Twin Fates

by Tobias5

Fate played as much a role in Shepard's defeat of the Reapers as did his skill. What if fate had different plans? Did you know that the Shepard on Mindoir was born as a twin? What if both had survived the raid? How would the Reapers have dealt with TWO great heroes instead of one? It's time to find out just how much better and worse things get with TWO Shepards fighting a war.

13. Chapter 12

Twin Fates

By Belle and Tobias

Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Belle's Note: As of writing this chapter Toby and I came across an interesting situation. The Mass Effect timeline is a...little wonky. If you look at the time between the end of ME and the start of ME2, the length of time Shepard is dead, the time difference between ME2 and ME3, and then the timeline for ME3 you realize that there might have been a little problem with timing. In short, hardcore fans, our timeline is not going to match 100% with the cannon timeline, but we are doing our best.

Toby's Note: We've already made the corrections to the dates so we're hoping you haven't noticed. *brushes away the previous dates with a broom and lifts the rug to sweep them under it* Nothing to see here folks move along! Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain! That is not a GoT/ME crossover she's working on!

Chapter 12: Just Somebody that I Used to Know

Earth Date: January 14th, 2186 CE

Location: Firefly Bar, Omega

"It's good to see you sis," John said as he took a step closer and Jane's gun moved to point at him. He froze, the cold eyes greeting him were not what he had anticipated when he found his twin. Jane's kill face was in place and John knew she was in the mental space where she could kill without hesitation, but for the first time, that face was aimed at him.

"John Shepard died two years, one month, and twenty-four days ago in service to the Alliance," Jane said. John froze for a moment, two years, one month, and twenty-four days. Jane had been living in a world where he had been dead for two years, one month, and twenty-four days. Shit.

"Cerberus rebuilt me," John said and Mordin nodded.

"Can confirm DNA test if you like," Mordin offered and Jane paused but she didn't look directly at the Salarian.

"Who are you?" Jane asked.

"Apologies. Introductions are necessary. Dr. Mordin Solus, ran a clinic here on Omega," Mordin stated and the corner of Jane's lip twitched, she was amused.

"I know who you are, Dr. Solus," Jane said. "You forget I worked with Chirum."

"Ah yes, fine Spectre, bit of a talker," Mordin nodded. "Regardless. Can perform DNA test if you like."

"I apologize Dr. Solus, I have a bad history with Cerberus and if you are working with them, I cannot fully trust you either," Jane said.

"I can explain," Miranda began and froze as the blade bit more into her tender throat.

"I don't recall talking to you," Jane said, her eyes still on John.

"I saved him," Miranda spat.

"Good for you, but you'll understand if I don't actively trust you. I've been a bit of a thorn in your side, haven't I?" Jane said and Miranda huffed. "Give me a piece of evidence that Cerberus would have trouble providing." Her cold eyes were on John. He stared at her for a moment.

"My message," he said and Jane sneered.

"No good, people have heard us prior and the Normandy team knows about that communication method," Jane said and John thought back. He needed something only the two of them would know. What piece of history would be impossible to find?

"The last thing he talked to us about was that he was going to need us helping him clear the back forty of creeper vines after school, it was giving the hornchins gas. The last thing she talked about to us was that she would make us peanut butter and chocolate spread sandwiches when all of us were done and she would need to go to the store to pick up more chocolate spread," John said and Jane froze. There was no movement for moment. "While I drove us to school you told me that you had eaten the last of it while studying for the biology test." Moisture filled her eyes and a single tear rolled down her left cheek.

Jane felt like she had been socked in the gut. She had never told anyone the last things they has spoken to their parents about. It was a stupid conversation about coming home right after school, doing chores, and being rewarded for it. The last words exchanged between the Shepard parents and the Shepard children had been 'love you' and as they left Jane had confessed to John about sneaking the chocolate spread to her room to eat directly from the jar while studying biology. The biotic metabolism had not been solely to blame for that. John had laughed as they had ridden to school on a morning that had begun so mundane.

John was more open, he might have told someone that story, and he might have recorded it in a journal or log. It was John, it was John. The Cerberus agent in her arms moved and Jane came back to herself. She kept her gun on John, she couldn't trust him. Cerberus was devious and evil, she couldn't be certain. She couldn't risk Cerberus. She had seen their plans for other races. Seen the evidence of their xenophobia. This might look like John, this might sound like John, oh God she wanted it to be John, but it couldn't be, could it? No, this might be John, but until she was one hundred percent certain, she could not do it. Cerberus was not above using love to harm and Jane had been a vocal opponent. She had made their lives difficult...but...she never told anyone, John...might...but...Jane wanted to believe but for the safety of others, she couldn't.

"Good story. Point to you. Why are you working with Cerberus?" Jane said and John stared at the gun still on him. She was clearly torn, would that be enough for her to believe it was him after mourning his death for two years?

"Do you know about the human colonies going missing?" he asked and Jane blinked.

"I had heard that Cerberus was investigating the disappearances too," Jane stated. She quickly released Miranda and with a firm kick in the Cerberus agent's shapely behind, sent her staggering between John and Mordin. Jane's gun was still on John. "Blasto, release!" The Varren quickly released and came to heel at his mistress's side. John stared at the Varren with disgust. "So...who does Cerberus think is behind the disappearances?"

"Why should we deal with you?" Miranda shot back and Jane kept the gun on John.

"Because I want to deal with her," John stated and Jane noticed that Miranda did not look too happy. "The Collectors are taking the colonies." Jane was impressed. John saw the lack of reaction in Jane. "You already knew that."

"Cerberus is private sector. I'm a Spectre. You really think the only human Spectre wasn't all over disappearing colonies?" Jane said and John nodded with a slight smirk.

"We know how they are doing it," John said and Jane blinked.

"How?" Jane asked.

"A Quarian on Freedom's Progress was able to avoid detection and preserved video footage, even captured a couple specimens with mechs," John said and Jane's lip twitched. "No way!"

"What is it?" Jacob asked as he slowly moved to join the group.

"Jane knew about the Quarian on Freedom's Progress. How...Tali," John hissed. Jane shrugged.

"Unlike the core of Cerberus, the majority of humans are open and welcoming to aliens...even to the point where they would shun their military aiding them, but a talented alien kid on pilgrimage is more than welcome," Jane said. "Rumor has it that Quarian kids on pilgrimage make fine workers in the tech industry. They come, work hard, learn all that they can, and head out after a relatively short time period. Some will even work for room, board, and the opportunity to take broken hardware off your hands. Imagine how many colonies would love to have a Quarian on pilgrimage around for a few months?"

"He was a child!" John snapped and Jane gave him a cold look.

"Freedom's Progress is gone. That Quarian child is alive. Can you say the same for the human colonists?" she put up her gun. "Let's say I'm curious about you now. Why are you here on Omega?"

"Why are you?" Miranda asked and Jane smiled.

"Didn't you hear? I'm on vacation," Jane said and John blinked. Jane was lying.

"We are recruiting a team to help us take down the Collectors," John said and Jane looked at Mordin.

"Cerberus may put humanity first...but they don't have a mind like yours Dr. Solus," Jane nodded. "Makes sense. All Omega exceptionals?"

"No, just one more," John said. "A Turian vigilante, goes by the name of..."

"Archangel," Jane said and the two stared at each other. Neither one giving up their thoughts. "You're in luck. Archangel has some questions to answer for me."

"Why do you need to question him?" Jacob asked and Jane blinked before her eyes flickered to Jacob in a flirtatious manner John had never seen before.

"Once you go Turian, no human will do again," Jane stated and John made a face. What had happened while he was gone? Jane didn't flirt. It was a ruse, had to be, but what was important about Archangel? "If you're going after Archangel you know about his situation."

"What do you mean?" John asked and Jane sighed.

"He pissed off the three largest merc groups on Omega. They've got him trapped in his hide out. They're planning on killing him and what's left of his team. If you want Archangel too, we need to get there and pull his ass out of the fire," Jane said.

~*TF*~

"This is not going the way I'd hoped," John said in aside to Mordin as they followed his sister into Afterlife. The Salarian shot John an amused look as the bouncer waved the group inside.

"Still having difficulty that so much time has passed, correct Shepard?" Mordin inquired and John nodded. He noted that Jane seemed friendly with some of the staff here, even greeting a waitress with a warm smile as they passed. How many missions had she taken to Omega while he'd been gone?

"I know it's been two years. Everyone has been telling me that since I woke up." John explained as they headed to a private room entrance. "To me it's only been three weeks at most. I was floating in space one moment and the next I was waking up in a hospital." He noticed Jane twitched and he realized she had heard him. He hoped it helped Jane realize it was still him.

"Time needed for adjustment." Mordin noted as they entered the recruiter's room. "Patience needed." John grunted in acknowledgement as he focused on Jane and the conversation she was having with the Batarian behind the desk.

"-aren't you sweet. You're in the wrong place, honey, strippers' quarters are that way." The Batarian drawled. John frowned but watched Jane's shift in posture and even though he couldn't tell from behind her the way the Batarian's smile slipped from his face and he began to sweat he knew Jane's eyes were boring into the man. John had to smirk, imagining the look she was certainly giving the man. "Wow, not even a smile. So you're here to fight then."

"That we are, if this is the place to go after Archangel." Jane said in an icy tone.

"This is the place." The Batarian said quickly. "Standard fee is 500 credits each. You get pain when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You'll need your own weapons and armor...looks like you've got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period. Any questions?"

"Why are the mercs working together to take down Archangel?" John spoke up as Jane waved her hand at the recruiter.

"Haven't been on Omega long, huh? He does everything he can to screw with us. Shipments go missing, operations are compromised...every month it gets worse. Tarak and the other bosses are tired of losing credits...and men." The recruiter explained.

"Intriguing. Never heard of anyone ever drawing the ire of three different merc groups before." Mordin noted with a hum. "What is the plan of attack? How will we be attacking?"

"The mercs will tell you when you get there." The Batarian replied with a shrug, not caring in the least. "Last I heard, they were putting the freelancers into scouting groups; they attack in waves to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses."

"So we're just fodder for his bullets?" Miranda asked in outrage and John blinked. He'd honestly forgotten she and Jacob were still there, so focused was he on Jane and her cold reaction to him.

"If you don't like it, don't sign up." The recruiter snapped. "But if you do your job right, it's easy credits. Besides, what are the odds he can kill all of you? Besides he had a whole team, but we've already dealt with them. Now he's just one guy." John saw Jane go still at that and saw her fists clench. Something had upset her but what?

"Where's the attack taking place and how do we get there?" John asked, trying to keep the situation from escalating. As the recruiter focused on him John heard Jane take in a deep breath.

"Archangel's base of operations. He's been hiding right under our noses. I can't tell you exactly where you're going, but we'll get you there. Just head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there." The Batarian replied before focusing on the door. "Send in the next one!" John turned and stepped to the side so the others would leave before him, Jane's face was cold and drawn together. She swiftly led the way and as John brought up the rear a kid who couldn't have been no more than eighteen with a shitty soul patch stepped into the room.

"Hey, is this where I sign up?" he asked, excitement in his voice. John paused and looked the kid over. Jane ignored the kid and led the others away except for Miranda who lingered to watch John.

"You look a little young to be a freelancer kid," John noted, skepticism plain in his voice. The kid turned back to him, rebellious teenage expression on his face.

"Hey, I'm old enough!" the teen protested. "I grew up on Omega and I know how to use a gun!"

"So does Archangel," Miranda quipped from behind John as he frowned at the kid.

"I can handle myself. Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this pistol, and I wanna use it!" The teen snapped pulling a shitty pistol from the back of his pants. John sighed and snatched the gun from the kid. He racked it once and watched it spark in his hands and the firing pin go zooming across the stairway. John shoved the now broken gun into the kid's hand.

"Don't go playing at war kid. If you want to learn how to shoot, join the Alliance or something." John snapped, spinning on his heel and heading up the stairs. He met up with Miranda who walked with him out of Afterlife to the sight of Jane waiting for them, Blasto panting happily at her side and Jacob and Mordin also waiting nearby but giving the Varren a wide berth.

The group headed up to the transport car with a Batarian in Blue Sun colors leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.

"We're on the mission." John said. The man finished off his cigarette and flicked it off the side as he straightened.

"I hope you're ready. Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers." He growled before eyeing the group. "I can only take three of you at a time."

"That's fine," John replied before turning to Miranda and Jacob. "You guys head back to the ship. It's better if you we do this with a strike team anyways."

"I don't think that's a good idea, John," Miranda replied giving Jane a look. Jane returned it with an icy stare of her own.

"It'll be fine, Mordin will patch us up if anything happens," John said, acutely aware what Miranda was afraid of but not acknowledging it.

"That includes the Varren," the drive noted and Jane's pet Varren growled at that before Jane set a hand on his head, patting it.

"Blasto goes," Jane replied and John sighed. Yes he'd heard correct earlier. She'd named her Varren, Blasto. Oi vey. "He'll sit on my lap."

"He's not a fucking poodle, Jane," John said in exasperation. Jane shot him a look and John rolled his eyes.

Looked like the mangy lizard was coming with them.

~*TF*~

Despite the distant sounds of gunfire John appreciated the incident free walk from their landing zone to the staging area. He was intent on walking by the mercs as quietly as they could but of course Jane had other plans.

Jane activated the camera on her Kuwashii visor as they entered the Eclipse planning room. Aria probably had all the intel on these people, but seeing them in action and keeping track might gain Jane some favor. Having the ruler of Omega on your side was always good.

"Watch that Varren!" Jaroth sneered and Jane gave him a look as she snapped her fingers. Blasto came to heel and he blinked at her.

"Blood Pack doesn't train their Vorcha, do you really think they know how to train a Varren?" Jane stated and Jaroth nodded. Jane noted that John had tucked a data pad into a pouch on his belt.

"True," Jaroth muttered as they left the room. They opened a hallway with a massive mech.

"Be a shame if that mech was reprogrammed without friend or foe settings," John muttered and Mordin chuckled as he quickly accessed the mech.

"Where did you get the Varren?" John asked as Mordin worked on rewriting the machine. Jane stared at him. Should she talk about the others? Damn it. She didn't want Wrex in danger if they suspected how close she was...of course they already knew that. She was Urdnot-Shepard.

"He followed me home from a mission as pup," she said. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't give him much.

"Followed you?" John asked and Blasto rubbed his head against her outer thigh.

"How could I say no?" she deadpanned as she stroked the varren's head. John made a disgusted sound as they moved on to the Blood Pack's room. The room was filled with Vorcha and… It took all of Jane's self control not to go for her pistol. Garm, one of the worst of the Blood Pack, and a survivor from the Maws. One of the worst Krogan in space. He killed and he took pleasure in killing. Jane should kill him.

"You look familiar," he purred while looking at Jane and she gave him a coy smirk as she controlled the urge to place a bullet in each of his eyes.

"Krogan men always use that line. Can't get an Asari?" Jane stated and Garm chuckled.

"I don't need to use lines to get that," Garm purred and Jane shook her head. Blasto was being approached by one of the Blood Pack Varren.

"Better pull that one back," Jane warned. "My Varren doesn't do well with others."

"An alpha is it?" Garm asked and Jane nodded. He glared and one of the Vorcha moved to grab the Varren. Blood instantly spilled to the floor as Blasto lunged and bit off the Vorcha's hand. John ushered the group out and shot Jane a look.

"You come to Omega often?" John asked and Jane gave him a smirk.

"I know my way around the station," she said as they reached the Blue Suns' planning room. Tarak was clearly paranoid about whoever Archangel was. It seemed the vigilante had done a good job psychologically off-centering the Batarian. They left the room and reached the gunship shortly after.

"Cathka?" Jane asked as they approached a group of human men. The lead man pointed over his shoulder and a Batarian stood up, looking them over.

"Sergeant Cathka...ah...you must be the group Salkie mentioned. You met him when you were dropped off. He radioed to say you were coming. You're just in time. You three kinda stand out from most of the other freelancers. Anyway...the infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him. Got any questions? This may be your last chance," he said and Jane stared at him as he picked up a cigarette, putting down his welder.

"Are you leading the assault?" John asked.

"Ha! Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of..." Cathka said before the radio interrupted him.

"Target is in sight. We're a go," a voice called.

"Check. Bravo team...go, go, go!" Cathka ordered and the group of humans headed out. "Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him. But that means no more waiting for me. Got to get her back to a hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her again." Jane watched as Cathka passed the group and headed to the gunship. Jane moved silently behind him, catching his welding tool as she went.

"You're working too hard," Jane said as she shoved the welder into his back. He screamed but the sounds of the assault drowned them out as Jane turned. John stared at her in shock. "What?"

"You murdered him," John stated.

"He sent countless freelancers to their deaths knowing full well they would die and not flinching. He will never send another person to die when he stayed safely behind," Jane said as she headed to the wall. She whistled and got into the vault position. Blasto leapt from her knee to her shoulder over the wall and Jane followed closely behind. Jane ran and Blasto stayed close to her side.

Jane put up a shield, watching as one of the freelancer's heads went up in a plume of red. Two shots grazed her and she blinked. While freelancers were dropping like flies, she was fine. Archangel was almost going easy on her, like he knew her. Was he…it couldn't be...could it? Then again today was a day of impossible things. Jane whistled and Blasto barked before taking off. Jane watched as the Varren rushed to the infiltration team, hopefully the Varren wouldn't be hurt. She didn't hesitate and as she began to fire on the backs of the infiltration team, John, and Mordin did as well. The room was filled with dead bodies. Jane paused as she looked around. The dead mercs were everywhere but there were covered bodies as well. Two shapes looked Turian and Jane's heart ached with the thought that Garrus could be under one of those...but those shots. Blasto barked happily and was up the stairs. Jane smiled the first real smile in months. She ran up the steps.

"Hey!" John cried but she was taking them two at a time. As she rounded the corner to see Blasto sitting next to the Turian in blue and black armor who momentarily spared a hand to thump the Varren a few friendly pats on the side before steadying his rifle again, Blasto's stubby tail wagging back and forth in joy. Jane approached, fighting back tears, now wasn't the time but she knew. Oh God she knew who it was.

"Archangel?" John said from behind her and Jane wanted to laugh as the Turian sniper put up one finger just before taking a shot. Then he got up and sauntered away from the window. He removed his helmet and familiar blue eyes looked over at Jane who felt joy just burst through her.

"Shepard...and Shepard..." Garrus said and Jane walked over to him. He looked at her. Then she punched him in the shoulder. "Ow...was that necessary?"

"You and I are going to have a long and unpleasant talk once we get you out of here," Jane said and he flared his mandibles as his eyes flickered to John. Jane gave him a look and he shrugged.

"I was tired of watching you just vege..." he began only for Jane to punch his shoulder again. "Ow!" If this John was a Cerberus operative, then he would know about her coma after her fight on Tuchanka. If this John was John...well...he didn't need to know about her coma.

"You ever move again and forget to send me your forwarding address, I will beat the blue off of your face and bend your damn knees the human way," Jane threatened and Garrus nodded before he looked at John.

"I thought you were dead," he said to John as Blasto panted happily beside the Turian.

"Garrus! What are you doing here?" John exclaimed in happiness, giving Jane a look as she whistled and Blasto came over. Jane began to inspect the Varren for injuries as John approached their friend and extended his arm. Garrus clasped John's forearm and John did the same as they greeted each other. Jane rolled her eyes at the obvious overly macho display of friendship.

"Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice." Garrus exclaimed as they separated. John snickered.

"You alright?" John inquired.

"I've been better, but is sure is good to see some friendly faces. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own." Garrus drawled and John saw Jane shoot Garrus a look at that.

"So what are you doing out here on Omega?" John wondered.

"A very good question." Jane said, her tone a bit frosty. Garrus grinned sheepishly.

"I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own. Plus, I had a really bad role model." Garrus noted.

"Watch it." Jane warned him.

"At least it's not hard to find criminals here." Garrus retorted. "All I have to do is point my gun and shoot."

"Impressive. How did you manage to unite the major mercenary gangs of Omega?" Mordin asked making Garrus chuckle.

"It wasn't easy. I really had to work at it. I am amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me." Garrus said, glancing out the window.

"Since when did you start calling yourself Archangel?" John said in amusement making Garrus wince a bit.

"It's' just a name the locals gave me. For all my good deeds. I don't mind it, but please...it's just "Garrus" to you." The Turian noted, looking embarrassed.

"You nailed me good a couple of times, by the way." John noted, rolling his shoulder, still feeling the sting from one of the rounds that had winged him.

"Concussive rounds only." Garrus said, waving it away. "No harm done. Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious."

"Uh huh." Jane hummed.

"If I wanted to do more than take your shields down, I'd have done it." Garrus said, amused. "Besides, you were taking your sweet time. I needed to get you moving. I mean your younger sister beat you over the bridge. Have some pride."

"Well, we got here, but I don't think getting out will be as easy." John said, rolling his eyes at Garrus's statement.

"No, it won't. That bridge has saved my life...funneling all those witless idiots into scope." Garrus noted and Jane sighed at that.

"It also works both ways." Jane replied.

"Definitely. They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way." Garrus hummed, looking out the window over the bridge.

"Odds not in our favor," Mordin stated baldly. "Alternatives would be appreciated."

"It's not all that bad." Garrus explained, "This place has held them off so far. And with the three of you and Blasto...I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defenses, and take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan."

"How did you let yourself get into this position?" Jane muttered.

"My feelings got in the way of my better judgment. It's a long story. I'll make you both a deal: you get me out of here alive, and I'll tell you the whole damn thing," Garrus said.

"So much for sneaking out the back," John grunted, un-holstering his assault rifle. "Still if we made them come in here to us we can whittle them down."

"You're right. Their numbers won't help them in here, anyway." Garrus replied. "Let's see what they're up to. Hmmm...looks like they know their infiltration team failed. Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think." He said handing the rifle to Jane. John watched Jane look over the scouts on the bridge and he couldn't help but jump as Jane pulled the trigger, sending one flying back.

"One less now," Jane stated handing the rifle back to Garrus who chuckled.

"Indeed. We better get ready. I'll stay up here. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point. You...you can do what you do best. Just like old times, Shepards. Let's give these bastards everything we've got."

"Mordin you and I will head down stairs. Keep them distracted for the snipers to work on them," John said, leading the way. The Salarian didn't even miss a beat and followed John to the stairs.

Jane signaled to Blasto to stay by her side as she took out her sniper and began taking out the various mercs. Jane was on one side of the window and Garrus was on the other. They were keeping the field mostly clear. The two below made sure not one of the mercs made it to the building. The massive mech was sent out and Jane couldn't help but smirk as it came online.

"Damn it. They're sending out the heavy mechs," Garrus growled.

"That problem should take care of itself," John said over the comms. The group watched as the heavy turned and began slaughtering the mercs instead.

"Useful technique," Mordin noted over the radio as he took a few shots. Eventually the last of Eclipse made their push. Jane placed a round in Jaroth's head just as he jumped over the barricade, sending the Salarian on to find his brother on the other side. Jane exchanged a grin with Garrus who sighed happily.

"It's good to be working with the Shepards again. These Eclipse bastards didn't even get to the front door," Garrus said. "You even got Jaroth in the process." He gave Jane a look. "I've been hunting that little bastard for months."

"Why were you after him?" Jane asked it was clearly personal for Garrus.

"He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Citadel space. Half the goods I seized back at C-Sec came from his team here on Omega. I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the process. Not surprised he decided to work with the other mercs after that," Garrus said and Jane nodded.

"We've still got Blood Pack and Blue Suns left. Think we can make a break for it?" John asked over the comm.

"Maybe. Let's see what they're up to," Garrus said as he looked out the window. "They've reinforced the other side...heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?" There was a sound of an explosion and alarms began to sound.

"Oh that bodes well," John called out as Garrus checked his omni-tool. "Why can't alarms ever be associated with them surrendering or announcing our victory?"

"Damn it. They've breached the lower level. Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there. I'll keep the bridge clear," Garrus said.

"We can split up," Jane said. "You and I will snipe the bridge, Blasto can watch our backs. You two can take care of the lower level." John was silent for a moment. "I'm still a better sniper and Garrus is working on less sleep than the rest of us."

"Some only need a little," Mordin retorted. John gave a heavy sigh but agreed to go.

~*TF*~

Running. That was all John was doing as soon as they headed into the basement. He ran straight for the first door, slamming his fist on the console to close the shutter. To his surprise a ten second timer appeared over the console.

"Why is there a timed delay on closing the shutter?" John demanded over the comms just before the door past the shutter snapped open and a squad of mercs came rushing at them. John opened fire, pinning them down.

"One of my men was worried of someone getting cut in half if they were under it so we installed motion sensors on the doors. If they don't detect someone moving through the door for ten seconds they close." Garrus replied over the comms.

"Seriously?" John demanded, "That was a concern?!" The shuttered slammed down just then, cutting off the mercs and John spun around heading for another shutter.

"Safety first," Jane drawled. John growled to himself as he charged into the garage. He just knew Jane had it easier than him.

~*TF*~

"Couldn't wait to get me alone, Shepard?" Garrus teased as they looked through their scopes at the bridge.

"I am sorry Garrus," Jane said and he turned to stare at her.

"You okay?" he asked and she shook her head.

"I lost it when John died. I know I did," she said and he made a noise, clearly not sure where to go with the conversation. "Kaidan blamed himself for John's death and when I lost him...I let everything go. Including your friendship."

"Shepard...Jane..." Garrus was in foreign territory. He had seen Jane fight the good fight. More than Ash, more than Kaidan, more than any of the other crew. He was on the Citadel, he watched all of her public meetings with the Council. He had seen her brother and the Reapers pushed aside.

"No, Garrus, I was wrong and I was a bad friend. I'm sorry," Jane said, shooting a merc before giving him a look over her rifle. "I tracked you here six months ago. I finally got unofficial approval for a side project three weeks ago. I got the time off and I came here to bring you back."

"What for?" Garrus asked.

"Alliance special Black Ops," Jane said. "I tapped you and Tali for the non-human crew to investigate the missing human colonies. I wanted to come out and grab you six months ago...but you didn't answer any of my messages." He chuckled as he took a shot.

"Sorry, I really need to check those," he said.

"Don't lie to me," Jane said. "I was a shitty friend, but I want to make that up."

"You buy the first round," Garrus said and Jane smiled into her scope.

"Fine, but we aren't keeping score, you've had a longer time to count," Jane said and he huffed a laugh.

"I suppose you're right," Garrus said. They were quiet, each taking a few shots at mercs. "What do you think about him?" Jane froze. Garrus took her kill and she shook her head.

"I honestly don't know, Garrus...but, I'm going to stick with him for a bit," Jane said.

"I think it's him, look at that stupid human face, "Garrus said and Jane found a smile on her lips.

"He's missing his scar," Jane said.

"So are you," Garrus shot back. "You're going to stick with him?"

"Cerberus built him to investigate the Collector attacks. I'm still getting approval for you and Tali to join the Okinawa crew, if we join him...no Alliance clearances needed," Jane said and Garrus chuckled.

"You Spectres always play fast and loose," Garrus chided.

"Not unlike vigilantes," Jane shot back as she stole his kill. They both paused as they heard Blasto begin barking and the unmistakable sound of a Krogan marching up the stairs. "Are you levo sensitive?"

"No, are you dextro sensitive?" Garrus asked.

"No...let me take on Garm," Jane said and Garrus blinked. "Between the two of us who can work better in these close quarters without a rifle?"

"Ladies first," Garrus said, waving a hand at her and Jane pulled her blade as Garm stood in the doorway, giving her a look.

"Your chances of surviving are slim, human," he roared as he charged. Jane dove out of the way and Garm went barreling past her.

"So are yours," Jane spat, catching Garm with a throw and sending him skidding back to the door. Garm scrambled to his feet with a snarl, eying Jane like she was meal. Then several gun shots rang out behind him, sending Garm crashing back to the floor.

"No I think yours are worse asshole," John drawled, the tip of his shotgun smoking. Garm once again got to his feet and turned to face John with a snarl. It gave Jane her chance and she took a run at the Krogan before jumping onto his back. Jane held onto the top of Garm's hump, her feet digging into his hips as he thrashed back and forth. She kept missing as he shook his head. Apparently he knew she was trying to remove his plate. Stupid viral extranet video. Suddenly John was there, shoving his rifle into Garm's face. It was the opening Jane needed and her blade sunk home. She flipped the blade and the top of Garm's head flew off. He froze and John stared in shock, moving back and Jane jumped off of Garm as he dropped to his knees before falling over.

"What the hell was that?" John demanded and Jane looked at the plate on the ground.

"Fastest way to take down a Krogan," Jane explained. "The brain can't take the loss of the plate, brain over oxygenates, death is quick and supposedly relatively painless." John stared at her.

"Tough bastard. But I've seen worse," Garrus said looking at John. "We took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better."

"I took out Garm, thank you," Jane stated and John rolled his eyes. Was Jane always this arrogant and cocksure?

"He was one tough son of a bitch," Garrus nodded.

"You've fought with him before?" John asked.

"Yeah, we tangled once. Caught him alone. None of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out. I've never seen a Krogan regen that fast. He's a freak of nature," Garrus said.

"He was," Jane corrected.

"He just kept at it until his Vorcha showed up. It was close, but I had to let him go. Not this time," Garrus said as he looked at Garm's body.

"Only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out," John said.

"I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't faced before," Garrus said. "Besides, he won't' be expecting us to meet him head-on..." The gunship appeared in the window.

"Heads up!" Mordin cried and the group scattered for cover.

"Damn it! I thought I took that thing out already!" Garrus cried. The sound of bodies falling through the roof was not welcomed.

"They're off loading troops! Watch your backs!" Jane cried as she pulled her pistol. A Blue Sun crashed through the window next to the John. He grabbed the merc just as he hit the floor and tossed him back out the window. John leaned out the window, looking up and saw several others repelling down.

"Mordin lights these bastards up!" John ordered, pulling himself back inside. The Salarian hurried over and tossed incendiary charges at the mercs. John couldn't help shivering a little at their blood curdling screams as they were engulfed in flames before falling to their deaths. He hurried to the overhang looking down at the first floor from the upstairs and opened fire on a few mercs who were trying to sneak in. The other window crashed in and another group of Blue Suns came crashing through.

Jane stayed to the back, focusing on the shielded opponents. They quickly cleared the upstairs just before Blasto barked in warning. Jane rushed for the stairs and she set up a singularity at the top of them, holding the Suns back. John opened fire on the men trapped on the stairs and they were quickly taken out. Slowly the room grew quiet and Jane pulled back into the room. As she turned she saw the gunship in the window.

"Archangel!" Tarak's voice roared over the gunship's loudspeaker. Garrus was right in the line of sight. It felt like slow motion as Garrus turned to fire only for the minigun to hit him, spinning Garrus and knocking him to the ground. "You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!" Jane aimed her rifle at the gunship. She could see a few of the few weak spots that hadn't been patched up and she began to shoot. Garrus was crawling to cover.

"This ends now!" Jane screamed in rage just before Tarak fired a missile into the room. It slammed right into Garrus and sent the Turian flying across the room, his shield instantly broken and armor damaged.

"GARRUS! NO!" she screamed as she ran. Jane barely noticed as John shot a grenade from his grenade launcher. Jane let the others go after the ship, instead she dropped to the ground at Garrus' side. He was prone in a puddle of deep blue with his hand still on his rifle. Jane pulled him over onto his back. The right side of his face was a blue ruin, the eye was still good but from his lips all the way across the side of his jaw and head, blood was draining. Jane pulled medi-gel and began slathering it over the wound, closing up the wound so at least she could stop the blood loss. Gunfire and explosions rang out while she focused on her first aid. She had not traveled across the goddamn galaxy chasing after this stubborn Turian only to lose him now.

"Garrus," John cried and Garrus' eyes flickered open. He was gurgling and Jane grabbed his free hand as his other curled around his rifle.

"I'm here, Garrus, we're getting you out of here and I'm buying you that damn drink," Jane said and his hand closed tightly over her wrist. Suddenly Mordin was by her side quickly injecting the Turian.

"Hold here, Shepard," The Salarian doctor barked in a tone she'd never heard before. He grabbed Jane's free hand and pressed it hard against the jagged hole in Garrus's armor right where his neck met the shoulder. Jane obeyed, never taking her eyes from Garrus's.

"I'll kill you all!" Tarak's voice roared and Jane looked up to see the gun ship aiming at them through the window, black smoke billowing from its engines. Then Jane's view was obstructed by John's back.

"The fuck you will," John snarled, emptying his grenade launcher into the gun ship. The ship's front end and cockpit exploded, sending the rest to the ground to explode. John dropped the launcher at his feet and spun around.

"Doc is he gonna make it?" John demanded, his eyes wide and panicked. Jane felt cold. John...not John, he looked just like John did in his panic. He looked genuinely scared. Was this John or was this a skilled actor. She didn't know and she didn't have time to think about that with Garrus on the ground.

"Can keep him stable, need more medical resources. Normandy best. He can be moved." Mordin said tersely, still working on Garrus and applying even more medi-gel to the areas Jane couldn't cover.

"Then that's what he's going to get." John said, kneeling down and picking up the Turian with a strength Jane didn't know John possessed.

~*TF*~

"I didn't realize you were medically trained, C-" Dr. Chakwas said as Jane pulled on medical clothing shortly after John had stormed into the new Normandy's medical bay, screaming of Karin's name.

"I'm just Jane for now and I'm not, I want to be here for him," Jane said and Dr. Chakwas looked surprised. Jane put a hand on the Cerberus emblem and Dr. Chakwas nodded. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Speak for yourself, dear, it was for Jeff for the most part. A shame how he was discharged," she said and Jane nodded as Mordin also suited up to help attend to Garrus.

"Out John Shepard, you are not medically trained," the Salarian barked.

"But-"

"Out!" Jane looked at the Salarian doctor, his lips quirked with conspiratorial light. Maybe she could trust Mordin as she watched John...maybe John, leave.

"I searched for him when I got command of the Okinawa, it was impossible to reach him," Jane said. Dr. Chakwas stared at Jane for a moment before turning back to Garrus and turning the medbay windows opaque.

"You got the Okinawa not long after the memorial," she said as she began to strip the armor off Garrus and Jane nodded.

"About two months," she said.

"When we finish up with Garrus, you do need to speak to Jeff," Dr. Chakwas said and Jane nodded.

"I owe him an apology, I should have tried harder to find him. Not that I don't like my pilot on the Okinawa, he's just...not Joker," Jane said and Dr. Chakwas nodded.

~*TF*~

Earth Date: January 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR-2

"Oh...my face," Garrus groaned as he came out from under the anesthesia.

"It's mostly still there," Jane said from her seat next to his bed. Blasto barked happily.

"Where are we?" Garrus asked.

"On the Normandy SR-2," Jane said as she turned to look at him. "You ever catch another missile with your face again, and I'm going to feed you the pieces."

"It's sweet how you care," Garrus groaned as he sat up.

"Careful, you're still setting," Dr. Chakwas said as she approached.

"You caught most of it with your face," Jane explained and Garrus blinked.

"Damn...how's it look?" he asked Jane as Dr. Chakwas checked him over.

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly," Jane teased and he chuckled.

"Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are Krogan," he sighed, sliding off the table after Dr. Chakwas gave him the okay to do so.

"Let's go meet with our hosts," Jane said.

"Scared to face your brother alone?" Garrus asked.

"Not scared, but definitely wanting someone to watch my back," Jane said and Garrus nodded.

"I'll keep your six if you do the same," he said.

"Deal," Jane said as they headed up.

~*TF*~

"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedure and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but..." Jacob began but the doors to the meeting room slide open revealing Garrus in his damaged armor, Jane by his side, smirking proudly at the man.

"John." Garrus greeted, entering the room with Jane. Jacob laughed at the sight.

"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet." Jacob said, impressed.

"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus asked and John smiled, leaning against the table.

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly." John replied and Garrus shot a look at Jane before shaking his head. "Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice." Garrus laughed and then let out a groan.

"Oh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." Garrus groaned. "Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it."

"Fair enough buddy," John said with a laugh of his own. He glanced at Jacob. "Give us a moment will you?"

"Uh, Shep-John, Miranda is worried that if you're left alone with your sister right now she may take you into custody." Jacob replied and Jane raised an eyebrow at him making the man wince. "She really didn't like how your reunion went."

"You mean with how Jane held a knife to her throat." John said before sighing. "I'm perfectly safe with Jane and Garrus will be here. Give us the room Jacob."

"Sir," Jacob said, snapping off a quick salute and leaving the room. Garrus watched him go and turned back to John with worried eyes.

"Frankly, I'm more worried about you. I've heard bad things about Cerberus these past few years. Hell, Jane's..." Garrus stopped when he saw the look Jane gave him.

"That's why I'm trying to get you guys back." John explained. "I need people I can trust to watch my back. It's why I contacted Jane and I recruited Mordin. I need people who will walk with me through this hell Cerberus has thrust me into."

"You realize this plan has us walking into hell, too." Garrus noted and gave a soft laugh. "Just like old times."

"Hopefully, they will be." John noted and Jane narrowed her eyes at him. "You okay to settle in Garrus?"

"I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries." Garrus said, walking out of the room before sharing a looking with Jane. She turned to look at John as the doors closed behind Garrus. And the Shepard twins were alone together for the first time in years.

"You wanted to find Archangel to find Garrus," John stated baldly, having figured out Jane already knew. Jane nodded in agreement to that statement.

"Now that I've found Garrus, I suppose I need to return to duty at the Citadel since I have done what I planned to during my leave," she said. John took a deep breath and sighed.

"I want you to bring me in," John blurted out and Jane looked at him. He expected her to protest, demand he even go back hand cuffed and the SR2 impounded. What he got was silence. "No argument?"

"Let me be clear. My brother died two years, one month, and twenty-five days ago. Yesterday you showed up with Cerberus. You gave me one sob story from Mindoir, that is not all the proof I need," Jane said as she stared at him. "However, if you want to report as John Shepard to the Alliance and to the Council...I will help you, but I don't trust Cerberus. This ship, this crew, it is not what Cerberus is. This is a front and while some of the people on this ship seem good and seem honorable, Cerberus is not just what and who you see here."

"I hear you have had some tough times over the last two years," John said and Jane stared at him. She wanted it to be John, but she couldn't let Cerberus blindside her. She needed to know but she couldn't trust.

"You have heard about me from Cerberus, much like this ship, I imagine what you've been told has been carefully edited," Jane said. "I'm going to check up on Garrus."

"He's not going to just disappear," John said.

"He did once," Jane said. "I'll contact the Citadel and let them know we are coming."

"Thanks, Jane. I need to drop off some supplies to engineering and give Chakwas a bottle she requested. We'll set course shortly after engineering gets the new couplers installed." John informed her and Jane nodded as she turned and walked away.

~*TF*~

Earth Date: January 18th, 2186 CE

Location: Citadel, Alliance Embassy

Mordin, Garrus, Jane, and John exited the transport from the ship to the entrance of the Wards. A pop up ad called out.

"Commander Shepard. Enter the password and receive a free gift!" a woman in a hood called. "Got problems with collectors? Try Kasumi's credit services!" Jane paused and gave John a look.

"That's for me," John said as he approached the ad.

"Not very subtle," Jane muttered as she looked around. No one had noticed...yet.

"Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard," the woman in the ad asked.

"Silence is golden," John said.

"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan," she said. "More so of your sister, but yours too." Jane pulled up her omni-tool and looked up the name in the Spectre files. Kasumi Goto, hacker and thief, noted by the Spectres, encountered some, mostly harmless, more nuisance than anything else.

"Has Cerberus filled you in on the mission?" John asked.

"Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find, I guess," she said.

"What's with the password and the sneaking around? Are you in trouble or something?" John asked.

"She's a well known thief and hacker," Jane said from beside him and Kasumi grinned.

"You know of me," she said and Jane nodded.

"Impressive," Jane said and Kasumi smiled.

"I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way," she said. "I also needed to make sure all this was legit. And I have no doubts now...you're the real Commander Shepard."

"What makes you so sure?" John asked and Jane wondered the same thing.

"There's a certain...aura about you. Like you've seen things no one else has. Even without knowing what you looked like, I knew it was you," Kasumi said and Jane pondered how much of a fan she was.

"What brought you to Cerberus?" John asked.

"That's a bit of a story. Short version, they were looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why. Turns out they were looking for someone to join you on an important mission...and were offering a serious signing bonus," Kasumi explained. Jane wondered how much this bonus was worth. "I had a thing I needed help with, so I made them a deal. And here we are."

"I assume this deal is something I should know about," John sighed.

"Yeah, I guess it slipped their minds. I'm looking for my old partner's gray box. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back," Kasumi said and Jane blinked. She recognized the name. Donovan Hock was a weapons dealer and smuggler. Good enough to be known, small enough to be overlooked for more dangerous prey.

"What's this heist you're planning?" Jane asked and Kasumi grinned.

"You want in?" She asked before chuckling. "Not here, anyway, you'll get a briefing when the time comes. I need time to nail down the details, anyway. I plan to take the liberty of getting you some evening wear, though. You'll want to look presentable."

"What do you know about Donovan Hock?" John asked.

"Mr. Hock is a well-respected "businessman." Arms dealer, murderer, generally not a great guy. His mansion's famous for being hard to crack. But I have a way in, and I think you're going to love it.

"I doubt Hock's the kind of guy who takes kindly to people sneaking into his house," John said.

"I always expect trouble. That's why you're here," Kasumi replied.

"I assume a grey box is some kind of hardware?" John stated.

"It's a neural implant. It's illegal in most places. People use it to store memories and thoughts," Jane said.

"Secret codes...illicit information," Kasumi added. "This one in particular belonged to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We worked together for a long time, before Hock killed him."

"Tell me about Keiji," John asked.

"He was the best hacker and entry man I've ever known. Unfortunately, he slipped up and made himself infamous. He stole something he shouldn't. He warned me it was bad something that could spark interstellar war if it got out. That information...got him killed," Kasumi said. Jane suspected Keiji was more than just a crime partner.

"What could he have found that's so bad?" John asked.

"He wouldn't say what it was, just that it was dangerous. He said if it got out, humanity would be in trouble. He encrypted it, wrapped it up in his own memories. To decode the information, you have to sift through all the time we spent together. Now those memories are all that's left of him," Kasumi said.

"I can understand why you'd want to get it back," John said.

"Getting it back will be easier with your help, Shepards," Kasumi said.

"If that's what Cerberus promised you, we'll get it done," John said and Jane blinked as she realized she was being included by the both of them.

"It'll be fun. And if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun," she said as the ad deactivated. "We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there talking to an advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepards." Jane shook her head and escorted John through.

~*TF*~

"Ambassador," Jane said as she entered the office. Udina looked like he smelled something foul.

"Spectre Shepard," he said and Jane looked at John. "My God, it is him."

"Good to see you too, Ambassador," John said.

"You create more work alive or dead," Udina sneered before looking at Jane. "The Council has summoned you." Jane nodded and looked at Garrus and Mordin, nodding at John. She headed out. Jane caught a transit to the Council Chamber, this was going to be an interesting day.

"The council will see you shortly after. The Alliance Admiralty board wants to speak with you beforehand," Udina drawled. "They're waiting down the hall, to the left. I'll escort you there but you're going in alone."

~*TF*~

As soon as John reached the point in front of the Admirals he snapped off a crisp salute.

"Commander John Shepard reporting in, sirs," John said, holding the salute. He waited for it to be returned and the normal at ease to be given. That drill response in a heartbeat of a reply never came. John kept his stance but felt sweat gathering. The long pause turned into a minute and he felt worry sinking into his gut. All three admirals were watching him with cold looks. Finally, the only fleet admiral on the board, and in the middle seat, returned the salute.

"At ease." He said coldly looking down at his data pad. John slid into an at ease stance and waited. He finally got a good look at the board and confirmed his suspicions. He knew none of these admirals and they were not looking at him. The fleet admiral in the middle was studying his data pad intensely, his glasses perched on his nose while the other two were occupying themselves. The one of John's left was a hologram and he would occasionally look down at something John obviously could see before glancing up at John with a scowl. After a few minutes, the fleet admiral finished reading his data pad and sat up, putting his glasses away. This seemed to be a signal to the other two and they focused on John.

"We've read the report you've submitted along with the medical reports the Cerberus woman and the Salarian STG agent submitted to us. I would like to ask a few questions to clarify some points. Is this agreeable Commander?" the fleet admiral drawled. John's stomach tightened into a knot. This was wrong, all wrong. The admirals had not introduced themselves and the purpose of the meeting had not been declared.

"Sir, with all respect the purpose of this meeting has not been declared nor-" John began but was cut off by the fleet admiral.

"This is a continuation of a formerly completed board of inquiry into the loss of the SSV Normandy. Those items were declared at the last meeting two years ago, which you would have known if you had bothered to attend. Do you understand, Commander?" The fleet admiral snapped.

Oh.

Shit.

John swallowed and nodded. With that one sentence, he knew the stance of the admirals. Despite his report and the independent medical review reports they did not believe John had been incapacitated for almost two years. They'd also re-opened the board of inquiry on the first Normandy's loss. He knew a board of inquiry was standard on the loss of any naval vessel but if they had re-opened it to deal with John then he fell under their authority not the general Alliance brass.

"Explain where you were for the past two years, Commander." The admiral on the right questioned.

"As I said in the report sir, I was unconscious for most of that time." John said, "I had a brief moment of consciousness before I woke again a little over a week ago. I then was introduced to the Illusive Man and asked to investigate the Collectors' abductions of human colonies."

"Yet these medical reports indicate that you were conscious for that time period." The admiral with the hologram replied. "I had these reports checked by our own medical experts. There is no possible way you would have lived if these injuries had all been inflicted and treated at once. In fact, some of these implants are a year old."

"As I said sir I was not conscious and I'm sure certain things were addressed gradually over time while I was being-"

"Enough," the fleet admiral cut in waving a hand at John. "I've heard enough of these lies. You were not on a black ops mission for us nor the Citadel Council. We checked with the Council and they stated as much. You let the whole galaxy mourn you Shepard while your sister lived up to her responsibilities to us and then helped cement relations with the Council. I've always felt council Spectres had too much latitude and you obviously forgot that while you had Spectre authority to do as you like you still had responsibilities to the Alliance."

So that was what it was all about. John was being used by an admiral to make a point to the any other human Spectres. They belonged to humanity first, then the council in his eyes.

"John Shepard, we will not be restoring your commission." The holographic admiral stated and John felt his breath rush out like he'd been punched in the gut. "Obviously you are not dead so we will pass onto the civilian authorities the necessary information to have your death certificate and status revoked. You are now noted as an OTH discharge. If it was within our power we'd also impound your ship but it's registered under your name as a civilian vessel."

OTH.

Other than Honorable.

John felt like the world had opened up and swallowed him whole. He wanted to rage at them, he wanted to beg, to scream but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"I understand, Admirals." John replied.

"You're dismissed Mr. Shepard." The fleet admiral said coldly. "We have a meeting the rest of the admiralty board and Spectre Shepard. Get out."

John swallowed but still snapped off one last salute before turning on his heel and walking out of the room, determinedly holding his head high.

He just hoped the Citadel Council wouldn't turn their back on him too.

~*TF*~

"Welcome, Spectre Shepard," David said as Jane was shown into a private Council room, all four Councilors were there in person. Jane knew it was going to be a doozey as she stood at attention, nodding at each Councilor before resting at the ready.

"It appears your brother has returned from the dead," Councilor Sparatus said and Jane nodded. "Humans apparently have a history of that."

"Religious humor, ignore that comment," Councilor Valern sighed.

"Spectre Shepard, we wish to know your thoughts on this issue," Councilor Tevos said and Jane sighed as she looked down.

"I love my brother. He was the only family I had for a long time. He was home to me. When he died, I threw myself into doing my best to make up for the loss of him in this galaxy. I took mission after mission. Pushing myself beyond my limits. I have done things I never thought I could do. I have survived things I never thought I would. Now...my brother...appears to have returned from the dead...with the help of Cerberus," Jane said. Her eyes were narrowed in anger. "An organization I have repeatedly fought and rallied against publically somehow managed to bring my brother back from death. I want to believe that man is my brother...but knowing Cerberus is involved stops me from believing whole heartedly. I honestly cannot tell you either way, I want it to be my brother, but I am cautious." Jane looked up and the Council nodded at one another.

"Jane, you have been vocal about your concern about the disappearing colonies only to the Alliance," David said and Jane nodded.

"That issue falls under my duty as an Alliance Officer, it is not part of my capacity as a Spectre agent," Jane said and Councilor Tevos nodded.

"We have decided to uphold John Shepard's Spectre status," Councilor Valern stated. Jane felt hope in that.

"You have proven yourself to be an exemplar of the human race. You volunteer for missions most would shy from and somehow come through. From what we understand you even stopped a Batarian slave raid on your way to your...vacation," Councilor Sparatus said and Jane nodded. "Because of this we wish to officially order you to investigate the disappearance of human colonies." Jane blinked as she looked at the Council.

"We will be assigning Spectre John Shepard to this issue as well, perhaps you would like to work with him," Councilor Tevos suggested and Jane nodded.

"We will believe that your brother has returned and we want both of you on this issue," David said and Jane nodded. "Do you have a problem with this?"

"No, Councilors, I am actually very thankful you chose me as one of your representatives in this case," Jane said with a nod.

"The Alliance Admiralty Board has summoned you after this meeting," Councilor Valern added. "They expect you right after us. We're going to meet your brother via hologram just in case he is not who he says he is." The Councilors got up and headed out. David waited for Jane at the door.

"What does the Admiralty Board want?" Jane asked.

"I don't know, but I suspect it will not be as pleasant as this meeting," David said and Jane sighed.

"Thank you for the heads up," Jane said as they walked to his office.

"Do you think it is him?" David asked and she paused.

"I don't know...I want it to be...but at the same time, I know the things Cerberus has done...I cannot trust them," Jane said and he gave her a look.

"You do realize our meeting basically is pushing you to use them?" he said and Jane nodded.

"That's why I have Garrus," Jane sighed as she turned and went the long way to the admiralty board to avoid running into John.

~*TF*~

"Mr. Shepard, please come in." An Asari aid called for him. John sighed and stood up, walking into the room. He entered the room and saw it was an office with three of the councilors in holograms and only Anderson was there in person. The last time John had seen him he was wearing an admiral's uniform and now he was wearing a high-end suit. John had trouble seeing his friend and mentor in something other than a uniform. It would take some getting used to.

"John good to see you," Anderson said, extending a hand to shake which John gladly took.

"You too Anderson." John replied, smiling a bit.

"Commander Shepard, we welcome you back," Councilor Tevos said, smiling at him as did Councilor Valern. Councilor Sparatus just looked at him with a neutral expression.

"Thank you, Councilor, but I'm just a civilian now." John said regretfully. Tevos sighed at that while Sparatus scowled at that.

"I suspected that such a thing might happen." Councilor Valern noted, shaking his head. "When they asked us if we had been keeping you on an off the books mission during your absence the admiral who requested the information was not very forthcoming about your reinstatement into the Alliance."

"I'm hoping this does not make it difficult for me to request my reinstatement into the Spectres." John said, cutting right to the heart of the matter. He was surprised when Councilor Sparatus actually laughed at that.

"Spectres exist outside of the realm of military. In a sense Shepard, you're asking to return to a job you were never excluded from." The Turian explained and John felt his face flush.

"I meant no offense Councilors I was just hoping to have Council support and someone to send my reports on Cerberus to." John explained.

"Technically all Spectres declared dead are still Spectres, John," Councilor Valern explained. "You're asking us to uphold that status since you've been found to be working with a well-known terrorist and racist organization."

"I don't like it much either Councilors but I have been to Freedom's Progress. I have documented footage of Collector's taking colonists and I've been forcefully inserted into the aforementioned terrorist group. I didn't get a chance to say this to the Alliance brass but I view this as an opportunity. I can save colonists and gather intel on Cerberus, maybe even stop some of their plans. I've even seen this Illusive Man and had holographic meetings with him. Who else can say that?" John countered.

"Having Shepard attached only to the Council helps him safeguard our interests and deals with a known terrorist group." Anderson said, backing John. "I understand we cannot openly support him while he's doing this but if he does this with our knowledge we come out on top when Cerberus is broken by a Spectre solely attached to us. I understand this Council's reluctance to assign Spectre Jane Shepard to this task while she's still attached to the Alliance. Cerberus is a known terrorist group that had its very origins as an Alliance black ops group, it's very possible they might still have deep ties to Alliance personnel. John Shepard is not as widely known as his sister currently is and it is reasonable for Cerberus to try to bring him deeper in now that the Alliance has officially cut ties with him. The deeper they bring him in, the more we learn and the greater chance we can stop them." After Anderson's speech John had to wonder what the Council had told Jane in their meeting. He watched the Councilors consider it amongst themselves before exchanging looks. Sparatus nodded at Tevos who looked at Valern who also nodded.

"John Shepard, as of this moment your Spectre status is officially upheld. You are assigned to stop the abduction of the colonists and to gather as much intel as possible on Cerberus. You are also ordered to bring them into custody if at all possible." Tevos ordered. John snapped to attention and saluted them.

"Yes Councilors." John replied, feeling his heart soar.

"Good luck, Spectre," Sparatus said, smiling as only a Turians could.

~*TF*~

Jane entered the Admiralty Board and saluted. All the men returned it.

"Jane," Hackett said and Jane relaxed.

"Admirals," she greeted but said nothing else.

"Jane, don't play with them, you know what we want to know," Hackett sighed and Jane looked at the men. Only two were actually in the room besides Hackett and the others were holograms.

"I don't know if the John Shepard who is with Cerberus is actually my brother back from the dead," Jane said. The men stared at her.

"What do you mean? Can't you tell?" the one with the glasses asked and Jane gave him her killing eyes.

"I believed that my brother died nearly two years and two months ago...then a few days ago I received a message that my brother is alive," Jane said. "I have lost everything in my life. As a child I lost my parents, home, and planet in one day. I lost my entire team on Akuze in the matter of a few hours. I have never lost something so important and had it come back again. So no, I cannot tell. Because I have hoped for the last seven hundred and fifty-eight days that my brother was alive. Now there is a man who looks like my brother, talks like my brother, and acts like my brother and he is alive. But he works for Cerberus and if you don't know, I have no faith, trust or mercy for Cerberus." The admiral paused.

"Do you think this man could be your brother?" one of the holograms asked.

"I made Dr. Mordin Solus do an actual blood exam in front of me. Drawing blood from six locations, each one that I chose. He did a real time DNA comparison and the results were a match. My DNA compared to his showed a familial bond with identical mitochondrial DNA," Jane explained and several of the men blinked as they looked at something. "But he already sent that report to you in front of me."

"Do you think that man could be a Cerberus spy attempting to trick the Alliance, Council, and even yourself?" the other in person admiral asked.

"Of course, it's possible, why else would I be so cautious?" Jane asked. "He was flanked by two Cerberus operatives and one former STG operative when I met him. I actually fought the Cerberus operative who claimed to have brought him back to life once before they revealed this John."

"You were in combat with one of his Cerberus crew?" Hackett asked.

"I cannot express where and when I encountered that agent, but I did and I saw what was done at that base. I do not trust Cerberus so the moment I saw him with her, I couldn't be as happy about seeing him as I wanted to be," Jane said and the men looked at her.

"Let me put it plainly, you believe it could be him but you also believe he could be a Cerberus agent," the last hologram admiral said as she looked at Jane.

"Exactly," Jane said. They were silent as they communicated on their data pads.

"Jane Shepard," Admiral Hackett called and Jane nodded. "You have been selected for a special mission." Jane suspected she knew what it was.

"You asked for permission to form a multispecies task force to identify and stop the human colony abductions," he said and Jane nodded.

"I did," Jane said.

"Your permission has been denied," Hackett stated and Jane nodded. "We have spoken to the Citadel Council about your mission and we relieve you of your post on the SSV Okinawa so that you may serve the Council in this mission which benefits both the Alliance and the Citadel Council." Jane wondered what the catch was.

"While you are stopping the disappearance of our colonists, we have an additional assignment for you," the one with the glasses stated. "Confirm the identity of this John Shepard. We want to know beyond a reasonable doubt if he is who he says he is. If he is your brother where has he been? What has he been doing? We've had the medical reports thoroughly examined and our experts don't believe he was unconscious this entire time even if he believes he was. Find out what he's been doing, find out if he is who he says he is, and if he's an imposter take him into custody." Jane felt a load removed from her shoulders. She didn't have to know, she had a Council mission and while she was doing that, she could decide.

"Admirals," Jane said with a salute. It was returned. The two of the live admirals left and all of the holograms shut down, leaving her alone with Hackett.

"Jane," he said and she nodded. "Keep me in the loop."

"Of course, Sir," she said with a salute. Things would be a little more interesting.

~*TF*~

Belle Note: Between writing the last chapter and writing this one, I started a new playthrough of ME2. It has been a while. The feels are still strong, from the moment of Shepard's death to that first sight of the SR2, the music, the dialogue. I love this trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Andromeda...apparently I'm a minority in that department. But there was something about Shepard that the Ryders just don't have. Maybe if they ever get more games it will grow, but I don't know. ME2 is my favorite game of the trilogy and I cannot wait to alter it with the presence of two Shepards.

Toby Note: I have to admit I liked Andromeda as well but they kind screwed the pooch. I didn't experience all the facial glitches and other glitches cause after I finally finished Breath of the Wild the first wave of patches came out. So, I liked the game but it didn't have the same feel as the original. In the Original Trilogy you're doing your best to protect everyone. Here you feel like a pilgrim who got lost. I like the premise but it feels a bit lacking story wise. And way too many unanswered questions. Damn BioWare political bullshit. They may have shot themselves in the foot but they better not kill the franchise.

Anyways, rant over. Chapter Thirteen approaches! Guess who's going to join the team this time! I even got a surprise for you folks! *evil grin*