"So that scarring on Garrus' face…" Kaidan said, "That was from the rocket?"

Kacey nodded. "Trust me, it looked a lot worse at the time than it does now."

"I bet it was," Kaidan replied, "Still, one of the first dossiers you get just so happened to be for one of your former teammates? That's a bit suspicious."

"Yeah, it is," Kacey yawned.

"Either way, I suppose Garrus being there was a good thing, right?" Kaidan said, "At least he was able to—Kacey?"

He was interrupted by Kacey, who had fallen asleep, resting her head on his lap. She was soundly asleep and looked peaceful. A smile crept across Kaidan's face. He gently lifted her up and put her down onto the bed, throwing a small blanket over her. His eyes drifted back to the datapad she was holding before.

Against his better judgement, Kaidan picked up the datapad and looked through the message that was left on display.

Commander Shepard,

As requested, I will give you a brief status report on David Archer in regard to his physical and mental health. Following the attack at Grissom Academy, David has been working on the Crucible and on other military projects. As per your instructions, David continues to have no contact with his brother, Doctor Gavin Archer. His health continues to improve and his mental health in particular has improved significantly since his enrolment.

In regard to Doctor Gavin Archer, his current whereabouts is unknown. I will contact Admiral Hackett to organize a search for him to ensure Doctor Archer stays away from David.

Sincerely,

Kahlee Sanders

Kaidan was confused by the message. He didn't know who David and Gavin were, or why Kacey asked for an update. Curious, he scrolled through and found another message.

Kahlee Sanders,

I'm sending a young man to Grissom Academy; his name is David Archer. He is in severe need of medical help, both physical and psychological. He was rescued from a Cerberus facility in Aite. He was being used as a test subject in Project Overlord (details enclosed) and was in a bad way when we arrived.

I ask that you keep David away from his brother Doctor Gavin Archer, who was the leader in the project, and would endanger David if he were to be anywhere near him.

Commander Kacey Shepard.

P.S Admiral Hackett can confirm my current status. I'm not working for Cerberus and won't be for much longer.

The message was sent eight months ago. So, she had rescued David from Doctor Archer but why? Kaidan glanced over at Kacey, who was still asleep, before tapping on the attachment, the file quickly loaded and Kaidan sat down, reading through the contents.

Project Overlord

Officers present: Commander Kacey Shepard, Garrus Vakarian, Kasumi Goto

Location: Atlas Facility, Aite.

Sent by Cerberus to investigate a distress call. Found only one survivor upon entering the main building: Doctor Gavin Archer, the head scientist of Project Overlord. Doctor Archer had requested that Commander Shepard destroy the transmission dish at the main facility before overriding the VI at Prometheus and Vulcan stations. Doctor Archer explained that they had interfaced his brother, David Archer's, mind with a VI. Upon arriving in the Atlas facility, Commander Shepard had discovered that David was both autistic and a mathematical savant and was able to communicate and understand the geth. She had also discovered that Doctor Archer had forced his brother into the experiment.

After finding David, Commander Shepard had chosen to free David and send him to Grissom Academy. Doctor Archer pulled a gun on the Commander and fired at her; she had successfully dodged the bullet. Commander Shepard pistol-whipped Archer in response and Archer was warned to stay away for David's safety.

Note: following the completion of the mission, Commander Shepard was sent an email from the Illusive Man, who was unhappy by Shepard's decision as she had set their research back by several years.

She saved him. Twice. Kaidan smiled. The Commander was known for her kindness and her resolve. She saved David from Cerberus. Twice. She didn't have to, but she did anyway.

Kaidan carefully sat the datapad back down, leaving it exactly as he found it and left the Captain's Cabin, leaving Kacey to rest.

…

The next couple of hours were largely uneventful for Kaidan. He had gone back to sleep for a bit before waking up to have a meal. Of course, with Kacey still asleep and a lack of emergencies, things on the Normandy were calm.

He was sitting down in the Mess Hall, finishing off his cup of coffee as James Vega walked past. He looked at Kaidan briefly before going over to the kitchen and collecting his food. Kaidan paid no mind to James, as he was completely lost in thought. He kept thinking about Project Overlord, and horrors that Kacey and Garrus saw there.

"Hey, Kaidan right?"

Kaidan looked up to see James sitting down in front of him, plate and cup in hand.

"Yeah." Kaidan nodded.

"I heard what happened on the Citadel," James said, "I don't blame you for wanting to protect the Council but…"

"But?"

James shrugged, "Why didn't you trust Shepard? At first, I mean."

Kaidan sighed, "She was gone for two years. Then all of a sudden, she's back and working with a terrorist group."

"Still." James replied between mouthfuls of food, "I thought you would've trusted her since, well, you two have history."

Kaidan nearly choked, "Who told you that?"

James looked sheepish, before gesturing towards the Main Battery, "Garrus."

"One second."

Kaidan stood up immediately and headed towards the Main Battery. Once Kaidan was out of earshot, James snickered. "Hah. I thought so."

…

Kaidan marched to the Main Battery and opened the door. Garrus was directly in front of him, typing away on a terminal.

"Kaidan, can it wait?" The turian asked, "I'm in the middle of some calibrations."

"What did you tell James?"

"Nothing explicit." Garrus replied, "He had asked why Kacey was talking to you for hours on the Observation Deck and I accidently let slip that you two are close or were close."

"I see." Was all Kaidan could muster as a reply.

"Anyway, since you're here," Garrus said, "How far into the story are you now?"

"Well, I was told about this turian sharpshooter named Archangel," Kaidan smirked, "And how he ended up taking a rocket to the face."

"Ahh…that" Garrus laughed, "Yeah, it wasn't one of my best moments."

"So, that scarring on your face," Kaidan mused, "that was the rocket then?"

"Yeah, it was," Garrus replied, "I was gunned down then a rocket was fired at me. I was…told by Doctor Chakwas that I was extremely lucky I survived."

"Yeah, I'd say you were." Kaidan mused.

"Yeah well, I was still able to get some rest before going back out on the field." Garrus said. Kaidan gave Garrus a questionable look.

"Why is that?"

"Because of the plague in the quarantine zone." Kacey's sharp voice interrupted the pair as she walked into the room.

"Kacey!" Kaidan said, shocked, "I thought you were asleep!"

"Yeah, I was" Kacey replied, "I woke up not too long ago. I wanted to know if you wanted to go over the part with the quarantine zone before the next mission."

"Next mission?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah, we're going to Gellix in the Arrae system," Kacey explained, "A group of ex-Cerberus scientists are trying to escape Cerberus. The Illusive Man used the same turian signal from the Collector Ship to mask their SOS signal. EDI and Traynor detected it and we're going to rescue them."

"And we're both going?" Kaidan asked.

"Yes, unless you'd rather sit this one out?" Kacey teased.

"I'll go, Kacey." Kaidan replied.

"Good. Now come on, let's move onto the next part."

With that, the pair said goodbye to Garrus and headed towards the Starboard Observation Deck.

"So, after that ordeal with Garrus," Kacey said as they entered the room, "the next task was to get Mordin Solus from the quarantine zone. As Aria had said however, getting in wasn't easy…"