为了人類

There was something important he had intended to ask her. What had it been? 

Her hair had grown long, and his fingers ran through it like liquid. He could focus on the feeling of running his hands through it. But, echoed over that, overlapping, was her own sense of his hand running through her hair. A double-vision. Baffling.

Things had been so quiet, so simple, with only Leta. How had such an easy understanding formed between them? Leng hadn't considered it, simply accepted it. He had little time to ponder the query, however, as the Illusive Man chose then to send word. It was not unexpected that his employer would ask for further clarification. The Hei An had been destroyed, and Leng and Leta had returned without notice, days overdue, in N7 armor and via a turian fighter.

Leng peeled himself from the heavily abused underarmor with difficulty, and took a brief shower in the medical wing's public facilities. Eventually, damp hair slicked back into a ponytail, and dressed in a a set of standard-issue black and white Cerberus fatigues acquired from the medical personnel, Leng was presentable, even if virtually indistinguishable from an average Cerberus grunt.

The Illusive Man never kept him long, but each interaction put Leng on his toes. This one was no different, even through the painkillers and the babbling of the Tianshi Phantoms. At the end of it, however, he was complimented on his effective handling of the situation and encouraged to take the next day-cycle for recovery.

He stepped back across the black mirror-shine floor again, his feeling of vague detachment growing. His feet led him through Cronos Station of their own accord. Leng's mind fogging over and lost itself in the sensations streaming from the QEC. Rahna's relieved, emotional concern for himself and Leta. The feeling of Nyx's hand gripping a stylus as she drew another piece of artwork. The curl of Maeve's tongue in her cheek as she struck targets with her biotics on the practice range.

He studied Leta. The shadows under her eyes, the dust in her hair. She had seen him at his worst, and had not simply remained at his side, but had continued to show her support and concern. It was entirely unprecedented. Baffling. Anyone else in her position would be gone by now, unquestionably.

His fingertips ran over her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear and cupping her chin in his palm. What could he have possibly done to deserve that look in her eye? 

He started, pulling his hand away, having absently disregarded that they were still standing in the middle of the hallway outside Decon. And causing quite the roadblock, considering the line forming behind them. Leng scowled in annoyance, turning on his heel and continuing down the hall. Business came first.

Leng stood with difficulty, his joints growing stiff from lack of activity. Finally. Leta's agitation was obvious, however, and he reached to touch her arm.

Captain al-Jabiri leaned back in her chair, grimacing visibly as she sent her XO an order to prep the turian fighter. She turned her attention back to her two charges with annoyance. What she wouldn't give to have an empty office again, free of wayward agents in need of entertaining. It still wouldn't be her old post at the bank, but at least it would be quiet again.

Leng brought the Titan down, flying low over high-rise apartment buildings. Nagasaki seemed to have fared better than Shanghai. A large portion of its buildings remained in reasonable repair. Aptly-named Firebase Tribute was simple enough to find, being one of the few open spaces remaining in the city. The Firebase had been established on the grounds of Nagasaki Peace Park, the site of the atomic bombing of the city in 1945, during World War II. Blackened trees stood in stark contrast to the statues dedicated to peace, most depicting women and children. Sandbags and partitions had been set up, and trenches dug. What had once been the site of so much suffering, transformed into an international peace park and a symbol of the aspiration for world harmony, had become a military holdout against the very end of humanity. A different sort of hope.

His assessment that they would not be shot out of the sky turned out to be correct, though Cerberus troops, weapons at the ready, surrounded the Titan fighter as it landed at a makeshift LZ. The squad held Leng and Leta in their weapon sights as they disembarked. Leng was pleasantly surprised to see a healthy mix of Dragoons, Nemeses, and Centurions along with the typical Cerberus troopers. This Firebase was far better supplied and manned than he had initially hoped. Explaining their mission and requirements to lesser soldiers would do little good, however.

"Tau Cell, correct?" Leng asked, addressing an authoritative-looking Centurion, "If you would direct us to your cell lead?"

* * * * * * *

"Kai Leng, ID 53540079J5. Tianshi Cell Lead. Leta Weyland, ID 42963857A2. Tianshi Cell Member. CNT-classified objective completed, unable to recover arrival craft or Cerberus-issue armor. Proceeded to nearest known Cerberus Firebase outpost in stolen Alliance craft and armor. ...Is that about right?"

Captain Afsheen bint Emir al-Jabiri, Tau Cell Lead, Dragoon Class, lowered her datapad and raised a bleach-blonde eyebrow at the two agents sitting in her office chairs. They were, granted, simply plain folding chairs, and the harsh-lit underground bunker had been an uncomfortable trade from her plush corner office at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi. But this was her territory all the same, and Captain al-Jabiri was hardly keen on having her resources appropriated by a pair of Systems Alliance N7s who were either just stupid or desperate enough to think they could pull one over on her.

"Well, I'm sure that on a typical day, I'd be more than happy to hand out a free Cerberus shuttle to every N7 operative that comes along and asks politely once they pass muster by parroting a few Cerberus-compliant ID numbers. It's unfortunate that the two of you have caught me on a very bad day. Unfortunate for you I should say. Neither of the names, nor ID numbers you've given are on my list of Earth-assigned agents. And seeing as I've never heard of you or even of your "Tianshi Cell", I'm going to have to ask you to leave my office. The Centurions at the door will escort you to a holding cell until I can decide what to do with you."

Leng shot Leta a look.