A/N:

So, I decided instead of a chapter today, I'm going to regale you with various tales of my numerous occasions of filing tax returns. The first time I filed a return, I was about sixteen and had been working…

**trails off, notices the thousands of hostile glares, clears throat nervously**

Ah…uh…I mean…ahem. Uh…on second thought, I think I'll continue DE instead…

Thanks to Bladhaire for her help once again. Thanks to my wonderful readers for their patience (and not tracking me down at home to sever a few of my favorite limbs).

Quick note on a couple of points that have been brought up repeatedly:

Yes, I do plan to cover the events of Arrival.

Yes, I really AM a girl. Really. Or else I've been horribly horribly lied to my entire life by…everyone.

Oh, and another cliffhanger at the end. You're WELCOME.

On we go!

Ten years ago, Earth:

"Sydney! Sydney, wake up!"

Shepard, ignoring the aching throb in the middle of her face, the streams of blood spilling from her broken nose, shouted toward the limp pilot even as she struggled to draw her boot-knife. Feeling the grinding bones in her leg, she clenched her teeth, pressing tightly against her locked restraints. The water was flooding in rapidly, already past her knees and crawling eagerly toward her waist, biting with sharp frigid teeth. Half seeing motion behind her, she turned her head.

Hawkins was struggling with his own restraint. Just to his left, she could see the rent in the side of the shuttle…large enough a body could pass through. Large enough they'd be completely swamped by the sea in only a few seconds.

"Hawkins, help me! Sydney's out…Hawkins!"

She gaped in stunned horror as the man released his restraint. Without even a glance in her direction, he forced his way out of the tortured rent in the shuttle and into the sea.

Her gut trembled with fury. She'd never liked the man…he was a slick-ass little weasel if she'd ever seen one…but she would never have expected him to abandon them!

The water was now to her chest, rising far too swiftly. With a growl of rage she ducked down again, head disappearing under water as she strained once more for her boot-knife. Finally feeling the smooth handle under her fingers she hauled it out, lifting her head with a gasp. The sea was to her chin now. Glancing over she saw Sydney's head was all but submerged, the blonde leaning limp in her restraints.

Slashing through the belts holding her in place, Shepard quickly grabbed the woman's chin, forcing her mouth and nose above water again. Making short work of the pilot's harness she braced herself, hauling the woman free.

"Hang on," she gasped, taking a deep breath, just as the shuttle finally swamped.

The frigid waters of the Atlantic seemed to instantly leach all vitality from her limbs, setting an aching, frozen fire through her bones. Arm hooked around Rasler's chest, she struggled to haul her through the rent in the sinking shuttle, ignoring the bent and ruined metal as it tore at her arms and clothes. Finally breaking through, she kicked desperately for the surface, each stroke only wakening a dull throb through her busted leg.

The shimmering of sunlight seemed an impossible distance above. Already her lungs were burning, her leg on fire though the rest of her felt frozen solid. Numb was seeping into her mind, the unconscious blonde a dead-weight that seemed only to be dragging her deeper.

Let her go. Save yourself. There's nothing you can do for her. You hold on, you both die.

The moment the thought passed through her mind, she hated herself for it. In almost defiance, she gripped the blonde even harder, renewing her efforts. No. No, she was not going to die here. Rasler was not going to die here.

You hear that, you fucking pain in the ass? You are going to live! You need to feel every bit of the ass-kicking I intend to give you before graduation, you goddamn stubborn bitch!

Air broke over her in a rush as she crested the surface, frantically gulping for oxygen. It came in a burning rush that was delicious to feel, only to be replaced by water again as she sagged below the surface. Feeling the cold flood down her mouth and nose she clawed upward, thrusting her face back into the air, coughing and gasping frantically.

Rolling onto her back, she hauled Sydney's head above water as well, keeping one arm wrapped under her arms and around her chest. For a moment, all Shepard could do was float there, coughing and sucking in lungfuls of sweet, gritty, polluted air.

She couldn't, however, revel in life and exhaustion too long. The water was far too cold and they'd both die of hypothermia if they remained. Craning her head a little, she spotted the shore a mile off, and set her jaw.

By the time the pair neared shore, Shepard was not sure if her limbs were even moving. The tide had conspired to push her back a stroke for every two she managed, and the cold had done the rest. Even her broken leg had disappeared into unending numb.

Her fingers barely worked as she tried digging them into the sand, using the last of her reserves to haul herself and her friend as far out of the water as she was able.

Collapsing on the shore, her head swam with dizzy exhaustion, and for a long moment she could only lay there, breathing, trying to focus on the fact that she was still alive. Then she shifted, ignoring faintly burning muscles as she leaned over her friend.

Rasler had a nasty cut on her head, splitting one brow. The salt water had washed it clean but it was deep…Del was pretty sure she could see bone. The blonde's lips were blue with cold but she seemed to be breathing. Taking hold of her chin, ignoring the ratcheting chatter of her teeth, Shepard gave her head a ginger shake. "Sydney…"

No response. Patting her cheek firmly she tried gain. "Sydney…c'mon, wake up."

Nothing.

Lifting her head, looking along the cliff-side, she could hear the swooping approach of engines…search and rescue, most likely. Looking back at the blonde she slapped her firmly.

"Rasler!"

Sydney's eyes finally opened, peering at Del through a haze of bleary confusion. Shepard gave her a weak smile. "Hey," she said with relief. "It's a g-g-g-ood thing I like you, R-R-Rasler, or I may have let-t-t-t your sorry ass d-d-drown."

Sydney managed a faint smile, her own body wracked with shivers as it warmed up just enough to actually react to the cold. "…knew I c-c-c-could c-c-c-count on y-y-y-you," she murmured through violently chattering teeth.

Coughing faintly, her lungs feeling all but abraded with the salt water she'd inhaled, Shepard leaned over and feebly hugged the other woman, the sound of engines getting slowly louder. Resting her cheek against Sydney's she murmured, "Only alw-w-w-ways, you b-b-b-bitch. Only alw-w-w-ways…"

Present day, Collector Station:

"Don't," Sydney warned, her second pistol in her hand in a flash and aimed at Liara, as the asari tensed and began to move forward, intending to get to her feet. Both Shepard's jaw and grip on her pistol tightened, even as the asari froze.

"Syd, knock it off," Shepard growled. "Think about what you're doing…you don't want to do this."

Behind the blonde in the corridor, Grunt reappeared. Drawn by the gunshots, the young krogan had his shotgun aimed squarely for Sydney's back. The memory, however, of taking a risky shot and nearly putting a bullet in Del's head stayed his hand.

"Shepard?" he growled.

"Don't," Shepard barked. "Don't do anything, Grunt. Sydney, lower your weapons! Put your goddamn guns down, Syd-"

ELIMINATE SHEPARD. IF SHE WILL NOT JOIN US SHE WILL DIE.

Harbinger's voice pierced the heads of both human women as the dying drone in the corner lifted its dim eyes.

"Don't fucking listen to him!" Del ordered. "You're stronger than this and a goddamn fine soldier! Put your weapons down!"

Sydney's muscles were corded, her teeth bare as she glared at Shepard. The wounded marine could see, however, the faint trembling of the muzzle aimed at her, and the fact the blonde hadn't immediately pulled the trigger upon order gave her hope.

"Put them down," she ordered again.

"This is the way it has to be," Sydney spat. "You don't understand, Del…this is the way it has to be! You had your chance and…you'll ruin everything-"

ELIMINATE SHEPARD.

Sydney took half a step forward, and for a moment her finger actually tightened on the trigger before it loosened slightly again. Shepard's own finger tensed, her pistol still aimed at Syd's head in mirror of the blonde.

"Sydney, please…put it down," Deirdre urged softly. "Shepard is your friend. You do not want to hurt her, or Liara. Please, love…"

Shepard saw Sydney waver a bit more.

ELIMINATE SHEPARD.

"Shut…the fuck…up!" Sydney grit weakly through her teeth, even as her finger tensed again.

ELIMINATE…SHEPARD. THIS…IS YOUR PATH.

"No!"

One pistol wavered a bit and lowered…the one aimed at Liara. Deirdre had pushed herself to her feet.

ELIMINATE…

Was it just her, or did Harbinger sound like he was getting weaker? It was clearly dying. Maybe if she could distract her friend long enough, when it finally succumbed Syd could break free.

Taking a chance, Shepard carefully managed to get to her feet. Thanks to the painkillers her suit had pumped her with, the wound was nothing more than the vague presence of pain. She felt momentarily dizzy, but nothing too bad.

As she rose, Sydney tensed again, her slightly sagging aim snapping back upward to focus on Shepard's head.

"No-" Liara gasped, one hand lifting slightly as if she meant to reach out and snag the gun before it could fire.

"Syd, listen to me," Shepard said firmly, her aim still firmly fixed as well. Inside, she was praying fervently that she would not have to kill her own best friend. "Harbinger is a liar. He wants to kill everyone, destroy everything. Not just me, and Liara…he wants to kill Deirdre too! I know you care about her! Don't make her watch you do this. Don't make her watch me have to take you out, Syd! Think this through! Push his voice out of your head!"

"I c-…I can't…"

Shepard moved closer, her wounded leg wavering slightly as she put her weight on it, the torn muscle unable to work properly, to support her fully. Sydney tensed again, visibly struggling against her conflicting urges to both eliminate and save her friend. Shepard's determination had firmed to granite in her eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me? How many times did I think I couldn't do something and you were right there to smack me in the head? Well this is me smacking you in the head for once, Rasler! Now goddamn fight this!"

"Del…st-step back," Sydney warned. "I d-don't want to shoot you, I can't…"

"Don't make me kill you, Sydney," Shepard murmured in a low, taut voice, her eyes steel. "Please…put the goddamn gun down."

"D-Del... I... can't..."

A wave of blue buffeted against the pistol that was wavering around a point between Shepard's eyes, as Deirdre desperately gathered the last dregs of her biotics. The blow was incredibly weak, but it was enough to knock Sydney's aim off to the side. Not giving the other woman even a second to recover, Shepard's left fist suddenly darted out and landed a very solid jab right on the point of Sydney's chin.

Under normal circumstances Del would have found the accompanying crackto be extremely satisfying, however there was nothing even remotely satisfying about watching her friend's eyes roll back in her head as she started to collapse to the floor. Even as the blonde sagged, Grunt was there, throwing an arm around her.

"I got her." Lowering the unconscious woman to the floor he looked up at Shepard. "Nice hit, she's out cold. I'll keep an eye on her."

With a weak nod, Shepard shipped her pistol, idly flexing her left hand and wincing as she felt the bones grating together in one of her fingers. Steeling herself, she grasped the finger and gently pulled it straight, grunting softly at the sharp stab of pain. Flexing her hand again she noted the bones weren't grating anymore.

I hope Chakwas wasn't serious about that full body cast, some numb part of her thought.

She took a weak step back, nearly toppling as her wounded leg buckled abruptly. Liara caught hold of her, steadying her before leading her to sit against the wall. A glance at the drone in the corner as she did so showed it had expired, now little more than a puddle of acid.

"Shepard," Liara breathed, cupping her face a moment, her hands trembling, before she focused her attention to the wound in her thigh. Deirdre was beside the unconscious Rasler, looking pale from exhaustion, brows knit in misery.

Of course she's miserable. How would I feel if it had been Liara who had done such a thing?

She thought about how close she'd come to blowing her friend away and felt sick to her stomach…not that her alive was much better.

Indoctrination. How had Sydney become indoctrinated? All the reports that they had so far on the process…pitifully few, considering…said the same thing. Indoctrination was irreversible. The only sentient creature known to have fallen under the Reaper's sway and recovered from it was Shiala, the asari they had encountered on Feros…and the only reason anyone could tell for how she had managed to do so, was that the Thorian's own method of 'indoctrination' had somehow superseded it.

Perhaps it would have been kinder to pull the trigger.

Liara had cracked open a pack of medi-gel and was using it to pack the wound and seal it, halting the bleeding. "This is bad, Del," she murmured, looking up at her love with solemn, weary blue eyes. Shepard knew that Li didn't mean just the wound.

"Doesn't matter. There's a job that still needs doing," she replied wearily. The moment Liara finished sealing the wound she was pushing herself up again, the asari doing her best to steady her until she found her feet.

"How is she?" Del asked softly, looking over toward Deirdre and Grunt. The former had placed bind-cuffs on the human woman's wrists, restraining her in case she woke and did something stupid.

"She is still unconscious, but her breathing is strong," Deirdre told her. "I...how could she…"

"We'll figure it out later. For right now we have to get her someplace secure," Del replied. "Grunt. I need you to get Syd and Deirdre back to the Normandy. Li and I will go on ahead and rendezvous with the others."

"Battle master?" he asked, looking irritated as he straightened. Like the krogan boy he was, he viewed being sent back as a sign that Shepard didn't think he was suited for this battle. Shepard limped over and gripped his arm.

"Grunt, Deirdre is utterly exhausted. This is no small task I ask of you. You will have to find a way around the swarms. You will have to protect them both against whatever the Collectors may throw at you. I don't know if even Urdnot Wrex could manage to do this."

Gripping the edge of one of his head plates, she tugged his head lightly, meeting his eyes. "Grunt, she is my krant," she told him. "I am putting the life of my krant into your hands."

He blinked at her. Being sent back was one thing. A battle master putting the lives of their krant into another's hands was the highest form of respect and trust. He nodded slowly.

"I am honored, battle master. No blood of hers shall spill while mine still flows."

She clasped his hand, nodding. "Get them back to the Normandy safe. Put her in the brig, under guard, then have Chakwas take a look at her if she's able to."

"I will."

Making sure the krogan and asari had enough clips and arms, Shepard reluctantly left them there, refastening her helmet and limping down the corridor toward the rendezvous, with Liara at her side. The moment the others had vanished around a corner, Del faltered, putting one hand on the wall as she hung her head, breath coming in ragged gasps a moment.

Sydney. Fuck…fuck…why Sydney? I could have killed my best friend. My best friend could have killed me. What will happen to her now? I don't know if we can even help her…

"Shepard…" Liara murmured in gentle understanding, her hand resting on the shoulder-pad of Shepard's hard-suit. The human woman took a deep breath, straightening with a nod.

"I'm all right," she said, renewing her grip on her resolve. "Let's get to that rendezvous and get this done."

"Whatever that giant green signature is, this tunnel leads right to it," Miranda reported. Under her helmet, the XO's hair was slicked with sweat, her cheeks reddened with exertion. Everyone was on the trembling edge of exhaustion, most wounded, and they still had a long way to go.

They were gathered in a momentary safe-zone, though it wouldn't take long for the Collectors to finish cutting their way through the huge doors behind them. In front, a small handful of those hovering platforms were docked at the edge of a yawning chasm. The chasm stretched off into the distance before curving out of sight, and was lined with those same black pipes and tubes that had been connected to the pods.

"Shepard, I have not yet identified what the signature is, however I believe I am close to an answer," EDI supplied from Garrus's omni-tool. "This station's main core drive is in the same location. An explosion in the control panel of the core would create a shockwave strong enough to over-stabilize the core, and bring down the entire station. I suggest a timer of at least ten minutes to allow for return time and a safe departure of the Normandy."

"Understood," Del said. "Did the crew return?"

"Yes, Tali'Zorah and Zaeed Massani have returned with the others. They seem to be recovering and have started assisting Joker and I with repairs. Dr. Chakwas is tending to Tali's wound right now."

"Be advised, Grunt will be back shortly with Deirdre and Sydney. He'll inform you of anything you need to know when they arrive. Once they're on board and the Normandy is able to attain lift I want you to move to a closer LZ. I want the shortest run possible between this final chamber and our airlock, dong ma?"

"Understood, Shepard."

"All right, Liara, Miranda, you two are with me. We're going to take a platform into the central chamber and blow this place to hell. The rest of you need to hold this position. Garrus, you'll be in charge. They'll get through that door soon but you need to keep them from following us. I'll signal you when the detonator is set, and that is your cue to get the fuck out, am I understood?"

"Yes ma'am. Dig in firm then run like hell."

She gave him a tired smile, then clapped him on the arm. "You're a good man, Garrus. All right, listen up, the rest of you! I know you're tired, I know that what…what we saw is horrific, and disheartening. Just remember, we were able to save lives, and now we are going to stop the Collectors from taking anyone else. No one thought we could make it this far, but look at what we've done! I'm proud of each and every one of you. Dig in, stay strong. Let's get this finished and go home."

Though she had recovered somewhat, Liara was…as the rest of them…exhausted. She felt decades had passed since they were on the Broker ship, simply enjoying life. Now, they were in a hell that seemed never-ending.

As the platform lifted off, she could not help a glance back at those gathered by the doors, already finding cover and preparing to dig in and defend at all costs. Garrus she had known the longest, of course, but all had become friends to some degree, and she wondered if she would live to see them again.

Turning to look at Shepard, she was not surprised to see Del had not looked back herself. Necessity or not, the woman had to feel like she was abandoning them.

Stepping over, she reached out and took Shepard's gloved hand, threading her fingers tightly into those of her love. When Del looked at her, Liara said nothing, but the expression in her eyes said it all.

Live, or die, they were going to do so together…and Liara would have no regrets.

Looking away from Del she let her eyes scan upward, following the strange tubes and pipes. Though no asari had been taken thus-far, one did not have to be human to feel the horror at what they had witnessed. She knew it was tearing Shepard apart, that she was imagining poor Nan…and then, what had happened with Sydney-

Sydney. Goddess, how did she become indoctrinated? Had she not managed to fight it, had she squeezed that trigger one more time…or planted her first shot a bit further north-

Liara squeezed Shepard's hand a bit more tightly, before she forced herself to release it. No. It would be too easy to get caught up in fears, both of what had happened and what could still happen. She had to keep her focus, they all did, if they were to get back home again alive.

Minds on recreation, she thought with weary amusement, recalling one of her many idiom faux pas she had so naively repeated. 'Keep your head in the game' was the proper saying, but like a fool Liara had bungled it the first time. Though, the adoring, amused smile Shepard had given her at the time had more than been worth the embarrassment.

Weariness drew her head downward a little, and she closed her eyes briefly. Goddess, it would be so simple to just fall asleep for a moment or two, right here on her feet. She couldn't recall being so-

"Oh my God!"

Liara's eyes snapped open at Miranda's words, the Australian's gasp holding more shock and horror than Liara had ever heard from an organic, of any race. She heard Del's simultaneous intake of breath in the same instance.

They had just passed into the central chamber. The asari's wide, sky-blue eyes filled first with confusion, then disbelief, and then the same horror her two companions had felt. Her lips fell apart and she felt her air had been stolen momentarily from her lungs. When it finally did return, she could only breathe a single syllable, the sound an almost non-existent groan, a portrayal of emotion that words would never be able to describe.

"Oh…"

The room was enormous, the far walls almost foggy with distance. The cavernous roof was lousy with those tubes and pipes. They snaked their way along the ceiling in thick tangles before draping their way downward. Caught in their grip like a marionette in a nest of strings…was a grotesque, half-formed Reaper.

"EDI…" Shepard's voice sounded low, half-choked.

"Shepard, I think I have finally deduced what the alien signature is," EDI offered.

"No need, EDI," Shepard whispered. "We're looking at it right now. It's… it's a fucking Reaper. A fucking human Reaper."

"This…this is an abomination," Miranda said, as if the other two were unaware of that fact. "This is what they did with all our colonists? They're using our genetic material to make…to make another one of them?"

"The Reapers are not pure synthetics. They are a mix of synthetic and biological components," EDI stated. "Perhaps the harvesting is a means to perpetuate, the Reaper's version of reproduction. It is clear however that this Reaper is in the early stages of development. Hundreds of thousands of humans have been processed so far…significantly more will be necessary to complete it."

"Well, they're not going to get a chance to complete it," Shepard growled. "We're going to fuck up the nursery. EDI, we're docking at the central platform in less than thirty seconds. We'll set the detonation as soon as we can access the core."

"Understood, Shepard. The Normandy is moving to the new landing zone now. I am transferring you the most efficient path of escape once the explosives are set. It should take less than two minutes for you to reach our location from yours, so long as you move at your maximum velocity."

"Believe me, we'll be busting ass. All right, docking now. Stand by."

The platform slid into its base at the huge control station at the center of the room. The abomination hung above them, a tattered and tortured golem that nevertheless seemed to pulse with waves of life. Shepard could feel them crawling along her arms, raising the fine hair, singing through her head like a note played just outside the realm of hearing. Given Miranda's nauseous look, she felt it too. Liara simply looked pale.

"Let's get this charge set," Shepard said grimly, already heading for the consoles. Her limp was a bit more pronounced, proof that the suit pain-killers were starting to wear off.

Ten minutes on the detonator, but only two needed to get us from here to there. Even with a bum leg, even if we end up having to shoot the whole way, I can still make it in under time. Even if I can't, that's not the point. This fucking thing is going down if I have to go down with it.

As she neared the console, however, the unexpected happened. Blue light suddenly flashed from above, a nails-on-chalkboard groan sang out and ripped like a saw down her spine as the mammoth head dangling above suddenly lifted.

The Reaper had woken.

Glass shattered, raining shards of debris the size of living room windows down on the trio. Shepard leapt frantically to one side, narrowly missing a jagged chunk large enough and moving fast enough to cut her in half. It erupted against the floor with the boom of an artillery strike.

Rolling, she saw that Miranda had caught several pieces with her weakened biotics, her face streaming with sweat as she sent them flying back at the creature. One wedge landed in one of the Reaper's luminescent eyes and it broke as well, weeping glowing ice and misery down its metal face.

Listing at a drastic angle now, the beast swiped a huge hand toward the platform. Miranda barely dropped flat in time to avoid it, but Liara…staggering to her feet, was hit a glancing blow across the shoulders. Glancing…but hard enough to send her feet from the ground and leaving her to careen toward the edge of the island.

Shepard felt the muscle in her leg tear as she made a frantic dive for the sliding asari. The Reaper's groping hand slammed down into the platform, breaking it free and tilting it drastically. Liara's slide increased as did Shepard's, both tumbling toward an edge that was only slowly righting itself.

Her eyes met wide, frightened blue ones a breath before her hand closed on Liara's…and Liara sailed over the edge. The chin of Shepard's helmet cracked into the metal floor hard enough to make her see stars, as the flailing Reaper hit the platform again, tilting it the other way, sending their edge now sailing upward. Still holding Liara's hand the asari was suddenly flung above her. Shepard twisted in an effort to hurl her to safety and then they were tumbling again, careening the other direction.

Where Miranda was, Del had no idea.

She skidded back up onto the main island as the platform once more tipped the other direction, breaking away to spin into the Reaper itself. Shepard's back and hips crashed into the side of the console bank, and for a moment she could only lay, struggling to breathe. A half-second pause was all she allowed herself and, pain aching through her, she managed to force herself to her feet.

"Li…"

The dazed asari, battered and woozy, was struggling up nearby as well. Hearing a horrific wail Shepard whipped around, rifle aimed, only to see the final arm of the Reaper go tumbling into the abyss. The rogue platform it had torn free had, in turn, ripped loose its remaining supports when it collided with it.

Gasping, heaving, not sure if her lungs would ever suit her again, Shepard looked quickly for her missing comrade.

"Miranda!"

"Here…" came a pained voice, heavy coughs. The Australian pushed herself up from under some debris, staggering to her feet. The waist of her hard-suit was torn, flashes of crimson showing she'd been wounded.

"How bad?" Shepard demanded.

"Just a scratch, nothing to worry about," she panted, gritting her teeth. "Let's get that detonator set and get out of here while we have the chance."

Shepard gripped Liara's arm momentarily, her entire body aching miserably as she limped toward the console. "Send the signal," she told her. "Get the others back to the Normandy."

As Liara activated her omni-tool to send the retreat to Garrus, Shepard reached the console and began to access it. The detonator…two timed grenades…would have to be implanted directly into the mechanism to insure the explosion reached the core.

As she began to set the first grenade timer, ignoring the way her head was spinning, a faint chime sounded. Miranda's startled voice spoke up a moment later. "Shepard…the Illusive Man is contacting us."

Fucker must have been tuning in to the ship's monitoring systems. EDI would have picked up on the retreat signal given to Garrus's team, and he would have picked up on it at almost the same moment.

Miranda activated the call and the image of the Illusive Man appeared, projected directly in front of her.

"Good work, Shepard," he said. "I knew that you could do it."

Good lord, is it possible for a man to sound any more goddamned pleased with himself?

"Not done yet. I'm setting the charges to blow this fucking place now," she growled. Finishing the timer on the first grenade, she set it aside and began on the second, not even bothering to look at the bastard.

"That won't be necessary."

Every muscle in Shepard's body seemed to cord at once, turning into stone. Her motions halted and her glare…slow, dangerous, almost manic…fixed to him.

"Not necessary?" she asked with dangerous calm.

"The Collectors are defeated. The station is ours now. We can take over, use its technology against the Reapers, further the cause of humanity."

"You cannot be serious-" Liara gaped as Shepard rose to her feet, bracing herself momentarily on the console as her leg threatened to buckle.

"I know you've been monitoring our comms since we got here," Shepard snarled. "You know what happened here! Hundreds of thousands of humans were murdered here for an abomination of a nightmare, and you want to save it?"

"Think of what we could learn! If you destroy the station, their sacrifices would have been in vain. Think of how far mankind advanced with what traces of Prothean technology we found. Think of how far we could go with the treasure trove this station offers us-"

"No," Shepard replied sternly. "No. Too many died here, and I will die myself before I see this place anywhere near your filthy hands."

"Shepard, you must reconsider-"

Turning her back on the holograph, she weakly got back down to one knee, continuing to work on the second grenade. With a glare, the Illusive Man turned.

"Miranda, don't let Shepard blow this station! It is far too valuable. Stop her!"

"Stop her?" Miranda blinked. "Shepard was right…about you, about what you've done and what you're willing to do. I can't…I can't be a part of this anymore. What the Collectors did to those people, nearly did to my friends…no. No, this place needs to be destroyed."

"Miranda!"

"Consider this my resignation," the Australian told him. As she reached for her tool to cut off communication, the image suddenly whirled.

"Shepard, Nan is alive."

The words stopped all three women cold. Del felt her heart stop, then resume with a low drum that sounded miles away. She looked at him, and his frantic expression cooled a bit.

"She's alive," he repeated calmly. "She wasn't taken at Freedom's Progress. I…arranged…for safe transport and housing for her. She is perfectly comfortable and safe."

Pointing at the console with his cigarette, his synthetic eyes went to ice.

"If you blow this station, Shepard…I will have no choice but to eliminate Nancy Salgado."