Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and all of its characters are the intellectual property of Bioware and Electronic Arts, and are used in a non-profit manner for the purpose of entertainment. I own no rights to their creations.

The Half-Life universe and all of its characters are the intellectual property of Valve, and are used in a non-profit manner for the purpose of entertainment. I own no rights to their creations.

Author's note:

'Thoughts'

"Dialogue"

"Dialogue & warnings"


"Incoming bugs, take cover!" shouted Garrus.

Miranda was the first one to react by hiding behind a wall. She also reinforced her shields with a biotic barrier. Gordon and Shepard followed her example and picked strategic points from where they could open fire at the enemy.

Five seconds later the collector assassins arrived in the area via flying above the wall, but this time they were accompanied by a large glowing unit covered in dark energy. Everyone present knew that it would be quite difficult to kill something like that.

"I will direct this personally!" Harbinger's voice was heard all around the area.

A second later the drones opened fire at the commander and her squad prompting them to remain behind cover.

She started issuing orders.

"Garrus! Miranda! You two take out those assassins while Dr. Freeman and I deal with the red Collector!"

Her two teammates didn't bother on giving confirmations and immediately returned fire at the additional drones. Miranda used her biotics to levitate the insect-like soldiers, while Garrus took them out with his sniper rifle one by one.

Meanwhile Shepard and Gordon were fighting against Harbinger, the later slowly advancing towards their position. The commander swore under her breath when a bullet missed her head by several inches.

She turned towards her new partner "I need to get closer to that thing, cover me!"

Gordon noticed that she was using a short-range weapon and nodded "Whenever you're ready!"

Shepard gave a boost to her shields and jumped from behind cover "Now!"

Freeman immediately opened fire at Harbinger, drawing his attention, while she made haste towards a more suitable position. The possessed Collector managed to hit its newest target a couple of times but missed when Gordon jumped behind a crate to his left.

The commander took notice that Freeman's shots never missed their target, not even while moving. She made a note in the back of her mind to ask him about his training.

'But first…' she thought with a scowl 'There's something I need to squash.'

Calming her mind she jumped from behind cover and fired multiple shotgun plasma rounds, surprising Harbinger with her sudden appearance. She would have also performed a biotic charge, but was forced to retreat behind cover again when Harbinger returned fire.

Meanwhile, from a safe distance Gordon's eyes spotted a small explosive container right next to the drone, firing his gun he whistled when Harbinger was actually pushed back a couple of feet.

Seeing her chance Shepard launched her biotic charge, throwing the possessed collector halfway across the field. She grinned when the thing landed on its head.

A second later it burst into ashes but not before giving her one final threat;

"I will find you again."

Barely a moment later Edi's artificial voice was heard.

"Commander, the power generator is currently at 48%," Joker's panicked voice could be heard swearing in the background "Also there is another collector unit heading your way."

As soon as she finished, a new massive construction immediately entered the courtyard. Gordon took notice that it resembled an enormous seeker drone.

'That thing looks like it could do some damage' thought Shepard aiming her shotgun "Everyone, seek shelter!"

She didn't have to yell twice as Garrus and Gordon were already behind cover firing their weaponsat the giant cybernetic insect. Before the collector had any chance to do some real damage, Shepard quickly dragged Miranda behind cover as well.

"Weapons free, punch that bastard with everything you got!" was her simple, but direct order.

Garrus fired a concussive shot while Miranda conjured a biotic warp, the later attack having little to no effect on the praetorian's heavy shields. The only thing that seemed to have an effect was Shepard's prototype Geth weapon, so as expected the Collector ignored everyone in favor floating ominously towards her. Knowing she was finished if the thing launched a biotic wave anywhere near her, the commander made a run for the entrance.

"Cover her!" Miranda's loud voice was heard over the clearing.

They tried to keep the collector's attention away from Shepard but their weapons were doing little to no damage and the machine's shields looked like they would hold on for a very long time. The commander already anticipated this the moment her eyes landed on the praetorian, so she decided to use the rocket launcher strapped to her back.

Taking advantage of the alien construct's temporary focus on her team, she grabbed the heavy weapon from her back and took aim.

"Shepard, watch out!" she heard the voice of Garrus on her earpiece and the next thing she knew she was landing on her back after flying through the air, courtesy of a heavy attack from the praetorian. Dazed from the impact she struggled to get her bearings but her mind immediately went into panic mode when she couldn't find the rocket launcher anywhere near her.

A large shadow fell over her and she stared in horrified surprise at the collector's large and imposing form, its four eyes glowing and ready to launch a destructive beam of energy directly at her defenseless form.

'Move!'

Her mind screamed, ordering her to get back on her feet and head to cover. However, though her mind was willing, her body remained unresponsive.

'Move Shepard!'

'Get up!"

'Move, move, MOVE!'

For the second time in her life, Commander Shepard closed her eyes and gave up.

A moment later the praetorian lit up like a Christmas tree in flames and started making horrible high-pitched sounds, meaning that some damage had finally been inflicted. With a quick glance to her left she saw Gordon holding the rocket launcher while sitting crouched above a crate, his green eyes narrowed upon the target.

Of course the giant collector bug only took a second to recover and it was definitely not happy, judging by the horrible high-pitched sounds it was making. Ignoring his primary target he made a beeline for Freeman.

The glasses-wearing scientist jumped from the crate and tried to put as much distance as possible between him and the Collector heavy unit. He already had plenty of experience with fighting giant alien robots that tried their best to turn him into ash.

"Keep that thing away from the console!" he heard the Miranda's voice shouting in the distance and decided to take her advice.

Meanwhile a short distance away the commander was issuing orders.

"Garrus pass me the beam weapon we just found!" after she grabbed her newest toy she opened fire at the floating collector.

The construction was forced to cease its advancement when a beam of particles hit its shields from behind. Gordon, who up until that point was taking cover behind a pillar, saw the opportunity and fired another rocket. Between Shepard and Freeman's assault the praetorian's barriers were already at a quarter of their capacity, its armor was also taking heavy damage.

When the barriers finally collapsed the combined assault of all four of them finally did the trick. The praetorian began to convulse with energy, before it detonated in a shower of sparks.

"Though bastard!" said Garrus through heavy breaths and the others were forced to agree.

"GUARDIAN lasers at maximum capacity." Shepard heard EDI's synthetic voice through her earpiece.

They all watched as the cannons opened fire on the collector ship and had to cover their eyes when said ship fired its engines and made a run for it. Eventually the collectors made their escape by leaving the planet's atmosphere.

"No! Half of the colony is on that ship! You can't let them get away!" Delan ran into the courtyard shouting at the top of his lungs.

Miranda admonished the man "Be thankful that Shepard managed to save the other half of the colony, instead of cowering like you did."

Delan stopped pacing and turned with a frown "Wait…Shepard…I know that name…"

"Commander Shepard, hero of the alliance, first human Spectre and savior of the citadel." they were startled when a new figure appeared in their line of sight. The commander in particular looked excited with the new arrival.

"You're in the presence of a legend Delan," continued Kaidan in a soft tone while not moving his eyes from Katherine's form "And a ghost."

Kaidan Alenko didn't appear to have changed much in the few years Shepard had missed. He still had the same serene expression Katherine had come to love. The standard alliance armor adorned his form coupled with the sturdy M-8 Avenger rifle. Though she was completely happy with seeing her lover safe and sound, there was an unmistaken glint of coldness in his eyes. The stress lines on his forehead and around his eyes did not serve to calm her instincts either.

"Figures that only you get left behind," Delan's furious voice was heard in the background, though he was pretty much ignored by the two soldiers "Fuck this! I'm done with you alliance types."

Gordon watched with a frown as Delan left the area, probably out to drown his frustrations in alcohol. Turning back at the scene developing in front of him he observed quietly as always.

Kaidan walked until he was a foot away from her, he smiled and extended his arm in a friendly gesture "I thought you were dead commander, we all did."

Shepard ignored the arm in favor of enveloping him in a hug, she was so happy with being back in his arms that she never noticed his rigid posture. Miranda and Garrus did but wisely kept their mouths shut.

Her eyes were full of tears but she kept her emotions in check.

"It's been two years Kaidan, I've missed you," she whispered in his chest thinking that everything would be okay from now on. She looked at him confusedly when he removed her arms and stepped away from her.

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Wha-"

However Kaidan seemed on a roll "You show up after two years and act like nothing happened? How could you put me through this? I thought we had something."

Katherine looked like she was shot in the gut.

"Why haven't you contacted me?! Why didn't you tell me you were alive?!" shouted Kaidan with venom in his voice.

Anyone close to Shepard would have been surprised at the look on her face. Poor woman for once seemed at loss for words and she looked paler than the first time they put her on the operating table.

"I was dead Kaidan, "she said in a hard tone "They've spent two years trying to revive me and Anderson wouldn't tell me where you were."

"I moved on you know..," he completely ignored her words "Then suddenly we get reports about you and Cerberus."

"Reports? You mean you already know?" Garrus joined the conversation.

Kaidan glared at them "We initially thought that Cerberus was behind the missing colonies and we got intel that this next one was about to get hit. Anderson did his best to keep me in the dark but there were rumors that you were back and working for the enemy."

"Thousands of humans are being kidnapped from their homes! You've seen it yourself Kaidan. Cerberus is the only one willing to do something about it," spoke Katherine though her voice was still a little shaky.

Her old friend did not want to hear any of it "For all we know Cerberus could be working with the collectors! You know firsthand the kind of sick experiments they made on humans before!"

Garrus intervened "Dammit Kaidan, listen to what you're saying! Why would Cerberus spend so much time and effort to bring her back, if they are working with the ones out to kill her and all humans?"

"Please Kaidan you have to believe me, the only reason why I'm working with Cerberus is because they want to stop the collectors as much as I do," she implored him to see reason. Refusing to believe that what they had would end like this.

Kaidan shook his head "I want to trust you. I really do. But I can't take the risk, it's obvious a part of you feels like you owe Cerberus for brining you back," he stepped away from her "You've changed but I know where my loyalties lie. I'm an Alliance soldier, always will be."

Katherine's tears were now falling freely but Kaidan took no notice "I've got to report back to the Citadel, they'll decide whether your story is true or not."

She scoffed and desperately wiped at her face refusing to let anyone see her like this "They've ignored everything in the past before, so why would this time be any different?"

Kaidan's eyes were emotionless "Maybe, maybe not. We'll see…goodbye Shepard."

Miranda had studied human psychology intensely and knew that after an episode like this, a woman like the commander would attempt to seal her emotions off. Already Katherine's fists were clenched enough to draw blood and her expression seemed absolutely glacial.

Poor Gordon looked utterly uncomfortable in the background.

Shepard calmly put a hand to her earpiece and hailed her pilot "Joker, send a shuttle. I'm sick of this planet."

Minutes later a futuristic hover car landed in the area and everyone got on board. Everyone except for Gordon that is who was absently staring at the vehicle with a frown on his face.

"We don't have all day human, are you getting in or what?!" Garrus glared but Freeman completely ignored the alien too lost in his own thoughts.

'Is this the path he wants me to take this time? Just play along with his schemes until he decides to put me in the freezer again? I'm starting to get tired of his schemes."

He was startled when a hand touched his shoulder.

"I'm sure you're having doubts about what lieutenant Alenko said back there," he met Katherine's eyes and noticed that they softened a little "But let me assure you Doctor Freeman that though I may use the tools Cerberus gives me, I don't share their ideals as well."

Gordon couldn't have cared less about some terrorist organization, but there was something in this woman's eyes that intrigued him to no end. So just like that, he once more decided to go with the flow and hope for the best.


"And this is the mess hall, if you're ever hungry come and ask Gardner for some food. He's here pretty much 24/7."

Shepard was showing Gordon around the Normandy, her mood somewhat improved since the whole ordeal back on Horizon. She kept her tone professional and pleasant but there was a strain to it. Chambers had insisted to give him the tour herself but the commander would have none of it. She patiently explained the layout of the ship and answered whatever questions he had, just like she did for any newcomer.

"Up ahead we have the medical sector. Follow me I'll introduce you to our chief medic."

Upon entering inside Gordon found himself looking at a standard medical station found on any Alliance ship. A middle age woman quietly working on an advanced computer calmly greeted their arrival.

"Commander, it's good to see you as always and I presume this is the famous Doctor Freeman."

Shepard nodded and made introductions while Gordon and the good doctor shook hands.

"Well, don't take this the hard way," began Chakwas "But you young man, look very healthy for a two hundred year old."

Gordon's thoughts went black "Excuse me?"

Katherine and the Chakwas shared a look "You do know that you have been reported MIA for over 160 years, right?" asked the commander in an incredulous tone.

Gordon had suspected that he had been in stasis for quite a while now, but not this. Not even in his most horrifying nightmares would he have thought that the government man kept him frozen in time for so long. Memories of Alyx, Eli, Dr. Kleiner, Barney and even DoG played in front of his eyes and with a sudden gasp he realized that he would never see them again, a terrible thought that almost stopped his heart.

But instead of screaming in horror, fainting or going completely insane Gordon slowly walked to a nearby bed and sat down in a daze, staring at his hands and completely oblivious to the concerned looks the two women nearby were sending him.

Shepard slowly walked towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder "Doctor Freeman, are you okay?" She knew it was a completely stupid question as the man was obviously far from okay. But even though she would never admit it, the sudden look in his eyes scared her to the bone, he looked like a man that had nothing else to live for and this was a look that she was quite familiar with.

"My God, I think he's gone into shock!" exclaimed Chakwas.

The commander would have inquired further but his empty words put an end to that.

"I would like to be alone for a while if that's alright with the both of you."

Katherine and Chakwas shared couple more worried looks but eventually accepted his request "We'll be in the mess hall if you need us, take as much time as you need," replied the commander in a soft voice.

He barely heard the automatic door closing, too lost in his thoughts and memories. The number of years he had missed kept repeating over and over again in his mind. He felt something trailing over his face and with a gasp realized that they were tears, he pushed his fingers into his eyes trying desperately to stop their flow. After Black Mesa he swore that he would never cry again, he no longer had the right after becoming the bringer of the apocalypse.

Taking deep breaths he tried to regain his bearings but it was hard, so very hard to forget Alyx's laugh or her smile whenever she saw that he was safe, or the shy glances she sometimes sent in his direction whenever she thought he wasn't looking.

Or Eli's teasing and Dr. Kleiner jovial tone whenever they met.

He felt like he was slowly being ripped to pieces. All of his friends, all of his comrades were long gone, whispers of the past.

A dry pained laugh escaped his lips.

This was his punishment. To be nothing more than a puppet in the hands of a demon, to drift alone till the end of time.