Epilogue: Surveying the Aftermath

"Joker to Shepard. You read me?"

It felt like forever since Shepard and her team stepped out of the Normandy and into this hellhole of a planet. She leaned against a nearby wall that was intact for support. She hoped, though obvious, Liara, Witt, and Garrus managed to repair the relay. She needed some good news for once.

"I read you, Joker," she replied and let out a relieved sigh, tapping her helmet on the commlink. "It's good to hear from you again."

"Yeah, same." She couldn't help but sense Joker smiling behind the mic. "Sounds like a whole lot went down here. Did you find anyone?"

"Almost everyone's dead," Shepard answered through heavy breaths. "Most of them had been… merged into another version of themselves. I can't explain how, nor why. But we stopped them. Two of the crew are still alive, including Dr. Harland."

"That's… kinda messed up. What about Garrus and Liara?"

"I don't know. I'll see if I could tap into their comms and find out. Rendezvous with the Alliance for a pickup." There was a slight scowl in her voice. "I've had enough of this place."

"Aye aye, Commander." Direct as always with Joker when it came to following her orders. Usually, anyway.

It was then that she started to feel light-headed. She gritted her teeth and looked down, only to realize the wounds underneath her armor had gotten worse. There were bruises on her cheeks and forehead and the scratches she sustained trickled with blood. She hadn't noticed she was hurt badly until just now, but that was adrenaline for you.

She turned on her omni-tool and applied enough medi-gel to seal off the wounds in a moment's notice, giving her an extra burst of energy. It was enough for now, but she should check in with Dr. Chakwas for a further medical examination. She hoped the doctor wouldn't use any syringes.

She straightened up and moved forward. Soon, it was clear she was back in that circular hallway. Following that line of thinking, she assumed she was almost to the armory.

She tapped into a different commlink. "Garrus, Liara, this is Shepard. Either of you read me?"

The lack of response made her worry. She held her breath, her lips pressing together. What if neither of them made it? How many more would die in this hellhole?

Finally, a growly voice had cut into the frequency. "I read you, Shepard." It was Garrus. She should thank some higher power for that.

"I read you as well." It was Liara. "Thank the Goddess you've made it!"

"Yeah," said Shepard, more than relieved. "You two okay?"

"We made it out in one piece," Garrus answered. There was a pause that lasted longer than either of them would've liked as if the turian realized what he said. "Uh, well… you know what I mean."

"Witt didn't make it," said Liara. "One of the creatures got him."

Shepard already knew that. Still, she cursed under her breath. "Have you seen any more of these things?"

"No," Liara answered. "As soon as they closed in on us, they suddenly all fell apart. No, it's as if they just disintegrated! I hope that means you've managed to destroy the orb."

"We did, but…" Shepard confirmed. She paused, pursing her lips as she closed her eyes. "Arthur insisted he stay behind. He gave his life to do it."

"I…" The asari on the other end hesitated. "I'm so sorry."

"What about the rest of the crew we rescued?" Garrus asked.

"Hopefully, Dr. Harland and Chelsey are still up and around. I'll meet you two on the Normandy. I'll take care of the rest. Harland has a lot she's not telling us."

"Your call, Shepard," Garrus replied. "We'll see you on the Normandy. Garrus and Liara out."

With that, the line ended and Shepard approached the door, recognizing the speaker and the screen next to it.

"Please say the passphrase," the VI requested when Shepard pressed a green button.

Shepard groaned. She went through hell and back. A good man died to get the job done. Remembering the phrases to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star wouldn't even be on her list of priorities right now.

Wasting no time whatsoever, she slapped a hefty dose of omni-gel on the pad. With that, the gel did its work bypassing security, the VI's voice becoming more jumbled and slurred as if someone had managed to drug it. Or it had a strong drink if a VI could drink. A beep and the door opened, and Shepard stormed in.

The armory was the same as Shepard and the others had left it, with an unconscious Chelsey laying on a stretcher nearby while Dr. Harland sat nearby, her eyes dead set on her omni-tool's screen. She looked even worse. Disheveled hair, dried tears caked on her cheeks, and her eyes were baggy, rimmed with dark rings. Small wonder how drastic a person could change in a short amount of time. For a moment, Shepard couldn't help but feel pity for her. Almost, in fact.

"Dr. Harland?" Shepard called out. "It's done."

The scientist turned her omni-tool off before giving the Commander eye contact. "I'm aware. I looked over the readings as they normalized." She stood up and approached the Spectre. She certainly wasn't rushing to check up on Chelsey. "So… that's it, then. It's over." She straightened her stance, a firm look on her face. "Now, since you'll be contacting the Alliance soon enough, I suppose I'll be on my way. If you'll excuse me…"

The urge to shoot Harland in the face was rising, Shepard realized. If only that would be so easy to do…

Frowning, Shepard stopped the scientist short with a hefty grip on her shoulder. "No, I don't think so, Doctor," she said with a menacing look on her face.

"What?!" Dr. Harland looked back in confusion. She struggled for a moment, but even she realized she would be no match for a highly-trained and decorated soldier like Shepard.

"You heard me. We're not done yet."

The human Spectre shoved her back a few steps. Harland stumbled and grunted, rubbing her shoulder through gritted teeth. "Dammit, that hurt!"

"You're getting off easy," Shepard retorted. "I know what I saw in those files in the lab." Her hand hovered over her pistol.

"Files? What files?!" Harland went wide-eyed, fearful of what might come next. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Commander!"

For a moment, Shepard could believe her, if only for a second. She had heard that plea before countless times. And after all, she saw and went through, she wasn't really in a charitable mood. "Don't play dumb with me. You have a lot to do with the Merged and their victims."

"But I had nothing to do with them, Shepard!" Dr. Harland cried out and gestured to emphasize her point. "I thought you understood; I made that absolutely clear!"

"Bullshit!" Shepard's lips curled, her voice trembling with anger. She was that close to Harland's face, her breath basking on the scientist's skin. "You rejected your coworkers' request to stop the experiment on the orb, yet you knew what kinds of things it could do to people! And worst of all, you lied to me, you lied to your friends! If you even stopped for a moment to think, none of this would've happened!"

"I'm bloody well aware of it, but it would've happened either way!" The scientist's voice rose and fell, as she pointed accusingly at Shepard. "And don't you dare talk to me that way, after everything I've done. What about all of our progress, the data… the limitless resources, the potential… Don't tell me you're throwing—"

"Don't try to make it all about you and some noble cause," Shepard shot back. "Like I said, you're just another mad scientist with no regard for restraint."

C'mon. Just shoot her already, her thoughts cried out, and she was on the verge of pulling out her pistol. She had it coming. Even after the courts have dragged her through the mud, they could very well deem her innocent, with no one the wiser.

No, she told herself. Tempting as it was, she was here to rescue the remaining members. Shepard put aside her pistol and stepped back. Perhaps she could appeal to whatever remained of Harland's better nature.

"Dr. Harland?"

"Yes?"

"Do you regret everything you've ever done here?"

A brief, pregnant pause. Harland said nothing.

"I need an answer. Don't hold out on me."

Harland paused, still silent. With some reluctance, she nodded.

"Here's my advice: make up for it. Face trial and serve your time," said Shepard. "That way, maybe you'll be given another chance. Maybe not. Don't make this any more difficult than it already is."

"I…" The scientist looked past Shepard with a blank but somber look, lost in her supposed regrets. "Perhaps you're right, Commander. Guess I have no choice but to face the music."

"I hope you can afford a good lawyer." Shepard tapped the side of her helmet. "Joker, what's the status?"

"The Alliance is already here to pick Harland up, Commander," Joker responded. "After that, it'll be business as usual."

"Appreciate it, Joker. Shepard out." The line ended.

Shepard gave the scientist a firm shove towards the door outside the armory as a pair of medics entered to lift Chelsey onto another stretcher. Eventually, the two were led outside, the scientist in a jumpsuit and helmet, as an Alliance shuttle arrived and landed nearby. An Alliance soldier led Harland to the shuttle without resistance, and they parted ways as the Commander stepped inside the Mako with Garrus and Liara. And with that, Shepard drove away from the ruins of the facility.

Shepard could only hope this nightmare would be over for good.

Months later…

He tapped his foot to the rhythm of a mid-20th-century rock song, reminding him of home. Sitting on a well-cushioned bench, he looked through the screen nearby as his shuttle entered Acabar's atmosphere. He didn't feel a thing, thanks to the shuttle's inertial dampeners created by mass effect fields.

Passing over a mountain range, he spotted a dark figure out of the corner of his eye. Just who or what was that, he wondered. He heard a freak accident took out most of the previous residents and a part of the facility below. When he inquired for more information, he got stonewalled instead.

Finally, the shuttle descended past a cliffside, the bay doors opening below. As it landed, he examined himself. He had everything he needed, should the worst come to pass. Several guns latched onto his back in the form of metal blocks, a gray breastplate underneath his brown jacket, space-age cargo pants and armored boots to protect him from extreme conditions and hazards, and his trusty old Pip-Boy strapped to his left arm. He was confident that he would be more than ready for anything.

He stood up and the wall to his left parted and opened. Stepping out of the shuttle and into the bay, he saw that he wasn't the only one there. There were dozens of engineers performing some maintenance checks on the other shuttles in the area. There was a woman in a black-sleeved, white uniform with the golden Cerberus logo on her chest. She had been waiting for him by the elevator.

The scientist raised a brow. "Pardon me, but were you expecting war to break out here? Last I checked, we're a scientific facility, not a military outpost."

The man crossed his arms in front of him and scoffed. "Huh. What tipped you off, then?" he asked sardonically.

"The attitude, now I think about it." She closed her hand and cleared her throat with it. "It was a rhetorical question, but I digress. My name is Dr. Layla Harland. I oversee this facility and this… Transportalponder project of yours until your arrival. What kind of a name is that, anyway?"

The man's mouth crinkled into a frown as he rolled his eyes. Not this again. "It's an awesome name, but I didn't come up with it."

"I see. So you're the person Ms. Lawson mentioned?"

He grinned, his arms unfolded. "The one and only."

"Well, then. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Harland offered her hand, and the Courier shook it. He couldn't help but notice something… off about her. As if she was detached, hardly showing any emotion. At least, more so than the other Cerberus scientists he had met.

And with that, she entered the elevator with him following just behind her. She pressed a button and the door closed, sending the elevator downwards.