She hadn't signed up for this.

And the evidence just kept stacking up. There were all the reports Shepard had given her to read. There were the constant rumours and reports about what her organisation were up to now. There had to be a reason why Jack hated them with such passion. Shepard had never shied away from giving his opinion about the organisation. Tali had every right to hate them and herself for what they did to the Fleet. She sighed, a sense of resignation. Defeat. But overall, she was left with a feeling of disappointment. Has it all been a lie? She had noticed the glance Tali had given her every so often. She couldn't read quarian body language, but she thought the quarian almost looked concerned for her. But her feelings were now impossible to hide. It seemed that he had been right to the beginning. No wonder he hates us. How the hell has he ever come to trust anyone involved?

In the quiet moments in the Hammerhead, she had found her mind in turmoil. Could she really turn her back on the organisation that had saved her? Protected her? The Illusive Man had never been effusive in his praise of her. She'd never required to hear it. But she knew he still considered her one of his top operatives. It's why she was on the Normandy now. But she never considered that she would have found everything Shepard had told her so… convincing. She had convinced herself in turn that everything he told her couldn't be true. It just didn't seem possible…

But now? She sighed again. Even Jack was now looking at her with what she thought was at least slight concern as they entered Atlas Station. The group came to a stop in what appeared to be a reception area. Archer's voice came over the comm link with instructions on what they needed to do. Easy enough, though just what the hell are we going to find in this server room? She had to prevent herself shuddering at the thought. The reports Shepard had provided had been bad enough at times, and they were simply descriptions. To now see it with her own eyes… Could she even attempt to defend it? She remembered trying to defend what her organisation did to the Fleet back on Freedom's Progress. No wonder Tali barely trusts us. Or me.

Tali stepped forward, rifling through a nearby desk, avoiding the dead body still sat in the chair nearby. She found another one of Archer's logs. The revelation about his brother caused her stomach to drop further.

"He's autistic?" Shepard asked no-one in particular, "And he's using him for experiments?"

"How does he communicate with the geth though?" Tali wondered aloud, "I mean… I've never heard of such a thing."

"Guess we'll find out. Keep an eye for any more of those logs. I want it as evidence against that son of a bitch."

She didn't miss the glance Shepard threw her way. It wasn't one of anger, which she would have expected after everything they had witnessed so far. It was almost one of… sympathy? She could understand why. Though she didn't need it. Not yet anyway.

The group moved on. Whatever had taken place in the station had left it in ruins. Lights flickered on and off, giving corridors and nearby rooms a ghostly feel. The cry of the VI could be heard every so often, causing nearly everyone to slightly jump at times. Bodies of Cerberus staff lay where they had been killed. There was likely more geth nearby, under the control of the VI. The next door unveiled even more bodies, a make-shift barricade blocking the corridor to the right. Pistols, rifles and shotguns remained in their hands. Scorch marks and bullet holes on the wall indicated the firefight had been fierce. Bodies of geth lay on the other side of the barricade.

Camera's on the wall continued to track their progress, the squad simply ignoring them. The VI knew they were coming. The group approached a trio of doors. Clearly the VI was playing games with them as the locks continued to turn on and off. The five simply waited for the VI to finish before the door to their left opened on its own. Shepard looked back at his companions and shrugged, walking through the door, though clearly with a slight sense of trepidation. Miranda expected it to close as soon as he walked through, but she strode through after Tali. The quarian approached a nearby console and started keying again, stating she found another one of Archer's logs. Everyone listened in stunned silence.

"He knew. He fucking knew," Miranda muttered quietly, "But maybe he didn't…" She trailed off as four pairs of eyes looked at her. She diverted her attention to the ground for a moment, averting their eyes. Maybe if he didn't know exactly, he was still the cause of what happened here. She was aware of the sacrifices sometimes required for progress, but where did one draw the line? Did people have to die for it? The fact it was his own brother he chose to sacrifice did not sit easy. It didn't sit easy with anyone it seemed.

"He had no idea what he was doing, Shepard. Not only has he down this to his own brother, but he clearly has no idea how the geth neural network works. Even we no longer have any real understanding of how the geth networks operate. To think just because David had a strong grasp of mathematics that he could handle having his mind joined to the geth…" The quarian trailed off, clearly incensed.

"Come on, we've got find some way of getting to the VI." He glanced around. "There's an elevator over there. We'll try that."

The five approached the elevator, Shepard pressing the call button and taking a step back. Everyone followed the slow progress of the elevator. The Commander started to fidget slightly as he continued to stare at the lights above the set of doors.

"Something wrong, Shepard?" Miranda asked.

"You know that gut feeling I get sometimes…"

"You think we should take cover?"

"Bingo!"

The five fell back from the elevator, Miranda joined by Jack as they prepared for one of their special combinations. She glanced across to see Shepard getting out his rocket launcher. Dantius Towers all over again, it seems. She turned her attention to Jack, who had the usual grin on her face whenever she dove into battle. The young biotic returned her glance, the grin widening for a second. "Come on, Miranda, chin up. This bit is going to be fun at least!"

She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She just called me Miranda? The hell is going on there? The elevator continued its slow ascent, the team tensing up as it neared their level. Then there was a ding, the sound of doors opening and then of gunfire erupting in the silence. Jack glowed in blue beside her as a singularity appeared in the gaggle of geth exiting the elevator. Miranda followed that up with a warp straight into the centre of the little blue ball of dark energy. She ducked back down into cover as the explosion was simply deafening. She heard over the din a whoop of delight from Shepard as another explosion echoed around the room, Miranda peering up and over cover to see smoke billowing out of the elevator, any geth that had been exiting having simply… disappeared.

Shepard was still chuckling to himself as they boarded the elevator. The doors closed as Shepard pushed the button for the bottom level. And then the fun began. The VI took control as the elevator quickly ascended and descended. She tried to resist screaming as it was like something out of a horror film, expecting the elevator to end up plummeting to the ground below. Smoke started to billow as the brakes of the elevator failed. The VI continued to scream at them, still unable to understand anything it was saying. The elevator then ascended to the very top of the shaft, causing all of them to duck, then it just fell. She couldn't help but scream. She knew nearly everyone else did as well.

It crashed into the ground below, leaving the squad sprawled on the floor. She picked herself up, dusting herself down as she coughed and spluttered as the smoke was dense this far down. Shepard stepped forward to open the door. Ahead lay series of geth hooked up to what appeared to be some sort of central hub. For the time being, they appeared to be dormant. Tali found another log of Archers. It was starting to turn into some sort of confession, what he'd chosen to do to his brother. Miranda was left with the feeling he was simply trying to justify his actions.

They walked on, signs on the wall stating the access to the VI core was nearby. Shepard entered first, a console nearby surrounded by the bodies of more Cerberus scientists. Tali walked towards it, Shepard reaching out and grabbing her shoulder.

"I'll do it, Tali."

"But Shepard…"

He looked at the console. "It's just that big blue button there, right?"

She heard the sigh. "Yes, Shepard."

He nodded. "Stand back. There's no telling what the hell is going to happen when I push this button."

What happened next startled even Miranda, and she had seen plenty in her time, including the resurrection of a man who should really have been dead. The Commander pressed the button, and for a moment nothing happened. Then the VI really took control as the omni-tool on his arm turned on by itself, the cybernetics within Shepard himself starting to glow a bright green before he collapsed to the ground.

Tali was at his side in an instant, checking him over as he got to his hands and knees, looking up at his team. No-one missed the different look in his eyes.

"Shepard?" she heard Tali ask him. She didn't get a response as Shepard looked left and right, not appearing to recognise them at all. He walked through the door, falling over again as he exited. His head then turned to his left, almost as if he heard something before he disappeared from view. The four ran after him, the door slamming shut, preventing their exit. Tali banged on the door to no avail.

"What the fuck do we do now?" Jack asked no-one in particular.

"Wait until the VI lets us out, I guess," Garrus stated.


She came to a stop next to her colleagues. She knew she gasped at the sight. She definitely heard a gasp from Tali. There was no missing the string of curses from Jack. Garrus just shook his head, muttering something inaudible. What have they done to him? She couldn't take her eyes from the young man. How could he do… that… to his own brother?

Then their eyes focused on movement to the side. Archer lay on the ground. His face was already a bloodied, battered mess. On top of him was Shepard. His left hand held the collar of the scientist. His right fist slowly but methodically pounding into the face of the doctor. The four shared a glance before they ran forward.

"Shepard!" Tali shouted. He didn't appear to hear her as another punch crunched into the face of the Doctor, who was crying out for help himself, echoing the cries of his brother behind him.

Garrus ran forward, grabbing Shepard under the arms and trying to pull him off the Doctor.

"It's your own fucking brother! You fucking sadistic son of a bitch!" he yelled. Garrus hauled the Commander off the Doctor, Shepard straining against the turians hold to get back towards Archer, who slowly started to crawl away, leaving a blood trail along the floor, leaking from his shattered face. Garrus appeared to whisper something to his friend, as he visibly slumped after a few seconds and nodded his head. He turned and looked at the turian, nodding his head and patting his shoulder. Then he glanced around.

His eyes met hers. In an instant she saw the hatred there again. The hatred she had seen in his eyes in that first shuttle ride after he had woken up. His face turned into a sneer as he stalked towards her. His hand moved towards his pistol, his hand shaking with anger preventing a clean grab of the weapon. She raised both hands and took a couple of steps back. She didn't want to fight or argue with him. She didn't say anything. She knew there was nothing she could say. She understood why.

Then Tali, of all people, came to her rescue. She rushed across and grabbed his hand. "Shepard," she said quietly, "It's Miranda. She might wear that symbol, but you trust her, remember? She's certainly not responsible for this. Right?" He came to a stop, turning his full attention towards Tali. She watched him close his eyes and take a deep breath. Then he nodded and opened his eyes, returning his glance to her. He took his hands away from his side, walking forward slowly with both hands raised, a gesture of peace. He then held out one hand towards her.

"Take my hand," he said calmly. If anything, his calm tone was more unnerving than his possible ranting and raving. She looked at it for a few seconds. "I'm not going to do anything to you, Miranda. You're not responsible for… this. But I want you to understand. Please, take my hand."

She took his hand as he turned and walked towards the young man in the machine. She looked at Tali as they walked past, mouthing a silent 'Thank you' to the quarian. She replied with a slight bow of the head. The pair came to a stop only a few paces away. She couldn't look at him again.

"Look at him, Miranda," he requested. The tone was soft but the order was clear.

She looked up. She knew he wouldn't let her look away.

"What do you see, Miranda?"

She didn't respond. What could she possibly say that could justify this?

"His own brother did this to him. If he's prepared to do this to his own flesh and blood, if people from your organisation are prepared to do this to the people who they are supposed to love and care for, what do you think they would happily do to perfect strangers? Is this in any way right, Miranda? Is this the price of progress? Could you in any way justify what you can see in front of your eyes?"

"No," she said quietly.

"You know I've seen similar things, right? Horrific things. Unimaginable things. You're read all my reports. You know what they are capable of now. You've now seen it with your own eyes. You now understand?"

"I understand, Shepard," she replied, not virtually above a whisper.

"And who is responsible for this, Miranda?"

"They are."

He didn't miss the use of that one word. The one word that could possibly be life-changing if she truly believed it. He turned his head slightly to look at her. She returned his glance. He nodded his head once. He let go of her hand. "Can you call the Normandy? Ask Doctor Chakwas and Mordin to come down in the shuttle. We're going to need to find a way to get him down."

She nodded silently and walked away. She took a deep breath to calm herself, knowing that could have gone a whole lot worse. She wouldn't have blamed him for it. Seeing it with her own eyes, she now understood why. She kept an eye on him as he walked back towards Archer. He hauled the doctor to his feet by his collar, the doctor barely able to stand as Shepard backed him against one of the pylons.

"How do we get him out of that?"

"Let me help him. Please, Commander," she heard the doctor croak in reply.

Shepard took a deep breath. Then he nodded. "You will help him out of that machine. Then I will be taking him with me. If you ever think of attempting to find him, I will hunt you down. And I will kill you. And it won't just be a bullet. It will be more barbaric than the scene I see in front of me. I will leave you as little more than the meat bag I was left when I died. Do you understand me?"

"But…"

Shepard slammed him back into the pylon. "I said do you fucking well understand me, you piece of shit?" he yelled into his face.

The doctor nodded his head in agreement. Shepard let go of his collar, the doctor falling to the ground in a heap. She thought he looked ready to kick him again but clearly took another deep breath and walked away, running a hand over his short hair. In an instant the anger had disappeared. His eyes met hers again. She was stunned to see he was on the verge of tears for a second before he blinked rapidly and composed himself once again. She understood why.

Chakwas and Mordin arrived a few minutes later. They got to work immediately, with help from Archer while Shepard stepped forward to assist where he could. Miranda stood back against the wall and watched, arms across her chest, almost hugging herself. Garrus and Tali were standing a few feet away, quietly talking. She was surprised as Jack, of all people, approached her, standing to her side as they watched the others work to help the young man.

"This isn't you, cheerleader."

She scoffed. "I'm still part of this, Jack. Directly or indirectly, I'm still involved." She paused. "Just like whatever happened to you."

"And yet, despite that, he trusts you." She looked at her. "I'm not going to say I do. I mean, you're still a cheerleader but… Hey, we're here now talking and not trying to kill each other. And you seem genuinely distressed by this. So I guess you're not the completely evil bitch I once thought you were." That stunned her. She knew her eyes probably widened in shock. She heard Jack actually stifle a chuckle. "If Shepard trusts you, Miranda, then despite the fuckers you work for, you may, in the end, just be worthy of my trust as well." She paused a beat before shaking her head, apparently in disbelief. "I can't believe I just said that about someone who works for fucking Cerberus. Fucking Shepard…"

"Why?" she asked. She didn't quite believe it herself.

The biotic just shrugged. "As I said, I trust Shepard. He's hasn't led me wrong and he hasn't done me wrong. In fact, he makes me… care. Fucking soft bastard. Fuck, you gave me data on your organisation that could bury it if released. I know he made you, but you could have fed me bullshit. But you didn't. You gave me everything you could. And, on top of that, you've actually been… nice to me, for the most part. I don't generally do nice. And I still can't really get my head around that. But I guess you could say we have an understanding, at the least."

"An understanding?"

"Yep."

She was simply stunned. "Thanks," she said after a moment of silence.

"Besides, despite the fuckers you work for, you've done one good thing?"

"What's that?"

Jack pointed to Shepard. "Him. Just look at him now. He's soft as shit when it comes to things like this. Because he cares. Probably too much, in my opinion. What happened to this guy is pure fucking evil. Lotta bad memories just seeing this. But you did some good with Shepard." She paused for a second. "But, the big question is, what will you do now?"

She shrugged. "I don't know… Part of me wants to talk to the Illusive Man. See if he'll tell me the truth. Part of me wants to take the shuttle and just go. Go as far away as possible." She laughed bitterly. "God, if the Miranda of only a few months ago could see me now. She'd probably shoot me. No, she'd definitely shoot me. Plagued by self-doubt. Not in my abilities. But the decisions I have now made in my life. Doubt about who I work for. Doubt about what I want. Sometimes I just want to say 'Damn Shepard'. But then there is little doubt he has always been honest about everything. But…"

"You still don't want to believe it all?"

"Everything is a lie otherwise."

Tali had obviously been listening into the conversation as she walked over, interrupting their conversation. "I'll talk to him, Miranda. You've read all the reports?" She nodded. "Then I'll ask Shepard to actually speak to you about it. Go into detail, if you wish. It will be… uncomfortable."

"Garrus has already informed me about some of it."

"Wouldn't you prefer it from Shepard?" She nodded again. "Then I'll make sure he talks to you."

"Do you think he will?"

"I don't think he'd have a problem now. I think you'd be more receptive. Correct?"

She sighed. "Correct."

They watched in silence as the process to take David Archer out of the machine took time. In addition to being clearly traumatised, he was also left with significant wounds from how he had been connected to the machine. She kept her eye on Shepard most of the time, knowing Tali was probably doing the same thing. He seemed to swing through a range of emotions as he worked. When they finally had him disconnected and on the gurney, he didn't move from his side, not letting go of his hand. Chakwas gave David a sedative and the young man was finally quiet and at peace. Without another word, Garrus wheeled the gurney out of the room, Shepard at his side as the rest followed them out. Miranda was last to leave, turning to look at Doctor Archer, who sat slumped against one of the pylons, head in his hands. She took out her pistol and popped the heat sink, attaching a new one at only half charge. She walked towards Archer, who looked up as she approached. She ignored his visible injuries, instead holding out the pistol by its barrel.

"I have a sister. If I found out anyone did this to her…" She swallowed down the next part, Archer simply staring at her, "Why don't you do us all a favour. Trust me, after seeing what you did to your own brother, I'd rather do it myself," she stated.

Archer looked at her blankly for a few seconds, then without a word, took the offered pistol. She turned around, only the sound of her heels clicking on the floor, echoing around the cavernous room as she walked away, the rest of her squad in the distance.

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot echoed through the closing doors.


The mood on the Normandy was more sombre than she had ever known. It was of little surprise. Everyone was aware of the young man now lying sedated in the med-bay. They were all aware of the circumstances of how he had ended up there. It was through gossip than anything else. She knew Shepard wanted to haul everyone into the mess and tell them everything they had seen on Aite. But, to her surprise, he didn't. She was left unnerved at just how calm he was. Instead, he'd taken a vigil by the young man's bedside ever since the shuttle had been picked up once they had departed Aite. He only left for meals and to go to sleep. Otherwise, he was at his bedside.

Nearly everyone had been in to keep both of them company at one time or another. Garrus managed to make him laugh from time to time with another wisecrack. Thane had simply stood at the edge of his bed, hands clasped in silent prayer. Kasumi sat on the other side of the bed, holding David's other hand, sitting silently with Shepard. Even Jacob went in to sit with the Commander. She didn't fail to notice the slight change on his uniform.

The symbol was missing.

But she hadn't been in yet. She felt… guilt. It was a new feeling. She had always believed they were doing the right thing. That there was a true purpose behind everything they did. Hearing the stories was one thing. It could still be denied. Reading was another. It could still be denied. But seeing it with her own two eyes. Seeing what the organisation she represented was truly capable of. It shook to her very core. It was nothing but an atrocity. And she didn't use that word lightly.

It was getting late. The report for the Illusive Man sat unwritten on her terminal. She really didn't have a clue what to write in her report. She was still of the mind to walk into the conference room and do… what? Question him? Abuse him? Resign? But, deep down, there was still that sense of loyalty. She felt she still owed him. And Cerberus. Without them, her life would have been very different. That didn't bear thinking about. She shuddered at the thought.

With a sigh of frustration, she turned off her monitor and walked out into the mess. It was empty apart from a couple of crew members chatting quietly to each other. She walked to the fridge, taking out a bottle of water, before walking to the med-bay window. Chakwas was sat at her desk, reading some sort of journal. She noticed her standing there, glancing her way and gesturing with her head to come in. Miranda glanced behind Chakwas towards the row of beds. Shepard was still sat at David's bedside. Chakwas noticed her glance. She simply mouthed 'It's okay. Come in.'

She nodded, and taking a deep breath, walked around into the med-bay. Shepard didn't turn around as she entered, walking past Chakwas before taking the empty chair next to the Commander. He looked to his side and he appeared surprised to see her there. Then he grinned slightly before staring ahead once again.

She cleared her throat. "Tell me about Chasca," she said quietly.

He was silent for a moment, clearing his throat before replying. "Tali said you'd be in eventually. I don't mind telling you. But are you sure you want to hear everything?"

"I want to hear everything."

He turned around slightly. "Doctor, I hate to kick you out of your own med-bay, but could we have a little privacy?"

"Of course, Commander. I think it's time I headed to one of the lounges anyway."

"Thanks." They waited until the door closed behind them. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Start at the very beginning."

He took a deep breath. "It started on Edolus…"

He spoke for a long time. She didn't interrupt him as he spoke except to ask a simple question for clarification. Other than that, she simply listened. The longer she listened, the worse it got.

Edolus, where Cerberus had set up a team of Alliance marines to be attacked by a thresher maw.

Binthu, where Cerberus murdered Alliance Admiral Kahoku.

Nephron, where Cerberus ran numerous experiments and was a central hub for a science team she was not aware of.

Ontarom, where they found Corporal Toombs, the lone survivor of a thresher maw attack on Akuze, now known to be a Cerberus operation. She was aware one of the doctors involved was now serving a long prison sentence.

Chasca, where Cerberus took a colony of people and turned every single person into a husk. Men, women and children. And subsequently filmed it.

And finally there was Nodacrux.

"Do you really want me to continue, Miranda? This is the worst of the worst. I still get angry just thinking about it. I may appear calm but underneath…"

She knew her breath shuddered before she replied. "I do," she said quietly, "Every detail."

He explained it all. What they did. She couldn't look at him once he finished. It was worse than she could even have imagined. She wiped at her eyes. She didn't feel foolish this time. Everything was a lie. Then he surprised her as he turned towards her and actually… hugged her. She didn't know what to say or do.

"I'm sorry," she managed to croak out.

"It's not your fault," he said quietly.

"But..."

He released her slightly, making her look right into his eyes. "It's not your fault, Miranda. What happened... Even I know that isn't you. You're better than this. You're better than them."

She knew he was absolutely sincere in the words he had just said. She didn't completely break down into sobs of despair. That wasn't her. But she barely made a sound. Eventually she nodded that she was okay, leaning back in her chair and taking a deep breath, wiping at her eyes again. She glanced at the young man still asleep. "Where are you taking him?"

"Grissom Academy. He'll be treated well there. He'll be cared for. He'll be happy. And he'll be safe." He then paused for a moment before meeting her eyes. "And what will you do?"

She looked at the young man asleep. She couldn't help but sigh. "I don't know, Shepard. But I'd like to stay here for a while."

He didn't say anything, simply another slight smile and a nod before turning back to the young man on the bed, resting his elbows on its side, otherwise staring at nothing. She kept both of them company for the rest of the night. They didn't speak again, sitting together in silence.


"Unidentified vessel. You are approaching an Alliance facility. Automated defences are now tracking your trajectory. State your intentions immediately or you will be fired upon."

"And that's the typical friendly welcome I've come to expect," Joker muttered to himself.

"Be glad they don't actually recognise us as a Cerberus vessel, otherwise I think they'd have fired right away without giving us that friendly welcome," Shepard stated, "Right, Joker, leave the shields up. Disable all weapons. We don't want them even thinking for a moment that we have any aggressive intentions." The pilots' hands flew across his holographic interface as Shepard stood slightly back and to the side of his seat. "The comm. link is still open?" The pilot nodded. "Grissom Academy, this is Commander Shepard, Commanding Officer of the Normandy. Could you put Lieutenant Sanders on the line please?"

"Commander Shepard? But…" the voice asked incredulously. Then there was silence for a few seconds. "One moment. Hold your current position."

"Joker?"

"Holding position, Commander. Don't want to give them a reason, right?"

The comm. link was silent for a couple of minutes before a new voice was heard. "Shepard? It's Sanders. If you don't mind me being so blunt, why are you here?"

Shepard got straight to business. "Kahlee, has Anderson been in contact with you about what I've been up to recently?"

"He has. He told me you might have someone you would like to send the Academy."

"I do. Did he told you everything else about him?"

There was a slight pause. "He has. Okay, I'm granting you authority to dock right away. Proceed to docking bay 29. I'll be there with a team to meet you."

"Thanks, Kahlee." He glanced down at his pilot. "You heard the lady, Joker. You may proceed."

"Aye-aye."

As Joker manoeuvred the Normandy into position, Shepard turned back towards the airlock where the gurney was being held in place by Doctor Chakwas. He looked down with a slight grin to see David was now awake and relatively alert, his eyes moving from his face to the Doctor and back again. Shepard looked at Chakwas. "Will he understand me, Doc?"

She nodded. "From what you saw during your virtual reality experience back on Aite… Still can't get over that one, by the way, Commander… He is perfectly capable of understanding."

He looked back down at David, who met his eyes again. Shepard grinned slightly. "David, I'm Commander Shepard. You're currently on the Normandy. Soon we're going to be moving you into a new home. You'll be safe there. Looked after by a lot of good people. They'll help you get better. Okay?"

David just blinked in response. Shepard understood why. He didn't know anything about his condition before it had been mentioned by Doctor Archer back on Aite. He'd spoken to Chakwas about it as he sat by his bedside. He knew the Academy was probably the best place for someone of his condition and talents, and he hoped that the people there would also be able to look after him. Could anything be worse than what his brother did to him?

Miranda had informed him of what she had done as they left the core back on Aite. He didn't mind. Part of him actually applauded her for taking the decision. He knew everyone who had found David would have had the same thoughts. Shepard knew he wanted to kill him. As slowly and as painfully as possible if given the choice. But then a part of him would have preferred him to be alive, so he could live with the guilt of what he had done to his own brother. But what's done is done. And he wasn't going to lose sleep about Archer being dead.

The sound of the docking cradle attaching itself to the ship echoed through the airlock, Chakwas wheeling the gurney into the decompression chamber. Once the cycle had completed, the hatch opened, revealing Sanders standing with another pair of scientists and what appeared to be a pair of doctors. There were also a pair of marines, not pointing weapons at them, but their rifles were being held at their sides.

Sanders walked forward. She looked at Shepard first. "Commander."

"Kahlee, it's good to see you." He glanced down at David for a moment before returning his attention. "I just wish it was under better circumstances." He gestured to the doctor beside him. "Kahlee, this is Doctor Chakwas."

"She doesn't need introducing, Shepard. David has told me all about her."

Chakwas walked forward with the gurney, before stopped alongside the group that had been waiting for them. The two females shared a brief handshake. "How is he, Doctor?" Kahlee asked.

"Considering everything he has been through, physically he is fine. He has wounds, though they are healing nicely. Psychologically… That I can't be sure of."

"Has he communicated with you yet?"

"He hasn't said anything since we found him," Shepard replied, "To be honest, we kept him sedated most of the time. We just… We just wanted to keep him calm after everything he was put through."

Kahlee grinned slightly. "I understand, Shepard. We can take him now."

"Actually, can I…" he trailed off, unsure if he could really ask.

"What is it, Shepard?"

"Can I just make sure he's safe and comfortable before I leave him?"

"Absolutely. We can show you a little of the Academy and also where he'll soon call home. Trust me, Shepard, he'll be completely safe with us. Well looked after. I read the report you sent to Anderson." She glanced at Chakwas. "You're welcome to join us too, Doctor?"

Chakwas looked pleased with the offer. "Thank you, Kahlee."

One of the doctors wheeled the gurney forwards as Shepard and Chakwas joined to one side and the other of Kahlee as they walked into Grissom Academy. She explained the reasons behind the establishment, the history and the purpose of the Academy. She explained how many children, teenagers and young adults would be learning at any one time. She talked about the success stories of the Academy. She also spoke a bit about the Ascension project, a program established to help youngsters with biotic talents develop their unique gifts. Shepard liked everything he heard about the place. He knew David was going to be safe from harm.

Eventually they arrived at the room David would soon call home. After transferring him across to what would now be his very own bed, one of the doctors stepped forward and started examining the young man. Shepard stood back as he worked, talking quietly with Kahlee. Mostly he explained everything he had witnessed. Kahlee shook her head from side to side every so often in disbelief. "He was a monster," she finally said once Shepard finished.

"If it's okay, Lieutenant, we'd like to start running some tests," one of the scientists stated.

Shepard looked at Kahlee with concern. She noticed immediately. "They are standard for any new inductee, Shepard. Nothing too taxing. We'd just like to gain a basic understanding of his gifts."

He glanced at David before looking back at Kahlee. "Okay. We'd better go. I'm sure the ship is probably attracting a lot of undue attention anyway."

He turned and started walking to the door with Kahlee and Chakwas when a voice brought him to a complete halt.

"The square root of 906.01 equals…"

He turned back to David, who was staring at him. He walked towards the bed, noticing the astonished looks the doctors and scientists gave him. "30.1," he said quietly.

"Commander Shepard. You made it stop."

He couldn't say anything in response. He could only see his vision start to blur. He could only feel the slight grin on his face spread, probably growing larger with each passing second.

"I like the quiet. Thank you."

He just nodded, unable to say anything in reply.

"Goodbye, Commander."

"Goodbye, David," he managed to choke out quietly before he turned and walked quickly out of the room. He came to a stop in the hallway outside, feeling it necessary to wipe his eyes. He noticed Chakwas look at him with a slight grin of her own. "Happy tears, Doc. Trust me, I'm not going to stand here and just completely break down. You have no idea how good this feels."

"I think I have a good idea. And I think you just made a friend for life, Shepard," she said quietly.

He turned to Kahlee, who had joined them in the hallway. "I know it won't be possible now, but would it be possible to… you know, visit in the future?"

"It is unusual but…" She grinned. "Send me a message and I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." He sighed. "We'd better go."

"I'll walk you back to your ship."

The trio chatted as they walked back to the ship, Kahlee explaining all the opportunities David would have at his fingertips once he had fully recovered from his ordeal. She could hear the concern in most of the questions Shepard threw her way, Kahlee doing everything to reassure the Commander that no child, teenager or young adult would come to any harm at Grissom Academy. She could see the sigh of relief Shepard had at the end. They came to a stop at the hatch of the Normandy.

"After everything you told me, it's just nice to know he has someone who cares about him out there," Kahlee stated.

"His brother did care for him, in his own way. But…" He shook his head at the memories.

"When will you next be on the Citadel?"

He shrugged. "Not too sure, in all honesty. Have you seen Anderson lately?"

She grinned, almost shyly. "Not as often as I'd like, but we make as much time for each other as possible."

"Good."

"He talks about you all the time, you know. It always starts out with 'One day, Shepard and I…' or 'Did I ever tell you about the time when Shepard…'" He nodded. He already figured that out. "I'll make sure I tell him about this one. He'll be proud as punch about what you've done here." He just nodded again. "It was good to see you, Shepard," she finished with, stepping forward and giving him a brief hug, before turning to Chakwas and shaking her hand.

"You too, Kahlee. Hopefully I'll see you again soon," Shepard replied, before he walked into the airlock, turning and giving a brief wave before the hatch closed. Once the cycle was complete, the pair walked out onto the gangway, turning to see his entire team was waiting in the CIC. He could feel the slight grin spread across his face as he strode forward, stopping just before the couple of stairs leading down. They all looked at him, eager for news. They didn't need to ask. He could feel the grin grow even larger, more than likely lighting up his entire face. He looked at the faces of his colleagues, nodding and smiling in return as they knew what he was going to say.

"He's okay. He's going to be okay."


A/N – To understand what all the planets mean and what happened, you'd have to read the first story 'Search for Saren'. As for Miranda, this is my own spin on her character development for this story and into the next. If you don't agree, so be it. But with everything Shepard could tell her about the very organisation she works for, wouldn't you be having a serious re-think about who or what you believe in?