Okay, so I have been glued to my screen for several hours just trying not to stall out on this chapter. Result... long chapter this time and it is going to be one of the last before we actually hit the events of ME2. Let me know what you guys think. Please read and review. Enjoy!

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The reports read like a fiction meant to inspire loyalty and caution rather than conveying information. Laughable really that so many painted the Wolf Pack as fierce monsters with an unquenchable bloodlust. But they were his team, his friends, he trusted them with his life in combat. He even trusted Gamma with some of his past. Talking about it kept his traumatic flashes to a minimum.

Luke peeled the bandage away from his chest and inspected the new ink in the mirror. The black lines curved and swirled creating the tribal design of a wolf head. He had meant to get it as an anniversary present to himself one full year since the Wolf pack had been put together, but the constant missions, resource collection runs, and rescue and reconnaissance operations had delayed his plan…by nearly 6 months.

"Looks good," Gamma said form the doorway. Although Luke knew his name, the wolves would always be their call-signs to him.

"Yeah, it did turn out pretty good didn't it?" Luke answered gingerly touching the still fresh tattoo. He winced and placed a fresh bandage over it.

"How's it feel?" Gamma asked crossing his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

"Like I got poked three thousand times in the chest with a needle," Luke responded smiling up at his friend. Gamma chuckled.

"No, I mean, are you nervous about the trip?" Gamma asked. Luke lowered his eyes; a small smile finding its way across his lips, genuine and uninhibited.

"I haven't been back to Lazarus since I transferred Beta there to head up security a few months ago. I guess seeing Claire still on the table…it got to me," Luke rubbing the back of his neck.

Over the past year, his hair had gotten very long. Stray stands fell on his forehead just above his eyebrows with a part down the middle. Miranda had suggested the style. Luke didn't mind the long hair. The main reason he had kept it short before was because of the possibility of getting into fist fights with a suspect. Long hair only invited the opponent to grab hold and use it to their advantage. A thin, well-groomed beard clung to his chin, the same fiery crimson as his and his sisters' hair. There were days now and again that he did not even recognize himself in the mirror.

"That would get to anyone," Gamma assured him as Luke stood and collected his bag. He dressed in his armor just in case he needed to be rerouted, and wearing it everywhere was so much easier than lugging it around.

"Miranda and Wilson say that Claire is starting to look like herself again. It shouldn't be too long now before she wakes up. If they're right, I think after this visit, I'll be recruiting for the mission," Luke stated slinging his bag over his shoulder.

"You know the pack is in right? We wouldn't want you taking on anymore 'easy missions' without us," Gamma replied.

"You're never gonna let me live that down are you," Luke said patting him on the shoulder as he passed him.

"Nope. Besides, you'll need us. Other than you, who else is crazy enough to say yes to a mission that they know nothing about," Gamma asked falling in step with Luke as he headed for the shuttle bay.

"Point taken, I just didn't want to conscript all of you on a possibly suicidal mission," Luke replied running his fingers through his hair.

"Speaking of suicidal missions, how are you and Miranda? I heard some techs talking about you two going splitsville," Gamma said as they entered the shuttle bay.

"Yeah…she didn't take it very well," Luke said shaking his head. Though the relationship lasted through the time apart, Luke ended it only recently when he found out Miranda had tried to put a control chip in Claire's brain. Much to his shock and relief, the Illusive Man backed him up instead of her saying that the chip might interfere with who Claire was before the explosion. Luke had exploded at both of them and nearly ripped the comm room in half with his biotics.

"Yeah, she seems like someone that always gets her way. Any particular reason?" Gamma asked.

"That I cannot share. Let's just say, what she wanted to do was unacceptable," Luke stated. He knew Gamma's mind would immediately go toward his usual dirty humor to pair with the statement and smirked as the shuttle opened its door.

"Damn, now I'm gonna be thinking about that all day," Gamma shouted pressing his palms to his temples dramatically.

"I've got a solution for that," Luke said as he climbed into the shuttle.

"And what's that?" Gamma asked.

"Don't think about it."

000

The pain seared and throbbed through the entire extent of her body. Every movement felt like a day's work, just trying to open her eyes felt like an impossible task. She tried moving her neck but it felt like she had not moved in days. The stiffness in her neck gave way only for excruciating pain.

As her eyes finally opened, Claire saw a metallic ceiling above her decorated only with long ventilation tubes and dull lights. Her head veered to either side as medical equipment came into view above her.

Like a voice on the other side of a thick window, Claire heard a woman's voice. The tone told her that something was wrong. "There. On the monitor. Something's wrong." Claire did not recognize the voice but she knew the accent. Australian.

Her vision blurred as a second voice reached her. "She's reacting to outside stimuli. Showing an awareness of her surroundings." This one was a man's voice. Gravelly and course, yet she still did not recognize them.

"What the hell are you talking about? You said that she wouldn't regain consciousness for another few months." That voice…a third person…another man…this one she knew, like a distant memory, or a dream.

"My god, I think she's waking up," the first male voice said.

"Damn it Wilson, she's not ready yet. Give her the sedative," the woman ordered. Claire spotted the speaker, a woman with slightly curled dark hair and pale skin. Her vision still remained too blurry to make out a face. A second person came into view dressed in white and black armor with yellow accents holding something under his arm.

Claire looked over to her right as a bald man in a lab coat came into view. He looked down at her for a moment before shaking his head and looking up at the woman on her left. Claire reached up to try and touch the spots on her face that hurt worse than the others.

"Don't try to move," the man in the armor said strictly as he caught her hand and touched her face gently. "Just try to stay calm."

Claire heart pounded in her chest as she tried to figure out what was going on. What happened? What was the last thing she remembered? Where was she? Who were these people?

"Heart rate still rising. Brain activity is off the charts. Stats are pushing into the red zone. It's not working!" the first man exclaimed. The woman stormed over to the console and punched a few buttons.

Claire could feel her heart rate sending painful surges through her body. She could not catch her breath. The pain kept ripping into her like a starving varren into a pyjak. Questions flew so fast through her mind, she was only catching the first few words of each. Who are… What's…Where am…How…

"Another dose now!" the woman ordered.

"Claire, try to relax," the third voice said as the man in white armor came closer and cupped her cheek gently. Longer red hair fell into his face as pale, blue eyes looked on her warmly. She knew them. She had seen them all her life. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. His name, she had to call his name. He had to keep her safe.

A wave of numbing bliss washed over her as her vision blurred once more and the man's face lost focus.

"Stats are falling back into an acceptable range. That was close Miranda. We almost lost her," the bald man said punching in some codes on a data pad.

"I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again," Miranda snapped back.

Claire tried to keep her eyes open to watch her brother's face as a small smile graced his lips. "I'll see you again soon."

Luke, please keep me safe.

000

Luke sat in the observation room as his hands shook. How could they let that happen? Had she woken up before this? She looked like she was in so much pain, it broke his heart. Thought seeing her alive and moving, seeing her eyes open again, that brought a smile to his face.

"Shepard?"

Luke refused to turn around. Miranda had really screwed up this time. Part of him wanted to simply get up and leave, but his shuttle did not arrive for another two hours.

"Luke, I'm sorry. I'm going to have someone monitor the sedation around the clock. This won't happen again," Miranda promised. Luke shook his head.

"Miranda, get out. You pride yourself on being perfect, so be perfect. No more mistakes. Now leave me alone," Luke retorted. His eyes remained forward only focusing on the room below him as Wilson and two other doctors checked Claire for any adverse effects of her waking up.

"We need to talk. Honestly, we can at least be civil with one another."

"Civil? You want me to be civil with you? Seriously? You were about to put a control chip in my sister's head and just now she nearly died on your operating table right after you brought her back. How many times have you let that happen? How many times have you nearly lost her? And don't give me that bull shit about this being experimental science. I was the damned test subject for the beginning trials!" Luke could feel his face turning red with rage as he shouted and roared at Miranda. Biotic energy sent tingles across his skin as the familiar blue glow danced across his skin.

"That's no reason not to be calm and discuss this rationally," Miranda protested. Luke slammed his fist against the chair he had been sitting in. The biotics flared and sent the chair flaying into the wall smashing it to pieces.

"Rationally speaking, I should never have brought Claire here. This was a million to one odds of this experiment working. Rationally, I should have taken Claire home for a proper burial," Luke roared as the biotic field around him grew. "Get out now!"

Miranda took a step back. Luke wanted her gone. Why wouldn't she leave it alone? She screwed up. Her and her perfect genes screwed the pooch and she wanted him to forgive her. Fat chance of that.

"I-" Miranda began.

"GET OUT!" The verbal eruption was followed immediately by a biotic one that shattered the glass. Miranda lifted a barrier just in time to hold her ground but the blast was so powerful, she had to take a step back. Luke stood in the middle of the room fuming as Miranda sighed and left.

Now alone, Luke turned and looked down at the operating room where the doctors and Wilson were staring up at him. His biotic display must have drawn their attention away from Claire. Taking a calming breath, Luke stepped over to the intercom.

"Make sure she stays alive." Luke didn't say anymore. He didn't feel the need explain his actions or apologize. They were the ones that screwed up.

As he headed toward the shuttle bay, his hands started shaking and he found himself searching his armor for the small metal case he always carried with him. No, I'm using it up too fast. I'm gonna need it for later. He assured himself he was okay and rubbed his palms until they stopped shaking. He still craved it, the contents of that little silver tin, but he need to limit himself, or he'd run out too quickly. Not that he was having very much luck with that.

Climbing into the shuttle, Luke opened the case and eyes the syringes inside. The shaking if his hands had subsided but his body still ached. The blue liquid sitting there in his hand ready for the taking. J-11-29. That was the serum label. Miranda had given it to him to help develop his biotic power and give him a boost in battle if he needed it. Not that that made much of a difference to him anymore. He knew it was wrong for him to have it. He had been hooked on the original serum when he was sixteen. The temptation was simply too much. He had seen drug addicts on the Citadel more times than he could count and he could see the same dependency growing inside himself.

"Damn it." The words were not meant to be spoken out loud but there they were. He took a syringe out and twisted the end into a small port on his armor. The port lead down into his biometric monitor that had a net work of microscopic needles inbedded in his skin. Pushing the plunger of the syringe down sent the blue liquid streaming through his veins. He breathed a sigh of relief as the shaking stopped and he felt the biotic energy surge around and through him.

He quickly took the remaining syringes out of the case and slipped them into his armors leg chamber. It was usually for grenades but the extra padding would keep the syringes form breaking. He then dialed up Wilson.

"What do you need?" Wilson asked as his face appeared on Luke's omni-tool. He seemed rather annoyed, but that was nothing new. Wilson always sounded annoyed when he talked to a field agent.

"I just realized that I'm out of serum. I've can you bring me a couple new tins before I leave for my mission, or just send a runner," Luke asked. Damn it, I'm a cop. What am I thinking? I know what this shit does to me. I know I'm addicted. But even with these thoughts cascading through his mind, Luke found himself wanting Wilson to hurry.

"I'll send two cases by runner. Should be there in a minute. Now if that's all you wanted, I'm gonna get back to work." The screen cut off.

The mission changed, so I have to. That's just the way it is. Cerberus offered the drugs freely. It does make me strong…biotically. It'll be really handy in a fight. Besides, coming down off of it now will put Claire in danger. The argument continued to build until he had essentially talked himself into taking the serum by the time the runner had arrived.

000

Joker sat at the desk shuffling through some data on his interface. It was odd to see him doing something other than flying. Other than the two or three times they were on shore leave, Luke had hardly seen joker out of the pilot seat.

"Geez, tell me they don't have you flying a desk," Luke said leaning against the door frame.

"Who the…wait- Shepard? Luke Shepard? Hell man, it's good to see ya!" Joker shouted nearly leaping from his desk chair. Luke smiled and embraced his friend.

"You look good…you know, aside from the not having a ship surrounding you," Luke stated. Joker's expression fell.

"Yeah, well, apparently Alliance brass has a stick so far up their ass it can rival Garrus," Joker responded turning back to his desk and taking his chair again.

"Glad to see the grounding hasn't dampened your sense of humor," Luke stated sitting down on the corner of the desk. He opened his omni-tool and punched in a few codes very quickly. It was a modified program that Sigma had taught him how to use that emitted a field of disruption so that no recording or listening device could hear a conversation. Very useful in a situation like this.

"So, what've you been up to? No one from the old days has seen you in a while. Mallory thought you might have crawled into a hole with a bottle and died," Joker said dismissing one of the forms on his interface.

"Mal thought that, huh? Well, she's half right; the bottle part anyway. I'm actually here on business. I've got a few stops to make but I made sure that you were the first." Joker looked up at Luke curiously.

"What? Am I your first stop on some comeback tour or something 'cause I don't play anything except air guitar," Joker responded. Luke could tell he was intrigued. Anything to get out of the 10 by 10 room the Alliance had stuck him in. Luke smirked and leaned forward.

"You're my first stop on Claire's comeback tour," Luke whispered. Joker stared at him for a second, then busted out laughing.

"Damn, you really had me going there. The commander's gone. We were both there man." Joker turned back to his interface.

"I stole her body and took it to some people I knew. They found a wait to bring her back. It took since about two months after the crash to find her, but she's been on an operating table ever since," Luke said standing and checking his omni-tool. His program would start becoming suspicious in the next minute or so. He needed to speed things along.

"So you pulled a Frankenstein with your sister? I'm not sure you get how psycho that sounds." Luke smiled and punched a few buttons on his omni-tool. A small five second vid appeared on Joker's interface. The former pilot leaned forward as a scarred and still healing Claire gasped and reached up. A white armored hand reached out and caught it. Luke paused it right after his hand came into view and looked over at Joker.

"That was less than a week ago. She's alive and We're going to need the best damned pilot there is," Luke said offering Joker a hand.

"You mean, You're gonna let me fly?" Joker asked.

"Guess I should have opened with that, huh?" Luke said as Joker took his hand.

"Yeah, that would have made this really short. Where do I sign?" Joker responded. Luke held up a finger to pause Joker's excitement.

"Before you do, I need to tell you who I'm working for. Please trust me. We're going to find out what's happening to the colonies that are disappearing in the Terminus. The problem is…" Luke tried to figure out how to tell Joker the truth without scaring him off.

"Just tell me," Joker said tossing his hands up before crossing his arms.

"Cerberus. I'm working for Cerberus."

There was a long silence as Joker stared at his old friend. Luke could feel the lump forming in his throat. If Joker called the authorities, Luke would have to fight his way out of an Alliance facility and could hurt people. He hoped that would not be the case.

"But they'll let me fly?" Joker asked softly.

"Hell yeah."