Aftermath

Three minutes after Shepard stopped breathing, they touched down on the Nos Astra Emergency Trauma Center's incoming patients landing dock. Liara had apparently alerted the hospital's response teams from the Shadow Broker's base; there was already a small group of white-suited nurses with a gurney at the ready. Miranda set the shuttle down none too gently. The undercarriage screeched angrily against the landing pad. "Hurry!" she called as she hit the pressure release for the side door, then fumbled to unclip herself from the pilot's harness.

Garrus didn't waste any time in carrying Shepard through the door, jostling her as little as possible. He was no expert on human biology, but he knew that the longer her brain went without oxygen, the more damage would be done, and the more difficult it would be to resuscitate her. Mordin claimed she still had the faintest of pulses, but Garrus thought fleetingly that maybe if it was better if her heart stopped beating. If it stopped pumping what little blood she had left out of her body.

"Set her here," one of the medical staff, a level-headed asari, instructed Garrus. He did as he was told, relinquishing his grip on her almost reluctantly. He set her hand, which Garrus hadn't realized was still clutching his own, across her stomach, as if in protection. I love you too, Shepard. As soon as she was on, the response team wheeled her through the sterling silver and red sliding doors, expertly attaching her to a slew of machines and pricking her with an assortment of needles as they went.

"Have the crash cart waiting in Bay Four."

"Hook her up to the transfusion bag, human type O. Before she gets into surgery!"

Garrus shuddered, exhaling. Her fate was now out of his hands. If it was even possible at that point for her to pull through, the doctors in the trauma center would make it happen.

"We received word you had other wounded on board," the asari said, addressing Garrus. He hadn't realized she was still there. A handful of nurses emerged from the same doors Shepard had gone through, giving the midnight black shuttle wary glances. He supposed that, to them, it appeared as if they'd just flown in from a war zone. And as far as Garrus was concerned, they had.

"Two more. Inside," Garrus said, jerking his chin back towards the open shuttle door. The asari nodded, calmly waving the medical staff forward to take care of whatever waited within the small spacecraft that had nearly crashed on their docking port. While Kasumi and Jacob were also being loaded onto gurneys, the asari instructed her team, "Tell them to prep the dextro compounds." She looked at Garrus. "I'm surprised you're even on your feet. I'm guessing your hard suit is hooked up to some military-grade medi-gel applicators. Still, we better inject you with some plasma before your system is riddled with infection. And remove the tiny metal projectiles that have punctured half a dozen holes in the top few layers of muscle."

Garrus hesitated. What he really wanted to do was go wait outside Shepard's operating room. The only way he'd be able to rest was by confirming that she was still alive. If her surgery went south... he wanted to be there.

But Miranda had other ideas. She'd read the turian's mind without too much difficulty, and her plan was much more practical. "Go, Garrus. I'll let Liara know we made it. Kaidan will go with you to get that scratch cleaned up." She put a hand on his shoulder and reassured him, "The commander's not going anywhere."

"She's right," the doctor said, hands slung casually in the pockets of her pristine white coat. "With the damage she's suffered, your friend will be in surgery for close to eight hours. I can stick you in the room next door if you want." Kaidan and Garrus shared a look, then nodded. They'd waited for over three days to see their commander again. Twelve more hours in surgery wasn't going to kill them. Shepard's going to make it. She has to. And when she does, I'll be there for her.

Miranda kept her call with Liara brief. They were at a public comm terminal, and there wasn't too much to say between the two of them that they could risk being overheard. As the new Shadow Broker, Liara had cleared the Normandy to dock with the headquarters, which allowed the remnants of the team to get out safely. Dr. Chakwas would see to any injured teammates, but just in case, the Normandy was going to return to Nos Astra and get them to the hospital as well.

"When she's out of surgery, let me know. I'd rather be there myself, but with operations here in the state they're in..."

"I understand. Do what you have to, Dr. T'Soni."

"Thank you, Miranda. Oh, and Feron sends his regards."

"Feron," Miranda repeated. She knew of the drell's involvement in getting Commander Shepard's remains to Cerberus. As well as the cost of his betrayal of the Shadow Broker. Cerberus had officially declared Feron killed in action, but apparently, the yahg had kept him alive. Perhaps as an example to the other agents. Or maybe it was possible that he knew Feron might be useful in drawing Liara back into a revenge vendetta, which he would use as an opportunity to kill her. Cunning bastard. Miranda imagined his excitement when Feron played a role in his whole Shepard scheme. She wondered exactly what that role was. "I'm relieved to hear that he's still around. Does he know anything about what happened?"

The other side of the comm was silent for a moment. Since there was only audio, Miranda wasn't sure what to make of the pause. Liara was probably just being careful about her word choice. "His cell was next to hers during the entire... process. He thinks they were planning to have her kill him to prove her loyalty."

"Our timing was a lot better than we could've imagined."

"Precisely."

Miranda tossed her hair over her shoulder, then glanced sideways. The soft, almost glowing white halls of the hospital were empty. She leaned against the console, staring hard at the bright orange audio frequency line as if were going to unravel and spell out the answers she sought. "Why did the Broker do all this? Surely he kept some records. Agendas, itineraries... something that tells us what they wanted to use Shepard for."

"I haven't had time to go through much of anything yet. There's so much here. But I'll let you know if something comes up."

"Got it. Forward anything you find to my private terminal on the Normandy."

"Will do. Please keep me posted on the commander's condition."

"Of course." Then, "I appreciate everything you've done, Liara."

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself, Miranda."

"The same to you."

The link with the ship on Hagalaz closed. Light years away from the Nos Astra Emergency Trauma Center, Liara T'Soni, the new Shadow Broker, had a hand pressed to her forehead. Once she'd gotten the station operational and seen to Feron, the first thing she did was check the files on Shepard. The yahg had recorded everything that happened to her within the confines of the prison walls. She'd barely scratched the surface, but what she had seen was the stuff nightmares were made of. "And for what? Goddess," Liara breathed. Her hand hovered over the delete command on the information terminal. If only it were as easy to erase the memories from Shepard's mind.

Miranda leaned back from the console, then rested her shoulder on the wall to which it was attached. Oriana was safe. Shepard was under the knife. Dr. T'Soni was the new Shadow Broker. A lot had happened in the past forty or so hours, and she felt ready to drop from exhaustion. On top of that, her biotic implant was giving her an insufferable migraine. She pressed her fingers into her temples.

"Excuse me, miss?" The asari that had greeted them at the landing pad was approaching, data pad in hand. "There are some questions I have to ask. About the woman you brought in."

Miranda turned to face her, flicking a few stray strands of hair off her forehead. "I'm her emergency contact. I can answer them."

"We need to file a police report. Her physical description is similar to that of victims of an alleged serial kidnapper in the downtown districts. She's vital to the investigation."

"A police report won't be necessary, Doctor," Miranda asserted. "We just need you to heal her."

"That's not how this works," the asari doctor said, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms over her chest. "By admitting her for treatment, you agree to disclose any information the hospital and on-duty staff may require." Stifling a snort, Miranda thought that type of legalese was the exact reason why Garrus had claimed that Illium was just as dangerous as Omega. Nothing came without fine print on the asari-dominated planet. "If you refuse to cooperate, we'll be forced to notify the city police."

Fine, Miranda wanted to say. Go ahead and call Detective Anaya in the Financial District. But Miranda decided that was too much headache. She briefly considered getting Samara on the line, whose word as a justicar would sufficiently clear them of any trouble with the police, but that would also require more energy than Miranda had to spare. So she whipped out their trump card. "That woman is Alliance Commander Shepard. She's also a Council Spectre. Any of that ring a bell?" The asari regarded her suspiciously. "She was injured in the line of duty. It's all classified."

"Line of duty, huh? There are lacerations two centimeters deep in her skin, likely caused by whipping or some kind of barbed weapon, beneath her suit." When the asari took in the dumbstruck expression on Miranda's face, she put on a more sympathetic tone. "Isn't there any information you can give me? This could help out the detectives a lot, you know. None of the other missing victims have been recovered."

There was silence for a moment before Miranda raised her chin and met the doctor's even gaze. "The kidnappers have been taken care of. All of the victims have either been returned home, or they're dead."

The doctor didn't bat an eyelash. She looked like she'd seen it all. But she did tilt her head slightly to the side and ask one final question, "How do you know all this?"

Because. Because I was there. I watched them die. I saw what they did to my sister. Miranda stopped the words from leaving her mouth. Instead, she said, "It's better that I don't tell you." She thanked the doctor for her work, then took her leave.

Kaidan was treated for minor wounds – cuts and bruises mostly, plus some mild dehydration. And though he'd adamantly protested, Garrus had been sedated while a team of teal-gloved doctors removed bullet after bullet from his torso. Kaidan made himself scarce for that bit. Besides, he was eager to get an update on the commander.

The asari doctor swooped in before Kaidan made it two steps outside the room. "Not so fast," she said, eyeing him mistrustfully. Dr. Nerin Morae was having one hell of a day. She'd worked through the night, first dealing with victims of the terrorist bombing of the Gemini Towers, then trying to accommodate the queries of Illium's police department about the kidnappings. Dr. Morae had personally skimmed all recent logs for any incoming patients processed that matched their descriptions. Her eyes were beginning to glaze over when her day got even more interesting. An untraceable call from somewhere in the Terminus Systems told her to have an emergency response team ready at the docks. Nothing else. No explanation, nothing at all. Still, Morae decided to oblige. She had half expected the call to be an annoying waste of her time, but lo and behold, Commander Shepard herself had shown up. Well, most of herself. The commander was a bloody mess of bone, muscle, and, as if the day hadn't been strange enough, top-of-the-line cybernetics.

Nerin figured now was as good a time as any to get some answers. Luckily for her, one of the commander's companions, a biotic human male, was ready for questioning.

"Hopefully you're more forthcoming than that other human," Dr. Morae said as she approached. Kaidan knew right off she was referring to Miranda. "Look, we're doing all that we can for Commander Shepard. But the extent of her cybernetics... well, our doctors are a little out of their depth. If we could get in contact with whoever set her up with the wetware, we'd be able to repair a lot more of the damage."

Kaidan glanced to the side, where the entrance to Shepard's operating room was. He imagined her laying on a shiny metal table, her insides splayed out for the doctors to see. Glowing orange. Avoiding her question, Kaidan retaliated with one of his own. "What kind of internal damage are we looking at?"

Dr. Morae glanced down at the data pad she always kept handy. "She's lucky. All major organs are virtually untouched. We're having some trouble restoring blood flow to optimal range, but that problem should fix itself once the transfusion takes. Our doctors are doing the best they can, but with all the synthetic parts in her, progress is slow."

Shepard. Synthetic. Was it possible that he'd been so blinded by her return that he couldn't see her for what she was? Kaidan shivered. This had Cerberus written all over it. Only they would do something as twisted as bringing a woman back from the dead by filling her with circuits. Dr. Morae said a few other things, but Kaidan didn't quite catch them. All he could think about was how little he truly knew of whoever was laying on that operating table.

"I've summoned Shepard's cybernetics experts," a voice broke into Morae's monologue. Kaidan looked up. It was Miranda. The Cerberus agent herself. "They'll be here within the hour."

Dr. Morae stiffened. "Very well. Meanwhile, we'll ensure the commander's stabilized."

"That would be best."

After a moment, it was just Kaidan and Miranda standing there. He almost couldn't bring himself to look at her, not after realizing what she'd done to bring Shepard back. The lines she'd crossed. The morals she'd sacrificed...

Miranda read Alenko's expression easily enough. "I'm not going to bother justifying the Lazarus Project to you," she began. "This galaxy needs Shepard. She's the only one that can lead the defense against the Reapers." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And that's why we had to launch the assault on the Shadow Broker in the first place. If you can't see that, why did you bother coming?"

"Can you tell me for sure that the person in there is actually Shepard? Not some clone or puppet that the Illusive Man created. Is she the real thing?"

"As real as it gets."

Kaidan had no way of determining whether or not she was telling the truth. But, after everything that had happened, he didn't have a choice. He had to believe that the woman they'd pulled out of the Shadow Broker's lair was indeed Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, savior of the Citadel. The woman who'd stopped Saren and the geth and who was going to stop the Reapers. He had to believe that she was still the woman he cared about. He had to take a leap of faith.

Three hours later, Garrus groggily came around, fighting through the haze of sedatives that had kept him out while his wounds were treated. His first conscious thoughts were of Shepard. Though they weren't as much thoughts as they were vague, yet intense, emotions; he was simply filled with the pressing need to be at her side.

"Good to see that you're awake." Garrus recognized Miranda's voice coming from the other end of the room. She was sitting stiffly in a light blue padded chair, data pad limp in her grasp. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd decided to sleep through the whole day."

He put a hand to his torso, running his fingers over the layers of bandages that were apparently preventing his insides from leaking out. Other than the bandages, he was bare-chested. Miranda seemed unfazed by his state of semi-nakedness. "The Normandy docked two hours ago. The team's being treated for wounds accumulated during the mission. And Tali has been transferred to intensive care. They've got her on the best dextro anti-biotics. It looks like she's going to make a full recovery."

"Glad to hear it," Garrus said, shifting around as he sat up. "What about Legion?"

Miranda shrugged, unconcerned about the geth. "Still in the research lab, last time I checked."

Not like being in a hospital would do him any good. "And Shepard?"

"In the middle of surgery. Her cybernetics experts arrived. They're taking good care of her." Garrus nodded. He hadn't considered the fact that she needed specialized doctors to deal with her cybernetic parts. Of course, Miranda would make sure that everything went smoothly.

"What about Oriana?" The Shadow Broker had used Miranda's little sister as a pawn in his game, too. Hopefully her fate was better than that of the other hostages. Hostages like Laurel Tracit.

Her full lips lifted in a small smile. "She's on the mend. We Lawsons are made from hardy stock."

"Isn't that the truth," Garrus said, recalling Miranda's piloting skills. If he hadn't been so wrapped up in Shepard, he would have been holding on for dear life.

"I brought your spare armor set from the Normandy. Thought you might like something to wear once you finally woke up." Miranda gestured to a neat pile of armored plating stacked on the next bed over, along with a crisply folded body suit weave. It was the dark blue and black armor, highlighted with conspicuous stripes of Cerberus orange. He was grateful she'd thought to bring it. "Meet me outside when you're ready."

"Thanks." Once he had the room to himself, Garrus kicked the thin hospital sheet off his legs, then swung them over the edge of the bed. He propped his elbows up on his knees, cradling his head in his hands. Spirits. It's over. It's finally over. Now we can begin to pick up the pieces of this awful mess.

A handful of the crew was gathered in the lobby next to Garrus and Shepard's rooms. Miranda, Samara, Mordin, Thane, and Kaidan were settled in various armchairs and sofas around the lobby. Nurses nearby gave them wary looks. Power armor and top-level weaponry tended to set people on edge, it seemed. But that didn't stop him from making his way over to them.

"It's a relief to see you all in one piece," Garrus said by way of greeting.

A thin smile spread across Samara's lips as she rose. "That is due in no small part to you, Garrus." The others murmured their assent. Back at the Shadow Broker's headquarters, they'd come far too close to falling apart completely. It was a combination of his leadership, the sacrifices of their teammates and many innocent lives, and the determination of the team as a whole to see their mission through that enabled them to beat the Broker at his own game. Shepard's team had, once again, accomplished the impossible.

"We couldn't have done it without any one of the team," Garrus said. His throat went tight. The others could plainly see that he was thinking of Daryn. Victory always comes with a price.

They spent some time catching up; the most recent news about the rest of the crew, as well as what they media was making of all the activity in the downtown districts. Apparently, the explosion of the warehouse, previously the Shadow Broker's base in Nos Astra, had been linked to that of the Gemini Towers. The vids just attributed the destruction to an "unknown black-ops terrorist group." Miranda discreetly informed Garrus that Liara had the feeds scrubbed of any evidence of their involvement. He was impressed that she'd been able to take care of it so quickly. And somewhat unsettled.

After half an hour or so had passed, Miranda glanced over her shoulder before beckoning to Garrus. "Walk with me a moment." The others were preoccupied with a broadcast about the extent of the devastation caused by the heavy ordinance on the Gemini Towers. Gingerly, Garrus got to his feet and followed Miranda out of the intensive care wing lobby and into the hallway, next to Shepard's room. "Dr. Morae passed along some bad news about Shepard."

Garrus felt his blood go cold. He tended to expect the worst of any situation, to lessen the chances of disappointment, but when it came to Shepard, he didn't allow himself to consider the possibility that she wasn't going to make a full recovery. That maybe she'd already spoken her last words, inhaled her last breath...

"The Illium doctors and the Cerberus cybernetics specialists have done everything they can. Synthetic regenerative tissue transplants, some reinforced skeletal splints, fracture seals. The works. But it's not her body that's the problem."

"What are you saying, Lawson?"

"In response to all the psychological and emotional trauma, her mind shut itself down. The neuro-cranial scans indicate that she's gone into a coma."

Garrus went numb. Coma. The word was foreign to him, but he understood enough. Shepard wasn't dead. But she wasn't alive, either. She was trapped in some in-between place. For the first time during the past four days, Garrus realized that she was beyond him saving her. He couldn't storm a space station and shoot a bunch of Broker agents to find her. He couldn't hit her in the back of the head with a concussive round to make her remember who she was, and who her friends were. True love's kiss wasn't going to magically awaken the princess from her cursed sleep. "Is it permanent?" His voice sounded detached and alien to his own ears.

"It's hard to tell at this point." His mouth went dry. "She could wake up in a day. Or in a year. And if she does, she could be different."

"Different how?" Would she still be Shepard?

"Cases like this often result in amnesia, severe stress-induced psychological disorders, or anything from paranoia to depression, or schizophrenia. Worst case scenario, she might lose basic motor functions." Miranda's gaze dropped to the floor, her teeth catching her lip momentarily. The woman she'd so painstakingly recreated through the Lazarus Project could be gone for good. What if Commander Shepard as they knew her only continued to exist in their memory? "But until she wakes up, there's no way of knowing."

"If she wakes up."

Miranda rang her hands, long fingers twisting and knotting around each other. "Yes."

Garrus blinked. They were silent for a full minute. Waiting to see if the circumstances might change, if some shred of hope might drop into their laps as it had already done on more than one occasion during the mission. But there was nothing.

"So, we'll wait for her," Garrus said plainly, like it wasn't up for discussion. The way he saw it, they only had one choice. There was no moving forward without Shepard. They'd wait and see what kind of condition she was in when she came out of her coma. Then, if she was well enough, she'd resume command. There. That's a good plan. Just stick to the plan and everything will be fine.

Miranda shifted her weight. "There's one more thing: the Illusive Man contacted me several hours ago for a mission report. The Normandy is needed back in action." For the first time during the conversation, Garrus met her gaze. Her brow furrowed for a moment before her blue eyes darted away. "He wants me to be captain, and you to be commander. Our first officer would be a spec-ops Cerberus operative by the name of Kai Leng." That's not going to happen, Garrus wanted to say. He didn't know who this Kai Leng was, which was exactly why he could not let the Illusive Man's plan come to fruition. Miranda continued on. "The rest of the crew is free to leave, if the terms of their agreement are not being met by Shepard's... absence. Those who wish to stay will be welcome to do so."

Another heavy silence. Miranda could barely stand it. She wished he would just say something instead of standing there quietly, weighing the options. After a second, he put her out of her misery. "Tell the crew that they have a ten-day shore leave to recover."

Miranda balked. "You're taking the Illusive Man's suggestion?" She had to force herself not to stammer.

"No." Garrus shook his head once. "We're giving Shepard time to come around."

A single eyebrow raised. "The chances that she'll wake up within that period of time are -"

"Slim, I know." She's beat impossible odds before. "But the Normandy will not resume standard operations unless Shepard is at the helm," he replied.

"I understand," Miranda said. Her spine straightened.

Garrus turned to look at her in surprise. "You do?"

She nodded. After reaching back to rub her neck, she laughed, a note of sadness tainting the sound. "As silly as it sounds, that ship is part of her identity. We couldn't accomplish the same things she could. And I'd imagine she'd be pretty angry when she woke up." Garrus gave a soft chuckle. Maybe Miranda knew more about Shepard than Garrus gave her credit for. But the joking demeanor quickly faded. "That still leaves the issue of what to tell the Illusive Man."

"Explain to him that the ship's not going anywhere without Shepard on it."

Miranda bristled. "It's not that simple. Look, I'll tell him that we're taking ten days to recuperate. After that, I can't make any promises."

It dawned on Garrus that Miranda was alluding to the very real possibility that after ten days, the Illusive Man might not give them a choice about whether or not they wanted to leave the ship docked on Illium. It would be well within his power to seize it by force, then hand it over to Kai Leng or whoever else he wanted as the new commander.

Please, Shepard. You have to wake up. Your crew needs you. I need you. "Okay. Notify him when you're ready. I'll let the crew know we'll be planetside for a while."

Miranda bobbed her head. She was about to turn on her heel and march away, but as an afterthought, she paused and put her hand on the turian's shoulder. "There's nothing else we can do, Garrus. Let this thing run its course."

Garrus gave her a sideways look. "That supposed to comfort me, Lawson?"

"Maybe. Whatever happens, know that we did all we could." The hand slipped away, and the Cerberus operative's high-heeled shoes clacked down the hallway until she was gone.

Only when she was out of earshot did Garrus allow himself to release the sigh he'd been holding. "I just hope it was enough."