As he leaned against the transparent barricade Jacob Taylor had to hand it to Cerberus. On the one hand if he hadn't joined up with them he probably wouldn't be in this mess now; On the other hand only Cerberus would have actually bothered to install bullet proof glass across the entire station. It had been this particular eye for detail - no matter the cost - that was keeping him alive now.

But the mechs just kept on coming. Someone had hacked them all to kill every human they ran into. Jacob ran the numbers in his head, a station like this, focused on a single task, they kept the non-critical personnel to a minimum, that meant almost the entire security force on the station was nothing but service mechs. The numbers didn't look good for anyone getting out alive now.

As it stood he was low on thermal clips and things were looking grim. Using his biotics he had managed to whittle down the mechs to just three of them, but he knew more were coming.

Three shots rang out from behind him in an even tempo. Before he could even look the three mechs in front of him toppled over, their heads missing. Their missing heads caused their internal cores to overload and explode in three tiny yet destructive 'pop's.

Damn. Jacob had never seen such marksmanship up close before. He turned back to see who had fired those shots. It was definitely not what he was expecting.

"Shepard? What the hell?" Jacob exclaimed.

Before the newly resurrected Spectre could respond the door on the opposite end of the room opened once more, letting even more security mechs in, all of whom started shooting. Immediately Shepard moved in behind cover right next to Jacob to avoid the bullets.

"What are you doing here?" Jacob asked, "I thought you were still a work in progress."

"Look, pal." Shepard began as her intense blue eyes bored down through Jacob's skull, "I don't know where I am or how I got here. Plus, my head feels like an overripe melon ready to split open. How 'bout you fill me in a little?"

"Damn." Was all Jacob could say for a moment. He had heard that the Commander could be a bit ... intense. Forcing himself to focus Jacob added, "Yeah, I forgot this is all new to you. Sorry about that."

"I'm not looking for apologies, I'm looking for answers." Shepard replied. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jacob Taylor," he answered with a nod, "I've been stationed here for -" As he took a peak over the barricade the mechs on the far side immediately focused on him and shot back, effectively interrupting Jacob as he dove back behind cover, "Damn it!"

Things were only going to get worse the longer they hung around here, he needed to do something. Quickly he stood up, letting his Alliance training taking over as he immediately took a bead on one of the mechs. He scored a headshot and was rewarded with another destroyed mech. It was a lucky shot, but he would take all the luck he could get right about now.

"Things must be worse then I thought if Miranda's got you running around." Jacob told Shepard as he moved back behind cover, "I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first."

Jacob was about to move to stand up when suddenly he felt Shepard's hand on his collar, he was more then a little surprised by the forced with which she pushed him back against the barricade. She was stronger then she looked.

"Not good enough Taylor" Shepard told him with eyes glaring, "Ever since I woke up, someone's been telling me where to go and what to do. I've had enough of this shit. I need answers. Now!"

Suddenly it dawned on Jacob this was not your average Alliance soldier. This was not some petty experiment he was sitting guard duty on. He was staring into the pissed off eyes of Commander Sarah Shepard. This was the Butcher of Torfan, and there was a damn good reason they called her that. They had brought the Commander back from the dead alright, more then they even realized.

"Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version." Jacob agreed, "You and your ship were attacked and destroyed. You were killed. Dead as dead can be when they brought you here." Shepard's features seemed to calm over, but only as a deathly shadow spread across her face in reaction to the news. Jacob was never good at sugar coating things so he never bothered, as far as he was concerned he'd prefer blunt honesty any day, besides he wasn't finished yet, "Our scientists spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time. Welcome back to your life."

"That's im-" Shepard began clearly shocked by the news, "I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this." A part of Jacob couldn't help but be amused by her reaction. It was completely justified, even for the Savior of the Citadel.

"Yeah. I can imagine." Jacob added. 'I guess Commander Shepard is human after all.' he joked to himself before he continued, "The Alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead. And if we don't get to those shuttles, they'll be right." He found her reaction to that last set of news just as interesting. She wasn't shocked, or even angry, she just seemed ... annoyed. Apperently she was already recovering from the news of her ressurection.

"Were there any other survivors from the Normandy?" She asked suddenly looking right through him once again. The question surprised Jacob. All this time, with everything that's happened, with an entire army of mechs trying to kill her, Sarah Shepard was still concerned with her old Crew two years after the fact. Well it probably didn't feel like two years for her, but regardless now wasn't the time for this.

"I'll tell you what," Jacob said deciding on a compromise, "You help me finish off these mechs, and I'll play Twenty Questions with you all day."

"Fair enough." Shepard said simply. Without another word she went into action, rising just above cover she took less then a second to aim and suddenly... BANG! Immediately she shifted her aim, lined up her shot, BANG! Once more changed her target, aimed, BANG! Then just as quickly she was back behind cover letting her shields recharge. Three seconds, three bullets, three now headless mechs destroyed.

'Wow.' Jacob thought just looking at her, clearly impressed with her abilities.

"Well?" She was glaring at him again, her tone demanded action. Jacob quickly forced himself to refocus.

"Sorry ma'am, just admiring your skills." Jacob said before he too went into action. Selecting one of the mechs pulled his arm up quickly. The purple haze of biotics surrounded his target negating the gravity around him as he floated helplessly over the air. As it hung unable to defend itself, Jacob made short work of it with his pistol. He needed more shots then Shepard perhaps but he got the job done.

In the end the remaining mechs were no match for them. 'No,' Jacob corrected himself, 'They were no match for Shepard, I was just along for the ride.'

"Okay. I promised I'd answer your questions." Jacob told her as he holstered his gun, "What do you want to know?"

"Well first thing's first." Shepard began, "Do you know anything about this attack? Who's behind it, what they're after?" Right down to business, Jacob realized, she was certainly living up to her hype.

"Damned if I know." Jacob shrugged, "I was getting ready for some shut-eye - then bam! Bunch of explosions." He looked back at Shepard with a slight scowl creasing across his forehead, "Next thing I know, every damn mech in this place starts shooting ... at us." After a beat he added, "I'm guessing it had to be an inside job. You'd need top security access to hack all the mechs."

"Either that or some serious hacking skills to get into the central control systems." Shepard thought out loud. From the way she spoke Jacob suspected she was talking from personal experience.

"Whatever, we'll figure out the details later." Shepard said focusing back in the moment, her face darkened, "Next question."

"What is it?" Jacob asked.

"The last thing I remember is the Normandy blowing up." Shepard said seriously, she couldn't quite hide her concern however. "Did anyone else make it?"

'Miranda will be glad to know Shepard's memory works.' Jacob thought briefly, remembering how Miranda had told him that memory loss had been a concern.

"Just about everybody survived," Jacob said, to Shepard's subtle relief. "A few servicemen from the lower decks didn't get out. Navigator Pressly was killed by an explosion. But everyone else, including the non-Alliance crew - the asari, Liara, and the quarian - they all made it out alive." Jacob was not quite the psych expert. He was as good at reading people as he needed to be but he didn't quite manage to catch the sadness in Shepard's eyes at learning Pressly's fate, or the joy they showed when hearing Liara's name.

"Do you know what any of them are doing now?" Shepard asked eagerly.

"I don't know, Commander. It's been two years." Jacob reminded her, "They've moved on. Left the Alliance. Could be anywhere."

"They were my team." Shepard insisted, "If they knew I was alive, they'd come back."

'She really did care a lot about her crew', Jacob thought to himself, "Well maybe you can track them down after we get off the station." Frowning he added, "If we get off the station."

"Alright, you made your point." Shepard nodded, "One more thing I need to know however."

"I'm listening Commander." Jacob said.

"How can I be dead?" Shepard asked, quickly adding, "You said they spent two years rebuilding me? How bad were my injuries." This was going to be a tough one to answer.

"I'm no doctor, but it was bad." Jacob explained, deciding again just to go with the blunt approach. Shepard probably preferred that anyway, "When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubes. Anywhere else, They'd have put you in a coffin. But Project Lazarus was different."

"I need to know more about this Project, Jacob." Shepard continued, "Were there any other test subjects?"

"Project Lazarus only had one subject." Jacob told her, "The whole point was to bring you back. Just you." Shepard just frowned slightly but said nothing, so Jacob opted to continue, "Even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists. The best technology money could buy. Last I heard we were spending billions of credits. Good thing it worked."

"What do you mean 'best technology'?" Shepard asked suddenly, "We talking Cloning? Cybernetics?" There was only a hint of concern in her voice, like she was worried about the implications.

"I don't know the details. You'd have to ask the scientists." Jacob began, but he smiled at her as he added, "But I'm pretty sure you're not a clone. They wanted to bring you back exactly as you were." Jacob thought back to seeing Shepard in action, how she moved, how she acted, it wasn't something that could be faked no matter how good the tech was. "You're still you ... you might have a few extra bits and pieces now."


The ride on the shuttle had been quiet for a while. Jacob thought back to the escape from the station that the three of them had just survived. He and Shepard had encountered Wilson not long after their first meeting. The way Shepard looked at him, it was clear she never trusted him. Then again she didn't trust anyone on this station, particularly after he told her they were all with Cerberus. That discussion had been ... tense. But in the end she agreed to talk to the Illusive Man, if only to find out the full story.

Wilson didn't last long, only just long enough to find Miranda, who promptly shot Wilson in the neck.

Jacob had been surprised to learn Wilson had betrayed them. Shepard had not. "I had a feeling Wilson was just looking for a chance to shoot me in the back." Shepard had told them. Later she had explained the only reason she hadn't shot Wilson yet was so she could find out what he knew about the attack. Jacob should have guessed the former Spectre was always thinking about the mission. Still part of him was annoyed, apparently he had been the only one who didn't realize Wilson was the traitor.

"Can I ask you something Commander?" Jacob finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"It's your ship, Taylor." Shepard said plainly. She had been staring out the window into open space. There was nothing to see out there but that didn't stop her. Clearly she had a lot on her mind.

"When did you know Wilson betrayed us?" Jacob asked.

"Just about the moment we met him." Shepard replied.

"Really?" Miranda spoke up eying the Commander critically, "That's pretty impressive, if true." Shepard cast Miranda an annoyed glare. Jacob may not have been able to spot Wilson's true intentions but he had no problem picking up on the fact that the two women on this shuttle really didn't like each other.

"So tell me Commander," Miranda continued, "How did you manage to figure it out?"

"Cause Wilson was an idiot." Shepard shot back.

"You'll have to elaborate on that one Shepard." Miranda said after a moment to take in Shepard's words.

"Even before we met, the way he talked, just rubbed me the wrong way." Shepard frowned, "When we found him he was surrounded by dead bodies, all shot by the same type of gun he was carrying. The same gun that also shot his leg, but the angles where all wrong."

"You're saying he did all that?" Jacob asked, "How did you know it wasn't the mechs that did it?"

"The shots were sloppy." Shepard answered, "Not the sort of precision you normally see with a security mech. Plus there wasn't any mech debris anywhere in that room. The server room I might add, exactly the place I'd go to if I wanted to sabotage all of the security mechs in the area. besides the security VIs in those mechs aren't sophisticated enough to target a person's leg, they would have aimed for the midsection. In order for him to have been shot in the leg behind cover he would've had to have been very unlucky or very stupid." She looked up at Taylor, "When you questioned him about the whole mess he got defensive, he had an answer for everything." Shepard shook her head as she leaned back, "I've seen civilians and soldiers get shot in combat, trust me he wasn't acting like he'd been shot by an enemy. He was covering his tracks." She was looking out the window once again, "Like I said he was an idiot, probably a really bad poker player too."

"I must say I'm glad to see your cognitive abilities have made a full recovery." Miranda said clinically, "However before you meet with the Illusive Man, we need to ask you a few more questions to evaluate your condition."

"Come on, Miranda. More tests?" Jacob complained, "Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble, that has to be good enough."

"We should have done weeks of testing to confirm the success of Project Lazarus." Miranda said defiantly before adding, "It's been two years since the attack. We need to know that Shepard's personality and memories are intact. A few questions during the shuttle ride will have to suffice."

"You're wasting your time." Shepard almost growled at them, "I feel fine."

"The sooner we start, the sooner we can be done." Miranda told Jacob. "Start with personal history."

"Okay," Jacob sighed and he brought up the records Miranda had prepared on his Omni-tool, "Records show you grew up on Earth. Tough environment, no parents."

"Jacob I get the feeling you have no idea what it's like to grow up in a 'tough environment'." Shepard said mockingly, "So do me a favor and stop patronizing me."

"I meant no offense, ma'am." Jacob responded.

"None taken," Shepard looked at him, "Just spare me the pleasantries, we're not friends here."

"If that's how you feel why don't you tell us what it was like growing up on the streets of Earth?" Miranda suggested as she took some notes.

"What do you expect me to say?" Shepard shrugged as she began, "Where I grew up was a shit hole. To everyone else the Los Angeles is a gleaming city of glitz and glamor, but that's the buildings above; above the skyways and the walkways where all those of you with the credits can afford to live happy lives. But underneath all that, down on the ground floor with the rest of the mortals, you don't even see the sun. You're always under someone else's shadow. Down there you gotta fight every day just to survive. If you're lucky you join a gang. It's still a fight to survive, but hey, at least you got people to help you. That was my childhood in a nutshell." She looked intently at Miranda and added, "Anymore stupid questions?"

Miranda simply looked to Jacob, as if waiting for him to continue.

"Right." Jacob said going back to his omni-tool to read the rest of the report, "You enlisted at age 18, graduated from the N7 program, even led troops during some heavy fighting." He looked up at the Commander, "Most notably on Torfan. Do you remember taking on some batarian slavers?"

"Taking on? You mean slaughtered don't you?" Shepard narrowed her eyes at him. "I remember how those bastards were dug in deep in a fortified bunker. Most of my squad died in that fighting, and I watched them die one by one in those tunnels. If there had been another way I would have taken it, but we all knew going in that's how it had to be." She looked away for a moment though her gaze remained just as hard, "I sent a lot of good soldiers to their deaths, and they called me the Butcher of Torfan ever since. But if I had to do it all over again, I probably wouldn't change a damn thing."

"I understand Commander," Jacob said sympathetically, "You got the job done. That's all that matters."

"That's not all that matters, Taylor." Shepard said coldly, not even looking back at Jacob, "I got the job done so no one else had to die that day."

"True but you could have pulled out once your men secured the base." Miranda spoke up, "Instead you stayed there until every last batarian was dead, costing more of your men's lives."

"We weren't there to pussy foot around." Shepard said turning to face Miranda, "Our job was to make damn sure those four eyed fuckers learned the consequences of messing with the Alliance. After all the losses we had suffered trying to break Torfan, how do you think the batarians would have seen it if any of them had survived. We had to send a message, and nothing says 'Don't Fuck With Us' like wiping out an entire batarian military stronghold down to the last man. It worked so well that it took the Batarians years before they dared to try anything that stupid in Alliance controlled space. And I ended up stopping them again when they did."

"Ah yes Tera Nova," Miranda nodded, "I read the mission report, I found it interesting that you allowed the terrorist leader, Balak, to go free."

"Different mission parameters." Shepard shrugged, "Our top priority was making sure that asteroid didn't fall. Not sacrificing civilian lives for the sake of my own ego. But don't worry, Balak's on my short list."

"I'm sorry, what is your 'short list'?" Miranda asked.

"If you're lucky," Shepard looked intently between the two of them, "You'll never have to find out."

"Satisfied, Miranda?" Jacob urged the other Cerberus operative. It was clear both he and Shepard were starting to get tired of these questions.

"Almost." Miranda quipped, "Let's try something more recent." with a shallow smirk she looked at Shepard. "Virmire, where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast."

"Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko was killed in action." Jacob picked up where Miranda left off, something told him this was a question that had better come from him. "It was your call. Why did you leave him behind?"

"I left a friend to die that day, and I didn't do it casually." Shepard's face was still hard as stone, but even Jacob could tell there was some pain left in her eyes from the memory. "Being in command means that sometimes you give orders knowing that your people are going to die. I made the right call, I had to save as many people as I could. Kaiden gave his life for the rest of the team. Without him, I couldn't have stopped Saren. He died a hero."

"I understand, Commander." Jacob felt he had to add something, he was beginning to get the sense Shepard could snap at them if he didn't say something to diffuse the situation, "And I wasn't judging your decision. Everybody at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed."

"No shit, so good to know that some terrorist organization agrees with my actions." Shepard was dripping sarcasm now, "Really warms the heart to know I have your fucking approval."

"I didn't mean -" Jacob began.

"I know what you meant Taylor." Shepard waved him away even as she stared down Miranda, "But since we're testing my memory and all here's a good one for you. I remember quite clearly how I ran into all sorts of fucked up Cerberus experiments while looking for Saren. How your actions caused the deaths of civilian colonists, Alliance soldiers, and at least one high ranking Admiral. In fact up till today I've had to kill every single Cerberus lackey I've had the displeasure of running into. I guess you two are just the lucky ones so far."

"Are you threatening me Shepard?" Miranda asked in an icy tone.

"I don't know, are you feeling threatened?" Shepard shot back without missing a beat.

"You know I think that's enough for now." Jacob said trying to prevent whatever war was brewing between the two of them.

"No one last question Shepard," Miranda shaking her head gently, "Think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you killed Saren. What happened next?"

"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council." Shepard replied coolly, suddenly back to her casual self, "I recommended Captain Anderson for the position."

"Yes," Miranda confirmed, adding, "Captain Anderson is now Councilor Anderson. Though from what I hear, he preferred life in the military."

"Still, good to know that the human Council member isn't going to put politics ahead of defense." Jacob said with a soft smile hoping to ease the tension all around.

"Your memory seems solid." Miranda said, though Shepard didn't respond she was back to staring out into space once again, "There are other tests we really should run -"

"Come on, Miranda. Enough with the quizzes." Jacob interrupted her, he was tired of all these tests and really didn't want to agitate Shepard any further either, "The memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills personally." Jacob couldn't help but remember the fire in her eyes even as Shepard calmly took out every mech in front of her with a perfectly placed headshot.

"I suppose you're right." Miranda finally conceded, "We'll have to hope the Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough."

Jacob smiled as he shook his head. This was definitely Shepard alright, there was no doubt in his mind. He was sure even the Illusive Man would have his hands full trying to deal with her. Already they were getting close to the Cerberus facility where they would check in with the big man on top. Jacob knew that was going to be one interesting meeting.


.

A/N: I always found it silly how on the shuttle ride Miranda would be satisfied with as little as two simple questions regarding Shepard's past. I wanted to elaborate on that as well as adding some more character background details, and this seemed like the perfect place to do it. Also I figured that what Miranda was really testing was not just What Shepard remembered but also How. Her reactions to those questions helped to confirm that the memories were there and were the real thing. Which is why I had her continue to prod Shepard with her questions at her own risk. Of course at this point she still underestimates Shepard. ;)