Chapter 11

Back from the Dead

Shepard was floored. It had to be a mistake. It had to be. "That's impossible," he whispered.

Commander Anderson noticed his expression. "You alright?" he asked.

The others looked toward Shepard as well, but his eyes were locked on Callus. It couldn't be true. "Are you sure about that name?" he asked, louder.

Callus paused for a moment. The look on Shepard's face… he wasn't sure if Shepard wanted to know if it was what he really said. Whoever this person was, he knew him. And the recognition wasn't a good one. "Lieutenant-," he began.

"Say the name again," Shepard snapped. He wasn't angry with Callus. But it couldn't be right.

There was another pause. Then: "Michael Hollister."

The name hit Shepard like a krogan fist. He shook his head. "That's impossible. Hollister's dead." He began to storm past the group and to the elevator.

"How do you know?" Anderson asked. Shepard didn't pay attention, he was so focused on getting to the crew deck. "Lieutenant!" Shepard stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around. "How do you know Hollister's dead?"

Shepard still didn't turn, but he couldn't ignore the commander again. "I killed him," he said simply, before taking the rest of the steps to the elevator.

Shepard coughed, pain shooting through his lungs as he tried to breathe. Definitely a broken rib or two. He rolled over on his back and looked up at the sky, which was pitch black save for a few stars. The window he fell out of was shattered, and there were pieces of glass everywhere. And inside the room…. No, he thought. That couldn't be it. She couldn't be dead. H looked to his right and saw Hollister on the ground, completely still. No way he survived the fall. Right now that wasn't Shepard's concern. He had to get to Swift. He had to know that she was alright.

The elevator ride back up to the top floor was excruciatingly slow. The entire world seemed to slow to a crawl. It was then Shepard realized he was holding his side, which was bleeding heavily. As the elevator doors opened to the main room on the top floor, Shepard could hear sirens approaching, the police deciding it was safe to come in and clean up what was undoubtedly just another gang war. It didn't matter. Not to him. To him, all that mattered was getting to her.

As he reached her body, he knelt down and cradled her in his arms. Tears began to flow from his eyes as he gently tried to shake her awake. His efforts were futile, and he was getting weaker and groggier by the minute. As the police arrived at the top floor, Shepard fell unconscious next to Swift, satisfied that he'd taken care of the one that betrayed her and killed her.

The mess hall was quiet, except for the occasional PA announcement. Shepard was two drinks in, despite still technically being on-duty. In any other circumstance, he'd have confidence that he could stop himself ahead in time. But this wasn't a normal circumstance.

Dr. Thomas had stopped crying, but she refused to come out of the med bay, and Dr. Chakwas didn't have the heart to try and get her to work. She alone checked out Shepard and Callus, much to their chagrin. Callus had a graze on his arm, nothing a dose of medi-gel couldn't fix. Shepard had a moderate concussion, but that wasn't what had her worried. The entire checkup, the young lieutenant seemed very distracted, only answering questions after the third or fourth time of her asking. She assumed it was because of O'Brien's death. Both Foster and Anderson dodged the question, making Chakwas wonder what Shepard was hiding.

As Shepard downed another glass of scotch, he felt himself beginning to slip. Annoyed at himself for not pacing himself, he set the glass on the table and leaned back in his seat. Hollister was alive. The words echoed through his mind over and over again, leaving him feeling worse and worse. He saw it all again; the fight, Hollister holding Swift hostage, the bullet going through her head, the fall out of the window… Shepard rushed to the restroom and began throwing up, all the alcohol leaving his system.

"Lieutenant Shepard, report to the captain's cabin immediately," Captain Foster announced over the PA.

Shepard knew what was coming. His history with Hollister made him a liability to the mission. They would most likely drop him off at Grissom, and he'd never find Hollister. He'd never correct the mistake of making sure the son of a bitch was dead. Slowly, grudgingly, he headed to Foster's cabin. When he reached it, tapped the fastener to announce his arrival and waited for the inevitable gruff "Come in" from the captain.

As Shepard entered the cabin, the Foster motioned for him to sit. Unsure of how to start, Shepard simply asked, "What's our next destination, sir?"

"Grissom Academy," Foster replied. Shepard nodded, the knot in his stomach tightening even more. "Dr. Thomas requested we drop her off there, and we need to replenish a lost number." The lieutenant's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "O'Brien was a biotic," Foster explained. "Grissom's got some of the best biotics not on active assignment. I was wondering if you had anyone in mind for the job."

Shepard was floored again. Nothing about him being kicked off the mission? "Uh… Well, as a matter of fact, I've got a friend in Grissom who's a biotic."

Foster nodded. "Send me his name when we dock and I'll request his transfer."

"Yes, sir." After a moment, Shepard couldn't stand it any longer. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Hollister and I have enough history for me to be blacklisted from the Alliance until he's dealt with. Why wouldn't you drop me off at Grissom?"

Foster looked down for a moment. "I don't know exactly how bad the blood between you and the Hollister character runs, but I know if I had the chance to put some unfinished business to rest, I'd sure as shit would wanna do it. It's not my place nor my right to deny you the chance to set things straight. If this guy needs to be stopped, and you wanna help, by all means, help us stop the son of a bitch." Shepard considered what he said for a moment, then opened his mouth to speak before being cut off by Foster. "But, when the time comes, I want you as clearheaded as humanly possible. Do I make myself clear?"

Shepard nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Then let's find this piece of shit."

Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. Been a bit busy. I'm gonna try to get the next chapter up before the weekend, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Please remember to review and let me know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong.