Buried Beneath ch7: Belonging

Normandy, 2185, August 31st 6:03 AM

I wake to the sound of the shower with a wince. Fuck, my head is killing me. I shouldn't have drunk more after talking to Miranda. I'm never drinking again.

Speaking of Miranda, she's such a rule-following Cerberus hard-ass. I can't stand her. All she cares about is Cerberus and their stupid fucking mission. It wouldn't kill her to relax.

Riley comes out of the bathroom and glances over the railing at me. She rolls her eyes and heads back over to her desk. What was that? Is she judging me now?

She reappears on the stairs a moment later and- shit- I barely catch the bottle of water. That was close.

"You should drink less while we're on the mission," she scolds before heading for her closet.

Sitting up, I open the bottle. "Nothing I can't handle." I chug half of it as she rummages around.

"Is that so?" I can practically hear the raised eyebrow. "So, what did Miranda want?"

I put the water on the coffee table. "Believe it or not, she wanted to tell me how important the mission is."

She laughs a little at that. "That does sound like her."

"Riles, can we really trust Cerberus?" She wants us to 'get along,' but I don't trust a single person here that isn't her. A few of them are okay, sure. They're still Cerberus though. If they were trustworthy, why did Riley fight against them two years ago?

She turns with some clothes draped over her arm, I'm pretty sure one of them is a dress. "Should you be asking that here?" she muses, gesturing around the room. "It's most likely bugged."

I shrug. "I took care of those days ago."

"I won't argue with that." She nods and starts heading up the stairs.

"What's happening today anyway?" I rub my temples in an attempt to lessen the hangover.

"I'm headed for the crash site of my old ship, where some of my crew and- I died." She pauses, letting out a long sigh. "Seeing you again reminds me of the past. I feel like I'm finally ready to face it."

"Oh." I don't know what to say, "I'm sorry."

"No need," she insists, her voice coming from the bathroom above me.

"What's happening today?" If she's wearing a dress, then something must be.

She comes out of the bathroom and presses the button to feed the fish. "I'll be going with Kasumi today. Apparently, a deal was made that I now have to honour."

"And what's that?" I stand up with a stretch, feeling my shoulders pop.

"I suppose I'll find out," she replies. "As for you, you're helping Jacob in the armoury at eight sharp. Since you're such a gun expert."

Glancing up the stairs, I see her smirking at me. Yeah, I'm not doing that. "No thanks." What kind of inhumane punishment is that?

She gives me a stern look. "It's punishment for yester-"

What? "You said you were proud-"

She holds up a hand to silence me. "You still got arrested."

Well, she's got me there. "Okay."

"Good. After that, I've asked Jacob to set you up with some body armour. Oh, and you need to see Yeoman Chambers and have your physical with Dr Chakwas. Once all that's done, I can take you to Purgatory."

Uh, what? "You know Purgatory is a prison, right? It's not a reward."

She chuckles and grins at me. "Yes, Vex, I know. We're recruiting someone there."

"Oh, fun." I'm kind of curious about who we'd be picking up there of all places.

"Since you missed the debriefing, you'll have to grab a copy of the dossier from Miranda at some point today." She turns towards the door. "Anyway, good luck."

"Thanks." I roll my eyes as she leaves the room.

Armoury duty, Chambers, Chakwas, and Miranda. That's a lot of non-fun things to deal with while hungover. At least a shower will help.


Normandy, 2185, August 31st 8:19 AM

"I should have known you'd be that kind of person," Jacob says with an amused smirk as I enter the armoury.

I shrug, he's lucky my head feels better. "You got me, I like being fashionably late." More like I just didn't want to be here.

He leans against one of the tables, his expression becoming serious. "I hope you don't share that sentiment on the battlefield."

I scoff. "Please, I'm a professional. My marksman skills are perfect."

He seems to loosen up at that. "Speaking of. I've been through the inventory a few times and I haven't seen any sign of your weapons." He raises an eyebrow. Oh, he's clever.

"No idea what you mean." I look down at one of the tables, it's covered in guns. "Oh, look." I grab a random one. It's a heavy pistol, a small mag. Adorned in white, black, and orange. "M-358 Talon, the shotgun in pistol form."

Jacob chuckles lightly. "The Commander was right, you know your stuff."

"I know a thing or two." I may favour my mantis, but I'm well-versed in all sorts of weapons. "Are we doing maintenance?"

He selects a weapon and picks it up, studying it. "We sure are."

We both work in silence for a while. I don't really know what to talk to him about. He seems like someone who might like, I don't know, sports? Something guy-ish like that.

My attention gets caught by a pretty nice-looking submachine gun. "M-4 Shuriken, not bad," I comment, picking it up.

Jacob glances up. "That's Miranda's."

"Oh." I shrug. "She has okay taste, I guess."

"Not a fan, I'm guessing?" He asks, looking back at his work.

"I didn't say that." I focus on the gun, hoping he'll stop asking questions about Miranda now. She was sort of okay last night, but only barely.

"She's not so bad when you get to know her," he says with a smile before changing the subject. "How is everything so far?"

"It's been okay, I think." It could be worse.

"Good to hear." He nods, setting his gun down. "I thought you were a great addition to the team. Especially when Vakarian's injured."

"Ah." Archangel, my favourite subject.

Jacob waves a hand defensively, looking a little sheepish. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought him up."

I sigh. "It's fine, it doesn't upset me."

"That's good." He grabs another weapon. "Now let's get this done so we can work on your armour."

I offer a smile as we both get back to work. Jacob is cool, he's not pushing me to answer stupid questions or being annoying. He's not bad at all.


Normandy, 2185, August 31st 4:52 PM

"No," I groan as Jacob goes through the list of helmets. I can't stand helmets, they mess with my aim. And my hair.

"Well, you can't just run out there in street clothes," he ever so helpfully points out.

"I know that." I run a hand through my hair, trying to think of a solution. "I'll wear the armour, I just don't want the helmet."

Jacob nods. "What about a visor? It can help you with detecting targets."

I scoff. "I don't need help with that, but yeah, let's go with the visor." Lesser of two evils.

Jacob updates the order and finalises the purchase. I stare at the screen, I have to admit it's pretty cool. Black ultralight material for mobility, barriers with a fast recharge speed, and the best part, invisibility.

I get it, it makes sense to gear up for all the firefights I'll probably get into. Plus, Kassa Fabrication manufactured the armour and their work is top-notch. I would have picked up one of their snipers if I didn't love my mantis so much.

"Okay, all set, "Jacob announces, stepping back from the terminal. "We'll have to pick it up on the way to Purgatory, but everything's in order."

He moves over to the table now covered in maintained weapons. I'm not looking forward to putting those away. Though, I can't say working here for the day was bad, it was actually sort of fun.

But, while we're on the subject of Purgatory, I may as well see if he knows anything. "Who are we recruiting anyway, a guard?"

"I don't know, but probably." He leans back on the table. "If you're curious, ask Miranda since Shepard isn't here."

"Nah." I wave dismissively. "I'll just read the dossier when I get it off her later."

Jacob seems to consider that for a moment. "She won't bite, Vex."

I shrug. "She and I don't really get along."

He nods, his expression hardening. "You don't have to get along, but just watch her back on Purgatory."

Wait, what? "Miranda's on the mission?"

"That's what she told me," he confirms, grabbing a datapad off the table.

It can't be that bad. I'm not going to let her ruin my first real mission. It's my chance to prove I belong here. My chance to show Riley she can trust me. At the very least, it's a chance to show off.

"So," I begin. "When are we done here? I want to go ask for the mission dossier." I glance towards the door before making eye contact with him.

He waves the datapad. "It's just inventory left, but I can let you go. I believe the Commander said you had to go see Yeoman Chambers and Dr Chakwas first though."

Damn it, Riley.

"Sure thing." I smirk, turning to leave. I'll go see them after I get that dossier.

"Oh, one more thing," Jacob says. I turn back to see him on his omni-tool. "I just informed Yeoman Chambers that we're done, she's waiting by the elevator."

I stare at him, conflicted. I can't be mad, that was a good move on his part. "Well played," I admit, catching his mischievous smile before I leave the room.


Normandy, 2185, August 31st 5:09 PM

As I step into the CIC, Chambers looks eagerly at me from across the room. Kill me now. The only other experience I've had with shrinks was back on Earth when my grandfather made me go. I didn't enjoy it.

"Vex, hi. How are you?" she greets cheerfully as I approach.

Fuck this. "I'm fine, can we get this over with?"

A flicker of hurt crosses her face. "Uh, certainly. I just need to ask you a few questions."

"All right." I lean against the railing of the galaxy map. "Shoot."

She opens her omni-tool and starts typing. I watch silently. At least she seems dedicated. I can't give her much though, I don't trust Cerberus, which means I don't trust her. Who knows what makes it back to their all-so-mysterious boss?

"So, Vex." She looks up at me, a smile on her face. "How are you finding the Normandy so far?"

I shrug, trying not to give anything away. "I can't complain."

She nods. "And what are your thoughts on our mission?"

I hate this. "I understand the dangers and I'm okay with them."

She hums to herself as she takes notes. "And your thoughts on the crew?"

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. I'm not going to fail just because of Archangel. "Look, I'm well adjusted, I can handle the mission. Riley fought with me and obviously thought I was fine."

She gasps. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to imply you weren't adjusted."

"Let's just cut to the chase." I cross my arms. "Are you going to pass me or not?"

Chambers clears her throat. "Uh, yes. You weren't planned, but I think you're a suitable member of the team. If you ever need to talk though, you know where to find me."

"Yeah, thanks." I give her a quick nod before heading straight for the elevator and setting it to the crew deck. I just need to get this physical over with now. It shouldn't be that hard, I like to think I'm in pretty good shape.

Exiting the elevator, I head left toward the medbay. I see it every day, but I didn't think I'd ever have to enter it.

I stand outside and wave through the window at the woman inside. Chakwas, Riley said her name was. I've met her in passing, but this is the first time I've actually had to really talk to her.

She notices me and opens the door. "Come in, dear."

"Uh, yeah." I step into the room. It's colder inside. All very doctor-ish. Beds, machines, and shelves of medicine and other medical shit.

"Let me guess," she says, walking over to her desk. "You're here for your physical?"

I regret this already. "Yeah, I guess."

"Full of enthusiasm, I see." She picks up a datapad from her desk. "You've been avoiding this all week."

I wasn't expecting her to be so blunt about it. "I was."

"Don't worry about it." She waves dismissively. "Just take your jumper off and have a seat."

"My what?" What the fuck is a jumper?

She gestures to me. "The thing you're wearing over your shirt, dear."

"Whoa, I'm flattered, but you aren't my type," I joke, trying to keep a straight face.

She gives me a pointed look. "I can see you and Jeff would get along?"

Who is Jeff? "Who?" I'm pretty sure I've met everyone on the ship.

"Jeff Moreau," she clarifies with a fond smile. "He's our pilot."

"Oh, you mean Joker?" Why didn't she just say that? I've talked to him once or twice, he's a cool dude. Plus, he's mean to EDI. It's a bonus.

"The very same." She grabs some sort of scanning device. "Now, take it off and sit down." So demanding.

I comply, tossing it onto a nearby bed before sitting on the edge. "This isn't going to hurt, is it?"

She ignores my question and scans me with the device, staring at the screen. "Everything seems to be good." She glances up at me. "Looks like we're done here."

"Wait, that's it?" Seems too easy.

"That's it," she echoes, putting the scanner down.

I shrug and get off the bed, collecting my hoodie. "Umm, thanks."

"Don't mention it, dear." She smiles again, opening the door for me. "And don't be afraid to come in next time, I won't bite."

Like I'm scared of some doctor. "Okay, well later." I rush out the door, shoving my hoodie over my head.

"I'm proud of you." I hear the familiar voice of Riley.

I pop my head out of the hoodie to see her standing in front of me. Wearing the dress from earlier, I may add. No idea where she came from though. I didn't see her when I left the office literally a second ago.

Wait, did she say she was proud of me? "You've been saying that a lot lately, it's gross," I joke.

She sighs and smiles at me. "Just take the compliment."

"Oh, I was going to." I grin back.

"So modest." She rolls her eyes. "But seriously, you did well today."

I mean, if she wants to count whatever that was with Chambers and Chakwas as good, then that's all her. I just have to get the dossier now. Which of course, means talking to Miranda.

"I try my best," I agree. "I just have to get the dossier."

"Okay." She nods. "Just be careful. Miranda and I just had a serious discussion, she's feeling pretty raw right now."

"Oh." I don't know what she wants me to do with that information.

"You can get it later if you want," she offers. "Just meet me tonight to go over the dossier."

"All right, eight sharp?" At least she's willing to help me.

"Eight sharp." She nods.

"Cool. But Riles." I gesture to her outfit. "Why are you in a dress?"

She lets out a laugh. "I had to for the mission, I'll tell you later."

We say some quick goodbyes before she heads off towards the elevator. I could just come back later, but I want to get this whole talking to Miranda thing out of the way. I may also be kind of curious about this 'serious discussion' Riley mentioned.

I head for Miranda's office. Her door opens to reveal she's at her desk like I expected anything else. She doesn't even notice I'm in the room since she hasn't taken her eyes off the screen. Or she's ignoring me.

"Bad time?" I ask, causing her to look up.

"Not at all." She gestures to the chair beside me. "Take a seat. I actually wanted to ask you something."

What could she possibly want? "Sure, what is it?" I sit down, leaning back in the chair.

She seems hesitant for a second, that's not really like her at all. "How much of my file did you read?"

Umm, okay. "I only read some general stuff. Your age, the fact you're a biotic, et cetera."

"And you didn't read anything on genetic engineering?" She sounds almost sceptical.

"No." I shrug, unsure what she's getting at. "If you don't believe me, then that's-"

She holds up a hand. "I believe you, Vex."

She doesn't seem relieved, almost like she wanted me to find out what was on that file. But why? Why would she want that? And why would genetic engineering even be in her file?

"Did you work with genetics or something?" No, wait. I didn't see anything about that when I skimmed through her projects, that means. "You're genetically modified?"

She smirks, which is weird. I thought she would be upset by the question. "I've had extensive genetic modifications," she admits. "Everything about me, down to my looks, was designed to give me an edge."

Okay. "Well, it's good to know you're modest." I guess that's where all her superiority comes from.

"It's just a fact really. There's no point hiding it," she continues. "It's why I'm trusted to oversee the most important Cerberus operations. It's proven it's worth many times."

"I wouldn't call that a selling point." I don't know what she's getting at and right now I don't really care. "I don't know if you're trying to impress me, Miranda. But, I'm just here for the Purgatory mission dossier."

She sighs and pulls out a datapad, sliding it across the desk. "Here. Feel free to scan it to your omni-tool."

I do exactly that before adding, "I don't know why you felt the need to share that with me, but it doesn't change my opinion of you."

She nods at that. "And what is your opinion of me?"

That you're a stuck-up bitch. "That's for me to know."

"I suppose it is," she agrees, returning her attention to her monitor. "You can go."

Back to being rude, I see. "Yeah, thanks for the dossier." I roll my eyes and quickly leave the room.

I don't know what all that was about, or why she felt the need to show off. Does she feel insecure? It's hard to believe when she's always so confident. It doesn't matter, I'm not going to dwell on Miranda being crazy.


Normandy, 2185, August 31st 7:58 PM

I step into Riley's room, making sure I'm on time for once. I bet that's going to impress her. I'm impressed with myself if I'm being honest.

"What a surprise," Riley remarks, staring at me from her desk.

"It's not that unusual." I roll my eyes.

She gets up from her chair. "Are you ready to go over the dossier?"

"Hold on." I cross my arms, we need to get something out of the way first. "Are you sure we can trust Cerberus?" She can't deflect the question like she did this morning.

"To an extent," she concedes with a sigh. "I trust my team, but only a few of you have my complete trust. Joker, Garrus, Chakwas, and even you."

That's- unexpected and maybe a little misguided. But, when it comes down to it- "I only trust you."

"Good." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "This is my operation, not theirs."

I smile approvingly. "All right, now let's get this dossier out of the way."

She smiles back and we make our way to the couch. I'm feeling better about everything. With Riley in charge, maybe we can actually do this and find the missing colonists.

"So." Riley faces me. "Did you read through any of it?"

I nod. "Yeah, I skimmed through it. We're buying a highly dangerous criminal. So, what do we want with a dangerous and may I add, really powerful biotic?"

She seems impressed that I actually put some effort in. "We need someone like her. She could really help us."

"Yeah, but dangerous and powerful. Like, she could kill us all in seconds, kind of powerful," I point out.

Riley laughs and leans back. "Now you're getting ahead of yourself."

I shrug, feeling justified. "I think I'm entitled to be wary of, and I'll say it again for emphasis, the dangerous and powerful biotic you're bringing here."

"Okay, I see your point." She pats my leg. "If it makes you feel any better, she isn't allowed in our room."

What? "D-did you just say our room?" I can't help the smile on my face.

She gives me a questioning look. "Yeah? It's our room, isn't it?"

It's the first time she's ever called it that. It makes me feel weird, not in a bad way though. Like a sense of belonging. Like I'm actually part of the team.


Thank you for reading.