The Bureau of Multiverse Affairs

Chapter 16 Nothing

For a few seconds the Normandy was flying through an empty void, then another blue flash overcame it and suddenly fat snowflakes were carpeting the window.

"Nice weather you found us EDI," Joker remarked in a voice thick with sarcasm.
"I apologise for the conditions Mr. Moreau," the AI replied, "But this was the only universe that Moriarty does not have direct access to."
"So where are we?" Benton asked.

"My preliminary scans lead me to believe this is Antarctica."
"So we're on Earth."
"We are, but since this is a different universe, we must expect that this one is not the same as our own."
"Couldn't Moriarty have no access to a nice beach in the Caribbean?" Joker muttered as he adjusted the controls. "If nothing else we could have relaxed in the sun while the ship got repaired."
"What's our damage situation EDI?" said Benton.

"Our port engine is no longer functioning," the AI replied, "The hull has been damaged and we have breaches on the engineering and crew deck. We will need to land to carry out repairs."
Benton peered through the window but could see nothing but swirling whiteness.
"Is there anywhere we could land?" he asked, "A sheltered valley perhaps, just so we're out of this storm?"
"My scans are picking up a mountain range to the South," EDI replied, "I recommend heading there."

"You heard her Joker, head South."
"On it," the pilot replied.
There was a gentle sensation of movement as the ship headed toward the mountains. After a few minutes, dark jagged shapes appeared out of the snow. Though he had seen many mountains in his time, Benton quickly realised that these ones were nothing short of gigantic in scale.

"EDI," he asked, "How tall are these mountains?"
"I estimate they are over 10,000 metres high, making them taller than Mount Everest."
"But that's impossible, there are no mountains in Antarctica higher than Everest."
"You measured them yourself?" Joker remarked.
"Sergeant Benton is correct Jeff," EDI cut in, "Everest was the tallest mountain on Earth in our reality at 8,849 metres. Clearly that is not the case in this reality..."

The AI paused for a few moments. When she next spoke, she sounded almost fearful.
"I am also detecting structures on the mountainsides."
"What sort of structures?" Benton asked.
"They appear to be fortifications."
Benton was puzzled. Though he had never given it much thought, he knew no one had managed to build anything more than modest wooden huts on the world's southernmost continent.

"Have you picked up anything else?" he asked.
"Nothing so far. The structures seem to be in a state of disrepair. They must be thousands of years old."
"Strange ancient ruins in the middle of the South Pole?" said Joker, "EDI, are you sure this place is safe?"
"I have picked up no transmissions from forces aligned to Moriarty in this universe Jeff, there is no reason to believe we are in danger."

Outside the Normandy, the snow began to dissipate as the storm blew itself out, and the dark shapes of the mountains were thrown into stark relief. They were nothing short of awe-inspiring. Vast jagged outcrops of stone, blanketed by heavy snow drifts, stretching into the distance as far as the eye could see.
"Yeah, I'm sure there's no danger in the spooky mountains," Joker said drily.
"EDI, can you detect anywhere we can land? Benton asked, trying to ignore his own sense of foreboding.

"No Sergeant, the sides of the mountains here are extremely steep, there is nowhere we could land the Normandy safely. I suggest we fly to the other side to find shelter."
"I dunno about this," said Booker, who was standing a little way back with Elizabeth, "I think Joker's right. There's something not right about these mountains."
"We don't have a choice," Benton replied, "You heard what Miss EDI said. We have to put down to make repairs."
"I know that, but it doesn't mean I have to like it."

Privately Benton agreed, but knew it was bad for a commander, even a temporary one, to voice his doubts.
The Normandy began to rise and soon it was flying over the crags and frozen wastes of the mountains. Looking down, Benton thought he saw regularly shaped stones laid out in neat lines. Despite the distance, they still looked massive. He began wondering if they were man-made or a result of natural phenomena, when Elizabeth let out a gasp.

He looked up wondering if the young woman had been hurt, only to realise she was staring out the cockpit window. Beside her, Booker was staring as well, eyes wide and fearful. Curious, Benton turned to see what they were looking at, and let out two hushed words.
"Good God..."

The Normandy had crossed the mountains and was flying over a city, larger and more terrible than any of the team had ever seen before. Though much of it had been buried by snow and ice, its grandeur was still visible. Tall twisting spires rose far into the sky, and vast domed roofs were common, as were bridges that spanned the great chasms between the buildings. Even the smaller structures were larger than modern skyscrapers, towering above the drifts of snow and ice, built from colossal blocks of cyclopean stone. Looking into the distance they could not see the edge of the city, indeed, it seemed to become even larger the further it went.

"What is this place?" Booker said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Benton pressed himself against the window, trying to get a better view. Grand boulevards and five sided intersections linked the city together, forming a vast labyrinth. Many of the roofs had long caved-in, and the great windows were dark and hollow, covered by icicles, creating yawning mouths of sharp teeth. There were statues on some of the intersections, but they were so eroded that any details were impossible to make out.

"EDI," he said, only now realising how dry his mouth had become, "Can... can you detect anyone down there?"
"My scans have revealed no lifeforms on the surface," she replied, "But much of this city is buried under hundreds of metres of ice, making it impossible to say for certain."
"You want my opinion," Joker said, "That place is filled with every nightmare all of us have ever had."

"Who could have built a city like this?" said Elizabeth, "It doesn't look like anywhere I've seen before, in my books at least."
"EDI," Benton cut in, "Is there anywhere down there we can land?"
"I am picking up a large flat area about 1 kilometre to the east," EDI replied, "It's also sheltered from the prevailing winds, so it should be largely free of snow drifts."
"Good. Joker, head for that."

"Are you kidding?!" the pilot snapped at Benton, "You find a dead city in the middle of Antarctica and you want to land!"
"It's the only choice we have," Benton replied sternly, "The Normandy's badly damaged and our commander is wounded. Besides, I'm sure we've got more than enough weaponry here to deal with any problems."
"Yeah, until some monster starts chewing on our hull," Joker grumbled before reluctantly adjusting the controls.

The Normandy descended and soon was flying between the towers of the vast city. All was silent in the cockpit as the team looked out in awe and terror. Most of the buildings were geometric shapes, cones, pyramids, cylinders and cubes. Despite the damage that had been wrought by the passage of time, it was clear they had been built to an extremely high quality. They were also profoundly inhuman. Though EDI had said they were on Earth, Benton could not believe that this dead city trapped in the endless cold of Antarctica could have ever been built by human hands.

After some time, a large flat area appeared before the Normandy. It appeared to have once been a town square, but had long been buried under sheets of dark blue ice. On one side was a deep void, spanned by the broken remains of bridges. On the other was a large domed building, ringed by long pointed spires, almost like a giant crown. Much of the roof was caved in, exposing a dark interior of archways that disappeared into the city.

"You sure you want to land here?" Joker asked, looking around his chair at Benton, his expression grave.
"I'm sure," he replied, "Bring us in."
The Normandy went into a slow but steady descent toward the flat area. The engines rumbled as they were put into reverse and the Normandy settled down on the ice like a bird of prey. The engine wound down and the only remaining sound was the whisper of the wind between the ruins.

"Well done Joker," Benton said.
"Nice to know you approve of my work," the pilot grinned.
With the ship safely landed, Benton walked back down to the CIC, where the rest of the team was waiting.
"We've landed," he announced.
"Where are we?" Lestrade asked, striding up to him.
"EDI said we've arrived in Antarctica. We've found a city of some kind, but it seems to be abandoned."
"An abandoned city in Antarctica?" said the Doctor, looking as puzzled as he sounded.
"Yes. We don't know anything about it yet, but it's safe for the time being. EDI said Moriarty cannot directly access this universe."
"I'll believe that when I see it," said Xena.

With the battle and discovery of the dead city behind him, Benton began to see how bedraggled the team was. Most were nursing small wounds or had been exhausted by the fight and escape from Columbia. Walking around the CIC's display, he saw Shepard still lying on the metal floor, his eyes open and unfocused, face unreadable. Garrus and Tali were standing to one side while examined him.

"How is he?" Benton asked.
"I'm not sure," Chakwas replied, sounding grim. "The commander's vitals are stable, but he's been unresponsive."
She looked to the Sergeant.
"Please, what happened out there? Other than EDI's reports we didn't hear anything when you were on that Columbia place."
"We were ambushed," Benton replied, "My team was laying demolition charges in that statue when we were attacked by robots. Luckily we managed to fight our way out."

"We weren't so lucky," Garrus said in a heavy voice. "We got into Comstock House without meeting any resistance once we were past the gatehouse, but when we reached Moriarty, he had a damned army waiting for us."
"They must have known we were coming," said Xena, "It's the only explanation for how they could have ambushed all of us."
"What about you Mr. DeWitt?" Benton asked, turning to Booker, "What happened when you stormed those heavy guns?"
"We were able to take the guns," he replied, "Then we were ambushed as well, by Songbird."
"Songbird?"

"It's... it's... It's hard to explain, but it's a giant mechanical bird. Comstock used it to keep Elizabeth imprisoned on Monument Island. It hunted her all over the city when I broke her out. Nearly killed me more than once."
"What happened? At the heavy guns I mean."
"I managed to lure it away with a rocket launcher. The rest of the Vox were then able to arm themselves with heavy weapons and take it out."
"Must have been quite a battle."
"You better believe it."

"That's all very interesting," said Lestrade, her voice full of impatience, "But that doesn't explain how Moriarty was able to know where we were going, much less how he was able to ambush you all. Sherlock, you got any ideas?"
The great detective looked at her, eyes still unfocused.
"I'm... I'm not sure..." he mumbled.
Lestrade's expression changed to one of alarm.
"Holmes? Are you wounded?"
"No inspector... I'm fine... just... just..."

Sherlock tried to finish the sentence, but the words just petered out. Lestrade began to feel very worried. In all her time working with Holmes, he had always been upbeat, his keen mind fixed on solving the latest mystery put before him. Now he was quiet and depressed, dare she even think it, defeated. She was about to ask Watson if he was any better when a low groaning sounded through the CIC. The team looked to the source and saw that Shepard had sat up, clutching his head in his hands.

"Shepard?" Tali said, as if not daring to believe he was awake.
The commander did not reply, instead clutching his head more firmly.
"Commander?" said Doctor Chakwas, "Can you hear me? It's Karin. You're on the Normandy."
Still he was silent.
"John..." Tali said softly, kneeling down so she was at his eye level, "John, it's me, it's Tali. You're safe now."
She reached out and her gloved hand gently brushed his cheek.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
The shout caused everyone in the CIC to jump, and they were even more shocked when they realised that it had come from Shepard.
"John...?" Tali said, sounding fearful.
She reached out again, but Shepard scrambled back until he was pressed against the wall, looking at the team with narrowed distrustful eyes.
"Commander," Chakwas said, her voice firm, "Commander you are in shock, you need to rest."

Shepard let out a short sharp laugh.
"You would say that wouldn't you!" he snapped.
"Commander, you are not well," Chakwas said, keeping her distance less he try something reckless.
Shepard looked at her and laughed again.

"I can't be unwell, it's impossible!" he snorted, "Impossible!"
He edged himself along the wall, hand sliding up and down its surface.
"Shepard," Garrus tried to say, "I know it was a shock, but you have to calm down."
"Pah! Why should I? What's the point of being calm? None of this matters, none of its even real!"

His hand found the button to call the lift and he pressed it hard. The doors opened at once and he walked backwards into the lift, not taking his eyes off the team.
"Shepard wait," Tali said, her voice full of confused worry, "Whatever happened to you, we can help, we want to help."
"You can't help me!" he snarled, "No one can!"

He slammed his fist against the control button inside the lift and the doors closed.
"John!" Tali cried, "John come back!"
She ran up to the doors and pressed the button, but nothing happened.
"I'm sorry Tali," said EDI, "The commander has priority when it comes to the elevator. You will not be able to recall it until he disembarks."
"Where has he gone?" Benton asked.

"He has taken the elevator to his cabin and locked the door, I'm afraid it cannot be accessed without his permission."
"Umm, is anyone going to explain what's going on?" said Booker, who looked completely baffled.
"I second that," said Joker, who had limped his way to the CIC.

Benton looked to the Doctor. He had worked alongside the timelord for many years and had never known him to mince his words when it came to a threat. Yet looking at him, it was clear that he was in a state of shock as well.
"Doctor?" Benton asked tentatively, "What happened in Comstock House? What's wrong with Shepard?"
The Doctor raised his head and gave him a look of sorrow.
"We found out that Moriarty is just a figurehead, the real power behind his multiverse operation is the Great Intelligence."

"The Great Intelligence? Wasn't that the creature you and the Brigadier fought in the London Underground a few years back?"
"Yes, the same one. It told us... it told us..."
The Doctor took a deep breath before speaking again, his voice full of pain.
"It showed us that we're not real."
"Not real?" said Benton, looking puzzled.

The other team members looked just as baffled.
"I'd think we'd know if we weren't real Doctor," said Lestrade.
"I'm sorry," said Sherlock, hanging his head as if in shame, "but it's the truth."
The members of Shepard's team explained how the Great Intelligence had puppeted Moriarty and how their reality was just a by-product of human thought. How long it took to say everything, none of them knew, but by the end all of them looked confused and crestfallen.

"So..." muttered Amanda, slumped by the radio set, "What do we do now?"
"What is there to do?" said Sherlock, "Nothing we do truly matters."
"Holmes," said Watson, looking surprised, "You can't seriously believe that?"
The detective looked at his old friend sadly.
"What can we do? We're just cartoons, a cheap copy of someone else's work."

Gabrielle looked to Xena, hoping for some sort of answer, but the warrior princess was leaning against the wall, staring at the floor.
"I know what I'm going to do," Tali said loudly, her voice thick.
She marched up to the lift.
"EDI, give me access to the captain's cabin."

"Are you sure Tali?" the AI replied, "The commander has locked off access to his cabin. Overriding it would be a breach of protocol."
Tali activated her omni-tool and held it up to the lift controls.
"All access pass," she said, "Shepard gave it to me when I came onboard."
"I see. In that case, you are free to access the elevator Miss Vas Normandy."

The doors opened and Tali stepped inside.
"I should come with you," said Benton, stepping into the lift.
"I think I should do this alone," Tali tried to say before Garrus joined them.
"Shepard just suffered a great shock," he said, "You're gonna need some support going into this."

Deciding not to argue, Tali pressed the button for the cabin and the lift began to rise. The short journey passed in silence until they reached another locked door. Once again Tali opened it with her omni-tool and they entered the captain's cabin.
The space was much larger and more luxurious than other commander's quarters, with a fish tank on one side and a display case of model ships beside a desk on the other. At the back of the room was a double bed where Shepard sat, head buried in his hands.
Stepping out of the lift first, Tali headed across the cabin.

"John," she said softly.
"Go away!" Shepard snapped.
"John, you can't stay up here."
Shepard looked around, his face pulled into an ugly sneer.
"Said who?"
"You're the commanding officer on this mission," Benton said, stepping forward so he was beside Tali, "We need you."

Shepard let out a hollow laugh.
"I'm a fictional character! No one 'needs me! Least of all other fictional characters!"
"Shepard," Garrus said, "I know this is a shock, but we can't just sit around doing nothing. We have to plan our next move."
"Oh, shut it Vakarian! There's no 'next move', there's just a silly fantasy from some guy lying on his couch and pressing buttons."

He kicked his desk chair, sending it spinning away.
Benton and Garrus looked at one another, trying to work out what to say. Tali however walked forward and sat on the bed beside Shepard. He looked away from her, but did not move.
"John," she said, almost whispering, "John, I don't fully understand what's going on, but you can't beat yourself up over it."

Shepard sighed and stared at the floor.
"You didn't see what the Intelligence showed us. Me, you, the Normandy, hell our whole galaxy, it's just a video game. Some toy cooked up by a company to entertain people for a few hours. All the choices 'I' made; those were just inputs from people playing it. Even our voices aren't our own, they're from some actor."
"I don't see how that matters."

Tali's voice was firm, but Shepard kept his eyes fixed on the floor.
"The Doctor said this reality, realm, whatever it is," she went on, "It's a by-product of human thoughts, not their actual thoughts."
"That's all it is," Shepard grumbled, "We don't have a choice or will of our own. Hell, even us falling in love was just a choice from the game. It wasn't even the main one. I was meant to fall in love with Liara."
"Then why didn't you?"
This time Tali's words made him look up.

"If T'Soni was who you were meant to love, why didn't you? I remember when you turned her down. She was beautiful and smart, in ways I could never be, but you rejected her. Then when you came back, you said you had feelings for me."
"And they weren't real, none of it was! Just another choice someone else made for me."
"You don't know that."

"Tali I saw it! The people, real people, just pushing buttons to make me act! To choose what I say! I'm just a meaningless puppet in a meaningless world. We're nothing!"
"Nothing? Nothing! John, you faced down Reapers and saved who knows how many trillions of lives."
Shepard let out a snort.
"Even that's not a given. Players can choose not to do anything and just let the Reapers win."
"You'd never do that!" Tali exclaimed.
"The players would. They'd let us all die and just reload a save. Like I said, it's all meaningless. Everything we did."

He looked down at the floor again.
"Even our love was just a cheap illusion."
"So I'm meaningless?" Tali said, her voice slightly strained.
Shepard did not move. A burning sensation rose up in the Quarian's chest, then she had an idea. She rose to her feet and walked around so she was in front of the commander.
"Well then," she said, her tone level, "If I'm meaningless, then there's no reason for me to keep this suit on."

Shepard's head twitched slightly, but he remained silent.
"If this is all meaningless, then I'm meaningless, and there's no reason for me to wear this ridiculous suit."
Slowly she raised a hand to her mask. Benton turned to Garrus, puzzled, only to see the Turian had a fearful look on his face. Tali's hand reached a point just under the glass plate of her helmet and there was a gentle hiss. At that sound Shepard's head shot up.
"Tali, you... you're... you're being..." he tried to say.

"What? What am I being? Like you said, if this is meaningless, then this shouldn't be a problem for you."
The hand now went to the glass visor. Benton tried to speak, but a sense of fear seemed to glue his throat up. He had no idea what would happen if the alien removed her mask, but it could not be anything good.
"Tali, stop this," Shepard said, trying and failing to sound stern.
"Why should I?" Tali countered, "Like you said, if I'm just a cheap illusion to you-"
"I didn't say that!"
"Yes you did, and if that's all we ever had then there's no reason for me to care either."

She lifted the visor away from her helmet.
"NO!"
In an instant Shepard leapt to his feet and forced the glass back into place with a faint click.
"No..."
A deafening silence filled the cabin. For a few moments, the two stood unmoving beside the bed. Shepard's breathing was ragged and pained, eyes wide and full of horror. Eventually his arms wrapped themselves around Tali's suited form, holding her tightly.
"Don't do that..." he half sobbed, "Please don't..."
"You see..." Tali replied in a voice that sounded half-surprised, "You still have something worth fighting for."

Shepard buried his head against her shoulder, tears spilling down his face. For their part, Benton and Garrus stood by the door, feeling somewhat embarrassed, as if they were intruding on something very personal and private.
"I'm a damn fool..." Shepard whispered.
"I know, but you're my fool," Tali replied, smiling behind her purple visor.

They stayed in each other's arms for some time. The despair that had gripped the commander since Comstock House gave way. It didn't matter if they were meaningless, he would make his own meaning, with the love of his life at his side. Finally he raised his head and placed a small kiss on Tali's visor before turning to Benton and Garrus.
"What's our situation?" he asked, his voice firm and level.

Benton cleared his throat.
"We've managed to evade Moriarty's forces and landed in an abandoned city in Antarctica Commander," he answered. "EDI said we should be safe here. Unfortunately it sounds like the Flying Legion has been lost. Miss Ripley informed us that Conran Base was destroyed..."
"By a Reaper," Shepard replied, "The Intelligence showed us. Have we had any word from Captain Sullivan?"
"I'm afraid not."
"Then we should assume he's been killed in action. At least we know they did all they could."

It was not much, but at the moment it was all he could say.
"Perhaps you should talk to the rest of the crew? Garrus suggested, "I get the feeling we're all a bit confused right now."
Shepard nodded.
"You're right. Sorry, I've been selfish."
"You suffered a great shock," Tali replied, "But now you know what's at stake and why you're fighting."

Taking hold of his hand, she led him back to the lift. A few minutes later the four arrived back on the command deck, the team sitting around the CIC's holographic display. Their fearful faces turned to Shepard as he stepped forward, but they seemed to realise that he was in a better frame of mind now.

"Team," he said, standing to attention, "I'm... I'm sorry for my outburst. What I learned, it's... it's still a shock, but regardless of what we are, we still have a job to do."
"And what job would that be?" Sherlock replied, looking at the commander glumly.
"To save reality," Shepard replied, "If the Intelligence can do what it said it can, then all of humanity is at risk of being brainwashed to its will. Those people... humanity, they created us, we cannot let them lose their freedom."

"Here! Here!" exclaimed the Doctor.
"I'm with you," Benton replied, clapping the commander on the shoulder.
"And me!" said Sarah.
"You know you can count on me," Garrus replied with a grin.
"And me," Tali said, taking his hand.
"I shall follow you to the ends of the universe," Watson said, rising to his feet, "And any more we may cross."

"You're all crazy!" Booker remarked before cracking a smile, "But I'll be damned before I let that Intelligence get the better of us."
"In that case, count me in!" said Elizabeth.
"This is madness," Xena said, "Just the sort of mission I love."
"You can say that again," replied Gabrielle.

"I haven't come all this way to give up now," said Amanda, "I'm with you Shepard."
"Looks like you've got me as well then," said Doctor Chakwas, "I doubt anyone else can patch you lot up as well as I can."
"You can rely on me Commander," said EDI.
"I'd back out," Joker said, "But luckily for you guys, I just got the pilot's seat nice and comfortable."

The team now turned its attention to Sherlock, who was looking rather surprised by the response.
"Well then," he said, getting to his feet, "I could never turn down a good case, and this might be the best I've come across so far. I'm with you Shepard."
"Guys," Inspector Lestrade cut in at that point, "I hate to rain on your little moment, but you're missing an important point. We are 16 people. Moriarty... well the Intelligence, has a whole army under his command. Even we can't overcome those odds."

"The Intelligence is a powerful force, there's no question about that," said the Doctor, "But even it has weaknesses that can be its undoing. We just need to find them."
"But even if we found its weakness, that still leaves the problem of getting to its pocket universe."

"That's one problem we've managed to overcome," Amanda replied.
She went to the CIC and activated its holographic display. Once again the triangular map of the multiverse appeared.
"Dexter was able to transmit the coordinates to Moriarty's pocket universe," Amanda continued, "So we should be able to open a portal to it as well."
She entered a few commands and a white line appeared on the map. It began in a universe at the far edge and travelled back and forth through the others until it reached the thin end.

"That's our route in," Amanda said.
"That's all very well," Lestrade replied, her arms crossed, "But it still doesn't change the fact that the Intelligence has us outmanned and outgunned."
Shepard leaned against the edge of the display, looking up at the marker point in Moriarty's universe.
"It has to have a weak spot," he said, the Intelligence wouldn't have worked so hard to catch us on Columbia if it didn't."

"I just wish we knew what we were facing," Xena said, "Even if we could overcome their superior numbers, the fact is we'll be going in blind."
"What if..." Benton began, when EDI's voice cut in.
"I apologise for interrupting," she said, "But my scans have just picked up a lifeform approaching the ship."
"What is it?" asked Shepard.
"It appears to be human. If you wish, I can show a visual on the CIC display."
"Do it."

The map vanished, and a screen took its place. The image was fuzzy, but they could make out a ruined arched tunnel that ran deep into the city. The floor around it was littered with broken stonework, half buried by snow, but climbing over it was a figure. As EDI had said, they appeared to be a human, wearing an extremely heavy coat with a fur-lined hood pulled up. The person's face was covered by a mask and goggles, and their hands were stuffed into oversized gloves. Nonetheless, they kept walking forward, waving both arms to get their attention.

"What on earth?" said Sarah.
Shepard was equally confused.
"EDI, I thought you said this city was abandoned?"
"I believed it was," she replied, "But I was only able to carry out a cursory scan before we landed. This person seems to have come from somewhere deep inside the city."
"Who are they though?" said Gabrielle, "No one could possibly live here... could they?"
"Perhaps they're part of a research team?" Benton suggested, "They must have heard our engines and come to investigate."

"That would be the most likely answer," replied the Doctor. "But we should be careful. There's no telling if this is a trick by the Intelligence."
"EDI?" Shepard asked, "Is that person carrying any weapons?"
"Negative Commander," she replied.
By now the figure was right beside the ship, waving frantically.
"What should we do?" asked Tali, looking at the screen in unblinking fascination.
Shepard scratched his chin for a moment, then spoke.

"EDI he said, " Contact that person, tell them to come to the front of the ship. Lower the cargo ramp to let them in."
"Of course Commander."
"The rest of you with me," he ordered, "We're going to find out what this guy's doing here."
"Are you sure about this?" asked Garrus, "We're taking a big risk."
"Right now we don't have a choice. If they can help us, then we can't afford to ignore them."
"And if they're with Moriarty?"
"Then we make sure they don't leave here alive."

With a sense of trepidation, Shepard entered the lift with Tali, Garrus, Benton and the Doctor and headed down to the cargo bay. They stepped off just as the ramp began to lower.
"Keep your weapons holstered but close," he whispered.
"You've got it," Tali replied.

By the time the ramp was fully down the rest of the team had arrived from the CIC and were waiting with anticipation. Beyond the grey metal was a swirling mass of whiteness, almost blinding in its brightness. Suddenly it was broken by a tan coloured coat and trousers as the figure hurried forward and began climbing toward them.
"Moment of truth," Shepard thought.

The figure reached the top of the ramp, their breath forming a large white cloud. Carefully they removed the hood and mask, revealing a gaunt face, covered in a layer of thick stubble.
"Thank you," he said in a cultured tone, "I was beginning to wonder if you'd seen me."
"We did," Shepard replied, his tone firm but friendly, "But who are you? And what are you doing out here?"
"Ah yes, of course, so sorry. I am Professor William Dyer of Miskatonic University, I take it you people have also just escaped the Great Intelligence?"