Shepard wrapped a towel around herself and stepped out of the bathroom. She glanced at the clock. Four hours. She had only gotten four hours of sleep. Well, there was no way she was going to get anymore tonight. Shepard sat down at her desk and after a brief hesitation pulled up her record on the terminal.

Commander Rose N. Shepard was born on April 11, 2145 in a remote colony on Mindoir to George and Elizabeth Shepard. She had an older sister named Heather, who died along with her parents when batarian slavers attacked the colony in 2161. An Alliance patrol rescued Rose and she joined the military two years later. She completed the N7 training program with high honors and was posted on Elysium when the colony was attacked. She rallied the colonists then single-handily held off the attack until reinforcements could arrive. She received a medal for her bravery and was named the Hero of Elysium.

Shepard pushed herself away from the terminal and buried her face in her hand. It was so clean and clinical, she felt like she was reading the details of someone else's life. She didn't recognize any of it.

She remembered Eden Prime, mission with the Spectre Nilus. She remembered the Prothean beacon that had seared visions into her mind and sent her one on a search across the galaxy. She remembered Saren, Sovereign, and the threat of the Reapers. She could recall everyone on her team: Kaidan, Ashley, Garrus, Tali, Wrex, and Liara. She knew Joker, Dr. Chakwas, and Admiral Anderson. So why was it she couldn't remember anything else before that.

Shepard pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes until it hurt. Eden Prime. Feros. Noveria. Ilos. She remembered them all.

Wait... Virmire.

Virmire was just a blur in the back of her mind. An ache of regret in the pit of her stomach.

Shepard snapped her head up and pulled her terminal closer to her. She searched for the mission on Virmire and started to read.

Oh God, no.


Shepard raised an eyebrow as the batarian scanning her.

"If you're looking for weapons, you're not doing a very good job." She told him gesturing to the pistol clearly visible at her side. He grunted, obviously unimpressed. Red and purple lights danced around them and Shepard's head began to throb to the beat of the music. Afterlife seemed like it would be a great place to hang out on her off time but right now, she was working and she didn't appreciate it.

"Can't be too careful with dead Spectres." Aria replied with her back turned. "That could be anyone wearing your face." Shepard made a noncommittal sound. She couldn't begrudge the woman for having a brain.

"They're clean." The batarian grunted then stepped aside. Aria turned around and Shepard got her first good look at the asari. She was tall with unique markings on her face and hard eyes. It was the eyes more than anything else that warned Shepard how dangerous this woman was.

"You run Omega?" Shepard asked calmly. The asari laughed, turned back around and lifted her arms.

"I am Omega." She stated her voicing echoing impressively through the club. Shepard had to fight not to roll her eyes. She didn't really want to deal with this woman's ego. Aria dropped her arms and turned back to Shepard before she could respond. "I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule. Don't fuck with Aria." She settled back on the couch and smiled at Shepard as though expecting her to be impressed.

"Hmm, funny." Shepard replied sitting on the other side of couch without waiting for permission. "It's very similar to mine." The smile slid off of Aria's face. Out of the corner of her eye Shepard saw Miranda stiffen but thankfully, the woman had enough brains to stay quiet.

"What can I do for you?" Aria asked playing the part of the gracious host but Shepard didn't miss the dangerous light that flitted through her eyes.

"Mordin Solus. Where can I find him?" Aria's widened in surprise at the question. Obviously, that was not what she was expecting.

"The salarian doctor?" The asari's face fell back in a neutral mask and she shrugged. But Shepard wasn't watching her face, she was watching her eyes. "Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone." Shepard waited for her to continue. Aria's smile made it clear she wasn't giving any more information without Shepard asking directly.

"Fine." Shepard said shortly. She wasn't playing this game. "I'm also looked for someone named Archangel."

Aria leaned back, unperturbed. "You and half of Omega."

"Only half?" Shepard shot back. Aria's face remained neutral but her eyes narrowed.

"He thinks he's fighting on the side of good. It's pissed a lot of people off. Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack have all banded together to take him down." Her mouth snapped shut as she realized how much information she had just given away.

Shepard grinned menacingly. "Sounds like just the guy I'm looking for." Aria blinked.

"Really? How very interesting." Her voice was as smooth as honey. It made Shepard's jaw clench. "The local mercs are hiring freelancers to help take down Archangel. You could sign up, if you wanted. It's probably the only way you'll be able to get to him." She smiled slyly and Shepard stood.

"Thanks for the chat." She said letting the malice she was feeling edge into her voice. Aria's grin widened.

"Anytime." There was as much threat in that one word as Shepard was expecting.

They made it down the stairs and away from Aria's guards before Miranda spoke up.

"You could have handled that better Shepard." She criticized. "It doesn't do us any good to get on Aria's bad side." Shepard stopped to look at her.

"We're not on Aria's bad side. If we were, we'd be dead." She stated evenly and Miranda blinked. "I just let Aria know that I'm not someone she can mess with. She can't walk on me like she does everyone else in this place and I won't be her lapdog. It'll give her something to think about."

"And what if she determines you're a threat to her, and she decides to get rid of that threat?" Miranda argued. Shepard glanced up at the balcony where Aria was watching them. She met the asari's stare and held it.

"She won't." Shepard replied confidently. Jacob, mercifully, decided to keep out of it.

Miranda huffed. "Are we heading to the quarantine zone?" She sounded annoyed but Shepard let that pass. She glanced at the door on her left. There was merc in a Blue Suns uniform standing in front of it.

"No. We're going after Archangel."

"Shepard, we need Mordin Solus to combat the seeker swarms," Miranda argued. Shepard noticed that Miranda only called her "Shepard" when she didn't agreed with something she did. "He's the more important target."

"The professor doesn't have a time limit, Archangel does." Shepard gave her a steady look, "It's not up for discussion Miranda." The woman clenched her jaw but gave a short nod.


Garrus lined up the next shot and fired. The top half of the mercs head blew apart and he collapsed to the ground. It was a good spot, easily defensible and only one or two mercs had managed to make it past the bridge. He didn't know how long this had been going on but he knew he was wearing thin. He had been able to eat a couple of dextro-protein bars between waves but he needed to sleep some time and when he did...

He fired again and hit one of the merc firing from behind cover on the opposite side of the bridge. At least these freelancers were easy to take care of. They were target practice, he wasn't too concerned about the threat they represented.

These three humans though, they were different. He had caught glimpses of them as they moved around on the other side of the bridge but it wasn't until they jumped over the barrier onto the bridge that he knew. They were professionals. It wasn't just the armor the one in front was wearing, it was the way they carried themselves. Calm and controlled and completely ready to kill everyone in the room.

Oh yeah, these three had to go.

Garrus lined up his shot on the woman in the front, ignoring the freelancers that had dropped down before them and were closer. He exhaled and squeezed the trigger at the same time. The woman adjusted her gun at the same moment and his bullet grazed across her shoulder. The woman stumbled back and glared up at him and for a moment she almost looked like...

No. It wasn't possible.

The woman raised her gun and shot at the merc in front of her. Garrus froze in shock for a moment then started gunning down the mercs behind her. He lined up shots and fired automatically while his mind spun a thousand miles a second. It wasn't possible, Shepard was dead. And yet if there was any way to survive, Garrus had no doubt that she would be the one to do it. But then why was she here? How did she know he was here? He felt her come into the room behind him and stiffened.

Please, if I'm wrong just let her kill me quickly. He thought to himself but then he heard the most wonderful sound in the world.

"Archangel?" It was her voice. It was Shepard.

Garrus' mandible's fluttered against the sides of his helmet. He couldn't face her yet, he needed a minute. With more control than he realized he had, Garrus lifted up one finger to tell her to wait then sighted back down his scope. He aimed carefully then shot a salarian cowering behind a crate. With the sound of the bullet leaving his rifle, he felt like everything had changed.

Carefully he set down his rifle then turned to face her. She gave him a hard questioning look and he realized that he was still wearing his helmet. He pulled it off then watched as the hard look disappeared from her face and a fierce unexpected joy replaced it.

"Garrus? Is that you?" She asked with a grin.

Garrus forced himself to sit back and relax into a nonchalant pose even though every part of him wanted to rush over to her and embrace her. She was alive. Commander Shepard was alive.

"Shepard." he replied evenly only barely keeping his voice in check, "I thought you were dead." She grinned at him and he couldn't help taking the moment to drink her in.

She had changed. Her eyes were the same vibrant green but now there was a red glow behind them. Her hair was a brighter shade of red but he thought it suited her. Now it was just as fiery as her personality. Orange jagged scars crossed over her face and hinted at cybernetic implants. Or course it had to be cybernetics. He mused. That's the only way she could have survived.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Just keeping my skills sharp. Waiting for you to come back from the dead." He almost missed it, but he saw the small flinch cross over her face and then the relief that replaced it. He frowned.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly and he thought about it. Really thought about it. He hadn't been a minute ago. Everything had gone to hell in the past couple of days and he had resigned himself to the fact that he probably wasn't going to be leaving this place. But now everything had changed. Shepard was alive, and she was here.

"I've been better." He finally admitted, "But it sure is good to see a friendly face." Relief and joy split her face into a grin and Garrus wondered if she had been expecting a different response. For the first time, Garrus looked at the two human with her. One man and one woman. The woman was wearing a white suit that showed off the curves that Garrus knew humans found attractive. The man had dark skin and broad shoulders. Both were eying him warily. The emblem on their clothes caught Garrus's attention and he recognized it immediately. Cerberus.

"You shot me." Shepard accused and it jerked Garrus out of his inspection. He looked at her, saw she was grinning and relaxed.

"You were taking your sweet time. I had to get you moving." he teased.

"Uh huh." She crossed her arms over her chest in disbelief. "How the hell did you manage to piss off every major merc group in the Terminus Systems?"

Garrus fought against the memory that tried to surge up and the guilt that tried to swallow him. He focused on her face instead. "It wasn't easy. I really had to work at it." The comment made her smile just like he was hoping. "Honestly, I'm amazed they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me." He cleared his throat in an attempt to change the subject. "How about this, you help me get out of here, and I'll tell you the whole story."

"Deal." Shepard stepped up to the balcony and looked out. "What have we got?" she asked, a calm mask slipping over her features. Garrus's mandible's twitched. This was her. The Commander.

"I've blocked all the exits." He told her, "The bridge is the only way in or out. It's useful in funneling all those witless idiots into my sights but it works both ways. They'll slaughter us if we try to leave that way." He watched the way her nose twitched as she considered it.

"If we fight as a team we can hold them off." she said finally, "We'll wait for a crack in their defenses then make a push."

Garrus nodded. "It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan. Let's see what they're up to." He grabbed his rifle and raised it to look through the scope. He was surprised to see Eclipse mercs making their way towards the bridge instead of more freelancers. "Looks like their infiltration team failed. Eclipse mercs are on their way. Here have a look." He passed her the rifle and appreciated the care with which she held it.

"So, Archangel huh?" she asked glancing through the scope. Garrus choked back a laugh.

"Just a name the locals gave me," he told her, surprised by how embarrassed he felt. "It's just Garrus to you though, if you don't mind." She grinned and there was a load boom as she squeezed the trigger.

"One down." She replied handing back the rifle.

He took it and tucked it next to his shoulder. "I'll hold this position. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point and you... well, you just do what you do best."

She grinned. "Just like old times Garrus."

"Just like old times." He agreed wondering briefly if he had already been shot and this was some half-dead dream sequence.

Garrus set up on the balcony and started picking off mercs while Shepard and her team headed down stairs. Watching her fight was like watching a dance. She was the image of power and grace as she flitted between covers, killing her targets with a mixture of bullets and biotics. Slowly though, he began to notice a change. Her movements became fiercer, her kills more ruthless. Garrus frowned at the wave of anger she let off. Shepard had always been calm and controlled in battle, it's what made her such a dangerous warrior. What had happened in the past two years to change that?

A bullet struck into the wall directly below Garrus's head as he watched her and he jerked back to focus on the fight. A few minutes later Shepard headed back up the stairs.

"Alright up - " she started to call but an explosion shook the ground and cut her off.

"Damn it!" Garrus shouted knowing immediately what had happened. "They breached the lower level. They had to use their brains eventually, I guess. Shepard, I need you to get down there and seal it off."

She nodded immediately. "Fine. But I'm not leaving you alone. Jacob, you stay with Garrus." The human male that had been watching Shepard a little too closely nodded and stepped forward. Garrus eyed the man but kept quiet. "Stay alive Garrus. I'll be right back." She ordered and he grinned.

Shepard and the other woman hurried off to lower level. And Garrus was left with Jacob to defend the building.

"So, Shepard huh?" Garrus asked unable to help himself.

"Yeah," Jacob said sounding wistful. "She's a hell of a woman."

"Hell of a Commander." Garrus corrected. Jacob cleared his throat.

"Right." Garrus sighted down his rifle towards the bridge and prepared to use it.

"So how come she's working with Cerberus?" he asked trying to sound nonchalant. He didn't miss the way Jacob looked at him sharply.

"Our... interests are the same." He said hesitantly, when Garrus didn't look at him he continued. "Cerberus brought her back and the Illusive Man is giving her the resources to take out the Collectors." A merc slid into the cross-hairs and Garrus squeezed the trigger reflexively. Brought her back? He hoped that didn't mean what he thought it meant. His mandible's tightened at the thought.

Jacob didn't turn out to be that bad of a soldier but a few minutes into the fight Garrus was calling to see where Shepard was. He much preferred her at his back than this Cerberus operative. Garrus fired as fast as he could, sometimes taking out two at a time. But he couldn't help the ones that slipped through when he paused to reload. Garrus cursed as he saw Garm slip into the building and he checked to see where Shepard was. He could hear the frustration in her voice as she answered him but dammit – he knew this was about to get bad. Fast.

Jacob was supposed to be down below taking out the ones that slipped past Garrus, but he knew that the human would have a hard time with Blood Pack leader. Garrus grabbed his rifle and hurried to the other side of the room. No sooner had he reached the door did he see Garm reach the top of the stairs. The krogan saw Garrus half an instant before Garrus saw him, he was already charging by the time Garrus started to raise his rifle. The shot went wild as the krogan slammed into Garrus, sending him to the floor.

A burst of pain shot through his shoulder but Garrus ignored it. He raised his rifle but Garm smacked it aside, catching Garrus's wrist in the process. The krogan kicked him in the ribs. Garrus cried out and tried to roll out of the way but the krogan put his foot down on Garrus's chest.

"Not so strong now, are you Archangel?" Garm roared. He raised his foot and prepared to slam it down on Garrus's head but there was a boom and Garm stumbled forward. Garrus looked up to see Shepard standing in the doorway with a shotgun clutching in her hands. Her face split into a fierce and beautiful smile before she fired the shotgun again. Garm fell to the ground and Shepard stepped forward firing the gun again and again until the krogan lay unmoving then she turned to Garrus. For a split second Garrus had the irrational thought that she was going to shoot him as well but she grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"You certainly took your time." He accused. She just grinned. "Do you think we should -" Garrus stopped short as he saw that damned gunship rise up at the south window. "Look out!" He shouted pushing Shepard aside. Garrus didn't have time to duck. All he saw was the rocket coming straight at him.