Shepard was awake, but she couldn't move. Her limbs were lead, and even with her eyes closed, the light burned. Every breath felt like it perforated her lungs, and she coughed, hoping to dislodge the imagined particles. It didn't help. Someone placed a scaled hand on her arm. The touch was light, but it felt hard enough to bruise. She forced herself not to flinch.
"How long...?" Someone dribbled a bit of water in her mouth as she stopped, horrified at the sound of her voice.
"Fifteen hours," Miranda's voice was strained, unlike her normal cool indifference.
Shepard barely managed a minute nod. Forcing her eyes open, she gazed up at Thane, attempting a reassuring smile. Reaching up to cup his face, she stopped halfway, mesmerized by the too-thin limb. She just barely heard Thane's quiet growl of frustration.
Turning her head, she looked to where Kasumi and Miranda stood. "What did Liara find?"
Both were hesitant to answer, but Miranda finally did. "You were right. A base was destroyed on Sharjila of the Macedon system in the Artemis Tau cluster. Scans show it is most likely Cerberus."
Shepard nodded. "Good." Taking a deep breath, she continued, avoiding looking at Thane. "I need you to help Liara, Thane."
She continued, ignoring his objections. "I don't trust anyone else with this. You, Garrus, and Kaidan are the only ones." His eyes narrowed at the mention of the second human Spectre. "Kasumi will give you the coordinates for the rendezvous."
"Siha..." Shepard closed her eyes as his began to water.
"Please, Love. You will do nothing but worry here. I promise you, they will take me to Earth and when you are done, I will be well. You can be angry at me then."
"No." He did not yell. Shepard thought it might be better if he had. Instead of this dead facsimile of his normal voice.
She closed her eyes, feeling the telltale prick of tears threatening to fall. "Thane-"
"No." He turned from her, his shoulders bowed, cupping his head in his hands. "You cannot ask me to do this not since- My omni-tool pings with an incoming call. "I'm sorry," the voice says. "Sere Krios, Irikah has been killed." I end the call. I don't want to hear more. I couldn't protect her. And I will not leave you. I will never leave you."
He turned back around to face her, dropping his arms to his sides. Shepard's heart clenched in her chest as she caught sight of the tears trailing down his face. She couldn't hold back anymore. The flood dams burst and her own tears began falling. She caved. Shaking her head, she reached a trembling hand toward him. He gently took her hand, placing a small kiss on the inside of her wrist before pressing his lips to hers for a brief second.
"Okay," she whispered tremulously. Taking a deep breath, she hastily wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. "But I will still need you to contact Garrus and Kaidan. And see if you or Liara can find James to help them."
The relief at her first word was palpable and his own tears stemmed. Thane nodded at the conclusion and took the omni-tool that she offered him. After pressing another kiss to her forehead, he took a seat on a stool in the corner.
As the orange display lit up his face, Shepard spoke. "Thane, when was the last time you ate?"
The drell's head whipped up, but he said nothing, affirming her suspicions. "Go find something to eat. I promise I won't leave the room, and Kasumi or Miranda will be with me at all times. All right?"
After a short hesitation, Thane nodded. Stepping toward her again, he leant down to press a kiss to her lips before he left the room.
Sighing quietly, she accepted a glass of water that Miranda pressed into her hands before she spoke. "Kasumi. You kept Keiji's graybox. I assume you know the technology inside and out."
Taking a sip, she waited for Kasumi's nod before she continued. "Can you duplicate it? Making it so that all memories are transferable?"
Kasumi stared at her, mouth open, before pulling up her omni-tool display and typing quickly. Shepard took it as a possibility.
"Miranda, you still have access to The Illusive Man's databases, correct? Can you duplicate Maya Brooks' success?"
Both women stared at her. Omni-tool forgotten for the moment, Kasumi stepped forward.
"Shep-"
Miranda cut her off. "You're not seriously considering this."
The way she said it made it clear she didn't consider it a question.
Shepard, feeling weary, let her eyes drift closed again. "I'm not considering anything. I've made up my mind. I need these done as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer-."
Miranda cut her off too. "Erin, stop. We can fix this. We just need time."
Shepard sighed. "No. You can't. That's the one thing we don't have. You don't understand, I'm not supposed to be here."