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.

18. Chapter 17

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.

Toby's Note: Well my fingers are healed. Good thing too because we're finally to a portion I've been dying to get to. Illium and all of its missions are some of my favorite parts of ME2. I love the recruitment and loyalty missions, the Shadow Broker DLC and even the conversations of the background characters that take place there. My only complaint is they really didn't give Liara a lot of interaction, before the Shadow Broker DLC I mean. She was a love interest from ME1 and if you stayed loyal to her in ME2 all she says is "Shepard, it's good to see you again." in the most monotone ever. *shakes his head* Though they completely made up for it in the Shadow Broker DLC. I loved the memes that spawned, especially during the Take Back Mass Effect movement after ME3's original ending. "Meanwhile at Bioware & EA Headquarters: Liara demands her little blue children!" Ha!

Though I have to admit, I figured Belle would be all over Thane. I was surprised when she told me he wasn't that attractive to her. Though I never picked up on the fact that Drell were walking, talking acid trips to humans till she told me about it. I think that's why you don't see them that much in Mass Effect. They hide from humans who want to tackle them so they can take a trip. The sex must be great though. I still don't get why Belle wouldn't want that. I haven't seen what female Drell look like so I can't say I'd want to do that.

Are there Drell addicts? Humans that do it too often and go around like crack addicts begging a Drell for a lick?

Belle's Note: Whoa! Whoa! I like Thane, I just think Garrus is the best LI from Mass Effect 2...and should have been an option in Mass Effect 1. Thane is a hottie and I do enjoy taking acid trips when I romance him...however...Thane has an adult son, an eidetic memory, a deceased wife, and, let us not forget, an incurable disease. Thane's fate always made each whispered "Siha" a heartbreaking reminder to me that Shepard was going to outlive him and it just sort of made me sad that they were living an inevitable May-September romance that would break Shepard's heart. I will outright admit that I go after Garrus or Kaidan because Thane is just so bittersweet, Jacob is just a douche, and Mass Effect 3 fucked over the straight girl romances. James Vegas' ass should have been mine for more than a one night stand. Did you see his pecs? I wanted him! God damn Bioware and NO, just because Freddie Prince Jr voiced Iron Bull does NOT make me any less bitter I did not get to have my Latino Beefcake from Earth. Toby is under the impression that because the same voice actor played two of my favorite mountains of man that I should give up my irritation that James Vega was only a plaything for the Citadel DLC. I have not, nor will I. And another thing-!

Toby's Note: *shoots Belle in the right gluteal muscle. Watches her rant wind down as she paces back and forth before she passes out face first on the ground like a tranque'd lion on the Serengeti* Sorry about that folks. FYI she gets really worked up about Vega and Varric and not being able to romance them. So…try to avoid that in the future.

Chapter 17: Strength from Belief

Earth Date: February 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Mid-Transit

"So, the Normandy's defense systems haven't change that much at all?" John said, surprised. He'd called this meeting the make sure there was anything pressing that they could address on Illium. To his surprise each member of the team had suggestions. Some, like Jack and Mordin, were requesting personal firearms or upgrades. Those were easy to approve and add to their shopping list. What surprised him were all the upgrades to the Normandy people wanted to make.

"The Normandy SR2's construction was actually started before the original was shot down," Miranda explained. "The Normandy team, before I absorbed them to replace the Lazarus team, tried to incorporate the reverse engineered tech from Sovereign when they could but they were also trying to keep the same overall design from the SR1."

"The SR2 is much bigger than the SR1," Jane said. Unlike veryone else who was standing around the conference table, she was leaning against a corner of the room with her arms crossed. "Why would the Illusive Man want the same armaments from the original?"

"The Illusive Man's only directive to the engineering team was my installation halfway through the build," EDI chimed in. "Originally that room was to be a state of the art surgical bay."

"Still with the new Normandy's drive core and frame the ship can handle much more than the SR2 has now," Tali said, gesturing to holographic display in the middle of the table. "I can implement my multicore shield designs along with the upgraded guns Garrus wants to install."

"Thanix canons," Garrus clarified. "They pack one hell of a punch with very little recoil and feedback. We'll be able to fire more shots with them not to mention the added firepower."

"And you think we can pick up some heavy armor as well on Illium?" John asked, turning to Jacob who nodded.

"There's an Asari manufacturer based on Illium who can supply us. We can get it done faster if we purchase it on Illium itself." Jacob clarified. John nodded and focused on the display. It all made sense but to implement all these changes, hell even one of them meant they needed to dry dock the ship.

"Can our budget handle this?" John asked after a moment, looking at Miranda. The Cerberus leader bit her lip and brushed some of her hair behind her ear as she thought it over.

"We won't have a problem with the credits for this but to get it done quickly most of the supplies and installation crews will insist on us providing the raw material. Platinum, iridium, eezo and others as needed. Since we don't carry the raw materials they'll ask for vouchers or mineral rights to be transferred to them so they'll recoup any materials they use locally." Miranda said after thinking it over for a minute. John scowled. Before being spaced he'd have access to all the mineral rights they could have needed but now despite being legally restored he didn't have access to those funds anymore. Jane controlled it all and he doubted she'd be willing to front it for upgrading a Cerberus ship.

"No need to even bother with transferring mineral rights," Jane stated and the group stared at her.

"What do you mean?" Miranda asked as she gave Jane a serious look.

"In the SR1 John and I had a habit of claiming mining properties. A habit most colonists learn to pick up," Jane explained as she began typing on her omni-tool before nodding. "Obviously it would be a hassle for a Spectre to try and control all of those rights."

"You got a proxy company," John stated as he realized the truth. Controlling all those mining rights had already become an annoying chore the two of them were tossing back and forth before the destruction of the SR1, it must have been even more monstrous when he was gone for Jane. She nodded as she pressed something on her omni-tool and the holographic projector added a line of suppliers from Illium. Jane highlighted a name on the list.

"I hired an ambitious volus start up company, Iroro, that hires mostly young colonist kids looking to get off world experience, they have all sorts of races working for them. Several of the mining rights turned out to be major veins that are still pumping out quite a bit of ore," Jane explained. "Illium is a booming market and Iroro has grown massively in the last year after opening a supply depot there. Because I am one of the major ore sources and one of the largest stockholders, I could easily ask for the raw materials through the Iroro Illium depot."

"That's pretty generous, Shepard," Tali stated and Jane shook her head.

"I am here as a Council Spectre, this ship needs to be able to take down the Collectors, this makes it easier just using my authority to transfer the raw materials as a business owner than going through the official requisition requests or right transfers," Jane said.

"How much are you worth?" Garrus asked and Jane gave him a look before smirking.

"My mother raised me never to talk religion, politics, or finances in mixed company," Jane stated and he chuckled as her omni-tool indicated a message. "My contact through Iroro just replied to my message. As soon as we get to Illium we can dry dock and they will deliver the estimated materials."

"Thank you Jane," John said and Jane just tilted her head in acknowledgement as John focused on Miranda. "When we get to Illium make sure we get everything we can upgraded, we get upgraded. I still think she should fly longer on her fuel. Look into it."

"I'll start looking into it after the meeting, John," Miranda assured him. John nodded and focused on the group at large.

"Anything else anyone wants to mention?" John asked.

"Actually John the Illusive Man wants to speak to you. Priority message," EDI said. John nodded and rapped his knuckles on the conference desk.

"Then everyone is dismissed. EDI please connect to the Illusive Man. Jane stay please," John said as the team filed out of the room. As the table slid down into the floor Jane came up beside him as he stepped into the middle of the room. The hologram sprang to life around them. John was a bit surprised. All the other times he had spoken to the Illusive Man he had been sitting, now he was standing pensively in his room, lighting a cigarette. He glanced at them and nodded.

"John, we caught a break," The Illusive Man began, wasting no time on pleasantries. "I intercepted a distress call from a Turian patrol. They stumbled onto a Collector ship beyond the Korlus system. The Turians were wiped out but not before they crippled the Collector vessel." He was pacing as he spoke and finally settled into his chair. "I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to get to their homeworld."

"I know you don't expect one ship to take on a planet of those creatures," Jane growled as she glared at the Illusive Man.

"What do you think will happen when we get to their homeworld, Jane?" The Illusive Man retorted. John noted he was avoiding Jane's statement.

"Hard to imagine how a turian patrol could take out a Collector Ship," John interjected, crossing his arms.

"Reports indicate the hull's intact but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I'm not saying it won't be dangerous but we can't let an opportunity like this slip by." Illusive Man drawled.

"If they have a patrol out there, why aren't the Turians sending a recon team in?" Jane countered. The Illusive Man shot her a smirk.

"They will. Eventually," he said, obviously pleased with himself. "But I intercepted the transmissions. In the meantime, we're feeding them false reports. You're close enough that you can be in and out before the Turians learn the truth."

"We are Council Spectres, it wouldn't be out of reach for us to report about this as we investigate," Jane said with narrowed eyes.

"I will inform the Hierarchy myself about this incident once you are clear," the Illusive Man stated. Jane didn't trust that.

"Send us the coordinates and we'll take care of it," John broke in.

"Already done," the Illusive Man replied. "Once you're aboard the ship, establish an uplink with EDI. She'll mine their data for information regarding the Omega 4 relay. Good Luck, Shepards." As the link terminated John shared a look with Jane. She was scowling but nodded in agreement.

"Coordinates are punched in." Joker called over the comm system. "Let's go find us a Collector Ship."

~*TF*~

Earth Date: February 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Just Outside the Korlus System

"John, one moment," Miranda said. John paused, just before he left the weapons room. Joker had just announced they had arrived and John was the last to armor up.

"Can it wait till after we get back from checking over their ship?" John asked. He didn't want to delay getting onto the Collector ship. The whole thing felt wrong to him, especially having the SR2 floating next to a ship that was similar to the one that had shot down the SR1.

"I just wanted you to take this," Miranda said holding out to him an SMG in Cerberus colors. Puzzled, John took the weapon in his hand looking it over. It was oddly shaped, more like a pistol than an SMG with an odd hooked portion near the end. It looked like it was designed to be held one handed or two handed.

"It's of Cerberus design, we call it a M-25 Hornet," Miranda explained. "It's not like a typical SMG however. Instead of firing full automatic, its semi-automatic with a three round burst every trigger pull. I had this prototype rushed to production and delivered to Omega for you."

"Thank you but why give it to me now?" John wondered. Miranda gave him a look like he was being thick and after a moment John realized he was.

"Besides the obvious issue I know you haven't used SMGs due to them not really fitting your combat style." Miranda stated primly. "I know you haven't found an assault rifle from our stocks you like so I thought you might appreciate something newer." John thought it over, admitting to himself was still using the basic M-8 Avenger. He still hadn't found anything else that had the kick and control he liked.

"Thank you, I'll try it out," John replied, placing the SMG on his free side.

"Be careful John," Miranda said and John smiled at her.

"I'll do my best to be so, but no promises." He said to her as he walked towards the front of the ship. Miranda followed and they came up behind Joker as he guided the Normandy into place. Jane was there along with Grunt and Legion, the ground team for this mission.

"We have a visual on the Collector ship folks," Joker replied. John came up behind him and placed a hand on Joker's headrest, watching out the windows as they came along side the ship.

"Very low emissions. Passive infrared temperatures suggest mist systems are offline. Thrusters are cold," EDI reported.

"That thing's massive. How the hell did the Turians take it out?" Joker mused. John narrowed his eyes at the ship as they came along side it.

"You'd be surprised just how good Turians are at what they do," Jane commented as she searched the readings. "You noticing anything?"

"Where's the debris from the turians?" John muttered as he nodded.

"Ladar scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us," EDI stated. "I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline."

"Docking area detected," Legion noted, his head panels shifting. "Shepard-Spectres, we recommend taking a shuttle and beginning ingress at that location."

"Let's go," John said, gesturing back towards the elevator. "Joker, keep an open comm channel with us. We may need to leave in a hurry."

"Aye, aye commander."

~*TF*~

Jane stared as the shuttle doors opened and her skin crawled at the sight of the Collector ship.

"Weirdest looking ship I've ever seen," Grunt muttered.

"How many have you seen?" John asked and Grunt shrugged.

"It looks like a giant insect hive," Jane commented as she noticed the parallelohedral pattern on the walls. She kept her pistol ready as she moved to John's right as Grunt took his left and Legion took the rear. She wished they brought Tali and Garrus for this.

"Penetrating scans have detected an access node to uplink with Collector databanks. Marking location to your hardsuit computer," EDI stated as the group began to travel within the structure.

"It looks organic," John muttered as liquid dripped from the nightmarish honeycombs on the ceiling.

"Like I said...an insect hive," Jane stated.

"Shepard, I have compared the ship's EM signature to known Collector profiles. It is the vessel you encountered on Horizon," EDI stated over the comms and John nodded.

"Maybe the defense towers softened it for the turians," John suggested and Jane sighed, it would be horribly convenient if that were the case.

"Likely," Grunt nodded.

"The colonists might be on board if they are still alive," Legion stated as they approached a couple pods. They were empty but there was no denying it.

"The Collectors used these on Horizon. However these are empty," Jane said as she stared at the small space. "I don't like to think about it. Trapped in there, at the mercy of the Collectors." John's hand landed on her shoulder.

"We're here to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else," he said and Jane nodded as they moved on.

It got worse as they saw the piles of bodies. Human forms, some in pieces, left in piles on the floor. Based on the decomposition, these were not all from Horizon. Jane stood over the bodies and was glad her visor was recording all of this. The Council needed to see what the Collectors were doing.

"Bodies just left here. They're just things to the Collectors," Jane whispered.

"These people may have been used for testing. If they are a control group, they may have been discarded at the end of the experiment," EDI suggested. John noticed that there were a couple bodies with cybernetic implants. One man had obvious optical implants, not unlike the Illusive Man's, only the dead man's did not glow. An artificial arm was on a woman. Perhaps not a control group he thought as Jane crossed herself over the bodies.

"There are worse things than death...like being a test subject for twisted aliens," Jane said, her mind going to Dr. Hart, the batarian slavers, and other monsters she had met.

"EDI, scan these bodies, what percent have cybernetic implants?" John asked and his omni-tool flared for a second.

"Over half of the bodies in this area contain some sort of cybernetic augmentation," EDI stated and John stared.

"What are you thinking?" Jane asked and he stared at her a second.

"I have been using my abilities without accessing my tech manually," John explained and Jane stared at him a second.

"No wonder you are so fast on the battlefield," Grunt chuckled.

"Shepard Commander is twelve percent faster than prior estimates higher outliers predicted," Legion confirmed.

"Collectors are interested in genetic patterns," EDI added and Jane looked at the bodies.

"What are the chances that these people who were augmented were removed from the population taken because their augmentations did not align genetically?" Jane asked and the group was silent. "So you've been using your powers without using your tech consciously?"

"Yes," John said and Jane blinked. She had been considering John's prowess as beyond what she thought of as John...what if his cybernetic implants were enhancing his skills...meaning his talents were not natural but a side effect of being altered. He could be...no, not the time for this.

"It is possible, the newest implants tend to allow for impressive abilities. Better connection to prosthetics, enhanced senses, and improved healing rates," Jane stated as they continued to the hellish looking laboratory set up. "They say some of the experimental cybernetic implants take normal human hormones and enhance their effects. Adrenaline is supposed to make it seem like time slows for the person with the implant. Focus on the feeling next time. Those kinds of implants can be trigged with enough mental focus." John scanned some medical equipment as Jane shoved her pistol into the head of each Collector on the medical tables. No responses, they were both dead.

"That's a Collector. Were they experimenting on themselves?" John muttered as they looked at the two dead Collectors. "EDI, I'm uploading the data from this terminal. See if you can figure out what they were up to."

"Data received. Analyzing," EDI replied. "The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity."

"That doesn't sound good," Grunt stated and both Shepards nodded.

"Are they looking for similarities?" Jane asked.

"I have no hypothesis on their motivations. All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure: the Protheans," EDI explained.

"My God...the Protheans didn't vanish. They're the Collectors," Jane whispered as her eyes widened, staring at the creature before her.

"They're just working for the Reapers now," John added.

"These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs," EDI said.

"And now they are collecting humans," Jane hissed, her stomach clenched almost violently.

"You'd think somebody would have picked up on this," John said as he stared at the Collector corpse between him and Jane.

"No one has had an opportunity to study a Collector genetic code in this detail. I have already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This Collector likely descends from a Prothean colony in the Styx Theta cluster," EDI continued as if she had not just revealed a massive historical mystery. "But there are signs of extreme alteration. Three fewer chromosomes. Reduced heterochromatin structure. Elimination of superfluous "junk" sequences."

"The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans," John stated.

"They turned them into monsters and enslaved them," Jane growled and John looked at her with concern.

"Still, they're working for the Reapers now. And we have to stop them," he said. Jane looked up at him and nodded.

"We need to keep humanity from following the Protheans," she said looking over the corpses as they turned to see a weapons cache. Human weapons were piled without any consideration. Dropped like the bodies, trash to be discarded later.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this part," John noted in slight disgust as they rooted in the pile of discarded weapons.

"It's better than getting funding from interested parties." Jane retorted. She was checking over a very large sniper rifle that John noted was only remotely resembling the Widow model it was based upon. "I'd rather not let myself become beholden to someone."

"No, I get it. Still feels a little ghoulish." John commented just as he uncovered a large, red colored assault rifle. "This looks interesting."

"Model M-76 Revenant," Legion noted. "Per design manufacturer's dossier, model unleashes a storm of deadly high-velocity slugs. Less accurate than an assault rifle, but has a high ammo capacity and deals much more damage. Effective against armor, shields, and biotic barriers. Custom-made machine gun features technology not widely available. Protected against replication by sophisticated Fabrication Rights Management technology."

"So it's more than likely DNA and code locked to someone already," John said in disappointment. He pulled the trigger and was surprised when the gun chimed and a simple tone sounded indicating the gun was now coded to him.

"They must have taken it before that could happen," Grunt growled. John sighted down the hall and took a few experimental shots rang out. It had one hell of a kicked and pulled hard up but John fell in love it right then and there as the bullets tore through the crate down the way with ease.

"I have a new favorite!" John crowed and Jane rolled her eyes as they group continued on.

"On the ceiling. More pods," Grunt pointed out.

"Hundreds of them," Jane gasped in horror. "I wonder how many are occupied?" She wanted to search, wanted to find and rescue. Save the colonists from the tiny, coffin-like containers.

"Too many," John said, his hands were gripping his weapon tightly.

"I detect no signs of life in the pods, Shepards," EDI said and Jane wondered if it wasn't a mercy.

"We were too late," Jane growled. She was going to enjoy killing the next Collector she encountered.

"It is probably the victims inside died when the ship lost primary power," EDI explained.

~*TF*~

"Commander. You gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship," Joker said as the group moved up through the ship.

"I compared the EM profile against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match," EDI said and Jane's blood began to boil. This ship destroyed the SR-1, killed her brother, and nearly stole Kaidan...she was going to kill so many Collectors the next chance she got.

"The same ship dogging me for two years? Way beyond coincidence," John said as they began to approach a massive opening.

"Something doesn't add up, Commander. Watch your back," Joker said. A few minutes later they emerged into a large hangar area as the team reached the top and saw the true interior of the ship. It was clear now that while it was powerful, combat was not the first role of this ship. Pods covered the interior, the massive space making it clear that this was a storage vessel. You could easily fit four to five SR2 ships inside of it.

"Merciful God," Jane hissed.

"They could abduct every human in the Terminus Systems and not fill these pods," Grunt said. Jane's blood ran cold as she looked at John and he met her eyes.

"Earth...They have to be after Earth," Jane said, her eyes wide in horror as she realized the truth.

"Not if we stop them," John said with the determination that made Jane nod. Her eyes were still wide, but the edge of fear was pulling back to savage rage. If Jane had to pick fear or anger, anger always won.

They continued on to the coordinates EDI gave them.

~*TF*~

"EDI? I'm setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks, not just the Omega 4 relay." John replied, patching his omni-tool and EDI into the console.

"Data mine in progress, John," EDI replied. John nodded, glancing around. The others were taking stock as their AI did her thing.

"Uh…that can't be good," Joker suddenly spoke up. John frowned and was about to ask what was going on when the console went dead and the whole floor shook, several of the tubes around them shifting and pieces inside moving.

"That's not good," Jane hissed as she began looking up with her pistol ready.

"We're all fine here, Joker. What just happened?" John asked.

"Major power surge. Everything went dark, but we're back up now." Joker replied.

"I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems." EDI said hurriedly. "John this was not a malfunction. This was a trap."

"Move! Back into the hall!" Jane cried just before the whole floor shifted and actually began to rise up and into the large storage area.

"We need some help here, EDI." John said quickly, grabbing the console to steady himself.

"I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is some else in the system." EDI reported and John swore.

"Legion help her out!" Jane barked out.

"Acknowledged, attempting to gain control of the platform," the Geth said, hurrying to the console and crouching behind it. Its own omni-tool began to glow and Legion began issuing those rapid Geth sounds as it worked. The platform suddenly stopped, throwing all of them but Legion to the floor. John shook his head and got to his feet.

"We've got incoming!" Grunt roared. John looked to where his Krogan friend was pointing and saw four other platforms filled with Collectors hurrying towards them.

"Shit, arm up!" John swore, snatching his new assault rifle from his back and adjusting its settings.

"Connection reestablished. I need to finish the download before I can override any systems. That console is locked into its previous cycle." EDI noted.

"Oh this is gonna suck," Jane snarled. She open fire with her sniper rifle, picking off Collectors as fast as she could. As she looked through her scope she saw a Collector that was different than the ones they had seen during the fight on Horizon. Some stood taller and gray in color, two horn-like projections emerged from their head. She aimed for one, but the spin of the platforms ended up putting other Collectors in the path of her shots.

"Some of these Collectors are different!" Grunt snarled, shooting at one of the platforms with his assault rifle. John snarled, laying heavy fire on another platform.

"I see it! They have horns and seem to be bulkier than the others!" John commented. He grunted as the entire platform jerked as the extra platforms connected to theirs. Dozens of Collectors were now shooting at them from their own cover.

"What the hell is that?" Jane muttered. John glanced at what she was looking at. Several of the new Collector types were releasing smaller, denser swarms that looked somewhat like seekers from their backs. The mini-swarms were then floating/flying towards them like slow moving missiles. Jane put up a singularity, catching two of the swarms, giving Grunt the chance to blast the insects into pieces.

"Shit, shit, shit!" John snarled, shooting down a few that were heading for him. A Collector charged at him and John reacted in an instant, drawing his knife and stabbing it in the throat. With a snarl he used his knife to throw the Collector at several others, knocking them over the side. He jammed his knife back in its sheath just before Jane screamed. He whirled around and felt his heart leap into his throat. Jane was covered in a smaller seeker swarm, batting at them blindly. A strange dark energy was roiling over her body head to toe and seemed to focus on the back of her head where her implant was. Grunt charged over to her, trying to swat them away. As he touched the energy and swarm, his shields wavered and collapsed. Grunt recoiled in shock and a Collector blasted him from behind. Grunt went flying into Jane, sending them both careening to the floor.

John let loose a scream of rage, storming over to them. He snatched a Collector trying to get close to them and threw it into its approaching friend, making them collapse in a heap. He sprayed the pile of Collectors with bullets before whirling around. The last few Collectors were approaching in a group. John snarled and fired off an impact shot, throwing them off the platform.

"What happened?" John demanded. Jane shot him a pained look as she finished patching up Grunt.

"I missed a damn seeker-plague-swarm-thing! When it hit me it exploded but it dampened all of my biotics somehow!" Jane snarled. "We need to watch out...they were holding back on Horizon, we don't know what they have up their sleeves!"

"It took out my shields as well!" Grunt snarled. He tried to get up and winced. "Damn, it got something near the base of my tail. I need a minute to regenerate."

"I don't think we have that," Jane noted, looking past John. He turned around and narrowed his eyes as he saw six more platforms flying towards them, each packed Husks.

"Shit, stay here and cover Legion!" John ordered, over clocking his shield generator.

"What are you going to do John?" Jane demanded. John stood and racked his assault rifle.

"What I always do. I'm a soldier and I'm drawing the line here. Just help Grunt cover Legion while he reestablishes the connection with EDI," John barked. He hopped over the lip to the next platform. He hurried over the next two platforms and he narrowed his eyes as the few Collectors on those platforms opened fire. He responded in kind, moving at them with steady but fast steps. He was conserving his ammo, each finger pull was a shot he placed right on a Collector's head. Each shot the Revenant made, with its settings tweaked as John wanted it, punched through shields and barriers with ease. Each one was a kill shot but the Collectors kept coming. Eventually his Revenant clicked as it ran empty. John made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat but slammed the assault rifle to his back. He barely started to reach down to grab his pistol when the last two Collector's jumped him from their platforms.

Jane stared in awe as she watched John move. She hadn't taken the time to watch him with her full focus before. She was crouching in cover to one side of Legion while Grunt had the other. At her location she could see John fully and it was shocking. He was moving like a martial arts master. Each opponent was used both as a shield and a target as he rushed between them like water. It wasn't inhuman, but it was beyond normal human ability and certainly better than what her brother did at best. He could be a Cerberus plant...but...back on Bekenstein she had seen the cybernetic implants through his skin, those fissure scars, and his technique. It was like watching John back in N7 training, flowing through the opposition only played in fast forward.

John grunted, throwing the dead Collector off him with his left hand and jammed the barrel of his pistol into the other's head. The gun roared as he pulled the trigger, deafening in his right ear. He shook his head to clear the ringing as he dropped the sudden dead weight. He narrowed his eyes as the platforms connected with the ones already in place. They were so tightly packed, edge to edge with Husks, the jerk of the platforms connecting made some fall off the edge. Ignoring their companions falling to their deaths the other husks swarmed right off the platforms straight for John. He cursed and drew the SMG Miranda hand given him in his left and fired. The three-round burst hit a lead husk in the head and then punched through to kill the one right behind it.

"I love this gun," John said happily. He strode forward to get a better line of sight and started firing from each hand, each shot aiming for a head. Remembering the advice Jane had given him when she learned of the artificial adrenaline reaction he forced himself to focus on the feeling. The spike of energy, the speed it gave his hands. He narrowed his eyes and willed it to come. Then as he adjusted his aim to hit another husk, he felt it wash over him as time seemed to slow again.

Jane's jaw dropped as she watched John and the Husks, unlike the Collectors with their weapons, John didn't have to worry about return fire. It was amazing and Jane was going to analyze the footage, but every movement was something she had seen John do before. Could this be John...on cybernetic implants? No, she didn't have time to think about that. As he broke the husks there were more platforms.

"Spectre Shepard, there are more of those weird Collectors," Grunt warned and Jane looked through her scope. More of the horned Collectors were coming, but it only looked like two.

"Use your rifle on those Collectors, I'm going to try a trick an asari Spectre friend taught me," Jane said as both Collectors sent out a cloud of the swarms. Jane quickly threw singularities, blocking both platforms. She could feel blood start to ooze from her nose. She pushed herself after that seeker-plague had knocked out her powers, she should have waited longer, it was dangerous but to get them an opening to escape she couldn't hold back even a little bit.

"Shields down on both," Grunt called and Jane threw two warps. The singularities exploded, taking out the weird Collectors before their platforms got close.

"Shepard-Spectre, we have regained control of the platform," Legion reported.

"John it's fixed!" Jane shouted at him. John started making his way back but the Husks were still swarming him. His pistol clicked as it ran empty. He cursed as he slapped it to his thigh and grabbed a husk with his right hand. He shoved the husk back into the group and turned to head back but was cut off from a second group that was swarming in behind him. He snarled, pulling his shotgun free with his right hand and blasted them down. Jane couldn't fire, couldn't use her biotics to help him. He was being swarmed and he was going to die. She was about to rush to him when platform began to power up.

"John we are leaving!" Jane screamed at him as their platform disengaged and began to pull up and away. John stormed threw the husks, shoving them aside as he bolted for the platform. He leaped and caught the edge as it pulled away.

"A little help!" John shouted up and Grunt leaned over the edge and grabbed John's arm pulling him up. John pulled himself up with his other hand to his hands and knees on the platform. He was breathing hard, covered head to toe in Collector and Husk blood splatter.

"That was fucking dangerous,"Jane hissed as she looked at him. Fear for his safety was taking over. She didn't know if it was him...but that technique...damn Cerberus for this. If it had been almost any other organization she would believe this was John. Only John was stupid enough to do what he just did and survive. "Don't fucking do that again!"

"Well I don't want to do that again," John commented. Jane rolled her eyes at him and helped him to his feet.

~*TF*~

"Did you get what we need?" John asked as the platform descended.

"I found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay," EDI reported. "I have also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual."

"Knew it," Jane muttered as she shook her head. "No debris from the fight."

"Seems logical to me that they would have sent the initial message as bait," John said as they landed and began to head out.

"No, it is unusual because Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine," EDI said. The Shepards shared a look.

"Why are you so sure?" John asked, although he suspected he knew and from the way Jane was clenching her fist, she also probably suspected the truth.

"I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them," EDI explained.

"Motherfucker!" Jane snarled.

"He knew it was a trap? Why would he send us into a trap?" Joker asked.

"We don't have time to throw blame around. We'll question him when we're out," John said, ending it. Jane seethed but she kept her mouth shut. At least he was prioritizing getting out instead of complaining.

"Uh...Commander. We've got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up," Joker warned. "You need to get out before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!"

"Thanks to Legion's aid I have full control of their systems for now. I will do what I can, but the Collectors are already attempting to take back systems, I will not be able to keep full control for long. Sending coordinates for shuttle extraction," EDI said and Jane smirked.

"You got control of the ship?" Jane asked Legion as they began to run. The geth's head panels moved in a merry manner.

"It will only be temporary now that EDI is functioning alone. The time necessary for Collectors to regain control of systems will be sufficient for escape," Legion explained.

"Come on, let's move!" John ordered and the team began to run.

"Take the doorway to the right," EDI said and the group moved. A small group of Collectors flew in.

"That certainly gives them an advantage in here," Jane growled as she took cover.

"We have one of those horned ones!" Grunt cried.

"What do we do about those swarms?" John asked and Jane and Grunt shared a look.

"We have a solution," Jane said as the Collector General released the swarm Jane stood up and caught them in a singularity. Grunt focused on the Collector as Jane threw a warp, the swarm exploded, catching the General.

"Well, that works," John said.

"Have to make sure you don't get flanked or it's worthless," Jane said and John nodded. Jane threw a few husks out of the way as John and Grunt took the lead, Legion sniping from cover as they moved through the room.

"Home field advantage is a bitch," John growled as a few more Collectors popped up.

"Watch out, a group is approaching with a Praetorian, I have lost control of the engines and communications, but I am prioritizing control of doors and weapons," EDI warned.

"I have my grenade launcher," Jane said.

"I brought the particle gun," John replied. "Legion, Grunt, you take the Collectors, we'll take on the Praetorian. Jane, use that trick if they try those seeker-things on us."

The plan worked like clockwork. Grunt taking out husks while Legion took out the Collectors. Jane and John flanked the Praetorian, moving it away from the others. John used the particle gun to finish it. Jane looked at the nearby Collector corpses. She pulled out a particle gun for herself.

"Reverse engineering one of these will keep Garrus busy and not calibrating," Jane muttered to herself.

"Please hurry, the shuttle is waiting," EDI stated and the group headed through the door to the left. They could see the shuttle and began to run.

"We're out of time, Spectres! We have to go!" Joker shouted. John checked a husk out the way as they ran for the shuttle. He snatched his assault rifle from his back and began laying down covering fire as Legion worked to get the shuttle open.

"You heard the man," John barked. "Everybody onto the shuttle! Move!" He fired one last concussive shot into the group approaching, hurtling them back as the team rushed into the shuttle. The door wasn't even closed when Legion leapt into the pilot seat and the shuttle took off.

"Why didn't we bring a pilot who kept the shuttle warmed up?" Jane demanded as the doors finally closed as they shuttle banked hard and shot straight for the Normandy.

"None of them wanted to go!" John snapped as the shuttle shot into the Normandy's cargo back, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop.

"Ground team is aboard, Moreau-Pilot," Legion spoke into the comms.

"Hold on people, gonna make them work for it this time!" Joker called out. John wrenched the door open and they hurried out of the shuttle. The Normandy banked hard and shuddered.

"That was a near shot!" Jane exclaimed as they headed into the elevator. John jammed the level for the CIC and the elevator moved up. The doors had barely opened on the CIC when the Normandy banked again.

"Transferring stabilizer output to the maneuvering systems! Everyone brace yourselves we're going to lose artificial gravity!" Joker called out as the Shepards stormed up behind him. John gripped the back on Joker's chair just as another shot went straight for them.

"All crew, brace for loss of artificial gravity, magnetic locks on all equipment activated now. Artificial gravity deactivated in ten...nine...eight...," EDI broadcast. Cerberus crew members were quick to get to gravity stations, securing themselves. Joker's hands seems to swirl over the controls and Jane felt her stomach lurch as Joker executed a barrel roll over the beam. As the gravity went out, only her mag boots kept her standing on the deck plating but some of the others on the CIC clearly forgot the safety protocols as dozens of data pads and coffee floated around.

"I can't dodge this guy forever, EDI. Get us the hell out of here!" Joker barked. He then made a snarl and slammed his hand on something. The Normandy seemed to twist instantly and shoot straight down at almost a ninety degree angle. John's hands dug into Joker's head rest as he gripped it hard enough to leave finger indents as the sudden acceleration Gs without the stabilizers to negate the sudden thrust. Jane grimaced as the forces hit her. She bent into a crouching position as the Gs caused her to slide backwards with her mag boots.

"Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau," EDI asked with her calm demeanor as if this was just another routine flight. Joker flipped a switch and reactivated the stabilizers. The interior of the Normandy seemed to hum and objects went crashing to the floor.

"Anywhere that's not here!" Joker barked.

"Very well. Engaging mass effect core." EDI replied. The ship seemed to stabilize for a moment and then John saw the field snap in place outside the window as they went to FTL.

"I don't want to do that again." Joker replied and John silently agreed. Jane turned to look at the mess on the CIC floor where multiple cups of coffee had discharged before shattering on the elevator wall.

"I hope Mordin wasn't working on anything viral," Jane muttered. "Gardner is going to lose his shit if this happened in the galley."

~*TF*~

Earth Date: Early Morning February 16th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Mid-Transit

John splashed the water on his face, washing the sweat and gunk off his face and head. He gasped at how cold it was but he needed it. They'd been up for almost twenty-four hours at this point. He felt exhausted but they needed to do the post mission debrief. EDI had picked Illium for their destination during their escape and they were already back on course. Two more days and they should get there, provided there were no additional problems.

"John, you are needed in the conference room." EDI spoke up over the comms in his room. "The Illusive Man called for you and your sister has agreed to speak with him until you arrive. I am worried about her…biotic expressions during such a talk in light of recent events." Just then the ship rattled. "Such as that."

"Uh…sir? Your sister is causing some navigation problems." Joker chimed over the comms.

"God damn it, I'll be there in a minute," John said, hurrying out of the room. As he entered the room he saw Jane in the middle of the projection, her biotics glowing around her as she glared at the Illusive Man.

"It is inexcusable for a so-called leader to send soldiers into a fight missing critical information like the fact it was a trap! If we weren't lucky enough to bring Legion with us, we would have been trapped on that ship and possibly killed!" Jane roared. The Illusive Man took a slow draw from his cigarette.

"I don't see your concerns, you and your brother had almost no trouble. Well your brother had no trouble, you were incapacitated for a moment," the Illusive Man stated giving Jane a look.

"For claiming that only John could do this, you are quick to put him in situations that could get him killed," Jane snapped and John moved next to her. She glared at the Illusive Man. He seemed to ignore Jane as he looked at John.

"Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online," he said.

"EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors. You betrayed us," John began.

"I started with that too," Jane stated and John paused.

"As I said with your sister, we're at war. The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy to prepare," the Illusive Man said.

"I know the stakes. But we're supposed to be on the same side, and I can't trust you," John warned. Jane felt happy with that statement and realized she was relaxing herself around John. As he spoke with the Illusive Man, she considered what she knew and again kicked herself. He could be John...but the Illusive Man was a piece of shit. Risking them all when he could have given them the heads up.

"Without that information, we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead," the Illusive Man said. "It was a trap...but I was confident in both your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The collectors couldn't have anticipated her."

"You could have told me the plan. You say I'm important, but you sure try hard to get me killed," John said and Jane realized this almost sounded like her thought process. Was this John? Or was this all an act to get her to believe it was John. She couldn't tell and that scared her. Her response to fear was anger and she began to embrace the rage she felt at being sold out grow. Her biotics caused the hologram to flicker.

"I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could've tipped them off in any number of ways," the Illusive Man brushed off and Jane glared at him. "Besides I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."

"I don't risk people. There are always alternatives," John said, crossing his arms and Jane glared at the Illusive Man. It would be an honor to perforate his skull.

"You may not like being on the receiving end, neither would I, but the facts are with me," he stated. "As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. But more importantly...it paid off. EDI confirmed our suspicions. The Reapers and Collector ships use an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that the relays recognize. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

"We were just on a Collector ship! Why didn't you say anything about finding their IFF?" Jane demanded.

"As I said. EDI just confirmed it. Besides, you wouldn't have had time to find and extract it. But we have options," the Illusive Man said.

"Legion and EDI had complete control of the ship together, we could have used that to allow us to access the IFF," John said with a glare. "What option is better than that?"

"An Alliance science team recently determined that the "Great Rift" on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon," the Illusive Man said and Jane's biotics dropped in shock.

"The Great Rift was supposed to be tectonic movement that halted when the convention currents within the mantle changed," Jane gasped. "They think a weapon did that?"

"A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both," the Illusive Man said and Jane was horrified by the man. He was as dangerous as the Shadow Broker...but at least the Shadow Broker had habit of negotiating a price. "The weapon was defunct, but it helped us plot the flight path of the intended target...a thirty-seven million year old derelict Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

"We saw what Sovereign did to the Citadel fleet. Hard to imagine anything could stop something that powerful," John said.

"This vessel is a relic from a battle waged while mammals took their first steps on Earth. There's no trace of the species that took the shot. Perhaps it was their one moment of defiance before being wiped out," the Illusive Man said and Jane stared before a memory trigger. Chorban the salarian scientist who studied the Keepers. He said they had shown extensive genetic modification...like the Collectors had. Could...could they be the remains of the race that fought? She kept that thought to herself, but made a mental note to contact Chorban again, he might be willing to look into the Collector DNA. Maybe set him up with one of the Prothean scientists she knew was doing DNA research.

"I get the feeling this isn't going to be a simple "swing by and pick up our package,"" John said and the Illusive Man tilted his head.

"We lost contact with Dr. Chandana's team shortly after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance revealed no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources...but now we need that IFF," he said. "I'll forward the coordinates to Joker. In the meantime...I suggest you tell your crew I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily."

"I have a feeling a few of them are going to share our sentiments on your decisions," Jane stated.

"EDI, assemble the crew, we have a lot to talk about," John ordered before he looked to Jane who was still dead eyeing the Illusive Man.

"I will be passing off all your information to the Council and Alliance," Jane said.

"I anticipated as much when you joined the crew," the Illusive Man said.

"I'm not part of this crew, I am here to back up John, since apparently you keep aiming at it," Jane said as she turned and walked off.

"Watch her, Commander," the Illusive Man said before ending the communication.

~*TF*~

"So the Illusive Man didn't sell us out." Jacob grunted. "Could've fooled me."

"Lied to us. Used us. Needed access to the Collector data banks." Mordin noted as he paced. "Necessary risk."

"Speak for yourself, super nerd," Jack snarled. "I still want to rip his head off for almost getting us killed or worse, collected."

"We still would have needed to go in but if he had told us about it being a trap from the start we could have planned accordingly," John noted, crossing his arms. "Let's just hope this IFF works."

"My analysis is accurate, John," EDI chimed in from her hologram in the middle of the table. "I've also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from their vessel." EDI's avatar disappeared and a holographic display of the Milky Way popped up to replace it. An icon traced a path to the Collector homeworld…right in the galactic core.

"You've got to be shittin' me," Jane said in surprise.

"Can't be. The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There's no habitable planets there." Jacob said flatly.

"Maybe they've built a station there," Tali chimed in. "If they have access to Reaper tech like we suspect then it's more than likely they have the ability to establish a safe area inside the core.

"This explains so much," Garrus noted. "If someone could survive in there it'd be the perfect place to base your operations. Conventional FLT can't fly right into it. You have to use the Omega 4 relay to get there."

"No wonder nobody's ever returned from a trip through the Omega 4 relay." John commented as he stared at the map.

"Data indicates that a small safe zone exists on the other side of the relay." Legion commented, his head panels all extended as he analyzed the data. "The old machines IFF would allow the relay to deposit our collective at the exact location needed. Current navigational travel is still limited. Drifting of several thousand kilometers still occurs. Such drift in the core would be fatal. Old machine IFF is necessary."

"Just because we can go doesn't mean we should," John noted. "We still need to upgrade the Normandy. That is even more apparent after the past day's events. We also should acquire all the personnel we can. Assaulting their home base is going to be a massive undertaking."

"Speaking of, this data on the new Collector types," Miranda said, taping the data pad with the combat readings their omni-tools had taken. "They're obviously changing, adapting. Either to us and our mission as they collect more and more data on what our species are capable of."

"No," Jane said and Miranda gave her a look. "Think about what we know. The Collectors don't need to pull out their elite forces when they take a colony. They send in those seeker swarms that can put the targets into stasis. Once the target is frozen, the stock troops can collect them and return them to the ship. You don't bring out your best fighters when your enemy is helpless." Miranda stared at Jane.

"Our attack was quick and effective," Miranda said.

"That's fucking right we were," Jack said, standing next to Jane. "We came in and kicked their asses."

"By the time they were sending reinforcements from the ship we were powering up the AA guns," Garrus added and Miranda nodded.

"Your theory has merit," Miranda conceded.

"Collectors knew that those that fought us at the AA guns would die. Leave cover to distract. Collectors don't value the individual but the use. Wouldn't send out useful troops when stock troops would suffice. Praetorian was probably already outside of ship at our arrival," Mordin added. "Calculated loss. Efficient."

"Make sure the Alliance gets a copy of this data," John said to Miranda who nodded as the holographic projection system shut down. "If the Collectors can stop biotic and tech powers, even temporarily, then so can the Reapers. People need to know what to expect. I'm just glad the effects are only temporary."

"I already sent it through Spectre channels, all Council species need to know too," Jane remarked. John nodded.

"We should reach Illium soon. Dismissed everyone," John noted. As the entire team filed out Jane and John were the last to leave. Just before they were going to walk out the door, Jane stopped, turning around and stopping John with hand on his chest. She slammed her free hand to the door controls closing them.

"Never do that again," she said in an icy tone. "That was so damn stupid taking them on all by yourself."

"I had no choice," John noted, narrowing his eyes at her. "Grunt had been shot, you both were down, and Legion needed to focus on helping EDI regain control of the platform. I made a tactical decision, besides it all worked out for the best. Have faith in your brother."

"You told me on Haven to stop pulling that kind of shit, this does not make me trust you more when you suddenly take those risks," Jane hissed. Her fury cold in her eyes and John felt his temper begin to rise.

"I knew I could handle it!" John retorted with a bit a snarl. "The risk was mine to take because I was in the best position to do! You have to admit you're not the best at hand to hand without your biotics!"

"Like I knew I could save Kaidan by myself?" Jane shot back. "You could have been killed! And we would have had to watch!"

"Well it's my job to protect yo-everyone on this team!" John countered. "It was a trap and I had to make a decision!" Jane felt her anger rise. She wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her at the thought of seeing him die. Her deepest fear and cruelest thought emerged.

"You're not my brother! It's not your job to protect me!" She snapped and in that moment, she knew she had gone too far. The rage that had built from the helplessness during the fight, the uncertainty of who John really was, and the fucking Illusive Man had gone too far and she had let it out at John.

John flinched, and took a step back. He tried to think, to say something, anything. He stared at Jane, her angry scowl mixed with regret boring into him.

"I-I-I need to go." John mumbled and brushed past Jane, opening the door and hurrying out the hall.

Jane's mouth moved wordlessly. She had no excuse for that. Especially since she was so torn about John. He could be her brother and if he was, that was unforgivable. She had lashed out against him and it was wrong, even if he wasn't her brother, taking out her rage on anyone but an opponent was unforgivable.

"Fuck me..." she hissed, covering her eyes with a hand. How the fuck was she going to make this up to him?

~*TF*~

John got upstairs to his cabin and closed the door behind him. He wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing until he found himself in the bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror.

"You're not my brother!"

He was! He was John Shepard! He remembered the farm! Hours spent running through fields and over hills!

"You're not my brother!"

Elizabeth's breathless cries and passionate words as they lost their virginity to each other.

"You're not my brother!"

He gripped the sink hard, staring at himself as he forced memories to come to mind. The first time he'd saved someone, Jessica Nigri, as he screamed with effort to pull her out from under the collapsed roof of her home after a slaver raid. The taste of his first beer. The warmth of waking up beside someone.

Liara. Her laughter. Her smile. Her scent. The feel of her beneath his fingertips. Her-

"You're not my brother!"

But he was different. The callouses on his hands were gone. New blisters were forming as he performed actions and training that he did by instinct but were new to these hands. Scars he didn't remember getting, surgical in origin. Other scars gone, the memory attached to them faded. The fading red under his skin. The enhanced reflexes, the stronger grip that had people wince when he shook their hands by habit. The incomplete tattoos, the red under his eyes, a fuller hair line, all teeth being real and not real mixed with caps to replace some lost in combat, on and on and-

"You're not my brother!"

John screamed, ripping the sink free and throwing it out the open bathroom door. It smashed into the empty display case above his desk, shattering it and sending glass everywhere. John stormed out, snatching his chair and hurtling it at the empty fish tank. It impacted and the tank burst with a loud popping sound and crash. Water gushed everywhere.

"John!" EDI"s frantic and concerned voice. "What is-"

"Go away!" John bellowed. He whirled to glare at EDI's hologram stand and barely caught sight of the hologram disappearing. A bolt of shame and regret hit him and it made him screamed again. He stormed to the coffee table by the couches and picked it up, hurling it at the wall over his bed where it broke it pieces to rain down on his bed. He saw the helmet on the table top and stormed over snatching it up. He glared at it and was about to hurl it at something else when a thought crept into his mind.

'This was John Shepard's helmet.'

John Shepard's helmet. Not his, someone else's. John squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the tears come and raised the helmet a bit to touch it to his forehead. He didn't even realize he was collapsing to his knees as miserable sobs broke out of his mouth.

~*TF*~

Jane went to the only person she could really open up to and the forward battery door opened to reveal Garrus. The tension in Jane's shoulders went down, not gone, but she was starting to relax.

"What's up, Shepard?" Garrus asked and Jane moved to sit on the boxes in the corner.

"I fucked up, Garrus," she said and he blinked as he turned to look at her. She was sitting in a way he had never seen before. Her legs were wide, her elbows on the knees, and her face buried in her hands. He moved from his console to stand in front of her, moving down on one knee, he rested his arm on his lifted knee and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked and she ran her hands over her hair before looking him in the eye.

"I told John he wasn't my brother," she said and his eyes widened.

"Whoa...that's a low blow," Garrus stated and Jane gave him a glare.

"Thanks...I came for advice. What am I going to do?" she asked and he blinked.

"You've dug yourself a pretty deep hole there," he said and Jane groaned as she buried her face into her hands again.

"I know...it was low and it was wrong, I was a douche," she groaned before sitting back against the wall, her palms pressed to her eyes. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"What's a douche?" Garrus asked and Jane stared at him.

"Are you serious right now?" she asked and he stood up before opening his omni-tool. "That's not necessary. I'm using the colloquial use."

"Whoa...yeah, I figured," Garrus stated as he typed some more. "Yeah...looks here like you were a douche."

"Garrus! Not helping!" Jane groaned and he shrugged.

"You know how I vote on John, Jane," Garrus said and Jane looked up at him with her given name.

"What am I going to do?" she said and he walked over.

"You already know," Garrus said and Jane stared up at him. "You wouldn't have asked me three times with that look on your face if you didn't already know."

"If he's really John, he will never forgive me for this," Jane said and Garrus chuckled.

"I have a kid sister myself, I'm pretty sure she's told me she hates me on more than one occasion, but I like to think that's not true," he said as he held out a hand. Jane took it and he helped her to her feet. "Go and apologize."

"He won't see me and we both know that," Jane said and Garrus grinned.

"This ship might be bigger than the SR-1, but you run out of places to hide after awhile," Garrus said and Jane sighed.

"Thanks, Garrus," she said as she headed out.

"You're always welcome, Jane," he said as he returned to his calibrations.

~*TF*~

Earth Date: February 18th, 2186 CE

Location: Illium, Nos Astra, Short Term Docking

It had been nearly two days and John had stayed up in his cabin. EDI wouldn't even let Jane up to that level, she had been tempted to try the maintenance ducts but Joker had talked her out of that. By this time all the crew members had figured out that there had been a bad discussion between the Shepards. Kelly had been dogging Jane about what happened as John wouldn't see her either. Garrus, Tali, Kasumi, and Jack had heard Jane's side and she had been met with reprimands by Garrus, scolding by Tali, intense interest by Kasumi, and open mockery by Jack. As they docking at Illium Jane was relieved to see John appear. However the glances she was receiving from Tali and Garrus were not welcome as she approached John. He had dark circles under his eyes but his expression was blank. He had stubble on his face and his skin was a bit reddish like he'd just showered for the first time in days.

"John..." she said only for him to turn and head to the airlock. "Wait..." The other two gave her a look as she rushed out after him. "I need to say something, John." John ignored her and focused on the Asari concierge approaching them with two security mechs.

"Welcome to Nos Astra, Spectre Shepard." She said, addressing John. "We've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena. If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you."

"I've never had an Asari approach me like that before." Garrus said in a staged whisper to Tali.

"It must be John," Tali 'whispered' back to him. "They seem to like his style."

"Who instructed you to waive the fees?" John asked, ignoring the byplay behind him.

"The order came from Liara T'Soni," she answered. John smiled slightly for the first time in days at that. "who paid all fees on your behalf. She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your earliest convenience. Her office is located near the trading floor."

"We're going straight there right now," John said, moving past her as she dismissed her mechs. "Thank you." Jane wasn't going to have that conversation with John now with witnesses even as two of them were giving her looks. As they entered the markets Jane saw a familiar face.

"Jane Shepard, well met," an asari said and Jane broke towards the asari. She was aware of the others following her.

"Molia, what are you doing on Illium?" Jane asked and Molia smiled as she took Jane's hands.

"You know, the usual purchases but I'm glad to see you, Shepard," she said as she smiled kindly at Jane. "I have a message from our mutual acquaintance. Molia's eyes rolled up into her skull. "We hide. We burrow. We build. But we know that you seek those who soured the songs of our mothers. When the time comes, our voices will join with yours, and our crescendo will burn the darkness clean. Thank you, Shepard. The rachni will sing again, because of you."

"Oh...the rachni," Tali said and Jane nodded as Molia's eyes rolled back down.

"Tell our mutual friend that she should keep her family away from the coordinates I give you," Jane said as Molia let go of her hands. Jane used her omni-tool to send Molia coordinates for the Collector attacks. "Also let them know about this attack information." She sent the write up she was doing for the Mindoir Review on Collector tactics and defenses. "Keep them safe."

"I am glad to," Molia said as she walked away.

"So...how much to keep me from telling Wrex that you're still talking to the rachni?" Garrus asked and Jane sighed.

"I ran into Molia last June, she was looking to get special clearance for her transport...she told me about her connection to the rachni and I pulled some Spectre strings and got her what she needed," Jane explained as they walked. John said nothing.

"How does she know the rachni?" Tali asked and Jane sighed.

"Molia was a courier for years, she was attacked by pirates and forced to land on a planet...she very nearly didn't make it. Luckily the rachni were there and they took care of the attacking pirates. They nursed Molia back to health and made a deal to have her work for them as a contact in the Council space. She gets them the products they need and she manages the mineral rights that the rachni have managed to collect," Jane explained.

"The rachni have mineral rights?" Garrus asked.

"They found some stashes, when I met Molia she was struggling to support their needs, when I reminded her about mineral right laws she was quick to get them income. The world the rachni landed on was not their first and the rachni queen has a good memory," Jane said. "But yeah, don't tell Wrex." Jane kept glancing at John as she talked. He hardly reacted when he met Molia. He'd said nothing actually just kept watching with that cold and flat look. John never was like that. Jane was more likely to go cold. John was hot-blooded. He cussed, he shouted, he talked and laughed loudly when he was excited. Now…

"John Shepard! Liara will be pleased to see you!" Jane shook herself and focused. They were upstairs, just outside Liara's office on Illium. Her assistant/secretary was standing to greet them.

"Can we go right in?" John demanded. She nodded and waved them to the door. John turned and hurried to the door. It slid open to reveal Liara inside. She was facing a hologram of a human. She was speaking to him and Jane stopped short at what she was saying.

"-asari commando unit before. Few humans have." Liara drawled. Jane couldn't help but feel an eerie resemblance to Benzia overcome her. Liara had obviously changed a lot in two years. "I'll make it simple. Either you pay me or I flay you alive. With my mind."

"Wouldn't it be simpler to shoot him?" John asked. Liara gasped and the hologram cut out as she turned around.

"John!" Liara took a quick few steps towards him. "Nyxeris, hold my calls." Jane shook her head at that but focused on them. Liara took John's hands in hers. From behind him Jane couldn't see John's face but Liara's expression softened. The last time Jane had seen Liara had been the call where she said she had more faith in John...the expression on her face said, she had faith that this was John. Liara thread her fingers with John's and seemed to drink him in. She drew close but John seemed to lose patience. He pulled Liara bodily to him by her hands and let go to run his hands to her back, holding her close.

"John, wha-?" Liara tried but then John was kissing her. Liara let out a disturbing sound of excitement as John kissed her. It seemed to go on forever and just when Jane was about to clear her throat pointedly they separated.

"I've missed you. So much," John said in a husky whisper. Liara smiled and shook her head softly. She murmured something softly to John who nodded.

"Go back to the ship." John ordered over his shoulder not even looking at them.

"But John-" Jane tried.

"Now." He snarled, still not even looking at her.

~*TF*~

"This is not the direction of the Normandy," Garrus said.

"No, it is not," Tali added as Jane led them out of Liara's office. She was pissed. Liara was convinced it was John at first meeting. John was dismissing them in a way he never did. The fuck was going on?! Jane needed alcohol and to punch something. The hot rage made her mentally pause. Maybe she wasn't so much herself lately either. She headed for the nearest bar. As she entered the lobby an asari was standing there clearly talking to herself.

"I'm going to have him arrested," she snarled and Jane pondered a bar fight. Garrus would have her back, Tali might be upset...but she was getting a bit of a bad ass vibe from Tali lately. "Watch yourself if you go in there. Some human is causing trouble. He's demanding that I sign the place over to him!"

"Is there anything I can do?" Jane asked.

"Shepard..." Tali sighed.

"Just like old times," Garrus chuckled.

"Oh, no. That crap might fly on Omega, but this is Illium. I'm hooking up security cams now," the asari said. "If he or anybody else causes trouble, I'll have their asses arrested." Jane felt disappointment, no bar fight. She headed up the stairs.

"Shepard, she said no," Tali warned.

"Drinks on me," Jane said.

"My, my, my Shepard, trying to get me drunk are you?" Garrus teased.

"Watch it, turian, that's sexual harassment," Jane said.

"No it's not," he shot back.

"I'm a witness," Tali added as they entered the bar and Jane saw N7 armor by the bar.

"You're really holding out on me? I'm a man on the edge! I've got nothing to lose!" a familiar voice cried and Garrus snorted.

"Not one goddamn word," Jane groaned as she stalked up behind Conrad Verner.

"Uh huh," the bartender growled, Jane wondered if she would be arrested for hurting Conrad. It might be fun to watch...but no, Jane needed a drink and the right thing to do would be to get Conrad out of the danger he was putting himself in.

"You want to see how far I'll go? I learned how to shove a gun in people's face from..." he said and Jane wondered who he was going to say.

"I swear to God Conrad, if you say you learned this from watching me, I'm going to show you what I do to my enemies instead of my friends," Jane said and Conrad whipped around.

"Cah-" he started and Jane held up her hand.

"I'm acting as a Spectre right now, my Alliance title is on hold until I finish my current mission," Jane said and Conrad was practically bouncing.

"Looks like he missed her," Garrus whispered to Tali and the quarian choked back a laugh, Jane glared over her shoulder.

"Hey, if you know this idiot, can you rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?" the bartender asked. Conrad smiled brightly.

"Shepard, it's really you! It's me, Conrad Verner! We met on the Citadel? I wanted to become a Spectre?" he said. "I made the fifth ranking Spectre Strong video on the extranet! You showed me what it meant to be truly extreme. I learned that lesson well! Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done? I've got some asses to kick." Jane wondered if she should get a drink for this. Instead she crossed an arm under her breasts and used the other hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"If I remember correctly, I need people like you supporting me, not acting like me," Jane said.

"What? Are you crazy? I'm nothing like you, I'm not a Spectre working for the Council. I'm on my own, backed only by my wits and my nerves! No rules, no laws, just whatever it takes to get the job done!" he said excitedly. Jane did not need this.

"Conrad, how did you get that armor?" Jane asked, a biotic headache would be easier to deal with right now.

"Oh, they make some pretty convincing replicas these days, if you're willing to pay. Getting the whole getup was pretty expensive, but my wife was really supportive. She even paid for my shuttle fare off-world!" he cried and Jane nearly burst out laughing as the asari bartender rolled her eyes and shook her head at that.

"Any decent security system will detect that you aren't in the military, much less an N7," Jane said.

"I just say that I'm deep-cover, and don't appear on systems. I'm doing the best I can, okay? The galaxy needs more people like you, Shepard. I had to do something," he cried.

"So...you just wander the galaxy righting wrongs?" Jane asked and he laughed.

"Don't say it like that! I talk to people, you know? Ask them if they have big problems that only I can solve," he said and Jane realized he totally meant it. "You'd be surprised how many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them!" Jane probably wouldn't be. "Sometimes I poke through crates, too. You know, for extra credits."

"Who doesn't?" Garrus muttered and Tali hummed in agreement.

"Conrad...why are you trying to get the deed to this place?" Jane asked.

"This place is actually a front for a red sand dealer. I need to take it over to crack the ring!" he cried.

"What? Who the hell told you that?" the bartender cried.

"The owner of the weapons store near the carport! She's an undercover cop! She told me about it when I introduced myself," Conrad said and Jane wondered if he would leave if she paid for his shuttle home.

"Listen, crap-for-brains: first, we don't sell red sand. Second, red sand is legal on Illium! You just need a license!" the bartender yelled.

"I'll go talk to this undercover cop and figure out what's going on," Jane sighed.

"Wait...what about drinks?" Garrus asked.

"After we get to the bottom of this," Jane said.

"This really is like old times," Tali commented.

"Thank you. If I kill annoying customers, it usually causes property damage. That comes out of my pay," the bartender said.

"Conrad, stay here and just...don't talk to her anymore. She's not going to tell you anything and I need to know the details," Jane sighed as she left and headed for the car port. It was easy to find the weapons stand.

"Can I help you with something?" the merchant asked and Jane stared at the asari. She definitely didn't read like an undercover anything.

"I talked to...an...old friend, Conrad Verner," Jane said as the two chuckled behind her. She did not glare but considered buying her two companions levo-amino acid drinks. "You told him that the Eternity lounge was selling red sand."

"Oh, you're Conrad's friend. Yes, that place is really dangerous. I should know. I'm an undercover cop," the asari said in a tone reserved for talking down to children. Jane considered how hard she should throw the bitch into the wall. "Did you get me the deed to the bar? I need the deed to, uh, stop the red sand dealers." Jane was about to go into a rage when she recalled the bar owners comments. Jane smiled a stupid friendly grin.

"I softened them up for you. You can walk right in there and demand the deed. Don't let them forget that you own the place now," Jane said with a smile and the asari grinned.

"Excellent, here, let me give you a discount," she said before she headed out.

"Now that was mean," Garrus said.

"Let's buy some weapons," Jane said.

As they returned to the bar they made it just in time to see the weapons merchant being dragged out by security. Jane headed to the bar where Conrad was watching confused.

"What happened? The undercover cop from the weapons kiosk just got arrested!" he asked.

"She was actually a terrorist plant," Jane said and Conrad's eyes widened. "I never would have caught her if it wasn't for you."

"Really?" he asked with wide eyes and Jane smiled. This was who she was, showing kindness to people like Conrad who needed heroes.

"Yes, thank you," Jane said. "Now go back home and let me take care of this out here." Conrad smiled.

"Okay, Shepard," he headed out and Jane headed to the bar...finally.

"Thanks for taking care of that crazy guy. Saves me having to beat him to death with his own spine. That makes the other customers nervous. Anyway, this is Eternity, and I'm Aethyta, asari matriarch and bartender. Get you anything?" Aethyta asked from behind the bar. Jane sat down and her shadows flanked her.

"A round with the appropriate amino acids and a rain check...I want to hear your story, but not after having dealt with Conrad," Jane sighed and Aethyta chuckled.

"Sure thing, kid, you look like you need this," she said as she got the group started.

~*TF*~

"This is a nice place," John commented. Liara smiled and gestured widely with her hand at the apartment. The front was curved with floor to ceiling windows on both stories. A couple of couches were here and there.

"I wish I could spend more time here but honestly I just rent it for a place to sleep. I keep a few things here to make it feel like it's mine but I spend most of my time in the office."

"Hunting the Shadow Broker," John commented, remembering their conversation in the taxi on the way here.

"Yes," Liara said darkly. "For everything he did to me and you. After I save Feron I'm going to crush him into paste." John came up behind her and hugged her. Liara sighed and leaned into him, her hands covering his.

"I'll help you," he said softly into her ear. "You saved me Liara. You kept me out of the Collector's hands and let Cerberus bring me back. I don't think I can ever express how much it means to me that you did that. Even if I'm not me." Liara turned in his arms and slipped her hands around him. She looked into his eyes and saw the fear in them.

"What do you mean you're not you, John?" Liara asked, concerned. John bit his look and shook his head.

"Honestly I have no idea. Jane, she says I'm dead. That I'm not John Shepard, I'm just some...thing. Some days I know she's wrong but others, especially lately I feel like she's right. She's so cold and just pushes me away. I remember things and she tells me they're not real or implanted." It was silent for a few minutes as Liara just looked at him.

"Do you remember the first night we had together after we started looking for the Geth remnants after we beat Sovereign?" She asked. John shot her a puzzled looked but nodded.

"What did I ask you?" she pressed. John frowned.

"Not to call you luv." He replied without hesitation. "You thought it was demeaning, you asked me to call you Lia in private. You thought it was cuter."

"How would anyone know that?" she asked. "We said that in your quarters, in the Normandy after it left port for the last time. Even if there were recording devices in there, they would have been lost when the SR1 was." John's eyes widened in shock and he hugged her tightly.

"I'm me. I know that because only we know that." He whispered in her ear. Liara nodded and caressed his back.

"You're my John." She whispered and nuzzled into his neck. John held her to him and kissed her neck.

"You're my Liara." He whispered back. After a few minutes they pulled back and stared at each other. John was smiling but he looked exhausted.

"You're tired," she noted and John laughed bitterly.

"I am," he admitted. "I haven't slept the past few days. Between Jane and Miranda being at each other's throats, constantly on edge on a Cerberus funded ship, and having Spectre's call me telling me to help Jane who clearly hates my guts, I feel worn out and at my wit's end. Talking to Garrus and Tali helps but getting to know the new team and trying to get them to trust me while Jane is-is-"

"Oh John, I know I asked you to help me gather that data tonight but you're no good to anyone like this." Liara said, exasperated. She took John's hand and led him upstairs. She turned right and hit a panel causing the windows to turn opaque as she led him to her bedroom. She grabbed him by the waist and hit the release clamps on his armor.

"Liara, not that I mind but I'm not sure I'd be up to snuff in bed plus I have these red lines on my body now you need to be aware of." John commented. Liara looked up at him, and cuffed him on his shoulder just before she pulled the armor off his arms.

"While I would not mind that tonight you need sleep above all else. I won't have you getting yourself killed now that you're back." She replied. John smiled at her and helped her work the armor off. Clad in nothing but his under clothes Liara turned him around and shoved him into her bed. He watched her intently as she undid her own dress, letting it pool at her feet. She stepped out of her shoes and her dress. She undid her bra letting it drop to the floor before climbing onto the bed with him. She nuzzled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her. She reached over to pull the covers over them.

"Lights, sleep mode," she called out and the lights dimmed down. John felt her settle into his side and he sighed as he finally relaxed.

"Sleep John," Liara whispered in the dark. "I love you. Here you're safe and you can forget about everything for just one night. We'll fix it together in the morning."

"That sounds nice," John murmured, already feeling his eyes drift shut. "I love you, Lia."

"Sleep, my love."

John slept.

~*TF*~

Toby Note: Today's fight scene theme song was This is Gonna Hurt by Sixx AM. Hope you liked it. It was fun to write. Also thank Belle a lot for the argument and John's breakdown afterwards. She inspired me to write it. It set up the ending scene with Liara beautifully.

By the way, Mass Effect Redemption did happen. Remember, Jane caught a glimpse of Liara on Omega during the two year chapter.

Belle Note: Just a mention on the escape from the Collector ship, personally because we have Legion prior to the Collector ship I couldn't help but believe between Legion and EDI, they could wrestle control from the Collectors and Harbinger long enough to actually let the team escape from the Praetorian chamber through that doorway that was open at the beginning of the fight. Just my thought process. I also have always had a horrific time believing that the Collector ship would take over ten minutes to charge up. I timed the fight, from Joker's warning to the actual reaching of the shuttle, it takes a LOT of time and even the fastest playthrough I found clocked in at thirteen minutes. To quote DBZ Abridged "Perhaps on second thought, a whole *thirteen* minute start up for an attack is pretty abysmal in terms of usability in battle."

Back to the important thing with Bioware Romances...

Garrus Note: *shoots Belle in the left gluteal muscle*

Belle Note: But…why? *passes out again*

Toby Note: Garrus? What are you doing here?

Garrus Note: You need to stop getting her worked up. She writes really bad fanfiction smut after you antagonize her like this and I like where this story is going, don't mess it up for me.

Toby Note: *turns to the readers* Don't worry she'll regain consciousness in time to start 18. It's her turn to write a chapter first.

Belle Note: ...Varric...Cullen...

Garrus Note: *tranqs her again*

~*TF*~

OMAKE 1

Just as the trap is sprung…

"Okay, that's it! John let's go!" Jane said taking up a pose on the left.

"Yosh!" John said, using a bastard Japanese as he took up the pose on the right.

"Fu-sion HA!"

Big fancy light special effects!

"We are Shepard!"

The author would write the responses of the team and others but he's too busy laughing at the stupidity of what he has just written.

OMAKE 2

"It looks like a hive," Jane said.

"Hopefully there isn't a queen," John said.

"Did anyone else picture a Collector with boobs?" Grunt asked.

"No, that's stupid!" John cried.

'No one can ever know,' both John and Jane thought as they walked into the ship.

OMAKE 3

After John breaks the fish tank…

"Whew, I'm glad the authors haven't bought fish yet!" John replied.

Meanwhile in one reality among many others…

Belle sniffles as she approaches the Normandy memorial board and hangs FISH on it. Toby rolled his eyes as she did so.

"See this is why you need to experience lesbian stuff on occasion," Toby chided her. "Your fish would be alive throughout two and three if you just invited her up to your cabin to experiment."

"But don't you never talk to her again after she agrees to take care of your fish?" Belle countered, sniffling a bit.

"Why would I when I can choose between Liara, Tali or Miranda?" Toby said blatantly. "I wish they just would have had Samantha from the start. She's so much better than Kelly."

Back in the Mass effect reality…

Kelly Chambers breaks out in tears for no visible reason.

OMAKE 4

The reason why Jane could only talk to Garrus...

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Joker cried. "No, seriously, like. What. The. Fuck."

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"You heartless monster..." Kelly gasped.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"This may be...problematic," Mordin sighed.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"We do not know how to assist Spectre Shepard," Legion stated.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

Dr. Chakwas slapped Jane across the face.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"Oooooo," Jacob said with wide eyes. "That was a bad choice."

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"Man, you are a stupid bitch," Jack laughed.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"You unbelievably stupid bosh'tet," Tali cried before reaching for her shotgun.

"I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

"Why are you so mean?!" Grunt wailed before breaking into tears. "Wah!"

Hidden Belle Note: Psst, don't tell Toby, but I totally use Kelly for my fish feeding slave too. Our little secret!