Chapter 52: Imitated
Disclaimer: This author in no way profits from the writing of this story. All characters, dialogue, or other referenced material from the Mass Effect trilogy belong to BioWare.
Author's Note: This story does not necessarily follow any particular timeline and may not be considered chronologically accurate.
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Two days later, by all accounts the newest recruits on the Normandy had finally hit their stride. It had been just over a month since Commander Shepard had approached the pair of them with an offer of employment, ambiguous though it was. And, though there was no exact due date attached to their job, their boss felt overshadowed by a growing sense of urgency.
She could postpone it no longer.
Ember and Garrus waited for their twins to arrive in the training room—having elected to skip the mess hall that morning for a few more minutes in private solitude.
"Do you think they're ready?" the turian asked with a sideways glance.
Grinning, Shepard rolled her eyes. "Would you be ready for a covert mission protecting high value targets after only a month of basic training?"
Garrus scoffed, "Of course not."
She approached him tenderly, replying, "And they're no different. This is a completely different world for them, especially Cass."
"I can't imagine how she's managed to keep up so well, all things considered. And I wouldn't even believe it myself if I hadn't witnessed it. Once she got over her aversion to firearms, she's a natural—perhaps she has more in common with you than mere looks." Stroking his partner's cheeks with the pads of his thumbs, Garrus rumbled as he contemplated just what he thought about Shepard's looks.
"You may be right," the woman smirked. "And that Vadix! Mm, but he looks like the younger version of you—no wonder they can't keep their hands to themselves."
Pulling back, Garrus looked at the human in his arms. "Did you just call me old?" he queried, subvocals thrumming threateningly, softened by the smile that tugged at his mandibles.
Ember placed a hand on his chest, traveling slowly up his carapace, soaking in the vibrations emanating from the turian's body, and shrugged. "And if I did?"
The throbbing increased as he dipped his head toward her until their foreheads touched. "I may just have to punish you," Garrus drawled, his tone as dangerous as a slippery garment fighting a losing battle against gravity.
Without warning, she gripped his cowl with both hands, pulling him even closer to her level. "I'll hold you to that," Shepard whispered, her mouth as close to his ear as she could manage.
And then they were an arm's length apart. Garrus stuttered, his protesting shudder silent to his girlfriend's hearing. But she still managed to answer his question.
"If I asked them not to be caught in a compromising position, then I damn well better not do so either," she winked, gesturing toward the door.
It remained shut for several quiet moments.
"Shit, I thought I'd timed that perfectly," Ember murmured, scowling to herself.
Garrus still thought she was beautiful—and funny. He couldn't help the snort that barked out of his windpipe, clearing his throat as quickly as he could at the sight of his woman's glare.
And good thing too, as it was then that the automatic doors slid open and the trainees walked through, a look of confusion crossing both of their faces in near perfect synchronicity.
It seemed the ship gossip wasn't wrong about them.
The veteran sniper was honestly surprised they weren't holding hands.
"Good morning," Shepard began. "You've been training on the Normandy for a little over two weeks now, after the initial two weeks on the Citadel, and I wanted to check in on your progress. How do you feel?"
Cass looked at Vadix, and Vadix looked at Cass. The human spoke first, of course.
"I mean, the time seems to have absolutely flown and at the same time I feel like this is all I've ever done. Everyone here has been super helpful and patient with me; I know I'm not very good at all the kicking-ass stuff, but I am trying." As she trailed off, Cass blushed just a bit and Garrus noticed the other turian watching the human phenomenon with avid interest.
Interesting.
But then, he thought he knew exactly what was going on in the younger man's brain.
After all, he had experienced the very same thing when he'd begun to work closely—for long hours—with Commander Shepard. The thought made Garrus grin. Shepard gave him an odd look, and he just shrugged. It wasn't something he could explain at the moment.
Neither Vadix nor Cass noticed the silent exchange of their senior officers.
Then the Commander, nodding thoughtfully, picked up the conversation again, "And you, Vadix?"
Standing straighter, the ex-security officer replied strongly, with little emotion. "I feel my weapon and sparring skills have improved, but I think I may be a lost cause as far as the, er, body language, stuff, goes," he finished weakly with what could have been a question mark. "Ma'am," he saluted as an afterthought.
Garrus noticed the quirk of his CO's lips at that. Part of him still felt jealous but now that he was accustomed to his new look-a-like—and knew that Vadix had eyes only for his own partner—the veteran was more understanding.
In a way, he kind of liked the guy. At least he had potential as a soldier. The boy was pretty good at following orders.
Shepard was talking again, so the senior turian focused his attention once more. "According to the reports I've received from your various instructors, both of you are making good progress, so I'm pleased. Unfortunately, I don't have any more detailed information about when we'll deploy for your assignment, but I expect it will likely be soon.
"With that in mind, in five days we'll make a quick stop at the Citadel so you'll both be allotted 24 hours of shore leave. I expect you to maintain your mindset on training at present. There's always the possibility that we'll have to cancel the trip last minute."
Their commanding officer watched them both with the experienced eye of someone used to giving orders—and being obeyed. And she noticed no signs of unrest or unease beyond that which she expected of new recruits.
"Now," Ember clapped her hands once, smiling like she was the only one who knew an especially delicious secret. "Your most pressing task right now is one of mimicry: it's not enough to be able to shoot a gun well or defend yourself against a physical assault. With our current intel, we expect your main role on this mission will be to play the part of Garrus and me."
Cass tilted her head in question, like it was an involuntary reaction, but said nothing. Until the Commander raised an emphatic eyebrow and let the quiet drag on uncomfortably. "Sorry, I guess I don't understand what the point of all the training is if we're just going to pretend to be you," Cass admitted.
Nodding in agreement, Commander Shepard explained, "An excellent question, Cass. The reason I want you to be trained like this is because I prefer to plan for the worst and hope for the best. You see, there's always the possibility that something will go awry—as it usually does," she muttered as an aside to Garrus, then continued at full volume, "in which case you may need to defend yourself. If this were to happen, then we can assume your cover has been blown so I need you to be equipped to fight back in defense of your own life, not mine."
The two redheads shared a meaningful moment of eye contact, understanding the gravity of the responsibility granted here, the separate yet entwined expectations that sat on each of their shoulders. To be a symbol was an honor that always came with a price, and to imitate that symbol bore more than a shadow of that significance and sacrifice.
"We decided," Shepard began again, before quickly amending her statement. "That is, I decided the best way to accomplish this without impeding other work that needs to be done is to have you tail us for the day. Your task is to watch and learn, so you can have a foundational knowledge of how we both interact with other people, and with each other, as you'll need to be able to fool some individuals who have already spoken with us several times."
Cass raised her hand, the perfect image of a schoolgirl caught between curiosity and embarrassment. When Shepard gave her the go-ahead, she asked, "How well will these people know you?"
Again Ember glanced at Garrus, weighing just how much to tell them. "Most of the people won't know us personally very well, if at all. But there will be a few with whom we've interacted professionally a handful of times."
The look of confusion lessened but did not disappear entirely from the young woman's face. The Commander smiled softly and stepped toward her doppelganger. "Trust me, Cass. I believe in you, completely."
Still looking so young and afraid, Cass nodded slowly, staring at the ground but thinking hard. At least she was determined.
Stepping back once more, Shepard addressed both trainees. "Now then, the last order of business is that, as our shadows for the day, you will likely be privy to classified information. I expect you can keep these details to yourself; if I hear of any leaks or unauthorized sharing, unfortunately you'll be my first suspects. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am," they proclaimed, the not-so-subtle threat having infused them with sufficient fear.
"Excellent," Commander Shepard grinned wickedly. Spirits, but she could be terrifying when she wanted to be. "Follow me, and pay attention to how we move as well—you've got to play the part in every aspect," she gestured to all of them.
Vadix and Cass both looked at Garrus for a moment, slightly stunned by the unexpected assignment. The senior officer could only shrug: when the commanding officer issued a directive, one must simply follow.
And that's exactly what they did.
All morning, Cass watched Commander Ember Shepard, first human Spectre and the last hope for galactic survival, observing how the woman interacted with her crew and her squad, as well as the various vid-calls that came in over the secured network. The way she walked, the movement of her arms, the surety of her step. Even the way she held herself was authoritative, brooking no room for arguments or second-best efforts—let only half-assed work. Her easy manner with everyone on board was somehow at odds with her superior position, yet she maintained both without even blinking.
It was a lot to take in, and Cass was awed by the versatility of the older human. Yet, somehow, no matter the rank or role of the people with whom she spoke, the Commander was always respectful and direct, saying exactly what she meant and meaning wholeheartedly what she said.
That was the characteristic Cass knew people would remember about this unassuming woman, and it was the attitude she would have to exude in order to be believable in her own role.
Vadix, on the other hand, observed the turian that could essentially be his twin and had difficulty identifying how exactly Garrus acted. Unlike his human counterpart, the other turian did little, and said less. Certainly, he stood at attention the way any self-respecting turian would, and he moved with determination everywhere he went. But more than anything, he was simply with Commander Shepard, and not in a passive way. No, the manner in which Garrus spent time with his partner was something more akin to a protectorship, like he was guarding her with his own life if necessary.
Well, that was something Vadix could imitate with relative ease, he decided. Already he felt the need to defend Cass above all else and all others, except perhaps his parents. Even then, the care he felt for her was comparable to the intensity of love he felt for Trebaana and Dartius.
Was that why Vakarian watched the Commander with such purpose?
During a quiet moment, while Shepard and Cass were in the video room and Garrus stood next to Vadix just outside the door, he decided to broach the topic.
"How do you feel about Commander Shepard?"
The sniper nearly swallowed his tongue, gasping sharply. "Excuse me?" he managed around a brief coughing fit.
Vadix, rightly so, looked chagrined. "I just mean, the way you watch her, it's like you'd give your life to save hers. Seems more dedicated than strictly necessary," he trailed off.
Peering at the young man at his side, Garrus studied the expression on his face, contemplating the impetus for such a question. Normally he wouldn't tolerate such personal questions, especially from a colleague. But he was feeling more charitable than normal today, so he decided to humor him with an answer.
"If I could save her by dying myself, I would. No hesitations, doubts, or reservations."
A moment of thoughtful quiet and then, "But why? Because it's your job?"
Garrus snorted softly. Oh, to be young and naïve. "No, she's not a job to me. She's everything." He paused, "I love her."
The space between them was filled with the sure rumblings of Vakarian's subvocals. Vadix noted these with academic interest, honestly attempting to understand what bound the two aliens together.
Again, Garrus took pity on the young man. "How do you feel about Ms. Arvius?"
How did he feel about Cassana?
How do I feel about Cassana?
It was such a simple question, yet Vadix was at a loss for how to answer it. "I—", he tried to begin, stopping short. Then he paused, and tried again, "She makes me—", only to end with "I've never felt like this before."
The older turian was gently shaking his head but smiling. "I gather, from our previous conversation, you've never before pursued anyone? Or been pursued, conversely?"
Vadix shook his own head once, feeling like he'd lost himself somewhere between numb and dumb.
"Well, I can't say for sure," Garrus spoke quietly, "but I imagine I've felt something like what you're feeling. And I'd only felt it twice before, though the first time was far less potent. The second time has resulted in what you've observed today." His eyes were clear, focused, assured. The man was confident in his feelings, unashamed to feel them, perhaps even proud of his attachment to the human woman he called Commander.
For some reason, Vadix had always thought that caring for people was a sign of weakness. No, that wasn't quite it. He'd assumed that to love another person made you vulnerable, susceptible to outside injury.
What he hadn't considered was that it could make you stronger too.
Perhaps love was less about mere feeling, and more about behavior. It was the reason one made certain choices and avoided others, both the beginning motivation and the end objective for how one lived life.
And perhaps that was what he felt for his partner.
She made him feel strong and weak, durable and vulnerable, fierce and gentle. He thought about her often throughout the day, even when they weren't together, and some previously foreign part of him longed to hold her, especially when she tossed in her sleep. Because of her, Vadix wanted to be better, do more, become the best he could—for her.
He would give his life to save hers, just like Garrus had said.
Was he in love with Cassana?