Disclaimer: Bioware owns Mass Effect and its characters. Any OC's and changes in the plot are my own.

POV Shepard

I asked the rest of the team to come with me to the briefing room for a debriefing while Joker rushed us to the Citadel. Tali was still in a state of shock, but she was able to walk with a little help.

I stood in front of the terminal, as usual. Liara took Garvel's usual chair. This chair issue was going to be a problem. With eight people, two people would have to stand up during briefings and debriefings. I sighed. Why am I thinking about such a minor issue?

I cleared my throat to gain everyone's attention.

"We have what we came for. Dr. Liara T'Soni, daughter of Matriarch Benezia." I motioned towards her, and she looked around nervously. She obviously was not used to being the center of attention. "Liara, we heard you are an expert on the protheans," I started. Liara nodded. "Let me give you the quick version of our mission to bring you up to speed. We're after a rogue turian spectre named Saren. He commands the geth, which you might have guessed. He's looking for something called the Conduit."

She looked down, deep in thought. I waited for her to respond. Eventually, she said with confusion, "The Conduit? All I know is that it was connected with the prothean's extinction. That's my area of expertise, a fascinating subject."

I could see Ashley facepalm. I gave her a sharp look, hoping she's get the hint not to speak. She did.

I continued along the train of thought. "What have you figured out in your research?" I asked her.

She stood up and began to pace throughout the room, in either excitement or nervousness. I couldn't tell which. "The mystery is very well hidden. The protheans were the strongest force in the galaxy, and then suddenly they're gone. There's no evidence of what caused them to go extinct. It's almost like someone came after their extinction and cleansed the galaxy of anything that could solve the mystery. There's one thing that completely puzzles me, however. My research has shown that the protheans were not the first race to go extinct in this way. I believe this is a cycle that has been going on for possibly millions of years."

I decided to interrupt here there. "Wait, a cycle?"

Liara nodded in affirmation. "From what I found, this cycle of extinction has been going on long before the protheans. Every time a species rises up and becomes a dominant force in the galaxy, they are suddenly and violently cast down into extinction. Only ruins survive. The protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy, yet even they rose up on the ruins of those who came before. Their greatest achievements before their extinction, the mass relays and the citadel, were based on the technology of their predecessors. Suddenly, like the rest of the unnamed species before them, they simply vanished. I dedicated my life to figuring out why."

I held up my hand to stop her. "We believe we know what happened to them."

She stared at me in disbelief for a moment, then shook her head. "N-no. Commander, with all due respect, I've heard every theory out there. Any plausible theory has no real evidence to support it."

I raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard about the reapers?"

"The what?" She shook her head, then sat back down in her chair and laid her elbows on her knees. She racked her brain for several moments, then shook her head again. "I've never heard of reapers. What are they, and what evidence do you have?"

"The reapers are a race of sentient machines," I started with a calm voice. "They came to the galaxy, wiped out the protheans, and simply vanished. I saw it in a vision."

She looked back at me again, this time in curiosity. "A vision, commander? What do you mean?"

"A damaged prothean beacon on Eden Prime burned images into my brain," I responded. Her eyes widened. I had a feeling this would be something she'd be interested in. "I activated it, but the only thing I can make sense of is that the reapers are what destroyed the protheans."

She stared at me in disbelief. "The beacons are incredibly rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime. A prothean beacon, even a damaged one, is almost priceless. I'm confused though, Commander. The beacons were designed only for prothean physiology. I'm surprised you were able to make any sense of it at all. I've heard about people who went insane from what a prothean beacon implanted inside their brain. Your mind must be strong in order to prevent the same from happening to you."

Ashley couldn't hold it in any longer. "Ok, this isn't helping us," she said angrily. "We're looking for Saren and the Conduit, not trying to find out about the reapers."

I glared at her sharply, but the damage had been done. She didn't pay attention to me. Liara remained calm, however, in her response. "I'm sorry, my curiosity got the better of me. I'm afraid I don't have any information that could help you find Saren or the Conduit."

"You're a biotic, right? You could help us on our mission, information or not." Kaidan took the words right out of my mouth.

She gave a big grin in response. "I am. Also, spending decades by yourself can get rather lonely at times. It will be nice to be able to work with other people."

"Welcome to the team, Liara," I responded warmly. "The geth probably won't come after you again. If they do, they'll have a hell of a time trying."

She stood up, but began to sway. "Ugh... I'm sorry. I'm afraid I'm a bit lightheaded."

Kaidan had a response ready. "When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Doctor Selwyn should take a look at you."

She nodded. "It's probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the news about how the protheans truly fell. I'll go see the doctor. Either way, it will give me time to think. Are we done here, Commander?"

I nodded back. "Go see the doctor. Ashley, I want a word with you. Everyone else, dismissed!"

With the exception of Kaidan, who was helping Liara, and Ashley, everyone filed out of the room. Ashley walked up to me with a blank face.

I gave her a sharp look similar to the one I gave her earlier. "That's not the way to treat an ally, Ashley. I expect you to treat everyone aboard this ship with respect. Understood?"

She nodded and gave a salute. "Perfectly, sir. I'm sorry."

I saluted back. "Dismissed."

As Ashley left the room, I turned towards the terminal. Joker's voice went over the intercom. "The Council's on standby, Commander. Do you want me to patch them through?"

"Do it, Joker."

The three councilors suddenly appeared in holographic form before me. "What is Dr. T'Soni's status Commander?" The Asari Councilor asked. Was this mission successful?"

I nodded. "Liara is currently being looked at by our ship's doctor. We found geth there, and the ruins unfortunately collapsed." I stopped to sigh. "Marcus Garvil was also injured on the mission. We're rushing to the Citadel to get him medical attention."

"I see. It's unfortunate that the ruins were destroyed, but I understand that there was probably no other choice," The Salarian Councilor responded amiably.

"We also wish the best for Mr. Garvil, Commander," The Asari added. "We'll prepare a medical unit to bring him to one of our best hospitals. This mission is too important not to have everyone at 100%"

"Don't make a habit out of destroying things we might be able to study in the future, Shepard," The Turian continued. The Salarian Councilor visibly glared at him, but I only gave him a blank stare.

To break the tension, the Asari Councilor cleared her throat. "We'll be awaiting your next report, Commander. Keep us updated." With that, the council's holograms vanished.

I activated my omni-tool's transmitter. "How long until we reach the Citadel, Joker?"

"ETA two hours, Commander."

I walked out of the briefing room, planning to take a long shower.

POV Garvil

I felt like hell when I woke up. Not only was my entire body throbbing painfully, but my brain felt like jelly again. I didn't remember much of what had happened before I lost consciousness. All I remember was the vision of what happened in the Cerberus base, then the krogan screaming.

Wait, I was using my biotics, and he was resisting. I remember that part...

Then... I went numb.

My eyes opened wide and I gasped painfully. I suddenly realized I couldn't feel part of my left hand. I heard a chair squeak as the occupant left it and saw through the pain to see a figure standing over me.

"...not supposed to...three hours..."

I gasped in a breath, but then I blacked out.

I came to a while later, this time without the pain. I slowly remembered what had happened the last time I woke up, then my mind wandered back to when I first passed out. I attempted to sit up, but I suddenly realized I was weak. I heard the same chair squeak as last time, but this time I could recognize the doctor standing over me.

"Doctor Chakwas?"

She gave a wide grin, but then it vanished into a scowl. "What were you thinking, trying to melee a krogan? I should slap you right now for your stupidity."

I blinked in confusion, and then everything came back at once. My head dropped back on the pillow and I remained breathless for several moments. "D-D-Doctor. W-What happened t-to me?"

She sighed and sat back down in her chair. "From what I was told, you charged a Krogan Battlemaster and used your omni-tool's blade to direct an intense amount of biotic power through his body. You're lucky to be alive, Mr. Garvil. With what happened to your body, it's a miracle your heart didn't stop on the spot."

I pushed away the thoughts crawling in my mind and propped myself up on one elbow. I noticed again my left hand's numbness. I brought it in front of my face, slowly clenching it into a fist. I felt my last three fingers as they touched my palm, but not the fingers themselves. Suddenly, I noticed that some of my toes were numb as well. "I'm.. numb? What happened?"

She sighed. "We should have known this would happen. Humans were not meant to be biotics. The amount of power you sent through your body put a significant amount of strain on your nervous system. If you weren't rushed here so fast, you probably would have permanently lost feeling in most of your body."

I finally realized that I wasn't on the Normandy anymore. I looked out the nearby window and found I was on the Citadel. "The Citadel... How long have we been here?"

"Two days. Your biotics were flaring, which were causing a significant amount of stress to your nerves. We did what we could to calm them down, but some of the nerves in your fingers and toes burned out. You'll be able to fight, but you should be careful. I've noticed that even though your biotics are fine now, your nerves are more susceptible to the same effect."

Out of curiosity, I activated the biotics in my hand. Immediately I felt a severe backlash throughout my body. I let out a small groan before the air was pushed out of my lungs. When the pain began to subside and I started breathing again, Chakwas told me sternly, "You're not to use your biotics for at least another week. Possibly two if your nerves are slow to heal. If you're careless and don't let them heal, it could take up to a month."

The throbbing pain had subsided enough to sit up weakly. "One other question, doctor. Why are you here? Shouldn't you and Reynolds already have left?"

She sighed and thought for a second before responding. "Reynolds was transferred, so I was out of a job. I started working here, but it's temporary until I can find another ship to be a part of."

At that point, Shepard walked into the room, followed by Tali. "If you'd rather be on a ship, the Normandy could use you, doctor."

Chakwas was taken aback at this. "Commander Shepard? But, don't you already have a doctor?"

He shrugged a response. "Two doctors isn't unheard of on a ship. It won't be any trouble, doc."

Chakwas grinned, then started walking towards the door. "I'd be happy to, Commander. I'd like to keep an eye on Mr. Garvil's condition in either case, so this works out to everyone's benefit. I'll get ready to transfer what I need." She turned to me when she reached the door. "You're free to leave, Marcus. I'll see you on the Normandy." With that, she left the room. The sliding door slid closed behind her, suddenly cutting off the background noise in the hallways.

Shepard and Tali helped me up. "You ok?" Shepard asked. I nodded and looked to Tali. For a split second, all I saw was Wellings again.

"I..." She started, not knowing what to say. I put my hands on her shoulders.

"When you were hit by the krogan, I was reminded of something. I didn't even realize what I was doing until it was finished."

She had been staring towards the floor, but she slowly looked up into my face as I talked. "You... I've never seen anyone so extreme when defending someone else. You worried me, Marcus." She suddenly hugged me closely. I put my arms around her, aiming a guilty look towards Shepard. He gave me an accusing stare and folded his arms.

Tali finally released me several moments later and sat in the chair left by the doctor. She bowed her head and nervously rubbed her hands. I had a feeling that Shepard was going to chew me out, and I had a feeling she knew it too.

"I understand and applaud your reasons. That's not what I'm mad about. What I am mad about is that you endangered our mission. Do you have any idea how distraught Tali was after your stunt? Do you know how worried we were?" He was beginning to shout at the end.

I sat down on the bed, hanging my head.

Shepard continued a few seconds later, calmly this time. "I'm sorry, Marcus. We're all on edge after this. You said you lost your entire unit on that Cerberus mission, correct?" I nodded. "I understand the pain. I went through it on Eden Prime when one of my unit was killed as well. It's going to happen, Marcus. Unless you can handle loss, I can't risk bringing you along on missions." I stood up, nodding again. I understood where he was coming from, and the true implications of what I had done. Man, I'm an idiot. I'm put under the command of none other than the legendary Commander Shepard, and I end up critically injuring myself and traumatizing one of my crewmates on my very first mission.

Shepard continued, this time with vigor. "Now. Marcus, I'm not going to ground you for this. We still have a job to do, and this setback isn't going to stop our mission. We're leaving in six hours, and you're coming with us. Understood?"

"Understood, Commander." I pushed my guilt aside and spread my arms. Shepard accepted the hug and we embraced for a few seconds. With no further words, the three of us left the hospital.

I was slightly limping with every step, and my left hand was incredibly awkward to use, but I was able to reach the Normandy again without problems. Garrus was sitting on a bench nearby. When the three of us passed, he stood up and walked towards us excitedly.

"Garvil! I was wondering if you'd be able to return." We slapped our right hands together. Apparently it was a turian custom, but one I enjoyed nonetheless. I wasn't in the mood this time, however. "I'm glad I'm going to be able to talk to someone that isn't Wrex again. You know how he is." It was meant to be humorous, but I only sighed in response. I knew only too well how Wrex was. I wasn't looking forward to seeing him again, considering my new weakness.

Garrus noticed my sudden change in mood and lost his excitement. "Well, I'm glad you're all right, Marcus. I wouldn't have anyone fun to talk to if you couldn't return." Shepard folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. Garrus chuckled. "You're on the list too, Shepard."

Shepard chuckled alongside him. "Typical Garrus. We're leaving in a few hours. If you want to get anything while we're here, now's your chance."

Garrus shook his head. "I already got the weapon mods I wanted yesterday. I'm ready whenever everyone else is."

I took my first look at the Presidium since I woke up. Between the friendly banter and the view, the smile returned to my face. I stared until I felt Tali's hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw that Garrus and Shepard were already gone. My thoughts had caught up with me again.

I turned my body to face Tali's again. "I'm sorry, Tali."

"I'm not mad. Just... please. Don't make us worry again."

I nodded and she turned towards the ship. I listened to her receding footsteps as I watched the Presidium again. I don't know how long I stared, but eventually I took a deep breath and returned to the Normandy.

I barely took a step inside the ship when I heard Joker's voice from the cockpit.

"And here the man is, himself! The one who makes krogans explode with his bare hands. Uh, Marcus? Remind me never to get on the receiving end of that. I'm not sure if the impact would be worse, or the "

I facepalmed in annoyance. Why does Joker always have to make terrible jokes at the worst times? I ignored him and walked towards the stairs. I opened one of the cupboards dedicated to our rations throughout our trip through space and grabbed what looked like a package of spiced noodles with one of those bland tasting fruit shakes. I shrugged and threw the former in the cooker, downing the latter in one straight gulp. Those were always nasty. I waited for the timer to tick down, then grabbed my meal and retired to the nearest table. I was halfway through my meal when I heard someone coming down the stairs from the CIC.

I glanced over and my blood ran cold. Wrex was slowly creeping through the room towards the table I was eating at. I froze with my fork midair. Wrex stopped when he finally reached my table. We stared at each other for a moment, my spine chilling more and more with each second. Finally, he broke the tension by laughing heartily. I dropped my fork in confusion.

"You ran up to a krogan and killed him with your bare hands. You're all right, kid." He slapped me on the back roughly, then turned and walked back to the stairs. I stared after him in shock. I was expecting the same treatment he had been giving me the past week, not acceptance. I shook my head in disbelief and finished my meal. Things keep getting weirder and weirder...

"Your nerves are healing, Marcus. You should be relatively ready for battle in another few days," Chakwas said as she watched the screen attached to my bed fill with various numbers and letters I didn't recognize. I was sitting with my legs over the edge, with various wires attached to my body. I sighed in relief and waited as the wires were removed. Selwyn was sitting at the desk typing on her terminal, ignoring the both of us. She was disgruntled with Chakwas' transfer to the ship, but she didn't openly resist.

I stood up after Chakwas was done and stretched my arms over my head. It was several days later, and the ship was relatively back to normal. I began to be able to use my left hand better, getting used to the numbness in my three fingers. I heard that we were going to Feros next, but the mission would happen before my nerves were fully healed. I sighed, slipping back into depression at the situation. I stayed out of the way of everyone since my return, mostly out of guilt but partly because I felt I didn't belong here. I walked calmly out of the medical bay to find Kaidan waiting for me. His arms were crossed and he gave me a piercing stare that showed he wasn't willing to let me go until we talked.

"You've been avoiding everyone," he began. "Why are you slinking around by yourself trying to stay out of everyone's way?"

My returning stare was blank. "I disgraced the entire team, Kaidan. One stupid move, and we're delayed by three days."

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Shepard allowed you back on the ship anyway. He's giving you another chance. If you're going to keep your head up your ass about it, then it's probably better we left you there."

I faced away from him and walked towards the sleeping pods. My voice was little more than a whisper, but I knew he heard it. "Maybe so."