To Break a Hero
Chapter 4
CONFIDENTIAL - For Cerberus Operatives with Level 6 Clearance or higher
Progress Report - Subject: Kaidan Alenko
Researcher: Dr. Eva Coré
Subject Alenko has fallen into a routine. After waking, he exercises as much as is possible in the small room - crunches and push-ups, mostly. Following this, he showers and reads news articles on the terminal. Subject has also read through the entirety of the Lazarus Project five times, and routinely re-reads any articles relating to Lazarus subject Shepard. Subject has also shown an interest in articles that mention other high-profile figures connected to Shepard (e.g. Urdnot Wrex, Garrus Vakarian, Adm. David Anderson.)
Subject continues to receive continuous indoctrination messages. As documented elsewhere (see: Report 1B), standard indoctrination messages are mixed with ones designed to produce sexual and emotional attraction to researcher Coré. This approach appears to be working, as subject Alenko has never refused sex, despite documented relationship with Lazarus subject Shepard (see: intercepted emails from Normandy SR-2 between subjects Shepard and Alenko). During sexual contact, subject Alenko willingly takes direction from researcher Coré.
CONFIDENTIAL - For Cerberus Operatives with Level 9 Clearance or higher
FROM: Dr. Eva Coré
TO: The Illusive Man
I can’t thank you enough for giving me Alenko to play with. It has been a joy to watch him go from stubborn to attentive. It is my opinion that the drugs in his food designed to increase sexual desire helped overcome resistance stemming from loyalty to Commander Shepard. As discussed in the report (in such boring language!) Alenko is becoming increasingly submissive to my will. I haven’t broken him yet, but it’s only a matter of time.
If you need me to defend the personal approach to the idiots who just want mass-produced soldiers, I will. Grunts have their uses, but that’s not what you wanted for Alenko. We needed to overcome two very strong sets of loyalties - to the Alliance and to Commander Shepard. I’m also trying to turn him against Shepard - not just get him to accept me in her place. When I’m done with him, Alenko will give us everything he knows on the Alliance - and that’s quite a lot - and then work with us to bring them down.
[Message saved to personal files of Dr. Eva Coré. Text added in personal file:]
I can see why Shepard valued him so highly. He’s an excellent lover. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what he could do with his biotics. All the more reason for me to break him quickly.
When I’m done with him, Alenko will hate Shepard as much as he previously loved her.