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Slaves of Cerberus	By : NakedOwlMan Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 138070 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Mass Effect and all the characters in it are owned by people that are not me. I have not made a cent off this work of fiction

Chapter List
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"Brynn. Brynn, wake up."

Brynn blinked her eyes in the darkness, feeling a hand on her shoulder. "Just another ten minutes," she muttered. "Don't have to be at the lab until 9."

"I know, Brynn. But I want to show you something," said the voice, and after several more seconds of confusion Brynn finally remembered that Ruben was back. And as her eyes adjusted in the dark, she could see his nervous face hovering above her. "We don't have much time, so I need you to wake up right now."

"Okay, okay," Brynn said, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "What is it, Ruben? Can't it wait until later?"

Ruben shook his head. "Gotta do this now. I spotted Morgan in the public section a minute ago. Have to show you this while she's away from the security room."

As she finally realized what Ruben was saying, and heard the nervous tremble in his voice, Brynn was immediately awake. "What's going on, Ruben?" she asked. "Is it something to do with what's going on in the restricted area?"

Ruben gave her a nod. "You said you wanted to see what we're working on," he quietly said. "Well, now's our chance." Sitting down on the side of the bed, he held up his arm, which was soon surrounded in light. "I interfaced my omni-tool with one of the camera feeds from back there. I think once you see this, you'll understand what's really at stake here. And how important your work is going to be for the future of Cerberus."

Part of Brynn wanted to tell him to forget it. That it wasn't worth breaching protocol like this just to satisfy her curiosity. But that curiosity ended up winning out in the end, and she watched in rapt attention as Ruben tapped buttons on his omni-tool.

"Brynn, before we do this... I just want to warn you that what you're about to see might be a bit of a shock," Ruben said. "And that no matter what, this information cannot leave this room. As far as Cerberus secrets go, this one is pretty much right there at the top. And for obvious reasons, no one else can ever know. Can you deal with that?"

Laying a hand on Ruben's shoulder, Brynn furrowed her brow. "You know I can, Ruben," Brynn said. "Show me."

"Just remember... I warned you," Ruben said, before hitting the last button and activating the video feed on his omni-tool. A hovering video image appeared above his forearm.

At first, Brynn wasn't sure what she was being shown. It looked like some sort of research laboratory, with machinery and testing equipment everywhere. Brynn recognized most of it from her own work: many of the devices were used for work on the human brain. But the large machine at the center of the room, Brynn had no idea what its function could possibly be.

And then she spotted the cylinder-like pod at the far end of the room. "What is that?" she asked Ruben, pointing to the pod on the video image. "Some sort of stasis device?"

"Close," Ruben said. "It's actually a device used to grow and develop... clones."

Brynn let out a gasp. She had heard rumors about Cerberus experimenting with human cloning. But never in her years working with the last incarnation of this organization had she ever seen something like this. "Is there... is there a clone in there right now? I can't see with the glass covered like that."

"And there's a very good reason why it's covered," Ruben responded. "Because the clone in that pod... is one of someone very important to Cerberus. One could say, perhaps the most important man of all."

"It's..." Brynn started to say, then fell silent as she realized what Ruben was saying. "It's him, isn't it? It's a clone of the Illusive Man."

"We found it when we first arrived on this station," Ruben responded. "We're not sure if it was intended to be some sort of emergency source for organ transplants, or if he had bigger intentions for it. Regardless, as soon as we saw it, Miss Brooks and I knew that we had to put it to use."

"Put it to use how?" Brynn asked, staring at the pod and imagining the clone floating inside. "After everything that happened during the war... the Illusive Man is probably the most hated human in the galaxy. What use could a clone of him possibly have?"

Ruben paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and collecting himself for what was to come. "That, Brynn, is where Shepard comes in. It's the biggest reason why we went to so much effort to recruit her. Because the only way we're going to make the galaxy believe in us... to believe in Cerberus again, is for her to be with us. And to tell the world that the clone in that pod is not actually a clone. That he is actually the real, original Illusive Man."

Brynn stared at Ruben, trying to process what he was telling her. "You mean... she's going to lie? But why?"

"To many humans out there, the Illusive Man was Cerberus. His charisma, his influence was the reason that so many of us believed in the vision of Cerberus. The notion of bringing Cerberus back to its former glory without the Illusive Man is a difficult one. Shepard knows this. That's why she agreed to our plan. Once the clone is brought back to life, Shepard will tell the world that the clone is actually the real Illusive Man. That the man that turned Cerberus into a pack of indoctrinated psychopaths was actually a clone, and that the real Illusive Man was being held in stasis on this station ever since the war began."

Brynn shook her head. "I don't know, Ruben. You really think people are going to believe that? That this clone would really be able to convince people that he's the real Illusive Man?"

"He will," Ruben responded. "You'd be surprised, Brynn, how easily people will believe. And with Shepard backing up the clone's story, the galaxy will be sure to rally behind us. Cerberus will be back to the way it used to be: the Illusive Man leading us, without the indoctrination of the Reapers warping his mind. With him, Shepard, and Miss Brooks... our dreams of furthering the cause of humanity will finally be realized."

"But... what does this have to do with me?" Brynn asked. "You said that my work in particular was important to the future of Cerberus?"

Ruben let out a low sigh. "When we arrived on this station, back when it was Avernus Station... it wasn't in the best shape. Machines had been left unattended. Entire electrical systems had been deactivated. And when we found the Illusive Man clone... well, the best I could say is that it was still alive, technically. Heart still beating, lungs still pumping oxygen with the help of a machine. But the brain was completely dead. The clone is little more than a vegetable at this point. Which is why..."

"Which is why Cerberus needs me to recreate the Lazarus Project," Brynn finished Ruben's sentence. "You need me to reactivate the clone's brain."

"I wish I could have told you before, Brynn," Ruben said. "But I'm sure you understand now why this had to be kept under wraps. We need everyone to believe that this Illusive Man is the real one. If word got out that Cerberus was being commanded by a clone? Some thing created in a laboratory? It would doom us before we even really got started."

Brynn struggled for words. She was being hit with so much shocking information at once, she had a hard time knowing where to begin. "Okay, say I'm successful," Brynn said. "Say I recreated Miranda Lawson's work and succeeded in reactivating the human brain after its death. We still only have an Illusive Man clone with no memories. It would take years... decades for us to teach him enough to successfully impersonate the real Illusive Man. And even then, it wouldn't be perfect. There would always be the chance that he would slip up somehow. Reveal himself."

"You see that device in the center of the room?" Ruben asked Brynn, and she nodded. "That machine is one of the greatest inventions Cerberus has ever devised. From the notes that were left behind, the scientists here referred to it as a 'memory transference device.' It works on many of the same principles as standard neural implants, but at a much deeper level." He pointed to the two metal tables sitting on either side of the device. "It would allow us to take one human's memories, and completely transfer them over to another human's mind. Every single scrap of memory, down to the briefest of recollections, would be implanted into the target subject's brain. Even things like muscle memory and instinctual reactions would be replicated at 100% accuracy."

"Such a device... it doesn't seem possible," Brynn said, staring at the memory transference device in awe. "But Ruben... even if it works as you say, the Illusive Man is dead. His body burned up in the wreckage of the Crucible. We don't have access to his memories anymore."

Ruben held up a finger. "But that's where you're wrong. Because the Illusive Man planned ahead for his potential demise. Once the memory transference device was complete, he made sure to have the scientists here create a complete scan of his mental activity. And when we arrived here, his brain scan was still stored in the station's memory banks. So, once you are able to revive the clone's mind, we'll transfer the Illusive Man's memories into it and..." Ruben snapped his fingers. "It will be as if the Illusive Man is alive and well again."

He seemed so excited about all of this, but Brynn couldn't keep the doubts from creeping in. "Ruben, I don't know. You seem so sure that the only reason the Illusive Man went crazy at the end was because of the indoctrination. But sometimes I think back to how he was even before the Reapers arrived... and I wonder if maybe it wasn't just the Reapers in the end. Are we sure we can put our faith in him again?"

"Don't worry," Ruben said. "Me and Miss Brooks have some ideas for how to keep the clone in line once he's up and talking. We won't let him lead us down another dark path like the last time, believe me." Reaching to his arm, Ruben deactivated his omni-tool. "But we'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, just keep working on the Lazarus Project as you were. After all, it's not just Cerberus and our Illusive Man clone that will benefit from rediscovering the secret to restoring life. The entire galaxy will benefit as well."

Leaning over to her, Ruben gave her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to head back to the restricted area to go over some more notes. Why don't you get back to sleep, hon? We want to make sure you're well-rested and ready to tackle this important project, don't we?"

"Sure, Ruben," Brynn said, reluctantly laying her head back down on the pillow. "See you tonight," she muttered, as Ruben stood up and left their quarters.

But as he left her alone in the darkness, Brynn found herself unable to sleep.
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Slaves of Cerberus