Miranda

The commander was close to being whole again. His internal organs were operating proficiently. All cybernetic implants were running efficiently and showed no signs of rejection. His bones were mended, his muscles strengthened. Even during the disturbing yet brief time he reawakened, his consciousness seemed to be functioning. All in all, the Lazarus Project was a resounding success.

Then, why did Miranda feel uneasy?

She should be satisfied. Completing a seemingly impossible goal given directly by the Illusive Man should come with a sense of accomplishment. Yet all she felt was trepidation.

Maybe it was the aforementioned occurrence of Shepard regaining consciousness. Even though there had been many small roadblocks during their two years, that particular incident was the closest the group had come to losing their subject. What was even stranger was that Dr. Wilson's sedation estimates were correct. Miranda recalculated and retested them multiple times only to receive the same answer. So, why had the commander woken?

Miranda was in her small office, thinking over possible explanations as she did every night since it happened when she felt the first shudder. Not wasting any time to contemplate what it could be, she quickly called Jacob.

"Jacob, what's the status?"

"I'm not sure," he answered seconds later. He sounded winded, like he was hurrying somewhere. "There is a report of the mechs attacking our people and trying to destroy the station. The security control room isn't responding, and I don't know how many of the security personnel are left."

Pieces began to fall into place. She realized that this was the second and much more drastic attempt on Shepard's life, the first being what she was currently musing over. The thought of a traitor in their midst had crossed her mind in the previous month. It had seemed the most likely reason as well as the most disconcerting. Miranda never acted on the impulse for fear of provoking the turncoat. Now, it was clear the man or woman needed no provocation.

They needed to get Shepard away from this station. "Where are you now?" she asked Jacob.

"I'm on my way to the dormitories. One of my guys is there. I'm going to try to-"

She cut him off. "No. I need you to head to the medical wing."

"Miranda," he pleaded, "there are people-"

She didn't let him finish. "There is only one person on this station that is worth the risk of hacking all of the security mechs. They are after him. The rest of us don't matter."

He didn't answer. Miranda knew how hard this was for him. Jacob was a good soldier, a good marine who didn't like to leave people behind to their fate. But she knew the galaxy didn't need more good soldiers, more researchers, more scientists. It needed Commander Shepard.

"You know I'm right, Jacob."

He swore under his breath. She knew it meant he agreed with her albeit reluctantly. "I'm on my way. Just. Be careful, Miranda."

"I always am."

She terminated the connection. Jacob had always been sentimental and caring man, but their time together ended long ago. Miranda didn't need unnecessary attachments, and he was one.

She turned her attention to the problem at hand. It was tempting to head to the lab right now to secure Shepard. If all the security mechs were working against them, however, Miranda doubted she could make it there before Jacob. She was an excellent marksman and a powerful biotic, but she was no soldier. Besides, they would need the commander awake and moving if they wanted to get out of this alive.

She quickly made her way to the nearest security room. There were only a few mechs standing in her way, and they posed little threat for her biotics. She reached the empty room much faster than she thought.

Miranda started her work, typing in the commands to link with the medical lab consoles. Once connected, she stopped the sedatives keeping Shepard unconscious and added a little adrenals to stimulate his systems. She watched over the monitor as he started to stir, but he was moving too slow. She needed him to wake faster.

"Wake up, Commander!" she yelled over the PA system.

His eyes opened, but they were groggy and unfocused.

"Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now. This facility is under attack."

The station shook under both of them. Miranda stumbled away from the console. When she looked back to Shepard, he was sliding off the table, holding his ribs and grimacing in pain.

"Your scars aren't fully healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack. There's a pistol and armor in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!"

He opened the locker and expertly donned the armor they had placed there for him. Next, he grabbed the pistol and looked it over.

She was about to explain to him about the relatively recent advancements in heat displacement technology when he asked, "This pistol doesn't have a thermal clip."

His knowledge surprised her. She didn't like being surprised.

"It's a med bay," Miranda said harsher than was necessary. "We'll get you a clip from…" She noticed a fuel cell venting its contents. "Damn it! Those canisters by the door are going to blow! Get behind cover, now!"

Shepard was already half way there by the time she finished. The damaged containers blew, harmlessly sending the shrapnel over his head.

"What the hell is going on here?" the commander asked as he stood and moved to the door.

"Someone's hack security, trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip. There are a couple dead security personnel just outside the doors."

He found them and searched their bodies. "That's a little callous."

"They're dead. I doubt they care. I'm more worried about the living," she answered simply.

Shepard snorted, shook his head, but said nothing. He kept moving.

"Looks like they set up a barricade to try holding off the mechs," Miranda commented.

"Who did? There's no one here," he said as he vaulted over the makeshift cover.

"Maybe they made their way – look out!"

He lifted his pistol and destroyed the head of the mech before it even finished its startup cycle. The results of the Lazarus Project were looking promising.

"Impressive, Commander. Now, you need to get moving. We need to get you to the shuttles."

She watched as he made his way through the offices in the medical wing. He peaked in a few and tried a few of the consoles. Most were locked, but he was able to watch a few of her logs. Miranda wanted him to hurry along, but she knew better than to push him too far.

As he entered the next room, she realized that a group of mechs were approaching.

"Shepard, security mechs are closing in on your position. Take cover, and don't take any chances. Keep your head down while you take them."

Gunfire erupted in the room, but that didn't stop Shepard from yelling back, "I know how to handle myself in a firefight. I don't need you explaining everything. You want to help? Keep the path you want me to follow free and clear of enemies."

Another surprise. No one spoke to Miranda like that. She wanted to pass it off as him not knowing her, but something told her, even if they did work together, he would always speak to her just as frank.

The console had only limited connectivity to the mech network, but she did what she could to keep Shepard's route clear. It usually meant sending the security forces toward some other populated portion of the station. According to his psych profile, if the commander knew what his request forced her to do, Miranda doubted he would have made it. He was always adamant about facing staggering opposition if it meant others' safety was assured.

She wasn't so selfless. Like she told Jacob, humanity needed Shepard.

Miranda looked back at the monitor to see Shepard searching through more offices and consoles. He needed to hurry. Her restricted access to the automated security force was failing. It was as if someone was fighting her on the other side.

"Don't waste time, Commander. I can't keep them off you for much longer."

Just as she said that, a group of five mechs entered one of the camera's field of view. They were heading directly toward Shepard's position. All the commands and reroutes Miranda attempted failed.

"More reinforcements heading your way," she warned.

Shepard lifted a grenade launcher from one of the bodies and expertly lobbed one of the explosives into the group, destroying them. He took the elevator down and moved to the next room.

"You're doing great, Shepard," Miranda said. She checked on Jacob's position on the monitors and found that he was close to the commander's position. "Head to the next room. Someone will meet you there."

The man stopped and looked around him as if he couldn't understand her.

"Shepard? Do you read me?"

More confusion on his face, and Miranda noticed a group of mechs just on the other side of her door.

"I've got mechs closing in on my position. Get to Jacob. He'll show you the way to the shuttles."

She didn't know how much of the message got through. Someone must have cut off the communications at her station. She didn't have time to worry about that particular problem now though. Five mechs opened the door and shot their opening salvo.

Miranda ducked behind one of the consoles as it was peppered by bullets. They continued to fire until their clips were spent. The mechs were sufficient when the desired outcome was a large volume of gunfire, but they were woefully inadequate when tactics where required.

As they sluggishly ejected their spent thermals, Miranda fired back. One went down as a shot pierced its power core. Another had its offhand arm blown off, reducing its effectiveness but not disabling it. She finished the assault with a biotic push that forced a third mech into the wall.

Miranda felt bullets ping off her biotic barrier and was forced to crouch behind her cover again. The console was taking a beating. She didn't know how much longer she could stay behind it safely. Her eyes searched for protection someplace else but found nothing. This needed to end now.

The mechs started their second reload, and Miranda acted. One of the whole mechs glowed blue as it was lifted and thrown into the one-arm. They tangled together. Her submachine gun erupted with hot metal that pierced through another mech's head. She charged one last push and threw it at the last standing enemy. It slammed against the wall, all four limbs removed by the impact.

Miranda quickly approached the two knotted mechs that were still attempting to disentangle themselves. She shot each one in the head, ending their struggle. Then she tried to find a working console in the ravaged security room. Now it was clear someone was trying to kill Shepard and stop her from helping. She wanted to who.

She found one that was only sparking as opposed to outright demolished. Miranda searched through the camera feeds from inside the security and server rooms. They were the only areas that had access to mech controls, camera feeds, and communication channels. She eventually found the snake in Server Room B.

"Wilson," she spat.

It explained some of the questions she had and opened many more. But just as quickly as the questions formed, they were pushed away. He had threatened her project. He tried to kill Shepard. He decimated this station. She honestly didn't care about his reasons, and she wasn't about to allow him leave.

She had to beat them to the evac shuttles to protect Shepard from the traitor. It shouldn't be hard. Once Wilson realized that his plan has failed, he would most likely panic and send as many available mechs to face Shepard as possible. Her route should be fairly clear.

Miranda knew she didn't have worry about Shepard. He would find Jacob, or he would make it to the shuttles by himself if he didn't. In all the profiles and reports she had read about the commander, one reoccurring trait became evident. He always found a way out of any difficult situation. Lawson would have called it luck if she believed in such a thing.

She found that her assumption about the clear path was not completely correct. There were still a great deal of enemies in the rooms and hallways she moved through. The mechs opened fire on her as she ran past, draining her protection. More than one she was forced to hide in one of the cleared offices to regain her strength and refocus her barrier.

She eventually made it to the shuttle and was able to clear the area before anyone else arrived. The solitary waiting didn't last long. There were voices on the other side of the door that led to the loading docks. There was a possibility that it was Shepard. It was one of the available routes from his last known position.

The door slide open to reveal three men, the closest one in the middle of a sentence.

"-almost at the-"

Miranda sneered once she realized who it was.

"Miranda!" Wilson said, startled. "But you were-"

She didn't allow him to finish. Her gun was up and smoking as Wilson crumpled.

"Dead?" she said coldly.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jacob exclaimed.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all."

She looked to Shepard who had his pistol raised at her. She expected that.

"I knew he was hiding something," he said. "But you should have taken him alive, see what he knew."

Miranda shook her head. "Too risky. I put too much time and effort into bringing you back to life to let you get killed now."

"Do you really think Wilson's capable of betraying us?" Jacob asked.

She looked down at the dead man. "Not anymore."

Miranda felt Shepard's hard gaze still on her. She didn't meet his eyes, still remembering the way they bored into her a month ago. It was not an experience she wished to relive with his gun still pointed toward her.

"I recognize you," the commander finally said. "You were there when I woke up before. Your voice was the one that woke me up today. You're Miranda."

The recognition forced her to look at him. His face spoke of the vague familiarity he was feeling toward her. His pistol, while still pointed toward her, dipped ever so slightly.

She realized she never introduced herself to him since he had been conscience. Jacob must have filled in some of the holes.

"Yes, I am. Pleasure to finally speak with you in person, Commander Shepard. Now, we need to get on the shuttle and get off this station. It isn't safe here. The mechs are still active. And my boss wants to speak with you?"

His face grew furious, and his pistol was leveled back on her. His eyes danced between Miranda and Jacob, like he didn't know who would attack him first.

"You mean the Illusive Man?" Shepard said angrily. "I know you work for Cerberus."

Lawson sighed. "Ah, Jacob. I should have known your conscience would get the better of you."

"Lying to the commander isn't the way to get him to join our cause."

"I highly doubt there is a way for me to join your cause," Shepard added.

Miranda smirked. "Many doubted I could bring you back. Yet here you are. If you would kindly put down the gun and come with us. We need to leave this place."

"And if I don't?"

She shrugged. "You're welcome to stay and rot with the mechs."

Shepard didn't look convinced behind his gun. "You dedicated two years of your life to rebuilding me. You obviously think I'm worth something. I doubt you're willing to leave me behind."

He had her there. The quick comment was reassuring. His mind showed no signs of degradation or stupor.

"The fact of the matter is anyone who stays wouldn't have a chance in hell to survive," Jacob told him.

The commander's eyes darted to Jacob and regarded him suspiciously before they settled back on Miranda. "What about the rest of the people on the station? If we leave…" He trailed off.

"They will die," Miranda finished for him. "This is the evac area. If they're not here now, they're not coming. I'm surprised you are so willing to sacrifice for Cerberus personnel."

"They're people first," Shepard answered. "If I left them to their fate, I would be no better than you people. We have to go back and look."

"Don't you get it?" Miranda said harshly. Time was running short, and they couldn't waste any more of it here. "The only one worth saving is you. Everyone else is expendable. Everyone knew the risks when they signed up."

"She's right, Shepard," Jacob added. "Without you, there's no point to any of this. Don't let their sacrifice go to waste."

That rattled the commander. He finally dropped his gun. Jacob must have done his homework. He seemed to know exactly which buttons to push to get Shepard to agree with them.

"Fine," he said dejectedly. "Let's go before I change my mind."

They were well on their way to the closest Cerberus station when Miranda joined the two soldiers in the cargo compartment. The shuttle was left on autopilot for the few hours left to travel. She had more work to do, more tests to run on the resurrected Spectre before she was satisfied with her work.

"Before you meet with the Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition," she said as she sat down.

Jacob seemed to disagree. "Come on, Miranda. More tests? Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. That has to be good enough."

"It's been two years since the attack. The Illusive Man will want to know that his investments were worthwhile. Ask the questions."

"I'm not some investment or tool for Cerberus to use," Shepard said obstinately. "I'm an Alliance marine and a Citadel Spectre."

"You were," Miranda corrected. "You've been gone for two years and twelve days. You're listed as KIA in all their databases. Jacob, start with personal history."

"Fine. Records show you were a colony kid. Lost your parents when slavers hit Mindoir. You enlisted at eighteen, and survived a thresher maw attack that wiped out the rest of your team. Do you remember that?"

His eyes narrowed. "I led a lot of my squad, a lot of friends, to their death that day. It nearly broke me."

Jacob nodded his head, not catching the obvious anger in the man's voice. "I read the report. Fifty marines died on Akuze. You were the only one who lived."

"Found out later that Cerberus was behind the attack, so I would be careful with what you bring up when going through my personal history."

"That wasn't really Cerberus, Commander," Miranda assured him. "It was a rogue group that split-"

He stood and pointed an accusatory finger. "Don't you dare try to play it off as some splinter group. I don't care what your boss says or what you tell me. Those scientists had Cerberus funding. That makes you just as guilty for that attack as they are. Those deaths are on your hands."

His body was tense as he hovered over the two, waiting for some response. Yet Miranda recognized the sadness that he was desperately trying to withhold and bury. His eyes didn't contain the same heat they had back on the Lazarus Station.

She was tempted to press further but decided against it. "Fair enough, Commander. Let's try something more recent. Virmire, where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad to die in the blast."

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams was killed in action," Jacob picked up where she left off. "It was your call. Why did you leave her behind?"

Instead of returning to his seat, Shepard moved to one of the walls of the small cabin and placed his forehead against it. He stood there for quite some time before answering.

"I left a friend to die that day, and I didn't do it casually," he said, barely loud enough to be heard over the shuttle engines. His voice was an odd mixture of regret, anger, and sorrow. "But I had to save as many people as I could. Ash gave her life for the rest of the team. Without her, I couldn't have stopped Saren. She died a hero, and I would appreciate it if you didn't belittle her sacrifice."

Jacob nodded. "I understand, Commander, and I wasn't judging your decision. Everybody at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed."

He laughed harshly. "That doesn't make me feel any better. Actually, it makes me feel worse." He turned and sat back down. "And it's First Lieutenant Ashley Williams. Use her proper rank. She's earned it."

Jacob meekly nodded his head, likely feeling chastised. Protocol and discipline had always been an important trait to the retired marine. If Miranda knew him, and she knew she did, the mistake and Shepard's rebuked stung quite a bit.

Miranda continued the questioning in his place. "Shepard, think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you killed Saren. What happened next?"

"You mean after a large chunk of the Reaper tried to kill me?"

He was being difficult and purposefully obtuse. Shepard was resilient but not unbreakable. Too much had happened to him today. Miranda knew he was reaching his limit.

Shepard sighed. "Humanity was offered a spot on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position."

"Yes. Captain Anderson is now Councilor Anderson, though I hear he preferred life in the military."

Jacob seemed to snap out of his thoughts. "Good to know that the human Council member isn't going to put politics ahead of defense. Satisfied, Miranda?"

"Your memory seems solid. There are other tests we should run…" She noticed the disgusted look on the commander's face. "But those can wait. Hopefully the Illusive Man will accept our little field test as proof enough." She realized she never asked him one of the simplest questions to judge his condition.

"How are you feeling, Shepard?"

The commander shrugged. "I woke up to find a station full of mechs shooting at me, learned that I had been dead for two years, and was now in the hands of the same people that tried to kill me with thresher maws six – no eight years ago. My friends scattered, my commanders unreachable." He laughed mirthlessly. "I'm just great."

Author's Note:

Damn. Missed my mark again. Oh well. Hopefully the double chapter post will make up for it. I will be posting another later this week too, so do not despair.

Not much to say about this chapter. More exposition to establish a status quo for Shepard while under Cerberus. I tried to feed in a little Miranda personality to try to break up the monotony.

Oh, and thanks to the new followers! I was getting a little discouraged with the lack of emails in my inbox telling me about reviews, followers, or favorites. But have no fear. I will finish this project even if I don't get another one of those notices. They are just icing on the delicious cake that is writing this fan fic.

As always, thanks for reading and please review!