Between questions, she waits. It had been a long time since she had thought about the past. There were times where she almost forgot her childhood completely. It seemed so long ago and far away, as it if had all belonged to someone else. It all seemed too perfect and ordinary. Besides some of the smaller details, she had been like every other child. But not every other child had grown up to be who she had become.
The silence between them doesn’t bother her. She had given him three questions after all and she is sure that if anything, he wants to make them count. So she is patient, her gaze occasionally drifting about the room. But when he finds his second question, her eyes snap back immediately. She frowns but lets on little more than that.
"You need to know something about my father first. He was once Alliance but after he was recruited to Cerberus, he was loyal to the core. Whether I knew it or not, it was his intention to train me as an operative as soon as he could. I barely knew him — he was always off on some assignment or another. But when he was around I wanted him to notice me. So when he came home one day after I turned fifteen and told me of the future he wanted for me, of course I agreed. He said he saw something in me that he knew he could perfect. I was… thrilled. And I never heard anything like that from him again. I worked everyday after that hoping just to hear that I’d met his approval.”
She pauses, biting her lip momentarily.
"He trained me for a year on his own. When I was sixteen, I joined Cerberus, lying about my age clearly, although I doubt it went unnoticed. New recruits who signed up of their own accord got basic training. I topped every single class and I can guarantee there were a fair few that hated me because of it. It was just a formality. My father was well-regarded and having him as a teacher had its benefits. I was determined to be the best, so that’s exactly what I did."
Almost as soon as she begins talking he knows what his third question is, and it chills him to the bone. Never before had he stopped to think about the question, even after finding out that she had done the deed. It wasn’t something he had ever expected to talk to her about, but after hearing her talking about him he needs to know. Needs to know why she wanted to take the man’s life, or why she felt the need.
It’s just a matter of getting the question out there.
But on second thought… It’s a question he doesn’t need an answer to. He cares for the ex-Cerberus operative as a daughter, hearing the answer might hurt them both. The admiral doesn’t have the courage to ask her the question. Funny he can plan a strategy for bringing down a reaper, he can speak with politicians and be in the front lines, but he can’t ask her why she killed her father.
“What happened when you left Cerberus?” It’s a slightly safer question, one that doesn’t necessarily involve her father. He’ll leave it up to her on whether she brings him up or not. It’s probably a poor use of his last question, but it’s all he has the courage to ask. What an admiral he turned out to be.