Out of all the crazy things I've done in my years of service, fighting my clone is… actually rather tame considering. I work with half a dozen different aliens to fight giant ancient metallic cuttlefish, bonded to a blue woman who will look pretty much exactly the same forever how long I live (Thank you God), and I have an *********, which I'll have to ask him "WHY DIDN'T HE TELL ME!"

Glyph follows me into the archives. The council's greatest secrets are in this room. I'll have to come back and check this place out. I meant to visit this place shortly after I became a Spectre. Tracking Saren down left me with little downtime and my coma put a stop to that before it even began.

Liara's holographic virtual intelligence says "Commander, the other you wishes to pass on a message." It plays an audio recording of my evil twin "Shepard, save yourself the trouble. Once I have what I came here for, you won't matter anymore. Now go, drone! Deliver it!"

Liara and Wrex trail behind me. A large holographic display plays an old recording of turians and a salarian deploying the genophage against the Krogan. Liara comments "This recording was captured centuries before I was born."

Wrex gets angry and shoots one of the holographic turians.

We proceed deeper into the archives, following the faint sound of bullets firing. The mercs know I'm still alive because the other Shepard threatened to fire them. Glyph informs me, he has a bad temper and implies he is causing a lot of collateral damage. I hope the council doesn't stick me with the bill. There are a couple of CAT6 members on the walkway. These guys are amateurs. They didn't even bother to use the metal paneling as cover. Liara and Wrex team up with their biotics to deal heavy damage. I lost focus for a moment and my shields popped. I run for cover, accidentally triggering another archive display. Huh… a salarian was the very first Spectre, and not a very good one, dangerously effective though.

My shields recharge and I put down my assailant, next thing is a sprint up the stairs. My attempts to contact team Hammerhead are met with static. Shielding to prevent any information from escaping this place most likely. With Tali's help, we programmed my omni tool to be able to open doors from a distance. Crouching on the stairs minimizes my exposure and surprised any enemies. Oh, great these guys have shields. Wait… I can see team Mako running behind them.

Brooks says "We'll try to clear a path, Commander! Hammerhead's gone ahead!" For a desk jockey, she does well in the field. Maybe a little too well. I might have to request her to be transferred, solely to annoy *********. He seems unable to stand her. Brooks is tiresome, but I've developed a tolerance for that sort of behavior. Also, James needs a date.

Wrex and Liara surprise me by taking out the CAT6 heavies. Unexpectedly, the big guy is the one who uses biotics to levitate the guards while Liara slides underneath them and puts lead into their skulls. That move was so hot! The view of her ass when she did that is smoking!

Tali radios over "We see the clone, Shepard! Mako going in!"

Gotta make this quick. Wrex breaks off and eliminates the cloaked snipers by chest bumping their skulls to pancakes. Liara uses a miniature blackhole like biotic power. It's strong but draining. There is one CAT6 trooper hiding behind a display. He thinks I don't know he's there. My omnitool blade gives him a lobotomy.

I find more stairs leading upwards. I radio team Mako we're coming from behind! Asking their status. I must be getting close. The static is bad, yet Brooks can be heard "We're under-" Gotta move.

My team enters the next floor. I don't see anyone. Hold. Anyone hiding would have popped out by now. Area is secure. Another holographic exhibit. Whoa this is something. This is an exhibit for me. First human Spectre. I'm glad the public doesn't get to see this version of me. The hologram gives me a stocky appearance. My handsome face remains attractive to all asari. Liara spent many nights with hologram me and I her.

Brooks radios over "Commander, do you copy?"

I ask "What's your status?"

Brooks says "The other you is jamming our radios! Hammerhead and Mako are trying to get ahead and cut him off. But I've been hit and need help! Please hurry!" Damn. I forgot she doesn't carry battlefield ready medigel. I run into a hallway that scans my team before allowing us to proceed. I'm authorized to sprint out of this place and find Brooks. I can hear her voice coming from up ahead, asking for help. I run towards it. The next thing I know, semi-translucent blue high energy holographic walls trap us. Damn it! How did I fall for that?

Liara says "That can't be good."

I radio "Brooks! The vault sealed us in!"

Wrex asks "Is there an override?"

No there isn't. Let me try something. I focus really hard, asking for assistance. I put my hand together as if I'm praying, resting my thumbs against my forehead. Maybe it acts as a transmitter? Who the hell knows anymore.

Liara asks "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to send a telepathic message to *********."

Wrex asks "Can he hear you?"

Doesn't look like it. Let's try it the old-fashioned way "Cortez? Brooks? Do you read me? Is anyone on this frequency?"

My clone appears "The short answer is no. They're not."

I shoot my imposter. The walls vaporize the microscopic bullet before it could reach him. If I had one of those antique black powder guns it would have worked. I tried again several times to provoke a reaction. The other me disappointingly shakes his head.

My clone says "The longer answer involves your friends trapped in iridium vaults and forgotten for… well, forever." He has to be bluffing. ********* would never abandon us. That I am confident in. He'd never betray his friends.

I tell him "Others know about this. About you. The Alliance will stop you."

The clone walks closer, getting a front row seat to my reaction "What do you think of Staff Analyst Brooks?" Will the Alliance stop us?"

Brooks, comes out from hiding behind the clone, wearing CAT6 armor, supports herself on him with an elbow "I wouldn't know. I don't actually work for them."

I ask her "who the hell are you? And do you really think I won't track you down?"

Brooks says "My name doesn't matter. I never keep the same one for more than a few days. And if The Illusive Man hasn't found me yet, you never will."

I ask "You're Cerberus?"

Brooks explains "Was. Mr. Illusive and I didn't see eye to eye. He's indoctrinated, whereas I prefer the whispers in my head to be my own."

I ask "why not come to me? We could have worked together."

Brooks says "In a way we did. I'm the one who put together all those dossiers on your 'suicide mission.'"

I ask "The collector base?"

Brooks continues "There was the salarian doctor, the asari justicar, the drell. They were all mistakes. We were a pro-human group who started looking to aliens for help. So, I bided my time, and when I found another you who agreed… I woke him up."

I ask them "What was the point of it all?"

Brooks answers "all we really wanted was your Spectre code. But then you survived the hit and insisted on bringing your damned asari into it, do I had to tie up loose ends."

I realize "The arms dealer."

Brooks says "That's right. It was me. But then your sex bot just had to go and recover the data. So here we are. Forced to… contain the situation."

I tell her "Fair warning, nobody who betrayed us has ever survived."

Wrex groans "and yet they keep trying."

Now it's my time to monologue "you two may think you're clever. And yeah, you were– just a bit– but clever doesn't beat a bullet. And yeah, maybe I am trapped in here, but don't get comfortable. Because that bull's-eye on your back is getting bigger by the second.

Brooks says "That sounds very dramatic. And if someone like, say, Commander Shepard made the threat, I'd be worried. But you're not Shepard. Not anymore."

Clone me says "you have Miranda, I have her. Mine has more bite."

Brooks says "It was fun while it lasted."

Fake me says "Yeah. It was a blast watching you all be so easily deceived. So eager to help the innocent little puppy. And you Staff Analyst Brooks pretending to be attracted to ********* so has you would drive a wedge between the suitrat and sending James into a frenzy was fun to watch."

Brook scratches the back of her neck, avoiding eye contact.

Wrex says "She wasn't faking. Brooks here was thirstier than all the krogan girls I've impregnated combined, especially since I have a quad. Can you imagine how much we shoot out?"

Liara gags "gross."

Inferior me looks at whoever Brooks really is, surprised. "Oh… no matter. That won't be important soon." he goes into a computer.

I ask him "what are you doing?"

"Setting things right. Remember, this?"

The computer displays miniature holographics of Tevos and Sparatus. The moment they made me a Spectre. My clone cuts the footage, turning to me "except somewhere along the way you forgot about your entire species. You've saved more alien lives than you have human."

"I don't care what species they are. Every life counts, but maybe a clone wouldn't understand that."

My clones replies "you know the one thing they can't duplicate? Our handprint. Life gives it its shape, not DNA. which is a problem. Computer update council records. Subject Shepard, human Spectre."

Computer "Accessing record. Please input new data. Biometric identifier updated. Good day, Commander Shepard."

The clone makes it's leave "Now if you'll excuse me, the Normandy needs its captain, so… I should go." Is that what I sound like?

Brooks says "Farewell, Commander, I guess this is where 'Legends' go to die."

The floor shifts, I fall on my right side. We're being pulled into something. The high-pitched noise goes away as soon as it comes when something locks. We're in a capsule of some sort. The structure moves again. Momentarily my body feels lighter. We're going down, but not fast enough to be falling. My clone is trying to out the original in a time capsule.

Wrex says "Refresh my memories. Didn't we used to win these things back in the old days?"

"He said, 'I should go." Do I sound like that?"

Wrex answers "As long as I known you, yeah."

Liara says "maybe we should be worrying about the impregnable vault we've been sealed inside forever…"

"I really sound like that? Should I say it differently? Deeper? I should go. Or more friendly? I should go."

Liara says "I doubt there is enough air in here. An hour at most."

"Maybe it's I should GO. I SHOULD go. *I* should go…"

Wrex asks "does ********* know we're in here? He can predict this sort of shit right? Should I call him?"

"Can't. Signal won't get through. Besides, I don't want him lording this over me for the rest of my days."

Liara nearly yells at me "Shepard! Why aren't you more worried about this?"

"Hm? Oh. Glyph, you still out there?"

"... Yes Commander" Glyph said.

"Unlock this damn thing and go find the others. No one steals my ship. Not even me."