(Abby)

I was sitting down at home, hunched over the laptop, my things spread out across the floor like I owned the place.

And then I blinked.

The sound was the first thing I noticed; the absence of the dishwasher in the background, replaced with the noise of machinery and technology I hadn't heard in... God knows how long. The people talking around me, the mumble of restaurant-type conversations in the background. And then it was the smell of cleanliness, something so uniquely different from my house full of dogs that it took me a second to realize what the absence of odor meant. And then...

I opened my eyes.

Color. Lights. Bright, bright sunlight that I could feel on my bare arms and legs. The shined shoes of people walking briskly from place to place. Strange clothing. I looked up, my throat seeming to close with horror, following the white metal floor up, up, up, to look these people in the face across a backdrop of silver and blue.

I was back. My heart seemed to be forcing its way into my throat. My hands started shaking.

"What?" I whispered to myself. "Shit, what?"

I was sitting outside some kind of laundromat situated in a pavilion-type area. The brightness of the sun made the metal fixatives glint at the right angle, hurting my eyes. People strolled about, half of them aimlessly wandering with their friends, the other half on some type of important errand. Those belonging to the latter group were mostly dressed in Alliance uniforms.

I stood unsteadily, still trying to get my bearings. I got a look or two, but at that point I didn't care. I was... back.

Memories of my death - memories I had replayed over and over again in the real world, wondering what I could have done differently - assaulted me then. The pain, the fear, the tear-tracks on Shepard's face... I didn't want to go through that again. Sometimes, when I was sleeping, I'd wake up thinking I'd heard a Collector in the corner.

I was okay at being shot at, but being shot really sucks.

My death had raised a whole bunch of theological questions I'd never had answered before. I was agnostic - that is, I preferred to believe there was some kind power watching over us and yes, it might just be God, but I didn't believe in what man had to say about God. While Shepard was sticking tubes or something into my chest, I'd been going over my prayers, wondering what I should say, or what I should pray about.

Had I lived a good life? Yes.

Did I want to do more with my life before I died? The answer, invariably, was yes. I didn't want to die. But the thought of showing fear in front of the woman who stared death in the eye many times a week - I couldn't do that. She was crying, but I didn't even think she realized it. I didn't want to make it worse for her.

I'm not a soldier, I thought desperately. I'm not somebody that can help anybody. I can't help her anymore.

"HK?" I asked, looking around. People continued to walk - nobody that I recognized. They had to be around her somewhere. "HK? Sarah?"

I checked the Laundromat, I checked the pavilion, I jogged down to an old war monument at the bottom of a green terraformed hill next to a memorial fountain...

Nothing. Nothing at all.

I was starting to panic. No, there was no way I could get this done without at least ONE of them. "Please, no," I mumbled to myself. "Please, please, no, not this."

Was I truly alone here? I tried to look like it wasn't a big deal, putting my hands in my pockets and strolling around, keeping a straight face. I was in the same clothes I'd worn when I was on the Normandy... albeit in better condition. Some jeans and a tank top served me well, and some boots. My hair, however...

I quickly undid it from the ponytail, noticing once again that my eyesight was perfect, as it had been before. The long locks fell down my shoulders and halfway down my back to my own satisfaction - even though I'd died with hair that had been cut by Kelly, the real-world me had kept the original strands. That gave me small comfort, but not enough to diminish the fact that I was alone.

I started by looking at all of the people - human, of course. I had to be on Earth, judging from my surroundings. I would never be able to adequately describe the buildings themselves, shining and beautiful, glimmering in the sun like a half-formed mirage. They stuck out like mountains, scraping the sky with their understated majesty. To a normal person of this day and age, it would have seemed strange to fuss over details like that. But to me, having grown up as far from the big cities as possible... it was like seeing the Citadel again for the first time, only it was more overwhelming with its' familiarity.

We seemed to be situated around some larger lake, and the city (or cities?) had been built around it in a giant circle. There were small paddle-boats out on the surface of the water, and if I looked closer I could see small venders by the shore selling rides for couples and children. There were people outside other stores washing windows, selling their merchandise, and otherwise behaving like normal, good people.

The Alliance uniforms were my first link to Shepard. If there was any safe place to be right now, if would be in her immediate vicinity. If I didn't find her, I'd be stuck when the Reapers attacked. I had to make finding her my first priority, and I knew that HK and Sarah, if they were here with me, would do the same. If we wasted our time looking for each other, we'd be Reaper-fodder soon enough, and I was NOT going to stay with Anderson to fight off the resistance.

We weren't soldiers.

I looked for the closest Alliance-affiliated person I saw. He was a thin, weedy little man that looked as though he barely fit into his dress blues. He had a darker, smooth complexion, and a tiny Hitler-esque mustache on the top of his lip. "Excuse me? Excuse me, sir!"

The man, who had been reading email on his omni tool, looked up. He didn't say "Yes ma'am?" or anything, just kind of looked at me like, 'what the hell do you want?' I hoped he'd help me.

"Sir, I'm so sorry for bothering you," I said quickly. "I'm looking for... Kaidan Alenko," I said quickly. Better not to mention Shepard just yet. "I know he's here in the city with the Alliance, but I don't know where, and it's important that I find him."

The man shook his head. "Sorry, can't help you."

"But please," I said. "He would be in one of the larger government buildings around here, but my... my omni tool is broken. I can't get a map."

The man seemed to be catching a strange vibe from me, and I could see him mentally disengaging himself from me. Maybe he thought I was suspicious or something. "Look," he said, "if you want any information, speak with the Alliance representative at the Recruitment Center. They might be able to help you."

"Can you at least tell me where I am?" I asked. "I'm... confused."

Great, now I sounded stupid.

The guy must've thought it, too. "You're in the Promenade Commons," he said. "I'm getting a call, excuse me."

He walked away, leaving me there. I was almost close to tears, I was so frustrated. How was I going to find Shepard? I didn't even know what date we'd taken down the Collectors - I knew Mass Effect 3 took place six-ish months after. If I could at least get a date from somebody... Maybe that would help me.

I rubbed my temples furiously. I felt like I was running out of time. And even if I found wherever Shepard was being kept, how would I get in? Even Miranda had admitted it would've been a challenge.

I didn't even have an omni tool. Fat load of luck that would have been, though - I couldn't even remember how to use the damn thing. Maybe I could stumble my way through an Overload if I could see the commands again... or if Garrus walked me through it again.

WHERE AM I?

Okay, keep a clear head, keep a clear head, you'll find her, don't worry. I went through a list of things in my head quickly, attempting to figure out some way that would allow me to find her quickly and effectively.

I found myself watching the children as I did this, looking at their faces as they were with their mothers. I was beginning to really hate the kids featured in the Mass Effect series... But looking at them now, seeing how carefree they looked with their parents or relatives or friends...

I couldn't just imagine everybody around me dying just then. It was impossible.

Somehow one boy in particular caught my attention. He was dressed in a dull gray sweater with black pants, and he had blue eyes and short, orange-red hair. He was looking at the other kids, and then he began to look around. As he slowly turned in a full circle to look at his surroundings, I got the impression that he was looking for someone. His mother, maybe?

Then his face turned in my direction, and his eyes locked with mine. For a moment, I felt like he was looking through me. He said nothing, and he simply stared.

He was holding a miniature ship in his hand.

The knowledge of who he was – or who he might be – crashed like a wave on my skull. The calmness of his demeanor, the fact that he was alone…

I still had my own theories - was the boy the Catalyst, or did the Catalyst just take on his appearance? - but I wanted to talk to him. I walked up to him with a smile I'd used so many times before to make people comfortable. If my theory was wrong, then he'd still be able to lead me to the building Shepard was housed in. "Hey, are you looking for your parents?"

He held the little toy ship in both hands now, holding it thoughtfully against his chest. It looked like a model of the Normandy. "My parents are gone, I'm on my own right now," he told me simply. "I'm just here to look around and play."

"Where's your favorite spot to play?" I asked.

"Over there," the kid said, and then he began to sprint so quickly that I had to run to keep up with him. I felt people watching as I ran through the streets, some probably waiting for me to fall – thankfully, none of them stopped me. Then the boy seemed to vanish entirely, almost as if he'd never been there. But then I spotted him several meters away, running around in circles and playing in a small enclosed area, just below one of the larger buildings. The Alliance flag was displayed prominently in the air.

He laughed to himself, stretching his arm as far as it could go and holding the little ship high. He looked like he was having such a good time and I laughed as well, a little out of breath. On the staircases I could see armed Alliance marines with the standard-issue rifles watching us disinterestedly. And if I looked up...

There were multitudes of windows, most of them blocked by the glare of the sun. But if I remembered the angle of everything in the beginning of the game, tied it against that...

"So who's watching over you?" I asked, scanning the side of the building hungrily for a familiar form.

"I don't need anybody right now," the boy said, barely sparing me a glance as he continued to play. He began to make little engine noises through his lips as he moved faster. It was almost as if he didn't care whether I was there or not.

"You don't need anybody?" I asked, feigning interest. Shepard, where the hell are you? "Why do you say that? How old are you, sweetie?"

Now he stopped running around and turned to look at up at me. Once again, he seemed to see right through my skin with those eyes of his; it was as if those little blue orbs were piercing my soul. "It doesn't matter," he said. "You're different. You shouldn't be here. How did you get here, Abby?"

...How did he know my name?

I cocked my head a little. Goosebumps appeared on my arms and, despite the warm weather, I now felt as though a cloud had draped across the sun. "Well," I said softly, "that's the money question, isn't it?"

I looked up at one of the windows, my hands closed into fists at my side, and thought I saw movement a couple of floors above. I moved a little to fight the glare, and a familiar body seemed to be gazing out of the pane. I felt us lock eyes. The sun retreated a little, and I saw a glimpse of red hair before she quickly turned away.

Hopefully she knew it was me.

...well, hopefully that was her. I didn't even know what date it was. For all I knew, the 'kid' came around and played around every day and that was just the silhouette of another lady peeking out to watch.

Feeling strangely calm, I glanced over at the boy, who was still observing me, the toy held loosely in his hand. "For some reason," I said, following on a hunch, "I feel as though this is going to be a big day. What do you think, kiddo?"

The kid gave me a very serious, speculative look. "It's a day that has been coming for a long time," he said matter-of-factly. Somehow, it gave me the impression that I was talking to someone-or something-far, far more ancient that he looked. There was just something about his eyes.

"Cool. I was tired of all this waiting, anyway."

I looked up at the figure in the window, but she'd disappeared. I had a gut feeling it was Shepard, and Shepard spelled safety. The kid... the kid didn't. The kid symbolized everything I was afraid of - indoctrination... losing the war. That stuff. Even being around him was giving me the oogies. I was apprehensive, but I wasn't scared yet. I had a feeling the kid was only here to watch, not interfere.

"Hey! Do you have any business here, ma'am?" An Alliance marine, flanked by his buddy, trotted up to see me. "Papers?"

"I'm sorry, I was just talking to -" I looked behind me, already gesturing to the child, but he'd disappeared. The cold feeling in my chest intensified, and I thought I heard a distant growl of creaking metal in the distance. The chill disappeared. "Well, myself," I finished sheepishly. "I have a meeting with Admiral Anderson and I'm trying to get my presentation straight."

Straight face. Be good. Just get in there.

The marine observed me suspiciously. "Care to disclose what your business is?"

"It's about Commander Shepard," I said. "She helped me out on... Eden Prime. I need to return the favor. My name is Abby – they'll know me, sir."

The soldier opened up his omni tool. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No. I didn't know how to get in contact with him, sir."

His buddy was frowning. "How old are you, kid?"

"Sixteen," I said promptly. "I'm here on my own - my parents were killed by Saren." I realized I didn't look too sad about that, so I promptly let my smile fade a little from my face. It was all about body language. Playing it safe. "Look, it's really important that I speak to the Admiral. I think I've done all the practicing I can."

"Follow us," the marine said. I gladly complied, following the two into building. We walked up to a receptionist, but instead of talking to him the marine spoke into his omni tool and said: "Patch me through to Admiral Anderson - calling in the favor, George."

He waited until he heard a click. "Go ahead," a deep, familiar voice said.

I almost squealed.

"There's a sixteen year old girl here for you about Commander Shepard, sir. Says her name is Abby, and that the Commander helped her out on Eden Prime."

"Hold on."

Talk with Shepard, talk with Shepard, talk with Shepard god damnit...

"Who's this?" It wasn't Anderson speaking now, but a voice I'd heard a million times in my dreams.

The marine held his omni tool out to me. "Hey, Commander," I said half-heartedly. "Them Reapers, huh?"

The silence stretched out longer than I was comfortable with. "Was that you I just saw outside?"

"Was that you I just saw in the window?"

"We're on the way to see the Admirals," Shepard said briskly. "We're going to talk. You and I. Don't go anywhere and stay put."

"Send her to the Normandy, marine," Anderson said. "Keep her under guard on Deck Two until we get there."

"Yes, sir," said the marine. "Over and out."

His buddy whistled. "I think you just shoved a firecracker up their asses," he muttered in an aside.

"Oh, well. What's your last name?" he asked me.

Well, I was already on a roll…

"Shepard," I said.

...she was going to KILL me.

"Wait, wait... are you related to the Commander?"

"Niece... kinda. It's complicated, so can we just get going?" I asked, bouncing on my heels in impatience.

The two marines looked confused as hell when they handed me off to another detachment. They did the customary weapons check and, satisfied, I was trotted off down a multitude of hallways that stretched deeper and deeper into the base. As I left, I saw them giving each other an odd, almost questioning glance. My heart fluttered a little in my chest. This was the day for risks, no doubt.

And the kid... that kid had just confirmed everything I'd suspected about his true nature from the very beginning. To think I'd actually been on the verge of tears when I saw him die.

I would be advocating his destruction in the future. Evil, cheeky little bastard.

My escort was silent and dutiful, leading me hurriedly through the corridors like they had something else they needed to be doing. The hallways were getting more crowded and hurried - something was going on.

We took an elevator in the very back all the way to the bottom level, which seemed to be underneath the lake itself. Very private, very secure. The walls were darker down here, and there was no natural lighting. Hazard signs were posted along the sides of the doors, whose edges were illuminated with a bright white light.

And then the last pair of doors opened, revealing an airlock I knew well. There were no windows on the sides, nor any way to see the ship from the outside, but the feeling I had as I walked over the thresh-hold was of home.

God, I had missed this place.

"I always liked the VI on this ship," I told the marines surrounding me knowingly.

"We're leaving you here," said the marines' squad leader. They all looked concerned. One of the other guys was turned away from us, talking into his omni tool. "Something's going on and we've been recalled. Stay with the pilot until the Admiral comes aboard."

"Oh, of course," I said, taking an immediate left. "I think I can handle it from here. Thank you for your help."

They left, and I took my usual seat behind Joker's chair, leaning against the spot where EDI's orb used to be. He didn't even know I was there. I was starting to giggle inwardly, and I tried to keep it locked tight. Instead, I just sighed. Loudly. "They really took this place apart," I said conversationally, looking over the pulled wires and additions on the Normandy's paneling.

"It's being 'refurbished,'" Joker said, waving a hand through the air. He didn't even bother to turn around. "If you're looking for work, ask Traynor - she'll be by the galaxy map or something."

"Joker," EDI said. "Perhaps you should turn around."

"Did I forget to say 'ma'am' again? Damn it," Joker muttered, turning his chair around. His glanced at eyelevel first and then down at me.

His face paled and his eyes seemed to widen like saucers. If I didn't think that he might not reach for that weapon underneath his chair, I might have thought it was funny.

"Your heart rate is accelerating," EDI stated.

"What? WHAT? I thought - you - what the HELL - EDI, that's not her." He stood up, balling his hands into fists. "Get security, EDI. Now."

"Joker, that would be a mistake," EDI said. "This… is Abby. Everything about her is genetically the same."

"I can't explain what happened," I said, standing. His eyes looked at my hair, noticeably longer than it had been, and he squinted at my eyes. I folded my arms self-consciously. He searched my face hungrily, and I looked at him. He'd grown his beard out a bit, but overall he was still the same man I'd become friends with all that time ago. "I missed you," I said simply. I wouldn't give him a hug, not yet.

"Then tell me something only Abby'd know," Joker snapped, pointing a finger in my chest. "You're missing that scar, by the way. Nice try, though."

I ran my hand across my face. I no longer had the grate-shaped burn scar from Zorya. "Huh. I am, aren't I?"

"How the hell did you even get here?" Joker demanded.

"I just showed up today," I said. "Listen: I can't find HK or Sarah anywhere - normally we come in together. I'm scared, Joker. The Reapers are about to attack and I can't find them!" I looked immediately to my left, where my brain was still telling me EDI was located, and only ended up looking like an idiot. "EDI, have you heard anything? Anything that'll help me?"

"Nothing... Abby," the AI responded. "But there are reports of a communication blackout in Europe. The fleets are mobilizing over the planet as we speak."

"There we go," I said. I looked at Joker. "It's starting. Please. Kaidan will be here soon. I'll stay... up here. I'll help. Please - let me help. Maybe the two of them found her first, before me."

Joker looked between me and the pilot's chair, seemingly torn between the two things. "Shit," he muttered, and sat back down. "The bodies weren't in the caskets. Only reason I believe you. We're so talking after this. Does Shepard know?"

I took a seat on his right. "She saw me, but she was on the way to a meeting with the Admirals."

"Probably scared the hell out of her," Joker muttered. He couldn't stop looking at me. "I just - ugh, I hate you all."

"How you holding up, EDI?" I asked.

"As well as can be expected," EDI said. She didn't seem to doubt me in the slightest. "You know that I masqueraded as a VI for the duration of the repairs?"

"Of course," I said. "I've had some more dreams. We'll get you guys through this - hopefully."

Joker snorted. "Greeeeat, more weird stuff. Lovely."

"Jeff is just confused," EDI said placidly. "He will come around. After all, he does not have the benefit of gene recognition in his programming. Though, even I am curious as to how you managed to survive. Did Cerberus find you?"

"No - it's more along the lines of what happened last time," I said, flicking through the panels in front of me. I didn't know what I was doing, but it was nice to be using a holographic interface again. Where were HK and Sarah? "What's the situation out there?"

"Something big is coming in, fast!" Joker snapped. "Reading Reaper signatures. Oh, God..."

I leaned over his shoulder to look at the statistics. My heart dropped. "Over two hundred," I whispered in horror. And the number was growing.

The entire building shook, rocking the Normandy to the right. "They have passed our defenses," EDI reported. "An orbital strike just hit the north wing and the custodial centers."

"The north wing?" Joker muttered. "Shit, isn't that where the Admirals are staying?"

"Yes. They've busted through the Alliance fleet. They are coming."

The ship suddenly began to vibrate as the rest of the systems turned on by their own accord. "Find a safe place and stay there, people," Joker snapped over the intercom. "It's about to get rough."

"Joker!" That voice was familiar, too, but I'd never heard it outside a TV. "The Admirals are dead. Vega and I are on our way."

"That's Kaidan, right?" I asked him.

Joker nodded, glancing at me again. He just couldn't stop looking at me. "Yeah. We'll stay here until they board, but we need to get airborne and out – quickly."

"We need to stay in the area," I pressed. "We need to grab Shepard."

"I won't leave her," Joker said harshly. "Oh no... they're everywhere. God damn it. Figures you'd show up now."

"We're getting decimated out there!" somebody yelled. "Damn it, get us airborne!"

"Shut up, asshole. My ship, my rules."

It looked like Joker hadn't been able to gracefully conform back into the standard Alliance regs. There had to be something in there about cursing at your co-workers. Joker drummed his fingers impatiently against the side of his seat. "How long did you know about this?" he asked bitingly.

"We had an idea before we died," I replied. Before we died… wow, that sounds weird. We'd talked about it a lot, gone over the stuff we'd done, but... "We know some more now." I'm sorry. I hate it. "But I need to find the other two. What if they're out there?"

"Don't try anything that'll give us away, EDI," Joker warned. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to me right now, just watching the screen. "Here they come."

The airlock opened and two large, muscular men jogged in, only one of which was armed. "Get us out of here, Joker," Kaidan Alenko said, moving to sit down before he realized that I was in his chair. He barely registered me and gestured for me to get up. I complied, and he slid into my seat with almost no pause.

Joker twisted around in his chair. "Vega, keep an eye on her," he said, pointing to me.

"You got it." He wasn't even in armor, but he didn't look like he needed it at all. He was big, bigger than many of the men I dealt with, and he was muscular. The tattoos I could see on his skin reminded me of a marine that trained at the dojo – a bull of a man named Mike.

"Disengaging airlock," EDI said.

Joker hit the thrust and I flew backwards, right into James. I fell on to the ground – he merely stumbled. He was built like a brick wall. He helped me up and put me into one of the seats on the side, buckling me in safely. "Don't touch anything," he said sternly, and returned to the helm.

I twisted around to watch Joker and Kaidan at work while James held on to the back of Joker's chair for stability. We seemed to be flying in a long tunnel that rose up and out of the lake. The view abruptly changed from one of peace to something else entirely.

The Reapers were attacking.