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#RedrockAgency – February 21, 2016
The car pulls into the Redrock parking lot and Leah performs an admittedly terrible parking job. The trip has been long and uncomfortable for Leah. She's successfully maneuvered through all of her father's questions and set the situation up as some bad people coming after her due to some business Redrock was involved in. She introduced him to her unconscious boss, and told him how she had rescued Vasquez and got the cut above
her eye in the ensuing struggle. Her father, as usual, was proud of his daughter for "doing the right thing." Leah's stomache tossed and turned as she spewed misinformation built upon a foundation of lies, hoping to protect her father from seeing her as the monster that she saw herself as. Everytime Vasquez moved or flinched, Leah silently hoped she wouldn't wake up and reveal the truth.
Leah sighs and glances back at her father. "Alright, dad. Head inside. Place should be mostly empty right now. She seems to be waking up. I'm gonna make sure she's alright and then we'll be right in." she says, doing her best to hide the fear in her voice.
Leah's father nods and grabs his dufflebag off the seat beside him before climbing out. "You hurry up now, Leah." he instructs, "I don't want you out here if it ain't safe..." He frowns and starts towards the building. There's a slight limp in his walk.
Leah sighs and closes her eyes tightly as she realizes her confrontation with Vasquez is probably going to have to wait until later. She opens the driver's side door and steps out and around the car, not particularly bothered by the rain at this point. Just exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. She opens the passenger's side door and crouches down, readying herself to pull
Vasquez suddenly sits up without warning, her hand swifly reaching for the pistol tucked away inside Leah's jacket, attempting to pull it and aim it at her.
Leah is completely caught by surprise and jumps back as the pistol is pulled free from its holster. She makes no attempt at struggling with the woman, instead she merely puts her hands up, palms towards Vasquez. "Okay. I deserved that." she admits. "Just-... calm down for a second. I-... I brought you home..." she says, glancing over towards the building. "...I didn't let them do...
Vasquez stares at Leah with a manic look on her face, gun still pointed at the woman as she feels her own face with her other hand - eyelid and then the implant at her temple. Her gaze flickers around for a few moments as she takes in Leah's words - and her bloodied appearance. She lowers the gun just as suddenly as she raised it, slumping back against the seat and letting out a relieved
Leah lets out a deep breath and falls backwards onto her bottom, zero shits given about the large puddle she just sat in. She rests her elbows against her knees and her forehead against her hand. "Shit... I'm so fucking sorry, Chief. They didn't give me any choice." she whispers, barely audible over the rain. Dejected and defeated, she just stares down at the pavement.
Vasquez looks down at Leah, a mixture of guilt and sympathy crossing her face. She flips the pistol's safety and puts it down in her seat before stepping out of the car and kneeling in front of the woman, ignoring the water soaking her left pantleg. She puts a hand on Leah's shoulder, her expression unusually soft. "I know. I-... trust me, I know. I-... your dad-... is he...?"
Leah doesn't seem relieved at the woman's understanding nature. If anything, it just fills Leah with even more guilt. She glances towards the building but quickly returns her gaze to the ground. "He's inside... They know where I live. They know everything about me. I knew it wouldn't be safe to stay there, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go, and I needed to get you home,
Vasquez glances towards the building and thinks for a moment before shaking her head. "No, you should stay here while we think this through. And we need to go over everything. Let's get you inside." She stands up, offering her hand towards Leah to help her up.
Leah gives a shake of her head. "Chief, I appreciate it but I can't stay... I-... You have no idea what I've done." she says, avoiding eye contact with her boss. She stands on her own and moves right past Vasquez to retrieve her pistol from the car and place it back in her holster. "Believe me... You won't want me here once you hear what I have to say..."
Vasquez 's glacne moves briefly to the pistol, suddenly regretting not keeping it on her. She gestures towards the building. "We'll see about that. Now get inside, I'll call Halisi over here to take a look at your eye."
Leah nods, her motions sluggish and tired. "Yeah... Sure." she agrees as she stomps towards the building. As they near the front door, she stops walking and turns to face Vasquez. "Can you please do one thing for me? I know I'm in no position to be asking for favors... I'll tell you everything I know, I just need to know that you'll keep my dad out of this. He doesn't need to know
what's going on." She finally makes eye contact with Vasquez, desperation in her eyes. "Please. I don't think he would be able to handle it..."
Vasquez meets Leah's gaze, considering the request for a moment and then nodding. "He's your father. That's your call." She seems about to start walking again, but her gaze moves back to the gun. She opens her mouth to say something, but then turns around to continue walking.
Leah and her father have been told that they can stay in the rec room for the night. Blankets and pillows have been provided, but Vasquez has not been seen since she guided them to the room about half an hour ago.
Leah has been seated in the corner with her back against the wall and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs with her chin atop her knee. Her father has taken the initiative on laying out the blankets, but knows well enough not to poke Leah right now. She just stares a bit distantly across the room, lost in thought.
Vasquez enters the rec room, looking from Leah to her dad and back. "Mercier, the doctor's here." She nods behind her, out of the room. "I'd like to have you examined right away, make sure there's no-... well, make sure everything's fine."
Leah barely even notices Vasquez' entry until she begins speaking. "Huh...? Oh, yeah. Sure." she says quietly, far from her usual peppy self. As she climbs to her feet, she glances back to her father. "I'll be back soon, dad. Just stay put." she says, forcing as much of a smile as she can muster to downplay the situation to him. She drags herself past Vasquez and out of the room.
As soon as Leah passes Vasquez, her father hurries to his feet and attempts to get Vasquez' attention, waving her over towards him.
Leah's father slowly approaches, craning his neck to look past Vasquez and make sure his daughter is out of earshot before speaking. "Is.... Is she gonna be alright?" he asks, the worry plain as day on his face, "She said we were in danger. We gonna have to leave our home?"
Leah plods down the hallway and descends the staircase, taking each step slowly and holding onto the handrail firmly. No point in surviving all of this just to be done in by slipping and breaking her neck while tumbling down the stairs! No... that's just an excuse. The truth is that she's dreading facing Halisi. Dead set on telling the doctor the truth about Damien's disappearance,
Vasquez considers the question for a moment, looking past him at the wall while thinking. "We're... we're still figuring that out." She meets his gaze again. "Redrock is here for you both though, I can promise that." She empathizes the last part heavily.
Leah's father sighs but nods in response. He puts up a small smile and begins stepping back towards his makeshift resting spot. "Thank you for all your hospitality. Leah hasn't had the easiest of lives and I know you all mean a whole lot to her. I'm happy that she's surrounded by people that care enough about her to take care of her like this."
Vasquez offers an uncomfortable smile in return, her reply muted. "Of course." She says, gaze turning away as she starts to leave. "I'll have her back with you shortly. Feel free to use the TV."
Leah's father's eyes light up at the mention of TV and he quickly begins scouting out the room for any sign of the remote.
Leah sucks in a deep breath as she reaches the bottom of the stairs, her feeling less confident of her decision with every step closer to the infirmary. As she reaches the door, she taps the panel and awaits her judgement.
Vasquez starts to follow Leah down the stairs, although she stops to read a message on her omni-tool, and type one in response.
Halisi sits in a chair in the infirmary. When the door opens she's quickly on her feet, and a moment later Leah is enveloped in a hug.
Leah instantly buries her face in Halisi's neck and begins crying, the woman's affection piling on top of the weight of Leah's guilt. "I'm so sorry..." she says, her voice muffled and shaky, "I didn't know what to do... I didn't-... I... I'm so, so sorry Halisi. I never wanted to hurt anyone. I would never-...." Her words descend into an inaudible mess of sobs.
Halisi keeps Leah in the hug, stroking her back in an attempt at reassurance. "Hey, hey, it's okay... it's okay... none of what has happened is your fault." She readjusts a bit, putting her hands on Leah's arms and creating a bit of distance to look her in the eyes. "You were in a terrible situation and you did all you could, alright?" There is a saddened concern in her expression, but she's very clearly quite focused.
Leah scrunches up her nose and attempts to fight the flow of tears, but they just continue to run down her cheeks. "No!" she argues, her arms dangling loosely at her sides, "You can't say that! You have no idea what I've done, Halisi.... I-... They made me do something to the terminals at the hospital! And the Chief's terminal. And-... And-..." her voice loses all momentum and she
Halisi nods at the mentions of the terminals, but once Leah gets to Damien her expression goes blank for a moment, before turning to confusion. "W-... what do you mean? What about Damien...? Leah...?"
Leah shakes her head from side-to-side, her pontail following behind her. "He... He didn't run off, Halisi." she finally manages after a few false starts, "They had my house under constant surveillance and they were going to kill my dad... I didn't have any choice..." She lowers her head and brings her palm up to her forehead, overwhelmed by everything going on, "You saw how he got...
He didn't trust me and I don't know why. Maybe it was just good intuition, or maybe it was a side effect of whatever he was going through. But these people weren't taking any chances, Halisi.... They-... He's at the clinic..."
Halisi seems about to speak up somewhere halfway through Leah's confession, but falls silent, and remains so for quite some time after she's done. Her gaze drifts to the floor, and eventually her eyes close for a few seconds, her grip of Leah weakened. She nods faintly and meets her gaze once more. "I understand."
Leah stares at Halisi in confusion. Then her expression changes to frustration before finally settling on anger. "No! No, you don't! Halisi. I-... I killed Damien!" she says, her voice breaking at the mention of his name, "I killed him and I buried him behind the parking lot. And-... he was my friend, Halisi! He deserved so much more than a shallow grave on some shithole of a planet.
I'm just toxic. This is why I shouldn't get close to anyone...." She stares at Halisi, bracing herself to be told off. Partially hoping to be told off.
Vasquez stops outside the infirmary, thinking better of it. She sighs and heads to her office instead.
Halisi tightens her grip of Leah's arm, unfazed by Leah's breakdown. "You were trying to protect your father." Her voice is calm but insistant. "You were put in a terrible situation and it was beyond your control. Blame the... monsters that did this to you. Do not blame yourself." Her silver eyes are returning the woman's stare without wavering.
Leah 's shoulders rise and fall as tears continue to stream down her face. "I was being selfish. I traded Damien's life for my father's, and I nearly got the Chief killed-... or worse. If my father ever found out, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. I don't know if I'll ever be able to look him in the eyes again without feeling guilt!" She pulls her arm free of Halisi's grip
and steps around the woman towards the examination bed and slowly props herself up on top of it. "It doesn't matter, anyway. Tomorrow I'm going to tell Damien's brother. Wouldn't blame him if he killed me himself..." she says, her eyes down at her hands as she looks them over.
Halisi studies Leah with a sad gaze, clearly not sure what to say. She starts to grab her equipment, but at the last remark she frowns, turning back to her. "You can't be thinking like that. That's letting them win. Letting them control you even after you're free." She brings up her medical omni-tool, running a basic scan of Leah without taking her gaze of her, still clearly concerned.
Leah gives a sad snort. "Free." she repeats, "Am I free? They had people watching my house. I saw the video feeds. I came home to some creepy, gene modded woman sitting in my living room last night. She told me she had been hired by someone to take care of the sniper outside of my home, Halisi." she says, looking up from her hands for the moment, "How free does that sound? I'm
still firmly in it. Assuming Adam doesn't replace Damien's body with mine tomorrow, I'm taking my father and I'm getting off of Aite. I'm going to put together all the credits I can and take my dad somewhere they won't find him where he can live out the rest of his life comfortably, and then I'm going to run until they catch up to me." she continues, most of the emotion drained from
Halisi looks over the results of the scan once it has finished, seemingly satisfied. She leans down a little and takes out a device that looks something like really impractical flashlight, holding it up to Leah's face and performing a more detailed exam of her face, holding her still with her other hand. "Running away? Are you sure you would be safer somewhere else? Maybe you're better of here, where we can help you..." After
finishing the exam she stands straight again, and for a moment she looks confused. "Gene modde-... what did she look like?"
Leah shrugs her shoulders, allowing them to raise and droop back down without much investment. "Pale. Green spots." she shakes her head, "I don't know, Halisi... My brain is fried right now. Some sort of reptilian mods, I think..." she responds. "And it doesn't matter whether or not I'm safe. All that matters is my dad is safe. I have credits saved up... I can buy him a good life
Halisi furrows her eyebrows at the description, but doesn't say anything. As Leah continues she sighs. "I-...okay, yes... do what you think is best. Just remember that you have friends here that want to help, alright?" She looks over her results one more time before toggling the omni-tool display off. "The implant is still there, but it can't do anything. You severed the connection to the transmitter. I should patch your eye up
Jason steps through the front door cautiously. His right hand tucked slightly behind his back, the Phalanx in his hand partially obscured by his leg. "Linda...?" he calls, hoping to high hell that all of the Renala business isn't biting them in the ass so quickly.
Leah nods absently, her eyes lowering back to the ground. She gives a small, sad smile. "Thank you... Funny how life works, isn't it? I've bounced from place to place my entire life... Tried my best not to feel sorry for myself, but I couldn't always keep myself from wondering... 'Why me?' I... I do my best to be a good person. Brush off the horrible things people say. Try not to
dwell on the way everyone feels about me. My parents always used to say, 'Don't let them keep you down, Leah-...' " she says, giving a firm nod as she repeats her parents' words, " 'They're the ones with the problem! Not you!' But-... I see it now. My parents were wrong.... I'm dangerous. And the people around me are always going to be caught in the crossfire. I ruined my parents
lives. They gave up everything just because of who I am... I-.. I just need to be alone. It's best for everyone."
Halisi shakes her head, her work once again brought to a halt. She studies Leah with a saddened gaze, pondering what to say. "You know that's not true. You would never have hurt anyone if they hadn't forced your hand. Damien's blood is on their hands. Not yours. And the rest of your friends are still here... maybe you feel like you need to run away from everything. Nobody is going to stop you. But think it through. And... be
careful." She reaches for a small application device of specialized medigel, starting to bring it up to Leah's eye.
Jason slowly inches down the hall, super-stealth-style. As he reaches the corner, he pokes his head into the next hallway. Empty. "Well... No gunshots. That's a good sign..." he mutters to himself. Rather than clear the entire building, he brings his omni-tool out and whispers a message into it. His gaze continuously bounces around as he awaits an angry salarian to descend upon him
Leah winces a bit as Halisi makes contact with her wound. "These people are just too powerful, Halisi." she says, shutting her eye to make it less difficult on Halisi, "Who knows how many others they have. Dr. Decker may have just been one of many... I've got all night to consider my options, but as it stands, I'm having trouble seeing any reason to stay. We can't fight an enemy if
Jason frowns, looking even more confused, and slightly silly at his approach now that Vasquez has shown a lack of urgency. He places his pistol back into the holster and follows her into the office. "What's going on, Linda? Worried the shit out of me. With our track record," and by our, he of course means Vasquez' track record, "...I was partially expecting to come home to fire and
Halisi finishes with the medigel application and sets the device down on the table. She slumps into her chair with a defeated look. "Alright, it's clear you have made up your mind. I just want you to stay safe."
Vasquez lets out a sigh, making her way back to her chair. She quickly makes a decision to cut right to the chase. "Leah was under Cerberus control."
Jason furrows his brow, Vasquez' words not entirely sinking in at first. "Wha-... How did this happen!?" he asks, quickly taking a seat across from Vasquez. "How do you know...?"
Vasquez looks a bit uncomfortable, drumming her desk. "She... kidnapped me..." she says says, as if confessing a bad habit.
Leah remains atop the examination bed, kicking one leg back and forth, the heel of her boot bouncing off of the side of the bed. "That's the plan..." she says softly. A few silent moments pass before she shrugs her shoulders. "And thank you, Halisi." she adds, "Really... Maybe it sounds strange-... or just plain pathetic, but you guys are the closest thing I've had to real friends in
Halisi puts a hand on Leah's knee with a sad smile. "Of course... you contact me anytime if you need help, or... if you want to talk. You don't have to be alone, even if you're going away."
I'm-... I'm fine, it's fine. She's okay, I'm okay... She... broke free and got me out. Halisi is examining her right now to confirm it.
Leah 's smile grows a bit more genuine. She gives a nod. "I'm gonna hold you to that. Sooooo, you're probably going to regret the offer." she says, a short tired chuckle escaping her, but it's quickly cut off by a long sigh. "I don't even know where to begin with Damien's brother. What do I even say to him?"
Jason brings a hand up to his forehead, running it back through his hair. "Shit... So how are we gonna handle this? Obviously Cerberus still has an interest in us if they're putting moles in our agency. We can't just ignore this, Linda..."
Halisi withdraws her hand and lowers her gaze, not replying right away. "I don't know... I think he deserves the truth, the way he's been searching for it. But... you don't know how we'll react. I think with time he'd understand Cerberus forced your hand." She doesn't appear to give any thought to the possibility that Leah doesn't know the name of the group that has nearly destroyed her life.
Vasquez grunts. "I don't know. I-.. I really don't know... alright? I-... they almost had me back under their control. I... I can't ever let that happen. I-..." She trails off, the hand on her desk clenching and unclenching as her gaze focuses on it. "What do they want with me? With us? Why won't those assholes leave us alone?"
Leah repeats the name aloud, "Cerberus..." She gives a short nod, "I made Damien a promise..." she says, looking back at Halisi. "...I promised him I'd make sure these assholes pay for what they've done. Once I make sure dad is safe, I'll see what I can do about getting as much intel on 'Cerberus' as I can. I'm not sure how far my credits will get me, but I have to try, right? Either
Jason scoots the chair closer to the desk and reaches across, his synthetic hand grasping around Vasquez' own. He stares at their hands for a moment, still uncomfortable at the sight of his own prosthetics, but hoping the intention is appreciated. "We just have to keep digging. I'll reach out to some contacts and see if I can turn something up, Linda. But you better believe that they're
going to need to kill me before you ever end up in their hands again. We'll figure this out.... Right?"
Halisi nods hesitantly. "Okay... information... that's good, but... you can't go after them on your own. Please, Leah... you'll just end up dead, or worse... back under their control. Be smart about this. See what you can dig up, and then get in touch."
Leah lowers her gaze once more. "So we can all end up dead...?" she asks with a sigh, "I won't wind up back under their control. That much I can guarantee..."
Vasquez 's hand stops moving as Jason grasps it. She stares at his synthetic limb for some time without responding, eventually taking a deep breath. "I don't know... what are we supposed to do? You saw that station... what can we do against something like that? This is out of our league."
Jason gives a shrug. "I mean, I'm not gonna hold it against you since you were out of your fucking mind for most of that, but-...." he leans forward over the desk, lowering his voice to a stage whisper, "...we fucked that station up." A big lopsided smirk crosses his face, "How many more of those could they have? Ten? Twenty? Line 'em up. I'm ready." he says, hoping to lighten the mood
Leah bites her lower lip as she stares off distantly. "I'll do what I can... I just don't want to drag anyone else down with me..."
Vasquez 's mood does not seem lightened. She turns her hand around and intertwines her fingers with Jason's, still staring down at his arm. "You know we can't take them on. What we had was a lucky break, and even then it sure as hell didn't come free."
Halisi 's frown fades. "Maybe you should let us pull you up instead then." After a moment she adds. "The Chief will want to debrief you now. There's a lot to explain."
Jason nods slowly, his gaze lowering to the desk in turn. He takes a deep breath before responding, "I know, Linda... We're just going to do what we always do: take it one day at a time and figure it out as we go. Sitting here and worrying about it isn't going to help anyone, right? We hit the extranet hard and call in any favors we have left."
Leah swallows hard as she nods in response to Halisi. "Just... take care of yourself, Halisi. Make sure you know who you can trust in that hospital..." she offers as she hops off the bed. She makes her way out of the room, stopping briefly at the door to look back and give Halisi a quick wave. Unable to get over the thought that it might be the last time she sees the woman, she sucks