:::In his mind, he saw her smile. Big white teeth splattered with a little blood but still charming. He held on to that image to keep him whole, to fill the gaps the real thing had left in his mind, his heart. If that smile could just stay forever, keep him company….

"We've lost you again, boss."

The sound of the car's engine roared back into his mind. Omega's Kima district developed in front of him as her smile slipped away. It was useless to hang on, but he grasped at it, hoping it would linger for a little while longer.

"Come back, boss."

"I'm here," said Garrus.

Sidonis leaned forward, shifting a little to get a good look at him.

"You look half dead. When did you sleep last?"

Butler scoffed. "I stopped asking him that weeks ago. Runs on adrenaline and sweet justice, don't ya, boss?"

Garrus stayed silent to collect himself. Memories of Shepard were always vivid, almost tangible. They drained what little energy he had.

"Home sweet home," said Butler as he pushed in the wheel of the stolen sky car.

The landing was smooth and quiet. Garrus brought up his omni-tool and tapped in the code to drop down the bridge leading up to their base. He got out and pulled the seat forward for Sidonis to exit. Butler was already standing near the trunk when they rounded the car. The human rolled his neck, the girth of it barely containing the veins bulging out his skin.

"Ready?" he asked the turians after flexing his biceps a couple times.

"Go."

Butler threw the trunk door open and they all dove forward to restrain the salarian within.

"Unhand me! This is outrageous!" he screamed, writhing viciously. "I haven't done anything!"

"Like hell you haven't!" Butler shouted over him with a laugh. He managed to hook both his arms under the squirming man's shoulders and hauled him out of the car. Sidonis hurried around him to cut the ties holding his wrists together.

"We're not going to hurt you," said Garrus evenly. "We actually want your help."

The salarian looked up at him, face stricken with anger and confusion. "Help with what, exactly?"

"You're lookin' at Archangel, mate," Butler explained. "It's Weaver, right?"

"Ah-ya-ya yes! Yes, it is!" His rage evaporated immediately. The salarian snatched Garrus' hand into his and began shaking it vigorously. "Pleasure to finally meet you, sir. I hope you didn't mind the, um, display I made to get your attention."

"We saw it. Blasting Shurta's comm towers in broad daylight wasn't the smartest idea." Garrus pulled his hand back as politely as he could and added, "But it was spectacular. Sid is going to have a chat with you about subtlety, though. Welcome aboard."

"Thank you, sir! Very, very happy to be here."

"Can see that," Butler muttered as Sidonis ushered Weaver up the bridge. He leaned against the vehicle and turned to Garrus. "Gotta fanbase now, huh?"

The turian groaned loudly. He took a few steps down the bridge and looked out to the spiked pillars piercing Omega's horizon.

"I don't want this. I didn't get into this to be famous."

"You can't expect to play the hero and not get treated like one."

Garrus wanted to object, but knew it was pointless. Archangel was renowned now. Locals praised him in bars and thugs fled their hideouts when word got out that he was in the area. A housing complex in the Fumi district had "Archangel is watching" spray painted on its facade. There was no denying their influence.

Shepard would love this he thought, and then immediately regretted doing so. He pressed his hands into his skull, trying to physically push her image out of his mind. Grieving was too tiring. It had been almost a year since her death and yet it still took all of his effort to let her go.

Butler approached him and put a heavy hand on his shoulder. They stood together, silently, for a long while as Garrus pulled himself together again. Finally, he straightened and thanked the man for his support.

"S'aright, mate. We've all got demons. Some are more persistent than others. Let's go ditch this car. Nalah's expecting me back for dinner.":::

#

Once he started looking into the families and homeworlds of the Archangel crew, Garrus felt a little overwhelmed by the support Cerberus was giving him. Whatever general information he asked for was sent to his omni-tool within minutes. Shipping schedules, delivery times, bureaucratic issues that would hinder transport; all were sent to him by a small group working from Omega in a secure location. The bodies were also held there, in refrigerated coffins, ready to be transported discretely.

He tried to get into contact with the families he knew of. Only one had responded so far, the wife of his best enforcer, Anthony Butler. Nalah assured him that her husband would get a proper burial on Earth once she had the funds to make the trip off Omega. She also implored the turian to stop blaming himself for Butler's death. He'd beat you senseless if he knew what you tried to do, she had written. Don't throw your life away over this. You have so much more to offer.

Garrus didn't feel as effective as she was letting on. He had been responsible for the lives of ten remarkable people. It was his negligence that allowed a trusted member betray them all. Nalah didn't need to hear this, though. Ignoring her refusal to accept the money, Garrus sent her enough credits to travel to Earth and remain there for the foreseeable future. It was acquired from crime lords who had no use for it in death and used in cases of emergencies such as this. If he couldn't turn back time and protect his crew, he could at least ensure their families were safe and comfortable.

The majority of his time was spent working on these transport arrangements and studying the Javelin, the Normandy's main defense system. In part, he was hiding. It seemed that every time he ventured out, a member of the crew wanted to question him about his experience on Omega or as a C-Sec officer. Kelly Chambers was especially bad about this. She acted as the ship counselor and felt it was her duty to extract every feeling out of him.

Garrus rarely saw Shepard in the following four days though they spoke regularly over comms. She was never in one place for very long. She was either running around the ship, checking up on the crew to see if they needed anything, or ashore collecting supplies, information and people.

Shepard made a final trip to Omega to pick up another squad member before infiltrating the Eclipse smuggling depot on Daratar. Garrus stumbled across him while looking for a wedge pillow comfortable enough for a turian in the starboard cargo bay. Across from the door, a console screen cycled footage from all over the ship, including the catwalk leading up to the batteries.

A gruff voice called out to him from the other end of the room, "Ah, you've found my hiding spot."

Zaeed Massani strutted toward him, arm already extended. They shook hands and introduced themselves.

"Archangel, eh? I heard a lot about you while I worked on Omega. You were a real pain in the ass." He laughed, his voice harsh and gravelly.

Garrus had heard a lot about him, too, but didn't let on as much. Zaeed was a well-known freelance mercenary. As an individual, his actions didn't threaten the livelihood of Omega's civilians. He worked mostly as a bounty hunter in the employ of rich bureaucrats. When their jobs intersected, Garrus instructed the team to give the merc a wide berth. It was widely known that Zaeed's main focus was on his next paycheck and had no issue disposing of anyone who got in the way.

The two men learned they had a lot in common despite their differing occupations. Zaeed didn't tolerate slave trading and found most of the crime syndicates on Omega completely inept. He also had a plethora of information about the mercenary groups all over the galaxy that proved useful. This helped Garrus know what channels to avoid when dispersing the bodies of his former crew; their enemies had no issue disrespecting the dead. The many stories Zaeed had to share about life as a merc were highly entertaining. He never left out the gruesome details.

Shepard, Miranda and Zaeed went out to fetch the cargo from Daratar, its location given to Shepard as a favor from Aria T'Loak. After a probe was sent down to confirm its location, it became clear she had neglected to mention the cargo had most likely been obtained illegally and Eclipse was in the process of abandoning it with several YMIR mechs to destroy the evidence. Shepard had hauled her grenade launcher on to the transport ship, all too eager to use it again.

They returned from the desert planet covered in dust, but looking pleased. Miranda was tapping away at a datapad, taking inventory of the element zero, weapon mods and other equipment they had picked up when Garrus went down to the loading dock. Her form fitting outfit seemed have repelled the dust and only a few specks lingered where her suit met her skin. The operative's hair was sleek and full as ever, not a strand out of place as if she hadn't been wearing a helmet.

Shepard, in sharp contrast to Miranda, was surrounded by a ring of red dirt by the armor lockers. She was practically dripping in sweat, her hair was a mess and her toes were caked in sand from the floor. Still, she was grinning gently to herself, pleased with her work.

"Garrus," said Miranda, though she didn't look up from the screen. "I was going to come up to speak to you after this. How are you feeling?"

"Better." He resisted the urge to touch the bandage on his face. Chakwas had just fitted a new one for the day, but it was already beginning to sag a little.

"Good. We're on our way to the next mission. Shepard and I think you are well-suited for it."

Shepard padded toward them then. She had stripped down to a black tank top. The light from her cybernetics shown faintly against her dark skin, especially around her collarbone and ankles. He tried to keep the rumble of worry from rising up in his subvocals. Shepard was muscular, always had been, but to him, her frame was still slight. It bothered him to see her so willingly vulnerable.

"Can we meet in the comm room in half an hour?" Miranda asked them. "I would like to brief you both about Purgatory, especially if you still insist I remain aboard the ship, Commander."

Pursing her lips thoughtfully, Shepard nodded. "Yes, I do. I need you here if anything goes wrong."

"Sorry, I'm a little out of the loop," Garrus said.

"I can explain a little, c'mon." She threw her thumb toward the elevator. They left Miranda in the loading bay to finish up the cargo log.

They got off on the top level at the captain's quarters. Shepard entered a code into the door and it slid open.

"You have unread messages at your communication unit, Commander." EDI's voice greeted them as they entered the room.

"Thanks," Shepard muttered. She moved to a drawer just to the left of the entrance and pulled out a fluffy white towel. "I need to shower, but I can talk to you from in there." She gestured toward a silver door behind her desk. "Make yourself at home."

Garrus wasn't sure that he could. With each step, he worried he would break something. Shepard's room was huge and stocked with many fragile amenities. To his left, a large, empty fish tank sat in the wall, providing much of the light that filled the room. Down the steps was her queen-sized bed, neatly made up with a white duvet and black pillows. Matching leather couches and armchairs were placed around a small table. On it sat a single wine glass that still held dregs of her last drink. He took a seat on the couch and tried not to think about how much it cost.

In front of her desk was a sheet of glass with brackets lined across it. It looked like it had been originally meant for shelving but Shepard was using it to showcase model ships. Garrus recognized the Normandy they were currently on as well as a turian cruiser.

"We're headed for Purgatory," Shepard called from the bathroom. "Should be there in a couple days. Do you know anything about it?"

"Not really. I know it's run by the Blue Suns."

"We have to pick up someone held there. Dossier's on my desk."

Garrus went back up the steps and looked through the datapads near her personal console. There was one set aside so he picked it up. The screen lit up and the words "Omega: Archangel" scrolled across the top.

This surprised him, though he thought it probably shouldn't have. He had led a vigilante band that caused irreversible damage to the reigning crime groups on the space station. Of course Cerberus would have a profile on him. Still, it was odd seeing it all written out. He had a file in a major database that someone had been updating regularly. For all the trouble they had gone through to keep their base location and raid information off the record, it didn't seem to phase Cerberus at all. It didn't have any personal details about him, though, which was reassuring.

Shepard exited the bathroom then, shrouded in steam. "Did you find it?"

"No, I found mine."

She smiled and said, "It seemed to have everything in it except who you were. Almost like Cerberus knew but wanted it to be a surprise." She rifled through the other pile, picked up another datapad and handed it to him. "After we found you, I thought I should do a little more digging than what they provided. Tell me if you notice anything strange."

Garrus scrolled through the information on the screen, trying not to look up as Shepard pulled clothes out of the drawers under the fish tank. She was wrapped in the white towel though it barely covered the tops of her legs. He was about as indifferent to her nakedness as she was as he had seen her in various states of undress several times. Shepard had the habit of tending to her own wounds on the field when professional medical assistance was unavailable.

It was her scarring that bothered him. When she dropped the towel to put on an undershirt, he saw one long scar that worked the length of her spine. It glowed brighter than all the others on her body. It was like seeing the zipper on the back of a costume, as if she could step out of her skin any moment.

"This is...cryptic," he pointed out, continuing to read the convict's dossier. "There isn't a single mention of gender."

"It's weird, right? You would think someone would mention it." She came back to him with her towel in hand. Now she was wearing a Cerberus issued shirt and trousers. With the towel, she tousled her hair dry.

"There also isn't any mention of why they're in prison, either."

Shepard nodded. "Seems like Cerberus is hiding something, right?"

"Not exactly surprising."

The commander picked up another datapad and turned it on. "This is more extensive. Miranda helped me a bit. She thought it was weird the dossier was so bare, too."

The name Jack cropped up in the data Garrus looked through. Her criminal record took up eight pages, all taking place within a ten year span. There were few personal details about her. No one seemed to be able to lock down an actual appearance, either; many grainy pictures were taken from security footage, some sketches created from witness accounts. Because she was bald, many assumed she was male.

"She's experienced," he offered.

"The Blue Suns captured her after she raided a Cerberus facility. No one knows why she did it or why the Blue Suns were even there. All of that information is stuck somewhere even Miranda can't get to."

"They took her to Purgatory after that?"

Shepard nodded. "They put her in cryo not long after she got there, but there's no reason listed. She's been in the tank for over a year."

"Spirits…."

"Yeah, it's fucked up."

He turned his head to the side, skeptical. "You sure you want her on the ship?"

"I'm positive. She's incredible. She's a damned powerful biotic, and you know coming from me that's saying something."

"I do."

Shepard combed her hair and pulled it into her typical bun. Together, they left her quarters and made their way to the comm room.

At the CIC, Kelly Chambers confronted them as they got out of the elevator. "Commander, you have unread messages at your terminal. I think you'll want to take a look."

"Fine," Shepard said with a sigh. "I'll meet you in there."

Miranda was already at the conference table, looking over a holographic model of Purgatory, when Garrus walked in. She was accompanied by Zaeed, who was leaning against the far wall, making no attempt to hide the fact that he was carefully studying her every curve.

"Shepard's checking her messages," Garrus said before she could ask. "Seemed important."

Miranda only nodded, but her posture weakened slightly. She recovered just as quickly and continued looking at the model in front of her. He thought maybe she knew how serious the message was. It made sense for Cerberus to keep tabs on who was contacting Shepard. Miranda's reaction, though, was strange. Why would she care enough about the contents for it to affect her poise if even just for a moment? Whatever the reason, it probably didn't mean well for the commander.

Shepard walked through the doorway not long afterward. Her face read nothing, though her hand was grabbing at her collar as if her shirt was too tight around the neck. When Garrus asked if everything was okay, she brushed him off with a nod. "What have you got for us?" she asked Miranda.

With a wave of her hand, Miranda spun the Purgatory on display so that it was hovering parallel to the table. "The prison is a reconstituted cattle transport. There are thirty blocks, each holding about four hundred cells. Estimates put the number of current prisoners at around three thousand."

"How many guards?" Zaeed asked.

"Fifteen hundred, a foolishly large amount, from my perspective. Which brings me to the warden..." Miranda tapped on the console and the starship disappeared. It was replaced with the figure of a turian. "Kuril."

"This is the idiot we have to worry about," Shepard explained to Garrus. "He knows I'm alive now due to someone's big mouth on Omega. We don't know what he's planning, but we know to stay alert. There have been reports of increased activity there since last week."

The prison came back into view. Miranda zoomed in on a section toward the center. "This is the high security block Jack's cryopod is in. She's uninjured, but from what we understand, she put up a hell of a fight when they locked her in. She'll come out just as enraged. Be cautious. She's highly skilled, highly dangerous."

"Does she know we're coming for her?" Garrus asked.

"Unlikely. I doubt they would open her cell just to tell her she was going to be released."

"How likely is resistance?"

"Very. EDI knows to be on high alert if and when they attempt to commandeer the ship." She glanced at each of them and added, "I don't want to have to leave you behind..."

"S'right, sweetheart. We'll make it quick," vowed Zaeed.

Miranda's eyes narrowed, displeased with his familiar tone but said nothing of it.

They each left the room after being certain the risks were made clear. Garrus followed Shepard into the armory.

"Hey," he said, stopping her before she could leave the room. "Is everything alright?"

Her eyes darted to the far corner where Jacob was soldering something at his workstation. Slowly, she looked back up at Garrus, eyebrows curled in. She was trying to say more with her expression than she could out loud.

"Things could be better…."

"As usual," he replied quietly.

"Some other time?"

He knew she was asking to hold off on more than just this topic. Nodding, he let her leave the room alone, not wanting to intrude any further.

Though it wasn't pressing, Garrus understood they needed to talk at some point. He dreaded it, as he was sure she did, because of the implications. There was some hope that they would be able to continue on exactly as they were, before everything started to crumble. The red fissure that ripped down the center of her back edged back into his mind. Her scars were a reminder of more than just her resurrection.

Sorry for the delay! Beta went on vacation, then I did and then I was sick. Hope to get next chapter out sooner.

Reviews greatly appreciated!