This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#RedrockAgency – November 13, 2016
Vasquez is soundly asleep. No stirring or mumbles. Just deep, peaceful sleep. And the snoring that comes with it. Half her face is pressed down into the pillow and one of her arms is hanging partway over the edge of the bed. It's very early morning, and the sun hasn't risen yet, but the sky is a pale pink, the rings a band of yellow running through it.
Jason is fast asleep as well. It's rare for him to be up before Vasquez unless something is wrong. Hell, by the time he usually gets up, Vasquez has long since started her day. He has his back to Vasquez, both synthetic arms wrapped around a pillow.
Fergus suddenly materializes in the bedroom, looking distressed. "Milady, milord! Something is-... kzzzzrkzt-" The knightly hologram starts to disort, and it suddenly disappears, as the interface on the door to the hallway flickers briefly out of existence before coming back, red now. The room starts to darken as the shutters to the window close with a faint groan, cutting off the faint morning light.
Jason starts as the sound of Fergus' voice sounds out. His eyes blink open a couple of times and he pushes himself upwards, craning his neck back to look in the direction of Fergus' physical form just in time to see it phase out of existence. Even in his half-asleep state, his mind puts two and two together: Renala fucked up. "What did she do-..." he begins in a mutter, one eye closed as he adjusts to the light. Though as the
shutters begin to close and the door interface reappears, indicating they're locked inside, it becomes obvious that something is actually wrong and his gaze shoots to his side to make sure Vasquez is alright. As soon as she's accounted for, his hand reaches for the nightstand, tugging the drawer open to retrieve his Phalanx. "What's going on, Fergus?" he calls out, still trying to get his bearings and push the sleep out of his head. Were their systems hacked? Are they
Vasquez stirs, and despite what seemed like deep sleep she's quickly moving, gaze darting around as she tries to get her bearings. "What's going on?!" she asks loudly, blinking the sleep away. When she spots the locked door she tenses up, looking around again and quickly reaching for her own nightstand, scrambling to get armed. "Are we under attack?!"
There is no response from Fergus, and for a few seconds nothing chance. Then, suddenly, an orange hologram appears from Fergus' projector, casting a dim glow over the now-dark room. The figure is humanoid, but the hologram is heavily distorted by graphical glitches. It holds out a hand and speaks with a heavily digitized voice, the words incomprehensible at first before the pitch adjusts. "-not an attack. You will not need those.
Jason scoops his Phalanx out of his nightstand as one leg swings off the side of the bed. "I don't know!" he calls back as he finishes climbing to his feet and grabs a thermal clip from the drawer with his free hand. "Fergus? Talk to me, buddy. What's going on!?" he asks, seating the thermal clip and thumbing the safety off of his weapon in a single fluid motion, despite the fuzziness of sleep still grasping him. His mind reverts
right back to his Alliance training. Back to boot camp and the demand they were placed under to be up and combat ready at a moments notice. Make sure your weapon is operational and ready for battle even if your body is still trying to catch up. "Is anyone else in the building, Fergus?" he follows up. As the hologram projects into the room and speaks up, he swings around to face it. After a brief glance to Vasquez, his gaze
rests on the unknown figure. He studies it for a moment and glances down at his sidearm before speaking. "Well, forgive me if I don't just decide to take your word on it." he says sarcastically, stepping across the room towards the shutters to check if they've been locked down or if he can manually open them. "Who in the hell are you and what do you want?"
Vasquez mirrors Jason's movements, although her pace is noticably slower. Regardless, she's soon on her feet, weapon armed and ready. Her attention is inevitably drawn to the hologram. She seems about to speak up, but instead nods and Jason does, and heads over to the door, trying to override the lockdown.
The holographic figure lets out a distorted sigh. The image starts to clear, artifacts disappearing and giving way to a projection of an older human woman wearing what is unmistakably a Cerberus lab coat. She looks fit for her age, and has a somber look to her. Her hair is tied up in a low bun. "I'm not sure how much time I have. I had to wait until an opportunity to get on planet. We are... cleaning up an unrelated mistake here,
so... it was finally a good time. I wanted to do this face-to-face." She pauses, previously unseen wrinkles making themselves known as she frowns slightly and gives a small shrug. "...or as close as is reasonable, at any rate."
The shutters are, unfortunately, quite solidly locked down. Wouldn't be much good if they could be opened by hand after all.
Jason gives up on the shutters when it becomes obvious they're in lock down mode. "Can't see outside." he relays to Vasquez as he glances over to her, deciding the intruder can wait, "Any luck with the door?" Phalanx still in hand, he turns away from the security shutters and approaches the hologram. Now that the image is less distorted, his eyes scan it, stopping on the familiar insignia. His grip tightens around his pistol.
"Cerberus. Why am I not surprised?" he says, giving another brief glance to Vasquez. "Alright, look lady. I don't know who in the fuck you are, but I hit three buttons on my omni-tool and I'll have our entire team crashing down on this building in a matter of minutes. How confident are you that your people can take us down before they get here?" he threatens, assuming that at this very moment there's probably a squad of
Cerberus soldiers preparing to assault the building, though the fact that he's a man standing around in nothing but a pair of boxers may hollow the threat out a bit. "This isn't a fight Cerberus is going to win. You struck first. Let it end there."
Amel lets out a heavy sigh, shaking her head. "I'm not here to fight. I am here to talk. I have ensured they have not come after you before, and I fully intend to keep it that way. I know this does not undo what has happened, but I-..." The hologram trails off as Vasquez speaks, turning to look at her with a strange sadness in her eyes. The hologram, of course, is only a representation of the camera that moves insides
it dome by the projector. She can't help the futile gesture of reaching out with a holographic hand.
Vasquez gives up on her efforts by the door, her eyebrows furrowing as the voice becomes less digitized. And more familiar. She turns towards the now-detailed hologram, and freezes in place, staring at the woman in disbelief. "Wh-... how-... what?" she manages, her voice shaky as she starts to step away from the hologram, clutching her gun tightly but keeping it lowered. There's a stunned look on her face as a single word
Jason sighs in frustration the moment the Cerberus hologram states that she's 'not here to fight'. He's already on his way towards the couch, preparing to push it into place up against the door as a makeshift barricade by the time the word 'mom' leaves Vasquez' mouth. His gaze snaps to Vasquez, a look of confusion plastered across his face. "....Mom?" he repeats her words, giving a brief glance towards the hologram. It takes a
moment for the thoughts shooting through his mind to unjumble themselves, but once they do he gives a shake of his head, resting his Phalanx atop the arm rest of the couch as he prepares to begin pushing it. "It's mind games, Linda." he says, giving a sympathetic glance in her direction. Of course it's mind games. Cerberus seemed to know no bounds when it came to how far they were willing to sink to get the upper hand. "Just
ignore it and-..." he begins, but trails off as he realizes ignoring it probably isn't an option for her no matter what he says. What would he do if his mother just appeared in front of him one day? It was a dream he had experienced more times than he could count. One more chance to see her again and say all of the things he never had the time to. It was just mind games and it was working. He's wasting time while
Cerberus is probably storming the building. "We don't have time for this." he says, giving up on the couch for now as he starts back towards the nightstand, "I'm calling backup."
Amel looks almost pained as the word is uttered, a clear look of guilt crossing her face. "Linda, sweetie... I-... I understand if you're upset. I know that-... I can't imagine what this must be like for you. I wanted to get in touch with you sooner, but I-... Linda, I am so sorry. For everything that's happened, I-..."
Vasquez listens in stunned silence at first, a chaotic, contradictory mixture of emotions swirling in her eyes. "I-... I don't understand. Wh-... how's this possible? What-... this is-... this is a trick..." she says, raising her gun at the hologram as if that is somehow supposed to help. Her trigger finger taps repeatedly against the trigger guard.
Jason hurries across the room, bringing his sidearm with him. He quickly scoops his omni-tool up off the nightstand and begins to activate it when Vasquez raises her gun. His gaze looks to her, past the glow of his omni-tool interface. "Linda..." he says, holding the device in his palm as he returns to her side, "Don't let them get in your head." He reaches out slowly, pressing the barrel of his Phalanx against the top of her
pistol, attempting to urge it downward. His expression hardens as he looks back to the hologram. "Haven't you psychopaths taken enough from us? What is all of this about!?"
Amel ignores Jason as she speaks again. "Linda, please... I-... this isn't a trick. I'm sorry, I-... I've wanted to let you know, so many times... you have to understand, I had a very important job to do... I would never have left you and your brother otherwise. I wish I could explain everything, but I don't know how much time I have. I understand if you're angry. I do. Terrible things have happened. Things that never
should have happened. But everything I've done is to protect you. You have to know that. Sweetie, I-..."
Vasquez reluctantly allows her aim to be lowered. As her mother speaks again her hands fall to her sides, thoughts churning as she tries to process the situation and contain her emotions. "I-... I-... I thought you were-... is this real? I-..." It only lasts for so long. With sudden anger she calls out: "What?! What 'you've done'? What did you do? Terrible things? You mean the hell I've been through this year?! The
hell Jason has been through?! What's-... is it really-... m-... is it really you? Are you one of them...?" There's a distraught look to her as she struggles to make sense of everything, shaking her head to herself. "What is this?!"
Jason's gaze shifts back to his omni-tool, then to the hologram. Finding that he's unable to establish any sort of connection, he bites down hard. But... There's no sound of heavy boots against the hallway floor. No orders being shouted between soldiers. Could she be telling the truth...? It doesn't matter, there's not much he can do one way or another. His muscles tense at Vasquez' outburst and he thumbs the button on the
handheld device in, causing the omni-tool's glow to dissipate into his palm as he looks to Vasquez at his side and swallows hard at the lump in his throat. "...They're jamming communications..." he says softly, remaining right by her side. His gaze briefly moves to the hologram before settling right back on his fiance. "Could-.... Is there any chance she's telling the truth, Linda...? That she's-... That this is
really-..." he trails off each time, unable to get the word out. After everything they've been through, everything they've endured... there's no way her own mother could be one of them. "...It's just mind games..." he repeats, though sounding much less sure of himself this rime, "...Right?"
Amel averts her gaze briefly, and there's a moment before she says anything. "Linda... I never meant for you to be hurt. Cerberus isn't the boogeyman that you think it is. I promise. We... we do important work." she pleads. A grim look briefly crosses her face as she adds: "You have no idea the dangers we protect humanity from." She looks briefly at something out of view, looking prepared to terminate the transmission
should she have to, but it proves unnecessary, and she turns back to them. "I know you don't believe me. But it's the truth. I wish your introduction to the organization hadn't been the way it was... but I understand. I... am so sorry for everything that happened to you." She adds, with a glance to Jason: "Both of you." A deep breath. "...and that poor girl. The people responsible for that were completely out of
Vasquez shakes her head in response to Jason, even though it's quite obvious she doesn't know what to believe herself. She never once takes her gaze off the hologram. "I-.. I don't-..." she goes back to silence as her mother speaks again, the anger returning to her face. "Fuck off! Fuck off with your bullshit! You're not my mother! Fuck your apologies! Wh-... my mother would never have-... wha-... what the hell is this
supposed to-... I-..." Her combatative stance slowly relaxes as she trails off, her shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths. She blinks as a sudden realization hits her. A memory returned. So much of that time was still a blur to her. "You... you were there. On The Barn... you-... we talked, and-... wh-... mom...?" as she reaches the end of her sentance her voice is quiet, her tone almost childlike. She
staggers back, reaching reflexively for Jason's synthetic arm, still staring at the projection. Yes. It was definitely her mother. "It's real..."
Jason furrows his brow, his gaze traveling back and forth the two women. His expression turns from one of frustration to anger as the hologram tries to justify Cerberus' work. But there's nothing to be said. He couldn't have put it any better than Vasquez had anyhow. 'Fuck off with your bullshit'. Yep, that about covers it. But his expression shifts again as Vasquez goes through a number of emotions. From anger to understanding.
Had this woman really been standing in front of him, it would have taken every ounce of his strength to keep from choking her. Choking her with hands no longr of flesh and bone thanks to her very organization. But..... if there was even the slightest possibility that it could be Vasquez' mother, how could he not understand her emotions? If it was his own mother, it probably wouldn't have mattered if she had scorched an
entire planet single handedly. Some types of love just can't be lost. Some types of bonds can't be broken. As he feels Vasquez grasp at his arm, he shuffles his pistol to his other hand with his omni-tool and searches for her hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "I'm right here, Linda..." he says softly, unsure of what else he could possibly say to help.
Amel accepts the curses that Vasquez throws her way with a resigned look, her gaze falling and only looking back up at them again when she's done. "Yes. Linda, I-... I understand that you're angry. You have every right to be. I just... couldn't hide from you anymore. Not with everything that's happened. With everything that is happening. I needed to see you. Needed you to know. That I'm alive. That I love you. The
promise I gave to your friend is still true. Cerberus will not come after you. There are much bigger concerns. We're fighting the real enemy. We have to. No one else will. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? Somebody has to keep people safe from the things out there. That's what we do."
Vasquez ' shock fades as her anger returns, her grip on Jason's cybernetics tightening. She shakes her head to herself as she struggles to find the words. "...fuck you. Fuck. You. Get the hell out of here. Let us go. Now. You let me think you're dead for ten years?! You let Dad, let Markus think that? And then-... then you show up with your nutjob terrorist friends and nearly-... nearly-... Cerberus nearly ruined my life!
Are you insane?! You're not my mother." By the end she's practically fuming, her tone viciously hostile as she snarls the last sentance through gritted teeth, clenching the fist of her free hand with tears in her eyes.
Jason remains mostly silent as the woman speaks until she mentions the promise she made. "...Leah." he says softly. At Vasquez' outburst, he looks to his side, studying her. She has every right to be mad. Upset. Hurt. She has every right to feel however she wants. This woman-... her mother, is Cerberus. The people who tore them away from one another. The reason he lost his arms. They turned Leah's life inside-out and killed
Damien. But.... it's still her mother. Jason returns Vasquez' grip with a slight squeeze, just to remind her he's still there. That she's not alone. Not ever again. He looks to the hologram and stares in silence at it for a moment. "You-... you said your piece." he manages, clearly dealing with a bit of inner turmoil over how to feel about the whole ordeal. "She wants to be left alone..."
Amel seems taken aback by the sheer hostility in her daugher’s reply, and for a moment it seems like she’s going to simply close the connection as requested, but instead she tries again: "Linda, please... I... I just want to talk to you. I don’t know when I’ll get another chance t-..."
Amel seems to be doing her best to maintain her composure. "You’ve seen what we’re fighting... this is about humanity’s survival. The Collec-..."
Amel shifts her gaze away from them, closing her eyes for a moment. It’s hard to tell through the holographic transmission, but it seems like she’s holding back tears. "Alright. I-... just... know that I love you and Markus very much. This is... a dangerous time. Stay safe, sweetie." She glances to Vasquez once last time before stepping out of the projection area, a defeated look on her face.
The hologram projector shuts down, and a moment later the door interface flickers again, turning back to green.
Jason looks to Vasquez with nothing but sympathy in his eyes. What he wouldn't do to have the opportunity she just turned away. Still, there's no judgement coming from him. After everything Cerberus has done, he certainly doesn't envy the position she was just put in. "Linda I-..." he begins, but there's nothing he could possibly say right now to ease whatever pain she must be going through. "I'm so sorry..." he says, stepping
Vasquez anger fades as soon as the hologram disappears, replaced by an empty expression. She continues to stare at the spot in the room where her mother had stood just a moment ago, her shoulders dropping. When Jason wraps her up in the hug she returns the gesture, her movement slow and unfocused. She puts her head on his shoulder, still staring at the empty air behind him as her arms grasp at his back. The tears that were
gathering start to roll down her cheeks, but there is no sound or sob. There's just shock in her face... and maybe a little regret?
Jason holds her tightly, making no effort to move. "Are you okay...?" he finally asks, but immediately regrets it. Of course she's not okay. How could anyone be okay in a situation like this? "I mean I-..." he stammers, "...If you want to talk... You should-..." He sucks some air in, "...Say something, Linda..."
Vasquez doesn't answer right away. In fact, she remains completely silent for some time, just holding onto Jason as she stares at the same spot. Eventually, quietly, she speaks: "She's alive..."
Jason nods silently, giving Vasquez another gentle squeeze before he responds. "If you wanted to-..." he begins softly, finding it difficult to speak with the lump in his throat and worried how his words may be received. He pauses to clear his throat before continuing, raising his voice slightly to be better heard. "Linda... I understand if you-... She's your mother, you know? Is this-... Is it what you really want...?"
Vasquez shifts her head, turning her face towards Jason's neck and hides it there, wet cheeks pressing against his skin. Once again she remains like this in silence for a while, almost trembling slightly. A quiet sniffle inevitably escapes as she lifts her head slightly. "She's not my mother. She's a monster." she whispers, a shadow of her former anger returning.
Jason offers no response, merely remaining as he is. After what they've already been through with Cerberus, for all they know her mother could just be another pawn, being used against her will. Admittedly, it wasn't the sort of consideration Jason would have afforded the woman had it not been Vasquez' mother. Still, regardless of the circumstances behind her affiliation with Cerberus, they heard the story from Leah. It matched up.
She owed this woman her life. That has to count for something. Right? You can't really balance good and bad deeds like weights on a scale, though. Maybe he was just making excuses for her because of his own circumstances. Because, deep down, his kneejerk reaction to the whole ordeal is that he wants Vasquez to have her mother back. Regardless, it isn't the time to bring up any of it. This is a conversation that needs to
happen on Vasquez' terms and at her own pace. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, Linda. You have a right to-... to, you know, feel however you feel about all this..." he says awkwardly, searching desperately for the right thing to say and coming up empty handed. "I just-... I'm with you, alright? However you-... whatever you want. I love you."
Vasquez remains in Jason's arms as she listens, lingering a while in silence afterwards, but eventually she lets go of the hug, taking a step back. She looks scattered, her mind all over the place. "I-... I th-... I need to... can I just... have a little time to-... to myself?" she asks, her tone distant. Her gaze finally turns to Jason as she looks for an answer.
Jason releases his hold on Vasquez as she steps back. He gives a short nod. "Yeah..." he says softly, "...Of course." He studies her face in silence for a few moments before continuing. "But-... But you're not by yourself..." he says tentatively, giving a tilt of his head, "I just-.... you know that, right? Take as much time as you need, Linda. This has to be-... well, fuck, it's a lot to take in. But when you're ready to