She inhaled deeply, instantly coughing the breath back out. She chocked on dust and some sort of unknown staleness in the air as she slowly rose from underneath the rubble the covered her body like a heavy quilt. She blinked rapidly, not understanding at first that her vision seemed cracked because of the broken helmet on her head. Ripping the helmet off and throwing it into the rubble, she looked around, taking in her surroundings. Again she coughed, choking more on disbelief than anything else as she took in the beaten and broken buildings around her.
Slowly, she began to pry the damaged body armor she wore off of her body, almost screaming out in pain as she tore a piece of metal out of her rib cage. When she finally escaped her body armor, she wiped at her tattered uniform, a useless attempt to get the dirt off her clothes. She clutched at her side, remembering the wound she had opened a few moments before. Warm blood soaked her shirt and poured out the hole of the cloth onto her hand.
"Great," She murmured as she began to climb over and through the rubble. She hunched over in pain and activated her Omni tool, "This is Private Shepard, is anyone on this channel?" she asked. "I repeat, this is Private Shepard, is anyone on this channel."
"Shepard," a voice ran through the static screen, sounding strangely familiar to the woman's ears.
"I need an emergency pick up," She said as she clutched her side harder, trying to apply pressure. "I'm not quite sure where I am. I'm surrounded by what appears to be huge chunks of metal. Can you find my location with this signal?"
"I'll have Cortez triangulate it and come find you," the man's voice said, his outline on the screen becoming somewhat visible. "It's good to hear you voice Commander, Vega out."
Shepard sat down on a piece of rubble and tried to make her breathing even. The sharp pain shooting from her side was causing her body to shake. She took a deep, jagged breath in and became confused.
"Commander?" She asked herself lowly before she passed.
Shepard awoke violently, shooting up in the bed she was in. She looked around frantically, trying to figure out how she had got to what appeared to be a hospital. Remembering her wound, she looked down to her left at her ribcage, pulling her hospital gown up to see she had been bandaged up. She groaned as she pulled her gown back down and readjusted herself in the bed.
A man appeared in the doorway, his giant muscular form almost intimidating. He smiled at Shepard as he approached her, his footsteps echoing throughout the small room.
"How the fuck did you survive that Commander?" the man asked as he sat down in a chair by the bed. "I mean, I'm fucking happy you did, but you gotta tell me how you pulled that one off."
Shepard gave the man a confused look and asked, "Why do you keep calling me Commander? And who the hell are you?"
"You're fucking with me, right?" he asked, the smirk on his face slowly fading as he realized she wasn't. "You don't know who I am?"
"No," Shepard grunted, her frustration starting to grow.
"I'm Vega," he said as he quickly typed something into his Omni tool, his eyes never leaving Shepard's face. "I'm one of your crew, one of your friends."
"I think I would remember you and that voice of yours," Shepard said jokingly, feeling familiar with the man in front of her for some reason she couldn't explain. "Seriously, why are you calling me Commander? Is this some joke Kaiden put you up to?"
Vega gave her a worried look before rising from his seat and leaving the room. Shepard sat up once more and slightly leaned out of her bed to try to see into the hallway. Just as quickly as he left, Vega reappeared with someone who appeared to be a doctor.
"Hello Commander Shepard," the woman said as she extended her hand, her thick accent seeping through with every syllable. "I am Doctor Ryan. Mr. Vega tells me you don't remember who he is, is that correct?" Shepard nodded slowly as the doctor ran her Omni tool up and down the length of the Commander's body. "He also said that you do not even remember your rank, is that correct as well?"
"I think I'd remember getting promoted from a private to a commander," Shepard said, annoyance clearly in her voice.
"You are a Commander," the Doctor said as she glanced at the results of her scan. "Just look at your dog tags around your neck."
Shepard rolled her eyes as she grabbed her tags. As she read them, her annoyance disappeared. Confusion began to fill her once more and her head began to ache. She dropped her tags and clutched at her head before speaking, "How would I not remember that?"
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, okay?" The doctor said as she ran her Omni tool over Shepard's head once more. "What it the last thing you remember?"
Shepard's head began to hurt worse as visions of people she didn't know, yet ones that seemed so familiar, popped into her head. A flash of a bright white light engulfing her as she feel into what seemed like eternity raced through her mind.
"I'm not really sure," she said as she closed her eyes.
"Okay, who are you?" the Doctor asked.
"Apparently, Commander Jane Shepard of the Alliance Navy," Shepard said, the pain in her head slowly vanishing.
"Where were you born?" the Doctor asked as she glanced at Shepard's personal files.
"Some shit hole on Earth," Shepard said as she opened her eyes.
"Family?" the Doctor continued.
"My parents are dead," Shepard said as she lifted her head up, "I have a brother out there somewhere.
"When did you join the Alliance?"
"When I was eighteen."
"How old are you now?"
"Twenty-five."
"Hmmm," the Doctor hummed as she reviewed her scans more closely. "Well Commander, it says here that you are in your thirties, but…"
"She does look younger Doc," Vega interrupted, reminded the women that he was still in the room. "She even kinda sounds younger."
"My scans are telling me she's younger than she should be as well," the Doctor said as she scrolled around on her Omni tool.
"What is this?" the Commander asked, staring at the green patterns on her arms.
"Not quite sure Commander," Vega answered. "We were hoping you would know."
"And why would I know?" She asked, slightly feeling stupid for not noticing it before.
"Because this started happening to everyone after you destroyed the reapers," Vega said a little quietly.
"Okay, Vega," Shepard looked the man in the eye, desperation clear in her face, "Tell me everything about me. Everything you know, that's happened in the past ten years, tell me."
After hours of Vega explaining, the doctor standing by monitoring Shepard's body as she took in what was apparently her life, Shepard crossed her legs and began to scratch her head. She cracked her neck and opened her mouth slightly, trying to decide what to say.
"I have not recollection of any of that," Shepard admitted, "but… it all sounds, feels familiar. It's almost like I know it's the truth even though I have no reason to believe it, any of it."
"The green light," the doctor began, slightly startling the two soldier. "It's caused many unnatural things to happen. People all over, of all species, have been growing back lost limbs, becoming more intelligent, and even some have been 'reverse-ageing,' as the soldiers like to say. But no one has become ten years younger like you…" the Doctor trailed off. "And no one is healing as fast as you. Your wound," the doctor slowly lifted up Shepard's gown and removed the bandage, "it's already completely healed."
"Damn Commander, you've only been here one day," Vega said in disbelief. "Even medi-gel can't heal a wound like that so fast."
"Whatever happened to everybody, you probably got the biggest, eh, dose," the Doctor continued, typing into her Omni tool as she spoke. "You were on the Citadel when it exploded that green light."
"I was on the Citadel?" Shepard asked in disbelief. "How do I not remember any of this?" she asked herself in frustration, lightly smacking her head.
"I'll be right back Commander," Vega said as he began to rise from his seat. "I gotta tell the others."
"Others?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah, I gotta contact the Normandy and let the crew know," Vega said, his face expressing worry.
"Who are they again?" Shepard asked, desperately trying to remember names and faces of people who she was apparently close with.
"There's Cortez, who's here, on Earth," Vega began, "Then there's Tali, Garrus, Joker, Edi, Sam, Ashley, Liara-"
"Liara," Shepard whispered, interrupting Vega. "She…" Shepard began, feeling with all her heart and soul that the name held a great importance in her life. "Ah! This is so fucking frustrating!" she shouted, slamming her fist into the bed beneath her. "Who is she? Liara?"
Vega's face looked almost pained as he watched his Commander desperately trying to remember why that name held such importance. "She's your girl, Commander," Vega said lowly.
"My girl?" Shepard asked, trying so hard to place a face to the name.
"Yeah, your uh…" Vega trailed off, not sure how is friend would take what he was about to say. "Your bondmate."
"Bondmate…" Shepard trailed off, searching her brain for where she had heard that word before. "An Asari," she began, a little bit of realization sinking in, "I'm in a relationship with an Asari."
"Yup, a hot one too," Vega said with a grin, trying to relieve some of the tension.
"I don't even remember meeting an Asari in my life," Shepard said, defeat written on her face.
"I'm just gonna go tell them what's going on Commander," Vega said as he began to leave the room.
"Joker here," the man said as he scratched at his beard.
"Hey my man, I didn't call you at a bad time did I?" Vega's suggestive voice ringed through the speaker.
"Yes, I was totally getting it on while trying to navigate this beaten ship through space without a mass relay," Joker said, annoyed and happy to hear his comrades voice.
"Okay, so I've got good news and bad news," Vega began.
"Hit me," Joker said.
"Good news is, we found the Commander," Vega said.
"Well thank baby Jesus," Joker said, a smile forming across his face.
"The bad news is, that green light did some weird shit to her."
"What do you mean weird?" Joker asked, his brows furrowing.
"For starters, she doesn't remember anything."
"You mean she doesn't remember the fight?" Joker asked, becoming frustrated waiting for a clear answer.
"She doesn't remember the past ten years…" Vega trailed off.
It had been a week since Shepard had been brought to the hospital. She was starting to become anxious and angry. She had spent the past few days walking around the hospital, talking to soldiers and getting some civilian clothes from them as they exchanged stories. The Commander didn't remember anything from the past ten years, but she still had tons of war stories to share. And the fact that no one wanted to talk about this war that had just happened worked to her advantage.
She stood in her room, staring at herself in a dirty mirror. She ran her hands through her now short, shaggy hair. She lightly laughed as she remembered the Asari she had crossed paths with who claimed to be a hair dresser. As she gazed on in the mirror, she smiled at the memory of the Asari proving her words by giving her a marvelous haircut.
She stared at her face more closely, noticing a few fading scars that she had no recollection of getting in the first place. She sighed and looked down at her arms. They weren't glowing green, not at the instant. The trail of green lines and designs seemed to come and go as they pleased.
"What the hell did I do?" she asked aloud to herself, trying to remember what would make her decide to give everyone green glowing patterns. "There has to be more to it than that…" She trailed off as she sat down in the only chair in the room, slouching in it as she tried to remember.
Shepard didn't hear the footsteps of the Asari who entered her room. She didn't feel the presence of the person staring at her in awe, disbelief, and wonder.
Liara stood there, staring at the one she loved. "She looks so… young," she thought, her eyes tracing Shepard's body through white t-shirt and black cargo pants she wore. "And her hair…" she thought. She had noticed the haircut as soon as she had entered the room. It was short, shorter than usual, and Shepard's bangs feel in her face. Each piece of hair seemed to fall in different places, doing what it pleased. "It's quite… sexy," She thought.
Worry began to fill Liara. Her bondmate didn't know her, had no recollection of all the beautiful memories they had share. She didn't even remember meeting her. Liara's heart had broken a little when she heard the news, but she was still so much more grateful that her lover had even survived.
Liara let go of a breath she didn't know she had been holding, causing Shepard to slightly stiffen in her seat. Shepard opened her eyes, wondering who this gorgeous woman was standing in front of her. She longed to touch the blue goddess, not really understanding why her heart seemed to hurt so much because of the lack of skin contact. She didn't even know this woman. Or did she?
"Shepard," Liara whispered, staring at her with love and concern.
The Commander arose from her seat and took a few steps toward the asari, her body moving without her permission. She was confused and frustrated at the fact that she wanted the woman in front of her badly, in more ways than one. She extended her arm, offering her hand to the woman across from her.
Liara froze, stopping the hope within her chest from rising. She knew her lover had no idea who she was. "But she's looking at me with such… longing," Liara thought, frozen in her place, not daring to move.
Shepard stepped closer, not being able to bear the little bit of space between them. She didn't understand why, but at that moment she didn't care. All she knew was that she desperately wanted to feel this woman in her arms and taste her lips. She took Liara's hand in hers and pulled her closer.
Liara couldn't move. She was torn between ravaging the woman in front of her and stopping whatever was going on. "She doesn't know who I am," she reminded herself.
"I don't know why…" Shepard began, staring at the plump azure lips in front of her. "Liara," she breathed, sure that the feeling swelling in her chest couldn't be for anyone else.
"Jane," Liara whispered, sending chills down Shepard's spine.
Shepard shut her eyes tightly and tried to focus on her breathing. The way her name rolled off of Liara's tongue almost made her lose control. She was scared and confused, but at the same time she felt safe, longing, and love. She was fighting hard to not lose herself to the desire growing within her. It was about to consume her, even if she didn't understand why. As soon as she felt like she was about to lose control, she felt the asari gently squeeze her.
Shepard opened her eyes to find deep blue ones staring back at her. They were filled with concern and worry, and what seemed like love. Shepard took hold of the asari in a loving embrace, burying her face into the crook of the asari's neck. Liara froze for a moment, filled with shock, but quickly wrapped her arms around her lover, one hand reaching up to play with the Commander's short hair.
"I don't know you," Shepard breathed into Liara's neck, causing the asari grab a hold of her lover tightly. "But I feel like I do."
Liara smiled and kissed the side of Shepard's head as she soothingly stroked her hair. "Well, that's a start," She said into the younger woman's ear.