"They failed with Subject Zero."

Darkness… -A heartbeat sound-

"They couldn't control her. What did you expect from Cerberus? They reached too far too fast."

Sadness… -Another heartbeat-

"Thankfully we didn't have to start from scratch. Her father was already a powerful biotic. Married to an Asari."

Mommy… -A third heartbeat-

"She's human. Asari birth asari. She's the stepchild, you idiot."

Daddy… -A fourth heartbeat-

"I may be the idiot. But who decided it was a great idea to take the child from the family during the assault on the Citadel?"

It's so dark…I'm scared…-a fifth heartbeat-

"You know he's still looking for the kidnappers. At least he doesn't know it was us."

"It doesn't matter if he is looking for us or not. The fact of the matter remains that we were able to perfect the work Cerberus started. Her biotics have showed marked increases."

Rage…

"She'll never be a match for the Asari Justicars."

Hate…

"Maybe not. But she'll still give them a run for their money with all the experiments we did on her."

"Her baseline biotics are dropping."

"Give her another jolt."

The screams of intense and unrelenting pain echo through the make-shift facility in the Hawking Eta cluster. Screams of rage, hatred and sadness. She just wanted it all to stop. She just wanted to go home. Trapped in her own mind for the longest time. She wanted to stop crying from the pain. She wanted her mommy and daddy to tell her everything would be alright.

"Baselines returning to normal."

"She's going to be proof that there is a better biotic by breaking through the pain barriers. And then we'll unleash her…like Cerberus should have done with Subject Zero."

She could hear their voices. But those voices became muffled as her body gave into the pain, eventually passing out.

The Citadel, the Serpent Nebula:

"He won't let go of the memory or guilt, Admiral. He's practically worn himself out from years of searching for his missing daughter. In a way he still blames himself for her disappearance." Dr. Sven Carmen stated. Doctor Carmen was one of the Alliance Military's psychologists and had worked on this particular case for more than ten years. His specialty was more along the line of a grief counselor and this case had been the hardest he had ever worked on.

Admiral Hackett leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. "How can he blame himself for something he had no control over? No one could have known that someone was watching him and his family. Particularly his daughter, Shana."

The doctor removed his glasses. "Admiral, we have to look at the facts. Sergeant Tiberius McGregor or...as the other soldiers came to know him, the Warlord, is a man who escaped Acuz. One of the few that survived their experiments."

"Sergeant McGregor is a strong biotic." The Admiral interjected.

"One of the more powerful, sir."

"I remember Commander Shepard telling me about Akuze. The thresher maw experiments done on the soldiers. His entire squad was thought to be killed. But Toombs and McGregor survived." The Admiral tapped his chin as he thought.

"They survived, sir, yes. But there are still the emotional scars that are left behind. The psychological damage. If you remember the training the biotics go through today, they are taught restraint." He adjusted his glasses, scanning the folder a bit before continuing. "A biotic that lets themselves go is a threat to themselves and those around them. Physically, mind you. An unrestrained biotic can break their own bones without control. We still don't know how Sergeant McGregor was able to survive the strength of his own biotics." His voice grew a bit more solemn. "But he didn't come away from that unscarred, sir." The doctor continued to flip through the folder he was holding.

"Can you elaborate a bit, Doctor?" Hackett focused his gaze on the folder.

"Tiberius still has nightmares about Akuze, sir. Post traumatic stress disorder. His own wife, Luana, has told me about him waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Saying he can still hear the screams of his team." He placed a file on Akuze on the desk. "And I think that the abduction of his daughter has sent him into a relapse. That he's reliving the horror of Akuze all over again. That now she is the subject of the experiments."

"God dammit." Admiral Hackett rubbed his eyes. "And now he's worried that she'll be the casualty of whatever experiments might be done on her."

The doctor looked up from the folder. "Exactly, Admiral. But it might be more than that."

The Admiral stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the Citadel. "How can it be any worse?"

"Admiral, do you remember Commander Shepard's report about Jack? Subject Zero?" The doctor walked over and stood next to Admiral Hackett.

"The Pragia Facility? I thought that Subject Zero blew that up with Shepard's help." Admiral Hackett looked towards the doctor.

"They did, sir. But that doesn't mean someone hasn't walked off with the knowledge of what happened there. There may be some kind of…splinter cell…that is still carrying on the work from the Pragia Facility. And if the Sergeant's daughter is part of it." Dr. Carmen looked at Hackett. "What do we do, sir?"

Admiral Hackett looked towards the mass relay. "Contact, Commander Shepard. Tell him we'll need his and Subject Zero's help."

"I'll contact them immediately, sir." The doctor left Admiral Hackett's office to contact the Normandy.

The McGregor Residence:

'Her favorite doll. It had always been her favorite.' Sergeant McGregor thumbed the doll in his hand as he sat on his daughter's bed. He just sat there staring at it. It had been nearly ten years since Shana's abduction. Ten long years. And only recently had things degraded when he lost the trail when it took him to the Terminus Systems. His depression became worse. Everything that he held in was surfacing.

"Ti?" Luana asked as she looked into the room. Luana was a beautiful young Asari. No older than maybe a few hundred years. She was the daughter of a Matriarch and a diplomat. In her younger years she had spent time as an Asari commando. Running with a few gangs here and there. She met Tiberius when he was a stationed for security on the Citadel during a raid in the Zekara Ward. There was just something about him. A cold confidence he had about himself. But it wasn't just the confidence he had. There was a very soft side to him that just fell in love with. She knew about his "torture" on Akuze. And she was there when he relived the torment of the thresher maws. They dated, and eventually married.

Luana had just hit her matron years and was more than ready to settle down. They had a daughter together who was now eleven years old. The past ten years had gotten harder with each passing year. Luana loved Shana and Shana had accepted her asari stepmother as her real mother. Luana knelt down in front of Tiberius. "Sweetheart?" She put her hand on his.

Tiberius couldn't hold it in. He started crying. "I want my baby girl back. God I want her back." The flood of emotions washed right over him.

Luana took her husband in her arms and held him tight. Rocking him back and forth. She had never seen a human experience heartbreak so badly in her lifetime. She knew that a bond between a human male and his offspring was very strong. But it wasn't until now that she understood just how strong. The physical connection between a human mother and her child was one thing. But the psychological connection between the father and daughter was something she never expected.

She had seen him with their asari daughter, Meleesa. How happy he seemed to hold her and Shana in his arms. He was so alive. But take one of his greatest joys, and it was like taking a part of him as well. "We'll find her, Ti. I swear to the goddess we'll find her."

There was a knock at the front door. Meleesa walked over and opened it. "Hi, Doctor Carmen."

The older man smiled at the young asari. "Well good afternoon, my dear Meleesa. Tell me, are your mom and dad home?"

"Yep. Mom, dad?"

Luana looked towards the door to Shana's room. "We'll be right there." She wiped Tiberius' eyes.

Tiberius stood up and regained his composure. "I'll…I'll be ok, Luana. Let's go see what Sven wants." The two walk out. Tiberius took Dr. Carmen's hand and shook it firmly. "Sven, what can we do for you today."

Dr. Carmen was actually smiling. "Actually, Sergeant. It's what I can do for you. Sergeant McGregor, you remember Commander Shepard, don't you?"

Commander John Shepard stepped forward. "Ti, it's been way too damn long."

Tiberius' mouth fell open for a second and then stood at attention. "Commander Shepard. Welcome to our home, sir."

Shepard smiled at him and held his hand out. "I'm not part of the Alliance anymore, Ti. You don't need to salute me anymore."

Tiberius shook Shepard's hand firmly. "Jesus, John. It's damn good to see you." He shakes his head a moment. "Geez. Where are my…John, this is my wife, Luana. And this is our…youngest. Meleesa."

Shepard shook both Luana's and Meleesa's hand gently. "Good to meet you both. This is a member of my crew. Jack."

Jack step forward and greeted the family. "Hey."

Dr. Carmen bent down. "Meleesa, how would you like to go and get some ice cream? Give your dad and mom some time to catch up with old friends."

Meleesa looked up. "Can I?"

Luana knew that if Dr. Carmen was offering, then this talk was going to be a serious one. "Of course. But not too much. I don't want you spoiling your appetite for dinner."

Meleesa nodded and left with the good doctor. After they were gone, Shepard looked at Tiberius. "We need to talk."