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EDI insisted on joining Garrus and Shepard as they infiltrated the Cerberus headquarters. She had convinced Shepard that she would be needed to counteract any enhanced security measures with her advanced knowledge of Cerberus algorithms. It made sense to Garrus, although he also inclined toward Joker's view—having created both EDI and the body that carried her, Cerberus was in a unique position to disable the robot, and thus cripple the Normandy. Still, at some point you had to trust your companions, organic or synthetic, and Shepard trusted EDI. She seemed to share none of Joker's concerns, so Garrus put his own aside.

It turned out to be a good thing they had brought EDI, as their way in was through an external launching chamber, and if EDI hadn't been there to snoop on the system, Cerberus would have vented the chamber, leaving Shepard as space debris for a second time, and Garrus floating along with her. Not that he would have minded going so much if he was with her … but this was hardly the time, so close to getting the information they needed, taking their revenge on the Illusive Man, and winning this war.

The launching chamber was thoroughly locked down, but between EDI and Shepard, they found a way to blow it open, using one of Cerberus's own fighter jets, turned inward so it crashed through into the main facility. There was a lot of climbing through debris that was on fire and electric wiring that showered them with sparks, not to mention plowing through the men Cerberus sent to stop them. Garrus hated to shoot them, knowing now that these people used to be refugees, who had gone to Sanctuary looking for safety and found only indoctrination and death. At least he hoped once he killed them they would be at peace, in whatever afterlife they chose.

They came to a locked door that would lead them deeper into the facility, toward the protected areas where the Illusive Man was most likely to be hiding. EDI studied the locks. "This may take some time." Something blinked on her omni-tool and she glanced at it, then at Shepard. "There is a console over there that is still operational. I think you will find its contents interesting."

Shepard raised her eyebrows. She and Garrus shared a look, and then she activated the console. Two men appeared on the screen, one the Illusive Man. "What am I looking at, EDI?" she asked.

"Project Lazarus. Your reconstruction."

Garrus moved up behind Shepard—close enough for his comfort, far enough away for hers. She wouldn't want to be crowded.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed 'play'.

"I tell you, it can't be done," said the man on the screen. "It's not a matter of resources—there's nothing there to resurrect."

"It's always a matter of resources," the Illusive Man answered decisively. "We're not losing Shepard."

"There is no Shepard!" the other man retorted.

"We have her body. It's intact. Everything else is just data."

"Sir." The other man was holding on to his temper with some difficulty. "Shepard is clinically brain-dead. After that much trauma, that long with no oxygen … We cannot overcome nature."

"Operative Lawson disagrees." There was a pause while the Illusive Man weighed his options. "She is now in charge of Project Lazarus."

"Thank the spirits," Garrus whispered.

The video ended. Shepard stood staring at the screen. "I didn't realize it was that bad."

"That's pretty stark," Garrus agreed. It had been hard for him to watch, and he had already known how bad it had been. "You okay?"

"I'm still me," she declared. "I don't think I would have been able to turn against Cerberus otherwise. But I don't remember anything." Her voice trembled, near tears. "Maybe they fixed me—or maybe I'm really just a high-tech VI who only thinks it's Commander Shepard."

"Hey." Garrus stepped closer to her, bending his head to speak softly in her ear. "You're real. A little crazy, maybe, but real. I would know."

Shepard nodded, not looking at him. He could feel the unsteadiness in her breathing as she fought to keep calm. She pressed the button to watch the next video.

The same scientist approached the Illusive Man's hologram. "Tissue regeneration is proceeding. The helm kept the brain intact … for whatever good that will do."

"Lawson will find a way," the Illusive Man insisted.

"Sir, Shepard's an Alliance soldier. As far as she knows, we're a terrorist organization."

"I'm not looking for a dance partner. We need Shepard, and Shepard will need resources. She'll work with us."

"I did, too," she said bitterly as the video ended.

"He had you boxed in," Garrus pointed out.

"Every instinct I had told me not to trust Cerberus. But I needed their help … so I played along."

"I was there, remember? You did what you had to do. And you destroyed the Collector base and delayed the Reaper invasion, despite the Illusive Man's best efforts to stop you."

She played the third video.

With some surprise, the scientist said, "Project Lazarus is reporting neurological activity. They're requesting more funding."

The Illusive Man said, "Granted. Get me our potential recruits file. Shepard will be awake soon, and she'll need a crew."

"Sir, our existing forces should be more than sufficient …"

"You think that's good enough? This is Commander Shepard. She's used to working with a certain quality of people. We need to give them to her. If we're going to make sure she's invested, we'll need sympathetic faces. Tap Kelly Chambers, and recruit Donnelly. I imagine Miss Daniels will follow. We'll want some old friends as well. Contact Dr. Chakwas, and get me the psych profile on Shepard's pilot."

The video ended, the screen going black.

"Sneaky little bastard," Garrus said. "Used them to keep you from seeing the real Cerberus."

"And you?" Shepard whispered. "Garrus, did the Illusive Man know you were Archangel?"

"I don't know." It pained him to admit it. "He might have."

"He didn't try for Kaidan, because he knew Kaidan woud never work for Cerberus, but you …"

"Why would he have singled me out? As far as the Illusive Man would have known, I was nothing but another crew member to you before the first Normandy blew."

She turned around and looked up at him. "At the time, that's all you were. We hadn't found each other yet."

"No, Zia. No. You were— If I could have given my life for you that day, seen you safely off the ship, I would have. Archangel came into being because I had nothing else to live for. When I saw you that day through the scope on Omega, I—it was as if I could breathe again for the first time in two years." He put his hands on her shoulders. "That's how I know you're not some high-tech VI. As much as it means to me to be with you, if you weren't really you, some part of me would always know, would always be longing for the real Shepard, the one I lost before I ever had the chance to tell her how much I loved her. But I don't feel that way. I know that I have that Shepard back, that I got a second chance at a life I thought I could only ever dream of." His subharmonics cracked and wavered with the force of his emotion as he held her. "And if I am ever put in that situation again, know that I will die with you or for you before I take the chance of having to live without you for so much as another minute."

"Garrus." Her hands in their hard plastic gloves lifted to touch his mandibles.

"Shepard." EDI's voice cut gently through the moment. "The door is open."

"Okay." Shepard took a deep breath. She reached up and kissed Garrus quickly, a promise of more later, and then stepped back. "Okay. Let's do this."