Her voice became clearer as they approached in the mako. "If you're reading this please.. respond.. hel.."The voice cut out once more.

"Survivors?" Garrus put forward the question from his seat in the vehicle.

Wrex grunted. "Or some sort of trap."

"Could be either." Shepard brought the mako through an automatic door leading off from the skyway. It hadn't been the easiest journey thus far for the SPECTRE and his team. Zhu's Hope was a mess littered with corpses, the wounded and a seemingly endless list of issues to fix. Shepard had led the group through the debris, his focus clear but his eyes and ears kept sharp for any signs of Miranda. There were no signs of her amongst the living or the dead.

After dealing with the Geth, Shepard attempted to question Fai Dan, the man seemingly in charge at Zhu's Hope. He could tell he was holding back, Garrus too made a point of it in the elevator, his detective skills not gathering rust quickly. However he did reveal one point of interest, ExoGeni. Shepard had heard of the company but wasn't overly familiar with their goals. His attempt to communicate with the Normandy in search of more information failed, because as he quickly discovered, all coms were down locally. So when they heard the voice of the woman on the radio, his interested perked up.

"Local heat signatures Commander," stated Tali as she quickly adapted to the role Shepard had placed her in. "Looks like ten, no, fifteen at the most."

"How far?"

"Not very far, they're below us. Just ahead on the left."

Garrus pointed. "I see a slope leading down. Could be them?"

"Me too. Let's check it out." Shepard brought the mako to a stop. "Be ready. The Geth tried to get the jump on us before. If it is survivors, who knows what they've been through. They'll be on edge, so stay calm." While Garrus and Wrex were experienced enough in their respective fields, Shepard was mindful of the fact that both Tali and Liara were new to this. His words while spoken to the group were mainly aimed towards his less experienced recruits. Liara had been relatively quiet, choosing to take things in rather than communicate constantly.

It was different, commanding a group of entirely different species. Shepard was quickly getting accustomed to Wrex, Liara, Garrus and Tali, picking out their strengths, weaknesses and potentials. If anything, it was very much on the job learning for all.

Shepard stepped out of the mako, taking in the tunnel that surrounded them. It was quiet and seemingly empty, yet the man wanted to take no chances. Garrus stepped up to his side.

"I think we're okay, for now at least."

Shepard nodded. "Seems that way. Still, stay alert."

"Will do, Commander."

Motioning for the team to follow, Shepard slowly made his way down the ramp. There was a dim light source, but little else that he could see. Taking a quick breathe, he turned the corner, rifle raised and ready.

They were both professionals. But never the less, it was difficult for Shepard and Miranda not to fully react at all when they locked eyes on each other behind the scope of a rifle.

A man who wasn't as professional was the armed guard who began to open fire just seconds after Shepard's appearance.

"Hold your fire!" yelled Shepard as Liara instinctively threw up a biotic barrier, Miranda reacting swiftly to force the guards weapon to the floor.

"I'm.. I'm sorry I.." The guard was badly shaken up as he realized exactly what he was doing, quickly throwing the rifle to the floor in disgust.

Miranda held her tongue as she let out a breath, her biotics dissipating from view. She immediately noticed who made up Shepard's team as they managed to separate their eyes somehow.

Miranda didn't even have a chance to utter a word in Shepard's direction before Ethan Jeong pushed past her, full of bluster now that he wasn't in immediate danger. He motioned for his two guards to follow, almost yelling at the one soldier to pick up his rifle from the ground. The other soldier who Miranda disarmed earlier shot her an almost helpless look for the return of his weapon, something the operative did before returning her eyes to Shepard. The man was once again staring at her before blinking, giving quick word to his team and now instead focused on the man approaching him.

While the Krogan stayed near the entrance, the Turian, Asari and Quarian approached Miranda and the group.

"It's fine, they're not here to hurt you," said Miranda quietly to the people still congregated behind her. "That's Commander Shepard. He's here to help." If Simone noticed the arrival of her crush, she didn't make it obvious, continuing to stare at the floor.

It was the Turian who spoke first. "Hello. My name is Garrus Vakarian. I'm a former C-SEC operative now working under the newly appointed Citadel Council SPECTRE, Commander Shepard of the Alliance. This is my associate Liara T'Soni and Tali'Zorah. How are you doing?"

"Did you stop the Geth?" asked Bobby, the murmurs of his colleagues returning as they whispered between each other. "Tell me you stopped the Geth!"

"Some, yes. We were on our way to ExoGeni headquarters when we caught a radio communication."

"That was Julie," Jay rubbed Juliana's shoulder with a smile. "Great job."

"I thought I brought them here." Juliana's voice was still pretty hollow, but the colour slowly began returning to her cheeks.

"You saved us Julie, okay? We're safe. Or at least in better shape. That's Commander Shepard over there!" said Jay, an aura of awe in his voice.

Miranda shot a glance towards Shepard. He was clearly not enjoying his chat with Jeong, who at that very precise moment pointed her way, his voice raised.

"Her? She's a reporter! Listen to me. I'm the-"

Shepard cut him off and shouted over to her. "Excuse me, Miss Blake? Can you join us, please?"

Miranda immediately began to walk towards the small group, the soldiers making sure to look anywhere but at her. As she reached Shepard, she felt her legs slightly wobble. All she wanted to do was reach for him, to hold him, to thank him for coming, to have him sweep her off her feet.

Knock that off.

Shepard extended a hand. Miranda met it firmly. It wasn't much, but it was all they could do in the situation. The touch was welcome.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blake."

"And you, Commander."