Slaves of Cerberus

"Here, Shepard? Couldn't you have picked a more... pleasant memory?"



Shepard spoke loudly, to be heard over the howling winds of Hagalaz, buffeting the outside of the Shadow Broker's ship. "Right about now... I really need to hurt something," she explained, as the two of them readied their weapons and proceeded towards the entrance hatch of the ship.



"Shepard, listen," Liara said, feeling herself take aim and fire at a robot, cleaving its head straight off its shoulders. "About what she said. The archives, I'm... if all of this is my fault..."



"No, Liara," Shepard reassured her, as she ducked behind cover before delivering a shotgun blast to the memory of one of the Shadow Broker's minions. "If you hadn't given those data archives to the Council, I'm sure Cerberus would have gotten their hands on the information some other way."



Liara shook her head. "Still... if I had kept watch over them, maybe this never would have happened." She glanced over to see their shared memory of their companion during the assault on the Shadow Broker: Miranda, glowing with biotic energy as she directed a blast at another one of the Broker's henchmen. "And now they have Miranda as well."



Shepard pursed her lips. "Miranda's strong. She'll make it through this. But with them having her sister too..." she shook her head. "We've got to find a way to end this, Liara. All this talk about their plans... we can't let them succeed."



"I know," Liara said, as they reached the door into the Broker's lair. Following along with her memory of the events, she placed the decoding device onto the door lock, the two of them joining together with the memory of Miranda to take on the waves of the Broker's henchmen. "I don't know what she was talking about, what specific information Cerberus could be making use of from those archives, but just from the things I can remember... the Shadow Broker's people were conducting research into some horrible things. Things I've tried my best to block out of my memory, for your sake as much as mine."



"Well, at least we know that our people are still trying to get us out," Shepard said, watching as the mental image of one of the Broker's hired goons cried out and toppled to the deck.



Liara looked over at her with a smirk. "So, you didn't believe her either, then," she said.



"The element of surprise, that's the only thing Cerberus has had working for it up until this point," Shepard said, turning as the door into the ship slid open. "My guess is, our people got the drop on them this time around. So somehow I doubt it was as much of a massacre as they'd like us to believe."



"Yes, but still... they did get away," Liara said, speaking softer now as they left the noisy exterior of the ship and stepped inside. "I wonder what could have happened."



"My guess? They had Miranda and Oriana as hostages," Shepard said, her back against a wall outcropping as she ducked out and took aim. "Jacob and Miranda were once... well, you've seen the archives just like I have, I'm sure you already know."



Liara nodded. "Yes, I'm sure Jacob would have wanted to avoid any bloodshed, especially if Miranda was the one in danger. And even if he killed the team back on Ontarom, he'd have no way of finding out where the Normandy was."



Making their way through the hallways, they found themselves at a familiar room. "Reminds me... whatever happened to Feron after you gave up being the Shadow Broker?" Shepard asked as they stepped inside the cell. "Haven't heard you ever mention him since then."



"I... don't know," Liara said. "We did keep in touch for a few months afterward, but after that he seemed to just fall off the radar. Heard rumors he'd been seen back on Kahje, had somebody tell me they'd spotted him on Omega at one point. But without the resources of the Shadow Broker, I'm afraid that tracking people isn't quite so easy as it used to be."



Their conversation paused as Shepard spoke to the memory of Feron. She could hear herself asking him questions, feel her mouth and tongue move seemingly of their own accord as she performed the actions of her memory. Once they had finished their talk, and the firefight continued, Shepard spoke to Liara again. "So... my clone seems to be getting a little chatty."



"That's good," Liara said. "The more she talks, the more we can figure out what Cerberus's plans for us are. And the more options we have for how to stop them." A melancholy look crossed her face. "Of course, that means I'm going to have to keep up the ruse that I'm falling for her."



Shepard let out a pained sigh. "Liara, I'm so sorry you have to do this. Having to pretend that you feel anything for that... thing other than hate, I can't imagine how you can stand it."



"I can do this, Shepard, don't worry," Liara assured her, as they took down the last of the Broker's henchmen and approached the door to his lair. "Just as long as you remember your promise, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you keep it."



"What promise is that?" Shepard asked. Instead of answering, Liara brought back the memory of Shepard's words, from early in their captivity.



I promise you, on the lives of those people whose names belong on the Normandy wall, and on everything that I stand for... that when the day comes, I will kill both of you without hesitation.



Shepard smiled. "That's one promise I fully intend to keep," she assured Liara, as the two of them walked through the door into the Shadow Broker's lair.



As the full, horrific vision of the Shadow Broker came into view, Liara shuddered. "See, this is why I wish you had picked a different memory," Liara said, as she raised her pistol to point right at the Broker's head.



"Yeah, this part is pretty bad," Shepard said, readying her own weapon just before the memory of the massive yahg in front of them leaned forward to speak. "But I hear the ending's amazing."



"Something to look forward to," Liara said, as their shared memory of the Broker started to speak the last words he would ever say, in the world of their memories and the real world as well.