Miranda stood in the laboratory, taking it all in slowly. The two other men in the room were talking softly to each other. She motioned for them to stop. She wanted to remember everything about this moment. She wanted to be able to recall every sight. She wanted to evoke the memory of the hum of the equipment around her. She hoped, however fruitless it may be, to one day forget the sick after taste in her mouth. If the project proved successful, she wanted to be able to recollect every sense that she felt in this moment sans the sickness of course. She gathered her strength, hiding her inner doubts, and pulled the sheet to reveal the mangled remains of her subject. She uncovered the sheet from the entire body and took in the entirety of the damage.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." Jacob coughed and gagged. Miranda quickly shooed him away from the subject. Jacob walked to the trash can on the far side of the room and heaved into it. Miranda heard Wilson snicker from behind. Miranda rolled her eyes at the man and returned to her examination. Much of the subject's body had been severely damaged due to the vacuum of space. The lack of any moisture in the body indicated that his suit had ruptured and depressurized. Miranda picked up her recorder.

"Preliminary analysis of the body confirms previous theory. Subjects Alliance issue armor, designated 'N7', suffered irreparable damage. As far as the circumstances at the time. Depressurization ensued, causing the fluids in the subject's body to freeze and crystallize." She moved a small light to examine what was left of his face. Miranda had been staring at pictures of the subject for the better part of six weeks. It pained her to see that the once beautiful face had been reduced to this. She continued, "While theory speculates the body to go into an instant shock and a quick death, witness statements and evidence previously logged, suggest that the subject may have been alive for several moments before succumbing to his death." Miranda recalled the statement given by Jeff Moreau. The man had been traumatized by the events, yet he had been able to give her a very accurate account of all that had unfolded. She shuddered when she remembered the evidence of his death. The MAAG (Mass Artificial Atmosphere Generator) that had been installed on his suit had been pawed on in an almost frantic manner. The generator maintained the suit's internal atmosphere as well as stabilizing the body's core temperature. The MAAG had been hit by debris and had been rendered useless. Miranda wondered what the man must have thought as his life was being ripped away. "It must have been excruciating." she quietly said to herself.

Wilson had joined her at the table. Miranda saw that Wilson didn't share her same appreciation for the significance of the moment. He was pawing away at the subject, cutting the burned sleeves off of his body. "Ooh a tribal tattoo, well aren't you a badass. Yeah I was gonna get a tattoo but then I decided to go to college." he laughed at his own joke. Miranda withered at the man's guffaw.

"He went to college too Wilson. And from what I have seen from your personnel records, he got significantly better marks than yourself." Wilson was stunned at Miranda's outburst. From across the room Jacob, head still in the trash can, laughed loudly.

Wilson tried to regain his footing. "Yeah, well if he's so smart, why's he dead?" Miranda fought every urge to not punch Wilson in the face. The death of this man had nothing to do with his intelligence. It was due to a surprise attack from an unknown force and the man's self sacrifice to save the lives of his crew. While Miranda didn't agree with the man's actions, it fit in line with everything she knew of him. Wilson had, in one statement, managed to turn this brilliant man into a blubbering fool who was only good for following someone else's orders. Why the Illusive Man had assigned him onto this project was beyond Miranda's understanding. She was sure there had to be more talented engineers in the Cerberus ranks. Hell, she knew the man lying on the table in front of her, was ten times the engineer that Wilson was, although he was in no position to help at the moment. Miranda did her best to focus on the job at hand. She had a sneaking suspicion that Wilson only acted in this manner to get a rise out of her. She refused to rise to his baiting. Besides she was more intrigued by the tattoo that Wilson had been examining. Pushing him aside, she ran her gloved fingers over the length of the inked skin. The pattern ran from his wrist all the way to his shoulder blade. It even curved and partially ran down his back. She had been surprised by this revelation. In none of her research information had there been any mention of a tattoo, let alone one of this size and beauty. Its intricate designs and smooth wavelike patterns were almost hypnotic.

She pulled herself away from the tattoo and continued her examination. "Subject has received severe burns and scarring, most likely due to radiation from the unprotected exposure of the nearby star. It is my belief that even if the project is a success, he will probably suffer a significant amount of scarring."

Miranda stepped away from the examining table. She called for the technicians waiting outside the door. "Put the body through decontamination one more time. I want you to make sure the body is free of any foreign substances." The technicians nodded in confirmation and wheeled the body out of the room. She turned back to Wilson and Jacob. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me, I need to inform our benefactor of our readiness to begin." And see if I can get rid of Wilson, she thought to herself. Walking to the communications room, she couldn't help but feel relieved to be away from the exam room. It embarrassed her how unnerved she had been at the corpse of the man. When the asari, T'Soni, had delivered him to her, she refused to open then container. After the first examination, she spent hours locked in her bathroom nauseas from the experience. The man she had spent so much learning about, was not the shell lying in the other room. It was her job however, to recreate him using techniques that they would have to develop along the way. If the plan worked, she would have created something that only God had been able to do before. She was in all essence creating life. Well, recreating it anyway.

The communication room was dark. Making sure that she was alone, she stepped onto the projector. Within seconds she stood before her boss. The Illusive Man sat smoking, as always. He didn't look up from the data pad he was reading. He simply acknowledged her appearance. "Miranda." She straightened up and began the report that she had been practicing for the last several hours.

"Sir. I am pleased to report that the station is operational and the staff and myself, are ready to begin the project as soon as you give the order." The Illusive Man held out the pad and an aide came into screen and quickly hurried off. Miranda watched as he kept his eyes on the aide. She assumed he was waiting until he was alone before continuing. When he seemed satisfied, he asked, "And the package? How is it? I have to admit, I didn't look myself. I'd rather wait and see the final result."

"The 'package' as it were, is being decontaminated as we speak. Wilson seems to think that it is a more than viable test subject." She immediately regretted those last words. For his part the Illusive Man did not lose his cool demeanor. He simply stood and walked closer to her image.

"I don't need to remind you the amount of resources we are pouring into this project. This is a one time special circumstance. You would do well to tell Wilson that this is no common 'test subject'." Miranda felt a small smile creeping to her face. She had managed to get Wilson into a bit of trouble. She did her best to suppress it. Perhaps now was the time to broach the subject of Wilson's dismissal.

"Sir, about Wilson."

She watched as he looked to be preparing himself a drink. "What about Wilson?"

Miranda pressed. "I don't think he is the right person for the job. He is unprofessional, under qualified, and frankly sir, I don't trust him."

The Illusive Man gave a small chuckle. "You think you might have to kill him one day, huh?" He returned to his seat, quickly lighting another cigarette. "Wilson is the best the best biological integration engineer that we currently have available to us at this time. I will keep an eye out for a suitable replacement, but until then, you're going to have to make due." Miranda gave her boss a slight bow. She was going to concede the argument for now, but silently vowed to begin a search of her own. She knew such a scientist would be easy to find if the ventured past the human race. The Illusive Man would do no such thing however, and Miranda was going to have to accept Wilson's presence for the time being. At least until she could find a moment to kill him herself if need be. Miranda turned her attention back to the Illusive Man.

"I'm forwarding all available information to you now sir. Do we have your permission to begin."

"You do. Project Lazarus is a go. The dead have slept for too long. Its time to wake Shepard up."

~o~0~o~

Shepard was back on the Citadel. To be more precise he sat on a small island in the middle of the Presidium lake. He took notice of how empty the Presidium was. Judging by the placement of the artificial sun, it should be a little after 1100 hours. Yet the Presidium remained empty. He couldn't remember how he came to be back on the Citadel, let alone an island in the middle of the lake. He called out for anyone who might be nearby. Nobody came to his aide. He called out for Avina, the Citadel's VI. If he could get her attention, she might be able to alert some assistance for help. Again he was met with deafening silence. "Where is everyone?"

"There's only us skipper." Shepard was startled by the familiar voice that rang out from behind him. Familiar, but impossible. He turned to see Ashley Williams sitting on the edge of the island nearby. Her bare feet dangling playfully in the water.

"Ash? No that's not possible. You died on Virmire. You're dead Ashley."

Shepard saw that the news of her death hadn't seemed to have had any effect on her at all. She continued to splash in the water. A hand fell on his shoulder. Shepard spun to find Benezia standing before him. "Commander, does my little dove…does my little dove still live?" From behind him he heard Ashley snicker.

"Pfft…little dove. I coulda had some fun with that one."

Shepard backed away from the two women. This was impossible. He had seen both women die. Well, he had seen Benezia die. He had assumed Ashley was killed defending the nuclear bomb on Virmire. None of this made any sense. Ashley stood. Both women were now slowly creeping towards him. Shepard felt a sensation that he had never truly experienced before. He felt fear. "Stay back!" he screamed at the women. For a moment he almost jumped into the lake to try and swim to the railings. He was sure that if he could make it to the walkways he would be able to escape whatever unnatural thing that this was. He quickly turned only to see something flying through the air. No, not something, but someone. "No. Nonono, I know for a fact that you are dead. I killed you myself." Shepard felt the memories of that fight welling up into his mind.

"We're running out of time Shepard. They will be here soon and if you can't stop them, then all is lost." Saren stepped off his glider and joined Ashley and Benezia. "I know that now. You can stop them,"

Shepard placed his face in his hands. "No none of this is real. You are all dead."

Ashley spoke. "You're right Skipper, we are dead. And yet you're here as well. What does that make you?"

Shepard looked up. "I don't know what you mean Ash? I don't know what this is?"

Saren gave Benezia a small nod. She approached Shepard and placed her hands upon his face. Suddenly he was back in the Normandy. An unidentified ship had entered the system and had opened fire on them. They had been hit. He gave the evacuation order. Everyone was scrambling towards the escape pods. Liara was there. In the hysteria, Joker remained at the pilot's seat. He refused to abandon ship. She did as well. He begged with her to go. In a split second they shared a look that expressed all the words that there was no time for. She got to an escape pod. She was safe. He turned his attention to the bridge. Amidst the flame and debris and the sudden vacuum he advanced towards the cockpit. He found Joker still at the helm of the skeletal remains of the Normandy. He plead with the man. Reluctantly Joker agreed to leave his post. They got to the last pod only to find themselves once again in the line of the enemy's fire. In an act of desperation, he threw Joker into the cockpit. He saw Joker's face in the porthole screaming for Shepard to join him. Right before hitting the eject button, he parted his fingers in a 'V' formation. He called to Joker "You have and always will be my friend." He laughed and hoped that one day Joker would laugh about it too. The tears running down the young pilot's face suggested otherwise. Shepard slammed his fist into the eject button. Joker's pod roared to life and bolted away from the dying Normandy. The force of the pod threw Shepard into the nearby bulkhead. The magnetization in his suit had somehow shut down. He drifted in space. From his position, he watched as the alien craft took a final shot at the Normandy searing the ship in two and then jumped away. He tried to call out to any of the pods. His comm wasn't working. Suddenly he was cold. He couldn't breath. He clawed at the MAAG unit strapped to his forearm. It was of no use. He screamed in anger, but no voice came out. Suddenly there was….nothing.

It was the turian who spoke. "As I said, we don't have much time. You have to kill Harbinger. If you can kill Harbinger, all the others will fall."

Shepard opened his eyes. Benezia had returned back to standing next to Ashley and Saren. "I don't understand. Is this a dream?"

The asari spoke with great sadness. "The dead don't dream."

"Am I…am I dead?"

Ashley approached and kissed him softly. "Not dead Skipper. Not anymore."

It felt as if a giant hook had suddenly latched on and jerked him from that place. He now found himself blinded by light. Shepard could hear voices. They sounded unfamiliar but very close by. He had the sensation that he was lying down. He tried to will myself up. The voices got suddenly chaotic.

"Miranda something's happening."

"Dammit Wilson, he's not ready." The voice was soft yet commanding. There was also something exotic about it. Shepard tried to speak, but his throat felt as if it were on fire. The woman, he knew to be in charge, was giving the man directions. "Up the dosage. We need to stabilize him."

"If we give him any more, it might kill him."

"Yes, It might. But if he wakes up now, it will DEFINITELY kill him!" The woman was now screaming at the man. Shepard didn't know what was happening, but whoever these people were, they were attempting to put him under some sort of sedation. He tried once again to get up. His body screamed at him not to move. The pain was unbearable, yet he continued to try and fight. That was when he caught a glimpse of his arm. The skin on his have looked burned and cracked. He could see the frayed edges of the ligaments in his wrist. The bones in his fingers were exposed.

He tried to ask for help, but again the words failed to come. Suddenly he felt a cool release through his body. He lay his head back down on the cold surface. He suddenly felt someone hovering above him. He reopened his eyes. Was it an angel? She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She rested a gloved hand on his cheek. "Shhh. It will be okay. Just relax and let the sedation take effect." It was the voice that he thought was so exotic only moments earlier. That voice that was now doing her best to comfort him. Shepard closed his eyes and allowed sleep to retake him.

~o~0~o~

Miranda was furious. Furious at Wilson. Furious at the Illusive Man. But mostly she was furious at herself. It hadn't been the men's fault that Shepard had awoken. Really, it hadn't even been her fault. In truth she should have been ecstatic. It had been almost eight months since they had first fused the small cybernetic implants to Shepard's lymphatic system. A month later his circulatory system had restarted. Despite those minor successes, Brain activity was still inactive. Well until about ten minutes ago it had been inactive. That was when Shepard woke up. Miranda should have been thrilled beyond measure. But she wasn't. She saw the terror in the man's eyes. She saw hurt and confusion and a genuine fear. Miranda closed the door to her office behind her. She was supposed to be on her way to inform the Illusive man of the current happenings, but she couldn't do that right now. She needed a moment to compose herself. She'd heard the whispers and the murmurs before. People called her an ice queen, heartless, or some flat out called her a bitch. If they could see me now, she thought to herself. She didn't know why she was so emotional. Pull yourself together Lawson, you still have a job to do. Miranda wiped the perspiration from her head and straightened out her uniform. She needed to make her report. As she walked to the comm room to make her report, she couldn't help but think of his piercing blue eyes and the frantic way they had been darting around the room. She thought of how afraid he had been when he had caught a glimpse of his damaged hand. She then smiled to herself when she remembered the calm that seemed to come over him when his eyes met hers. Of course that could have been the sedatives, she thought to herself. Miranda shook herself away from such thoughts. She didn't understand why she was having these feelings for a dead man. Not dead. Not anymore.

~o~0~o~

Wilson stood outside of the examination room staring into the window. When Miranda had left, he had been forced to leave as well. The rule was that no one was allowed to be with the body without Miranda's supervision. A few weeks ago a technician had been found in the room innocently empting the waste disposal been. Miranda discovered the woman and within the hour she was being thrown off the station. Since that time, Miranda had installed security measures that even Wilson had yet to figure out how to disable them. The lack of privacy made it extremely difficult for Wilson to do his job. Not the one Cerberus was paying him to do, but the job that the Shadow Broker was paying three times his normal rate for. The Shadow Broker was paying for samples and pieces of the technology that he and Lawson had been developing over the past year. Originally the Broker had only wanted the body of Shepard, but after finding out the reason behind Cerberus' involvement, he had become intrigued with the project. Intrigued as the Broker was, the orders remained the same. He was to retrieve the body of Shepard, not the living breathing version, but the corpse. Now that Project Lazarus was a success, he had run into a problem. He was running out of time. It would be only a matter of time before Miranda would want to begin to test Shepard's thresholds. Wilson needed a way to get into that room, re-kill Shepard, get the body off of the station, and get away without anyone knowing of his involvement. That would be hard to do now. Ever since word had gotten out that Shepard had momentarily awaken, a number of the crew, were finding themselves in the corridor trying to sneak a peak. Wilson turned when he heard a familiar sound. Jacob was approaching flanked by two Loki mechs.

The security operative smiled at him. "I see that Miranda's thrown everybody out?"

Wilson grumbled. "Yeah, she went to inform 'the Overlord' of recent developments."

"So I guess it's true. Shepard woke up?" Wilson nodded in confirmation. Jacob motioned for the mechs. Each Loki took a position in front of the lab door. Wilson watched with a sudden idea.

"Jacob, can you tell me how the mechs work?"

~o~0~o~

Miranda sat in her office reviewing the latest test results. They were astounding. All of Shepard's systems were operating at peak efficiency. His reflexes were all above the watermarks set by the Illusive Man. She had yet to bring him out of sedation since the one time all those months ago. She glanced at the monitor observing Shepard. He looked to be sleeping soundly. Miranda smiled softly. She looked back at her paperwork. Something moving in one of the monitors caught her attention. It was Wilson. What was he doing in the security room? Suddenly the alarm klaxons began to blare. Miranda looked up to see her office doors open. Two Loki mechs entered, their guns pointed at her. Miranda, out of instinct ducked down behind her table. The mechs opened fire. "I order you to stand down. Override: Lawson-Echo-Echo-Sigma." Much to her chagrin, the mechs didn't stop firing. Miranda could hear the screams and gunfire from throughout the station. Miranda had to take matters into her own hands. Summoning her biotic powers she lifted one of her assailants. She quickly hurled the mech into its comrade. The two droids were eliminated. Miranda scrambled back to her feet. The monitors were ablaze with action. Mechs on every level were targeting the crew. She looked for Wilson. He appeared to be cowering himself. Serves him right, she thought to herself. Miranda heard the sound of mechanical feet making their way towards her office. Seeing no other options, she grabbed the communicator from her desk. She had no other choice. She had to wake Shepard up.

Note: This is a story that I've had stuck in my head for a while. I plan for it to be a novelization of not ME2, but the story of Shepard and Miranda's growing relationship. I don't think that there are enough stories about the two of them that deal with actual interaction between the two. Too often the stories that do feature Shep/Miri are those of the kink variety. Which is fine to each their own. For those of you that are following my other stories, do not worry. I am far enough ahead of each story that I am capable of taking on another.