Survivor

Chapter Two

Admiral Hackett
  Hackett tapped his foot as he waited for the elevator to arrive at Huerta.
  This has to be a trick from what was left of Cerberus. Shepard was dead. There was no way she had survived, even if she had made it to the beam.
  Even so, with Cerberus disbanded, there would be no way to bring Shepard back. The Illusive Man would have taken his secrets to the grave instead of sharing his info with anybody.
  He truly didn't know what to expect, and in the back of his mind he wondered if Shepard really was alive. Even hoped she was.
  The door slid open and he stepped into Huerta, scanning the lobby as he did so.
  Straight ahead, he recognized Miranda Lawson, the Illusive Man's former golden child before the Collector base was destroyed and she left him.
  He kept a neutral face as he approached her. "I thought you claimed to have Shepard."
  Lawson smirked at him. "Patience, Admiral. I wanted to have a word with you before we let you in to see her. There's some negotiations to be made."
  He raised an eyebrow at her. "And I assume these aren't any light negotiations, as, assuming you're telling the truth about Shepard, it wouldn't have been easy."
  Lawson smiled. "Smart man. One of the reasons I chose to contact you. You're right. These aren't any light negotiations. I'm restarting Cerberus. We won't be as radical, but we'll still have humanity's interests at heart. I want immunity, or at least the chance to escape as soon as my business here with Shepard is done. Along with the men I've chosen to not... Dispose of."
  Hackett frowned and stood taller. "I can't guarantee your escape, just that my men won't be attacking your ship as soon as you make a beeline for that Mass Relay. What else?"
  "I want you to vouch for us to the Council. Shepard is a testimony of our good faith."
  "And just how do you expect me to vouch to the Council when I had seldom seen even our own Ambassador?"
  Lawson once again smirked. "That's taken care of. You'll find that we made sure your name was on the top of those to replace the human Councilor."
  Hackett was silent, studying Miranda Lawson, searching for any deception and found none even as she rose a brow at him.
  "Do we have an agreement?"