Chapter 57: 57
Subject Alpha. Legate
I walked briskly through the station in the direction of the break room. The Geths and Vorka had already taken control of the station and all the scientists. Everyone was scared shitless. And they certainly didn't understand what the Vorka and the Geths were doing here, chatting quietly like this. They weren't talking to the scholars, so the eggheads were beneath the weather while they listened to my soldiers' conversations. Oh, what happened here, huh? One shuttle missing from the docks, no sign of battle... Shit, this place is a mess.
So the door opens, and I walk into the break room. All the getts and vorks are standing at attention, Tory's done his best, and the scientists are looking at me, all with anime eyes. I first noticed that everyone was sitting on their knees, but the most crucial thing was different. Out of 11 people, the scientists were only one and very severely beaten. Well, how battered... Half of his teeth missing, bruises all over his body, cracked ribs, his leg shot in three places, hastily filled with panelling, and a lot of painkillers in his blood. From the looks of it, the Vorks overdid it. Geths don't like to hit that neatly. They break their legs and stun them, but he's conscious and unbroken, so he's all right. No, it wasn't all right at all.
- So," I began, turning to mine. - Will somebody tell me what happened here?
- Comrade Legate," began a grunt. Somehow I didn't care who I talked to, and I didn't care about the scientists. - Shepard was kidnapped by Cerberus agents.
- That's it. Would you please explain to me how that happened!? - I shouted. After all, the Vorka was organic, so yelling at him could accomplish a lot. I am, after all, the boss.
- As we were able to ascertain from the testimony of the agent we captured, all the people on this station were Cerberus agents," I turned my gaze to the man, who was ready to shit his pants at my watch. Unsurprisingly, I'm a Geth, and the Alliance is full of rumours about us.
- So," I said to the man. Richard Drecklin. He was registered. - Richard. You want to tell me what your friends are up to and how you managed to do it.
- Well... Anyway... - he began, stammering a little in pain. - Anyway, two years ago, right after you kidnapped Shepard's corpse, we, well, Cerberus, noticed that someone was hiring many specialists and offering a lot of money. We sent one person, and he could tell us what you would do with Shepard. Cerberus assembled a team of specialists and made sure they were taken as the best of the best. The orders were to spy and then kidnap Shepard. When we arrived, we knew right away that there was no communication with the Center, so we decided to wait and kidnap the already-ready Shepard, but not before she woke up.
- So... - I interrupted him. - That makes sense. And how were you able to do that? Get Shepard?
- We staged a diversion with the ventilator, which caused us to start losing her, so we immediately transferred Shepard to our ship, which had all the necessary equipment to do so. We hooked it up, and then it was just a matter of doing the little things. Kicked everyone, not ours, out, arranged to overload the systems at the docks, took control for one minute, and the shuttle took off. But I got shot out of a turret, and they didn't even take it.
- Yeah, well... Told it to me straight out. Didn't even deny it. Were you able to track down the shuttle? - I asked the geth, but it was still on the voicemail.
- Yeah, they found it in the next system, but it's empty. We also saw three tracks from ships the size of cruisers, but they go in three different directions, and then all three ways are lost in the tracks from merchant ships going in and out of Thessia and Citadel. We've lost them.
- Mmmm... SUCK!!! - I shouted out because this was already too much. - Here, you are treating these organics well. Turning a blind eye to their spying, just stopping leaks. Not even toilet and shower cameras out of my respect for the privacy of scientists, but NO! We shit on your good attitude towards us and steal what we've done for two years while putting it in mortal danger. God, what morons you are! - I snapped a little, but I could still pull myself together after a few seconds. - Is Shepard in any danger? - I asked my most troubling question.
- The artificial heart hasn't been transplanted yet; it's fully autonomous. The lungs are almost entirely independent. All that is left is to bring him out of an artificial coma. There is practically no danger of life," the vodka told me, reading the datapad.
- I see," I said, after which the geth, standing behind the scientists, turned to me. They were sitting on their knees the whole time, just listening, trying to pretend to be furniture. Which, by the way, they were good at.
- Legate, what about the scientists?
- What about them? Pay them as promised and get them off the station. We're in enough trouble as it is. Now, what am I supposed to do with you? - I turned to Richard, who had given vent to his bladder on such a question.
- I... I... I didn't... - he started to stammer, but I just pulled out my plasma pistol and pointed it at him, aiming for his chest.
- I don't like many types of organic, but most of all, I don't like rats and xenophobes. That's why I don't like Cerberus squared.
- I... - Richard said nothing more. A shot of concentrated plasma hit him, and his whole body turned into a black semi-organic substance that stained the wall and floor, then quickly cooled down. I looked at the scientists again and couldn't help myself.
- Why are you still here? Are you deaf or stupid? Get out of here while I'm being nice!!! - I watched all 15 alien scientists annihilate for the next five seconds. They just evaporated, materialised at the docks, boarded their ship and flew away. It took them another 3 minutes and 17 seconds. The money had already been transferred to their accounts, so all debts were closed.
- So," I continued at light speed already. - Do we have any communication with the Freedom Path colony? - I asked, as I was beginning to have some vague doubts.
- Negative. I lost contact with the colony seventeen standard hours ago," the Get answered me.
- I see. Well, let's go there," Oh, I was right after all. Some parts of the canon are impossible to rewrite. And if the Collectors have already stolen the Path of Freedom, then Shepard will be sent there.
****
Lazarus Station. Shepherd
- SHEPARD! - some voice shouted my last name, and then I felt a strong jolt. Only not on me, but as if I'd been kicked in the bed. - SHEPHERD, WAKE UP! - Who the hell was that? I slowly opened my eyes, feeling uncomfortable with the bright light, so my eyes remained practically closed. - SHEPARD! WE ARE BEING ATTACKED! NO TIME TO EXPLAIN! FASTER, OH... - the voice broke off, and I was trying to figure out what was happening. This is weird; I thought Joker would wake me up when we arrived at the Citadel. Wait, we're being attacked, right! Joker was still yelling at the whole ship. Well, looks like we're all in the pods now, and we've already been rescued. Oh no, I ran after Joker, and then I was pushed and thrown from the pod and then... I DID!
I opened my eyes abruptly, not paying any attention to the bright light my eyes were quickly getting used to. I saw a bunch of strange metal hands in front of me or somewhat above me. Looking to my left, I saw just a wall and a strange machine, from which a tube ran to my hand, and in my very hand was a needle. On the right-hand side were many more couches and a door. The only door. In the distance, I could hear gunshots; periodically, the whole room would shake, making me wobble like a lump of jelly. I was also dressed in some kind of grey special grey suit, similar to the one I wore in Normandy, only the colours were more vibrant. And now I was fully aware that I was LIVE! Bloody hell, that's for sure; I'm not dead! HOW!? How is that possible!? And I've been dreaming! I remember bits and pieces of dreams, but I saw them! That means I'm alive. Okay, Shepherd, calm down. Maybe you didn't die, just slipped into a coma, and you've been revived...
- SHEPARD! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT! I WOULD... - and again, the voice from the ceiling cut off, and I decided to stand up. For a few seconds, I felt some pain around my heart. Putting my feet on the floor only worsened the pain, but it subsided after taking a few breaths. Okay, Jane, come on, let's get out, whatever's going on here, and then we'll wonder what happened to me.
Pulling the needle from my arm, I got up on straight legs. There was no more pain in my heart, and I took a few steps. They were easy, and I didn't notice anything else wrong apart from a slight weakness in all my muscles. There were no weapons in the room, but I knew I had to get out and find something. The only thing I found was an unic with 'overload'. At least something. So, I open the door and see another entry. An airlock in front of me, the kind they make for disinfecting after work in the labs. I open another door and see a strange room with seats, more like an airport lounge, but it also has a huge window through which I can see that I am in a space station. Okay, so we have to find the ship.
Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs to the right of the entrance to the lab opened, and a single LOKI robot emerged from it. As soon as he spotted me, he immediately pointed his rifle at me. I directly sent him an overload, causing him to short out and fall to the floor as a dead piece of metal. I ran up to him and grabbed his weapon. Some shit, but in our case, you don't get to choose.
In the next room were piles of equipment and desks with computers. And luckily, there was a meter-high glass wall in the middle of this room, which was like a square fence. And it came in handy for me because the opposite door opened, and another LOCI went out of there, followed a second later by three more from behind another door on the side. Luckily the wall was bulletproof, and the LOCI's weapons were a mess. After sending an overload at one, I got several rounds in my direction. I stuck my head out and fired several rounds at one robot. They had no shields, so it was easy to nail them down even with those weapons. I finished the other two with half-overload charges and control shots to the head while they glitched. After that, I moved on.
I wandered further down the empty corridors and came to a balcony. A door opened at the bottom, and there were five LOCIs. Hiding behind the glass wall, I divided the overload into five parts and launched it at the robots. It short-circuited everyone for five seconds. I managed to nail the first three of them down, another one blew his arm off, but then they started shooting at me. Except I did block something for them, as they shot at me until their rifles overheated. I immediately blew their heads off, descended the lift and walked further down the corridors.
As I opened another door, I spotted IMIR. Or rather, he was behind the window that was replacing the wall. As soon as the thing spotted me, it started firing at the glass, but it was made in good faith, so it proudly held even a rocket launcher shot. I just walked on, as I didn't want to tempt fate and piss it off. However, as soon as I walked into the new room, which was quite large, I saw a man. Nigger was doing an excellent job of spreading LOCI with biotics, which was on the other side of some abyss. I send a half overload to the two robots, kill them, and then hide behind a wall, again glass, catching a dazed look from the man.
- Shepard! - He said, punching the last LOCI, then hiding in cover.
- Well, hello there. Would you like to explain what's going on here? - I demanded, but before the nigger could even open his mouth, three more LOCI appeared on the other side. - Wait a minute," I quickly divided the overload, put them on target, shot them all in the head, and returned to cover. It was more like a shooting range. Except any hit on me would be fatal, I don't even have a shield. - Keep going.
- Shepherd. Damn, you made it!
- Yeah. And please tell me your name. - That's the kind of little thing that comes in handy.
- Jacob. Jacob Taylor.
- Well, you already know my name. So let's get out of here first, and then I can ask you why the fuck you're Cerberus," I said, glancing at the proud insignia of those xenophobes on his clothes. He could do without the armour, barrier and all, but me? I'm not biotic.
- Good. Let's go," said Jacob, and we moved on.
And then, somehow, we were even fighting coherently. He would cover me with a barrier, hide himself, and I would shoot at everything I saw. Luckily, we never encountered an IMIR. LOCI, on the other hand, was plentiful. I personally counted 53 in all that time, which didn't hit me once. And so, we open the door, but then a lovely brunette with a size three chest, wearing a tight white suit and a kind of weird smug grin, appears in front of me.
- Miranda," Jacob shouted admiringly.
- Shepherd," the brunette greeted quietly as if the nigger hadn't even been there. She's a bit of a double-edged swell. On the one hand, she's a fine-looking shape, but on the other... They reek of slutty....
I've never noticed my penchant for that kind of humour before. It must be the side effects of sleeping pills.
- Very funny, Shepherd. Look at that arrogance. My theology teacher in Cairo had a lower ego, and he thought he was God's chosen one. Although it's understandable, getting shot in the head and surviving, you'd believe in God. - We should get out of here; we'll ask questions later," I didn't argue. I did not argue. They knew better than me, and the time was not right.
We did not meet anyone else. We passed a few entrances and sat down in the shuttle when suddenly IMIR approached us. We didn't take too long, so we just took off.
****
FTL. The Cerberus Shuttle. Shepherd
- I think we can ask questions now," I wasn't asking a question, I was stating a fact, but the brunette was taking her time.
- We need to do a debriefing first to make sure...
- I wasn't asking permission from you two," I interrupted this "Miss Perfect" briefly. She was exuding that very pride, which made me want to vomit like I'd done after talking to Hriston. Some people make me sick to my stomach. This Miranda was one of them. - I don't enjoy being in a confined space with two Cerberus fighters as it is...
- Jacob, I told you not to say to her," the brunette suddenly scolded Jacob.
- Next time, cut the emblem of your organisation off your uniform," even Miranda, stunned, glaring at the nigger and giving him a contemptuous "Holy Grand Judge" look.
- Well, I guess... May as well answer your questions," Miranda said.
- 'So, I guess the question 'What the fuck is going on here?' isn't appropriate to ask, then let's start at the beginning... What the fuck am I... Alive? - I asked the most intriguing question. - I mean, what - I'm not dead, and I was in a coma... Let's start with how long I've been in a coma.
- It's been two years, one month and three days since you died...
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, I stopped her. - Dying? You mean I'm... Do you mean I'm really dead? - I couldn't believe what I was hearing," she asked.
- Yes. You really did die. When you were brought to the station, you were dead. "The Lazarus was launched as soon as we delivered your corpse to the station.
- Lazarus? What's Lazarus of Bethany got to do with anything? - I genuinely wondered, not knowing what she was talking about. I'd learned a lot about theology, though. Seeing THAT brunette's face was an unforgettable pleasure.
- Oh, Project Lazarus's goal is to bring you back to life. That's all. Cerberus spent five billion credits on it.
- Whoa... - even I'm freaking out about this. That kind of money in my person, you flatter me. - I see. What were those robots?
- Some kind of virus. Most likely a manufacturing defect. The virus corrupted the friend/alien module, so now we're all enemies.
- Why haven't I seen any dead bodies? - That question has been bugging me for a while now, too.
- The attack took place while most of the personnel were asleep. The recreation rooms are on the lower levels; you didn't go through there. It's a bloodbath down there.
- I can see that. Okay, now I'm thinking of another critical question. Why does Cerberus need me?
- That's not up to me. You'll have to talk to the Phantom about that. We're on our way to meet him right now.
- Wow, the leader of Cerberus himself has decided to dignify me with a meeting. I'm flattered," I said with enough sarcasm to put a crogan down. However, the two of them chose not to notice.
****
Minuteman Station. Shepherd
Standing in the particular circle of the quantum communicator, I waited for the hologram to surround me. And there, the Phantom himself. Well, just images of him, to be exact.
- Shepherd," the businessman with the maiden cigar in his hand and some glowing eyes said hello.
- Ghost, I presume. Thought we were having a private meeting?
- Caution comes first, Shepherd. You, of all people, should know that" he retorted.
- Sitting behind a hologram when you want to impress a girl is not a good idea. Even my boss in Cairo only met with corrupt officials in person.
- Let's leave it at that, Shepherd," he suddenly interrupted and took his third puff. - You must have questions, don't you?
- Yeah," I didn't deny it. - Why did Cerberus bring me back to life, to begin with?
- Because you, Shepard, are the only one who can save everyone. The reapers have yet to go anywhere since the Overlord died. They're coming. And the Alliance and the Council won't even hear of it. Let alone do anything about it.
- And how can I help? - I wondered. - There's no point in talking to those dumbasses.
- Exactly, Shepherd. They need to prove the Reapers are coming. And that takes proof. So you're going to find it.
- Well, there's a big problem with that. They need to trust the Protean Beacons more. And they don't charge any ancient devilry either.
- Evidence, on the other hand, I don't think we'll have a problem. Reapers are already active only in the Terminus systems. Seven human colonies disappeared in two years and declared independence from the Alliance. And they're not slave traders, Shepard," he interrupted my suspicions on that point, "There's no sign of fighting. No blood, no bodies, no survivors. There's no blood, no bodies, no survivors.
- And the Alliance doesn't care about that? - Even I resented that. - Seven human colonies - isn't that a bit much?
- Those colonies are outside the jurisdiction of the Citadel Council, hence the Alliance. They don't care about those colonies. At most, what they're doing is pushing the colonies to return to the Alliance. By the way, many are already willing to do so.
- You think the Reapers are stealing colonies? Why would they do that? - I asked, trying to understand the meaning of such actions.
- There is no one else. You know how the Battarians work, loud and flashy. It takes a different level of technology to do things quietly, without a trace. And the Reapers have it. And you were the one who destroyed Saren, which might be why the Reapers are so interested in humans. You know, it takes a lot of work to understand their logic.
- Yeah, you can't argue with that," I said more to myself than to the Reaper. - Well, what do you want me to do? - Yeah, if the Alliance can't help, I must go with Cerberus. I don't know which is worse, the bureaucrats or the xenophobes? It's true what they say; there's no such thing as perfection.
- Fly to Freedom Road. It's the last of the lost colonies. See if you can find any evidence that the Reapers are or aren't involved. Miranda and Jacob will help you. Then we'll decide what to do next.
- You do realise I don't enjoy working with Cerberus," I stated.
- Yes, I'm well aware of that. Do not worry. You'll get the ship and the resources from me, then act as you see fit.
- You mean complete freedom for the sake of the mission? - I asked again, wondering if my ears were deceiving me.
- Exactly," the Phantom answered briefly.
- I feel like SPEKTR. Well, I'll go up there. But can I get some sleep first? I was on the shuttle for five hours. - I'd like to ask that little favour.
- Sure. You got ten extra hours. Alliance doesn't even know what happened to the colony. So you can rest now.
- Thank you. Over and out," I said goodbye and went to bed. Sitting in a shuttle for five hours while listening to those two interrogate me was too much.
****
Ten minutes later. Same place.
- What's the result? - Ghost asked, turning to Miranda.
- The performance was a success. She believes we resurrected her and also rescued her from the robots.
- Sending her off to fight the robots before she regained consciousness was reckless.
- Don't worry. Don't worry, Miranda. "The robots were firing live ammunition but couldn't hit Shepard, not with the program. The important thing is she's ours now.
- She's ours now," the Wraith agreed, taking a drag on his cigarette. "She's stifled her dislike of us and agreed to cooperate. [puff] However, she doesn't trust us. Yes, she's grateful, even doubly so, but... Her trust will have to be earned.
- And how do we do that? - Miranda asked.
- Are you asking me? - The man retorted. - You can do whatever you want; you can seduce her for all I care. We have to make her trust us.
- Well, no one said it would be easy. Let's do it, Ghost.
- Over and out," Ghost said, taking one last puff before he tossed the cigarette out and got a new one.
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