Unknown Location

"How were your results?" A smooth, woman's voice called to the scientist that had just entered the room.

"Unbelievable!" He exclaimed with enthusiasm for his sick project. "We took the test subjects and placed him in a sort of mock setting. Of course, he had no idea, and we made it convincing enough that he thought he was simply waking up on a bench in a park. When activated, he displayed no resistance and took down all ordered targets."

"And you're able to deactivate him?"

"Yes, ma'am. He immediately fell to sleep with only a vague memory of what occurred. We're still sorting out the end result, but we're very close to leaving the subject with no memory of the event." He turned to the datapad he carried with him and opened a file with the results on the test subject's memory. "We are very, very close to perfect."

"Excellent. You are dismissed."

Obediently the scientist left, and when she was sure he was well away from the room four people came appeared via the holographic display pads. Each of the four kept their identity concealed in some fashion, and to them she appeared to be darkness with a voice.

"The project here is almost complete, and I thank all of you for your faith in what I could accomplish. Where Cerberus and the Illusive Man failed, we will succeed." Her grin could almost be heard in her voice.

"The Illusive Man was weak, and we all knew his plans wouldn't go through. Every one of us knew that involving the Reapers would lead to destruction." A man chimed in behind his mask.

"We've done well so far with pulling ourselves out of the ashes and starting again. Cerberus will be only a faint memory soon, and Phoenix will succeed."