NORMANDY
"Commander? You…. Look pale. Are you suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?" Liara voiced her concern. Others were also looking at John with concern evident in their eyes. The reason of their concern was that he just faltered in his steps while returning to the Normandy. He almost fainted.
"I just need some time to let this Cipher do its thing." John answered evenly.
"So, Commander. What was Shiala talking about?" Kaidan asked.
"Yeah, her behaviour was strange. I never saw an asari bowing to a human before." Ashley commented.
"She was talking about some legend…. Wasn't she?" Alicia added.
"Yeah, but we have no idea what she was talking about. Personally, I think she made some kind of mistake. Just forget it. It is not important. We should focus on the task in our hand." John said.
"Yeah, right." Garrus said.
"But I can't still figure out the message in my head. Without it we won't have any idea what Saren is up to."
"I might be able to help you." Liara intervened hesitantly. "I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it." Liara made the proposal.
John thought for a moment then said, "All right do it, Liara."
Liara said the same words as Shiala as her eyes turned black and she placed her hands on both side of John's head. Then it happened so suddenly that everyone got shocked. With a scream, Liara jumped away from John breaking their consciousness. She kept on breathing heavily sitting on a chair. John himself was also shocked.
"What happened Liara?" John said with concern.
"You….." Whatever she was about to say she didn't say it. "It was nothing, just a shock from seeing those images inside your mind." Liara said. She continued, "That was incredible. All this time. All my research. Yet I never dreamed….. I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so…. intense." Then she looked directly into John's eyes, "You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind." Liara said.
After hearing Liara's last comment John was not entirely sure whether she was talking about his experience about the Prothean technology or something else…. He was almost sure though that Liara that Liara was talking about the other things in his life.
"Come on. Get to the point. What did you see?" Ashley said irritated.
"The beacon on Eden Prime have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete." Liara said.
"You must have seen something." John said.
"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there, at least. But something was missing. Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can…. Whoa!" She stumbled. "The joining is…. Exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment."
"Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." John said.
"That won't be necessary. I just need some rest. Somewhere quiet." Liara said.
"We're done here. And we are on shore leave for the next 6 hours. Dismissed!" John said as he watched everyone walking away from the room but Alicia stopped just at the doorway and looked towards him for a moment. Then she turned away and left leaving him confused. John sighed and sat down on a chair. He took out the locket from his pocket and opened it. He looked at her picture. She was giving him her brilliant smile which he loved to see and those beautiful blue eyes full of mischief.
"I wish you were here with me now, Miri because this John is nothing without you by his side." John whispered as he caressed her picture inside the locket.
IN A BAR AT THE CITADEL…..
"Where's the Commander? I thought he was going to join us here." Liara asked Garrus.
"He is coming. Why Liara? Do you have, you know…. As humans say, a crush on him?" Garrus teased.
Liara's blue cheeks turned pink as she averted his eyes. "Hah! I was right. You do like him." Garrus laughed.
"It's not like that. I am not used to these feelings, Garrus. I have never felt this way since I dedicated my entire life investigating about the Protheans." Liara answered still blushing.
"All right I get it. I am making you uncomfortable. I will stop." Garrus said. "Ow! What was that for?" Garrus shouted immediately looking at Tali.
"That's for teasing her, you idiot." Tali said trying not to smile, although if she smiled no one will realize it.
"Do you have to hit me so hard?" Garrus complained.
"You deserved it." Tali said folding her arms over her chest.
Garrus glared at her and she glared back. Liara saw the tension so she decided to break it. "What about the others? Chief Williams, Lieutenant Alenko and Wrex? Aren't they coming?" Liara asked.
"Alenko isn't coming and Wrex requested to leave him alone. Chief Williams will probably come with Shepard holding his hands…. You know as humans do things like that to show their territory." Garrus shrugged.
"Chief Williams? Really? Who told you that?" Tali asked.
"Tali I think you are blind behind that helmet of yours. How do you….. Ow!" Garrus shouted again as Tali hit him behind his head, again. Liara giggled. "Liara you are having fun at my expense, I see." Garrus said.
"Stop teasing us, Garrus." Tali said.
"You stop hitting me." Garrus shot back.
"First, you stop teasing us." Tali said glaring back at him.
Garrus realized that it was two against one, so he surrendered. "All right. All right. I won't tease again. But Tali really, you never saw how Williams was glaring at Liara when she joined with Shepard and when she was complementing him. She was jealous. I noticed the way she looks at him when he isn't watching." Garrus explained.
"Too bad. I also kind of liked him." Tali confessed.
"What?" Garrus stared at her dumbfounded. Liara's eyes widened at Tali's confession. "Sorry, Liara. It seems we both are beaten by Williams." Tali said.
"No. I don't think so." Liara disagreed softly, while folding her hands over the table and closing her eyes.
"What? Why? Do you think we still have a chance?" Tali asked. Garrus rolled his eyes.
"No. We don't. Actually, we never had and Chief Williams has also no chance of winning his heart." Liara said.
"Why? How can you be so sure?" Garrus asked.
"No woman can win him over because he…." Liara was stopped by Tali.
"No one? How do you know?" Tali asked.
"Remember when I joined my mind with him?" Liara said. They nodded. She continued, "I was trying to make meaning of the vision he received from Shiala. Accidentally, I saw a flash of his memories, just a flash. A blue eyes raven haired human teenage girl. And next second I felt his pain. It was….. Unimaginable. I don't know how he is coping with such pain. It's extraordinary. That's why I admired him then." Liara confessed.
"He has a secret lover?" Tali asked.
"I don't know. But she was just a girl and by human standards, I can tell that she was extremely beautiful. But by joining our consciousness I realized that girl is much more than a simple lover to him." Liara said.
"Wow! Do you think he somehow lost her or she is dead?" Garrus asked.
"Why are you asking this?" Tali frowned.
"Didn't you saw him on Feros, Tali? Just before we were going to save those civilians. He was lost completely. When I told him that I would drive, he never said a word to oppose. He just slumped down in the back seat of the Mako." Garrus said.
"He was crying." Liara said, softly.
Tali's eyes widened in shock under her helmet. Garrus was looking at Liara with his mouth hanging open. "Did you just said that, Commander Shepard was crying?" Garrus asked.
"Yes. He was." Liara said.
"Why? There must be some reason. He was okay just before that." Tali asked.
"I don't know. Only the Commander can explain it." Liara said.
"Liara, as an asari you have the best knowledge about biotics among us. Can a human have biotics without implants?" Tali asked.
"No. I don't think so. Lieutenant Alenko has also L3 implants in his body. So, it isn't natural." Liara said.
"Then how did Shepard managed to get biotics? As far I know he has no biotic or any kind of implants in his body." Tali said.
"I have no idea, Tali. The Commander, is a mystery to me." Liara confessed. "And his biotic abilities, I have never seen or heard of something that powerful."
"But….." Tali was stopped by Garrus. "What?" She asked him irritated. "Shepard is coming." Garrus said.
"I will ask him about this." Tali said.
"Will that be appropriate, Tali?" Liara asked.
"Why not? We both had friendly talks in the engine room about me and other subjects. He said that I have become his friend. As a friend I can do that." Tali said.
"He visited you too?" Liara asked.
"Yeah. He also visited me, Wrex and Chief Williams." Garrus said leaning back in his seat.
"Well, when he first visited me, he talked about whether I was alright. Then he asked about my life and other things. He also said some jokes to lighten me up. At first, I thought that he was attracted to me that's why he was interacting with me so much. I liked him then. I asked him directly whether he likes me or not." Liara said in embarrassment.
"Wow! Then? What did he say?" Tali asked curiously.
"He said that in this short time he has grown to love me…." Liara was stopped by Tali. "What?!"
"Let me finish Tali. He said that he has grown to love me as his sibling. He also said that when he realized my innocence at first, he began to care for me as his sister." Liara said.
"He told me that I have become his best friend and brother." Garrus confessed.
"Really? That's…." Tali didn't say anything more as John came near their table.
"Hey, guys." He greeted them and sat down facing Garrus.
"Commander…." John stopped Liara.
"Just John, Liara." He said.
"Right…. Where is Chief Williams and Alicia, John?" Liara asked.
"Ashley has gone to meet her sister. Alicia said that she had some personal matters to take care of. So, she went off." John said.
Then they had small talks. They teased each other, laughed together. They just formed a bond and enjoyed each other company, like family members.
"John, you said that I am like a brother to you. Will you answer my questions truthfully?" Garrus asked seriously.
"Anything, Garrus. As long it is not embarrassing." John laughed lightly.
"Why were you crying in the Mako at Feros?" Garrus asked.
John was about to take a sip from his glass but Garrus' question froze him. Then his expression changed completely. "Who told you I was crying? I was just taking some rest." John lied.
"John, I saw you. Please tell us. If you consider us, like your family then tell us." Liara said kindly, taking his hand in hers.
He sighed. "I guess you guys have the right to know." He gave them a sad smile. He then pulled out the locket from his pocket and opened it to show them the two pictures inside it.
"This is the girl I saw in your memories." Liara said. Then she realized what she had done. John looked at her with questioning eyes. "I am sorry. It was never my intention to get into your memories. It was an accident. Really." Liara confessed.
"It's okay, Liara. I trust you." John assured her with a small smile. "I found this on Feros. I don't know how it got there because this was with her the last time, I saw her. I was sure that she was on Feros. But that seemed impossible….. But nothing is making any sense to me anymore."
Then he started telling them the stories about his childhood about which no one knew except his mother, Dr. Chakwas and her. He told them how she met him and eventually fell in love with her and how they got separated. How his mother found him. He told them everything. By the time he was done, he had tears at the corner of his eyes. Tali rubbed away the tears from his eyes. She also had tears in her eyes. Hearing his story her heart ached. Liara now realized why he is in so much pain always. Garrus expression was also sad.
"After all these years you still love her?" Tali asked.
"Yeah, because she wasn't just my girlfriend. She…. she was my life… is still my life and everything else. And she will always be so." John confessed.
"You will find her, one day. Your love is pure and deep. Nothing will be able to prevent both of you in your reunion with her. Mark my words, John." Liara soothed him.
"That's the only hope I have left." John said. Liara placed her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. He returned a bittersweet smile at them. They changed the subject and started having small talks among each other. But they didn't notice, a raven-haired woman with a pair of beautiful blue eyes was watching John from behind. Since, John's back was turned to her she couldn't see the locket he showed his friends. If she saw, both of their sufferings would have been over. But fate has something else planned for them.
"John, did you submit your report to the Council?" Garrus asked.
"Mhm. I did." John answered.
"Did you mention Alicia in your report?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah. Why?" John asked curiously wondering why Garrus was asking him about his report.
"She is a civilian, John." Garrus said.
John now understood why Garrus was asking him about his report. A civilian cannot stay on an Alliance ship.
"I know. She won't travel with us any longer. She will stay here at Citadel. She said so." John said.
"All right. You know why I mentioned this, John." Garrus said.
"Yeah, I know Garrus."
LATER
"So, you are leaving? Where will you go?" John asked Alicia.
"I don't know. I will stay for some time in Citadel. Then I will look for a job, I guess." Alicia explained.
"Well, good luck then." He smiled and they shook hands. She looked straight at John's eyes and she got the feeling again that she knew this man standing in front of her. John got lost in her blue eyes also and he also get the same feeling that he knew those eyes, those blue eyes of Alicia. Alicia got out of her trance somehow. She realized that she was staring at him openly.
"I…. I should go now." She stammered.
"Good luck, Alicia." John said again and they bid good bye to each other. She turned her head back and have a last look at John before leaving.
Miranda, under the disguise of Alicia felt strange whenever she was near the Commander. She always gets the feeling that she knew this man, that this man is an important aspect of her life. Well, in a way Commander Shepard is important to her, and not just only to her but the entire galaxy. He is a hero, someone to look up to. Prior to their meeting she thought that the Commander will be an arrogant bastard, a womanizer but to her surprise he was nothing like that. Her admiration and respect for him reached such a height, she suspected it even rivals to her respect for her boss. It was also didn't help her that he feels and looks like John. Whenever she was near him, she knew she was safe. She has no idea why, but she just did. She never felt that way after her John was taken away from her. Even after he was gone, he had still protected her. She had no idea how, but he did save her. When Henry Lawson got to her, she was in chains and was getting tortured for going against him. Henry Lawson, himself was attacking her bare back repeatedly with a whip. Experiencing her pain, she could tell that her back was bloodied from all the whip attacks. She was withstanding the torture without making a sound from her mouth, because she refused to surrender to her father and she knew that her father wanted her to scream and beg mercy to end the pain. But Henry Lawson knew her. He knew ways, ways to hear her screams of agony. The first time she yelled out in pain, only one word came out from her mouth. It was his name. And then all her suffering stopped suddenly. She felt the energy returning to her body and as she looked at her body, she could see that her whole body was glowing a dark shade of blue. Even the pain on her back was gone. At that moment she knew. He has heard her. The glowing biotics was his power, his protection for her. Her restraints were also broken. She was free. She looked around the room and saw her father was slumped against the wall unconscious. She tried to escape but her father's men had already arrived from the sound of all the commotion. It didn't take much time for her to be captive again. As she was held captive in the basement of her father's mansion for days, strangely all the torture on her was ceased. Her father didn't attempt anything else to cause her pain. She spent days after days in the basement alone, thinking about her father. She decided to end her misery, she decided to assassinate Henry Lawson. Sure, she hated her father with every fibre of her being but she never wanted to kill him. But now this was the only way to her freedom. One day she was successful to escape from the basement at midnight. She knew where her father's room was and what securities were there. Avoiding the guards in the mansion she disabled the security and got access to her father's room. But what she saw there, she had never expected. Henry Lawson was tossing and turning in his sleep, his face was sweaty. Miranda could tell that he was having a nightmare and a very bad one. He was also whispering something which she tried to hear, "No…I promise… I will not hurt her. You have my word." He was repeating the same sentence over and over again. He was pleading to someone in his sleep. Miranda looked at the face of the man who had single handily ruined her entire life. She pulled out the knife she stole from the kitchen. As she raised the knife over her head and about to stab her father's heart, she stopped. She couldn't do it. She imagined her John. The disappointment in his eyes, the hurt. She was not a murderer. No. She couldn't do it. Not because Henry Lawson is her father, it is because she just couldn't take a life, even it is just as twisted as Henry Lawson. She stepped back, away from her father's bed.
What was she doing? In her anger…she had lost control. She covered her mouth with her hand to prevent the sound of her crying from coming out. She couldn't stay there anymore. As she turned away and was about to leave silently as she came, she heard her father speaking again in his sleep, "I promise, I will not hurt her. I will not hurt your Miri." She petrified, hearing her father's whispering.
Your Miri? Miri? How did her father know that name? No one knew that name, except John. Her eyes widened in realisation. Her father, Henry Lawson who fears no one in this galaxy, just fears one man. And not really even a man, he is still a teenager. Her father feared, John. It's incredible. But how? Why? She knew that she will never get the answer to that.
The moment she walked away John felt as if he lost something. Having Alicia around was good. Why I am feeling this way? I have no feelings for Alicia, I just barely knew her besides I love Miri and no one else. That was the problem he was facing. When Alicia was around him, he felt as if his Miri was near him. When she left, he felt the same void which he felt years ago when the slavers captured him and took him away from her. John grabbed his head in frustration. He returned to Normandy and checked his private terminal for any important messages. Most of them were just trash but one message caught his eye. It was sent by an unknown sender. Getting curious he opened the message. His eyes widened reading the message. He re-read it, making sure that he didn't read it wrong. When he was sure that the message was no hallucination, he bolted through the door and entered the elevator. He left the Normandy, informing Pressly that he is leaving for some personal matters since there was still time left for the Normandy to depart.
He felt excitement running through his whole body. After all this time he will finally be able to see her again. He hurried to the place mentioned in the message. The message was brief. It said that a man named Hadley knew where Miri is and he requested to meet John. How he knew about his earlier life was unknown to him but at this moment he didn't care. All he cared was that he must find out where she is. When he reached the mentioned co-ordinates, he observed that the area was dark and no one was there.
"Hello! Anyone here?" John said. "Hello!" No one answered him. He looked around and found no one. Then he felt something piercing his neck and then his world went black.
Miranda left the Normandy both frustrated and angry with herself. She was frustrated because she knew that she has started to have feelings for the famous John Shepard. Whatever the media said about him was not an exaggeration. In fact, whatever they said to admire the Commander wasn't enough. He is much more than just a soldier and a hero. And she got to know him well. He is a good man and his qualities remind her of John, the one she loves. Some of his actions, his facial expressions and most of all, his eyes, they made her almost believe that she was looking at her John, not the great Commander Shepard. Besides these, she felt safe around the Commander which she didn't feel since John was taken away from her. She couldn't figure out why she is having these feelings for that man whom she barely knew. She was angry with herself also because she cannot have feelings for the Commander because only one person resides in her heart but somehow the Commander managed to change that without even trying it. She knew that these feelings were dangerous and could compromise the mission. So, she left willingly and decided to contact the Illusive Man to report her failure. She didn't know how to say it to her boss because she has never failed in her task before.
She was wondering this sitting in a chair in the dock area when she watched the Commander walking away hurriedly somewhere and he was all alone and without any armor and weapon. She got up from her seat and immediately followed him. After tailing the Commander for some time, she saw him came to stop. She observed the area. Why is he here? What's going on? She thought. Then she heard him calling out for someone but no one answered him. He looked around impatiently and then suddenly he slumped on the ground. That took her by surprise. She was about to bolt forward to help him but she stopped as several men appeared from dark and gathered around the Commander's limp body. Who are these people? She wondered but whoever they are…. They are the Commander's enemies. She observed from behind as they lifted Shepard's limp body from the ground and carried him away. She followed them silently. Where are they taking him? She thought. After walking for a few minutes, they came to a stop where four cabs were waiting for them. They threw him in one of the cabs and flew away. Miranda watched helpless. She could do nothing. Suddenly she saw another cab approaching. She signalled it to stop. When the cab driver asked her where she would like to go, she merely knocked him senseless and hid his unconscious body and took the cab and followed them immediately. She was determined to save the Commander. "Hold on Commander, I am coming." She murmured with fire in her eyes which was one of extreme protectiveness but she didn't realize it.
John slowly opened his eyes as he regained consciousness. He looked at his surroundings and found himself in some kind of storage room. When he tried to move his hands, he realized that his hands were tied. He tried to remember how he got here. The last thing he remembered was that he was looking for the messenger when something pierced his neck and he lost consciousness. He was ashamed of himself because he acted irrationally. Being a soldier, he couldn't see the trap that was laid for him. How can I be so stupid? Just the mere mention of getting her news drove all of his rational thoughts away from his mind and he rushed to his destination without even informing a single person where he was going. This was all his fault. He tried to pull himself free but soon realized that his effort was futile. There was no way he could break free from his restraint. He rested his back against the wall in defeat. He wondered who caught him. Are they Saren's puppets or someone else?
John's thoughts stopped as the storage door opened and two mercenaries marched inside. He eyed them trying to figure out who they worked for. Their armor doesn't seem to belong to any mercenaries group he knew. "What do you want with me?" John asked them. They didn't answer, instead they yanked him up on his feet and one of them placed his gun on John's back and indicated him to move. "Where are you taking me? I am not going until you tell me." John asked again.
The mercenary hit John behind his head with the butt of his rifle. John saw stars as he fell on the ground from the sudden blow. They again pulled him on his feet. The mercenary behind John shoved him forward. This time John did as they said because he realized he won't get any answer from these two. They are merely following orders of their boss whoever that was. They took him to a room which looked like it was more of a torture place than a meeting place.
"Tie him." John heard someone say. Next, he knew he was pulled towards the wall and was tied to it by his hands and legs.
"Who are you? What do you want?" John shouted angrily. Then he heard a laugh. A cold, cruel laugh and he heard it before. The person slowly came to John's view. John's eyes flashed with fury realizing who it was.
"It's been too long, Commander Shepard or should I say, John?" The person laughed. The leader of the mercenaries looked a little aged as some his hairs were white and his skin was showing signs of his aging. But his eyes, they were cruel and menacing. He has an ugly scar right below his left eye.
"Petrovich." John said grinding his teeth in anger.
"You seem to remember me it seems. But do you remember this?" Petrovich said indicating the scar on his face.
John said angrily, "How can I forget it? Believe me, it was my intention to kill you then and this time I will do it."
Petrovich laughed again. "Look who's talking." Then he walked forward and grabbed the front of John's shirt. "You are at my mercy boy! This time I am finishing which I left unfinished last time because of your whore mother." He spat. But Petrovich grimaced in pain immediately as John head-butted him. He covered his face with his hands trying to stop the sudden pain. When he realized that John broke his nose he was outraged in anger. "You are going to pay for this boy. And next your mother." He yelled.
John pulled on his restraint but they didn't budge. John was overwhelmed in fury. Because of this man he lost his Miri that day. He took away his happiness and his life from him. Now this bastard is planning to go after his mother. He knew why. It was Hannah Shepard who put Petrovich behind the cells after rescuing the colonists of Mindoir. He is seeking revenge. John cannot let this happen. He already lost her but he can't lose his mother too. He gathered all of his strength and pulled on the restraints again.
"Don't just stand there, fools. Stop him." Petrovich ordered his men. They nodded and walked towards John and started to beat him mercilessly. After beating John for few minutes, the mercenaries stepped back. John had blood all over his face. There were several bruises visible on his face. His shirt was torn apart from the beating he took. He was almost unconscious.
Petrovich pulled John's head up to meet his own eyes. "This time you are dying boy." He said cruelly.
"Don't be so sure." Petrovich heard a female voice behind him. He turned to see a dark-skinned woman standing a few feet away with a SMG in her hand and many of his men lay dead on the ground.
"Don't just stand there. Kill her, you idiots!" Petrovich yelled to his remaining mercenaries. Before they could shoot at the woman the chains holding the containers on top of them gave away and fell on the mercenaries killing them.
"You are dead!" Petrovich yelled in anger and ran towards the woman. Few of Petrovich's mercenaries were still alive. They managed to avoid being crushed by the containers. They stood up and tried to look for their guns.
In the meantime, John slowly got out from the dizziness. His vision was still blurred. He heard gun fire and shouts all around him. He looked up and saw a lone feminine figure fighting Petrovich and his men alone and she was clearly giving them hell. He looked at the woman carefully even though his vision wasn't clear. Then his eyes widened in shock. It was her. It's her. She's here. He thought. He watched from the corner of his eyes that several of Petrovich's mercenaries entered the area and started firing on her. He realized that she is pinned down by the mercenaries and Petrovich. One of the mercenaries threw a grenade towards her cover and she was forced to jump away from there leaving her open to their fire. That got to him. "No…. No." He whispered. As long he is alive no one can touch her. No one. His body started to glow brightly with dark energy and his muscles bulged. He pulled on his bindings with every ounce of his strength. He was so strong that he pulled the entire chain free from the wall and destroying a part of the wall in the process. The dark energy around him died but somehow, he managed to recover slightly from his broken state, so that he could fight. He saw an assault rifle laying at his feet. He immediately took it and shot the mercenaries those who were approaching her. The bullets from his rifle tore the mercenaries' body apart.
Petrovich turned towards him with shocked eyes. But John looked towards her. She was behind a small cover. She stood up from behind the cover and looked towards him. It wasn't her; it was Alicia. John realized and his heart shattered. Now Petrovich was alone. He was against John and Alicia. He tried to reach for the gun but before he could reach it, he was hit on his face by a spinning kick from Alicia. The kick shattered his jaw. "Aggghhhh!" Petrovich yelled in pain holding his jaw lying on the ground.
John watched that everything was under control and suddenly he felt dizziness came rushing over him as he fell to the ground. Alicia saw the Commander falling on the ground and more mercenaries entering the area. Her eyes widened in fear. "No…" She whispered.
30 MINUTES AGO
Miranda landed her cab at a safe distance away from the enemies' eyes. She looked around to make sure that no one was watching her. Once she realized that her vehicle was safe, she started to move towards the building where Shepard is kept. She hid herself and observed that there were plenty of mercenaries around the area. There is no way she could take on all of them if it comes down to a fight. She needs help. She needed to communicate with the Normandy somehow. But the question is 'how'. Her keen eyes observed the mercenaries. They must have some kind of communication device with them. If I can take one of them down, I can contact the Normandy. Miranda watched one mercenary guard was walking a few feet away from others. She moved from her position and hid behind a cover to wait for the opportunity to take him down. As soon as the mercenary turned his back towards her, she swiftly grabbed him from behind and snapped his neck. She dragged his body and hid it. She reached for his radio and easily hacked into it.
NORMANDY
"Where's Shepard?" Garrus asked Joker.
"No one knows. Pressly is saying that Shepard left without informing where he was going." Joker shrugged.
"Maybe he has gone to see his mother?" Tali suggested.
"Admiral Shepard? Yeah maybe. But he should have told so. He acted strange and….. I don't know." Liara said.
"I am having a bad feeling about this. The Commander never did anything like this before." Kaidan said.
"What do you mean?" Ashley asked.
"Like not informing his squad or anyone where he is going. He acted out of his behaviour." Kaidan explained.
"I don't think he went to see his mother." Joker said.
"How can you be so sure?" Ashley asked.
"Because Admiral Shepard is coming towards the Normandy and the Commander isn't with her." Joker deadpanned.
All of them immediately looked through the glass and indeed it was Admiral Hannah Shepard walking towards the Normandy. Admiral Shepard requested to board the Normandy which was immediately granted. Joker opened the door for her to enter. Everyone saluted her except Garrus, Tali, Liara and Joker.
The Admiral looked towards Kaidan. "Where is the Commander?" She asked. Kaidan didn't answer immediately which made her facial expression turn from calm to angry. "I asked you a question Lieutenant." She repeated.
"The Commander is missing for almost an hour Admiral." Kaidan answered.
"What? Where did he go?" The Admiral asked alarmed.
"We don't know Admiral. The Commander informed no one. He just said that he is leaving the Normandy for few minutes for a personal matter." Pressly informed Hannah.
The Admiral listened carefully. She sighed. What have you done John? She looked up and addressed the team, "All right listen. It looks to me that the Commander is in danger. We…" She stopped as the Normandy's radio chattered.
"Anyone there? Anyone? I need to talk with someone on the Normandy." A female voice said.
Hannah answered the call. "This is Admiral Shepard. Identify yourself."
"That's Alicia." Garrus answered before the woman could answer Hannah.
"Yeah. I am Alicia. Admiral I know where the Commander is. I will explain everything later. I am trying to save him but I don't think that I can do this without help." Alicia said.
"Where is he? Give us the location." Hannah ordered.
Alicia gave them the location. She paused and said softly, "Admiral. Hurry.' Then she ended the communication.
"How did she know where the Commander is?" Ashley asked with a frown on her face.
"It doesn't matter and we don't have time to dwell on those matters. We must focus on saving the Commander." Hannah said. She paused for a moment. "Who is coming in with me?" She asked. Everyone in the team, volunteered immediately. "Very well. Let's go." Hannah said and left the Normandy. The others followed.
Miranda ended the communication and sneaked inside the building carefully avoiding the guards. She kept on watching around and moving forward at the same time. So far, she didn't saw any guards anywhere. The entire place was almost dark. It helped her to hide herself from watchful eyes. She came to stop when she saw the Commander. He was tied to a wall by chains and he was beaten to a pulp. Her eyes showed pure fury. She watched an aged man approached the Commander. She realized that she cannot wait for the Normandy team to arrive. She pulled out small devices from her pocket and carefully guided those devices to attach themselves with the chains that were holding the containers above the mercenaries with her omni-tool. She saw several mercenaries were facing their back to her. She silently took them out without anyone realizing. The others were taking fun torturing the Commander, so they didn't realize that few of their men are down. Then she heard that aged man was talking with the Commander. That man was threatening the Commander.
"This time you are dying boy." She heard the threat and realized that she cannot wait anymore. She revealed herself and said, "Don't be so sure."
The aged man turned towards her and she detonated the small devices with her omni-tool. The containers crashed down killing several mercenaries. She shot two more with her SMG and crushed one with her biotics. But within a minute she was surrounded by more mercenaries. She was forced to duck behind a cover. She returned their fire but not for long as one of them tossed a grenade. She jumped away to avoid the blast but the SMG slipped away from her hand. She fell on the ground hard but managed to get behind a small cover. She was sure that she would die any second as she heard gun fire. But not a single bullet hit her. She looked up to see that the mercenaries those who were firing on her were all dead. She was surprised. Then she looked and saw that the Commander somehow freed himself from his restraint and he shot the mercenaries. She saw the Commander looked towards her with something strange in his eyes. Was it disappointment or sadness? Or both? Miranda suddenly saw the leader of the mercenaries' eyes widened and he dove for his gun. But she was faster. She reached him before he could reach his gun. She took him down with a spinning kick. He fell on the ground groaning in pain. She started to secure the leader but she stopped as she heard of something hitting the ground. She turned towards the Commander to find that he was on the ground and he wasn't moving. Her eyes widened when she saw several more mercenaries entering the area with their guns raised. "No…." She whispered realizing that they were surrounded.
Miranda ran towards the Commander's limp body, not caring that several mercenaries were approaching them. She checked him and found that he was conscious and breathing. She sighed in relief. Then she eyed the mercenaries and her whole body started to glow with dark energy. She unleashed her biotics on them killing a few of them. She realized that it was no use. They were many and she couldn't fight them alone. She saw them raising their gun towards her. She closed her eyes preparing for her inevitable death. At that moment she heard several gun fire and the mercenaries screamed. She opened her eyes to see that most of them were dead and the rest of them were surrounded by Alliance soldiers and the Normandy team. Garrus and the others including the Admiral came rushing towards her. The Admiral fell on her knees beside her son's body. She caressed his face lovingly.
"Is he okay?" Hannah asked Alicia.
"Yeah. But he took a lot of beating before I came here." Alicia said. "We should take him on a stretcher. He can't walk." She added. Hannah nodded. She ordered her men to gather a stretcher for her son. Miranda looked towards the Admiral. She met the Admiral in her childhood when she requested her to save John. Did she save him? And if she did, she must know where he is now. Miranda realized with excitement. She was about to ask her but stopped when she realized they weren't alone and she was under disguise. Later, Miranda. Later. She said to herself.
The Alliance soldiers lifted the Commander's body on the stretcher to get him away from there.
"Alicia. Thank you for saving my son." Hannah said from behind. Miranda turned to talk with her but she felt someone tugging at her hands. She turned to see who it was. Her eyes widened. She never realized that this whole time her right hand was held by the Commander. Although he is unconscious now, he still didn't let her hand go. She gently tried to remove her hand from his grasp but she couldn't do it. He had a strong and also a gentle grip on her hand. She looked up to see that everyone was watching her with shocked expression, except Chief Williams who was watching her angrily. She was shocked herself as she looked at their joined hands again.
NORMANDY
The Normandy team was waiting for Admiral Shepard to explain to them about the earlier situation. Every one of the team was present there except, Alicia and Shepard. The Commander is recovering at the hospital and Alicia proposed to stay by his side. Hannah agreed to her proposal and allowed her to stay beside his son. She trusted that young woman enough to put John's safety in her hands. Alicia has earned her trust by saving John's life and Hannah is beyond grateful to Alicia for it. The team looked up as the Admiral entered the room. Before anyone could speak, Hannah answered their unasked questions, "I know all of you are wondering who that man was who kidnapped your Commander. His name is Petrovich and he was a slaver once. John and I encountered with him in the past. He is an old enemy. It was I who put him behind the bars."
Garrus, Tali and Liara eyed each other since they already knew about Petrovich.
"Admiral, may I speak?" Ashley asked.
"Go ahead, Chief."
"We were wondering how did that man named Petrovich lure the Commander into his trap? I mean we're talking about Commander Shepard here. He isn't among the ones who easily fall into enemies' hands. It's just….. kind of unbelievable." Ashley voiced her concern.
Hannah looked at Ashley. She didn't know what to say to Ashley. "I don't know. But know this Chief, everyone has a weakness and Petrovich knew the weakness of John and he used it against my son." Hannah replied finally. After few more pleasant conversations Hannah left the Normandy and went to see her son in hospital.
Ashley turned towards the other members of John's team. She asked with a frown on her face, "Why is she of all people allowed to stay beside the Commander? I mean we don't know much about her and personally I don't trust her."
"I think we can trust her now. She has more than proved herself." Garrus said. Liara and Tali agreed with him.
"Yeah, if she wanted to do any harm or had any other intentions, she wouldn't have risked her own life to save the Commander." Joker cut in.
"It's true that she saved the Commander's life but why is she allowed to stay so close to him? It seems…. It doesn't seem right at all." Ashley protested.
Before the conversation turned more heated, Kaidan decided to reveal what he was suspecting for some time now. "I think, I know." Kaidan interrupted. Everyone looked at him with questioning eyes. Kaidan spoke again, "I have noticed that Alicia have become closer to the Commander. She only talks with him among us and if I am not wrong, the way she looks at the Commander when he isn't watching, the way she smiles at him, somewhat tells me that she likes the Commander, a lot and he probably likes her too."
"What?" Ashley said in disbelief.
"Didn't you see how Shepard held her hand in his own even when he was unconscious?" Kaidan asked. Everyone nodded in agreement except Garrus, Liara and Tali because they knew nothing is going on between Alicia and John.
"Well it pretty much confirms something is going on between them." Kaidan said again. Ashley just glared at him as she was feeling insanely jealous.
HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Miranda sat beside John's face silently with her blue eyes solely focused on the peaceful expression of his sleeping face. She smiled slightly and caressed his forehead with her fingers. Everyone knew Commander Shepard as a tough man, an unstoppable force in battle. She knew that too. She has no doubt regarding his combat abilities. He is unique. But now she knew him better than that. She looked at him again and saw that he has a hint of smile on his face and that made her realise how much the Commander looks like her John. The same smile and also other things, about which she didn't want to think about now. The way he is sleeping now made some of her old memories rushing back in her mind. The most frightening thing was that she knew that she is slowly falling for this man even she isn't ready to admit it to herself. She tried to resist him but her effort was futile. He got under her skin without even trying to do so. But she knew there can be nothing between her and the Commander, ever. She couldn't get any closer to him than she already has. If she did, he is bound to know her real identity and whom she works for. She felt ashamed of herself for feeling this way about Shepard since she is already in love with another person. She was confused before about why she was feeling this way about him but not anymore. It's because Shepard reminds her of her John because they both seems somewhat similar. Miranda was craving human contact. Even though she had her sister, it wasn't enough. Since he went missing, she always feels that a part of her is missing and she also knew that no one can fill it except him. Numerous men desired to have a relationship with her. Most of them just wanted to get her into their bed but there were few good men too among them, like Jacob. Even her friend Niket indicated indirectly that he is interested in her in more than friendship. But she kept them at a safe distance since she knew that even if she had started relationship with either of them, it wouldn't have worked. It would've been only physical relationship, nothing more than that. She found that disgusting. She has already committed her heart, body and soul to one man and it won't change ever. But living her life without him is becoming more and more difficult day by day. She needed him in her life desperately. There is no word in which she could describe how much she loves him and always will. Suddenly a thought hit her when she looked at Shepard's face. Is it possible? Could he be her John? Why not? She thought. She had never thought about this before. There's a big chance that Commander John Shepard could be her John. But she has no way to confirm it. Is there really no way to know? Yes! There's a way. Why didn't I think about this before? Damn! I am an idiot. Admiral Shepard. She must have some idea about where he can be since she rescued him. But did she? Was she able to save him? If the Admiral reveals that he is dead, Miranda knew that she will not survive it. It's better to live with hope. Isn't it? But leaving without him is becoming almost unbearable. Miranda decided to talk with the Admiral immediately since she couldn't contain her excitement. But she stopped as another thought hit her. What are you doing Miranda? You are compromising the mission. If you ask the Admiral about him many questions will be raised and you will blow your cover. She mentally scolded herself. Later, Miranda, later. She tried to calm herself. She again looked at John's sleeping face and suddenly her whole body filled with anger watching the bruises and cuts all over his face and arms. Her heart also ached and she couldn't stop the single tear that fell from her eyes on his face. She kissed his forehead quickly and ran away from the room trying to hide her tears which came when she thought about her John getting tortured like the Commander but she didn't saw John stirred in his bed and murmured her name. Miranda entered the bathroom and splashed water on her face. She placed her forehead on the basin and sobbed. Then an image ran through her mind. It was of Petrovich, who was torturing John and he was calling for her. She splashed more water on her face and looked towards the mirror over the basin.
Yes. He knows. He can tell her where John is.
She roughly pulled away her disguise which revealed her pale skin and her beautiful face. Her eyes were cold like ice as her whole body shook with fury. She made a decision and left the bathroom with fury in her cold blue eyes.
12 HOURS LATER
John groaned as he regained consciousness on his bed. He felt his whole body was aching in pain. He looked to his right side and saw that Dr. Chakwas was sitting in a chair beside his bed and she was fast asleep. A smile graced his face. She really loves me as her own son. He thought and placed his hand lightly on hers. She woke up with a start and saw that John was looking at her with a small smile on his face. She immediately started to check his health. She sat down again once she was satisfied that he was okay.
"How are you feeling, John?" She asked in a motherly tone.
"Besides the pain which is raking through my whole body, I am alright." He said tiredly.
"It's normal after what you went through." She paused for a second and added, "Again."
John looked away from her in shame.
"The pain will be gone in a few hours. Most of the bruises and the cuts on your body are already healed. You are healing at an amazing rate. The doctors, including me are amazed." Dr. Chakwas said softly. She opened her mouth to ask him what really happened but stopped when she saw her friend Admiral Hannah Shepard entering the room. She gave a reassuring smile to her friend indicating that John was alright.
"I'll leave the two of you alone." Dr. Chakwas said and exited the room. Hannah looked towards her son who wasn't meeting her eyes.
"John….."
"I am sorry, mom." He apologised softly. "I have thought of something. I think that I don't deserve to remain as a Spectre any more after what I did."
"Enough!" Hannah said a little loudly. "It's true that you made a mistake. But everyone learns from their mistake. Besides, you didn't endanger anyone's life by your action. So, I don't think that the Council will strip you off your Spectre title."
"Still….."
"No. Listen to me John. No one blames you for anything."
"But I let my own personal matters compromise the mission. Pursuing Saren is more important than my personal matters. I don't know what happened to me after I read that a man can tell me where she is. I just ran without a second thought."
"John, nobody is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes and you did too. But tell me everything, John. What did Petrovich want from you?"
"He was seeking revenge on both of us. He didn't forget that you are the one who put him behind bars." Then John explained everything to his mother. After listening to her, Hannah looked towards her son with sad eyes. She placed her hand on his forehead.
"John, I somewhat understand how much you care for her and what she means to you. But you have to be more careful from now on. Promise me."
"I promise, mom." They remained silent for a minute. John eventually broke the silence. "Where is Alicia? Is she on the Normandy?"
"I don't know. Last time I saw her, she was with you here. Why?"
"She was here?" John was surprised.
"Yeah."
"I owe her my life. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have been here now. I need to thank her at least."
"John, the Council has allowed her to stay in the Normandy and assist you in pursuing Saren. So, you can thank her later. And she has more than proven herself to be trustworthy." She paused. "I am grateful to her because she saved me from losing my son for the second time in my life."
"That she did." John replied with a smile. At that moment someone knocked at the door and interrupted the mother-son talk. Hannah looked towards the door to see an Alliance soldier standing there with a salute.
"Pardon me, Admiral. But I have an urgent news for you." The soldier said.
"Go ahead."
"Admiral, Petrovich is dead. Someone put at least six bullets in his head." The soldier replied.
"What?!" Hannah exclaimed in shock.
HUERTA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
"What did you say? Petrovich is dead? How?" Hannah asked totally taken aback by the news.
"He was shot at his head in his cell, Admiral." The soldier informed.
"How can someone infiltrate the prison despite that tight security? And not only the person entered the prison, he or she even murdered a prisoner."
"We still couldn't understand it, Admiral. But we came to the conclusion that whoever killed Petrovich is highly trained in many ways. We are sorry Admiral."
"You can go, private." Hannah said.
"What's going on? Who could've killed Petrovich?" John asked his mother.
"I cannot figure it out John. As far I know from the investigation, Petrovich had no enemy, at least I don't know."
"What done is done. It's good that he is dead." John murmured.
"Maybe. But still…"
PRISON, 6 HOURS AGO
Petrovich sat in his cell, trying to figure out how to escape. So far, he has observed that the security is tight and especially around his cell. It seems that the guards were ordered to keep a close eye on him. He heard footsteps of a guard passing by his cell door. He can't wait to get out of here and take his revenge on the Admiral and his son. Another person got added to his list now. That woman. She broke his jaw completely.
"It doesn't matter how much you tighten the security Admiral Shepard, you can't keep me here for long." He said to no one.
"This time you won't be able to escape." Said a cold voice.
Petrovich was so much lost in his hate and revenge that he didn't notice a woman with a body tight black bodysuit entered his cell and stood before him. She looked both beautiful and deadly. Her expression was cold and was full of hatred for him. Her piercing blue eyes were telling him that he is doomed this time. She raised her handgun towards him. Petrovich was never scared in his life but something about this woman made him stutter.
"W-Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?" He asked trying to distract her.
"There are so many reasons for which I want to kill you now. But I have my own personal reason." She replied with hatred in her voice.
"I…. I don't even know you." Petrovich stuttered.
"You don't? Then I have to make you remember me before you die." She answered. Next second, she was standing near him holding his broken jaw tightly with her hand. It took all of Petrovich's self-restraint not to cry out in pain.
"14 years ago. 14 long years ago. You took slaves from Mindoir. You remember that?" She said coldly. Petrovich could only nod as he was feeling tremendous pain at his jaw.
"Before you left you and your slavers raided one small house. Two teenagers lived there. They were happy. But you and your people destroyed their life. That day you took him away from me and by doing so you destroyed my whole life." She said angrily. But Petrovich noticed her voice was trembling but only a little. He still couldn't understand who is this woman because if his memory serves right, he couldn't remember seeing any teenage girl in that house.
"I have waited for this for a long time. But before I kill you, I want to know what you did to that boy. And where is he now?" She asked him angrily placing her gun on his forehead.
"I didn't kill him. I swear!" Petrovich replied in a terrified voice.
"Then where is he now?" She threatened.
Petrovich flinched and he saw that there were tears in her eyes. Then a realization hit him. "You are that girl, aren't you? I saw you when we were leaving with our prisoners. I wanted to come back and get you. But look what your boyfriend did to stop me." He said indicating the long scar across his face. Even when he was at the enemy's mercy, he was still trying to protect her. She smiled to herself inwardly.
"You deserved it. I would've been happy if he was able to kill you!" She spat. "But you didn't answer my question. Where is he now?" Miranda could feel her heart beating rapidly in excitement of hearing where John is now.
Petrovich opened his mouth to say something but at that moment the alarm went off. Miranda cursed. "You can't escape girl. Soon you will be in the hands of the Alliance." He smirked smugly.
"Don't worry about me. Worry about yourself." She said and in the next second her gun went off. A single bullet exited her gun and smashed Petrovich's brain into shreds. Blood and gore splattered on the cell wall and floor. But she didn't stop there. She put another five bullets into his already smashed skull. Miranda realized it's her time to escape. She swiftly left the cell and typed something on her omni-tool. It disabled the entire power of the prison and darkness spread everywhere. Her black suit helped her to merge with darkness and hide her from searching eyes. Without waiting a second longer she went forward to escape the prison.
After sometime the alarms were turned off in the prison as they were led to believe that the alarm went off because of a system malfunction. Guards were moving from cell to cell checking on the prisoners. After sometime a guard entered Petrovich's cell while smoking. As soon as he opened the door of the cell his eyes turned round in disbelief and the cigarette dropped from his mouth as his mouth hung wide open.
"Captain!" He shouted.
NORMANDY 9 HOURS LATER
"Shepard! It's good to see that you are up on your feet again." Anderson greeted through video comm.
"Thank you, sir. It feels good to be able to stand on my own again." John replied.
Then Anderson's expression turned serious, "Listen Shepard. Saren is hiding at this time. But a lot of geth activities are being reported at Noveria. You should go and check it. Maybe you will find some clue about Saren's activities there."
"I will make it a priority Captain."
"Good luck out there Shepard." Anderson said and the transmission ended.
AN HOUR LATER
"Hey Commander, it's good to have you back." Joker said cheerfully when John arrived at the cockpit.
"Yeah, it feels good. So, everything okay here, while I was gone?" John asked.
"Everything is fine. Except, well…" Joker hesitated.
"Except….?" John asked curiously.
"Williams is not happy about Alicia being onboard the Normandy and especially her staying by your side in the hospital."
"Why?" John asked surprised.
"Her reasoning was that she doesn't trust Alicia but Kaidan and I suspect it's not about trust. It's something else."
"Alicia proved herself trustworthy. What is Ashley worried about?" John said.
"I trust Alicia, Shepard. I mean, come on she just saved you from getting killed."
"Yeah, she did save my life and I am grateful to her for it. But I need to talk to Ashley about this. If there is doubt among teammates then there will be a high probability of casualty during battle."
"Commander, before you talk to Williams I think, I can enlighten you about her behaviour."
"Go on, Joker. I would like to know it."
"She is jealous, Commander." Joker simply stated.
"Jealous?" John asked totally surprised. "About what?"
"She is jealous of Alicia because she has grown quite closer to you than others except Garrus, Liara and Tali." Joker said turning his chair back towards John.
John processed in his mind what Joker revealed to him. Slowly, realization dawned on him.
Dr. Chakwas was right. Ashley indeed likes me. But I cannot give her false hope. I need to talk to her about this.
"Joker, how long to Noveria?" John said changing the subject.
"We are nearly there, Commander. ETA 25 minutes." Joker replied.
"Very well. I am heading to the cargo bay. I need to brief them about the mission." John said and left the cockpit.
I have to talk to Ashley after the mission.
CARGO BAY
"So, we got Saren on the run." Wrex said.
"It won't be long. I will find him." John replied in a determined voice.
"He's rotten to the core. Damn turian!" Wrex growled.
"No offense taken." Garrus said from behind. John chuckled. Wrex scowled at the blue armoured turian.
"You know Saren?" John asked.
"I was working as a merc near the Terminus system a long time ago. They said the job was well paid. So, I took it. Saren just showed up once. We'd been raiding ships in the area for months when we took down the massive cargo freighter. I was onboard checking bodies for valuables, looking for some extra credits. That's when I saw him."
"What did Saren want with the ship?" Garrus asked.
"I don't know what he wanted. He was just moving through the ship. Watching. Couple of the mercs called him by name but he never spoke to them. Never spoke to anyone. I had a really bad feeling about him, so I got the hell out. Didn't even wait to get paid and my instincts were right. Every other merc on that mission turned up dead within a week. Every damn one."
"Good decision, Wrex." Garrus commented.
After leaving Wrex and Garrus to their argument John turned his attention towards Alicia. He saw that she was standing leaning against the wall with her arms crossed under her chest. Something clicked in his mind watching Alicia standing like that.
She is standing exactly the same way Miri used to stand when she wanted to observe something.
He slowly approached her. When she saw John, she straightened herself and greeted him with a small smile.
"Hey Alicia, how are you doing?" John asked her returning her smile with his own.
"I am doing all right, Commander. I'm glad that the Council and the others are okay to let me help you in the mission. But most of all I am happy to see that you are all right." She smiled again.
"Look Alicia, a simple 'Thankyou' is not enough for what you did. I can never repay you for what you did for me. But I would want you to know that if you ever need me for anything, I will be there with you, as a friend." He said extending his hand towards her for a handshake.
Miranda's heart warmed at his words. No one ever told her such a nice thing to her ever, except John. But now, this man John Shepard, who seems similar in many ways with her John is giving his trust to her without a second thought.
This is what John did. He also gave me his trust right away and later his heart. And I never realized when he stole mine.
Even her childhood friend Niket had a motive behind befriending her. He wanted more than friendship. But Shepard is different. He is a perfect gentleman and she knew in her heart that she can trust this man. She came to know him better, since she joined the squad. He isn't like any other man who only make friendship with women, only for them to seduce them in their bed and fulfill their lust. She saw many women tried to flirt with him openly but he never flirted back. He talked with them politely and maintained a respectable distance, always.
Getting out of her thoughts she took his hand for a handshake. As soon as their bare skin touched both of them flinched and snatched their hands back immediately. They felt as if they were hit by current. Both of their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Nice, talking with you….. Alicia." John said rubbing his neck nervously with his right hand. He turned away hurriedly and left her standing there.
Miranda was taken aback when she took his hand. She felt as if she knew his touch, the warmth of his hands. They felt familiar. And Shepard rubbed his neck nervously in the same way John used to act when he was nervous. She also observed something in his eyes, a hint of recognition. Yes, she saw it.
Miranda was beginning to believe more and more that Commander John Shepard is no one else, but her John.
Is it really you John? She could only hope.
