A/N: Thank you for your kind words and bearing with me. I'm back a little sooner than I thought I would be, but I won't complain. Here's the next little bit. Thanks for reading/faving/following/reviewing! Bioware owns the ME universe.

Everyone surged forward to peer over the edge, fearing the worst. Four floors down, Toombs was lying on the balcony unconscious but alive. There was no sign of Shepard.

"Battle master?" Grunt called.

"Shepard?" Garrus yelled.

"Yeah shouting isn't gonna help me out. Get down here!" Shepard yelled back. A collective sigh of relief came from the group as they turned and hurried down the stairs. Thane hung back and drug Kaidan up by his collar.

"You will stay away from Ceres. If I see you near her, I will not hesitate to kill you."

"Don't talk to me like that." Kaidan hissed.

"I will speak to you in the manor you deserve. You have hurt her once and I will not allow it to happen again."

"Where do you get off?"

"Unfortunately, I am not familiar with that human term. It is not one my Siha uses. So I will say again, you will stay away from her if you have any sense." He released the human and stalked after the group. By the time he joined them, they had pulled Shepard up and Mordin was scanning her with his omni-tool. His lips were set in a grim line. Thane took her into his arms, "Siha."

"Ow."

"My apologies."

"Don't worry about it. My back is sore, that's all."

"Back is not a problem. Minor cuts." Mordin said, "Dislocated shoulder also minor."

"Great. Can we go back to the ship now?"

"Yes. Need to speak with you."

"What about?" Shepard narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Medical matters."

Shepard sighed, realizing she wouldn't get anything else out the salarian. "Alright. Someone call the Alliance. Tell them Toombs needs mental help."

"Shepard."

She looked around Mordin to see Kaidan leaning against the door. Thane helped her to her feet and she walked slowly over to him. "Yes?"

"I-I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." She walked past him without another glance.

"Shepard, your chest is bleeding." Garrus said.

She sighed heavily. "Of course. Mordin, is there anything else you can do besides stitches? It's not working out."

"The point was to remind you to take it easy," Miranda said, shaking her head.

"Oh, well it didn't work," Shepard replied with a shrug.

"What exactly was that for?" Kolyat asked.

The commander glanced at Thane before responding, "Mordin needed a lung sample."

Kolyat blinked rapidly and looked between the human and his father. The pieces clicked and he shook his head. He fell into step behind them as they made their way back to the ship.

Shepard sat on the spare table in Mordin's lab with her legs crossed Indian style and her elbows on her knees. She was still bleeding from the glass still in her back. She had refused treatment until she had spoken with Mordin. Thane kept close to her, worried for the strain she had been under. Kolyat had left them at the rapid transit bidding them good bye on the pretense of having to be to work early. They had walked back to the ship in relative silence.

"Anomaly now emitting energy signature counter to cybernetics." Mordin said.

"Wait, something activated it?" Miranda asked.

"Believe it was sonic pulse."

"Okay, what are you talking about?" Shepard said.

"Small device implanted in chest during reconstruction. When activated, emits low level energy to interfere with existing neural networks. Over time, networks will weaken and collapse."

"Are you saying…that there's a kill switch in my chest?"

"Basically, yes."

Shepard turned cold eyes to Miranda, "Did you know about this?"

"No. I would never have put anything harmful in you."

"You sure? Because you wanted a control chip."

"A control chip that would have been nonlethal. This runs counterproductive to the whole project!"

Shepard ground her teeth together. She knew Miranda was telling the truth. "Then how did it get there?"

"I wish I knew."

"Excuse me, but did you say that it had been activated?" Thane interjected.

"Yes. Sonic pulse overrode programmed command signals."

"Is there anything we can do?" Shepard asked.

"Of course. Have small implant that will suppress the energy waves. Will go in with new biotic amp."

"It's not a perfect solution, Shepard. It will only delay the decay. We weren't expecting it to activate." Miranda said glumly.

"Can't you just take it out?"

"Tamper resistant. Risk too high." Mordin said firmly.

Shepard hopped off the table and pulled her hair to the side, "Give me the implant."

Mordin set to work quickly. Thane watched him with detached interest. "How long?"

"Months. Maybe a year."

In that moment, Thane's heart splintered. He fought hard to keep control of his raging emotions. She had given him more time to live, yet had lost her own. Were the gods so cruel? Sensing his distress, she reached for his hand. He took hers in a strong grip. He felt if he would let go, she would vanish. Mordin finished his work and stepped back. Shepard straightened up.

"Will continue to search for long term solution."

"I know."

"Shepard…" Miranda wrung her hands, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen."

"You didn't do it, Miri. It's alright. I'll get through this."

The dark haired woman smiled and Shepard returned it, "I'm going to make a stop in my cabin and then I guess I'll head down to Dr. Chakwas to get my back looked at."

"Thane, stay. Need to check biotic amp." Mordin said. Thane nodded. Shepard squeezed his hand and left the room.

Thane went to the med bay as soon as Mordin was finished with him. He was worried about leaving Shepard alone for any amount of time after hearing what they found. Thinking about it made his heart constrict. He walked into a room empty, save the doctor.

"Ah, Thane, hello. Do you need something?" She asked lightly.

"I thought Ceres would be down here."

"She's supposed to be. I figured she was still with Mordin."

"No, she left his lab over ten minutes ago."

"EDI, where is the commander?"

"Commander Shepard is in her private quarters."

"Could you tell her to come see me, please?"

"The Commander is not responding." EDI said.

"Is she well?" Thane asked.

"She is conscious."

"Is her cabin locked?"

"It is not."

Thane was in the elevator by the time the AI's answer came. As soon as the door opened wide enough for him to slip through, he was out of the elevator and at her room. It opened with hardly a sound. He immediately went to the bathroom. He chanced knocking in case she had ignored the AI on purpose. There wasn't a sound. His worry peaked and he opened the door. What he saw made his blood run cold. Shepard was on the floor with her legs folded under her and her arms resting lightly next to them. Her crimson blood was dripping down her shoulders and arms and hands, leaving small pools and smudges on the tile. Her black tank top was wet with the blood running down her back and seeping from the incision on her chest. She had her eyes squeezed shut against the silent sobs that shook her lithe frame. Thane had seen his Siha display a great many emotions, but never once had he thought her fragile or vulnerable until this moment. He wanted to comfort her but he didn't know where he could touch that wouldn't cause her more pain.