is, sir," he said with a nod. "Have you heard of the Collectors?"
"No."
Miranda wasn't surprised by his answer. Why would people on Earth care about people out in the Traverse being kidnapped. "The Collectors are a race of aliens who live beyond the Omega 4 relay," she explained. "They've been kidnapping whole colonies, taking them back through the relay."
He nodded briefly, keeping his eyes on Shepard. "And what? You've come by to recruit me?"
"That's what the Illusive Man wanted," he answered. "But I'm not an idiot, sir."
Jack was confused. "We're not bringing him with us?"
"No."
"Then why the fuck are we here?" Miranda wanted to know too. The whole point of coming to Chicago was to recruit Dresden.
"Yes, why are you here, John?" asked the old man. The questioning tone was quiet, hanging underneath the words.
The commander looked at him. "I need my babysitter."
Out of everything he could've said, no one was expecting that.
"Really?" Dresden asked. He wasn't amused any more. He was serious. Suddenly, Miranda was reminded of the Illusive Man.
"Yes. I'd ask for my nanny too, but I don't think she'd be able to live on my ship."
"Quite possible. Still, you really think you need him? Are things that dangerous?"
Shepard nodded. "Yes. We have reason to believe that the Collectors are league or working for the Reapers."
A protest raced up Miranda's throat before she pushed it down. She didn't think he needed to know that, but it had already been said. "Hm, the Reapers, huh?" Dresden mused, almost to himself. "Then things must be serious."
Everyone shared looks. Miranda wondered why he so easily accepted the reasoning. "You don't seem so surprised by the idea," she remarked.
He looked her way. "Sentient machines that've wiped out civilizations before and could do so again? It's about par for the course for me." His casualness about the situation irked her. "And I did what research I could on them." She had her doubts about that. Dr. T'Soni could be considered the foremost expert on Reapers and what she had could barely amounted to hints and scraps. "Even had to talk to the old pain-in-the-neck so I could ask his partner, Dr. Thorn."
A snigger was muffled by Shepard's hand. Yet, he was serious when he asked, "And what did Dr. Thorn say about them?"
"Just one thing. 'So, the toys learned how to talk. How cute.'"
There was something chilling about those words. Miranda couldn't explain it, but they carried a weight that made her pause and consider them. It was a brief moment and she dismissed it soon after. "I hardly believe you were able to find any sources on the Reapers that the Alliance or Cerberus hasn't already, Mr. Dresden," she told him.
The angry look that crossed his eyes could've made a lesser person flinch. "And I find it hard to take anything said by a group named after a dog called Spot seriously." The words were cryptic yet also insulting.
Miranda was definitely insulted. "Cerberus stands for the survival of humanity. We are the guard dog that protects it and ensures its survival, whether they know it or not." The others rolled their eyes, but she didn't care. Her focus was only on the old man.
And the first thing he did. "I'm sure that's what your Illusive Man wants you to believe. I think it was a reminder for him."
"A reminder of what?" Jack asked. She was part curious, part eager for any dirt on the Illusive Man.
"To never end up like his sister."
"You sound like you know the Illusive Man." It was the first time Jacob spoke since coming here. He was respectful but still nervous.
"Of course, I know him. He was there when I imprisoned his father, taking his coin away so there would be no escape." He glanced at Miranda. "You should ask him if he's used that coin yet. See what his reaction is."
"That is not important," she retorted. "And if you're going to sprout nonsense, we might as well just leave." She pushed back from the table, ready to stand.
Mr. Dresden didn't bat an eye at that. "She's certainly sure of herself," he remarked to Shepard.
"She's been raised to be the best, at everything she does," he explained. "She likes to be in control, to know everything she can so she can use it to her advantage."
"And yet, clueless." Shepard nodded in response.
"Kindly do not talk about me as if I'm not here," Miranda told them both.
The old man looked her way once more. "Alright, then here's a piece of advice, Ms. Lawson: if you want to know everything, just remember you had the chance to ignore it." He finished his beer and stood up, taking his staff in hand. "He's waiting outside, along with everything he needs."
"Really?" Shepard asked, surprised, as he stood too.
He nodded. "He probably knew what was going to happen today."
"Oh, well, thank you, sir."
"Just bring him back in one piece. And one more thing."
"Yes."
Mr. Dresden smacked him upside the head. The sound was loud and attracted some attention. The rest of the team didn't notice. They were too busy staring in shock. "Call your mother, damnit!" Dresden told Shepard. "Or I will and that won't be a pretty outcome!" He walked out of the tavern after giving Mac a brief apology.
After that, they went back to the ship, with a dog called Mouse, of all things. Granted, the dog looked like a Tibetan Mastiff and a big one at that, but it was still a dog. And that wasn't even the oddest thing.
No, that would've been when the commander told Grunt he would be learning from Mouse. The krogan was all set to complain when the dog walked up to him, staring right into his eyes. It growled once, showing just a hint of teeth, and any argument Grunt had died. That krogan would gladly charge headfirst into gunfire. How the hell would he back down from a dog?
That question and more haunted Miranda. And she was resolved to find answer. So she went up to the commander's quarters. "What is going on?" she demanded once she saw him at his desk.
He turned around in the chair. "Well, I was planning on raiding your wardrobe and stealing all the catsuits you had to see if you had anything else," he answered with a grin. "If you don't, I'm sure we'd be able to get you some."
"Be serious, Shepard."
"I am. Personally, I think you would look good in a flannel shirt and jeans."
It wasn't the first time she had gotten such a remark. Yet despite his smirk and tone, there was something sincere about his words. It was…nice. And flattering. Not the point or the time. "I'm talking about why we came here. Why didn't you make more of an effort to recruit Dresden?"
The smirk faded as he became serious. "Because it wouldn't have happened. Harry Dresden is needed on Earth, in Chicago. If he were to leave, people would notice."
"All because he's in charge of a prison."
"That, and because he's a powerful wizard and because more of a few things he's done."
She still had a hard time believing the wizard part. "If he is a wizard, and I have my doubts about that, I don't see how that would be needed for a prison. Surely someone else can take over."
"No, they can't," he said, shaking his head. "And you're assuming that the prison is for humans."
What else could it be there? "What then?" Miranda challenged him. "What is the prison for?"
"The kind of beings and creatures that haunted humanity since before we discovered fire. The things that would make even your worst nightmare, the one that made you wake up in a cold sweat, seem insignificant. The types that are so dangerous, if they were able to break free, the prison itself would self-destruct to kill them, taking out a good part of North America in the process."
A nameless fear crawled into Miranda's stomach as he spoke. It didn't want to move from that spot when he finished. Images crawled into her mind thanks to that fear, images of demons and monsters.
She banished them but it wasn't so easy to get rid of them. "You're joking," she said. She tried to be confident but there was a shake to her voice.
"No, I'm not. Dresden told me about his fight with the Illusive Man's father. He was a man who lived since the days of Jesus Christ. He caused atrocities because he felt like it, one of them being the Black Plague, killed thousands of people, created grief and chaos wherever he went, and believed he was in control of everything he created or planned. When Dresden imprisoned him, all that was needed to hold him was the lightest security requirements.
He looked her right in the eye. "I told Jack she wouldn't be taken because she wouldn't measure up. If a monster like that only needed the minimalist of security, do you want to imagine what's locked away the tightest?"
…No.
No, she didn't. But the realization also made her curious. "What's out there?" She didn't know if magic was real or not, but maybe there was a whole other world she didn't know about.
"If you want a place to start, talk to Jacob and Zaeed about their other jobs." Well, if that was his recommendation, it would be a good place as any start. "Miranda," he said as she turned, stopping her at the door. "Just remember what Dresden said. If you want to know, there's no going back."
She knew he meant each word he said. And while she was glad for the warning, it would be inexcusable not to know what she could. Ill-prepared meant sloppy work and too many deaths. "I'll take that under advisement," she said, regaining her confidence. "Just one more thing: How exactly do you know Harry Dresden?"
The smile tried to be innocent, but she could see the underlaying smugness. "A man can't know his own grandfather?"
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
Yes, John Shepard is Harry Dresden's grandson. Tremble before his snark.
This story came to me while I was browsing through a crossover between The Dresden Files and Mass Effect. The story itself was a decent read but I was disappointed by how Dresden himself wasn't in it. I mean, considering how long wizards could live, it is plausible that he'd be alive during that time.
When I first thought about Grunt learning from Mouse, it was because I found it funny. But the more I thought about it, the more it made a sort of sense to me. Grunt in the second game acts a lot on instinct, what he feels and what he's trying to understand. Mouse, being Mouse, would be able to teach him what to do and how to act as part of a team. Granted, a lot of those lessons probably wouldn't be verbal. Unless Mouse decides otherwise.
I'll admit, I left a lot of hints about people in this story. It's something that I'll be able to come back to if I do another chapter here. Even got something for Garrus that would really change how he sees things.
And yes, I went there with the Illusive Man. Here, he's the son of Nicodemus and Tessa (might've been a night of drunk angry sex, might've been something else with them). Because he knows what happened to his older sister because of his father, he refuses to be like him. So, he helps Dresden take Nicodemus, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to escape or remain uninjured. You could even say that his creating Cerberus is his way to protect humanity, yet it's the way it is due to how he was raised and taught.
If you've read The Dresden Files, you'll know who Nicodemus is. After being reduced to his basic state, Harry could've killed him. But that would've been too easy. After everything Nicodemus had done to Harry and his friends, directly or indirectly, Harry wasn't inclined to let him off that easily. So he went with the much more satisfying option: humiliation.
Think about it. Nicodemus caused chaos, grief, and destruction for a long time because he could, with absolute surety in himself. But once he's stripped of his partner and his protection, he's just a human. In the pecking order of things, that doesn't rate much. His partner might've gotten the usual security requirements, but Nicodemus is only a human. That's the humiliation. Despite how long he lived, he mattered that little.
I'll see you all next chapter!
