Chapter Text
Zaeed stomped back and forth in his side of the cargo hold. Every time he walked near the trash compactor, he just about slapped the button, trying to take out his frustration on the helpless garbage from the Normandy. The cube would land with a satisfying thud, and he would very nearly punch the button that jettisoned the cube into the black abyss of space. If he kept this up much longer, he might accidentally break a finger.
But he couldn't help it. He hated waiting, and this wait - this one in particular - was probably the most anxious and terrifying one of his life. There was a machine only about as big as a coffee maker on one of the crates, whirring and clicking. It seemed like it was going to take all eternity to finish processing that little bit of DNA. That's what he gets for borrowing a machine from that Salarian doctor upstairs.
Meanwhile, that same salarian doctor was puzzling himself in the tech lab of the Normandy SR2, trying to process the incredibly bizarre interruption of his work that he had just experienced.
Zaeed had been up to the lab less than an hour ago. He walked in slowly, looking around. Mordin was quite surprised to see him there.
"Zaeed? How can I help?" He asked, fingers still typing away. The bounty hunter was cool under all kinds of pressure, but there was a distinct air of nervousness in the room. He walked forward, looking around the room at the various machines and equipment. He stretched his muscled arms as he searched for - ah! There it was.
"That one. Can I borrow it?" He asked, pointing to a machine that was, surprisingly, not in use.
"The genetic analyzer? Go ahead. Won't need until tissue samples finished." Mordin explained. "If you have DNA samples ready, can run for you. No trouble. Results in 15 minutes." The salarian's wrinkled face smiled slightly. He loved teaching. Could explain genomes and DNA structure, if Zaeed is willing to listen. 15 minutes is enough time for a lesson. But Zaeed shook his head.
"No, I'll do it myself. Just gonna take it to the cargo hold for a bit," He walked right over, unplugged it from the wall, and lifted it onto a rolling cart. "15 minutes, huh? Should have this back to you in no time, then." And just like that, he rolled out of the lab.
Mordin was left speechless. What could this mean? Declining an offer for professional assistance? Desire to keep information private, most likely. Personal investment in results of genetic analysis. Mordin's thoughts raced.
Zaeed is a bounty hunter. Not scientist. Think: what would non-scientist use genetic analysis for? Simple. Genealogy.
Mordin was content for the moment, having narrowed down the possibilities in his mind to one or two. He decided he would wait for bounty hunter to return with the machine. Zaeed was most likely unaware that the machine he took is wirelessly connected to the lab. Mordin would get the results anyway, regardless of Zaeed's secrecy. Will keep it to myself, though. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all.
Zaeed had taken to the throwing knives now, flinging them across the room with such force that they buried themselves halfway in the wall. Suddenly the machine made a bell tone, startling Zaeed so bad that his next knife buried itself in the air vent. He rushed to the little machine, wiring it up to his computer. His pulse pounded in his ears as the data loaded. He didn't even know whether or not he wanted the results to be positive. If it was, it wouldn't feel any better than a kick in the quad. Then again, if it wasn't, he'd feel like he's losing his senses. He knew it in his gut, and his gut was just about always right. But he had to see it. He had to know for sure.
Just when Mordin was feeling concerned over the length of time that had passed, EDI's holographic orb appeared across the lab.
"Dr. Solus, data has been sent from the genetic analyzer that Zaeed took to the cargo hold."
"Ah, EDI. Of course you noticed." Mordin was hardly surprised. For being an AI, EDI could be rather nosy. "Please, relay information."
"I am currently analyzing the DNA to determine an identity of both parties. At the moment, I can conclude that both samples are human, one male, one female. It appears that Zaeed conducted a paternity test." EDI paused, almost hesitant to reveal this information that was hardly hers to share. "It was positive."
"Ah. Interesting. Determining identities may be difficult, however. Just came back from the Citidel. Many humans there." Mordin shrugged off. He was right and unsurprised.
"Dr. Solus, I have just matched identities to the two samples of DNA from files held by Operative Lawson. Zaeed is one of them."
"Naturally. Expected that from his secrecy. Who is his child?" EDI seemed to hesitate again.
"The DNA of the child belongs to Commander Shepherd." Mordin froze. For once, he was caught off guard.
"Unexpected. EDI, run analysis with proper compensation for gene flow, natural mutation, computational errors. Are DNA samples clean?"
"That is unnecessary. Zaeed himself has already run the results of the test through eight compounding programs. In the course of our conversation, he has started the test over entirely. He swapped out the previously analyzed hair for a blood sample. The results are unchanged." Mordin put his hand to his chin.
"You're sure it's Shepherd?" The doctor asked.
"The DNA is a 100% match. That is Commander Shepherd."