The Lives and Deaths of Commander Shepard

by MosaicCreme

The essence that is Commander Shepard has fought the battle against the Reapers more times than she can count, only to find herself right back where it all started. Never the exact same body, never the same first name or history. The disembodied voice struggles to break her way through to the consciousness of her current incarnation, trying to find a way to break her own cycle.

34. Chapter 11: Ídolo

A/N: The original chapter 10 was broken into two parts, now chapters 10 and 11. Sorry for the confusion!

Chapter 11: Ídolo

It was long, slow work as they moved from building to building searching for civilians. Captain Toni was right, within the first two hours Shepard's team alone had found a total of forty civilian survivors held up in buildings. Half of them were dehydrated, and several were wounded. All of them panicked when they saw Legion, but James and the other locals were able to calm them down.

In the third hour, Legion stopped near a partially collapsed three-story building. They had moved away from the living areas and were entering the industrial areas of the mining colony.

"Shepard-Commander, there are life signs coming from this location," Legion said.

"Dios. How can anyone be alive under all of that?" James asked.

"Legion, can you pinpoint exact locations? How many are you seeing?" Shepard asked.

"There are four living organics, we have narrowed down their locations and are mapping the least restrictive route," Legion said.

"Legion, focus on figuring out what pieces of debris can be moved without causing a collapse. If we cause too much shifting, the debris could crush whoever is down there. An organic won't survive that," Shepard said.

"We understand, Shepard-Commander, and are taking this into consideration," Legion said.

"Garrus, Kirrahe?" Shepard said into her comm.

"Yeah?" Garrus said.

"I read," said Kirrahe.

"We've got life signs buried beneath a collapsed building. We're going to be here for a while," Shepard said.

"Do you want us to come to your position?" Garrus asked.

"No, not yet at least. Just stick to your sections and keep moving forward. I'll call you if we need assistance," Shepard said.

"Copy that," Kirrahe said.

"It'll be getting dark soon," Garrus said.

"Yeah, I'll have Vega radio Toni to have someone bring some lights and other supplies out. I'll check back with you in a half hour," Shepard said.

"Copy that," Garrus said.

"Vega, radio Captain Toni and give him the sitrep. We're going to need lights, water, rations, and blankets. Ask him to tell Dr. Chakwas we'll need her out here," Shepard said.

"You got it," James said.

"Shepard-Commander, we believe we have found an acceptable path to the first person. Biotic assistance will help keep the debris from shifting," Legion said.

"Excellent. You hear that Jack, you ready to be a hero?" Shepard asked with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck you. Alright, let's do this," Jack said.

"Captain Toni is sending out men with supplies, and your doctor is coming, too," James said walking back up to Shepard.

"Good. Vega, you ready to put those muscles of yours to use?" Shepard asked.

James made a show of flexing but the display was lost to the fact that he was still in armor. Shepard chuckled.

"Alright, Legion, walk us through this," Shepard said.

Legion moved around the area, stepping carefully, each movement carefully orchestrated after running complex mathematical equations to ensure that his steps would not cause the delicately balanced structure to collapse further. Shepard winced every time her less graceful movements caused something to slip. She saw the same reaction several times over on the other human faces around her.

With Legion's guidance, James and Zaeed lifted chunks of metal, broken furniture, and large shards of glass while Jack stabilized the area with her biotic field. Twice something started to slip and Legion was there, his mechanical strength catching things before it all came tumbling down. Shepard used her biotics, meager compared to Jack's, to help stabilize the area where she could. Micha and the other's helped to clear an area further away where Dr. Chakwas could tend to anyone they were able to save. They uncovered several bodies in the process and were carrying them away from the building to lay them out on the grass. Dr. Chakwas arrived in a shuttle with two marines who quickly went to work setting up flood lights and helping the others to clear the area.

"Wait, did you hear that?" James asked, pausing with a cracked tabletop in his hands.

"Yes," Legion responded.

"What? What is it?" Shepard asked.

"I think I heard someone calling for help. I think we're close," James said.

"Yes," Legion said.

"Alright, good. Try talking to them, Vega but keep working," Shepard said.

Shepard made her way to Dr. Chakwas. An hour had passed since they started moving debris and most of her area was cleared.

"Dr. Chakwas, we can hear the first person calling out now. They're conscious and we're getting close. Are you ready?" Shepard asked.

"Of course," Dr. Chakwas said.

Shepard nodded and activated her mic before taking a couple of steps away.

"We've nearly reached the first survivor. What's your status?" Shepard asked.

"Kirrahe here, we've covered three more sections and are moving on to the next area. We've located another twenty people. We're seeing fewer and fewer of them as we move further away from the Alliance camp," Kirrahe said.

"That was expected, unfortunately. Garrus where's your team?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard, we've found a building with several people… they're refusing to leave and they're acting strange. Something isn't right here," Garrus said.

"Acting strange how?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know… it reminds me a little bit of how you described the people on Feros," Garrus said.

"Could there be another thorian here? Or… is it indoctrination?" Jane mused.

"Shit, send me your coordinates and back away. Don't engage anyone just wait for me," Shepard said.

"You got it, sending them now," Garrus said.

Shepard checked the thermal clips on her weapons before turning back to Dr. Chakwas.

"Garrus' team may be in trouble. I have to go. I'll leave the others here," Shepard said.

"Alright, Commander," Dr. Chakwas said, watching as Shepard turned on her heel and made her way back to her team.

"You guys good here?" Shepard asked.

"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.

"Where you going?" Jack asked.

"I've got to get to Garrus' team, they've encountered a situation," Shepard said.

"Situation, right. Whatever," Jack said.

"I'll come with you," James said.

"No, you stay here and move things, pup. I'll go," Zaeed said.

"They need you here, Vega," Shepard said.

"No they don't, I'm just moving heavy shit. Mike or Rammel can do this. I know this place, Commander, and it's getting dark. Take me with you," James said.

Shepard pursed her lips in thought before waving at James.

"Alright, let's go," Shepard said. "We'll be on foot so we'll be running."

"Running? Eh, to hell with that. I'll stay and lift heavy shit," Zaeed said.

James laughed as he carefully set aside a chunk of metal wall and whistled loudly. He waved over one of the civilians. The man was probably in his forties and built like an ox, Shepard remembered his name was Mike and he worked one of the farms. Fehl Prime was a mining colony but someone had to keep the people fed.

"Mike, I'm going with the Commander. One of the other teams needs some help. Take over for me?" James asked the man.

"Sure, where do you need me?" Mike asked.

"Where ever the geth, uh, Legion, tells you to be. You need to listen to him, OK? He knows exactly where the people who are trapped under there are and what you can safely move without crushing them," James said.

"I can do that," Mike said.

"Good. Take turns with Rammel when you need a break. Tell him the same thing," James said.

Micha walked up then and said, "I can help… Jack. I'm not as strong as she is, not by a long shot but maybe I can handle some of the smaller things so she can save her strength for the bigger stuff."

"Jack, you think you can play nice with Micha?" Shepard asked.

"Fuck you, Shepard," Jack growled through clenched teeth as she used her biotics to move a large section of debris.

"I take that as a yes," Shepard said.

"Shepard-Commander, we have uncovered the target," Legion said.

Micha was on her stomach and reaching down into the hole when Shepard yelled, "Micha, wait!"

Micha paused and looked up.

"Dr. Chakwas, we need you over here now," Shepard yelled back towards the doctor.

Dr. Chakwas grabbed a bag and ran towards the dig team. She started assessing her patient, determining what injuries the young woman had and whether it was safe to move her yet. Shepard motioned to James and the two of them left the dig site while Dr. Chakwas gave orders to Mike and Micha on how to move the woman. The others were gathering around to watch in tense silence.

Shepard gave James the coordinates and let him take the lead. The two of them ran through the ruined colony of Fehl Prime, weaving around collapsed prefabs and smoldering fields until Shepard had eyes on Grunt's unmistakable form in the last vestiges of daylight. She scanned the area and soon spotted Garrus and Grundan Krul standing next to the group of civilians they had taken on the search. Shepard couldn't find Kasumi but that was no surprise. Essex wasn't too far away, leaning against a stack of crates. Shepard cursed; she had forgotten for a moment that they had civilians with them.

She tapped her radio and spoke, "Garrus, I'm coming up on your six."

"Yeah, I already heard you and that Vega, he makes damn near as much noise as Grunt," Garrus said.

Garrus turned his head to glance over his shoulder at Shepard and James before returning his eyes to a building about a hundred meters away.

"What is this place, Vega?" Shepard asked as the closed the distance to Garrus.

"Research labs. There are several of them on Fehl Prime," James said.

"What are they researching?" Shepard asked.

James shrugged and said, "Something to do with some prothean ruins nearby. Sorry, Commander, that's all I know."

"Prothean ruins… there could be another beacon nearby. But… I don't remember anything prothean causing people to act strange. Reaper and leviathan tech, the thorian sure, but that's about it I think. Maybe they're just being secretive, trying to protect what they've found," Jane said.

"We'll soon find out," Shepard thought.

Shepard and James reached Garrus and the others gathered closer.

"What do we have?" Shepard asked.

"There are at least ten men and women in there. Essex said they do research here, though he isn't sure on what. When we arrived, they were all just calmly going about their business like nothing had happened. The building looks untouched, no one inside seems hurt," Garrus said. "I asked them how they survived the collector attacks but they were evasive. Same thing when I asked what they were working on here. No surprise there really but when I tried to convince them to lock up the labs and head back to the camp until the area has been secured they refused."

"If they aren't hurt I don't see the problem," James said.

"It's just the way they all sounded. I don't know how to explain it Shepard but all of my years in C-Sec are yelling at me that something isn't right here," Garrus said.

Essex spoke up, "They are acting odd but I don't see how it's our concern. We should be looking for people who do need our help."

Shepard glanced toward the building. She hated going in blind, she had gotten far too used to Jane being able to tell her what to expect. She trusted Garrus' instincts so if he said something wasn't right, then something wasn't right. She needed to get the civilians out of here.

"Essex, I want you to lead the civilians back to the camp. If something is wrong here, we need them to get to safety," Shepard said.

"You're keeping James with you?" Jane asked.

"I am," Shepard thought without explanation.

"Essex could relieve Jack," James said.

"You're a biotic?" Shepard asked.

"A damn good one if I do say so myself," Essex said with a grin.

"Alright, take them and go to these coordinates. We've found survivors buried beneath debris. Jack is working to stabilize the area while others move stuff out of the way. She could probably use a break. Just listen to what Legion tells you to do," Shepard said.

"The geth?" he asked.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Shepard asked.

"No ma'am," Essex said.

"OK, head out Essex," she said.

Essex gathered up the few civilians that were with Garrus' team and left the way Shepard and James arrived. Shepard motioned to her team, moving them forward towards the building in silence. Shepard sent Grundan Krul to move counter-clockwise around the building while she moved clockwise. Garrus set up a sniper position while Grunt and James took up position by the door. Kasumi moved next to James and disappeared.

Shepard and Grundan Krul moved around the building noting exits and peering into any windows they could reach. Shepard stopped next to a window and glanced inside, staying low and to the side. She saw three men in white and green lab coats standing over a metal slab. Their backs were to the window and they were blocking her view of whatever they had on that slab. She watched a moment longer and one of them moved to the side. Shepard caught a glimpse of a blue glow before another moved and she saw the lifeless eyes of a husk lying on the table.

Shepard activated her mic and spoke in a hushed tone, "I've got three men doing something to a husk on this side. I'm moving forward."

"That doesn't really tell us much. There were husks with the collectors. It wouldn't have been too difficult for them to snag one during the battle," Jane said.

"You're right," Shepard thought. "Let's see what else we can find."

Just before Shepard reached the next window, Grundan Krul's voice came through her ear piece.

"There's no one in this room. Just a strange light, I can't see what's making the light it's just there hovering in the middle of some structure," Grundan Krul said.

"Reaper artifact," Shepard and Jane said together.

"I'm coming to your location," Shepard said.

Shepard ducked low and ran along the outer wall of the building. She stopped at the edge of the wall to peer around the corner before continuing on to where she saw Grundan Krul crouched outside of a window halfway down the building. He glanced over at her when he caught sight of her movement. Shepard stopped across from Grundan Krul at the windows other corner and peered inside.

"Fuck," Shepard whispered.

"What is it?" Grundan Krul asked.

"Reaper artifact, I think," Shepard said. "We've seen these before in locations with reaper and heretic activity. Let's get back to the others. I've seen what I need to see."

Grundan Krul nodded and followed Shepard back around to the front of the building. Shepard activated her mic along the way.

"Confirmed reaper and/or heretic tech in the lab. Occupants likely to be indoctrinated. We're moving back your way, prepare for entry and expect hostile activity," Shepard said.

"Copy that," Garrus replied.

"Commander, I should call Captain Toni," James said.

"Belay that, Vega. They likely already know where here, we need to move on this and secure this location immediately," Shepard said.

"You're the boss," James said.

"Vega, I need you to be sure about this if you're going in there with us. You can't hesitate, are you good?" Shepard asked.

"I'm good, Commander," James said.

Shepard and Grundan Krul rounded the corner and met back up with James and Grunt at the same time as Garrus. The door had been locked from the inside. Grundan Krul stepped up and opened his omni-tool, bypassing the doors lock before looking to Shepard. Shepard nodded and Grundan Krul slammed his fist against the door's release and stepped aside. The door slid open and Shepard peered in, the entryway was empty.

She motioned her men inside and they secured the area while she moved into position at the next door. Once her team was in place, Grundan Krul opened the door. Shepard glanced inside and saw four men in lab coats armed with pistols. They started firing at the door and Shepard ducked her head back in cover.

"This is Council Spectre Commander Shepard. Lower your weapons and you won't be harmed," Shepard yelled loud enough for the men in the room to hear her.

They acknowledged her announcement with more shots fired towards her location.

"This is your last warning; lower your weapons, now!" Shepard yelled again.

"The Council has no jurisdiction here, Spectre. You can't stop us. You can't stop any of this!" one of the men said.

The gunfire continued. Shepard nodded to her team before returning fire. She took one of the researchers down with one shot through the chest. Garrus ducked into the room and squatted behind a desk. Shepard shot another researcher in the shoulder. A door opened in the room and several more men and women in lab coats rushed in. Grundan Krul was in next, taking cover opposite of Garrus. Shepard laid covering fire while Grunt charged in and slammed the nearest researcher against a wall, cracking his skull. Kasumi disappeared before reappearing behind one of the men and stabbing him in the kidney. Grunt let the body slump unconscious, probably even dead, to the floor before turning his shotgun on the next man and blasting a hole through his abdomen.

"Dios. They're not even wearing armor," James muttered.

"Keep it together, Vega," Shepard said firing into the room while James moved forward to crouch next to Grundan Krul.

"This is going to haunt him," Jane said.

"Cover me," Shepard said.

Garrus sent a spray of rounds from his assault rifle while Shepard ran in and took cover next to him. The researchers were dropping like flies. James was right, this felt wrong these were civilians even if they were firing on her team. Shepard shoved the thought away; it came with the territory sometimes even if she didn't like it. Shepard popped out of cover and put a bullet through the head of a researcher before ducking again.

James grit his teeth and fired his assault rifle at the last two men standing. Shepard stood from cover and moved to secure the door that the others had entered from. Her team moved to her location after making sure that the researchers were down for good. Shepard opened the door and advanced down the hall, stopping as the first door on the right slid open at her approach. She pressed her back against the wall and motioned to her team before peering inside.

Two women in lab coats worked furiously at consoles. Their backs were turned to Shepard as she stepped into the room and leveled her gun at the women.

"Step away from the consoles and get on the ground," Shepard said.

One of the women spun around to face Shepard. Her face was crossed with thin vein-like markings the same eerie blue as the husks. The blue light formed a web down her throat and disappeared beneath her shirt collar. The woman threw her head back and opened her mouth, squaring her shoulders. Shepard didn't know what the hell the woman was going to do but she didn't hesitate, pulling her trigger. The bullet hit the woman in the chest but she didn't go down. The second woman turned and flung a biotic Warp at Shepard. Shepard saw it coming and just barely dodged out of the way, knocking over a chair in the process.

Shepard regained her footing and leveled her pistol at the half-husk woman and fired off three more rounds. The woman took two stumbling steps forward before collapsing on the floor in convulsions. A gray fluid seeped out of her wounds, swirling and mixing with the bright red of her blood. Shepard felt herself thrown back by a Shockwave a heartbeat before the second woman was taken out by Kasumi's shadow strike. Her shoulder slammed into the wall and she groaned as pain lanced through her arm.

"Shit, Commander, you alright?" James asked.

Garrus chuffed followed by a chuckle.

"Yeah, James – Vega, sorry. I'm alright," Shepard said with her own laugh.

She pulled herself to her feet and rotated her shoulder to make sure it wasn't dislocated.

James shrugged and said, "You can call me James. I don't mind. Uh, what's so funny?"

Shepard shook her head but Garrus walked over and patted the marine on his shoulder.

"You think a little toss like that would take Shepard down? Hell, that wasn't even enough to piss her off," Garrus said.

"Yeah, right. I guess I forgot who she was for a minute. I mean she's just so tiny," James said.

Shepard snorted and glanced around the room. She caught a small smile on Grundan Krul's mouth and her eyebrow twitched in surprise. Kasumi was waving her omni-tool over a console.

"Hehehehe," Grunt chuckled.

"Alright, alright. C'mon. You can make fun of me later," Shepard said.

James held up a hand and said, "Hey now, I wasn't making fun, Commander. I'm just saying that, you know, someone your size… that had to really hurt."

Garrus chuffed and said, "You're not helping your case."

"Hehehehe," Grunt chuckled again.

Shepard shook her head and moved back to the door, glancing out into the hall before leaving the room. The next door on the left was locked. She attempted to bypass it herself but it was beyond her capabilities. She motioned to Grundan Krul and he set to work. She had to admit that the batarian was a magician when it came to tech. Ten seconds later and the door slid open. It was the room Shepard saw first, where the men were working on a husk. The husk lay strapped to the slab, its chest cut open and its ribs spread apart but the men were gone. The circular implant that was once on the husk's chest now lay in a metal bowl off to the side. The husk turned its head towards the door and let out a groan, struggling against its bindings.

"Spirits, it's still alive," Garrus said.

Shepard crossed the room and put the barrel of her pistol against the husk's head before pulling the trigger. The shot ripped through the husk's skull, sending gray fluid splattering across the wall on the other side. She turned back around and walked back out of the room without a word.

"So, uh, what are those things?" James asked.

"We call them husks. We fought them a lot when we were after Saren. The geth heretics used reaper technology to turn humans into… that. They're mindless and attack on sight," Garrus said.

"Yeah, we fought some of them with the collectors… so they were human, once?" James asked.

"Yeah," Shepard said.

"So, if the husks were made by reaper tech… and the collectors are using husks, does that mean that the collectors are working with the reapers?" James asked.

"Bingo," Shepard said.

"We've got to tell the Alliance, the Council. I mean, they'll have to get involved then, won't they?" James asked.

Garrus chuffed. Shepard glanced back over her shoulder at James and shook her head at the marine's naiveté.

"I already have, Vega. They aren't paying me much more attention than they did when I warned them about Sovereign," Shepard said.

"Damn," James said seemingly at a loss for words.

"Yeah," Shepard said again before pressing her back against the wall next to a door.

The room held a pile of collector and husk corpses. Each one had been cut open and parts removed. Reaper tech removed. Shepard glanced around the room to make sure no one else was in there before moving on to the next door. The door slid open as they neared it and whoever was inside wasted no time firing out into the hall. Shepard and her team pressed themselves against the walls and returned fire. When the room was clear, Shepard moved in and looked around. There were more slabs set up with dissected collector corpses. The humans – if they could be called that anymore – lay dead on the floor.

Shepard used the toe of her boot to flip a man over onto his back. He had somehow stripped a collector of its chitinous plating and fused it to his own skin. Another man had the same fading blue glow that the half-husk woman did but he also had implanted himself with the chest piece that the husks had.

"Well that's creepy," Kasumi said.

"They did this to themselves? Dios, why?" James asked.

"They have a reaper artifact in the back. It makes people do crazy things. Worse part is, most of the time, they don't even realize they've been indoctrinated. They think these things are their choice, that they're still in control but they've convinced themselves that what they're doing is for the best," Shepard said.

"What about us? Is this going to happen to us?" James asked, the first sign of fear creeping into his voice.

"No, it takes time. These people didn't know what they found. They probably unearthed it somewhere near the prothean ruins and brought it back here to study. They would have been here with it for days, maybe even weeks before they were really gone," Shepard said. "Come on, let's keep moving."

Shepard led them to the next door, and the next, and the next. Most of them were empty save for evidence of horrendous experiments, but a few had researchers still inside scrambling to save their work or determined to defend it from Shepard and her crew. They neared the back of the building where Shepard and Grundan Krul saw the reaper artifact. Unsurprisingly, resistance increased as they got closer. Shepard and her crew were forced to take cover from an unexpected enemy.

Cerberus commandos filed out of the rooms lining the back wall of the building. Shepard ordered her crew to cover as the commandos spread out to form a living wall between Shepard and the room with the reaper artifact. One of the commandos stepped forward and took off his helmet, holding it under his arm he spoke towards the partition James was pressed against.

"Vega, you shouldn't be here," the man said.

Shepard's eyes darted to James. He peered around the partition and looked at the man before ducking back behind the wall. Shepard could see the fire in James' eyes from her location opposite of him.

"Messner? You're with Cerberus?" James asked.

"Mmm. It's too bad that you're here, Vega. I actually liked you. Your friends here are working for Cerberus too, you know. Or did you not see the shuttles they came in?" Messner said.

James' eyes shot to Shepard and she thought she saw the same look of betrayal and disgust flash across his eyes that she remembered seeing so many times in Ashley and Kaidan's eyes. Shepard clenched her jaw and shook her head. She felt something inside of her break. Something inside of Jane break.

"It's not what you think, Vega," Shepard said.

"Dios, it's true? You're with Cerberus? I mean, yeah, I saw the shuttles but when a bunch of aliens walked out I thought… I don't know, I guess I thought you recovered them on a mission or something," James said turning his gun towards Shepard.

"Don't be stupid, Vega," Garrus said pointing his assault rifle at James.

"Vega, listen to me. Yes, I'm working with Cerberus temporarily to take down the collectors. The Council, the Alliance, they weren't able to take real action because the attacks are happening outside of Council space," Shepard said.

"That's right, Vega, we just want to take down the collectors. That's why we're here. We're looking for an antidote to the seeker venom. When we find it, it'll be passed along to Shepard," Messner said.

"Messner was it?" Shepard asked. "I strongly urge you to shut the fuck up. Do not think for even a second that I won't put a bullet through your head."

"Come on, Shepard! We're on the same side here," Messner said.

"No Messner, we're not. We're really, really not," Shepard said. "Vega look at me. I'm still me, Vega. I'm still Commander Shepard. I'm still a Council Spectre. The Council knows of my temporary affiliation with Cerberus, the Alliance knows, too. Alright? This is just the way things need to be for now but I am not one of them."

James licked his lips and slowly nodded his head, turning his attention back to Messner. Garrus lowered his rifle.

"Messner, if you're here looking for an antidote, why are you protecting a reaper artifact?" Shepard asked.

"Shepard, you got it all wrong. This is an excellent find, we're studying this. Learning what we can about the reapers. This will help us win the war, Shepard," Messner said.

"Messner, that's an active reaper artifact in there. It's indoctrinating you. Look around you, Messner. Look at the things that these people have done to themselves. That's not going to help us win the war," Shepard said.

"No, you don't understand. We're learning so much. There is so much knowledge here to be gained, so much that humanity can learn and use," Messner said.

"Screw this, you're insane just like all the rest of these culos," James said before ducking out of cover and firing on Messner.

Shepard turned against the wall and opened fire. Soon, the hall was filled with the deafening sounds of fire and screams of pain. Shepard hit Messner with a Reave, draining the last of the life from the Cerberus operative. Grunt rushed past Shepard and slammed into one of the commandos before ramming the butt of his rifle into the man's helmeted face. Shepard sent a Shockwave down one side of the hall, knocking back three operatives before firing at them. Grundan Krul threw out a proximity mine that triggered as soon as the first commando got back to his feet. The commando was thrown back again.

Shepard pulled another into the air and Garrus shot him back down again. Grunt slammed into another commando and bashed his head repeatedly against the wall before swinging around with his shotgun to blast a lovely dent into the armored chest of another. Kasumi moved invisibly through the hall using overloading the commandos shields and using her shadow strike to stab them when their backs were turned. James finished off the final commando with his assault rifle before turning to look at Shepard, chest heaving.

"I'm sure you have questions, Vega. Let's get this place secure and I'll tell you everything I can," Shepard said.

James licked his lips and nodded. Shepard nodded in return before moving to check on the final rooms. She saved the larger door in the middle of the hall for last, knowing that would be where she would find the artifact. Shepard moved down the hall to the left of the big door. The door at the end of the hall held a living collector. It was suspended in a golden liquid inside of a tank, not dissimilar to the one Grunt had been inside when she first found him.

"We can use this," Jane said.

"Are they growing them in tanks?" Grunt asked stepping into the room to stand behind Shepard.

Together they stared at the collector. It didn't seem to be conscious but it was still alive if the beeping of the machines next to the tank were any indication. Shepard pointed to the wound in the collector's side.

"He's been shot," Kasumi said.

"I think they found him on the battlefield. Whatever this is, I think it's keeping him alive. Gods only know why," Shepard said.

"It's weak, you should kill it," Grunt said.

"Maybe…," Shepard said.

"And maybe Mordin can use it," Garrus finished her thought.

Shepard turned to see Garrus leaning against the door frame watching her.

"Is that wrong?" Shepard asked.

Garrus shrugged a shoulder and said, "It's war, Shepard. Do what needs to be done."

"Leave it for now. It isn't going anywhere," Shepard said.

"Dawn, you know this could be invaluable. It could give us the edge we're looking for," Jane said.

"Yeah. I know. It just… I don't know. They're like the husks. They were people once, protheans. I mean it's one thing to gather data and run experiments on the dead, but this… it's still alive," Shepard thought.

"No it's not. That's not life. Not anymore," Jane said.

Shepard left the room and moved to the next door. She hit the release and the door slid open to reveal containment cells lining the walls. Each cell held a human prisoner. Terrified eyes turned to the door as Shepard walked in. James rushed into the room and the people began to stand, banging on the glass doors of their cells; screaming James' name. James moved to one of the cells and started to open the door.

"Vega, wait," Shepard said.

"Wait? These people are from the colony, they need our help!" James said.

"I know Vega, listen. How long have they been here? That artifact is in the next room. When did you last see these people?" Shepard asked.

Realization struck James like a ton of bricks and slowly he backed away from the cell shaking his head. The woman in the cell he had been about to open began sobbing and banged harder on the glass.

"I… I don't know," James said his eyes scanning over the faces behind the glass. "Before the collectors hit. That was what, two, three days ago? I'm not even sure anymore."

"OK, Vega, listen to me. You need to call Captain Toni and tell him what we've found. Warn him that these colonists might be compromised. There isn't any way to tell for sure, other than to put them under observation but the longer we leave them here the higher the chance of that happening," Shepard said.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll call him now," James said walking out of the room.

"Help us! Oh God, please help us!" the woman yelled.

Shepard approached the glass and looked the woman over. It didn't look as if she had been harmed in any way other than a few bruises. She wasn't implanted with anything and didn't have any fresh scars indicating that they had done anything to her.

"Ma'am, my name is Commander Shepard. I know you're scared and you want to get out of there. Vega is calling this in to his CO, and we're going to try to help you," Shepard said turning around to meet the eyes of every prisoner. "All of you. But for now, for your safety and ours, we have to leave you in there."

"No! No, you can't leave us in here, please!" the woman screamed.

"What's your name?" Shepard asked.

"Samantha," she said.

"Samantha, there is a device in the next room that might have affected you. You may not even realize that it has affected you. But if it has, then letting you out before help arrives could be very dangerous. Do you understand?" Shepard asked.

"Are we sick? Did they make us sick?" Samantha asked frantically.

"I don't know, Samantha. Maybe, it is possible," Shepard said.

"Oh God," Samantha said before sliding down the back of her cell to hid her face in her knees.

"That didn't help," Jane said.

"What was I supposed to say?" Shepard thought.

"I… I don't know," Jane said.

Shepard glanced around at the other cells again. They all seemed to have come to the same conclusion as Samantha and looked twice as terrified as they did before. She cursed herself silently before asking Garrus to take the others to check the other rooms.

"Leave the middle room alone for now," Shepard said.

Garrus nodded and left, taking Grundan Krul and Grunt along with him. Shepard let herself sink down into a chair and watched the prisoners until James came back.

"Captain Toni is on his way with the rest of the Delta Squad. They're coming in shuttles to secure the colonists and take them back to the camp for observation," James said.

Shepard nodded and leaned her head back against the wall.

"Shepard, we've got more colonists in cells down here," Garrus said over the comm.

"Alright, I'm coming," Shepard said standing to her feet.

"There are more of them down there. I'm going to go try to calm them down, why don't you stay in here so these people know we're not abandoning them?" Shepard said.

"Yeah," James said, sounding defeated.

Shepard left the room and made her way down the hall to Garrus. Like the last room, this one was lined with glass cells as well, and each cell held a colonist. Shepard did a quick count, there were fourteen people between the two rooms and three of those in the second room were children. Kasumi crouched in front of one of the tanks holding a small girl; she looked to be about the same age as April. Kasumi had her hand pressed to the glass and was talking quietly to the girl through the glass. The little girl stayed curled up in a ball, completely unresponsive to Kasumi. Shepard fought back the urge to go shoot Messner's corpse in the face.

"My name is Commander Shepard. You are safe now. Captain Toni is on his way to move you all to a safe location for observation. We need to be sure that you aren't a danger to anyone before you are released. I know that this has been difficult for all of you, but please try to stay calm," Shepard said.

"Observation? Why the hell do we need to be placed under observation? Let me the hell out of here!" a man yelled.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I can't do that. Please, just try to stay calm," Shepard said.

"Screw that! Let me out of here, now! That's my son over there. My boy needs me, let me out! " the man bellowed.

On cue, the little boy started to wail for his father. Shepard clenched her teeth and walked out into the hall. She paced the floor in front of the dead Cerberus commandos feeling the rage roil up inside of her. She stopped in front of Messner's body and pulled out her pistol. Shepard started firing into the man's corpse. Garrus came running out of the room at the sound of gunfire. His assault rifle was up and his eyes searched the hall for enemy targets. Grunt and Grundan Krul were at his heels. James rushed out from the other room, his movements mimicking Garrus'. Her crew stopped when they realized that there was no threat and Shepard was firing into a dead man.

When Shepard's clip emptied, she pulled the trigger three more times before kicking the dead man instead. Garrus slowly made his way to Shepard and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in against him. She put her head against his armored chest, her own chest heaving and hot tears of rage stinging the back of her eyes.

"Give us a minute," Garrus said.

Garrus held Shepard in silence until her breathing leveled out and she pulled away.

"I'm alright," she said.

"You sure? There are a few more dead people here we can shoot if you want," Garrus said.

Shepard snorted and said, "Nah, waste of good ammo. I'm good."

Twenty minutes later and James reported that Captain Toni had arrived. He was headed back to the front of the facility to lead his team to the colonists. Shepard told Grunt to go with him just in case they missed anyone on the way in. A few minutes later James and Grunt returned leading Captain Toni and his men down the hall. Grunt moved to stand beside Shepard while James fell in line with the rest of the Delta Squad. Captain Toni came to a stop in front of Shepard and she saluted him out of habit.

"Commander, I'm hoping that you can explain to me the horrors I just saw on the way in here and why exactly it is that you haven't released these prisoners?" Captain Toni said.

"Yes, sir. It will be easiest to show you," Shepard said.

Captain Toni nodded and Shepard moved to the door. Grundan Krul hacked through the lock and Shepard hit the door release. The doors slid open to reveal a large, claw-like structure that formed a cage around a floating light. Captain Toni took a few steps forward and Shepard held out a hand to stop him from entering the room.

"You don't want to get too close, sir. This is a reaper artifact. It's not the first of its kind we've seen. With prolonged proximity, the artifact is capable of indoctrinating those around it. I believe that the research team here found the artifact, and not understanding what it was, brought it back here for study. Unfortunately, this exposed them to indoctrination," Shepard said before closing the door again. "The things that you saw on your way in are evidence of the indoctrination process, sir. The men and women of this facility were made insane by the artifact and began experimenting on themselves, using reaper tech harvested from collectors and husks."

Captain Toni watched Shepard in silence before dropping his gaze to the dead bodies at her feet.

"And Cerberus?" Captain Toni asked.

"I was unaware that there was a Cerberus presence here, sir. They claimed to be searching for an antidote to the collector's seeker swarms. I believe that they were indoctrinated as well, however," Shepard said.

"And you killed them?" Captain Toni asked.

"We did, sir," Shepard said.

"Captain Toni, sir?" James said.

Captain Toni turned to look at James.

"That one there, you can't tell it's him anymore, sir, but it was Messner," James said.

"Messner? The merchant?" Captain Toni asked.

"Yes, sir," James said.

Captain Toni turned his gaze back to Shepard and said, "So you think that the colonists being held here might be indoctrinated?"

"It is possible, sir. They could be and not even know it themselves. I recommend taking them in for observation for at least a few days before allowing them to be released back into the general population," Shepard said.

"Where are they?" Captain Toni asked.

Shepard turned and pointed to the two rooms and said, "I recommend taking them out only one or two at a time and securing them for transport. There are… there are children in this room."

Shepard stepped out of the way and let Captain Toni's men do what they had come to do. She walked back to the room with the collector and called EDI.

"EDI, please access whatever files you can from the servers at my location and patch me through to Mordin," Shepard said.

Garrus leaned against the door frame and watched Shepard as she paced.

"Shepard. Very busy with data. How can I help?" Mordin asked.

"Mordin we found a research facility down here full of indoctrinated people. They found a reaper artifact and were foolish enough to bring it back to their labs. They've been doing experiments on collectors and husks taken from the battle field. We found a collector in a tank. I think it's still alive," Shepard said.

"Excellent find, Shepard. Bring it to the Normandy. Will run tests," Mordin said.

"I thought you'd say that. EDI transfer any relevant data to Mordin. I'll get Miranda over here, she'll probably know what to do to keep the collector alive while we move it. Shepard out," she said.

"It's the right call, Dawn," Jane said.

"Yeah," Shepard thought although she still wasn't completely convinced.

Captain Toni walked over to the door and peered past Garrus. Garrus didn't step out of the captain's way so he stayed outside of the room.

"They were keeping it alive?" Captain Toni asked.

"Seems so," Garrus said.

"I don't think I've seen anything quite so crazy as this place," Captain Toni said.

"Regretfully, I can't say the same," Garrus said.

"Are you guys taking it with you?" Captain Toni asked nodding towards the collector.

Garrus looked to Shepard and she nodded.

"Mordin might be able to gather some useful information from studying it, something to give us an edge," Shepard said. "How uh, how's the rescue efforts going, sir?"

"Your geth is something special, that's for sure. I've never seen a rescue go so smoothly and so quickly before. They had the third person out when Vega's call came in about this place. What that Legion is doing, I've seen a rescue like that take days," Captain Toni said.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it's going so well," Shepard said. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I need to get Miranda down here to help transport this thing."

"Of course, we're about done with the colonists. Commander, I hate to admit it but I am at a loss as to what to do with that artifact. Clearly it wouldn't be wise to just leave it here," Captain Toni said.

"I'd suggest a strategic explosion, sir," Shepard said.

"Shep, your answer for everything is an explosion," Kasumi said appearing beside Shepard.

"Gets the job done," Shepard said.

Captain Toni's lip twitched in what might have been the start of a smile before he nodded his head and walked back towards the rooms with the cells.

"Miranda, Shepard here, do you copy?" Shepard spoke into her mic.

"Yes, Shepard, I'm here," Miranda's voice responded.

"I need you to take one of the shuttles and come to my location. Ask EDI to program the coordinates for you," Shepard said.

"Right away, Commander," Miranda said.

Shepard stepped back out into the hall and watched as the last of the colonists were being led from the first room. James walked out behind a man holding him firmly by the arm. The man struggled against James and the restraints they had placed on his wrists. James seemed unfazed by the man's attempts to free himself, however, and expertly guided the man down the hall whether he liked it or not.

Shepard and Garrus followed them out of the facility and watched as they were loaded into the last Alliance shuttle and the doors closed behind them. James stood talking with his CO for a moment by the last shuttle. Captain Toni nodded his head and climbed inside leaving James behind. James watched as the shuttle took off and made his way back to Shepard.

"Not going with them?" Shepard asked, painfully aware of how exhausted her voice sounded.

"Building's secure, thought maybe I could ask you some of those questions," James said.

Garrus squeezed Shepard's hand before going back inside. Shepard nodded her head and sat down in the dirt against the wall. She stared up at the night sky while James shifted around nervously, towering over her.

"Sit down, James. I don't bite," Shepard said.

"That's a shame," James said sliding down the wall next to Shepard. "I mean, uh…"

"That's alright James, you're not the first shameless flirt I've met," Shepard said.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm shameless," James said leaning his assault rifle against the wall next to him.

Shepard chuckled and asked, "So, what do you want to know first?"

"How'd you end up working with Cerberus? No, wait, how'd you end up back from the dead?" James asked.

"They have the same answer, ultimately. After the Normandy was attacked – by a collector ship, by the way," Shepard said turning her head to look at James.

"No shit?" he asked.

She nodded and continued, "My body was recovered by agents of the Shadow Broker from Alchera. One of my crew got me back from them and handed me over to Cerberus."

"Why would they do that? And why would the Shadow Broker want a dead body?" James asked.

"The Shadow Broker was going to trade me to the collectors. They gave me to Cerberus because Cerberus promised that they could bring me back to life," Shepard said. "So, I was on a metal slab in a Cerberus facility for two years while they pieced me back together and used cybernetic implants to get me up and running again."

Shepard felt Jane retreat into the recesses of her mind. She could feel the agitation teetering on the brink of insanity rolling off of Jane anytime the subject came up. Shepard did her best to avoid details when she had to talk about it because if she didn't, she knew Jane would start her mad ranting about cutting and scraping all over again.

"You're serious?" James asked.

"Yep," Shepard said popping the 'p'.

"Why'd they do it, though?" James asked.

Shepard smirked and said, "Because I was all of humanities 'bloody idol' and because they believed me about the reaper threat. Then human colonies started disappearing. They brought my ass back from the dead to save the galaxy."

"Damn," James whispered.

"Yeah, no pressure or anything," Shepard scoffed.

"So, you stayed with them because they brought you back?" James asked.

"Fuck no. Like I said, I went to the Council and talked to them about the collector attacks. Told them I thought it was connected to the reapers but they just insisted that there was not enough evidence to make such an assertion and that there was nothing they could do about it because all of the abductions where outside of Council space," said Shepard. "Nothing the Alliance could really do either without starting a war. So, they reinstated my Spectre status to give me what support they could and basically told me good luck."

Shepard could feel James' eyes on her as she watched the stars.

"I've been giving Councilor Anderson everything I can find on Cerberus, the collectors, and the reapers. When this is through, I'm going to find the man in charge of Cerberus and I'm going to put a bullet between his eyes," Shepard said.

"Maybe two bullets. One for me, Commander," James said.

"Empty the whole damn clip in him," Jane said pulling herself back together again.

"I can do that," Shepard said turning to look at the marine. "You can call me Shepard, James. I'm not giving you orders right now."

James chuckled, "Alright, Shepard. This is seriously FUBAR."

"It's only going to get worse," Shepard said.

"Doesn't it always?" James asked.

"Yeah, seems so," Shepard said.

"Hey, so that Legion, I noticed he's got a piece of N7 armor patched into him. What's that about?" James asked after a minute spent in silence.

Shepard smiled and said, "He went looking for me after the Citadel. Followed my trail as I cleaned up heretic hold outs. Trail ended on Alchera. He found a piece of my old armor and used it to patch part of a much larger hole. I had Jacob help fix him up the rest of the way when we brought him on board. I told him he could keep the N7 bit. I think it's important to him. Well, as important as something like that could be to him."

"Sounds like you're the geth's idol, too. Hey, there's a shuttle coming," James said.

"It's Miranda. I called her. We're taking that collector in the tank back to the ship so Mordin can do his mad scientist thing and help us to figure out ways to fight these sons-of-bitches," Shepard said.

"Need help getting it loaded up?" James asked.

"Yeah, probably. If you're not too tired," Shepard said.

James stood up and extended his hand to Shepard. She slid her palm into his and laughed when he made a show of using far more force than necessary to lift her off the ground.

"Come on, Shepard. I mean, look at me. I don't tire that easy," James said wagging his eyebrows.

"Shameless," Shepard said.

"Nah," James said as the shuttle landed. "I just know I'm good."

Miranda stepped out of the shuttle and walked towards Shepard and James. James let out a soft whistle as he watched Miranda's hips sway. Her mostly white, skin tight uniform really stood out against the dark night.

"She's Cerberus?" James said.

"Yep," Shepard said popping the 'p'. "For now."

"Damn," James said. "What do you mean for now?"

"I'm working on her, Jacob too. They're starting to see what Cerberus really is," Shepard said.

"You think you can get them to leave Cerberus?" James asked.

"In time," Shepard said.

"Hey, introduce me to her," James said.

"Commander, is everything alright?" Miranda asked once she got close enough to be heard.

"Miranda, thanks for coming so fast. I need your expertise. We've found a collector being kept alive in some sort of tank. Similar to what Grunt was in, I need you to help me figure out how to move it back to the Normandy without it dying," Shepard said.

"Wait, Grunt was in a tank?" James asked.

"Yeah, he was… grown, basically, by a krogan warlord attempting to make the perfect krogan," Shepard said.

"Huh," James said.

"A living collector? Intriguing. Has Mordin been informed?" Miranda asked.

"Yeah, he wants it brought back," Shepard said.

"I see, well where is it?" Miranda asked.

"I'll take you in, but first, let me give you the details. The researchers at this facility found a reaper artifact and brought it back to the labs," Shepard began.

"Indoctrinated, then, I suppose?" Miranda asked.

"Exactly. They've been doing experiments on themselves, taking reaper tech from the husks and collectors and using it on themselves. There was a Cerberus presence here. A man called Messner said they were sent here to find an antidote to the seeker venom," Shepard said.

"Was?" Miranda asked.

"Was. They were indoctrinated too; I had no choice but to put them down. We found rooms with colonists being held prisoner. Some children, even. Captain Toni and his men have taken them back to the camp to be held for observation until it can be determined whether they were exposed long enough to be indoctrinated. I had EDI search the facilities files and forward anything relevant to Mordin," said Shepard.

"Children? Very well then, where is the collector?" Miranda asked again.

Shepard nodded her head towards the building and started leading Miranda to the collector. James cleared his throat and glanced at Shepard.

"Right, sorry. James Vega meet Miranda Lawson. Miranda, James," Shepard said over her shoulder.

Miranda stopped long enough to turn to James and shake his hand politely before continuing forward.

"So… uh, you work for Cerberus, huh?" James said.

"I do," Miranda said coolly.

Shepard knew that this was going to end with Miranda walking all over the marine's hopes but she just couldn't help herself from playing devil's advocate.

"You know, James. Miranda is the one that brought me back," Shepard said.

"Really? That's amazing. I'd love to hear –," James started.

"No," Miranda said.

"No?" James asked.

Shepard snickered and tried to cover it with a cough.

"That was mean," Jane said.

"Then why are you laughing?" Shepard thought.

"No, you would not like to hear about how I did it, you probably wouldn't understand the first thing about it and no, I am not interested in spending time with you, hooking up with you, getting to know you, or having a drink with you. Does that cover it?" Miranda asked.

"Ouch!" James said with a laugh. "Your loss."

"I highly doubt that," Miranda said.

James hissed and said, "Oh, you wound me. Can't even leave a man his pride."

Shepard glanced back over her shoulder and saw that James had stopped in the hall and covered his heart with both hands. Miranda had a coy smile on her face as she continued to walk.

"I think you'll live, James. Come on," Shepard said.

James jogged to catch back up with Shepard and Miranda as they turned the corner and headed to the room with the collector. Garrus and the others were gathered talking idly amongst themselves when Shepard walked in. Miranda walked straight over to the tank and began examining the equipment keeping the collector alive.

"You set me up, Shepard," James said.

"Maybe," Shepard said with a smile.

"I miss something?" Garrus asked.

"Just James getting his balls taken away from him by Miranda," Shepard said.

"Nah, I still got my cojones. They're too big for her to handle," James said.

"Heh. I bet mine are bigger, pyjack," Grunt said.

"Aaannnnddd I'm going to go talk to Miranda now," Shepard said stepping away from a conversation she really didn't want to hear anymore of.

"What have we got, Miranda?" Shepard asked.

"We're in luck, Commander. The tank is designed in such a way that it can be laid horizontally without problem. We'll be able to move it in the shuttle," Miranda said. "We'll need to disconnect these three devices – I'll spare you the explanation of their function – but when we do we'll have a half hour at most before they must be reconnected. We'll have to move the tank fast, and once it is secure in the shuttle I'll have to use the shuttle to power the devices until we have it back on the Normandy."

"Alright, let's get this thing loaded up. Will you be good to take it to the Normandy alone or do you need someone to ride with you?" Shepard asked.

"It would be best to have someone with me to help keep the tank stabilized as we ascend," Miranda said.

"I can go with her," Grundan Krul said.

"OK, I'll radio the Normandy once you're off to have them meet you in the hangar to get it unloaded. Go ahead and get some rest while you're there. You can bring the shuttle back down in the morning," Shepard said.

Miranda set to work unhooking the life support machines and draping cords and tubes around the tank. The four men moved the tank out to the shuttle while Miranda. Kasumi, and Shepard carried the machinery. Grundan Krul and Miranda got everything hooked back up and plugged into the shuttle's systems before taking off. Shepard radioed the Normandy as she said she would before radioing Jacob to come pick them up in the second shuttle.

When they made it back to the camp they found that the rescue team had returned with all four survivors recovered from the collapsed building. Shepard had expected to see Dr. Chakwas at the bedside of the survivors but was told that she was instead with the colonists who had been retrieved from the research facility. Lia was tending to the survivors instead along with Micha.

Shepard smiled when she found Legion and Jack surrounded by a group of colonists who were thanking them for helping to save their loved ones. Legion somehow managed to look even more uncomfortable than Jack. Shepard made her way over to the two heroes and stood next to Jack who immediately gave Shepard a venomous look. Shepard chuckled and interrupted a woman who was reaching for Jack's hand, tears in her eyes and a joyous smile on her face.

"OK everyone, I know that you are all very grateful to Jack and Legion and want to express that gratitude but I am sure that they could both use some rest after all of their hard work," Shepard said to the small crowd.

The crowd responded with low grumbles but slowly broke apart and went their separate ways.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Jack asked.

"Clearing out a research facility full of indoctrinated psychotic assholes. There's a reaper artifact there, I've got to go talk to Captain Toni about how to go about dealing with it," Shepard said.

"Fuck Shepard, you weren't supposed to have a good excuse. Whatever," Jack said walking away.

Shepard turned her attention to Legion and said, "You did good work out there, Legion. You helped save lives. That means a lot to these people, especially coming from someone they were taught to view as an enemy."

"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.

Shepard noticed that Legion was holding a small flower in one of his hands. Her lips twitched with amusement.

"What have you got there, Legion?" Shepard asked.

Legion held up the small yellow flower for Shepard to see.

"Asteraceae," Legion said.

"A daisy. That's the common name. Why do you have a daisy?" Shepard asked.

"The human child April gave it to us," Legion said.

"I see. I think that means that she likes you, Legion," Shepard said.

"It will die now," Legion said.

"Mmm, yes. Though I doubt that thought crossed April's mind. She probably just thought it was pretty and that you would like it so she picked it and gave it to you," Shepard said.

"Plants are aesthetically pleasing to humans," Legion said.

Shepard chuckled and turned to walkway. She glanced over her shoulder when she realized that Legion was following her. She made her way to the building Captain Toni was using as his office and knocked on the door. She waited until she heard him grant her permission to enter before going inside.

Kirrahe was standing next to Captain Toni's desk and nodded at Shepard when she stopped to salute the captain. Shepard sat down when he indicated the chair across from him. Captain Toni glanced up at Legion before looking back to Kirrahe and standing to shake the salarian's hand.

"Thank you again, Major. I will be sure that the Alliance doesn't forget what you and your team have done here," Captain Toni said.

"Ah yes, probably best to not publicize our presence here. STG is meant to be a secretive organization. The sentiment, however, is appreciated," Kirrahe said.

"I understand. Have you arranged transportation already? I am sure I can set something up for you if you need me to," Captain Toni said.

"I believe Shepard has plans to take us with her when she leaves," Kirrahe said.

Captain Toni glanced at Shepard and she nodded.

"Very well, then. If there is anything else I can do for you while you're here, please don't hesitate to ask," Captain Toni said.

Kirrahe bowed slightly and turned to leave but Shepard stopped him.

"Kirrahe, you might want to stay for this," she said.

Kirrahe turned to look at Shepard and blinked his eyes slowly before nodding and moving back to stand next to her.

"There's a reaper artifact in a research facility. We've cleared the place of the indoctrinated and brought back their captives for observation," Shepard said. "It leaves us with a reaper artifact sitting in a building not far from where civilians have made their homes. You were on Virmire; you saw what indoctrination can do to people. Obviously we can't use the same tactic we did with the breeding labs on Virmire, but I am interested in hearing any thoughts you might have on safely dealing with the artifact."

Captain Toni frowned. For all of his gratitude, he didn't seem too keen on the idea of sharing this level of intel with the salarians. Shepard didn't care, she knew Kirrahe and she was a Spectre. This wasn't simply a human concern and she would use every available resource she had in this war. The STG was a damn good resource.

"Shepard-Commander, we would like to assist," Legion said.

Shepard glanced at the geth standing behind her still holding his daisy before looking to Kirrahe. Kirrahe nodded his head and ran a finger across his chin in thought.

"We will go at first light and look at the building's surroundings. We may not be able to use as large of a bomb but explosives are still a possibility. Legion's assistance would be invaluable," Kirrahe said.

"In my experience, reaper tech isn't so easily destroyed but it's worth the try," Shepard said.

"I'll need to know before anything gets blown up. We'll need to move people as far away from the facility as we can, and make sure the area is clear of all civilians first," Captain Toni said.

"If any of your men are rested enough, it may not be a bad idea to set up a guard outside of the facility just to make sure that no one wanders in. They should be safe enough for such a short time, but it wouldn't hurt to station them a ways from the facility," Shepard said.

"I've already got men in place, Commander," Captain Toni said.

Shepard nodded and said, "Of course."

"Forgive me, Commander, but you look exhausted. There are a lot of empty houses out there now. It's unfortunate, certainly, but there is no reason for them to remain empty if your crew wishes to rest here," Captain Toni said.

"Thank you, Captain. I think we'll take you up on that offer," Shepard said. "If you'll excuse me, it's past time I ate something as well."

"Certainly, Commander. We'll speak again in the morning," Captain Toni said.

Shepard stood and saluted the captain once more before leaving his office. Kirrahe and Legion left behind her. Kirrahe nodded to Shepard before disappearing into the night but Legion continued to follow Shepard like a lost puppy. She was content to let him do so for now, but she knew she would half to find something for him to do when she was ready to find a place to sleep. She was fond of Legion, but she was not keen on the idea of having the geth standing over her bed while she slept.

"You'd have your own personal geth guard," Jane said.

James jogged up to Shepard out of the darkness.

"Hey, Ídolo. Most of your crew is in the mess hall. Thought you might be hungry, too," James said.

"Ídolo?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah, you know, idol," James said.

Shepard laughed, "Not Lola, huh?"

"Why would I call you Lola?" James asked.

"I liked Lola," Jane said.

Shepard shook her head and said, "Never mind. Food sounds fantastic, James. Then maybe you can help us get settled into some of the empty places for the night."

"You guys are going to just take over someone's house?" James asked with a frown.

"Captain Toni suggested it. Thought it would be better than flying back and forth from the Normandy," Shepard said watching James' face as they walked. "That bothers you, doesn't it?"

"If Captain Toni suggested it, who am I to argue?" James said.

"If you have an alternative, I'm open to suggestions," Shepard said.

"Nah, he's probably right. They're empty and the people who lived there probably aren't coming back home," James said.

Shepard stopped and put a hand on James' arm to bring him to a halt.

"James, I'll make sure that their homes are treated with the upmost respect. You have my word," Shepard said.

James nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks, Ídolo."

James led Shepard into a mess hall and stood in line with her while she got herself a tray. Legion followed behind quietly, his head swiveling around as he took in all of the details of the room. Shepard spotted her crew easily, a handful of aliens stood out like sore thumb in a crowd of humans but there were even more obvious when the crowd was thin as it was this late at night. Shepard slid into a chair next to Garrus. He and Lia were sharing dextro rations brought down from the Normandy.

"Legion, sit with me," Lia said.

"Yes, Creator-Vael," Legion said pulling out the chair next to Lia and sitting down.

James slid into a chair across from Shepard, earning him a few glares from the members of the Delta Squad that sat at the next table. Shepard winced, hoping that she wasn't causing a rift between James and his squad mates. She relaxed when a minute later Essex led the rest of them over to join James at Shepard's table. With unspoken agreement, the conversation remained light. They had all been through hell the last few days and everyone wanted to pretend, if even for just a few minutes, that everything was going to be alright.

Soon, the mess hall had emptied out aside from those sitting with Shepard but one glance around her told her that they were all as exhausted as she felt. She told her crew that they would be spending the night on the ground and that James would help them find a place to crash. The rest of the Delta Squad went their separate ways leaving James to lead Shepard and her crew to the empty homes of people lost in the attack.

The prefabs were big enough to accommodate those of her crew still on the ground in three houses with Shepard sharing a room with Garrus and Dr. Chakwas insisting on staying with her patients. Shepard was relieved when Lia suggested that Legion stay with Dr. Chakwas to help her monitor life signs while the doctor rested. Shepard stopped Legion when she realized that he was still walking around with the daisy in his hand.

"Legion, here, let me see it. I'll hang it upside down for you and it can start to dry out. That will preserve it and then we can take it back to the Normandy with us if you want to keep it," Shepard said.

"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said handing the flower to Shepard.

"Why was he carrying that around anyway?" Garrus asked stifling a yawn as Shepard shut the door behind them.

"That little girl, April gave it to him," Shepard said.

"That matters to him?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know. Probably not the same way it would matter to me, but I think it held some significance. Maybe just evidence of human acceptance of the geth or something," Shepard said.

"Maybe he just wasn't sure what else to do with it," Jane said.

"Hmmm, didn't think something like that would really matter to a geth," Garrus said.

"I could be wrong. To most geth platforms it probably wouldn't. Legion has significantly more programs running inside of him than most geth. With more programs comes a higher level of thought processing. In effect, Legion is closer to a true AI than a VI compared to other platforms. Things around him are taking on new meanings," Shepard said.

"Like your N7 armor," Garrus said.

"Exactly. Although I'm not sure he completely realizes it himself," Shepard said hanging the daisy from a tack on a corkboard.

Shepard stripped out of her armor and climbed into the bed next to Garrus. Considering their surroundings, she didn't expect him to remove his armor and didn't ask. She couldn't bear the idea of trying to sleep in hers, though. Shepard pressed her back against Garrus' chest and within minutes was sound asleep.

Morning came far too fast. Shepard was nudged awake by Garrus nuzzling against her neck and planting gentle kisses along her brow. She smiled with her eyes still closed.

"There is a geth standing outside of our door asking if Commander-Shepard is ready to go," Garrus said.

Shepard groaned and sat up on the edge of the bed.

"Give me five minutes Legion, I'll meet you out front," Shepard said towards the bedroom door.

"Yes, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.

Shepard found the rest room before putting her armor back on and checking her thermal clips. She carefully removed the still drying daisy from the corkboard and carried it outside with her. Garrus was waiting for her outside with Legion and the STG. They made their way to one of the shuttles and piled inside. Shepard slid the stem of the daisy through a vent flap before starting the shuttle and taking them back to the facility. She waved at the guards as she climbed out of the shuttle and one of them jogged over to meet her.

"Seen anything?" Shepard asked.

"No ma'am, everything has been quiet. No activity of any kind," the marine said.

"Good. What's your name, Marine?" Shepard asked.

"Service Chief Kamille Johnson, ma'am," she said.

"Alright, thank you Johnson. We're going inside to see if we can figure out how to deal with this mess. You guys keep to your posts but call me if you see anything," Shepard said.

"Aye, aye, Commander," Kamille said with a salute before returning to her post.

Shepard led the others through the building towards the back rooms. Kirrahe's shrewd eyes glanced into each open door they passed, undoubtedly taking in what information he could with each glance and saving it for his reports. When she reached the room with the artifact she opened the door and stepped aside letting the others enter before her. She stuck to the doorway, not wanting to get up close and personal with the artifact if she didn't have to. Legion and the STG didn't seem nearly as uncomfortable around the artifact as she was. Shepard didn't even want to look at the thing; it emanated a sense of wrongness that she swore she felt in her bones. Garrus stood next to her leaning against the door as the others opened omni-tools and began scanning the artifact.

A few minutes later Rentola made his way to Shepard.

"The geth has located a structural weakness in the artifact and has calculated with a 98.3% certainty that the blast radius could be contained to this room and still be effective," Rentola said. "We have the necessary explosives but Kirrahe is waiting for you to clear the matter with Captain Toni."

"Well that makes my life easier, I'll call the captain," Shepard said.

Shepard stepped out into the hall and called up the captain. She paced up and down the hall as she explained the findings to the captain and told him that it was her recommendation that they proceed immediately. It took a few minutes to convince him that this really was the best course of action but finally he relented.

Shepard gave the go ahead to Rentola to set the explosives while she made sure the building was clear. Shepard and Garrus made their way through each of the rooms making sure that nothing of importance had been missed. EDI had already gathered all relevant data from the facilities servers and there was no one – nothing – left alive in the building. She made a round outside of the building to make sure the area was clear before retreating a hundred meters from the building. Shepard gave the warning to the Delta Squad and radioed Garrus to tell them they were clear. Two minutes later, Garrus, Legion, and the STG ran out of the building for Shepard's location. A minute after that and Shepard felt the ground shake beneath her feet with the sound of the explosion.

Shepard waited a few minutes for the smoke to clear before going back inside. Where the room with the artifact once sat, now sat a crumbled mess of twisted metal and burning machinery. The blast had extended into the two adjoining rooms, wiping out the connecting walls and ripping through the cells that lined those walls. The artifact lay in three pieces, half buried beneath the collapsed ceiling. Legion made his way over the destruction and opened his omni-tool running it over the pieces of the artifact.

"The artifact is inert, Shepard-Commander," Legion said.

"Excellent, good work, Legion," Shepard said.

"Perhaps we should do something with the pieces," Garrus said.

"Not a bad idea. We don't know if they can… reactivate or be put back together or whatever," Shepard said.

"Hmmm. What do we do with them?" Garrus asked.

"I guess we could take them out to space. Or maybe melt them down?" Shepard said.

"This is a mining colony, they have a foundry here," Kirrahe said.

"OK, so foundry it is," Shepard said making her way back out.

"Probably isn't necessary. It's just tech – advanced tech, but just tech. Not magic, Dawn," Jane said.

"And it doesn't hurt to be extra cautious," Shepard thought.

Shepard gave the thumbs up to Kamille and her fellow marines before putting a call in to Captain Toni.

"Captain, we were successful. The artifact has been destroyed. We'd like to take the pieces to the foundry and melt them down. Can you make that happen, sir?" Shepard asked.

"You think that's necessary, Commander?" Captain Toni asked.

"I don't know, Captain. I think it's better to be safe than sorry," Shepard said.

"I was hoping to avoid having this become public, Commander," Captain Toni said.

"With all due respect, sir, you have a building full of people who were pulled out of here. They may not know the details but they know that there was something here that might have made them sick somehow," Shepard said.

"And that's all they need to know, Commander Shepard," Captain Toni said.

"I understand, Captain. No one at the foundry would need to know what this thing was, or even why we're melting it down, sir," Shepard said.

"Let's make sure of that, Commander," Captain Toni said.

"Yes sir," Shepard said.

"Toni out," he said disconnecting the call.

Shepard waved Kamille over. The woman jogged over to Shepard and saluted.

"Johnson, can you show us where the foundry is?" Shepard asked.

"Yes ma'am," Kamille said.

"Alright, guys I'll bring the shuttle around. Let's get this thing loaded up and out of here," Shepard said over her shoulder.

Shepard pulled the shuttle to the back of the building where the wall was blown away. She opened the shuttle doors and helped the others load the broken artifact pieces into the shuttle. It wasn't easy getting them inside, they had to push and pull, remove one piece to fit in another and then wiggle and shove to get the first piece back inside again. It took nearly an hour to figure out how to make it work. Shepard climbed back into the shuttle, and Kamille having secured formal permission for her and the others to leave their post climbed into the passenger's seat.

Kirrahe kept Rentola with him and sent the other STG back to the camp on foot before climbing into the Alliance shuttle with the other marines, Garrus, and Legion. Kamille directed Shepard across the open field and over the prefab buildings of the colony. Shepard lowered the shuttle down in front of a large building, its roof speckled with chimneys. No smoke rose from the building and Shepard didn't see any activity outside. The Alliance shuttle landed behind her.

"I don't think anyone is here, ma'am," Kamille said.

"Then there's no one to explain anything to," Jane said.

"That might be for the best, Johnson," Shepard said, climbing out of the shuttle.

Garrus walked over to stand next to Shepard and looked up at the building.

"Let's see what we've got," Shepard said activating the release on the unlocked door.

The foundry was empty, signs of a struggle made it clear why no one was here working the machines. The lights set on motion detectors flickered on when Shepard stepped inside. She supposed the machines had automatically shut themselves down after a certain time had passed. Garrus made his way towards the looming furnace and a console sprang to life as he approached.

"You know how any of this works?" Shepard asked.

"Not really, but give me five minutes and I'll have it figured out," Garrus said.

Shepard grinned and leaned up to kiss Garrus' mandible.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"For being you," Shepard said.

Shepard walked past Kamille who quickly hid a grin after catching Shepard's display of affection. Shepard chuckled and opened the shuttle door. She stood back and let Legion figure out the puzzle of getting the pieces back out of the shuttle with the help of the other two marines. Kamille had called them Milque and Mason. Once the pieces were out and lying on the ground in front of the building, Shepard helped Legion carry a piece inside. Garrus was leaning against a wall with a smug look on his face. He pointed towards what looked to Shepard like a giant soup pot turned on its side.

They loaded the artifact pieces inside and Garrus turned back to the console. Shepard watched as the pot turned upright and began glowing with its intense heat. Once the metal was melted and poured into molds to cool Shepard put in another call to Captain Toni to tell him the job was done. She left it up to him to decide what to do with it from there. Kamille left with Mason and Milque in the Alliance shuttle while Shepard and her crew climbed back inside the Cerberus shuttle.

Back at the camp Captain Toni met Shepard as she landed the shuttle.

"Commander, I've spoken with Councilor Anderson. The Alliance is sending in a transport team to evacuate the colonists who wish to leave. I've decided it is in the best interest of everyone involved if the colonists you found in the research facility be taken with them for more adequate observation," Captain Toni said.

"I see. Have any of them been behaving oddly so far?" Shepard asked.

"It's hard to say, Commander but quite frankly, I'm not willing to take that chance," Captain Toni said.

"It's your call, Captain. Thank you for letting me know," Shepard said. "I think it's safe to say that the colony is otherwise secured now, sir. I'll be gathering my crew and leaving shortly. If I might ask a favor, sir?"

"What can I do for you, Commander?" Captain Toni asked.

"It would save us significant time if you would lend us the use of a shuttle and someone to pilot it to help transport everyone back to the Normandy," Shepard said.

"I'm sure Vega would be delighted," he said. "Thank you again, Commander."

Captain Toni extended his hand to Shepard gave it a firm shake.

"I'm glad I could help, sir," Shepard said.

Captain Toni turned and walked back to his office. Shepard put in the call to her crew telling them to meet at the shuttles in a half hour. Feeling as if her stomach was trying to devour itself, she made her way to the camp's mess hall to see if there was still breakfast available. She was in luck, the hall was filled mostly with civilians; those who weren't used to getting up quite as early as the soldiers. Shepard took the chance to enjoy fresh, farm grown fruits while she could. The stasis chambers on the ship kept produce fresh but it just wasn't the same.

When she was finished, she handed her empty dishes off to the man collecting abandoned trays from tables before heading back out to the shuttles. James had pulled an Alliance shuttle over next to the two Cerberus shuttles and was leaning with the sole of a boot resting against the blue and white painted car. He pushed himself forward when he saw Shepard coming.

"You're leaving, Ídolo?" James asked.

"Yeah, James. I've got to get back out there and finish building my team. We've got some collector ass to kick," Shepard said.

"Yeah, wish I could go with you and kick a little collector ass myself," James said.

Shepard leaned against the shuttle next to him and looked out over the destruction of the colony, marveling in the resilience of the people who lived there as they went about their lives already rebuilding what they'd lost.

"I'd be proud to have you on the Normandy, James but not while it's flying Cerberus colors," Shepard said.

"Suppose the Alliance wouldn't approve that transfer," James said.

"Probably not," Shepard said.

James turned to face Shepard and held out his hand. Shepard smiled and grabbed his palm in her own letting the man shake her hand.

"It was an honor to meet you, ma'am. I'm ready to load up and get you guys back to your ship whenever you're ready," he said.

"It was an honor to meet you as well, Operations Chief Vega. You did good work here, even if your methods were a bit… extreme," Shepard said.

"Hey, I was just doing what needed to be done," James said.

"Goodbye, James," Jane said.

Shepard chuckled and let go of James' hand turning back to the Cerberus shuttles and her gathering crew. She checked to make sure Legion's daisy was still firmly in place in the shuttle's vent before climbing inside and telling everyone to load up. She let them pick which car they rode in, it didn't matter to her so long as everyone got back to the ship safely. When everyone was accounted for, Shepard lifted her shuttle off the ground and aimed it toward the sky.

"Alright, EDI, bring us in," Shepard said.

"At once, Shepard," said EDI.