A/N: Hello there! This is Gamer-Otaku Takara. As Musicalrain said, we will be taking turns with chapters...and this is mine! I hope you enjoy reading about Audrey's little sister! :3

Chapter Two

"She's reacting to outside stimuli…showing an awareness of her surroundings."

What the hell…?

"God, Miranda…I think she's waking up!"

Strapped to a bed, a copper-brown haired woman slowly opens her eyes. Her vision is blurry, but she can make out the outline of machines and a couple people around her. A feeling of panicked confusion washes over her, and she can hear the muffled sound of her own quick breathing, feel the frantic pounding of her heart. Her pale green eyes dart back and forth around the room. What's going on? Where am I?

"Dammit, Wilson, she's not ready yet! Give her the sedative." A black-haired woman scowls at a bald man before looking down at her. She weakly tries to raise her hand, but the woman gently puts it back down. Bitch, don't touch me! If I could move properly, you'd be a splatter on the wall right now… "Shepard, don't try to move. Just lie still." Uh, too little too late, dumbass. "Try to stay calm." Stay calm? How can I stay calm?! I'm strapped to a bed in God-knows-where, with two people I don't know talking about sedating me! Rape! RAPE!

"Heart rate's still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts." The woman walks over to the bald man as he stares at a monitor. "Stats pushing into the red zone...it's not working!" Can someone get me a paper bag? People breathe into paper bags when they freak out, right? Also, I kinda feel like I'm gonna throw up…

"Another dose. Now!" Another one? Okay, that sounds a little fishy to me. You bitches are so lucky I'm in the middle of a panic attack.

Her eyes start to droop. Yup, I can feel that other dose kicking in…I think I'll just…take a nap before I kill you…

"Heart rate dropping. Stats falling back into normal range. That was close, Miranda. We almost lost her."

The woman walks up to her again, peering down at her with a concerned frown. Then, she glares back at the other guy. "I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again!" She returns her gaze to the freckled Spectre on the bed. Wouldja quit lookin' at me? Weirdo…

That was her last thought before her world turned black.

LATER

Ah, shit…

Averil Shepard struggles to open her eyes. Her head throbbed something awful, and the alarms that were blaring overhead didn't help in the least. Alarms…? She frowns. Didn't I die? I specifically remember getting spaced after saving Joker's crippled ass. And my oxygen pipe thing broke, and I suffocated…so, is this hell or something? I'm pretty sure I'm not going to heaven… She vaguely remembers waking up once before…man, that was a terrifying experience. Averil puts a hand over her chest. Feeling her heart beating steadily, she decides that she is not dead.

"Wake up, Shepard."

A somewhat familiar voice speaks to Averil overhead. She recognizes the voice…it belonged to the dark-haired woman she saw before. The touchy one. Wasn't I going to kill her? "Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now, this facility is under attack!"

Averil's eyes snap open. Scowling, she rubs her jaw and sits up. Okay, so she's in some sort of facility…and it was being attacked. Just her bloody luck. There better be a gun lying around somewhere. "Your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," she mutters. She grabs her side when she sits up, after pain shoots through it. That's when she felt the rumblings…looking around, she sees that a lot of the monitors were flashing red warning signs, and the entire room was shaking. "Well, that can't be good."

"There's a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!"

Averil growls and swings her legs over the side of the bed, getting to her feet and stumbling across the floor in the direction of the locker. The pistol is an M-3 Predator…not a bad gun, but not a good one, either. There was even some N7 armor in there…eh, they wouldn't mind if she took it. Most of the people here are probably dead from the mysterious attackers anyway. She slips on the armor, and then checks to see how much ammo the gun had…which turns out to be none. "This thing is useless, it has no clips!" she says in frustration. "What do you expect me to do, pistol-whip 'em to death?" Not that she can't…actually, pistol-whipping people to death is fun. She can deal with that.

"There should be clips lying around somewhere…"

And so starts Averil's desperate run around the station. After being forced into cover by AWOL mechs, she shoots them right in their mechanical heads and moves on. Her muscles are still sore, so she didn't want to risk complete exhaustion by powering up her tech armor…which was a shame, because Averil really loved to be able to charge her enemies without worrying about her shields failing.

"Shepard! Over here!"

A deep, unfamiliar voice calls out to her, and she sees a dark-skinned man crouched behind a railing, pistol in hand. There were mechs across the room, trapped behind another railing, but she quickly runs beside him and crouches behind cover.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress," the man says.

"Are you with Miranda?" Averil asks, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yeah. Sorry, I forgot this is all new to you right now. I'm Jacob Taylor. I've been stationed here for—"

"Hostiles detected."

"Dammit!" Jacob pauses for a moment, leaning out of cover just long enough to blast off on of the mechs' heads. "Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around. I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first."

Shuttle? He expected her to run around with him, a stranger, and then get into a shuttle with him? These people were really creeping her out…she wanted answers! She didn't care if they were being shot at by mechs, she wanted some answers now! "What's with the mechs?" Averil asks, her voice monotone.

"Security. Usually they fight for us…somebody must have hacked 'em. That should be impossible, unless you have access. We've gotta get you outta here, Shepard." Averil resists the urge to punch him in the jaw. She wasn't some child that needed to be coddled and protected! She was a goddamn Spectre, for crying out loud! The first human Spectre ever! Yeah, she may have died, but that wasn't her fault! Blame space! She was brought back to life by these people anyway, so they must think she's important for something. But, recently revived or not, she could take on all the mechs in this place if she had to. She isn't a coward, and she certainly wasn't lacking in skill.

"Ever since I woke up, people have been telling me where to go and what to do," Averil huffs. "I need answers."

"Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version," Jacob says with a nod. "You and your ship were attacked and destroyed. You were killed, dead as dead can be when they brought you here. Our scientists have spent the last two years puttin' you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time. Welcome back to your life" Yeah, that was pretty quick.

Averil frowns. "This doesn't look like an Alliance facility." She wasn't a famous commander like her older sister, but she still had some ties to the Alliance…however, she highly doubted that they would spend two years rebuilding her.

"It's not," Jacob replies. "I can't say much more than that for now. The Alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead." Well, isn't that just dandy. Hmm…I wonder how people would react if they saw me running around on the Citadel? Heh heh. "And if we don't get to those shuttles, they'll be right."

"Are there any other survivors from the Normandy?" Her stomach clenched in anticipation for the answer. Her sister had been aboard…her friends…her only friends, really. If none of them had survived…especially Audrey, she wasn't sure how she would handle it. She'd probably destroy everything in sight.

"Tell you what." Jacob looked impatient. "Help me finish off these mechs, and I'll play 20 Questions with you all day. We're low on thermal clips, but I'm a biotic. Just give me the order when you want me to hit 'em with the good stuff." As a demonstration, Jacob stands up and quickly Pulls one of the mechs into the air.

So, after a quick battle with the remaining mechs, the two of them stand up. Jacob puts his pistol away and turns to Averil, but Averil didn't know anything about this guy. She opted to keep her pistol out. "Okay," Jacob says, "I promised I'd answer your questions. What do you want to know?"

"You said they spent two years rebuilding me," she replies slowly. "How bad were my injuries?" She was probably lucky her head didn't explode…or, maybe it did. Ew.

"I'm no doctor, but it was bad." Jacob shakes his head. "When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubes." Thanks for that lovely image. "Anywhere else, and they'd have put you in a coffin. But Project Lazarus was different. Cutting-edge technology."

"What do you mean? Cloning?" she wonders suspiciously. If that was the case, there could be hundreds more versions of her on this station. Is she truly herself? Or is she just a copy of the real thing? That was an upsetting thought… "Cybernetics?" Now that, she could deal with. Who wouldn't want to be a super-powered android? Hell yeah!

"I don't know the details, you'd have to ask the scientists. But I'm pretty sure you're not a clone. They wanted to bring you back exactly as you were. You're still you…you just might have a few extra bits and pieces now." Averil releases a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Okay, so I'm not just a copy. Good.

"What can you tell me about the project?" She looks around. "Were there other test subjects?"

"Project Lazarus only had one subject." Jacob gestures to her. "The whole point was to bring you back. Just you." Now I feel all special…but I still don't know who it is that brought me back. Don't expect much gratitude from me, pal. "Even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists, the best technology money could buy." Which is getting destroyed as we speak. Looks like I'm dealing with some pretty wealthy bastards, here.

"Do you know anything about this attack? Who's behind it, what they're after?"

"Damned if I know. I was getting' ready for some shut-eye, then bam! Bunch of explosions. Next thing I know, every damn mech in the room starts shooting, at us!" Aw, poor baby. "I'm guessing it had to be an inside job. You'd need top security access to hack all the mechs."

Averil decides to try asking the question she most wanted answered once again. She takes a step toward Jacob. "The last thing I remember is the Normandy blowing up. Did anyone else make it?"

"Just about everybody survived." Her shoulders slumped with relief. "A few servicemen from the lower decks didn't get out. Navigator Pressley was killed by an explosion. But everyone else, including the non-Alliance crew—the asari, Liara, the quarian, and the others—they all made it out alive." That means Audrey's still alive too…thank God.

"Do you know what any of them are doing now?"

"I don't know, Shepard. It's been two years. They've moved on, left the Alliance. Could be anywhere." Audrey left the Alliance? That was hard to believe…and it was even harder to believe that they'd let her go. She was the best damn commander they could ever even hope of having.

"What about the team? If they knew I was alive, they'd come back." She had faith in them. She wasn't one to place trust in anyone outside her own family…but she'd grown close to the crew in the time she'd spent on the Normandy with them. In a way…they were her family, too.

"Maybe you can track them down after we get off the station. …If we get off the station." Someone's a pessimist.

"When I first woke up, someone named Miranda was talking to me over the radio. We lost contact just before I ran into you."

"Miranda Lawson is the station's ranking officer. She led the Lazarus team. It was her job to bring you back to life, no matter what. Should've guessed she'd try to save you…she isn't about to give up on you now." Jacob pauses. "You said you lost contact. Could you tell what was happening?"

"There was some…gunfire, and an explosion before I lost her."

Jacob looks away. "She knows how to take care of herself…but I hope she's okay." Averil wouldn't really feel affected by her loss. She had been planning on killing her anyway.

Averil rolls her shoulders. She was through asking questions, it was time to blow this popsicle stand. "What's the quickest way to those shuttles?"

"Depends on where the mechs are thickest. It's probably best to—"

"Check, check. Anyone on this frequency?" A male voice suddenly blares from Jacob's Omni-tool. "Anybody still alive out there? Hello?"

"Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Averil Shepard. Just took out a wave of mechs over in D Wing."

"Shepard's alive? How the hell…n-never mind, you need to get her outta there! Get to the service tunnels and head for the network control room."

"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency!"

"I remember a Wilson checking on me when I first woke up," Averil says, raising a brow slightly.

"That's him," Jacob says. "He's the chief medical tech. Answers directly to Miranda." He turns around. "C'mon, service tunnels are this way."

And the run-around continues. Averil and Jacob found Wilson after fighting through some mechs…he had gotten shot in the leg, so of course Averil was the one who had to do something about it. She wouldn't be able to kill Wilson just yet, either…she needed him at the moment, even if something about him was…off.

Then, Jacob decides to finally come clean and tell her who they worked for. His answer, however…caught Averil completely off guard. They worked for Cerberus. She doesn't know much about them, but she did know they're a pro-human terrorist organization…they claim to only be furthering human interests, but she didn't buy it. Racist bitches. So, I get spaced, only to be brought back to life by terrorists? Can this get any weirder? Wait, I shouldn't ask that. It can always get weirder.

Anyway, with the air cleared, they moved on…but Averil made sure they were in front of her. Jacob may have been honest with her, but that didn't mean she still wasn't expecting a shot in the back. In fact, the truth only made her distrust them even more. So, yeah. Way to go, Jacob.

Eventually, after fighting their way through even more goddamn mechs, Averil, Jacob, and Wilson reached the door to the shuttle bay. Before they could go through, however, Miranda Lawson suddenly waltzed up to Wilson and shot him, point-blank. That made Averil disappointed…she wanted to be the one to shoot the shifty bastard! Even more so, after she discovered that he was the one that reprogrammed the mechs. Miranda offered to answer any more questions she had…but Averil just wanted to get the hell off this station. She'd had enough of it to last a lifetime…or two, in her case.

So, they boarded the shuttle. Averil kept a hand on her pistol the whole time…they may have brought her back, but she didn't trust them at all. If they wanted her trust, they'd better be willing to work their asses off for it. Still, she decides to humor the terrorists and let them take her to their leader…the Illusive Man, or whatever. She'd call him TIM. Heh.

Anyway, Miranda made a big deal about making sure Averil's memories were still intact, so in the shuttle, Jacob asks her questions about Torfan, her sister Audrey's decision on Virmire, and the attack on the Citadel… She gives short, nonchalant answers. Honestly, she doesn't care about whatever Cerberus rebuilt her for. All she wants is to find her sister and let her know she's still alive…Audrey's probably worried sick. But nope, she's gotta do a whole bunch of other shit first…but if anyone could reunite her with her sister, it's Cerberus. As much as she hates to admit it, she needs them…and, as it so happened, they really need her.

"I thought we would be meeting face to face," Averil folds her arms across her chest, narrowing her eyes at the hologram of a man sitting in a chair, smoking a cigar. He doesn't look so special, she scoffs in her mind.

"A necessary precaution, for those who know what you and I know," he replies, puffing out smoke.

"You don't know me," Averil retorts.

"I know more than you might think. How are you feeling?"

Averil rolls her eyes. "You need to earn the right to ask me those kinds of questions. So, just get to the point and tell me why you brought me back. I've got people to see."

"No nonsense, hm? Good. That's the kind of person we need leading this mission."

"I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's going on!" she snaps. "If there's one thing I hate, it's being left in the dark!"

"Be patient, Shepard," the Illusive Man says calmly. He puts out his cigar and rests his arms on his chair. "Right now, all we know is this: someone is abducting entire human colonies across the Terminus Systems."

That's not what she expected at all. Her arms fall to her sides, eyebrows shooting up. "What? What do you mean?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like." He pauses. "The colonies suddenly go dark—no communications can reach them—and when someone goes to investigate, every single man, woman, and child is gone."

"How do you know they weren't killed?" Averil asks.

"See for yourself. Freedom's Progress was the latest colony to go missing…go there and investigate. If you don't find the evidence you're looking for, we can part ways," the Illusive Man says with a shrug. He seems awfully sure of himself...

Averil folds her arms across her chest. "Is this a volunteer job, or am I being volunteered?" She was getting tired of being told what to do. She just came back to life, dammit, why can't she just relax for a little while?!

"You always have a choice, Averil. But trust me, it's in your best interest to investigate Freedom's Progress. Talk to Jacob or Miranda, they can brief you."

Basically, I'm being volunteered, she thought bitterly. "Fine. If I don't find any evidence of abduction, I'm going to go find my sister, and if any of your Cerberus lackeys try to get in my way, I'll rip them to shreds," she hisses.

TIM took a puff of his cigar. "Noted. Good luck, Shepard."

LATER

The trip through Freedom's Progress had been a very interesting one. Not only did she see Tali'Zorah again, but Averil also managed to find out who was abducting the colonists…and she discovered clear evidence that they were indeed being abducted, since there were no bodies, structural damage…no signs of any struggle whatsoever. Well, there wasn't, until the mechs in the colony started shooting at her. And that turned out to be the work of a quarian named Veetor, the same guy that Tali and her team had come to Freedom's Progress to find. Tali did lose most of her squad…but they were reckless and had no common sense, so Averil figured the Migrant Fleet was better off without them anyway. So, after taking Veetor's Omni-tool data (which included the footage he had of those creepy bug-looking things—Collectors, she believed they were called—dragging all the colonists away in some kind of pods, she said goodbye to Tali and got back on the shuttle.

When Averil arrives at the station once more, she heads straight for the room where she first contacted TIM. "Shepard," he greeted. He crosses one leg over the other. "I see you've returned from Freedom's Progress. I just got finished scanning the quarian's Omni-tool data…and it has confirmed my suspicions. The Collectors are behind the attacks."

Averil folds her arms across her chest, leaning back on her right leg in a "thug" pose. "That's all fine and dandy, but what I wanna know is…what are you gonna do about it? I've got no ship, no crew, no resources…"

"You have decided to help?"

"They're taking humans." Averil rolls her eyes. "Of course I want to stop it. But you're the rich one here…so help me out a little, wouldja?"

"Of course." TIM gives her a small smile. "Now that you have decided to throw your lot in with Cerberus—"

"Let's get one thing straight," she interrupts him with a scowl. "I'm gonna help you take down the Collectors, yes. But I am not joining Cerberus. We are allies, and nothing more. For the moment. Have I made myself perfectly clear?"

"Crystal." He lets out a puff of smoke. "Now, regarding a ship and crew…I've taken care of that already. I've found the best pilot anyone could find, someone you can trust…and I believe you'll be pleased to find another familiar face here, as well." With that, TIM logs off, leaving Averil confused and dumbfounded.

"Pretty crazy, eh Averil?"

She whirls around at the sound of a voice behind her…only to come face-to-face with her favorite pilot. "Joker!"

The brittle-boned man gives her a cheeky grin before gesturing for her to follow him.

"I can't believe it's you, Joker," Averil says with a chuckle.

"You're telling me! I saw you get spaced!" Joker cries.

"So, do you trust Cerberus?" she asks. She wanted to know what he thought…they could catch up later.

"I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do," he replies, making Averil grin. "But, they brought you back to life, let me fly—since the Alliance decided to ground me—and…there's this." Joker gestures out of the window they stood in front of.

Lights flicked on one at a time, revealing a starship…but not just any starship. It looked exactly like the Normandy…only, with Cerberus colors. Averil's eyes widen, and she felt her heart swell at the sight of the ship. The Normandy was her favorite ship in the galaxy, and it felt good to see something she knew…and right after she was reunited with Joker, too! Things were starting to look up…

And that's when someone else called out to her.

"Averil? Is it…is it really you?"

Averil felt her heart stop for a split second. That voice…it was so familiar…could it be? No, TIM wouldn't be this nice to her, even if he did bring her back from the dead… But, slowly turning around, her hopes suddenly became reality.

"Audrey…!"

A/N: There you have it! The beginning of Averil Shepard's new life! I hope you find her Renegade-ness amusing! XD Oh, and in case you were wondering...Averil is pronounced AY-vril. Please review! We'd love to know your thoughts on the story so far! ^-^