Chapter 18: Saren's Base July 11, 2183 CE John Shepard Saren's Base on Virmire 13oo hours "Two kinds of people are staying on this beach! The dead and those who are going to die! Now, let's get the hell out of here!" -Col. George Taylor

John rolled his shoulders back, glancing around the squad as Tali got to work decrypting a console to get them into Saren's base. They'd spent the last thirty minutes fighting their way through geth-infested outposts and fighting krogan foot soldiers to get here, with constant radio contact from Mia about how their frontal assault was going. They'd disrupted the geth communications, taken out a satellite to minimize sat-strikes, and just wiped out a platoon of assault drones that were raining down heavy fire on the STG teams. John was anxious that he couldn't watch Mia's back. He didn't have eyes on her, his own or someone on his team's. It made him twitchy. How could he possibly think reassigning her would be beneficial to him? So far, being apart from her had only made him nervous.

The doors opened before them to a sewer system. John led the team down the corridors, following signage on the walls. Enemy contact didn't surprise him, but salarian enemies did. He took out a salarian firing upon them with a few shotgun blasts as Kaidan Lifted the second one, Garrus taking him out.

"Salarians? Kirrahe mentioned something about losing some men. This has to be more of this indoctrination we've heard about, Captain. What is this place?" Kaidan asked as the team moved up to a security console and Tali set about hacking into it.

"We've got access to base security. Should be able to cut the alarms from here. Might even be able to trigger alarms on the far side of the base. It'll clear the guards out for us, but it might be too much for Shepard and the salarians to handle." She informed John.

"They've got enough on their plate. Just disable the alarms." John dismissed. He'd rather fight a hundred krogan on his own than cause his sister to have more problems.

"Yes, Captain," Tali said, her fingers flicking through the console. She finished the job and John nodded for them to move on. They moved quickly through the facility, taking out any indoctrinated salarians they came across until they ended up in a cell block full of seemingly insane salarians. Some of them were banging their heads against the glass, or just babbling nonsensically. One cell seemed empty, but upon further inspection, its occupant was huddled in a corner in the back, almost in the fetal position, whispering to himself.

As John approached one of the cells, a salarian who was somewhat coherently looking out of his cell cowered, speaking to John.

"What do you want? I've told you everything!" He seemed to register that John wasn't the doctor then, squinting at him. "Who are you? Alliance, right?I knew someone would come. It tried to break me, but it couldn't! I shut it out!"

"Slow down, soldier. I need to know where you came from." John said, holding his hands up to pacify the salarian.

"Private Menos Avot of the Third Infiltration Unit, STG. Captured while on reconnaissance six days ago. Glad to answer, sir! Never any questions from these bastards. Just whispers and poking and cutting. I'd have said anything to get out and get some payback. That's not too much to ask, is it? A little payback?" the man said frantically.

"What did they do to you, Private?" John asked almost rhetorically, his voice sad.

"Experiments, but I don't know what for. The effect of incessant whispering on my shortening temper? Who knows? I just need out." Avot said, looking around the cell shiftily.

"Something's not right here, Captain," Kaidan said uneasily.

"I agree. Setting him free could endanger the mission. We need to make sure this bomb goes off, no matter what. I'm sorry." John said. The salarian freaked out, eyes darting from one corner of the small cell to the other.

"No! No, I need to get out. This room is too small and it keeps talking and I really want to get out of here and get some work done. I need to get out. Let me out." he said more forcefully.

"I can't take that chance," John said, reading the erratic behavior patterns of this man. Something was wrong with him, at the very least his mind had been broken from the trauma of six days of isolation and experiments. At worst… what kind of experiments were they doing here? John didn't have a worst-case scenario ready for this one, and that bothered him.

"Can't take the chance…no chance. I need to do what it says. I have to. Let me out." He said, getting a glazed look in his eyes. His demeanor shifted, and he started screaming.

"Let me out! Let me out!" The man started running full force at the glass, slamming his head against it with all his force, resulting in a dull thud, then the unconscious salarian slid down the glass, falling into a heap on the floor.

"Spirits," Garrus swore under his breath and John looked up to see the man shaking his shoulders out. He had to agree, this whole situation was creepy.

"These scientists broke these men," Tali said, moving between the cells on the other wall.

"It's horrifying," Liara agreed. "Why would anyone want to break another being's mind so completely? It accomplishes nothing."

"I'm not sure, but let's push forward," John said, raising his rifle as another indoctrinated salarian burst through the next door. Wrex dispatched him quickly and they pushed forward to the next cell block.

" Aegohr, form up with Jaeto and head for the AA tower. We need to stall for time. " Mia's voice came from his earpiece and his heart clenched. He was so insanely proud of her. He needed to apologize in the biggest way he could think when they got back to the ship. He needed her to be on his ship. There was no doubt now.

They headed to the elevator that would lead them to the breeding facility where they'd place the bomb. John took a deep breath as the doors opened and they saw a husk held in stasis in some sort of machine.

"What are they doing here?" Liara murmured in disgust. John looked over at her, giving her a small, reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure, but we're going to stop it." his smile shifted as he looked back at the lab that was about to turn into a battlefield. He took a breath and started dishing out orders. "Tali, Wrex, take out those husks. Garrus, we have company up ahead. Concussive shot on the asari, knock her back. Liara, singularity on the krogan doctor and focus fire."

He loved it when his team worked in perfect harmony like this. He watched as Tali used Wrex as cover, a tactic the smaller quarian had found to be quite effective since discovering it on Noveria. Wrex had adapted his fighting style around the woman, allowing her to duck and weave around him without tripping him up. Seeing their friendship blossom since that night when they'd bonded about their people in the cargo bay had been one good thing John knew came from this crew. It gave him hope.

Kaidan and Garrus worked in harmony with their iconic Lift-then-shoot combination while Liara pumped out the stronger biotics and laid down cover fire while they did their work.

A sniper laser glared across the battlefield, and John ducked behind cover, peeking around for a visual.

"Mia-" he started, then remembered. Oh. He shook his head, then corrected himself. "Garrus, sniper, three o'clock. Take him out." John ordered.

"Aye, Captain," Garrus said, lining up the shot with ease. If he noticed John's slip-up, he was kind enough not to say anything. They finished off the enemies in the lab quickly, scanning the room for anything useful before moving on to an access hallway leading to the next building. Wrex and Garrus dispatched the geth troopers guarding the door to the building and Tali moved in to decrypt the door. John entered with Garrus and Liara flanking him to see an asari cowering under her desk. As they entered, she emerged, holding up her hands.

"Don't shoot! Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late," she said.

"Well, let's hear it. Who are you and what do you want?" John asked, lowering his rifle.

"Rana Thanoptis, neuro-specialist. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse. You think the indoctrination only infects the prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!" She said.

"I thought this was a breeding facility," John said, frowning at the asari.

"Not this level. We're studying Sovereign's effect on organic minds. At least, that's what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible." She admitted.

"You helped him and you don't even know why?" Kaidan asked incredulously.

"I didn't have the option of negotiating. This position is a little more… permanent than I'd expected. But I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in." She said, moving over to the elevator and using a key card and number combination to grant access to the elevator, the button turning from red to green. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?" She asked.

"What were you studying here?" John asked.

"Saren's ship, Sovereign. It emits some kind of signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. It's called 'indoctrination'. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the salarian test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too." She told him.

"I don't like the sound of that," Garrus commented. "What does that mean?"

"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle at the back of the skull. It's like a whisper that you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually, you stop thinking for yourself. It happens to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the man I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me." She admitted.

"Tell me more about this signal," John demanded. This sounded strangely familiar, and he couldn't help but think of a set of glowing green eyes and his sister moving as though in a trance.

"Signal's not the right word. There's some kind of energy field emanating from the ship. It changes thought patterns. Over time- days, maybe a week- it weakens your will. You become easier to manipulate and control. But it's a degenerative condition. There's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom the subject maintains, the less capable it becomes." she said.

"Why is Saren researching this? Doesn't he control it?" John asked.

"The signal comes from the ship. It makes us obey Saren, but I don't think he controls it. Not exactly. I think… he's scared it might be affecting him. Indoctrination is subtle. By the time the effects become noticeable, it's usually too late." she finished.

"I'm about to blow this place to Hell. If you want a chance, I'd suggest you start running now." John told her darkly. The asari's face turned to panic.

"What? You can't… but I'll never- ahh!" She screamed as she ran from the room. Garrus watched her go, then turned to John with a smirk.

"You enjoyed that." He said, and John hid a smile. He had, a bit.

They proceeded through the unlocked elevator and up to the outside access bridge to the next building. John led the charge. He didn't see the geth sniper perched on the rocky hill behind him. He didn't even hear the shot. He just felt his shields rip apart and a white-hot pain as a bullet tore through his right shoulder. He took one more step forward, then fell to his knees.


Mia Shepard Enroute to AA Tower, Virmire 1330 hours

" Shepard is down, repeat, Shepard is down." Garrus's voice echoed across her headset, chilling her to the bone. She immediately replied, her hand coming up to activate her comm.

"What do you mean? Status," She said at once, trying to keep the panic from her voice. She looked up at Kirrahe, where he was directing his men into position to take the AA tower. It'd been smooth sailing for their team, no losses.

" Sniper shot through the shoulder ," Garrus informed. " Alenko's doing first aid, but- " A gunshot and a few curse words interrupted the transmission before Garrus could reply. Mia made the choice then.

"Kirrahe, your teams are all here, I'm going to help mine." She informed him, taking out one more geth prime.

"You'll never make it, Commander." Kirrahe dismissed.

"Watch me," She said, lowering her gun long enough to engage her tactical cloak. "Or better, don't . " She said before taking off to the base entry. She'd known the team would have cleared out the base for the most part. Anyone who was left wouldn't even see her. As fast as she was moving, her cloak concealing her, she wasn't looking to engage in a fight. She needed to get to her brother. She was tracking his hard suit location actively on her visor's screen, tracking every turn she'd need to take in moments.

" Tali's suit's ruptured. It's fixable but she's out of action until it's done." Garrus informed. " We're pinned down here, Shepard. Geth coming in airborne from all sides, snipers in the mountains. Requesting support if available."

"Already enroute, Vakarian," Mia told him, trying to spot them as she came out of the first building, crossing the walkway to the second. John was between the second and third buildings, according to her maps. "Hold them off for two minutes and I'll be there."

" What about Kirrahe? " Garrus asked.

"They're safe at the AA tower, not a huge geth presence. Clearly they diverted to you." Mia informed, ducking into the next building when she couldn't get a visual. "How's Tali?" she asked, wanting the good news before the bad.

" Pumping herself full of antibiotics while Wrex fires over her head." Garrus informed.

"I wish I was that much of a badass," She remarked, making her way through the cell blocks and finding the elevator to the bridge they were on. The door to the accessway was stuck open by a fallen geth destroyer, and Mia used the gap to squeeze through, just in time to aim and fire on an assault drone that would have knocked out Garrus's shields.

"Keep that up, Shepard, and you're not far from it." Garrus chuckled. Mia scanned the bridge for threats, identifying the air presence at once. "Garrus, Tali, whenever you can, Sabotage and Overload. We need to reduce fire and get these drones out of the sky. Liara, Singularity."

"Go to John," Liara responded, meeting her eye across the battlefield.

A flash of red covering her white hard suit flashed before her eyes. Shot in the shoulder.

"Neutralize the threat first," She ordered, moving to stand with her back to Garrus, scanning the mountains behind them for more snipers. She saw movement and cursed. "I've got another sniper. You guys got those flyers?" She lined up the shot, pulling the trigger just as the sniper raised its gun.

"Just about," Garrus threw over his shoulder at her as sent out an Overload, disabling one drone and allowing Wrex and Liara to freely open fire on another four. Finally, the bridge fell silent and Mia could turn her attention to the far side of the bridge, where Kaidan was hunched over her brother.

He wasn't moving. She almost didn't want to go over there. She glanced down at her hardsuit, half expecting it to be covered in blood. She could feel herself starting to freeze.

Breathe. A calm washed over her. Focus. The mission. The bomb- Kirrahe. She needed to go.

"Alenko, status," Mia asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible as she approached the pair.

"He's stable, ma'am. Barely conscious, though. We're going to have to carry him out of here." Mia allowed herself to let out a sigh.

"Good work, Alenko," She told him with a nod. "Is he ready to transport?"

Kaidan finished field dressing the wound, applying a bit of omnigel to his armor to seal it again, and then nodded. Mia looked up to Garrus, but she didn't have to ask. He'd already holstered his sniper so he could lean down and scoop John up in a firefighter's carry.

"You could've done with a few less tacos on shore leave, buddy." He grunted, nodding to the door. Mia assessed the team, her eyes landing on the quarian.

"How's the suit holding?" She asked.

"It'll hold until we get to the ship. I'm already feeling a little under the weather, but I pumped a good bit of antibiotics into my suit as soon as it would hold. The suit won't kill me." She informed Mia.

"Of course it won't, you're Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," Mia smiled at the woman. "A little thing like that couldn't bring you down." She nodded towards the door and led them into the next building.

"Shepard, it's one of those beacons!" Kaidan said at once, pointing to an alcove below a platform that looked like an access terminal to some sort of galaxy map or VI program.

"Things just get more and more interesting." Garrus said, but Mia wasn't able to respond. She'd heard Kaidan's words, and moved her head to see the beacon, but then control was out of her hands. The world was encased in a warm green glow. She didn't feel afraid- she knew this feeling. This was the Silence. She wasn't surprised it was happening now. She'd thought she lost her brother. Of course trauma's going to manifest. But she couldn't let it stop her from doing her job. She tried to push herself forward. She needed the information in that beacon. Just as she thought that, her body moved forward, gliding almost unnaturally.

Yes, you need the beacon. The sound of her own voice, seemingly coming from inside her own head, startled her. Don't be scared. Let me help you. The voice said, sounding almost pleading. She moved forward by no desire of her own, her fingers moving over the data access pad as if she knew what she was doing. A green light filled her vision, and the voice came back, just for a moment.

" Uploading Cipher code. " Cipher code? What was happening? But then she understood.

A city falling. The skies blackened with huge ships in disturbing, life-mimicking shapes. Death. Fires. Children crying. Mothers weeping. And a voice. A weary military officer. It wasn't English that he was speaking but Mia understood him anyway. "This is a message from Imperial High Command. If you are hearing this, you must flee to the Conduit safe zone. The Reapers are coming and we must not let them destroy the weapon." A star map filled her vision, the mass relays needed to get to the location highlighting themselves one by one.

Mia stepped out of the light and shook her head a bit. Her vision had cleared. She was in the pilot seat again.

"I know where the Conduit is." Mia said, looking up at Garrus with confidence in her eyes.

"Really? That- that's great!" Garrus said, smiling at her, though she saw concern in his eyes. From the center of the room, on a taller platform, a hologram was projected. It spoke, then.

"You are not Saren." It said, the voice deep and echoing, as though it were hollow.

"What is that ? Some kind of VI interface?" Garrus asked.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, incapable of understanding." He said, but the face turned as Mia came to stand before the platform, a hollow noise like sheet metal being torn apart echoing through the air. "You. The Silent one that stands beyond my grasp. What are you?" it asked, its voice distorting.

"I don't think this is a VI," Garrus said dryly.

Mia knew it was talking to her, just as the rachni queen had. She looked up at this monstrosity and somehow knew at once: this was a Reaper. But she had no idea how to answer it.

"What do you mean? Why do you call me silent?" She asked curiously.

"I have existed for millenia, more cycles than you can comprehend. Never before have I encountered a will I could not dominate. And yet, here you stand." Mia wasn't sure if it was just her, but she thought she detected a slight shake in the machine's voice.

Mia's world was filled with a soft green glow once more, and the voice she'd heard in her head before spoke again.

Trust me. Mia frowned internally. Trust herself? Yes, trust yourself. You know what to do. Mia looked up into the face of the Reaper, and she found that she did know exactly what to do. She felt silly talking back to the voices in her head, but she didn't know what else to do.

" Do it with me? " She asked the voice in her head silently.

Always.

"Something couldn't exist for that long. That's impossible. And what do you mean by cycles?" Garrus asked, moving up behind Mia protectively.

"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance, and at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans are not the first. They did not forge the mass relays. They did not create the Citadel. They merely found them- the legacy of my kind." Sovereign told them.

"Sovereign isn't a ship. It's a Reaper." Tali said, awe and disgust filling her voice.

"Reaper. A name the Protheans gave to their destruction. The cycle cannot be broken." Sovereign asserted. Mia's vision went green, only able to see the vague outline of the shape in front of her through the light.

"The cycle must be broken." Mia asserted, though she wasn't completely sure why.

"You make bold statements that you could never hope to accomplish, but you still will not answer me. What are you?" The Reaper droned, another metallic screech rending the air.

The words just came to her, her voice taking on a duality that even she could hear, as though two people were talking at once.

"We are the Shepard, and we will ensure your harvest bears no fruit." She said calmly. The room shook as the noise grew louder, seemingly vibrating their very bones.

"We will endure. We are legion. Our numbers will darken the skies of every world. You cannot hope to overcome the harvest. You exist because we permit it, and you will end because we demand it." it boomed. Another screech tore through the air and the glass windows of the office building shattered out. Mia's anger was enough to snap the glow from her eyes.

"Oh fuck that ," She snapped, dismissively gesturing to the glass. "Stop with your scare tactics, big guy. You're nothing more than a machine. No matter how long ago it was, when you were created doesn't matter as much as the fact that you were fabricated by another species. You were created. You have a beginning. And I will be your end."

"This exchange is over," The hologram flickered out and Mia wavered on the spot for a moment. Garrus reached out to steady her, his hand on her upper arm. He'd helped John rest against the wall by the entrance when they'd come in.

"Hey, Mia," He murmured, his brow plates furrowed together. "You okay?"

"What was that?" John's voice cut through everything else. Her eyes shot up to meet her brother's, scanning him to make sure he was really there. He was about half leaning against the wall, trying to stand from the looks of it. She stuttered, not really knowing how to answer him. She'd just…done it. Her eyes hit the floor and she frowned, shaking her head.

"I don't know," She said, her voice small. "You shouldn't be standing, Captain."

"No," John said, forcing himself upright. "I'm fine. Don't you dare shut down on me after you just talked to a Reaper like you were going to make him your bitch. What. Happened."

"We don't really have the time for this, sir." Mia said, looking up at Garrus, then over to Kaidan for help. In Garrus's eyes, she saw concern, but understanding. In Kaidan's, she saw distrust. She frowned at that.

"We'll make it. I'm not letting you on the Normandy if you're indoctrinated, Mia." He said. Mia felt her face drop, the blood rushing from it. She got out one word.

"John-?" And then her world went white.


Garrus Vakarian Enroute to LZ, Virmire 1400 hours

Garrus heard Mia say John's name, and then her eyes went green. Her voice shifted, modified, as though being run through a modulation program. There was distortion, almost subvocals. Humans didn't have subvocals, so Garrus was more than a little disturbed.

" John Shepard. Please do not threaten Mia like that. " She said, her voice robotic.

"Mia, what's going on? Snap out of it and stop acting fucking crazy. " John spat, and Garrus flinched a little. That was uncalled for.

" It's a good thing I've suppressed Mia far enough into her subconscious that she didn't hear that. It would have broken her heart. " the weird, robotic Mia said. John paused at that, his face softening.

"What are you?" John asked, his tone softer.

"We are the Shepard. " she answered simply.

"The shepherd of what?" John asked, not understanding.

" The Reapers want to end all life in this galaxy. We are here to make sure that doesn't happen. We are the Shepard of the galaxy. We will gather a force to fight back against the Reapers, and I will do anything to protect your sister in the process," She said, her features adopting a fiercely protective expression.

"How are you inside my sister's head? Why her?" John asked.

" Maybe you should have asked her about Akuze. " The voice came cooly. "Go back to Akuze, and I'll answer your questions there. Until then, you have a bomb to set." Mia pulled her pistol, her finger noticeably off the trigger. "I'm going to give her control back now. But as your sister would say, I swear to every god in every system, if you try to kill her, I won't hesitate to end you. Your loss would destroy her, though. I'd prefer to avoid that." She looked up at Garrus then, a small smile on her face as the glow faded from her eyes. He had just enough time to catch her as she was falling, sweeping his arm behind her knees as he lifted her. She blinked up at him a few times, coming to almost at once.

"If I could spend longer than twenty minutes without having to carry a Shepard, that would be lovely," He told her, gently.

"What happened?" She asked, groggily.

"I'm not sure, but we can talk about it on the ship." Garrus said, helping her get to her feet. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She said, took bearings of her surroundings, then nodded. "Are we good?" Mia asked John.

"Lead the way, Commander." John said, his face a mask.

Mia led them through the building to the drop zone on the other side just as Kirrahe radioed in that they'd secured the AA tower. They got a pretty decent view of the Normandy landing from the ground, and a few crew members moved the charge into place quickly. John was helped by Kaiden onto the Normandy as soon as it landed, leaving his sister in charge with a pat on the shoulder and a quick murmur in her ear. Garrus was close enough to hear him whisper to her.

"Make me proud, kid." John told her.

Mia's whole demeanor shifted and she nodded at her brother with a determined look. "Yes, sir. I'm ready to activate the device as soon as it's in place." She told him.

"Get it done," He smiled at her, then headed into the Normandy's cargo bay with help from Kaidan.

" We've got a problem, Commander ," Joker's voice came over her comms.

"Don't tell me that, Joker." Mia shook her head as she replied. "What's the situation?"

"We have trackers on Sovereign's signal. It took off from the base when we lost contact with you about ten minutes ago. Looks like he's heading back, and he's got company. We gotta go." He advised.

Mia looked up as Sovereign came in hot, a flood of geth spilling in from either side of the aqueduct they'd chosen for the bomb site. Mia looked around for a moment, then turned to the team.

"Everyone on board, I'm blowing this thing and we're taking off. Go!" Mia shouted, turning to the bomb. Her fingers danced over the controls, starting a timer. Ten minutes. Garrus had stayed with her, picking off the geth streaming in that got a little too close.

"We've gotta go, Shepard." He said tensely, taking out another trooper.

"Go," Mia said, frowning at the screen for another moment. "I'm right behind you," She reassured him.

"Don't take all day, Shepard." Garrus said, taking out another geth as a pod separated from Sovereign. Upon further inspection in his scope, Garrus confirmed it was Saren riding atop a hoverboard.

"Come on, Shepard," He growled to himself as he boarded the Normandy. He stood on the cargo bay doors, picking off geth one at a time as they got closer and closer to where Mia was huddled behind the bomb. Finally, Mia stood, the swarm of geth just feet from her, and she looked back at the Normandy. In hindsight, Garrus would realize she was looking for him. But in the moment, he just knew he was looking for her. She touched her radio on her visor, and Garrus's heart stopped.

" Everyone's on board, Joker. Get us out of here. " She said, but her face said I'm sorry.

" Aye, Commander, " Joker said, the cargo bay doors closing at once. Garrus panicked, trying to get his radio to work, but he realized too late that Mia'd been staring at him because she'd been jamming his communications. He made a sprint for the cockpit. The Normandy was fast, but its lift off procedures usually weren't that fast. He sprinted to the elevator, cursing every designer the Normandy had who had thought this slow elevator was a good design. He felt the Normandy lift off the ground while he was in the elevator, an odd sensation of going up while going up. The elevator finally arrived on the crew deck and Garrus sprinted up the stairs, through the CIC. He was shouting before he even got to the flight deck.

"JOKER! Mia's not on board!" he bellowed, bursting into the cockpit.

Joker jerked his head around at that. "She what? She gave the order!" Joker shouted.

"She gave the order from the bomb," Garrus confirmed, looking down at the base that was getting smaller by the moment. Joker wasn't slowing down; they still needed to clear the blast radius."She jammed my radio. I should have-"

A shockwave hit the ship and Garrus's heart broke as a fiery mushroom cloud sprang up from the base below them. They'd entered the atmosphere by the time the wave hit them so they'd had a bit of a buffer, but they'd still been lucky not to get grounded by the blast.

There was a heavy silence in the cockpit for a moment while Joker frantically flicked through communications channels, trying to pull up Mia's hardsuit data, anything that would give them the intel they needed.

"We'll stay in orbit for as long as they'll let us, see if we can pick up any signals of life. The EMP blast took out most communications ground-side. I'm trying to find her, I just need time," Joker said, his voice cracking. He turned back to his controls. "You should probably go update John. Right now, his sister should be considered missing in action."