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#TheBarn – September 21, 2015
Jason would have been called up a deck for his interview. Upon stepping off the elevator he would find a marine waiting for him. "This way, Mr. Wolfe." The trip has gone on for two hours or so, with MREs having been brought to the rest of the Redrock personnel.
Jason has since changed back into the clothing he had back on the Redrock shuttle. Black fatigues, boots and a white long-sleeved shirt. "Any idea how much longer we've got before we reach Aite?" he asks as he begins to follow the marine.
The marine leads Jason down the rather short hallway to a room at the end and presses the controls to open the door. "About four hours." The door opens into a small square room. A man in his fourties with neatly combed dark blonde hair, light skin and blue glasses with a HUD projection sits behind a desk, hands crossed over it. An empty chair sits on the other side of the desk waiting for Jason. The man is wearing a crisp black uniform
Jason gives the marine a nod of appreciation before stepping into the room. He approaches the open chair but doesn't take a seat just yet. "I understand you've got a few questions for me, sir." he says, "I'll do my best to help you however I can."
Jason gives a nod and takes the indicated seat, taking a moment to scoot it closer to the desk. "Jason Wolfe." he says, resisting the urge to give his old Alliance rank as a fair bit of nostalgia washes over him. Strange being on an Alliance ship again. "Where would you like me to start, Agent Lessard?"
AgentLessard unfolds his hands, taking the datapad in one and swiping across it before looking back a Jason. His actual gaze is obscured by the glasses. "We have your service record, but I'd like to confirm some personal details regardless. Age?"
Jason gives a nod and rests his elbows on the arms of the chair as he folds his hands across his lap. "That won't be a problem."
Jason smiles, suddenly feeling a long way from home. "Earth." he says, breaking his gaze from the man, "California."
Jason shifts a bit in his seat uncomfortably. "Early 2183." he says, not particularly pleased where the line of questioning may be going.
AgentLessard presses a finger against the datapad again, not bothering to look up at Jason. "When did you first hear about the existence of Cerberus?"
Jason eases up slightly, happy to get away from the personal details. He considers the question for a few moments before returning his gaze to Agent Lessard. "I've heard mentions here and there, but I didn't realize how large of an organization they were until just recently." He clears his throat before elaborating, "Uhh... As in this month, recently."
AgentLessard puts the datapad down and looks at Jason. "Have you had any previous contact with Cerberus before this attack?"
Jason gives a short nod. "The need for this 'attack'..." he uses the man's own words to describe their assault on the Cerberus lab, "...came as a result of an ambush my team suffered a couple weeks back. My partner, Linda Vasquez, was abducted by them in the process. Had that never happened, we certainly wouldn't be out here."
AgentLessard nods again. "Mhm... I'll have some more questions about that shortly, but first, would you please describe, briefly, your acitivites between leaving the Alliance and now?"
Jason furrows his brow and leans back in his seat slightly, somewhat unsure of what the man is expecting to hear. "I-... Traveled." he begins, stammering slightly, "It was a rough time in my life." he adds, deciding the man probably has his file anyway and there was little need to elaborate. "I took a security job onboard a ship. The RSV Evening Star." He lowers his gaze slightly and bites
his lower lip. He nods a few times as his eyes scan back and forth, from left to right as he goes over the event in his head, attempting to pick it apart and lay it back out for the man as cleanly as possible. "It was my first encounter with such an artifact. One was brought onboard the ship and-..." he shifts uncomfortably as he clears his throat, "...and we lost nearly the entire crew.
Myself, Vasquez and only a handful of others made it off. It's where she and I met. What happened-... The things I saw on that ship?" he shakes his head a couple times and lets out a low, deep sigh as he attempts to refocus his thoughts, "...We formed Redrock Agency, me and her. Small security firm. We've been using whatever resources we've had to try and figure out what exactly happened
back on that ship and how we could prevent it from happening again. A lead took us to a backwater colony on a planet called 'Di Yu'. Another artifact. Another infection. Cerberus must've been interested in it, too, because they got the drop on us. Ambushed us on our way out and made off with the artifact and my partner." He shrinks into his seat somewhat as he finishes, a part of him worrying
AgentLessard nods along at a few points in the story, typing some short notes on his datapad and then puts it down again. "What happened to the first artifact?" He says, showing no sign of what he thinks of Jason's story.
Jason watches the man from across his desk. After a short pause he winces and shakes his head, feeling guilty over lying. "No, that's not true. An information broker got his hands on it. The information broker." he corrects. These are the people who have the power to help, it's no time to leave out details. "I'd prefer not to divulge how I know that. It's not particularly relevant."
AgentLessard studies Jason in silence for a moment before typing another note on his datapad, nodding faintly before changing the subject abruptly. "How did you locate the Cerberus base?"
Jason sucks in a deep breath and slowly exhales. "In all honesty, I didn't even know it was a 'Cerberus base' that I was looking for. I was just following up on any leads I had on who might've taken my teammate. I reached out to a few information brokers and-..." he gives a quick shrug, "...here we are."
AgentLessard puts the datapad down once more. "I see. And I don't suppose you know anything about said information brokers?"
Jason gives a shake of his head. "I'm sure you know that's just not how it works, sir." he says, "You don't exactly meet with them over a cup of coffee and trade names." He gives a slight chuckle but quickly cuts himself off and reaches back to scratch the back of his neck uncomfortably, "No. I just wanted to bring my friend home." he says honestly.
AgentLessard nods. "Speaking of. Is everyone down in the hangar an employee of the... Redrock Agency?"
AgentLessard lets out a sigh, crossing his hands again. "I see." he repeats. "And the records from the mech will support this, I assume...?" His tone is still that of a friendly conversation, but now laced with hints of disappointment and irritation.
Jason tilts his head to the side and rubs at his forehead as he realizes there's no way of getting around the mech's logs. "No." he sighs, "We were assisted by one of the information broker's agents." he admits. He shakes his head and sets his arm back on the armrest, "The deal was that they would get my team inside so we could rescue our teammate. In return, we would help them get the
artifact out of Cerberus' base." He stares distantly at the datapad in front of the man for a few seconds before shrugging, "From my experience, that thing can't be destroyed by any sort of conventional means. Believe me, I certainly don't want something like that ending up in the hands of an information broker any more than you do. But it's a step up from a terrorist organization. For what
AgentLessard starts typing on the datapad again, and then looks up at Jason. "Indeed... and you did all this to recover your teammate? Do you know why Cerberus took her?"
Jason gives a nod. "That's correct. I'm not particularly sure why, no." He holds eye contact with the man, "Honest. I'm still trying to figure out that part myself. While we were in their base-..." he resists the urge to add 'killing their dudes', "...we came across numerous others who had explosive implants of some sort in their head. As soon as we get back home, my medic is going to be
removing her implant to make sure it hasn't been tampered with, too. Vasquez isn't the type to be taken alive, so the only theory I've got to go on until I can sit down and talk with her is that Cerberus must've caught wind of our interest in the artifact, managed to get one of their gizmos in her, and were trying to piggyback off our work on Di Yu."
Jason straightens up in his seat a bit. "I'm saying I don't know. Me and my team will deal with it." he says, attempting to remain pleasant, but clearly uncomfortable with Lessard's interest.
AgentLessard leans forward a bit. "You realize the potential risks involved? Our doctor should take a look at her."
Jason gives a shake of his head. "We've got it covered, sir. With all due respect, I don't feel particularly comfortable allowing someone I don't even know to go poking around in her head."
AgentLessard goes quiet for a while, but eventually nods. "Very well..." He glances at the datapad and then continues. "What can you tell me about the Cerberus base? Defenses, research, personnel..."
Jason chews on the inside of his cheek for a few moments before giving a shake of his head. "As much as I'd like to help you take those bastards down, the fact of the matter is that we didn't particularly have time to poke around and see what they were involved in. I was there for Vasquez and the artifact. They had some automated defense. Turrets. Mechs. A few guards. A lot of civvies. Seemed
like they were experimenting on non-humans with the explosive implants I mentioned before." He shrugs, looking disappointed that he can't be of more help, "We ran into an advanced biotic using tech I haven't seen before. I'm not sure if you'll be able to get a look at him from the mech's records, but it's worth a shot."
AgentLessard once again goes quiet, typing a few things on his datapad and then looking at Jason, expression neutral. "What can you tell me about the planet you found the artifact on? What was the situation there?"
Jason lowers his gaze once more as he considers how to answer the man's question. "Like I said, it was just a backwater planet. A single colony that didn't even seem to know the artifact existed. A little ways outside of the colony a man had established an outpost of sorts. Called himself 'Father Marchal'. It was more like a cult. They seemed to worship the artifact." He shudders and rolls
his shoulders a bit, "We ran into an asari deep in the facility. She was obviously affected by the artifact, but-..." he stammers, not particularly sure how to word his statement, "...We've come across the infection numerous times, sir. But this was just... different. The creatures we've encountered before were mindless. At first sight, they're all in on killing you. This one spoke. Seemed
to still have some semblence of intelligence to her. All she was saying was nonsense, but still... She was different." he nods, "She was powerful, too. Nearly put my whole team down. I-..." he lowers his gaze with another nod, "...I lost a few people that day."
AgentLessard types some further notes down, stopping at the mention of the asari. His back stiffens a bit as he hastily makes a series of additonal notes and then offers waht is presumably supposed to be a sympathetic nod. "But you defeated the infected...?"
Jason gives a nod in turn. "We did. And when we made our return to the surface with the artifact, our intentions being to find a way to dispose of it, we were ambushed by Cerberus. They took the artifact and escaped with Vasquez."
AgentLessard makes another note, and then swipes across the datapad, reading something on it. "What happened to the colony, Mr. Wolfe?" It's clear from his tone that he already knows the answer.
Jason sighs and looks away from the man. "We did our best to evacuate as many of the colonists as we could. It was just too late... The colony was overrun by those... creatures."
AgentLessard puts the datapad down, crossing his hands again and leaning forward a bit further. "Had that colony been under Alliance jurisdiction you would be under arrest. I want to make that clear. But that's not the case. So I have no further questions for you. We will be looking over the logs of your YMIR mech to confirm what you have told us. Captain Riley has informed me of your wish for your team to be undisturbed, but we would
like to have a word with some of them regardless. We only wish to gain a full understanding of the situation - we have no intention of antagonizing your team. Time for a few short questions is all we ask."
Jason blinks a couple of times, suddenly feeling a bit of anger bottling towards the surface. "Really?" he asks, his demeanor suddenly changing, "That is all you have to say? I'd be arrested? How about 'Sorry we've been hiding the fact that we knew about the existence of ancient artifacts that turn people into raving lunatics'? We had nobody to turn to. Nobody to ask for help. We searched
day and night for any information we could find. ANY. All we found were conspiracy stories. People who were told they were crazy. If you want to play the 'jurisdiction' game, how about the fact that we're not in Alliance jurisdiction right now? How about if I don't want to turn over our mech's logs? How about if I decide, no, in fact, you can't interview my team? Seriously!? I'd be
AgentLessard maintains a neutral look in the face of Jason's outburst. "Mr. Wolfe, people died. I'm simply trying to explain the foolishness of seeking out one of these objects. I don't-..." He's interrupted as the door behind Jason slides open, Captain Riley stepping inside. She's wearing Alliance fatigues and shoots Lessard a pointed look. "These people are not prisoners, Agent. He's cooperated. What are you doing?"
Jason plants a hand on the armrest and stands up. "I think I'm done here, Captain." he says glancing at Riley, "I did my best. Said what I know. I don't need this clown's judgements. I'd like to request that you drop me and my team off as soon as you can. We'll take our shuttle the rest of the way." He glances back at Lessard, "I was cooperating out of the kindness of my heart, Agent. Because
I trust the Alliance and hoped that they'd step up and actually do something. Not because I owe you a damn thing." He points at the datapad, "That's probably something worth sitting behind your little desk and jotting down." He attempts to walk past Riley and out of the room.
Lee follows after Jason after he's left the room, reaching for his arm to try and stop him - not hard. "Wolfe, please... I'm sorry about Agent Lessard. You were Alliance, you know how AIA spooks can be."
Jason resists the urge to just jerk his arm back as he spins to face the woman. "I devoted some of the best years of my life to the Alliance. My whole family bled blue-and-white. Why weren't you there?" he asks with a little bit of midguided anger, "Huh? Why wasn't the Alliance on top of this? Why did we have to be the ones to track that little ball of death down?"
Lee lets out a sigh, withdrawing her arm. It's quite clear his remark hit her. "There's not a lot I can tell you... but we are trying. We don't want anyone else to suffer a fate like that. Hell, I've seen people turned into those monsters first-hand during the geth offensive in '83. The Alliance has been working hard to push the geth back and make sure the colonies are safe. You're right, we should've found that thing before you.
It probably would've saved a lot of lives. There are too many people, like Cerberus, who want to use exotic technology for their own purposes... Agent Lessard worried you too were going to do that... or more accurately bring it to the possession of someone that would. I understand you were left with little choice when you agreed to bring the object to this information broker, but please try to understand his concern. You know how
much harm that thing could do in the wrong hands. Anything you or your team can tell us about Cerberus or the people that hired you... it would mean a lot.."
Jason listens as she talks about the geth and seems as if he's about to ask a question before his scowl returns. "I already told your little friend everything I know. I don't know anything else that would be of any use to you, Captain. And that asshole has access to ten times-... a hundred times more resources than I could ever get my hands on, yet me and my team were able to track this
thing down before he was?" He glances back at the door to the room he just exited with a pointed nod, "And I'm the criminal? For trying to protect people? For trying to save lives? For caring enough to do something rather than sitting behind a desk and taking notes with my-... with my little datapad?" he continues, getting a bit riled up as he pantomimes writing on a datapad.
Lee glances back at the room where Agent Lessard is still seated, reviewing informaion on his datapad. "I-... he was out of line talking about an arrest. I don't know what brought that on. I think the fact that you found it first bothers him as much as it does you."
Jason slumps a bit and reaches up, rubbing at his forehead. "Look, I just want to go home, Captain. Me and my team have been through a lot. We're tired, we're frustrated, and we're all pretty banged up. You got your information. Hopefully it finds its way into the right hands, but with people like him at the helm, I'd be lying if I said I believe it will." He bites his lower lip for a moment
as he studies the woman and shifts from one foot to the other, "If there's any other questions I can answer for you-... I'm not just gonna with-hold information out of spite. If that's what you're worried about, then stop. Like I said, whatever that orb is, I'm just as interested in seeing it contained as the rest of you."
Lee nods. "I know. I don't think you're witholding information, and I don't think there's much your team can tell us that you haven't. Agent Lessard was interested in interviewing some more of your people - mainly the mechanic and the L2. I'll remind him of how shakey our authority is out here, make sure your team gets home undisturbed. Can't say the say the same for your... guide, though. He wants to have a word with her too. That
Jason gives a shrug. "She's not a member of my team. Speak with her if you think it'll be helpful. But if you want my opinion, I'd say it's highly unlikely her employer would fill her in on many details." He turns to leave, but gives a shake of his head before adding, "When we arrive back on Aite, I expect her to be released with us. Her release is vital to my team's safety. If she disappears
and her employer thinks we had something to do with it, that's not gonna be good for anyone. Alright?"
Lee nods. "As I said, we're not detaining anyone." She adds after a brief moment of consideration. "Please don't let Agent Lessard's behavior get to you. I'm just glad everything worked out. The object is contained, we were able to help out some people in over their head, and hopefully the information you provided can help strike a blow against Cerberus. I'd call that a win, yeah?"
Jason 's expression softens up after a moment and he sighs. "Yeah..." he adds with a nod, "I'll take any victories I can get right now. And, again, thank you for the save. I don't know how we would've dug our way outta that one if your team hadn't shown up when they did."
Lee smirks faintly. "Yeah, geth can be a real pain-in-the-ass. Must be tough living so close to the Veil. You seen any attacks since you came out here?"
Jason gives a shake of his head. "Can't say I have. I think that was more than enough for one lifetime, too." he says with a smirk of his own. He lets out a short sigh as he shrugs, "I'd be lying if I said I don't miss it a little." he admits, giving the hall a once-over, "Being on an Alliance vessel.' He gives the wall a pat with the palm of his hand, "The sounds. The smells. The bad food."
Lee 's smirk widens at the last remark, and she then raises an eyebrow, glancing at Jason's hand as he touches the wall. "Why'd you leave? You seem like a good soldier. We sure as hell need more."
Jason sighs as he drags his hand down the wall, looking it over. "Just-... wasn't in a good place." he says, returning his gaze to the woman, "And as much as I loved what I was doing, I couldn't help but realize how much stuff I had let pass me by while I was out here trying to play a hero." He snorts and gives a shake of his head, "You try and tally everything up, the good you've done versus
the harm you've caused and you just hope it leans heavily to the former, ya know? I'm proud of the work I did during my time with the Alliance. No doubt about it. But the good I did with them couldn't outweigh the harm it caused back home."
Lee nods, giving Jason an understanding look. "It's not the life for everyone..." She takes a step back in preparation to leave, smiling at Jason again. "Getting in and out of a Cerberus facility with your team intact and your objective is damn impressive. If you ever want to re-enlist, I'd recommend you for the Villa."
Jason gives a chuckle and shakes his head. "Damn impressive is my middle name." he says with a wink, "And my last name is humble." He winces a bit at the cheesie joke and sighs, "Anyway, I don't think I'll be re-enlisting anytime soon. Appreciate the vote of confidence, though. But if you ever find yourself in my neck of the woods, look me up. I know a good place to grab a drink." He turns
to leave before immediately spinning back around, "And-... uhh... That wasn't, like, you know... Weird awkward flirting or anything." he tilts his head to the side, cringing a bit, "Kinda sounded like a bad pickup line... I just mean, you know, sit down... soldier-to-soldier... Drink..." He sighs and cocks a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the elevator, "I've got a girlfriend.
And-... And I'm gonna go now before this gets even weirder. Totally not flirting though." he nods and backs away a couple more steps before spinning on his heels and power walking towards the elevator.
Lee raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms across her chest as she listens to Jason's rambling. As he starts to walk away she chuckles to herself, shaking her head to herself after he's gone.