"Do you ever regret leaving Citadel Security to pursue Saren, Garrus?" Tali asked.

"Fighting a rogue Spectre with countless lives at stake and no regulations to get in the way? I'd say that beats C-Sec." Garrus replied.

"I'm pleased that the imminent destruction of all organic life has improved your career opportunities." Tali teased. Garrus groaned. John chuckled.


AT THE DOCKS

"I've got big news for you, Shepard. Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now." Udina said.

"She's quick and quiet and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a Spectre. Treat her well, Commander." Anderson said.

"I want the truth. Why are you stepping down, sir?" John asked.

"You needed your own ship. A Spectre can't answer to anyone but the Council. And it's time for me to step down." Anderson said.

"Come clean with me, captain. You owe me that much."

"I was in your shoes 20 years ago, Shepard. They were considering me for Spectres. I failed. I couldn't make the cut. It's not something, I am proud of. I had my shot. It came and went. Now you have a chance to make up for my mistakes." Anderson said.

John realized that Anderson isn't ready to let him what really happened between him and Saren 20 years ago. So he let it go. "I won't let you down, sir."

"Saren's gone. Don't even try to find him. But we know what he's after – the Conduit. He's got his geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues." Anderson advised.

"We had reports of geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony there dropped out of contact. And there have been sightings around Noveria." Udina added.

"Find out what Saren was after on Feros and Noveria. Maybe you can figure out where the Conduit is before he does." Anderson said.

"The Reapers are the real threat." John replied.

"I'm with the Council on this one, Shepard. I'm not sure they even exist." Udina said.

"But if they do exist, the Conduit's the key to bringing them back. Stop Saren from getting the Conduit and we stop the reapers from returning." Anderson said.

"I'll stop him." John said, his expression steely.

"We have one more lead. Matriarch Benezia, the other voice on the recording? She has a daughter, a scientist who specializes in the Protheans. We don't know if she's involved but it might be a good idea to try and find her. See what she knows. Her name's Liara. Dr. Liara T'Soni. We have reports she was exploring an archaeological dig site on one of the uncharted worlds in the Artemis Tau cluster." Udina informed.

"Sounds like we should head for the Artemis Tau cluster." John said.

"It's your decision, Commander. You're a Spectre now. You don't answer to us." Anderson said.

"But your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up." Udina added. Anderson threw the Ambassador a dirty look.

"I'll do whatever it takes to stop Saren." John replied.

"Not exactly the answer I was looking for Shepard. Remember you were a human long before you were a Spectre. Anyways, I have a meeting to get to. Captain Anderson can answer any questions you might have." Udina said and left from there.

John turned towards Anderson. "I want to know the truth about Saren. I want to know about the mission you were on together all those years ago." He then turned towards his team and said, "Team, get settled in the Normandy. I have important matters to discuss with the Captain, privately." His crew nodded and entered the Normandy leaving John and Anderson alone in the docks.

"We…" Anderson started to speak but he was interrupted by a voice from behind.

"Forgive my son, Captain if he stepped beyond his limits. He always had a lot of questions."

Anderson turned back. "Admiral…" He said.

"Mom…." John said, his face lighted up.

"Now, now Anderson. Don't be so formal with me, old friend." Hannah said with a smile.

"It's you who called me by my rank, Hannah." Anderson replied.

"I guess I am the culprit here, then." She said and they all laughed.

"And about your son, he hasn't stepped beyond his limits. He deserves to know this." Anderson said.

"Maybe he does. But I know I know how uncomfortable you are with this subject, David. So, if you don't mind I can fill him in." Hannah offered.

"I will be glad. Now I think you both need to talk for yourselves. So, I will leave you two alone." Anderson said.

"I appreciate that, David." Hannah replied.

"Mom. What are you doing here?" John asked after Anderson left.

"To see you of course. I heard about your new rank and I am proud of you John." She replied.

"I know mom. I know. So can you tell me about Anderson and Saren?" He asked.

"Well, yeah. Listen…."

Hannah explained the time when Saren and Anderson went to a mission together after a rogue scientist who was trying to set up a facility to develop illegal AI technology. The Council sent Saren and Anderson was assigned to help him. They found the scientist protected by batarian mercenaries. Their mission was to get the scientist with minimum blood shed but Saren detonated a bomb at the refinery core. Everyone inside died. There was a camp for the workers and their families nearby. They also died and the final death count was over 500. Most of them were civilians. Saren didn't care about anything else than taking out the target. The blame was put on Anderson's shoulders because Saren framed him in his report. Of course the Council believed his report instead of Anderson's words and the chance of him becoming a Spectre was dissolved.

John's expression turned cold. "I'll end this, mom." He said.

"I know you are going to Artemis Tau. It won't be easy to find Benezia's daughter. I would advise you to look for worlds with Prothean ruins." Hannah advised. John nodded in understanding.

"I should go, now." John said. He turned away to leave. But Hannah stopped her son.

"John what's wrong? You look a little….." She asked.

"I wish she was here mom. I wish she could see me becoming a Spectre. I wanted to see the pride in her eyes she would have felt for me." He said sadly.

"John…. Wherever she is, she is watching you. And she is proud of you. Don't do this to yourself, son." Hannah said placing her hand on John's shoulder. She looked up to see his face and saw there were tears breaming at the corner of his eyes.

God, she won't ever understand how much her son loved that girl. She is the only weakness he has. Sometimes she felt a little jealous over the fact that it doesn't matter how much her son cares for her, but she will always be his second favourite person. But she overcame that feeling slowly in the past years. "Now go son. Kick Saren's ass."

He nodded and they both saluted each other. Then he left his mother and entered the Normandy.


INSIDE THE NORMANDY

"Commander, glad to have you in command." Joker said.

John didn't look at him. His gaze was towards the sky. "Saren's out there somewhere. I'm going to find him and when I do…." He murmured.

"Everyone in this ship is behind you Commander. 100 percent. Intercoms open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time." Joker said.

"This is Commander Shepard speaking. We have our orders – find Saren before he finds the Conduit. I won't lie to you crew. This mission isn't going to be easy. This began with an attack on a human settlement in the Traverse. But we know Saren won't stop there. His geth armies aren't going to stop to stay on the far fringes of Citadel space. For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now, it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy! Time to show them what humans are made of! Our enemy know we are coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them too. Humanity needs to do this. Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space. Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all…. We will stop him!"

Ashley watched how the crew got the motivation from their Commander's speech and they started working more seriously with determination in their eyes. She just smiled proudly. He really is something else. She thought.


LOCATION UNKNOWN….

Miranda Lawson watched the news of Commander Shepard becoming the first human Spectre. She was relieved that at last a human got that rank. But there was something else nagging her for quite a while. So, she was quite through the whole journey with her sister. She dropped Oriana at her house and left her with an embrace. Now she delved into her mind, why she is feeling so…. Uncomfortable? No, not really. But after watching that face on news something happened to her heart. Commander Shepard was on news several times, and truly she never paid much attention to his features. She never thought it was now, those eyes, those clear blue eyes. She felt as if she saw those eyes before and she got a feeling inside her that somehow, she knew Commander Shepard. It sounds absurd because she has never met him. Still…. He reminded her of someone she knew, someone she loved, still loves and always will. Her thoughts broke when she got a message on her Omni-tool. It was from the Illusive Man and he wanted to talk with her urgently. She realized it was time for her to go, so she pushed her thoughts about the Commander aside and started towards her destination.


NORMANDY

"Commander, there's geth activity on the planet Therum. Something is happening there. You should scout the planet. It's likely that Dr. T'Soni is in there. But I will have to drop you far away from the Prothean ruins. That area is full of hostiles." Joker said.

"Not a problem, Joker. We will take the Mako there." John said.

"Be careful out there Commander, the planet is flooded with magma and there are the geth." Joker said.

John nodded. "Tell the squad to suit up."

"Aye, aye Commander."


FEW MINUTES LATER

John was driving the Mako and Garrus was at his side as co-driver.

"Tell me, who gave you the driver's license, Shepard?" Garrus said and grunted as the Mako dropped on the ground violently after Shepard dodged an attack from the geth turret.

"I never got one." John answered.

Everyone's eyes widened. "You are kidding, right Commander?" Ashley asked.

"He is insane." Tali commented.

"Ha! Ha! I like this ride." Wrex laughed.

Garrus face palmed himself. "I don't think we need to worry about Saren killing us. We will be lucky if we survive this." Tali commented dryly.

"Garrus take that turret out." John said. Garrus fired a missile and it took care of the turret that was firing at them.

"Oh… I think I am going to be sick." Ashley said when the Mako gave another violent jerk.

"Shepard, what are you doing? We can't go through thereeeeeeee…" Tali screamed as John drove the Mako through a narrow gap between the hills.

"Ha! Ha! This is fun." Wrex laughed. John turned back towards Wrex and smirked at him. In the meantime, Garrus fired the gun and took out few geth troopers. After driving for few minutes, they stopped as there was a large gap between two sides of the river of lava.

"How do we get through this?" Tali asked.

"We should find another way." Garrus suggested.

"Garrus is right." Ashley said.

"Time is not on our side here. But I have an idea." John said eyeing the large rocks that were floating on the lava. Tali looked what he was staring at and her eyes widened under her helmet.

"Shepard, you surely aren't thinking about….." Tali said.

"Wait! Now what is he planning?" Garrus asked.

"I think he is trying to cross the river by jumping over those floating rocks." Tali said.

"You got to be kidding me!" Garrus shouted.

"I like the idea." Wrex said. Ashley scowled at him.

"There's no other way and Dr. T'Soni may be in danger. This is the quickest way." John said and he made the Mako jump on a floating rock without warning. Ashley and Tali screamed and grabbed each other out of fear. Wrex laughed. Garrus eyes were wide like saucers. They managed to cross the river but found their way blocked by a huge gate.

"It can't be blown apart. It's too thick." Garrus said.

"Then we have to find a way to manually override the gate. Come on." John said. He took Garrus and Tali with him. Wrex and Ashley stayed behind in the Mako.

"Shepard, I think we can find the override panel in that room." Tali indicated towards her right side.

They entered and took care of the few geth that blocked their path. They returned safely to Mako and continued their journey. After driving for few minutes without encountering any hostiles they came to a stop. There was a narrow path between the rocks which will take them to the ruins but it can be accessed on foot only.

They left the Mako and pushed forward slowly. They didn't have to move much as the geth squad immediately started firing on them. They took cover behind the rocks. Ashley, Tali and Wrex kept the geth occupied with covering fire while John and Garrus took down the geth one by one with their sniper. The fight ended but not for long. After pushing further, they could see an artificial tunnel which would lead them to the Prothean ruins but they found their way blocked by another wave of geth troopers and a geth armature. They immediately dove for cover. Tali kept on hacking and taking down the shields of the geth while the rest of them finished the geth without their shields. They continued firing on the geth armature along with tech attacks. But it kept on regenerating its armor. John had an idea but he it was risky. He ordered Tali to take out the shields of the armature. She drained its shield with her tech powers and the rest of the shield was taken down by rapid firing. He and Garrus immediately fired some sniper shots on its armor causing it to weaken. He knew that it would try to regenerate its armor now. So, he didn't give it any opportunity. He ran forward and lobbed all the grenades he had with him towards its head. The blast from the multiple grenades took out the armature but the force of the explosion threw him and he collided against the rock with a sickening crunch and he felt his ribs crack. Garrus immediately came to his aid and helped him up on his feet.

"That was hell of a fight. Shepard you, okay?" Garrus asked.

In the meantime, the others also approached him. Ashley was looking towards him with concern. He shrugged their worries off.

"Good work team. We don't have time to waste. Let's push forward." John said and he entered the tunnel and the others followed. They faced few more geth and some geth assault drones. The five of them took out the drones easily and entered an elevator. They found an open ground after exiting from the elevator. John looked towards his right and saw a blue force field and inside the force was an asari. They hurried towards the force field.

"Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!" The asari said.

"Liara T'Soni, I presume." John said.

"Thank the Goddess! I did not think anyone would come looking for me. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?"

"There's some kind of repulsion field in the way." John said.

"It's a Prothean barrier curtain. I knew it would keep me safe from the geth. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out of here. Please!" Liara said.

"We'll find some way to help you." John assured her.

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. Be careful. There is a krogan with the geth. They have been trying different ways to get past the barrier." She explained.

"Don't worry Liara. We will find a way." John said and turned back. His eyes searched the area carefully looking for a way inside the barrier. Then his eyes spotted the mining laser. Tali activated it and made a way in the rock wall by blasting it apart. They found an elevator inside and took it to reach the upper level. There they saw Liara frozen. She turned her head sideways and said, "How…. How did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!" Liara said surprised.

"We blasted through with the mining laser." John said and Tali was already working on the console trying to deactivate it and free Liara.

"Of course. Yes. That makes sense." Liara said.

"Hold on Commander. Her mother is working with Saren. Can we trust her?" Ashley said. Tali stopped working on the console. She hesitated.

"I am not my mother! I don't even know why Benezia joined Saren. I don't want anything to do with that turian bastard!" Liara said.

"If she was with Saren, the geth wouldn't be trying to kill her." John said and indicated Tali to free Liara. Tali pushed a button on the console and Liara was freed. She turned towards them and said, "Thank you, Commander. If you weren't here, I would be trapped here forever or trapped until the geth found a way beyond the barrier."

"Any idea how we get out of this place?" Garrus asked.

"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on!" Liara said.

They hurried towards the elevator and got inside. Liara looked towards John after she activated the elevator. "I still can't believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?"

"Saren's looking for the Conduit. You're a Prothean expert. He probably wants you to help him find it." John replied.

"The Conduit? But I don't know…" She stopped as the whole tower shook violently. "These ruins are not stable. The mining laser must have triggered a seismic event. We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!"

"Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!" John said.

"Aye, eye, Commander. ETA eight minutes." Joker replied through comm.

"Not much margin for error." Ashley commented.

They were about to exit the elevator but they found their way blocked by a krogan Battlemaster and about 10 geth. "Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun." The krogan said.

"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart." John said.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" The krogan said. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over."

"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me." Liara said.

"She'll stay with us, thanks." John said.

"Not an option. Saren wants her. And he gets what he wants." The krogan then turned towards the geth at his side and said, "Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter."

They attacked immediately. John pushed Liara away from the geth fire. Tali hacked one of the geth which returned fire on its comrade. Wrex charged at the krogan Battlemaster and tackled him to the ground. They kept on head butting, punching and thrashing on the ground. The rest of them took down the geth easily. They turned towards the krogan Battlemaster only to find that Wrex fly away with a powerful kick from the krogan Battlemaster. He stood on his feet slowly and charged at Garrus slamming him into the wall. Garrus armor protected him from breaking his bones but he saw stars in his eyes nonetheless. Liara tried to attack the krogan with her biotics but he back handed her and she slumped against the wall. Tali fired at the krogan's back but he just faltered. He turned around and head butted her causing her face-plate to crack. She fell on the ground screaming in pain. Ashley punched the krogan but he didn't feel a thing. He grabbed her by her throat and lifted her off her feet. She struggled to catch her breath until John tackled the krogan to the ground. The krogan threw the Spectre away off him easily.

"Shepard, this krogan isn't ordinary. He is too strong even for a krogan." Wrex said lying on the ground.

John was up on his feet immediately. He prepared himself for the krogan's attack. But the krogan surprised him by throwing a strange object towards him which collided on his chest and started emitting green gas. He coughed.

"That's a special gift to you Shepard, from Saren." The krogan said.

John struggled because he could hear some faint sounds in his ears and his vision was becoming blurry. He slumped on the ground trying to lessen the dizziness he was feeling. He got in a dreamlike state. He saw that Miranda - his Miri was with him, in here. He couldn't make out her face properly but he knew that it was her. She was fighting with him against the krogan and the geth until the krogan grabbed her from behind around her neck. The SMG fell from her hand with a loud clank on the ground as the krogan snapped her neck. He then threw her lifeless body on the ground beside him. No! No! This can't happen. No! It can't. He panicked.

The krogan laughed. He looked towards the krogan and something inside him awakened from rage and grief.

Liara, Ashley, Garrus and Wrex looked towards their Commander shaking on the ground violently. "What did you do to him?" Ashley yelled.

"That's a simple mixture of…." He stopped as his eyes fell on something and turned wide. Everyone else jaw dropped at the scene before them. Shepard who was shaking from the effect of the object a few seconds ago, was now standing on his feet in front of them. His whole body was glowing with dark energy and his eyes….. His eyes were inhumanly glowing blue. He took a step towards the krogan who stepped back a little.

"You…. You killed her." He said coldly. With one swift move he was standing nose to nose with the krogan. The krogan Battlemaster gulped in fear. John grabbed the krogan with one hand and lifted him off his feet easily. Everyone's eyes widened more. John drew back his hand in a fist and then he punched the krogan in his stomach. His punch was so powerful that his hand went right through his stomach. The krogan's eyes widened in pain and then his eyes closed slowly as he died. John threw the huge body of the krogan on the ground easily. He turned slowly towards his teammates who were watching him with their mouths wide open. Then the dark energy around his body slowly faded away, his eyes turned normal. Then he slumped to the ground and didn't move. They all hurried towards him. Garrus got to him first. He checked John and said, "He is only unconscious. Wrex, can you carry him?"

Wrex nodded and lifted John's body gently over his shoulder. "Joker status!" Ashley barked in comm.

"ETA 1 minute!" Joker replied.

"Let's get out from here. The whole place is caving in." Liara said as she helped Tali who was still struggling with her face-plate.


LOCATION UNKNOWN

A man sat on a chair in a dark room puffing on his cigar. The walls of the room were made of glass and through the glass a huge star could be seen. The room of the door whooshed open and a woman walked inside.

The man spoke without looking back towards the woman, "It's good that you came soon Miranda. Humanity is in danger."

"What do you mean, sir?" Miranda asked.

"The footage we secured of Sovereign, tells only one thing. Sovereign is nothing but a Reaper."

Miranda's eyes widened. "Shepard has been sent to stop Saren but he is just one man. He can't do this alone. He will need our help even if the Alliance isn't ready to accept our assistance."

"Sir, what do you intend to do?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing at this moment. But when he needs help you must assist him without compromising your identity. So, be prepared. Here see these footages."

Few images of Sovereign appeared along with the human husks. Miranda watched the images carefully. "What are these creatures?" She asked.

"They were humans being indoctrinated by the Reapers."

"Sir, I will need assistance."

"Permission granted."

Miranda nodded. The Illusive Man continued, "Shepard is our last hope. We cannot lose him. See to it Miranda."

"Yes, sir."


LATER

"Take him to the medical bay." Dr. Chakwas said urgently. Wrex gently laid the unconscious form of John on the bed. "What happened to him?" Dr. Chakwas asked the squad. She started preparing the machine to scan his body for injuries.

"By the Goddess it was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard of. He tried to protect me from a krogan Battlemaster. But the krogan hit him with an unknown substance and next second we knew he was shaking on the ground. The krogan was mocking us but in the next minute the Commander was up on his feet and….." Liara was cut off by Ashley.

"His whole body was glowing with biotic energy and his eyes….. they weren't even human. He fucking lifted a krogan with one hand as if that krogan was a toy and punched him through his stomach. And he mentioned someone being killed….. Some woman."

Oh no! It must be her. But she wasn't there with him. This only explains that whatever he was hit with, made him saw his worst nightmare and somehow, he lost control. But still….. Dr. Chakwas thought.

"He was stronger than a krogan at that time. Much stronger." Wrex added.

"After he killed the krogan he turned normal and then he collapsed on the ground." Garrus added and looked at Tali who was being treated by another doctor.

Dr. Chakwas didn't have any words to explain because she has no idea herself. Humans do not have biotics naturally, they can only use it because of implants. But John is the exception. She saw his strange power before once. Even now, remembering that incident sends shivers run down her spine. But the problem wasn't only that. She has never heard of someone getting almost 30 times stronger suddenly because of biotics. She looked towards the blue asari standing there with concerned eyes.

"Dr. Liara T'Soni, I presume?" Dr. Chakwas asked.

"Please call me Liara." The blue asari said.

"Liara can you explain what you saw…. I mean how could he use biotics? He has no implants. I am asking you this, because asaris have the best knowledge about biotics." Dr. Chakwas said.

"I am sorry. I don't have any kind of idea." Liara said.

"Will he be, okay?" Ashley asked with concern.

"According to my scanner he has a fractured rib, nothing more. There is no sign of any kind of toxins inside his body either. But his brain activity is off the charts again and this time his pulse rate is rising. It's getting at dangerous level." Dr. Chakwas murmured tensely. She ordered them to evacuate the med bay. Tali also left after getting her helmet fixed. They all remained outside the med bay watching their Commander through the glass. Kaidan was also there.

"This is the second time he emitted biotics." Kaidan said.

"Second time?" Ashley asked surprised. "He did this before?"

"No not like this. You didn't notice on Eden Prime. I caught a glimpse of his eyes glowing in Eden Prime when we first saw the human husks. At that time, I thought it was a trick of the light but now…." Kaidan explained. He looked towards the others and saw that everyone was looking at him with shocked expressions on their faces. At that moment Dr. Chakwas came out from the med-bay.

"Lieutenant, tell Joker to head towards Citadel. Things are not looking good." Dr. Chakwas said to Kaidan.

"At once, Doctor." He hurried away towards the bridge to inform Joker.

"What happened to him, Doctor?" Garrus asked.

"I don't know. I really don't know." Dr. Chakwas said sadly.


SOMEWHERE

"Admiral we have an emergency call for you from the Normandy."

"Forward it to my private channel." Hannah replied.

She took the call in her room. "Hannah?" Dr. Chakwas voice sounded tense.

"Karin? Why are you calling me? Is everything okay?" Hannah asked with concern.

"No. Your son is not okay. Something happened to him and I don't know what. He is unconscious for over an hour." Chakwas replied.

"What do you mean something happened? Is he being shot?" Hannah asked urgently.

"No. He is not injured… at least physically. I informed Huerta hospital, we are on our way to Citadel."

"What happened to my son Karin?" Hannah asked a little loudly.

"I don't know. I can't explain everything to you now. I will explain once I reach Citadel."

"I will be there." Hannah ended the transmission.


LOCATION UNKNOWN

"Everyone ready? This will be a simple operation. Your objective is to distract them. I will do the rest." Miranda said.

"Yes, mam." Her team nodded.

"Miss Lawson interrupted an incoming call from SSV Normandy to Admiral Shepard."

"Very well. Let's hear it."

The operative did as he was ordered.

"Karin? Why are you calling me? Is everything okay?"

"No. Your son is not okay. Something happened to him and I don't know what. He is unconscious for over an hour."

"What do you mean something happened? Is he being shot?"

"No. He is not injured… at least physically. I informed Huerta hospital; we are on our way to Citadel."

"What happened to my son Karin?"

"I don't know. I can't explain everything to you now. I will explain once I reach Citadel."

"I will be there."

"The Commander is down?" All of the operative's eyes widened in shock.

"It seems so." Miranda replied without any emotion. So, here is the plan. "They will let the doctors enter the Normandy to bring the Commander to the hospital. I will disguise myself as a doctor and enter the Normandy. You will distract the squad."

They all nodded in understanding.


CITADEL

The Normandy arrived at one of the docks of Citadel. The press immediately reached there as the news of Commander Shepard being down spread like a wild fire. The entire Normandy team was busy trying to keep the reporters at bay to let the doctors enter. The doctors got inside the Normandy and reached their patient but no one observed one woman got separated from the remaining doctors. She sneaked inside the elevator, hacked the Commander's cabin door and planted a bug. She exited the room quietly and took the elevator down to the med-bay. She reached near the glass of the med-bay and watched the Commander's unconscious form lying on the bed and doctors operating on him. She lingered there for few moments because she was feeling somewhat strange inside her heart after seeing him from so close. Something inside her was telling that she knew that handsome face, somehow.

She gathered her thoughts. What are you doing Miranda? What is wrong with you? She got out from her thoughts and quietly left the Normandy without getting noticed. But if she remained a few seconds longer there she would have noticed the Commander was stirring.


NORMANDY MED-BAY

"I think he is waking up." One of the doctors said.

"Thank god. This is a good sign." Another doctor commented. At the next second the doctors all jumped back in surprise as John sat up suddenly on his bed. His eyes were wide and he was looking everywhere around him as if he was trying to find someone.

"Commander are you feeling, okay?" One of the doctors questioned but got no answer.

Dr. Chakwas requested the other doctors to leave when they were sure that John is okay. She sat down on the bed beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"John… you, okay?" She asked softly.

"She came here, didn't she?" He asked suddenly.

"Who are you talking about? Your mother is…"

"No. Not my mother. Miri was here. Wasn't she doctor?" He asked his voice almost pleading her to answer that he is right.

"John….. She was not here." She said trying to calm him down.

"No… no she was here. I know." He argued.

After that Dr. Chakwas calmed him down to see the fact that the woman he loves couldn't be here in the Normandy. It was impossible. He slowly realized that the doctor was right.

"I…. I don't know what's happening to me Doctor. I….."

"What exactly happened, John?"

"The krogan hit me with some strange gas and next I saw him killing her and then I can't remember anything." He said, his voice cracking with emotion. "Am I going crazy, doc?"

"No. Sometimes things like this happens to us because of mental pressure. You always think about her too much and you are doing this since you were 16. You just need to relax. How are you feeling now?"

"Too tired."

"Then sleep. The doctors will come for another examination."

He lay down and immediately drifted into sleep. Dr. Chakwas looked at his sleeping form sadly. She could only imagine the emotional pain this young man is feeling all the time whom she knew for almost 14 years and who was also like a son to her. She sighed and left the med-bay to get some food for herself.


HELP IS ON THE WAY

"Ten more seconds out there and we would've been swimming in molten sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference." Joker said through comm. Ashley rolled her eyes although she had a bit of smile on her face.

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara asked John in surprise.

"It's a coping mechanism. You'll get used to it." John answered smiling.

"I see it must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander." Liara said embarrassed her eyes towards the floor. Then she looked up towards John with gratefulness in her eyes, "I am grateful to you, Commander. You saved my life back there and not just from the volcano. Those geth and especially that krogan would have killed me or dragged me off to Saren. The krogan could've killed us all, hadn't for you. You saved us all."

"Listen Liara. I may have somehow defeated that krogan but I blacked out in the end. If I was alone, I would've died. Only because of my team I am still alive. This is what a team is built so you can help each other out. And all of you are not only my team-mates, you all are my friends." John said.

Liara smiled, "I understand, Shepard."

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?" Kaidan asked Liara.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. This is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." Liara explained.

Past fifty years! Wow! John thought, although he knew an asari lives for almost a thousand year. "How old are you?" He asked.

"I hate to admit it, but I'm only a hundred and six." Liara answered.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age." Ashley said watching the Commander from the corner of her eyes. I wish he looked at me the way I want him to. She thought but she never saw any hint of affection for her in his eyes.

"A century may seem like a long time to a short-lived species like yours. But among the asari, I am barely considered more than a child. That is why my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, other asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans." Liara sighed.

"Did your research turn up anything interesting?" John asked.

"What is interesting is what I did not turn up. There is remarkably little archaeological evidence of the Protheans and even less that might explain why they disappeared. It is almost as if someone didn't want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues." Liara explained.

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" John asked again.

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory, but I know I am right!" Liara said confidently.

"I can sense there is more…" Garrus said.

"Yes. The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive. The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed on top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements – the mass relays and the Citadel – are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." Liara explained.

Everyone listened to Liara silently. John realized it all came down to one thing – The Reapers. They were behind the extinction of the civilizations. "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers." He said to Liara.

"The…. The Reapers? But I have never heard of – How do you know this? What evidence do you have?" Liara asked confused.

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." John said as his voice trailed off. He could still remember what he saw next. The vision of her getting dead. He got out his trance when Liara started to speak again.

"Vision? Yes…. That makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked the Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon – even a badly damaged one – is worth almost any risk." She said excitedly. Then she looked towards John curiously. Noticing her stare, he asked, "What?"

"The beacons were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear. I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander." Liara said looking towards John with admiration in her eyes. Ashley noticed it and her eyes narrowed in jealousy. "This isn't helping us find Saren or the Conduit." She interrupted.

"Of course. You are right. I am sorry." Liara apologized. "My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren."

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along." John said.

"Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on." Liara said.

"And her biotics might come in handy, when the fighting starts." Wrex said.

"Good to have you on the team, Liara." John smiled at her.

"Thank you, Commander. I am very gratef….." John quickly caught her from falling when she staggered. "Whoa! I am afraid I am feeling a little light-headed." She said not meeting John's eyes. One of her hand was on his chest and the other one was gripping his biceps. She could sense that how close she is to him and most of all she liked it. What are these feelings? She thought. But she didn't realize that her cheeks were turning pink.

"Liara, you should go to Dr. Chakwas. Your face is turning red." John said with concern since he didn't realize that Liara was blushing.

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept?" Kaidan asked.

Liara pushed herself away from John. "It is probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Prothean's true fate. I need some time to process all this." She said, still blushing. "Still, it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me the chance to think things over. Are we finished here, Commander?"

"We can talk again after you've seen the doctor. The rest of you…. Dismissed!" John replied.

Liara left the room along with the others.

"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker said through comm.

"Patch them through, Joker." The Council's image appeared in the room after Joker linked the communication.

"We've received your report, Commander. I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy." The asari councilor said.

"I assume you are taking the necessary security precautions?" The turian councilor asked.

"Liara is on our side. The geth were trying to kill her." John said.

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter." The asari councilor said.

"Maybe she doesn't know." The salarian councilor said.

"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she could become a traitor." The turian councilor added.

"At least the mission was a success." The salarian councilor commented.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary, Shepard?" The turian councilor asked with slight irritation in his voice.

"The geth were crawling all over those ruins. We were lucky to make it out alive." John answered.

"Of course, Commander. The mission must always take priority." The Salarian councilor nodded in understanding.

"Good luck, Commander. Remember we are all counting on you." The asari councilor said before ending the transmission.

"Commander, message coming in. Patching it through." Joker said.

"Commander, I'm glad you were in the area. We've got an emergency situation, and you're the only one I trust to get the job done." Admiral Hackett said.

"How can I help, Admiral?" John asked.

"Biotic fanatics have hit a medical research station with psychotropic drug. The drugs have temporarily driven researchers crazy, and the biotics are effectively using them as human shields." Hackett informed.

"I'll take the biotics down, Admiral, and I'll try to limit the casualties." John said.

"I know you will, Commander. I'm sending you the station coordinates now. Fifth Fleet out." The transmission ended.


LOCATION UNKNOWN

So, they are going to stop that drug from spreading? As far I read and heard about the Commander, he won't fire on the civilians even to defend himself. He is too idealistic. He needs someone to watch his back. I trust no one else in keeping him safe. If Shepard dies whatever hope the galaxy has against the Reapers will be gone. Time to take the matter in my hands now. Miranda thought.

She got up from her seat and walked inside the bathroom to freshen up. She doesn't know what will happen next. She even doesn't know whether she will survive the mission or not. She wasn't worried about sacrificing herself for the sake of the galaxy but she was sad that if she dies, she won't see him ever again. And there are other matters also. When she was near the unconscious form of the Commander in the med-bay of the Normandy, she felt something which she couldn't explain. She felt some sort of connection which she hadn't felt for years since…. She was with him – her John. This only confuses her more. She didn't know the Commander at all because they have never met. But still…. These feelings were confusing her more and more. After returning from the Normandy, she did a background check on him. But she found nothing about his early life. When he grew up, he joined Alliance and the N7 training program. Later he earned the Star of Terra for his accomplishment in battlefield. But these were the facts that everyone knows. There was nothing suspicious about it except that there is no record about his childhood. That made her curious. She tried to dig in the extranet but found nothing. It seems that the information regarding his childhood is omitted from being recorded on purpose. But now she is planning to join his squad and after that she will solve the mystery of his childhood. She must for her own sake. She sighed and exited the bathroom but something fell from her pocket. She bent down to pick it up and then she opened it. Inside was two pictures. It was her and the other picture was of her one and only love, anchor, life and her world. She caressed his face on the image as a single tear leaked from her eyes and dropped on his picture as old memories filled her mind. Then she composed herself because she had a mission to accomplish. If she fails this mission then along with everyone he will also die and she cannot allow that, until her last breath. Her destination – Feros.


Review please :)