Chapter Two

"Any idea where she's from?"

"No, the only thing in the pod was the datapad and the message is untraceable."

"No other clues in the pod?"

"None, Commander."

"How is she?"

"She's alive. Your concern surprises me, Garrus."

"It's not every day you find a human in a box floating in space."

"True, but she has a fighting spirit. We've been injecting nutrients into her system, it seems to be strengthening her slowly. Other than her malnutrition and abrasions, she seems to be a fairly normal human."

"Makes me wonder who left her to die in there and why. Cortez said that he thinks the thing was a storage compartment. If it had been an escape pod she probably could've gotten help a lot quicker."

"Commander, good to see you. Our little pod girl is doing well. I'm sure you'll want to get her to the Citadel soon."

"I'd really love to question her beforehand."

"She might not have the strength for that. It might be another week still."

"If you can keep her alive until then, I'd appreciate it."

"I'm sure I can."

Ashlyn… don't go to the Citadel alone… don't stay in the Citadel. Find somewhere safe and stay there.

So many voices ran through her head, swimming along with her blurred, detached thoughts. There were three new ones, but the last voice she heard before waking up was oddly familiar, but brought no faces to mind. In fact, she had no faces in her mind, not even hers. Nothing was there. Other than the metal tomb, the datapad and a few mismatched thoughts, her mind was like an empty void. The mismatched thoughts that passed through her brain were like fragments of broken glass, pieces of something that she couldn't quite gather. Among these thoughts were that familiar voice, a spaceship and a fear that she couldn't understand.

Her eyes opened as her consciousness returned only to be greeted by a strange and unnerving darkness. There was some dim light coming off of machinery that was positioned around the room, but it wasn't enough to get a good enough look around, but she made due with her limited vision. She looked down at herself. Wires were snaking out of her arm and she was tucked into a firm bed, still in her bodysuit. The room gave off the sharp smell of antiseptic. A hospital. That's where she was. She figured some common knowledge was apparently still intact in her shattered mind, making her able to know what a hospital even was or how it smelled. She sat up, realizing the room was probably too small to be a hospital. A med bay perhaps? Being in a med bay made her have a slight feeling of being at home, but she wasn't sure why. This med bay didn't even seem familiar, but it reminded her of something. It was like a memory that was floating away just out of her reach. No matter how hard she strained to remember, she just couldn't get there.

She looked to her left and saw a closed door. A dull light was cast over the top and there were letters that read: AI CORE, unsure of what that meant. She looked right and saw another closed door with no identifying, yet confusing signs. There were some empty beds around her, more medical equipment and storage, but there was no one there. As quiet and dark as it was, she realized that it was probably fairly late, igniting her sense of time. Slowly, but surely coherent thoughts were coming together to at least make her surroundings somewhat identifiable. She wanted to move to get a better idea of where she was, but she was afraid she wouldn't have the strength. She seemed much better than when she woke in the metal tomb and suddenly realized she was no longer within the small space that she feared would have been her deathbed. She must've been saved, but by who? And more importantly, could she trust them? She was thankful to be out of the tomb, but somehow she ended up in a strange med bay, in a strange ship, somewhere in space.

Garrus rarely stayed up so late. During a battle, he knew getting rest was important when you had the time to steal it, but sometimes his seemingly endless calibrations made him lose track of time. When he finally realized how late it actually was, he decided to call it a night. He closed down the terminal within the main battery and rolled his shoulders as he stepped out. Everything was quiet other than the metallic sound of his armored boots touching the floor with each step. There were probably a few late night officers on the bridge, but the majority of the Normandy was fast asleep.

In space, there is no day and night, so the crew got sleep when they could, however routine and internal scheduling seemed to cause most of the crew to sleep around the same time. And it wouldn't be very wise to head off to a mission when half the squad is asleep anyway, so it was more logical to have everyone on the same sleep pattern. They ran on Citadel time otherwise and according to that, it was about two in the morning.

Most of the human crew slept in the crew quarters, but Shepard's squadmates usually had their own rooms. They either adopted a room upon the Commander's approval, like Liara T'soni, the asari biotic, did. Or they stayed where they were most comfortable. The main battery was usually Garrus's home. He stayed close to his work and he wasn't bothered. He often found himself comforted and being lulled to sleep by the mechanical buzzing within the battery and the glow of the terminals. He planned to curl up on his cot that sat in the back corner of the main battery, but he realized first that he hadn't eaten anything in a while either. That was why he found himself walking as silently as he could down the corridor to the mess hall. It was only a short walk. He figured he could find some easy, dextro-friendly snack and then get some sleep.

When he entered the mess hall, he pulled open one of the food storage compartments. He found something that he approved of and went to turn back towards the battery. He paused when he noticed movement in the med bay windows across from him. It was dark, but his visor adjusted, allowing a bit more clarity and he saw the girl. She was sitting up in her bed. His heart quickened with a strange excitement as he put the food down and headed for the door.

As he entered, the light responded to his presence and illuminated the room. The girl turned to him, squinting her eyes against the offending light. She looked a million times better than when he'd saw her in the pod. Her hair wasn't as messy, but fell into dark waves down her back. Her eyes were still brilliant green. Her face had filled out and she wasn't nearly as pale. She was still thin, but not verge-of-death thin.

She seemed to focus on Garrus and when she realized what stood before her, her eyes grew wide with panic. Garrus noticed her body had suddenly gone rigid.

"Hey, it's okay." He began softly, his dual-toned voice was nearly a purr.

This only caused more fear since she scrambled off the bed in a flurry of long arms and legs, knocking her IV over in the process. She ducked behind the bed, her emerald orbs peeking over the top at him. Garrus was reminded of a frightened animal when he gazed at her. She was pressed against the wall between her bed and a cabinet, watching him with terrified silence.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He said again even softer. She cowered further.

He then realized that he couldn't communicate with her alone. It wasn't up to him anyway. He lifted his head slightly towards the ceiling. "EDI, can you wake the Commander and Doctor Chakwas? Our little friend is awake."

"Commander Shepard," EDI's voice rang across his quarters.

He groaned as he sat up, running his hand over his tired face. "What is it, EDI?"

"Officer Vakarian asked me to inform you that the human is awake."

Shepard suddenly went on full alert. He swung his legs out of bed, jumped up and proceeded to dress. "This early?" He said. "Chakwas told me it wouldn't be for another week!"

"The doctor is also on her way to the med bay." EDI pointed out.

"Thanks, EDI." Shepard murmured as he left his cabin with urgency in his stride.

Garrus and Doctor Chakwas were already in the med bay by the time Shepard arrived. The atmosphere was tense. Chakwas was standing in the center of the room, while Garrus was pressed into the corner, keeping his distance. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched Chakwas talk to the girl as calmly as she could.

"You are safe. I can promise you that."

"What's happened?" Shepard asked as he stepped in.

"She's a little spooked." Garrus stated.

Chakwas spoke without taking her eyes off the girl. "I didn't expect her to wake. It seems like the treatment worked quicker than I anticipated. She's said nothing other than she is not safe."

Shepard joined Chakwas's side and spotted the girl huddled against the wall behind the bed. She was wild-eyed and full of fear. Her lips were pulled tight and her hair draped over her like a dark, wavy cloak. "I'm not safe." She murmured. Her voice quivered.

Shepard stepped closer and met her emerald-like eyes. "You're safe. I will keep you safe. No one aboard this ship will hurt you. Do you remember your name?"

She pursed her lips and remembered the datapad within the tomb. "Ashlyn… I must stay safe. I must not trust anyone."

"She's repeating what the datapad said." Garrus said quietly.

"Do you know anything else?" Shepard asked her.

She shook her head vigorously.

Shepard stepped closer. Ashlyn cowered further, but Shepard didn't stop until he was close enough to touch her, then he crouched down to her level. "I'm Commander Shepard. This is my ship, the Normandy." He reached out his hand. "You can trust me."

Ashlyn blinked a few times, looked at his hand and back at him. Slowly and gingerly, she extended her hand until her fingertips grazed his. Then he took her hand in his and held it softly.

"See?" Shepard said with an earnest smile. "Everything's okay. Now, go on, tell me what you remember."

"I… was on a ship." She murmured. "Then I was in the metal tomb. There was a message that told me my name and that I had to stay safe. I know that is important."

"Was it an Alliance ship?" He asked.

She gazed at him, confusion crossed her visage.

"Who was the captain?"

"I don't know." She whispered and her head lowered.

Shepard put his other hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, we'll take you to the Citadel and maybe then can help access your memory."

Ashlyn suddenly tightened her grip on his hand. "No! You can't leave me at the Citadel. It's not safe. If this ship, Normandy, is safe, let me stay here, please. I will earn my keep. I don't remember much but I-I can clean or learn to cook or something. Just please, please don't leave me at the Citadel."

Shepard looked very concerned. "Why are you so afraid?"

"I-I don't know. Someone told me not to stay at the Citadel, especially alone."

"And I guess you don't remember who told you?"

Ashlyn shook her head.

Shepard sighed as he stood and faced Doctor Chakwas.

"Seems that she has some sort of memory loss." Chakwas stated. The elder woman's expression seemed confused. "Every scan I give her comes back fine."

Shepard motioned for Chakwas and Garrus to step outside of the room. They followed their commander. Once the door shut behind them, Shepard looked at each of them.

"What's your take on her? Think she's from Cerberus or what?"

"It's hard to say with that memory loss. The only thing she remembers is being on a ship." Chakwas said. "She has some knowledge, but most of her memories just aren't there. She is able to speak well and obviously understands well enough, but as of her origins, I'm not quite sure."

Garrus leaned on one hip as he put in is two cents. "It could be that unmarked ship you suggested and one thing I've learned about Cerberus is they don't care if we know who they are. I doubt they'd be running around in an unmarked ship."

"If we take her to the Citadel," Chakwas explained, tucking a grey strand of hair behind her ear, "they can do more intense scans and see if we can salvage her memory."

Shepard shook his head. "She's scared to death of the Citadel for some reason. I can't make it worse for her, at least for right now."

"Maybe we should just let her rest a few more days," Garrus suggested. "Maybe in time she'll settle down and begin to remember."

Shepard sighed. "Well, we need to head to the Citadel anyway. I'm supposed to have a meeting with the asari councilor. It will take us a few days to get there from the Far Rim, hopefully by then we'll get something out of her. In the meantime, do what you can to kick start memories. I'll also talk to Liara, maybe she can meld with her."

Garrus scoffed. "You think that's a good idea right now? Mind sex with a stranger?"

Shepard nearly smiled, but gave the turian a good stare down instead. "Mind sex? Is that what they call it now?" He shook his head. "No, I don't think it's a good idea, but I don't have many good ideas, so for now just get her talking."

Garrus and Chakwas both replied in unison. "Yes, Commander."

Questions, questions, questions. Chakwas couldn't get her fill of them. Ashlyn was beginning to like the older woman, but she was a bit demanding and persistent. She had short greying hair and green eyes, but she was relentless with questions. The first day was a barrage of who's, what's, where's and why's. Ashlyn could only respond by the three words she seemed to be repeating quite a lot in the past few hours, "I don't know."

Chakwas also kept scanning her. Ashlyn didn't know why, but the doctor seemed to be getting aggravated when they came back clear.

After her last parade of questions, Chakwas left the med bay feeling as if she'd spoken to a brick wall for the past hour. As she stepped through the threshold, she nearly ran into a tall figure. She looked up at Garrus.

"I wouldn't bother." She stated bluntly. "I've been talking with her for an hour and I've gotten nothing."

"Talking or prodding?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"You have a go then." She said with a wave of her hand and moved past him.

Garrus figured that Chakwas's methods were straightforward and blunt as she was. He had a better idea. He decided he'd get to know Ashlyn a bit, hopefully meeting someone new and making a friend, rather than feeling like a patient, would trigger something. He stepped through the door and as soon as Ashlyn's eyes fell upon him, her body went rigid again.

"It's okay, I just wanted to introduce myself since I didn't get the chance to before. I helped pull you out of the pod." He said, keeping his distance.

She paled and the shock on her face was apparent. "What are you?" She asked, her voice quivering.

"You've never seen a turian?" His brow plates rose.

Ashlyn shook her head, her dark hair flailing around her.

"Have you seen any other species other than humans?"

She shook her head again.

Garrus crossed his arms, finding it hard to believe in this day and age. "You've lived on a ship without encountering any other species?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." Her head lowered as if she seemed ashamed.

"Well, that's not important." He said taking a step closer. "I know it must be a bit of a shock then, but my name is Garrus Vakarian. I am a turian."

She looked back up at him, her shock was fading and she now seemed more interested rather than afraid. "You helped me out of the tomb?"

Garrus nodded. "Sure did."

"Are there any other aliens aboard?"

Garrus chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck absently. "Uh, yes, actually. You'll meet them all soon, but they're all very nice. There's Tali, she's a quarian, Liara is an asari, EDI is not an alien, but she's an artificial intelligence."

"EDI," Ashlyn cocked her head. "The doctor told me that was the name of the ship's computer."

"I am actually an artificial intelligence as Garrus has stated." EDI's bodiless voice entered the room and startled Ashlyn. "I'm sure you will meet my physical platform soon."

Ashlyn didn't respond, just took a deep breath and looked back at the floor, her dark lashes shadowing her cheeks.

Garrus took a few more steps. "Hey, I know this is a dumb question, but are you… okay?" He didn't know how to comfort a human, especially a female human with little to no memory, but he was oddly willing to try.

She met his eyes, noticing for the first time that they were a soft, calming blue. She realized he was now standing at the end of her bed, but she was no longer afraid. The way he showed concern seemed very close to home and it was comforting. Though she'd never seen anything like Garrus, she found herself opening up, wanting to know more about him. She studied his face. Since she'd never seen a turian, as he called himself, she wasn't sure of his expression. The plates over his eyes were raised slightly. The mandibles on either side of his jaw were tight against it. Was it an expression of genuine concern? She liked to think so.

"I just feel… lost." She said with a sigh. "I don't want to be a burden on Commander Shepard by asking him to stay on his ship, but I don't want to go anywhere else."

"The Commander cares… a lot. We'll just have to find some way you can help out on the ship and he won't have a reason to make you go, not that he would anyway. The only reason he'd leave you somewhere is to keep you safe. There's a lot of danger in the universe right now and the Normandy is right in the middle of it all."

His voice was low and seemed haunted, but the more Ashlyn listened, the more she was beginning to like the sound. She stayed silent for a few moments, looking into Garrus's alien face. She noticed the blue markings that ran across his small, flattened nose, cheeks and mandibles. She also took note of the spikes that emerged from the front of his head, just behind the crest, and reached back a few inches beyond his head. She also saw the scars on the right side of his face. It caused a lump to form in her throat. He must've gone through something horrific to receive such scars. His holographic visor sat perfectly over his left eye, giving a slight blue glow against his grey face plates. His armor was impressive. It had a wide neck that was raised in the back, a small waist and was complimented with blue and silver. His body must've been very different from a human's to wear such strange armor, but it made her even more curious. A peculiar request crept into her thoughts and she wasn't sure if she would offend Garrus if she asked, but he did say he would not harm her, so why not?

"Um… Garrus?"

He cocked his head, enjoying the fact she was becoming comfortable enough to say his name. "Hmm?"

"Can I, uh…" She didn't know how to ask, but she already had her hand extended. It was a strange request and she wasn't sure how to word it. Maybe it was to confirm that he was real, or maybe it was just pure curiosity? She couldn't find the words. How do you ask an alien if you can touch them?

Seeing her reaching hand and realizing what she was asking, Garrus leaned forward without saying a word. He felt her fingertips softly graze his crest and he felt a shiver down his spine. He kept his eyes on hers as they traced the path her touch was making. Her fingers moved down to his right brow plate, running along the length of it. Then she moved down his cheek to his mandible. His breath hitched as her touch ran across his scars and something stirred in him. It was a warm feeling and it made him feel somehow connected to her.

Ashlyn felt excitement being able to touch an alien for the first time. His plates weren't cold solid metal like they seemed, they were warm, smooth and not entirely hard as she expected. When her fingers ran over the rough old wound that marred his face, she felt a pang of sadness for him. She felt as if she wanted to bring him into her arms and hold him, but he was an alien and she wasn't sure what that meant for her.

Shepard was in a decent mood as he rode the elevator down to the crew deck, decent enough for a war going on around him. The Normandy was headed to the Citadel to speak with the asari councilor and to return some artifacts they'd picked up, and he was hoping to gain some support from it. While on their journey, he figured it would be a perfect time to settle the newest addition in and possibly get some of her memory back in the meantime.

He made his way off the elevator and to the med bay. The doors hissed open and he saw something that surprised him. Garrus was leaned over Ashlyn's bed as Ashlyn seemed to be stroking his face. It was only a brief second he'd seen this since Garrus jumped back when the doors opened. Shepard looked at either of them with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on?" He asked, feeling almost angry, but not sure why.

Garrus opened his mouth to explain, but Ashlyn spoke up first. "I was just curious. I've never seen an alien before."

"Really? I wonder if that's true or if you just don't remember?"

Ashlyn shrugged her small shoulders. "I'm not sure."

Shepard moved his eyes to Garrus and spoke in a more commanding tone. "Head to the shuttle bay, introductions are in order."

Garrus nodded and took a swift stride out of the med bay.

"Introductions?" Ashlyn asked.

"Yes, it's time you met the rest of the crew. It's best that you get to know them now so you aren't startled by anyone else and they all can't fit in the med bay. Are you able to get up on your own?"

"I think so." She replied.

She removed the blanket from her legs and dangled them over the edge. She noticed she was still wearing her bodysuit. It was a little fuller now that she'd gained a bit of weight back.

Shepard stepped closer as she slid off the edge of the bed.

As Ashlyn's feet touched the ground, the weight on her legs caused them to tremble. Before she knew it she stumbled forward. Shepard was there, in a blink, catching her before her face hit the floor. Ashlyn felt his strong arms surround her and she looked up with surprise. Her eyes locked with his slate grey ones. His chiseled face seemed as surprised as hers. She took a brief moment to take him in. The hard, determined eyes, the dark hair kept trimmed close to his scalp, the fading scar on his cheek. She put one hand on his chest and the other on his forearm to steady herself. His body was firm and she swore she could feel his heart pounding beneath the form-fitting black T-shirt he wore.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice low and filled with concern.

Ashlyn nodded and straightened herself. Her legs were steady enough, but Shepard made sure to stand in catching distance as she began to walk towards the door.

"I feel okay now." She told him with a thankful smile.

He remained close as they continued towards the elevator. Ashlyn's mind was swimming. She wasn't quite sure if she was ready to do this, but if it meant staying on the Normandy she was willing. Garrus and Shepard were already stirring some strange emotions and now she was going to meet even more people. In her mind she groaned, wishing she could at least remember how to be less of an awkward burden.

To Be Continued...