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Slaves of Cerberus	By : NakedOwlMan Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 138068 -:- 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

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"Ah, Commander Shepard!" said the smarmy-looking maître d, in what sounded like a phony French accent. "Your table is ready."

Anna Shepard nodded, then raised a hand to greet her dining companion. It was funny, she wouldn't have thought Joker to be the sushi type. But sure enough, there he was. Wearing that baseball cap of his in the middle of a fancy restaurant. "Don't ever change, Joker," she thought to herself, as she walked past the line of patrons unlucky enough to not have a reservation, and made her way into the restaurant.

"Good evening," called out the bartender. French accent again. Why all the French accents in a sushi restaurant? "Would the lady care for a drink?"

"Maybe later," Shepard said as she passed the bar. "I'm meeting a friend."

"Very good. Enjoy your evening," the bartender said, his attention already starting to move to another patron.

As she pulled back her chair, Joker looked up with wide eyes. "Hey, Shepard. Not bad, huh? This sushi place is serious. Like, 'French guy at the door' serious. Only had to save the galaxy three times to get a table here. You've seen the line outside?"

Shepard glanced over at the entrance, and spotted a dark-skinned woman in an Alliance uniform waving. In the direction of their table, as a matter of fact. Was she trying to get their attention? Shepard dismissed it. If there was some pressing matter the Alliance brass needed her for, it would have to wait until after dinner.

"But here I am," Joker continued, raising his glass of what Shepard presumed to be sake. "Drink in hand. Best pilot in the universe and a rock star."

Shepard chuckled to herself. "It's good to see you again, Joker. God, how long has it been?"

"About five months, I think," Joker said, tipping his drink back for a long swig. "How's the Normandy been doing?"

"Fine," Shepard said with a warm smile. "Although sometimes it feels like it's missing something. Like the best pilot in the universe."

Joker let out a sigh. "Ah, Shepard, we've been over this. Not to sound harsh, but going back now to pilot the Normandy would be like, heaven forbid, if something were ever to happen to Liara, and the Alliance made you fly around in her hollowed-out corpse. Even bringing the Normandy back from that uncharted planet after they got the relays back up and running... not an experience I'd want to repeat."

Shepard cast her eyes away from the table, down at the ground. "Joker, I'm sorry. I didn't..."

"Oh, don't get all mopey on me, Shepard," Joker said. "We've been through this before. You made the right call. The Reapers, all the messed-up shit they did to people... that all had to get taken out, no matter the cost. I don't care what that creepy kid said to you: trying to take control of the Reapers probably would have left you just like the Illusive Man. Out of your goddamned mind and wanting to take over the world. And that whole 'fusing organic and synthetic life' thing? I can't imagine anyone thinking that was a good idea. Destroying the Reapers was the right call, hell, the only call you could make in that situation."

"Still," Shepard said. "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."

"Shepard, after everything you and I have gone through, you think I could ever hate you?" Joker reassured her. "I mean, you could have lied to me, said that blowing up the Reapers and every AI in the galaxy was the only option you had. But you told me the truth, straight up, and that took some guts. Trust me, Commander: if you were piloting any other ship in the Alliance right now, I'd be breaking every bone in my body rushing to be in your cockpit. But not that ship. Too many bad memories."

"I understand," Shepard said. "So, how are things on the Orpheus?"

"Not bad," Joker said. "Not as many big cool guns as the Normandy had, for sure. They retro-fitted it with a drive core based off the original SR-1's design, but it's still missing that extra oomph that the SR-2 had. Honestly, after both Normandys, the Orpheus kinda feels like 'Baby's First Alliance Frigate.'"

"Sounds like hell," Shepard said with a smirk. "Hope you're at least getting along with the crew."
"I suppose. XO's a bit of a hardass, but at least me and the Commander both have something in common. We both lost somebody we cared about at the end of the war." Realizing he was taking them back on a touchy subject, Joker cleared his throat. "Speaking of which... suppose they've roped you into being a part of this whole 'Third Anniversary of the Day We Kicked A Whole Lot of Reaper Ass' thing."

"The Crucible Day Celebration?" Shepard asked.

Joker smiled and waved a finger. "I was close."

"It could have been worse," Shepard said. "I had to fight for a while to keep them from calling it 'Shepard Day.'"

"May not be Shepard Day in name, but it damn sure is in spirit," Joker said, gesturing up at the Citadel lights. At least two vid-screens were filled with Shepard's face, alongside images of the Crucible, and various recordings of celebrations on the day it was fired, and the Reapers destroyed. "So, you gonna give a big speech? Any big plans for the event?"

"Well, there is one thing," Shepard said, glancing around to make sure nobody was watching. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Come on, you know me, Shepard. Anything you say to me won't leave this overpriced sushi restaurant."

Reaching into her pocket, Shepard pulled out a small box, and opened it to show the contents to Joker.

Joker arched his eyebrows. "Shepard, I dunno. I mean, we've known each other for a while. But I think we're moving a little fast, here." Shepard laughed, and Joker grinned back at her. "So you're finally gonna go for it, huh? You know, me and Garrus had a little bet going on that. Last I heard, he predicted that you wouldn't pop the question until the anniversary of when the next Reaper invasion would have happened. So, you'll be beating his guess by about 50,000 years, give or take."

"Cut me some slack, Joker," Shepard said. "You know how things have been. I've been off with the Normandy helping with relief operations. Liara's been going back to Thessia to help with the cleanup there. We've hardly gotten that much time together since the relays got repaired. But right now... I think it's time. The relay network is back up and running, the Citadel is repaired." Letting out a long sigh, Shepard said. "I think I'm done playing hero, Joker. I've got a spot lined up on Earth, out of the way. A place where Liara and I can live our lives in peace. No more fighting, no more death. Just the two of us... and a gaggle of little blue babies."

"And if anybody deserves it, it's you, Shepard," Joker said with a warm smile. Picking up his glass, he raised it. "To Mrs. and... uh... Mrs. Shepard, and their brave efforts to boost the asari population of the galaxy."

"I'll drink to that," Shepard said, pouring herself a drink and raising it in a toast.

"But seriously, Shepard," Joker said, swallowing his drink. "That was the big news you sent me that urgent message about? Not that I'm not thrilled, but you made it sound like something dire was going on. Like Saren was back from the dead and wanted to challenge you to a dance-off, or something."

"Urgent message?" Shepard asked, cocking her head. "Joker, I came here because you sent me a message."

The two of them stared at each other for several seconds, before a third voice entered the conversation.

"Commander!" called out the dark-skinned Alliance officer, rushing through the crowd and nearly bowling over a waiter as she went. "Excuse me, sorry. Alliance business," she stammered, reaching down to grab the datapad she dropped before resuming her mad dash to Shepard and Joker's table.

"Hope she's not judging the dance-off," Joker quipped, as the officer caught her breath upon reaching their table.

"Commander Shepard, I'm Staff Analyst Maya Brooks," the woman said. "Alliance... excuse me..." she paused to snap off a brief salute before continuing. "Alliance Intelligence. There are people trying to kill you."

Shepard and Joker exchanged a look, and Joker chuckled. "There are still people that stupid out there?" he remarked. "You'd think after she blew up every Reaper in the galaxy, they might set their sights on something a little easier."
"I hardly believed it myself," Brooks said. "But someone is hacking your account. Comm channels, personal records... They're targeting you, specifically."

"Targeting me?" Shepard asked. "What do they want?"

"The intel isn't definitive yet," Brooks said. "Last time I guessed without definitive intel, we almost landed troops on a gas giant. Which is bad."

Shepard raised a hand to calm the frantic analyst. "Hang on, Brooks. Take a breath." After Brooks had calmed herself, Shepard spoke. "From the top. What do you know?"

Before Brooks could gather her thoughts, however, Shepard heard the sound of a scuffle at the door. She turned in time to see a squad of heavily-armed mercs walking into the restaurant. As the bullets started to fly and Shepard and Joker dove behind their table, Shepard began to suspect that her proposal to Liara might be postponed again after all.

* * *

Several hours later, in Shepard's apartment, the group of them caught their breath, patched up their wounds, and figured out what to do next.

As she ran a search through the Shadow Broker databases on the gun Shepard had obtained during the battle, Liara looked around the apartment. She was glad to see such old friends together, although she couldn't help but wish it had been under better circumstances. They were supposed to all be here to participate in the big Crucible Day ceremony, as representatives of their respective species. Little did they know that a bunch of heavily-armed mercs would end up turning the eve of the ceremony into a day of violence.

Still, it was good to see Shepard again. Liara had spent the last few months on Thessia, working with what remained of the asari government to bring their homeworld back from the utter devastation the Reapers had left it in. Even after more than a year of work, however, it still made her heart ache to see the current state of her planet. Liara had been looking forward to this chance to leave behind the ruins of her home planet, at least for a little while, and enjoy the company of the woman she loved. A pity that their time together had to start in a hail of gunfire.

She heard a coarse laugh to her left, and glanced over to see Garrus and Wrex sharing jokes over by one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. Like Liara, both of them had been back on their homeworlds, working to rebuild Palaven and Tuchanka. From what Liara had heard on the extranet, things were going well on the turian homeworld. And considering the state Tuchanka had been in before Wrex had united the clans, things could only improve from there.

Liara caught Garrus shooting a furtive glance across the room, and followed his gaze over to the kitchen. For a second, Liara didn't recognize the young, pretty female in the brightly colored clothes and rebreather mask, chatting pleasantly with Joker. It had been a long time since Liara had seen Tali, and the last time she had still been wearing the environmental suit that had once been the only face the quarian race presented to the world.

But times had changed. And while Shepard's actions had wiped out the geth as a race, Tali's people had observed the methods the AIs had been using to attempt to cure the quarian immune system. Using VIs and other permitted technologies, the quarian people had managed to replicate the process, to enough of a point that many of the weaknesses of their immune systems had been severely reduced in a rapid period of time.

It wasn't a complete cure yet. Airborne viruses and bacteria were still a concern, which necessitated the breathing mask that Tali wore. And living outside the suit the way that Tali was, she required frequent doses of immune boosters and other medications. But, Tali had told Liara once in an extranet message, taking a whole pharmacy's worth of pills and injections every few hours was more than enough of a price to pay, if it meant not being sealed in a suit the rest of her life.
Tali, like Garrus and Wrex, had been on the Citadel as a representative of her race for the Crucible Day celebration. Liara imagined Tali wasn't thrilled to have to be away from Rannoch. She still remembered how depressed Tali had gotten after a few months stuck on that planet, waiting for the mass relays to be repaired. Even on a lush green planet like the one they had found themselves on, Tali had obviously yearned to be back on the home she had barely gotten to know before being forced to leave.

On the other hand, Liara observed, from the glances Tali was throwing back in Garrus's direction, she obviously had something more to look forward to on her visit to the Citadel than just a few parades and parties.

Liara's gaze wandered over to the one other alien representative in the room. While all the others in the room were picked out from several different candidates, there was no competition for this race's chosen spokesman. Or if there was, it was a competition of one.

Javik sullenly stared out the window, noticing Liara's stare and only briefly meeting it before looking away again. Liara let out a quiet sigh. She couldn't imagine what the sole survivor of the Prothean race was going through right now.

For a time there, the two of them had actually formed a bond, however brief. During the five months they had spent stranded, waiting for the mass relays to be repaired, Liara had gotten her chance to probe Javik on his thoughts. She had taken copious amounts of notes, and "Conversations with a Prothean" had become a best-selling book once it had been published.

When the relay network had been repaired, however, Javik had received some disquieting news when the Normandy returned home. During the course of their war against the Reapers, the corrupted race of former Protheans known as the Collectors had reemerged. Several skirmishes had occurred with them over the course of the war, and due to the actions of the ancient race known as the Leviathans, several of these Collector troops were actually freed from the control of the Reapers.

These "Awakened Collectors," as they came to be known, ended up fighting alongside the rest of the assembled races over the course of the war. And whatever process had freed them from the control of the Reapers, had also spared them from the devastating wave of energy that had emerged from the Crucible, which had killed all of the other twisted Reaper monstrosities.

And now that the war was over, these Collectors would have to find a way to live in a world that saw them as something horrible. A fearsome reminder of the living nightmare the galaxy had been plunged into not that long ago.

Once Javik had learned about these Awakened Collectors, he had expressed a desire to speak with them. The Alliance, as a show of gratitude, had set aside a small, uncolonized planet for the few remaining Collectors to call their home. And, Liara knew, as a place to keep them out of sight. Javik had spent the last few months on this planet, living with the Awakened Collectors and, Liara guessed, trying to see if there was anything left of his race within their mangled bodies.

And from the way Javik had acted since he'd arrived on the Citadel, Liara guessed that what he had found during his time there had not gone well. Liara couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him, being given hope that perhaps some of his species were still alive, only to find them as twisted husks of what he remembered from his former life.

Finally, her gaze went over to the trio of humans over by the stairwell. Shepard was conferring with several of the current crew members of the Normandy SR-2. Steve Cortez, who had taken over as the pilot after Joker had requested a transfer, and James Vega, Shepard's second-in-command.

Seeing Shepard like this, together with so many of their friends, reminded Liara of the party they had held here, back during the war. Everybody together, taking a brief moment to forget about the terrible trials to come. Laughing with each other, drinking way too much (Liara vaguely remembered making a fool of herself dancing up on the balcony), and later that night, once everybody had gone to sleep and she and Shepard were alone... Goddess, it had been incredible.
It had been one of her fondest memories, one that had carried her through many nights separated from Shepard. Of course, this apartment hadn't been Shepard's at that time. Technically speaking, she was borrowing it from Admiral Anderson. Unfortunately, Anderson had not lived through the war. And while Shepard had felt a bit off-put at the thought of "inheriting" her mentor's home, the Council had been adamant. "We need people to feel confident in moving back onto the Citadel," they had told her. "And the hero of the war making her home there would help reassure the people that the danger the Citadel once presented is now gone for good."

Liara doubted that Shepard's choice of residence had been the only reason, but the Council couldn't be disappointed with the results: the repaired Citadel had nearly returned to its former glory. The streets were bustling once again with every known species in the galaxy, and the Citadel had turned into the center of galactic civilization once again.

Although, the center of galactic civilization had been relocated just a little bit. The Citadel now hung above Earth, and that wasn't the only thing that had changed about the human home planet. While all planets were working to restore themselves after the Reaper war, Earth ended up becoming one of the most thriving planets in the wake of the victory. With nowhere else to go due to the relays being disabled, many of the soldiers who had fought in the final battle of the war now found themselves forced to make a home on Earth. Turians, asari, krogan, salarians... all of them worked together to clear away the debris and bodies left in the wake of the conflict. Even after the relays were repaired, many of these aliens decide to stay on Earth. And when the relay networks were brought back up, and many galactic corporations resumed their operations on the Citadel, the amount of aliens making their homes on Earth instead of the now-crowded Citadel only increased. Some experts were estimating that the alien population of the human homeworld would soon outstrip the natives of this once-humble blue planet. A fact that left some humans, like Charles Saracino and his Terra Firma party, more than a little disturbed.

But politics were the last thing on anyone's mind right now. A beeping sound from Liara's omnitool alerted her to the results of her search. She heard Shepard approaching. "I've made some progress. Would you like me to call the meeting?"

Liara detailed the results of her findings to the group. The source of the weapon was Elijah Khan, a casino owner who had been suspected of smuggling weapons onto the Citadel back before the Crucible had been fired. Now, it seemed, he had returned to old habits. A call made shortly after the attack on Shepard had Khan talking to a mysterious other party, lambasting them for making such a big scene and having one of his weapons show up on the nightly news. The person on the other end, their identity hidden by a ID disguiser, tried to mollify Khan, but was met with threats of exposure.

After discussing their options, a plan was forged. "Later tonight, the casino will be hosting a special Crucible Day celebration," Glyph informed the group.

"Purchase some tickets, Glyph," Liara instructed the info drone, "then call up a layout of the building."

Studying the schematic that Glyph produced, the best option seemed to be to use an airshaft to reach a storage area. Controls there would allow whoever sneaked inside to disable the camera outside the panic room where Khan would most likely be holed up. Any alarms in the shaft could be disabled, but whoever went through the shaft would have to be small enough to fit, but also able to remain undetected by any security systems in place. After a short discussion, Brooks was decided to be the only possible option, and she reluctantly agreed.

"Glyph," Liara asked, after their plans were finalized. "How long until the event is scheduled to start?"

"Your reservations have been set for 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 55 seconds from the beep," Glyph rattled off, then added, "Beep."

Liara turned to Shepard with an unmistakable look. "Well, then. I believe we have some time to... get dressed."
Shepard read Liara's intentions like they were written on her face, and returned her devious smile. "Why don't we go upstairs and get ready, Liara? I'll help you with your zipper."

"Much appreciated, Shepard," Liara said, while the rest of the group except for Brooks rolled their eyes and started making their way to the door.

"Wait, where are we going?" Brooks said, as Tali took her by the arm and started leading her away. "I could use help getting ready, too."

Tali patted her on the shoulder while pulling her out of the apartment. "Come with me, Maya. I know a place on the Presidium that has the most gorgeous dresses. We're gonna make you look so pretty..."

The door closed behind them, and Liara and Shepard found themselves alone together.

There was the briefest of pauses, and Liara said, "So, should we..."

Shepard nodded, and in a flash they were together. Lips pressed together in a violent kiss, hands caressing and groping every inch of each other's bodies.

"Goddess, I missed you, Shepard," Liara breathed, as she yanked down the zipper of the hooded jacket Shepard wore and practically tore the garment to shreds trying to get it off her.

Shepard let out a throaty laugh, while she helped Liara with the sleeves of the hoodie and threw it on the table. "I can see that," she said, as Liara was tugging at the t-shirt underneath, pulling it over her lover's head and exposing the pale pink skin of her torso. As Liara returned to kissing Shepard, her fingers curled around the swell of the human woman's breast. She pulled at the delicate fabric of Shepard's bra, exposing the warm mound of flesh underneath.

"Damn," Shepard said, as Liara leaned to wrap her mouth around Shepard's stiffened nipple. "Whatever happened to that innocent little asari archaeologist I rescued from a Prothean dig site? That shy little maiden who could barely finish a sentence without stammering?"

Liara pulled away from Shepard's breast long enough to smirk up at her. "You happened to her, Shepard. You came along with your smooth talk, and your sexy human body, and you corrupted her. Why... do you miss that innocent maiden?" Liara punctuated the question by leaning back down and lightly pressing her teeth down on Shepard's nipple.

Shepard hissed, and then threw her head back and moaned as Liara's hand reached down under her waistband. "Not for a single second," she said. Her breath hitched as Liara's probing hand found its target, already dripping with anticipation.

Goddess, she loved this woman. The look, the smell... and the taste of her. Liara rolled her tongue around and around Shepard's nipple, soaking it in her saliva. All while her fingers stroked and probed between Shepard's legs. Her human lover pressed her hips into Liara's touch, her hand reaching up behind Liara's neck and lovingly caressing her head crest.

It didn't take long for Liara's skillful digits to achieve the desired effect. She was pleased to hear Shepard's moans of release, as her juices gushed out against Liara's hands. As Shepard shuddered in the aftermath of her climax, Liara withdrew her hand from Shepard's pants, and made a show of lovingly licking the aftermath of Shepard's orgasm from her fingers.

"Dirty girl," Shepard said, and Liara let out a surprised squeal as Shepard lightly shoved her backwards, her ass landing on the edge of the table in the dining room. Crouching down, Shepard began working on unfastening Liara's boots. Breathing heavily in anticipation, Liara began stripping off her jacket and top. By the time she felt the cool air of the apartment on her bare breasts, Shepard had removed both of Liara's boots and was gripping the waistband of her pants.

Liara leaned back on the table and raised up her hips, allowing Shepard to yank off her pants and underwear in one swift motion. Completely naked now, Liara reached up to caress her own breasts, staring down as Shepard gently parted her legs and lowered her head to Liara's glistening mound.
As Shepard's tongue and fingers went to work on Liara's slit, Liara closed her thighs around Shepard's head, her legs slung over Shepard's shoulders. Goddess, if she could just keep Shepard trapped down forever, the two of them staying in this apartment and just fucking for all eternity.

She tried not to think about what was inevitably going to come after all this was over. They'd participate in the (most likely terribly boring) Crucible Day ceremony, maybe get a few more days together. But in the end, Liara would have to go back to Thessia, and Shepard would have to take the Normandy back out to keep the peace in the galaxy.

"Goddess, I know you don't exist," Liara thought to herself. "You're just a Prothean who foolishly thought that the asari might be able to stop the Reapers on our own. But if you, or any other deity up there can hear me, my prayer is this: find a way for me and this gorgeous, wonderful, perfect human being to be together for the rest of our lives, and never have to part again. I don't care how you do it, just... I can't bear to be away from her anymore."

She could feel her climax approaching, Shepard skilled as always in knowing just where every sensitive spot was on her body, and stimulating them until it drove Liara insane. Reaching down, Liara worked her fingers through Shepard's red hair and pressed in to the scalp underneath. Just as she was ready to cum, she reached out with her mind, melding with Shepard as her eyes went black.

Her consciousness joined with Shepard's, the two of them became almost one mind. She could feel Shepard digging for the memories of the last few months they had been separated, and Liara did the same. It had been a way for them to deal with the long separations they had been forced to have since the end of the Reaper war. Both of them spending as many nights as they could manage alone in their bed, thinking about the other woman as they got themselves off in as many ways as they could think of. Shepard, apparently, had purchased a rather inventive looking sex toy before she shipped off the last time, and Liara relieved every orgasm Shepard had given herself with the device.

Liara had stuck to the old-fashioned ways, however. She had whispered Shepard's name as she'd fingered herself in her bedroom, the thought of Shepard getting to feel what she was doing when they next melded bringing her to a shuddering climax night after night.

But as Liara experienced all of Shepard's memories, she noticed something odd. They were normally completely open with each other during these moments. But Liara could feel a dark spot in Shepard's memory. Something she was hiding from Liara. If she wanted to, Liara could have most likely probed past Shepard's mental defenses and seen what she was hiding. But the fact that Shepard was even bothering to hide something at all was intriguing Liara more than whatever was behind the mental block.

As the meld ended, and Liara returned to her own body and the amazing climax that was currently racing through it, she looked down at Shepard with a puzzled expression.

Shepard, of course, already knew what she had seen, and gave Liara a reassuring smile. "It's a surprise, Liara," Shepard told her. "Trust me, I'll tell you all about it at the Crucible Day ceremony. Just now, with everything that's happening... it's not the right time."

Liara reached down to stroke Shepard's cheek. "Okay," she said. "I do trust you, Shepard. And I'm sure it'll be just as worth the wait as this was."

"More than worth it, Liara," Shepard said. Standing up straight, still looking so powerful and dignified even with one of her breasts hanging out of her bra, Shepard pulled up her omni-tool. "You know, we've still got a little more than an hour left until we have to get to the casino," she suggestively noted.
"A tempting offer, but we really do need to start getting ready for tonight," Liara said, hopping up from the table and heading towards the stairs. Despite her refusal, she still made sure to put an extra saunter in her step as she strode naked across the apartment, feeling Shepard's eyes on her ass and loving every second of it. She had never thought of herself as "sexy" before she had met Shepard, but knowing that Shepard was drinking in her bare skin, slick with the sweat of their passion, made her feel like the most beautiful asari who'd ever lived.

The two of them got cleaned up and dressed, Liara's thoughts still on the memories that Shepard was blocking from her. She trusted Shepard, she really did. But Shepard had never done anything like this before. Not even after they had defeated the Shadow Broker, and Shepard had confirmed what Liara already knew from her surveillance: that Shepard and Garrus had had a brief fling just before they had gone through the Omega 4 relay. Liara had trusted her when Shepard had said that it was a mistake that wouldn't be repeated, and the next time the two of them melded Liara saw the moment when Shepard had broken it off with Garrus.

Shepard had been so honest about that. What could she hiding now? It was in her thoughts all the way until the skycar arrived, and the two of them headed off to the casino.

* * *

"Uh... nice dress, Brooks," Shepard said, as she, Liara, and Brooks made their way past the crowd of people into the Silver Coast Casino.

"Is it?" Brooks said, picking at the fabric of the brightly-colored pink and purple frock. "Tali said it looked great on me, but I don't know. You think the color might be a little much?"

Liara chimed in. "I think it's perfect," she said, trying her best to stifle her laugh. Tali was a good friend and sweet person. Nobody had the heart to tell her, since she'd gotten out of her suit and started picking her own clothing, that her fashion sense was utterly atrocious.

"It's terrible, isn't it?" Brooks said, with dread in her voice. "Dammit, I'm supposed to be blending in, here! Not sticking out like a sore thumb."

"Don't worry about it, Brooks," Shepard assured her. "I'm sure you'll do fine."

Brooks took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and nodded. "Right, okay. On it," she said, and then headed up to the steps on her search for the maintenance shaft.

"Khan has a lot of surveillance set up," Liara said. "I'd mingle with the guests if you want to look normal."

Heading up the stairs, Shepard caught another glimpse of Brooks, her hideous dress catching a few glances as she made her way up to the shaft entrance. It reminded Shepard a lot of that horrible Phoenix Armor that Ashley used to wear. Whoever had designed the color scheme on that gaudy outfit didn't know the first thing about combat camouflage.

And that got Shepard thinking about Ashley. She wondered what the second human Spectre was up to right now. Shepard actually hadn't heard from Ash in a couple months. No doubt she was working on some important Council business right now, probably some dangerous assignment deep in the Terminus Systems with no access to the extranet. Or maybe...

"Well, hey there. Care to join me for a drink, stranger?"

...or maybe she was right behind Shepard at that very moment, forcing a smile on her face while her eyes blazed with agitation. From the undertone of her voice, the invitation to join her at the bar was not optional.

"Sure, let's go," Shepard said, trying her best to keep up with Ash as she quickly stepped up the stairs to the upper floor. Damn, even in heels, that woman could move.

"Shepard, what the hell are you doing here?" Ash hissed at her once they found a quiet spot at the bar. "Are you trying to blow my cover?"

Shepard held up a hand. "Hold on. First off, I had no idea that you were even on the Citadel, much less at this casino. Maybe if you answered my messages more often, this wouldn't have happened."

Sighing, Ash pressed thumb and forefinger to the sides of her nose. "I'm sorry, Shepard. If I could have told you, I would have. But... the Council specifically asked me to keep you in the dark on this one."
"The Council... Ash, what's going on?"

Ash checked around them, making sure that nobody was within ear shot, before leaning close to Shepard. "The owner of this casino, Elijah Khan, has been making some very strange money transfers recently."

"That's hardly a secret, Ash," Shepard said. "We already knew he was involved in weapons smuggling."

But Ash shook her head. "It's more than that, Shepard. We think he might be funneling money to... to..." Ash gritted her teeth. "To Cerberus."

At first, Shepard thought it was a joke. But Ash's expression was dead serious. "Ash, that's impossible. The Illusive Man died on the Crucible. Cerberus is dead."

"That's what we all thought," Ash said, taking a drink offered by the bartender and knocking it back. "But about six months ago we've started seeing a lot of Cerberus chips going dark. Too many to just be a coincidence."

Shepard considered this. After the Crucible was activated and all Reaper tech was disabled, the indoctrination that many of the Cerberus troops had been subjected to was reversed. As a substantial number of Cerberus members were conscripted into service against their will, the Council and Alliance hadn't felt it would be appropriate to punish any members of the organization for crimes they may not have willingly committed.

On the other hand, they weren't about to just let these people completely off the hook. Any former members of Cerberus who were captured or came forward on their own were essentially put on "parole." They were implanted with tracking chips, and expected to check in with a designated Council representative on a monthly basis.

It wasn't a perfect system, but up until this very moment, Shepard had been under the impression that it was working out just fine.

"And those chips can't just be cut out by any average doctor," Shepard mused. "Tampering with them would send a warning signal out to the Citadel, unless..."

"Unless somebody with serious skills, or a lot of money to put into some very expensive tech took it out," Ashley said. "The type of money that somebody like, say, the owner of a casino might have to throw around."

Shepard shook her head. "Still, that's not proof that it's Cerberus. Maybe some of these folks are just sick of being tracked, and Khan's got a side business going helping them get unchipped."

"It's not just that, Shepard," Ashley said. "We've been seeing reports of recruitment fliers going out. Never coming right out and saying the name, of course, but a lot of talk about 'keeping Earth for humans' and 'paying the aliens back for waiting until the last minute to help us.' Lots of reports of people with known anti-alien sentiments suddenly going off-planet and then disappearing off the grid. It ain't 100%, but it's close enough that the Council has me looking."

"Dammit, Ash, why didn't you tell me about this?" Shepard said under her breath. "Why didn't the Council..." And then it dawned on her, and it took all of her resolve not to bark out every expletive she knew. "They can't be serious. I only..."

"I know, Shepard, I know," Ash tried to mollify her. "Listen, I may not have agreed with it at the time, but I understand why you did it. I'm sure the Council understands why you did it, too. If it was up to me, I would have told you as soon as we got the first reports. But in the end, for however short a time it was, you were a member of Cerberus. And the Council just doesn't want to take any risks on letting you be involved."

Shepard fumed. After all this time, and everything she had done, the Council still didn't completely trust her.

Seeing the anger on Shepard's face, Ash tried her best to change the subject. "So you being here... I assume it has something to do with that massive shootout earlier?"

Biting back her anger for now, Shepard nodded. "A gun that one of the mercs carried has ties to Khan. Liara intercepted a call he made to whoever masterminded the attack. Sounds like the two of them aren't on such great terms anymore. We figured we might be able to get Khan to talk."

"Damn, guess that explains why Khan hasn't been coming out onto the casino floor tonight," Ashley said. "So sounds like the attack on you might be tied up with Cerberus as well."
"Maybe if we can prove that Cerberus is out to kill me, that'll be enough to convince the Council that I'm not going to join back up with them," Shepard bitterly said.

Ashley nodded. "So, I assume that means you've got a plan to get to Khan," she said, and then let out a short laugh. "Ah, who am I kidding? You always have a plan, don't you, Shepard?"

She should be angry with Ash for keeping things from her, but Shepard knew that she'd just been following orders. And it was good to see her again. "Of course I do. Right now it's a three-woman job, but I think we can fit in one more."

"Three-woman job, huh?" Ashley said. "I was pretty sure I spotted Liara as you were coming in, but who's the other one?"

"Maya Brooks. An Alliance analyst. I'll introduce you after we've gotten a chance to talk to Khan, okay?"

"Great. Let's do this," Ashley said.

* * *

"Let's do this!" Ashley called out, as she took point heading deeper into the Citadel Archives.

Shepard followed after Ash, her mind still processing what had happened over the past few hours. They had successfully penetrated Khan's panic room, but their only payoff for the scheme was a dead body and threats from the true mastermind of the attack on Shepard. Not long after they'd returned from the casino empty-handed, Glyph informed Shepard that someone was using her Spectre authorization to access the Citadel Archives.

That "someone," as it turned out, was the last person Shepard would have ever suspected: a clone of herself, created by Cerberus to provide spare organs for the Lazarus Project. And now, she and those mercs were out to steal the Normandy. For what purpose, Shepard couldn't imagine. It wasn't like she would be able to pretend to be the real Shepard for long.

They had split into three teams, Shepard going with Ash and Liara as they searched for the clone. Glyph had informed them that the clone was looking through the Citadel Archives for something, but couldn't tell what. Whatever it was, Shepard didn't intend to let her live long enough to put it to any use.

"Team Hammerhead, we're heading to the next level. What's your location?" Shepard called out over her comms to one of the other teams. There was no response at first, only static. Shepard tried again. "Hammerhead, do you copy?"

Still no response. Something was wrong. Up until now, the mercs they had faced off against hadn't posed much of a challenge. They couldn't have taken out the entire group already... could they?

Rounding the corner, Shepard saw the other group, who'd called themselves "Team Mako." "We'll try to clear a path, Commander!" she heard Brooks say over the comms. "Hammerhead's gone ahead!"

Shepard fired off shots at the mercs up ahead, while Liara sent out a wave of biotic force and Ashley sent a burst of assault rifle fire in their direction. It didn't take long for the mercs to be subdued, and as they started moving forward again, Shepard heard Tali on her commlink. "We see the clone, Shepard! Mako going in!"

After taking out a pair of cloaked snipers, Shepard led her team up the stairs after the rest of the squad. "Team Mako, we're coming up behind! What's your status?"

"We're under..." Shepard heard Brooks say, before her voice was swallowed by static.

"Mako, where are you?" Shepard called out, getting that unsettling feeling again. No response. Charging past several holographic displays, Shepard couldn't help but notice that there were no sounds of gunfire anywhere. No more enemies attacking.

It was, to use a tired cliché, too quiet.

Using her Spectre authorization to move through the next door, Shepard heard Brooks call out. "Commander, over here! Help! We're being cut off!"

Charging forward, Shepard stepped onto one of the moving platforms... and a blue forcefield flared in front of her face, trapping her and her two companions where they stood. "Brooks!" she yelled. "The vault sealed us in!"

"Is there an override?" Liara asked, staring around at the blue field that now encased them with concern in her eyes.

"Not seeing one," Ashley informed the group.

"Cortez? Brooks?" Shepard got back on her comms. "Do you read me? Is anyone on this frequency?"
"The short answer is: no. They're not," said a familiar voice. The clone stepped around the corner, crossing her arms and fixing Shepard with a mocking grin.

Shepard fired off shots in anger at the forcefield, knowing it wouldn't do any good but unable to control herself. Dammit, she was smarter than this. How had she allowed herself to get trapped like this? Where was the rest of her team now?

As if sensing Shepard's question, the clone spoke. "The longer answer involves your friends trapped in iridium vaults and forgotten for... well, forever."

Shepard clenched her fists. "Others know about this. About you. The Alliance will stop you."

The threat didn't seem to bother the clone, however. "What do you think, Staff Analyst Brooks? Will the Alliance stop us?"

And from behind the clone stepped Brooks. Only not the awkward, nervous analyst that Shepard had met in a sushi restaurant several hours ago. But looking confident, self-assured.... and giving Shepard that same cocky smile that the clone currently was. "I wouldn't know. I don't actually work for them."

"Who the hell are you, really?" Shepard asked her. Remembering her conversation with Ash at the bar, she wagered a guess. "You're with Cerberus, aren't you?"

"Yes, but no," Brooks said. "Not the Cerberus you're familiar with, Commander. The Illusive Man let his obsession with your betrayal cloud his judgment. He turned Cerberus from the proud organization it once was into a group with only one goal: stopping the Reapers before you could. In the end it didn't matter to him whether or not the Reapers were truly defeated. All he wanted was to prove you wrong."

"We're bringing Cerberus back the way it was meant to be," the clone said. "An organization dedicated to the advancement of humanity. No more collaborating with aliens like your attack on the Collector base. Humanity went to aliens for help against the Reapers, and what did it get us? They would have gladly let Earth be burnt to rubble if you hadn't flew around the galaxy running all their little errands."

"We were under attack as well!" Liara protested.

Ashley spoke up. "You couldn't have expected aliens to prioritize human lives over the lives of their own species! Shepard helped them save their people so that they could help us save ours!"

"Of course you would take their side," the clone sneered at Ashley. "Just another lap-dog of the Council. And even if they did help us, look what we've gotten in return. Aliens infesting Earth. Crowding out humanity and trying to take our planet for their own. Now, more than ever, humanity needs Cerberus."

"You should consider yourself lucky," Brooks said. "We had originally planned this attack for some time before the Reaper War ended. But after some thought, I managed to convince my associate here that we should bide our time. Wait to see how things turned out. I figured either you would die, Shepard, and then we could have this other Shepard step in and come up with some miraculous story about how you cheated death..."

"...or you would live," the clone finished. "And then we could do what we had planned to do back then. Take over your identity, and steal the Normandy for ourselves."

"And how long do you think you can pull that off?" Shepard asked them. "You know you can't pretend to be me forever. I have friends out there, friends who would peg you as a fake in a second."

The clone and Brooks shared a smile. "Oh, don't worry about your friends," Brooks said. "We've got plans to deal with all of them. But first, we need to wrap things up here." She turned her attention to the clone. "Were you able to find the files we needed?"

"I found them, but they've been encrypted," the clone said. "It's going to take some time to get them decoded."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Brooks said. "Now, let's make a few corrections in the Council records, shall we?"

Walking over to a nearby terminal, the clone activated it and spoke. "Computer, update Council records. Subject: Shepard, human Spectre."

"Accessing record," the computer responded. "Please input new data."
The clone pressed her hand to the console, and Shepard watched in dread as a scan of the clone's palm appeared on the screen. "Biometric identified updated. Good day, Commander Shepard."

"Now then," Brooks said, as the clone stepped away from the console. "I think it's time for us to be leaving. We've got a lot of planets to go to in our new ship, and a lot of your friends to pay visits to."

"And what about us?" Ashley snapped at the pair. "You going to lock us up in one of these vaults and leave us to rot while you steal the Normandy?"

The clone shook her head. "I think you misunderstand. When she says it's time for 'us' to leave, she doesn't just mean us two."

There was a muffled bang behind them, and the three of them whirled around to see a plume of green smoke emanating from a device planted nearby. Shepard tried to cover her mouth to block out the smoke, but soon she found herself tumbling to the floor, Liara and Ashley already unconscious beside her.

The last thing she saw before passing out was the air shimmering in front of her, and a group of Cerberus Phantoms appearing from out of nowhere, to grab her by the arms and drag her away.

* * *

"So, what are we supposed to do now, sir?" asked one of the CAT-6 mercs, as they loaded the last of Shepard's unconscious comrades onto the platform leading into one of the open Citadel vaults.

"Boss said to stick these fuckers away and then wait for further instructions," said the leader of the team.

The first merc shook his head. "You mean we're supposed to just stand around here, in the middle of a top secret vault on the Citadel, and just wait?"

"Hey, don't look at me. We're getting paid for the time, right?" the leader said. "Now, how the hell do you work this vault crane thing?" The leader fumbled with the controls, as the rest of the team of mercs leaned against walls, crouched down, and waited for the next set of orders.

"I dunno, man," said the first merc again. "I mean, something about this just doesn't smell right. Kinda feels like we've been left holding the bag here, you know? You got any way to contact the boss and figure out what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Would you stop distracting me already?" the leader snapped at him. "Can't figure out what button I hit to..." the merc pressed a button, and the platform that the group of defeated enemies were laid on started moving... in the opposite direction from the vault. "Dammit," the leader cursed, pressing another button and stopping the platform. "Look, she'll call us back, trust me. I mean, we're a highly skilled company of mercs, aren't we? She's not going to just leave valuable assets like us to rot."

"If you say so," the first merc said, not sounding assured. "Look, maybe we should just..."

"Goddamn it, Jackson," the leader barked out, not turning his attention from the console as he berated his underling. "If you say one more goddamned word, I swear to God I'm going to put a bullet in your head and split your take for this job with the rest of these fucking losers instead! You really want to test me right now? Seriously?"

Jackson said nothing in return, and after waiting for thirty seconds for any kind of retort, the leader let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Glad to finally have some fucking silence around here. Now, let me see if I can figure out this damn control panel already. Maybe if..."

"I think you'd want to hit that green button over there," said a voice from behind the leader.

The leader nodded. "Yeah, maybe that's what..." he said, before realizing that he didn't recognize the voice from over his shoulder.

He spun around to find himself facing down five Alliance marines, guns trained on him. Laying at their feet were the bodies of his team, all with headshots bleeding out onto the floor.

"If I were you," said a dark-haired, uniformed woman in the center of the group, a smoking sniper rifle in her hands, "I'd drop your weapons and come quietly."

As the marines moved to secure the leader, the woman moved around him to the control panel, and deactivated the forcefield keeping the prisoners in place. Walking among the group, she looked over her shoulder at the doorway they had walked through. "These the folks Joker sent us to find, Commander?"
Stepping out of the darkness into the room, Commander Jacob Taylor surveyed the group of unconscious bodies. "Not all of them, Rooker," he said gravely. "I just hope the rest aren't already gone."

* * *

"They took the Normandy?" Joker exclaimed, as the former members of Teams Mako and Hammerhead reconvened in Shepard's apartment, joined now by Jacob Taylor and several crew members of his ship, the SSV Orpheus.

"Joker, in case you forgot, they also took Shepard, Ash, and Liara," Garrus said, rubbing at his head. "Maybe you need to get a little perspective here."

Joker let out a pained sigh. "No, I know, it's just... the thought of some strange merc with their hands all over my old ship..." Joker looked over at Cortez and pointed a finger. "Please tell me you at least left a hard copy of 'Joker's Official Normandy Handbook' in the cockpit before you disembarked."

"You mean that fifty page document you sent me after you transferred to the Orpheus?" Cortez asked in disbelief. "You actually expected me to read that whole thing?"

"You didn't?" Joker exclaimed in disbelief. "Oh, EDI, I don't know if you're looking down from robot heaven or wherever, but please forgive me for leaving your body in the hands of these... these..."

Jacob pounded a fist down on the counter. "Joker, enough! Right now we need to figure out how in the hell we're going to track down the Normandy, and rescue Shepard and the other hostages."

"Not going to be an easy task, Commander," said Jacob's XO, Lieutenant Commander Tara Rooker. The dark-haired woman's tone was calm and her expression stoic as she spoke. "The Normandy SR-2 was specifically built to be undetectable. If they keep the ship out of visual range of any planets, they could hide out there forever. And even if we got the entire Alliance fleet to comb the galaxy, it'd be like looking for the proverbial needle."

"And that's assuming the Alliance even believed our story," Tali said, having removed her battle armor to reveal a checkered green blouse and striped red slacks. "I mean, I was there, and I still have a hard time believing it. A clone of Shepard, teamed up with a former Cerberus operative who brought her out of a coma?"

Vega groaned. "Gah, still can't believe I let that puta catch me off-guard! I'll never forgive myself if something happens to the Commander."

"Look, we don't have time to worry about who's to blame for what happened," Garrus said. "We do have at least one lead. Don't we, Glyph?"

"I was able to determine what files the other Commander Shepard was accessing while in the Citadel Archives," Glyph flared to life in the midst of the group. "Unfortunately, she attempted to destroy the files after obtaining them. It will take me some time to reconstruct them, in addition to decrypting them once the reconstruction is complete."

"Any idea how long that's going to take?" Jacob asked the drone.

"My current estimates put the time of completion at around 94 hours and 42 minutes, with a margin of errors of 2.7 hours."

The entire room let out a collective groan. "Well, we'll put that on the back burner for now," Jacob said. "Right now, I think our first order of business is to go directly to the Council. If we can get the word out to the rest of the galaxy to watch for the Normandy, maybe that'll bring us one step closer to locating..."

In the middle of Jacob's sentence, the video screen on the wall of the apartment suddenly flared to life. "This is Commander Anna Shepard, and I have a Crucible Day message for all of you."

"What the hell?" Wrex said, jumping to his feet to turn and watch the monitor.

"Look, it's on out there, too!" Tali called out. Looking out the windows, the group of them saw that every video screen in the nearby area was broadcasting the same video: Commander Shepard, standing at the helm of the Normandy and speaking directly into the camera.
"On the eve of this holiday, commemorating the day when the Reapers were finally defeated, I think it's important to talk about what this holiday is really all about," the image of Commander Shepard said. Down below in the streets, everyone stood still, staring up at the image of Shepard as she spoke. "A lot of people will tell you that this celebration is about remembering how the galaxy came together as one, to destroy an ancient menace and save us all from the threat of annihilation."

Shepard paused for a moment, and then said one word. "Bullshit."

"Let me tell you what we should really be remembering on this day. We should be remembering how I knew about the Reapers three years before they came knocking at our door, and how the Council refused to act. We should be remembering how I came to them again when the Collectors were abducting human colonists, and how they again turned me away. We should be remembering how Earth was being laid to waste, while the Council did nothing."

"'But the other races came through in the end, Commander Shepard,' you might say to me. 'We never would have beaten the Reapers if we hadn't worked together.'" Shepard paused, and then began slowly, sarcastically clapping. "Well, thanks a lot, turians. Salarians. Asari. Thanks for coming in at the very last minute, when you could have saved so many lives by listening to me when you had the chance."

"I say that humanity doesn't owe these other races any thanks. We don't owe them a damn thing. And we sure as hell don't owe them our home. I look down at the surface of Earth, and I'm disgusted by what I see. Humans are being pushed off of our own planet by these aliens. Yes, they might have helped us save Earth, but now it looks like they wanted to save it... just so they could take it away from us!"

"But I've had enough. I'm tired of seeing my homeworld be polluted by a bunch of ungrateful, undeserving invaders. I've made a decision, humanity. The only decision I could make under the circumstances, and the only decision any self-respecting human could make."

Shepard's face faded away from the screen, replaced by a dreadfully familiar logo. "As of this date, I want to formally announce, to the people of Earth and to the entire galaxy, that I have rejoined Cerberus. I no longer consider myself a Spectre, aka a tool of the Council, and I officially resign from the Alliance military. When the Council refused to act against the Reapers, and when the Alliance drug their feet and refused to upset their alien masters, there was only one organization that knew what the true threat to our galaxy was, and fought to stop them. I wouldn't be alive today if it wasn't for Cerberus, and it's time for me to pay back the debt I owe to them."

As the crowds in the streets murmured and gasped in shock, the Cerberus logo on screen faded away, replaced with Shepard's face. "Some of you may be remembering the Cerberus you saw during the end of the Reaper war. Indoctrinated agents, slaughtering humans and aliens alike, all in the service of some inscrutable goal. Let me assure you that the days of that Cerberus are over. With my help, Cerberus will come back to the reason it was founded: to advance the rights of humanity, and humanity alone, and to no longer follow the whims of some useless Council, that demands compliance and provides nothing in return."

"To all Earthborn humans who have seen what's been done to your planet and have had enough. To all human colonists out there living among the alien wretches and feeling like you're losing who you truly are. To everyone out there who considers themselves a true human, and not a traitor to our species, I deliver this message: Cerberus is coming to help. And to all aliens listening, I only have one thing to say:"

Shepard leaned forward into the camera and almost snarled, "Get off our planet, before we make you leave."

All at once, the screens blinked off. In Shepard's apartment, everyone was silent.

Finally, Joker spoke up. "So... about that whole 'talking to the Council' idea..."
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Slaves of Cerberus