Awakening
Chapter Five
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Shepard is stolen out from under Cerberus's nose before they can wake her. The warring factions who still want her body lead her right to Omega… and Garrus. Shepard/Garrus.
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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.
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Miranda's frustration knew no bounds, and her subordinates quickly learned to steer clear.
It wasn't their fault that their operations had come to a crashing halt, but she would take it out on them regardless.
The unknown actor was at it again, crashing their systems and deleting their files with unmatched zeal. Whoever it was, they had a personal grudge against Cerberus and weren't going to let it go.
The Illusive Man insisted he had this under control, that there was a team on it. She wanted to scream at him. Her success depended on this other team taking care of it, and she hated relying on others, especially when she didn't even know the identities of those involved.
Miranda put her head down on her desk. At least, if nothing else, she had the forethought to save her files offline. At this point, that was all she had left.
…
Archangel team meetings weren't exactly the kind of professional debriefs Shepard had been used to.
There were usually snacks involved, and sometimes alcohol. The order of operations was pretty loose, and anyone was free to throw in a comment, whether helpful or simply snarky.
But she was getting used to it. And she enjoyed the comradery it seemed to foster among the group. She'd learned to loosen up a bit, and she didn't think it was a bad thing. One look at the others showed that, despite what it might look like, they still respected their leader more than anything.
Most of them were crammed onto the L-shaped couch in the base's common room, with others preferring the floor or to pull up a chair. Shepard was happily squeezed between Mierin and Butler, who had his muscular arm swung over her shoulders. Mierin had a bowl of popcorn in her lap that Shepard would steal from every now and then. Strange, but even with all the uncertainty in her life, Shepard could hardly remember feeling more relaxed or less lonely.
"Listen up," Garrus said, and the voices around her quieted down. "We've been doing some good work lately. We hit those slavers hard last week, it was a smooth op. And I'm proud of how you all handled the red sand dealers. They're still scrambling. Next, I want to dig into the Blood Pack a bit more. We've got them on the ropes at the moment. They're our next target unless something more pressing comes up. Weaver, I want you in their system if possible."
Weaver nodded her agreement.
"Any important rumors?" Garrus asked, opening the floor to his team.
Sidonis looked up. "The big merc groups are talking a lot about Archangel. There's some talk that they might share resources to take us out."
Garrus shook his head. "Seems unlikely. They hate each other almost as much as they hate us."
Ripper raised a hand. "Uh, boss? I heard something similar. Some Eclipse girls were in the bar chatting about it."
Shepard felt a little awe and fear at that. There were only thirteen of them, and their resources were just what they could steal from criminals. These big mercenary organizations had a lot of power they could bring to bear if Archangel's squad became more than an annoyance.
She'd asked Garrus once about why he stayed here, why he kept fighting against the inevitable tide. He'd confessed how it had started as almost a death wish. But as he found these people that he cared for, it had become much more. A way to keep a few more innocents safe. A way to give hope to people living in poverty, in the shadow of criminal organizations they felt they couldn't escape. And while she still felt a sense of futility about it all, she had learned to look a little closer to see the changes they had wrought. They couldn't save all of Omega, but every person they saved still mattered.
Shepard realized she'd drifted into thought during the meeting when Mierin grabbed some popcorn and threw it at Garrus.
"They're serious about you, boss, you need to take the threat seriously too," the asari insisted. "Be careful when you're out there alone. Or I'll throw you instead of the popcorn." Her hand glowed for a moment to emphasize her threat.
Garrus raised his hands defensively. "I'll be careful, I promise. But that goes for all of you too."
"Okay, we're all going to be careful. Let's move on before this turns into a cuddle puddle. Can we talk about some other rumors?" Erash asked. "I've got something."
"What did you hear?" Garrus asked.
"Rumor has it there's sickness going around in the Gozu district. Blue Suns territory. It also coordinates with some of the Collector movements we've been hearing about."
Garrus tilted his head. "You think it's related? Gozu is mostly slums, sickness spreads quickly in areas like that."
"Well," Erash said, giving a sidelong look to Shepard and Butler on the couch. "Rumor has it, no humans are getting sick. Doesn't sound entirely natural, does it?"
Garrus nodded. "Keep your ear to the ground. But don't go investigating in person unless I say so, don't want anyone here getting sick." He looked over at the only female turian in the group. "Melanis, do you have anything on the topic I asked you to look into?"
She shrugged. "Yes, boss. Ready to report."
"Great. Melanis, Beth, you're with me. Everyone else, free to go. Drop in the day after tomorrow, we'll have plans for our next job ready."
Shepard stood and followed Garrus and Melanis into the armory, where Garrus shut the door for privacy. Shepard wondered how it concerned her—she hadn't been present when Garrus had set Melanis to whatever this secret assignment was.
"Well?" Garrus asked.
Melanis flicked her eyes to Shepard and back to Garrus. "I started with what you gave me. Collectors were the clients. Blue Suns were getting a huge payday. One human female was the cargo."
Shepard went cold, realizing that they were speaking about her. Melanis had been investigating how she'd come to be on Omega.
"I was able to find where the Blue Suns got her from," Melanis said. Her eyes stayed on Garrus. "Stolen out from under an organization called Cerberus. Some kind of human supremacy org."
Shepard's mind raced. Experiments with rachni and thorian creepers and thresher maws filled her thoughts. "I remember them." They were monsters.
Her expression was troubled as both turians turned her way. "Do you remember, Garrus? The experiments we found? Admiral Kahoku?" She almost shuddered at the thought.
He was grim, but reached out and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "Yes. I remember."
What kind of experiment was she, then?
…
Melanis hadn't been able to tell her that, to tell her the why. Why she remembered dying, why Cerberus had her, why they brought her back.
She was sure they were looking for her, just like the Blue Suns were. Just like the Collectors were. Cerberus wanted their investment back. The Blue Suns wanted their payday. No one knew what the Collectors wanted.
Garrus had been overprotective. Saw that the news had shaken her.
She'd had to wait for him to be busy before she could sneak out. She hadn't actually been forbidden to enter the Gozu district, where Mordin's clinic was located, but she didn't want to try asking for permission. Humans apparently couldn't catch the sickness going around, so she imagined it was safe enough. She hoped the doctor wouldn't be too busy to see her.
The clinic did seem a bit busier than usual, but the receptionist recognized Shepard and waved her on back. She paused to chat with Mordin's assistant, Daniel, for several minutes until Mordin was finished with his current patient.
"Ah, Elizabeth!" Mordin greeted her with surprise as the patient left. "No appointment today. Should wait another week before next leg injection."
She shook her head. "I'm not here about my legs. Can I come in so we can speak privately?"
He ushered her inside, and the door closed behind them.
Shepard fisted her hands to prevent herself from fidgeting. "I need you to take another look at me," she said. "We figured out where I came from, or at least who had me before the Blue Suns."
"Must be organization with great power and funding," Mordin said. "Not many of those."
She held up a hand. "It's better if I don't tell you. I don't know if it would put you in danger. And the more people who know, the more chance they'll find me." She tightened her fists. "What I know of them… they've performed brutal experiments and don't seem to care who gets hurt in the process. Beyond the bounds of ethical science, Mordin. Far beyond."
"Examination can only tell what was done. Not why," Mordin said quickly.
"I know," she said, frustrated. "But I want you to check again. For anything that seems strange. Or anything like a control chip, behavior modification… hell, a kill switch? Who knows. I just… I need to be sure that this body isn't a ticking time bomb."
Mordin nodded and tapped his omni-tool. "Daniel, please see to next patient. Busy for next half hour."
Shepard watched with bated breath as Mordin took a deep look into her brain scans. He even compared new scans with the ones he'd taken on her first visit to the clinic, when she'd just arrived to the station. Eventually, he turned off the holographic viewer and shook his head. "Nothing to note."
"What do you mean, nothing?" Shepard demanded.
"No control chips, no modifications, no deterioration. Nothing strange or out of ordinary for human brain. Traces of prior damage, yes. No sign of covert surgery. Normal brain."
Shepard couldn't quite believe it. "So they just… brought me back? As close to how I was as they could?"
Mordin shrugged. "Seems so."
"What… how…" She was at a loss. "Why me? Why would they do this? What could they want from me?"
"Cannot answer. Philosophy not my area of study. Must see other patients now. Return next week, for leg injections." Mordin moved towards the door as he spoke, ushering her out.
Shepard moved in slow motion, her mind full of what she'd learned and the many questions still to be answered.
…
Garrus's arms were crossed when she came out of the shower. He pushed back from his desk to give her a stern look. "You went out today. Didn't tell anyone where you were going or when you would be back. It's not safe, Beth."
Shepard sat on the bed and sighed. "I know. 'At least let us know where to search for the body'," she said, doing her best to imitate Monteague's deep voice as she quoted his favorite version of their unofficial policy.
Garrus wasn't amused. "You know I worry."
"I had my reasons," she said. "Wasn't sure you would let me go to the Gozu district."
"Mordin?" he asked. "I didn't think you had an appointment this week."
"I didn't." She averted her eyes, fiddled with the corner of the towel wrapped around her body. "I needed him to check something for me."
Garrus moved to the bed beside her, covered her hand with his. "Is this about what Melanis told us?"
She pulled her hand away. "Cerberus wouldn't just rebuild me for no reason. There had to be a catch."
Garrus shrugged. "They're a humanity first organization. You're the best of humanity. It makes a kind of sense to me."
"That can't be all," Shepard disagreed.
"Did Mordin find anything?" he asked.
She shook her head. "Nothing."
Garrus reached for her hand again and leaned into her line of sight. "If there is a catch, we'll face it together. At this point I don't care why they did what they did. I'm just… really glad you're here."
Almost as one, they came together in an embrace. She pulled him down onto the bed with her and kissed him with fervor. At least, for a little while, she could just be Beth with him.
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Garrus watched Shepard sleep. She was relaxed now, not the tense and worried woman she'd been in the days since Melanis had shared her findings. He swore he would help her work through everything this made her feel.
But there was another side to it. For now, very few knew that she was alive. It seemed to Garrus that Cerberus searching for her might mean that time was running out. She might not be able to stay hidden on Omega with Archangel for long. There may come a time that she had to face the wider galaxy.
And soon she would want it too. She wouldn't be satisfied with the small ways that they helped make lives better on Omega. Not when she knew there was a greater threat out there, the reapers. She might be the only one who could do something about it, if she put her mind to it. And she would, eventually.
He was grateful every day he had with her, but he knew this wouldn't last forever. Shepard was meant for something bigger than this.
Garrus nuzzled her hair and took in a deep breath. If this was only a temporary heaven, he would take it. He knew how rare and precious it was.
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