A/N: Well. I didn't intend to cliffhang for two and a half years, but life happens, including the 1.5 year old toddler making a mess of the house.

To everyone who went through and commented recently - thanks. You're the ones that brought me back to this story.

2185
Heretic Station

Thirty seconds until the station blows up, enemies on all sides … The Doctor had been in this situation many times before. He'd always managed to find a way out. This isn't the end.

"Link established."

The Doctor turned to look at Legion, brows furrowing. "What?"

Then he heard a most familiar and welcome sound, cutting through the shrieks of geth and the thunder of guns.

Whirr. Whirr.

The TARDIS interior shimmered into existence around their group, even the fallen Tali - flickering out almost as soon as it solidified, then coming back again.

"Fifteen seconds." Ace continued the countdown, somewhat unnecessarily now. At least, the Doctor hoped it was unnecessary.

Whirr. Whirr.

The TARDIS finished materializing around the group. The Doctor raced forward to the controls and made a quick calculation of how far away from the explosion they needed to be, then doubled it, and threw the switch.

"Ten seconds."

Momentum jolted him forward, and he grabbed onto various bits of the console to keep his balance. Judging by the sounds around him, everyone else was doing something similar. Except the geth, maybe.

"Five seconds. Four. Three."

He ran over to the door and flung it open.

"Two. One."

Normandy SR-2

Near the Omega-4 Relay

"Missed," Joker groaned, seeing the shot from the Normandy's guns streaking past the Collector ship. Its engines roared to life a second later, propelling it away from the Normandy. "Oh no you don't! Follow them, EDI!"

"Following." The Normandy accelerated again. Joker gritted his teeth and took a look at the power readings. It might be possible to get a third shot off, if he gave the systems a few minutes to recharge.

"Trajectory is Omega-4 relay. Estimated time to contact, thirty seconds."

"Shit!" Well, he officially didn't have the few minutes to recharge, and he'd probably damage the Thanix Cannon if he tried to take another shot. Joker watched the massive ship leaving, relief and disappointment mixing together inside him. He took a moment to calm his racing heart, then opened a channel to engineering. "Everything okay down there?"

"Aside from being shaken worse than a martini, we're fine," Kenneth said.

"Why the hell would you ever shake a martini?" Jack asked.

"You've seriously never heard of James Bond?"

"Guys," Joker interrupted. "Can I get an actual status report?"

"Couple of panels overloaded. Circuits fried. Should be small repairs, though, no problem if we're out of trouble." Gabby paused. "Are we out of trouble?"

"Well, the Collector ship is gone, but Shepard might kick my ass for unshackling EDI when she gets back."

"That's your problem," Gabby said. "Gotta get to work." The communications light went dark.

"I judge it unlikely that your ass will actually be kicked over this," EDI said.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I can always remove the oxygen in the room if she tries." There was a long pause. Joker tried to remember if there was any way to re-shackle an AI. Then...

"That was a joke."

The heretic geth station was the only source of light in the blackness of space - dim and constant for a split second before a sphere of light burst from the center, tearing the station apart in its wake. Pieces flew in every direction, moving rapidly away from the center.

The Doctor let out a sigh of relief, and then turned his attention to the other side of the TARDIS control room. Mordin had his omni-tool out over Tali's unmoving body, with Shepard and Garrus as close as they could get without interfering with the salarian's scans.

"Unconscious, but in no immediate danger," Mordin pronounced. "Breaches in suit make her more prone to infection. Tali'Zorah will need to rest in clean area for several days."

"I'll make it happen as soon as we get back," Shepard said. She touched Tali's face mask before standing and coming over to join the Doctor, Garrus a half-step behind her. Mordin stayed at Tali's side.

"It appears that Legion was able to call the TARDIS in." The Doctor clapped a hand on the geth's shoulder. "I've been able to do that a few times over the years."

Legion turned its head to look at the Doctor. "The process was simple. The TARDIS wished to help." Was it just him, or was there a hint of reproach in that artificial voice?

Shepard glared at him. "You could have saved us a lot of worry if you'd done that sooner."

The Doctor waved his hand. "Well, the ways to do that get displaced when the TARDIS interior changes. Not sure what happened to the last one. It's around here somewhere."

Throwing her hands in the air and muttering something (likely an uncomplimentary something), Shepard turned to look at Legion. "Thank you, Legion. You probably saved our lives with your quick action."

Legion inclined its head in her direction. "Acknowledged."

"Shield or bubble protecting us?" Mordin stretched a hand out into the blackness of space. "Fascinating."

Ignoring Shepard's continued glare, the Doctor bounded over to stand next to Mordin. Yes, it had been a close call, but it had worked out. These things always did, somehow. They were all safe and mostly unharmed, so it was clearly time to move onto the next challenge.

Well, after taking a moment to show off. There was always time to show off.

"I never get tired of it," he said to Mordin. "Being this close to the beautiful infinity of space. Knowing that at any second, I could decide to go - there -" he pointed at a random star. "And be able to just do it. No idea what I'll find on the other end."

"Can understand the lure," Mordin replied, nodding his head vigorously. "Wonder of discovery. Want to know what and why."

"Well, the why is often the tricky part."

Mordin's face split in a smile. "Usually, yes."

Soft footsteps heralded Shepard's approach. Her face was still pale, her features creased in concern, but the Doctor saw a little more of her tension ease out as she looked out the TARDIS doors. "I'm with Mordin. I think I understand you a bit better, seeing what the TARDIS can really do."

"I'm sorry it took me this long to show it to you," the Doctor replied.

Shepard smiled softly. "And if it had been sooner, maybe I wouldn't have appreciated it as much. It worked out in the end, Doctor. Tali … Tali will be fine." She sounded as though she were still trying to convince herself of that fact.

"Yes, and we'll take her back now to make sure of that." The Doctor felt a momentary pang of guilt at not immediately throwing the switch to do so. The three of them all moved away, the TARDIS door swinging shut behind them. Shepard and Mordin returned to Tali's side, and the Doctor moved quickly to the console and began entering the coordinates for the Normandy.

The speaker in front of Joker crackled to life once more. "Are we out of danger?" Thane asked.

"Yeah. Everything okay down there?" Joker asked, more out of reflex than anything else.

"No. Dr. Chakwas is injured. The straps meant to hold her in place tore, and…"

Joker didn't hear the rest of what Thane said. He was out of his chair and moving before he really thought about it, swearing from the pain that came from not listening to Chakwas and taking his meds like he was supposed to, and now she was hurt, and it had been because EDI was flying because he'd unshackled her, and …

He stumbled into the Infirmary and saw Thane and Samara using their biotics to place Chakwas on a bed. Was it the same one she'd been on before? He hoped not, even as a part of him recognized that was pure superstition. "How is she?" he demanded.

Samara turned her cool gaze on him. "Neither of us are doctors, Joker. We will have to wait for Professor Solus to examine her."

Right. Mordin had been a doctor on Omega. Joker sagged into one of the chairs and let out a long breath. "This is all my fault."

"No." Thane spoke decisively. "You took the actions necessary to save the lives of everyone onboard. Dr. Chakwas agreed with you."

"I do not detect any internal bleeding," EDI said, causing them all to look at the ceiling. "My medical protocols are limited. I cannot diagnose the extent of her head injury. However, that is the only thing to be concerned about. She has no broken bones, although she has several large bruises."

Samara looked back over at Chakwas. "If it is a head injury, she will need to be watched until Shepard returns."

"I'll do it," Joker said instantly.

"We don't know how long they will be -"

"I said I'll do it." Joker glared at Samara.

Samara looked at him a moment longer, then nodded. "Very well. I will have Sergeant Gardner bring in some food for you."

Joker opened his mouth to say he didn't need it, then snapped it shut. He might want some later, and that would be easier than summoning Gardner in or finding someone to watch Chakwas while he ran out. "All right."

The shuddering ride back to the Normandy was, thankfully, quick, and Shepard gathered Tali into her arms as soon as the TARDIS came to a stop.

"I parked us in the Infirmary," the Doctor called.

"Thank you," Shepard called over her shoulder, waiting impatiently for Mordin to open the door. She shouldered her way through as soon as there was enough space. "Dr. Chakwas! Dr. Cha-"

She halted, seeing the still form of her ship's doctor lying on one of her own infirmary beds. Joker was sitting by Chakwas' side, staring openly at the TARDIS and the people coming out of it behind Shepard.

"What happened?" Shepard and Joker asked in the same moment. Shepard stared at Chakwas a moment longer, then inhaled and shook her head to clear it. "EDI. Where can we create a clean room for Tali?"

"The back section of the AI core can easily be converted into a clean area. I will do so immediately."

Good. Close, and the area EDI mentioned was small enough that it would only take a few minutes. Shepard took a moment to reflect on the irony of having what had (temporarily) served as a prison for Legion being converted into a safe space for Tali. She moved to an empty bed and gently laid Tali down on it. "Now." She turned to face Joker. "What happened?"

Everyone except the Doctor had gathered at Chakwas' bedside, looking down at her in concern. Mordin was already running his omni-tool over her, scanning for any internal injuries, presumably.

Joker swallowed. "We turned the Reaper IFF on. It was a trap, Shepard. It contained a virus that let the Collectors into the ship. I had to - EDI saved us."

"You unshackled her," Shepard said quietly, looking at the ceiling.

Miranda stepped forward, her face blazing with anger. "Of all the irresponsible -" She cut off when Shepard raised a hand.

"Your quick thinking probably saved the lives of everyone on this ship," Shepard continued, still looking at the ceiling, even though EDI's core was right in front of her. "Good work. Both of you."

"Thank you, Shepard," EDI said.

"How did Chakwas get hurt?"

"The Collector ship apparently intended to follow up the hack by firing upon us, while all our defenses were down and the crew was in a general state of confusion. I engaged in evasive maneuvers and fired back."

Shepard frowned. "Wasn't she strapped in?"

"She was. She had strapped herself to one of the infirmary beds. Unfortunately, it appears that the restraints were not designed to handle rapid changes in gravity and momentum."

"I'll blister the Illusive Man's ears about it the next chance I get." Shepard shifted her gaze to Mordin. "Is she going to be all right?"

"Possibly out for a few more hours. No permanent damage. No reason for concern if proper restraints are used in the future." Mordin glared at the ripped straps hanging from the side of the bed. "Will help with blistering Illusive Man's ears."

"And Tali?" Joker looked over to where the quarian lay.

Shepard did her best to keep her voice calm. "A group of geth just unloaded on her. The danger will be infection, which is why we need a clean room. Mordin, I think you'll need to be in the Infirmary for the time being."

Mordin nodded. "Of course, Shepard. Will watch over both of them."

The door to the AI core slid open. "The area has been sterilized and is ready for Tali."

"Thanks, EDI." Shepard picked up Tali carefully and moved her to the area that was typically Legion's. She wondered how Tali would feel about that when she woke up. Hopefully Mordin would make sure that it was okay.

Shepard cast one last glance at her unconscious friend before exiting the AI core. "Tell everyone to come to the briefing room immediately."

"At once, Shepard."

"Moving the TARDIS back to the cargo bay, don't start without me!" The Doctor didn't bother to wait for Shepard's reply. He darted back inside, closed the door. Shepard watched, eyes wide, as the TARDIS just seemed to … fade out of existence. The whirr that she'd heard before was louder on the outside, and an impossible gust of wind blew in her face as it vanished entirely.

Silence fell in the infirmary, in the wake of that impossible departure. "Did … everyone else see that?" Joker asked tentatively.

"The moment was recorded on camera. You may watch it again if you like."

"Might do that, EDI," Joker said. "Okay. Let me know what we're -"

Shepard put a hand on his shoulder and cut him off. "You're included in the meeting. You had the best view of the attack."

"But - Chakwas -"

"Mordin and EDI will take care of her." Her voice was gentle, but firm. "I need you in this meeting, Joker."

His shoulders sagged. "Aye, Commander."

The Doctor slowed to a normal pace just outside the briefing room. He didn't want everyone to know that he'd come up at a full sprint from the cargo bay. He didn't want to show weakness by assuming that Shepard might have started without him.

She didn't, he told himself. She might have when he'd first come on board, but they understood each other better now.

Sure enough, when he opened the door and walked in, everyone was still standing around and talking idly to one another. Shepard was at one end of the table, flanked by Garrus and a still-nervous Joker. The Doctor sympathized with what the pilot was going through, but doubted that he would appreciate sympathetic words from a near-stranger just now. He trusted that Shepard would see to Joker's well-being. She was that sort of person. Another thing that he knew much better now.

The Doctor considered his options, then walked to the opposite side of the table from Shepard. The holographic display was showing a scan of a large ship - the Collector ship that he'd visited with Shepard, or one very like it. As he watched, the scan changed, certain areas acquiring a bright red light. He leaned in to take a closer look.

"The highlighted areas are where the Collector ship was damaged during our encounter," EDI said. "Thanks to the enhanced calibrations performed on the Thanix Cannon, the Normandy was able to land several destructive blows. I estimate a 75% chance that at least one critical system was damaged and will require major repairs."

"That's good news," Shepard said with a nod. "How many of these do the Collectors have? Anyone know?"

"No other Collector ship of this type has ever been sighted, Shepard."

"That can't be right," Joker said. "They've abducted colonists from dozens of colonies."

"I have accessed all available records on the colonist abductions. The Collectors used a fleet of smaller ships to abduct colonists. The colonies targeted had low defensive capability, so there was no need for offensive firepower. The large number of ships permitted the Collectors to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, to use the human idiom."

"So there's only one ship," Miranda said. "One ship that can take on the Normandy toe-to-toe. And we just did some serious damage to it." She looked around. "I vote we go through the Omega-4 relay immediately."

Thane spoke up from his position in the corner. "If you follow that plan, Tali will need to stay on the Normandy, and Dr. Chakwas may not be able to provide first aid to any injured personnel upon return."

Shepard crossed her arms and let out a long breath, looking back and forth between the two of them. "Miranda's right." Joker let out an immediate protest, but Shepard shook her head. "Miranda's right, Joker. We have the best chance of success if we go now. We're literally next to the relay. We aren't that far behind the Collector ship. The damaged Collector ship. There's no time to waste."

Time. Time. If only the Doctor could give them more time …

Wait.

He spun, pointing. "Joker, you unshackled EDI."

"Yeah, I didn't have a-"

The Doctor tuned out Joker's defensive words. "So EDI now answers to herself. If I ask you to, would you withhold information from the Illusive Man?"

"You wish to know if I am now able to assist with making time travel possible in this universe."

It seemed as though everyone in the room held their breath after those words - like the moment of EDI's pause stretched out to an eternity. All eyes turned to the Doctor, while his remained focused on EDI's hologram.

"Yes, Doctor. My aid in this matter would be yours, and Shepard's, and the information would not be shared with the Illusive Man."