Something caught Commander Shepard's attention. She tried her best to focus, to find what it was, but the fog was too thick to penetrate – the target too fleeting. She fought against the stupor and strained the senses she still controlled to no avail. Silence enveloped her once more. Disappointment welled up as the void swelled around her, luring her back. She fought against it, but it was too strong and soothing.
"...Shepard..."
There. Someone called her name. The voice echoed as if it traveled a great distance to reach her and she clung to it like a life-line, allowing it to guide her. The voice grew louder as she pulled her way through the haze, slowly regaining her body. The fog dissipated gradually, but the darkness remained. She concentrated on the voice and stubbornly refused to give in, no matter how alluring it was. The void slowly relinquished its hold, no match for the combination of the voice and her determination.
"...have to wake up..."
She regained awareness of her surroundings, but couldn't react. She still didn't have control of her body, but she was at least aware of it now; unfortunately, it wasn't pleasant. Her shoulder blades ached from lying in one position for too long on a less-than comfortable surface. Her head throbbed; each beat a sharp stab of pain. Exhaustion seeped through every pore, pleading her to succumb once more. She focused on the voice, so warm and soothing. A soft, comforting darkness washed over her. Sleep tugged at her, beckoning. The voice would protect her.
"...all my fault..."
But the voice was upset. How could she be so at ease when this voice was so scared and hurt? The words faded in and out, but the tone was pleading. She had to help. She fought against the weight of her body, her eyebrows rising as high as she could force them, desperate to pry her eyelids open.
"Doctor Chakwas, I think she's waking up. I'll watch her until you get here."
Blurry shapes appeared between the curtains of eyelashes, but nothing more – neither eye obeyed completely. Dry matter clung to the lashes on her right eye, allowing only glimpses of her surroundings. The left eye held tight, as if fused shut. Confused and still half-asleep, unease bubbled deep in her gut; an instinctual need to have full control of her senses took over as her hand flew to her face.
Soft but firm pressure forced her hand down to her side before she reached her eyes. Panic took over as she was restrained, causing her to flare unintentionally as she twisted under the pressure. A soft, somehow-familiar hum sang in the back of her head moments later, calming her. Goosebumps danced on her arms as she felt dark energy dance along her skin under the pressure.
"Commander, I need you to lay still."
The voice was firm, but warmth flowed in the undercurrents. She trusted the voice, even if she couldn't place it, so she obeyed. A warm, moist cloth fell over her eyes, completely blocking out the dim light of the room seconds later. Gentle pressure pulled the cloth across each eye delicately as she laid still. It was the ultimate act of faith.
Finally free, her eyes fluttered open to find warm, dark eyes staring back. A relieved smile played on Lieutenant Alenko's lips, the dim light highlighting thin white scars along their edges that she'd never noticed before.
"Welcome back, Commander."
Lieutenant Alenko spoke in hushed tones. The realization hit her hard: it was his voice she followed, him that she trusted instinctively. Shepard suddenly felt uncomfortable in her vulnerable position and sat up a little too fast. Her eyes spun behind closed eyelids as she found herself unable to find equilibrium. The world tilted and her head wobbled as she struggled to maintain her upright position, arms flailing for purchase. A warm hand grabbed hers as the other fell on the small of her back to keep her from tumbling off the raised cot.
"Are you ok, ma'am?"
"The spins," Shepard croaked, her throat raw and painful. "I feel like the day after shore leave. You know… without all the fun of too many drinks, questionable decisions, and potential blackmail material."
Alenko chuckled slightly.
Shepard wasn't lying about the way she felt. It was like waking up after a week-long bender: her head was tender and throbbed in time with her heartbeat, her throat burned, and even the dim light of the med bay assaulted her eyes. At least she didn't have to worry about kicking some random mouth-breathing alpha-male out of her bed with lame excuses. That part of her life was behind her, if nothing else.
She lowered her head into her hands for a brief respite from the dim lighting, but the spins took over once more the second her eyes were closed. Her mouth watered dangerously as she leaned into the support the lieutenant offered, her head against his strong chest to keep from falling – which she promptly repaid by vomiting on his shoes. Her empty stomach offered nothing aside from bile. The bitter substance burned her raw throat like acid on the way up and colored his dark garments in a sickly yellow-green.
Cool hands guided Shepard back down to the cot. A hiss escaped her cracked lips as a bright light flitted from one eye to the other, her head screaming in agony in response to each intense flash. Both hands flew up to cradle her temples, to keep her skull from busting open like it clearly wanted to. The thunderous pounding in her head was so intense she barely noticed the quick stab in her arm. It wasn't until the warmth of the meds spread outward from the injection through the rest of her body and the vice-like grip of a headache loosened that she was fully aware of the doctor's presence.
"You really had us worried there, Shepard." Doctor Chakwas walked around the cot, and Shepard couldn't shake the feeling she was under inspection. "How are you feeling now?"
"Whatever you did just now helped." The pain was ebbing away, and even speaking didn't hurt as much. She cautiously pulled herself back to sitting with help this time, unable to shrug away the aid of warm, calloused hands.
"It appears you had migraine-induced vertigo. I gave you a shot to ease the pain."
"Okay, next question: how long have I been here and how did I end up here in the first place?"
"Um... that was my fault, ma'am. I must've activated a security field on the beacon and you threw me to safety... but you didn't get free. That was almost 15 hours ago." Alenko's features twisted with remorse. That explained why he was at her bedside and so attentive: guilt.
"The beacon… of course that mission would end like this." Shepard sighed and shook her head slightly, instantly regretting the movement as her brain felt like it sloshed loosely around in her skull. She stilled and took a slow breath to prevent a repeat performance on the lieutenant's shoes. She glanced in his direction, embarrassed that she'd gotten sick on him even once, when she noticed the look of horror on the man's face. It was too much – he looked tortured. Once her stomach was back under control she did her best to reassure him. "Don't beat yourself up about it. You had no way to know that would happen." Shepard offered the best comforting smile she could, but it felt more like a grimace. He didn't seem to mind, and smiled warmly in response. Their eyes locked over the short distance, the hush of the room encompassing them.
The doors to the med bay opened with an exceedingly loud swish, making them both jump. His head jerked towards the sound as Captain Anderson bounded in. Shepard had no idea how long they'd stayed there, unmoving. She didn't even realize they'd been staring until Dr. Chakwas cleared her throat gently. They'd been caught. Warmth climbed up Shepard's neck; the blush settled into her pale cheeks and intensified the pounding in her head, but she fought to ignore it. A similar blush was barely visible on Alenko's features as he turned away.
"Alenko, go let the rest of the crew know Shepard is up and about." That was Anderson's way of asking Alenko to leave without ordering him to do so... but there was more to it. Shepard could tell by the twinkle in his eye.
"Yeah, that's a good idea. Joker wouldn't let me near him after we brought you in, but I have work I need to do up there. I, uh... better go clean up first, though." Alenko gestured to his lower body as he pulled back from the cot and headed for the door. Shepard flinched, mortified that she puked all over her new lieutenant. He was a good sport and took it all in stride, though.
Anderson turned his attention to the older woman in the room. "How's our patient, doctor?" Shepard was mildly offended that he asked for the professional opinion first.
"Everything seems normal, aside from a migraine. There was some unusual brain activity - abnormal beta waves and increased REM, but nothing too concerning. I won't release her completely until that headache is cleared, though."
"Fair enough. I'll make sure she follows your directions to the letter. Can you give us a moment, please?" Anderson smiled at Chakwas, the embodiment of politeness. He was really laying on the charm with the doctor. Shepard tucked that little tidbit away to consider later – either they had a history she wasn't aware of, or this doctor was a real hard-ass.
Chakwas nodded, even though she looked slightly perturbed at being kicked out of her own med bay. She took her time gathering the supplies lying on the cot, clearly in no rush, and even paused long enough to take another reading before she left. Shepard instantly knew it was the latter: hard-ass. Anderson waited patiently until the doors hissed closed. "How are you feeling, Shepard?"
"Like hell, sir." Shepard winced as she cleared her throat, the scratching pain returning with a vengeance. Her hand shot up to rub her neck, but the action was futile – the soreness was buried deep within.
"I'm not surprised your throat hurts. Alenko and Williams said you screamed like a banshee until the beacon exploded and the blast knocked you out." Anderson didn't try to hide the concern on his worn features.
"Williams is on board?" Shepard ignored the newest revelation and focused on the information she could work with. Anderson just nodded. "Good. She's an exceptional soldier in need of a new unit. Plus, we had the misfortune of being down a crew member..." Shepard's voice faltered. A large, warm hand fell over hers.
"Jenkins was not your fault. I should've listened to you. The blame lands squarely on my shoulders." He held her gaze, refusing to look away until she acknowledged what he said. Eventually she nodded.
Satisfied, Anderson switched gears and moved swiftly into the role of CO. He went over the entire mission, including the survivors, hostiles, and Nihlus. Data pad in hand; he took detailed notes as they discussed the events on Eden Prime, preparing her report for her as they went along. The entire situation was a complete mess. Most of a colony was wiped out, a research station nearly destroyed, a Spectre killed, and the beacon exploded. The Council was going to demand answers, and they didn't have much to provide. All was not lost, however.
"We went over the comm transmissions between you and Nihlus on Eden Prime. With a bit of work and some tweaking we were able to clean it up - break through the static – and we found something. Here, listen to this." Nihlus's voice sprang to life with the push of a button. Guilt and sadness shot through her as his voice filled the room... another voice now silenced. She bit her lip to keep her emotions in check as the entire conversation played out, echoing through the room.
"Shepard, do you copy? Repeat, do you copy?"
"Nihlus, is that you?"
"The beacon has been moved to a small spaceport. Meet me there."
"You're breaking up. Did you say to meet you at a small spaceport?"
"Yes. Be prepared. The area is swarming with hostiles. I have encountered several geth so far."
"Did you just say geth?"
"Yes, geth are behind the attack. Wait... Saren? What are you doing here? I thought this was a classified mission."
"The comms cut out after that. But this gives us a lead." Captain Anderson turned to face her, a dangerous look in his eyes. "This is proof Saren was there!"
"Well, I guess that's something we can give the Council. I hope it's enough, since we did all we could."
"They still won't be happy that the beacon was destroyed." Anderson frowned, then pulled his hand over his mouth to hide it. "Did you get anything from it? Anything we can offer the council? A little info would be better than none."
Shepard closed her eyes and swallowed hard, instantly regretting it. Her throat felt like she gargled with glass. The simple act of swallowing made her grimace, but that pain was nothing compared to what she endured while the beacon held her. Fear settled in her gut at the prospect of recalling it. She had to fight so hard just to wake up – she was terrified it would wash over her and not let go this time if given half a chance. Anderson sat patiently and waited, eyes never leaving her face. She had no choice.
"I couldn't make sense of most of it." She tried to focus, but it hurt to think. Anderson wouldn't – couldn't – let her off that easily, though. With a deep breath, she fought the lingering migraine and searched her memory, but it was mercifully dim. Only vague recollections remained in place of the vivid terrors. "I just remember scenes of death and destruction - synthetics slaughtering people. It felt like a warning, but I don't know of what."
"We'll need to tell the Council about this."
"So they can buy me a night light for my bad dreams?" Shepard snapped. She knew she was out of line as soon as the words escaped her lips. "I'm sorry, sir. That was uncalled for."
"I understand your concern, Shepard, but we need to give them all the info we have."
"Yes, sir, you're right. We have nothing to hide here." She turned from the captain as he stood to leave when a thought stopped her cold. "Sir, did my team use the comms after I was knocked out?" Her voice was quiet.
"Yes. They called for immediate evac for you - said the beacon pulled you in and then exploded. Why?" He eyed her suspiciously. Questions like these always had deeper implications with Shepard.
She fought to keep her face neutral as she spoke. "I was just curious, sir. I trust we have established a new comm line now, correct?" Her eyes lingered on the older man, judging his response. His face was blank. "I just want to make sure we're as secure as possible." She could tell the moment Anderson understood the implications. Dark eyebrows shot up in recognition as his features creased with added concern.
"I'll have the team on that ASAP. Now, I need to update a few friends of mine on your condition, so if you would excuse me." Anderson approached the door, but froze before exiting. "Oh, and Shepard, I have something for you in my quarters. It's nothing urgent, so just stop by when you have a moment." He smiled warmly at the younger soldier. "Now go eat. That is an order."