Miranda sat in a dark room on the floor leaning her back against the wall. It would be pitch black were it not for the orange glow of her omni-tool. Had the room been lighter, the peeling wallpaper, ripped carpet, and more stains throughout the room would all be visible. Some of the stains lining the floor and bed, she knew were from a spilled drink, while others she did not want to know the answer to. She stared at her wrist, waiting for the person on the other line to answer her call. After her patience had been thoroughly tested, the person picked up. Who appeared was a red head with rustled hair running down to her shoulders who looks like she just got up.

"Hello?" A familiar voice said "Who is this? All I see is black." She then yawned.

"Shepard… It's Miranda. Sorry for waking you up." She answered with a low tone.

"Miranda?! It's really you? Man. It's been a few months since you left and not a word since then." The Commander said, Sounding as if she's been up for hours "What's the matter? Is everything alright?" She added, with a hint of concern.

"It's Cerberus. Commander, they're closing in on me. No matter how far I run or how good I hide, they are always right behind me. I'm calling you on an encrypted network. I'm in the slums of the Citadel, Shepard. I can't keep running, I'm nearly all out of credit." She said, her voice cracking a bit "I've been living in a shitty, rundown motel for the last 4 days. I feel as if I'm going to get lung cancer by breathing the air, and a virus by just using the bathroom. I keep the lights off so this room won't make me vomit… Shepard, I want to go home. Would it be alright if I were to rejoin you on the Normandy?" A tear hidden by the darkness rolled down her cheek.

"Of course! God knows I need your help dealing with the reapers. I'll have someone come get you tomorrow, just tell me where."

"Tomorrow at noon, Docking station Q4, Level 3, Section 13. Lawson out."

She closed her omni-tool. Engulfed by the darkness, and alone with her thoughts, she tilts her head back until it hits the wall with an audible thud. She closed her eyes, but sleep did not come easy to her that night, like many others before it. She remained in this position for an hour. Then two. Then three. Until finally, she slipped into unconsciousness.

The next morning, Miranda got up at 11am. Her back still touching the wall, but she was laying down on her side, her face touching whatever vile substance was left by one of the previous occupants. Though it took her a few seconds to realize this, but when she did she shot up to her feet like someone just stabbed her heart with an adrenaline needle. "Ughhh fuuuck!" She said to herself, wiping her cheek with her hand. She made her way to the bathroom, knowing there was nothing on her cheek, but still feeling as if there was. Looking into the broken mirror, parts of it missing in some places. Taking a few moments to examine herself; her hair was a mess, the white chest piece of her latex outfit was dirty, and her left sleeve was ripped off, exposing her arm. Sighing, she looked at her cheek and confirmed what she knew, nothing was there, but she still felt dirty. Putting her hands under the sink, which had been working perfectly, she waited for the water to come. But instead, the sound of pipes rattleing, trying to force water out, but nothing. "God-Damnit!" She yelled, and brought her fist down on the faucet, breaking it off its base and sending it spinning around in the sink.

She's living a stressful life, and every once in a while she has to vent a little bit. A few seconds later she managed to calm herself down. Looking at the time on her omni-tool she saw it was 11:05. Giving her enough time to get to the rendezvous point and scout the area. All she had with her was a backpack with an identical suit to what she was wearing, a small pistol, and a few thermal clips, which she grabbed on her way out the door. She walked down the small corridor with doors to other rooms on either side and graffiti lining the walls. This is the Reds territory. Miranda went down a flight of stairs and found herself in the lobby. A Batarian behind the front desk, two human males having a smoke and talking to each other by the entrance, and a Krogan just walking in. She made her way to the door, looking at the two Humans by the door who stared back at her. Returning her sight forward, she was out the door and in the busy streets of the Bo'Kren District. If she remembers the area properly, she's only a 20 minute walk from the Docking Station.

At 11:57 Miranda finally got to where she was supposed to be, after several wrong turns. "This place is a fucking maze…" She said to herself. So much for checking out the area. Taking a seat on a bench right in front of the Section 14 Dock, she waited for her shuttle to arrive. As soon as the clock struck 12, the Normandy's shuttle was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes go by and still, nothing. After a half an hour of waiting, she is rewarded with more nothing. Already on a short fuse, her blood is now starting to boil. If another minute goes by and her ride is still not here, someone is going to have a closed casket funeral. Just then she gets a call on her omni-tool. Cortez. She answers it, nearly foaming at the mouth.

"CORTEZ! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, YOU SON-OF-A-BITCH?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AT SECTION 14 35 MINUTES AGO!" She yells at him.

"Ms. Lawson, You're supposed to be at section 13. I've been here since noon."

Miranda pauses, her mouth slightly ajar. She turns her head around to view section 13. "Well you're not at Section 13 either."

"Ma'am, third floor." He responded, still completely calm.

She looked at the wall by the stairs where a large "2" is clearly visible, all venom seemingly disappearing from her. "Uhm.. Be right there." She said, getting up and quickly walking up to the third floor. "Okay, Im here. Third floor, section 13. It's still empty."

"Q3" He stated.

"Oh… Make that Q2…" Miranda answered utterly embarrassed, admitting to herself she's been off a bit lately.

"Be there in 5. Cortez out." He said before ending the call.

Miranda took a seat on the bench, burying her red face in her hands. 'I wouldn't mind if Cerberus just came and took me right now' she thought to herself. Exactly 5 minutes later, Cortez Pulls up in the familiar Normandy shuttle and opens the hatch on the side. Miranda gets up and walks into the shuttle, still red as a tomato. Sticking her head into the cockpit, she addressed Cortez.

"Hey Cortez… Sorry about that… It's good to see you again." She says with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of her neck.

Cortez turns to face Miranda, "Don't worry about it." He laughs. "It's good to see you again, too." Turning back around to face front. "Hey, do you know those people?" He asks.

"Who?" She asks, curious

"Those two men standing behind the chair you were sitting in. They're looking right at us." He says.

Miranda looks at the two very familiar figures. Then it clicks. "Get out of here. Now." She says aggressively. "I think they're working for Cerberus."

"Yes ma'am." Cortez says as he presses a button to close a hatch and takes off.

She walks back into the cabin of the Shuttle and straps herself into a seat. 'What am I going to do when im aboard the Normandy? How should I act? What will I say to Shepard?' She thinks to herself. She pondered this for most of the flight back to the Normandy, and when they were 2 minutes out she decided to act professional. It's what she's used to, and she's good at it.

When the Kodiak lands, Miranda unbuckles herself and stands up, waiting by the door. As it starts to open, she could see a pair of feet standing at the bottom. Slowly enough, the door reveals the legs, hips, torso, and finally Shepards head. She was wearing her casual clothes, still a very Commander-esq outfit. Black pants, and a Jacket that says "Im a higher Rank than you" with black along the sleeves and connecting across the shoulders, dark blue everywhere else, and gold trimmings outlining where the colors meet. Miranda steps out of the Shuttle and extends her hand to Shepard. "Commander." She greets.

Shepard steps forward, pushing Mirandas hand out of the way and hugging her tightly. "Miranda! It's so good to see you again!" She says excitedly. "God. You smell." She laughs.

'So much for being professional' Miranda said and hesitated before returning the hug "Its good to see you too. And yeah, I do need a shower. And a new change of clothes." She said before breaking the hug.

"Right. I have some good news, and some bad news. Good news is I think we still have some of your old Cerberus Uniforms somewhere down in storage. Bad news is Liara set up her own command center in your old room… You'll have to be staying in the Crew Quarter for a bit. Sorry."

"Oh. No, that's fine." Miranda answered with a let down expression. "I think I remember where everything is. I'm going to go take a shower now, if you don't mind."

"The womans bathroom is currently occupied, Ms. Lawson." EDI replied over the intercom

"You can use my shower if you'd like." Shepard stated

"Are you sure?" Miranda responded.

"What are friends for?" Shepard answered "Besides, we've already seen each othe-"

"Thanks, Commander. I'll go now." She said, cutting off Shepard.

Miranda stood under the showerhead for at least 10 minutes, letting the water run over her curves, before she started to clean the dirt off her. Looking around for soaps, she sees that Shepard spares no expense. The finest shampoo and conditioner on this side of the Milky Way. Sah'Mal, taken all the way from Ilium. Then there's a body soap called Modak. She opened it and took a smelled the contents. It made her nose scream in pure ecstasy. Turning it around, much to her surprise it was made somewhere on Tuchunka, making her chuckle.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom opens and Miranda covered her chest and yells at the intruder. "Relax! It's just me." Shepard laughs. "I got you one of your old outfits. The Cerberus Insignia has been removed, plus there's another thing. You'll see when you get out." After that, the Commander left the bathroom and the door closed behind her. Grumbling slightly, Miranda gets back to cleaning herself.

Another 10 minutes go by and she finally finishes her shower, feeling nice and clean. Stepping out of the shower, she dries herself off with a towel. She walks up to a mirror, wipes away the condensation and looks at herself, comparing her now to the way she was in the morning. Her black, wet hair reflecting the light. She looks much better now than she did before. Plus she smells better. Looking to her left, she sees folded by the door her old uniform, nicely folded on the floor. She walks over, drops her towel and picks it up. The left sleeve was missing. Just like the one she was wearing for god knows how long. Opening the bathroom door with her uniform in hand, she walks into the commanders Cabin naked and sees her sitting in her bed doing something on her onmi-tool. "Achem." She clears her throat loudly.

Shepard looks up and is surprised at what she sees. A completely naked Miranda Lawson standing at the end of her bed, her 34C chest wide out in the open. "Woah! Look Miranda, just because you and I had a thing once or twice doesn't mean you can walk back in here after seve-"

"Shut-up" Miranda cutting Shepards sarcastic rant off "Why did you cut my sleeve off?"

"I saw you when you got here today with it torn off, and I liked the way it looked." Shepard simply said.

"And my other suits?" Miranda demanded an answer to.

"Maaaaay have had the same thing done to them."

Miranda grabs a pillow from the couch and throws it at the Commander. "God-damnit, Shepard!" She yells. "This isn't something you can just go over my head and do with my permission! Im not your pet for you to do whatever you want with!" Miranda said as she slid her suit on, zipped it up, and stormed out of the room and onto the elevator. But as soon as the door was about to close, Shepard calls out for Miranda, who then prevents the doors from closing "What is it?"

"Tomorrow we head for Palaven. The reapers attacked the Turian homeworld. We have to extract a Turian Primarch. I want you there with me." Shepard states.

"Ughh fine. Im in." Miranda responds