Look! About a week! Okay guys, so by this point you know that this is not a novelization but just as a reminder, it is not! However, the beginning of each game will be a bit of one just so that we can get back into the swing of things (game-story-wise) and see how Jane is feeling. Especially for ME2 because there is SO MUCH changing for Jane and, well, everybody!

So I started replaying ME2 and I totally didn't even realize that there actually is an observation room above Shepard's medical room. Who knew? There is also a mention of the exact time that Shepard was dead… I totally didn't even realize that it had lined up perfectly in the earlier chapter (when John had broken the news to Garrus) Ok, so I will be changing a few things again, like Shepard being able to use sniper rifles. Again, I thought it was kind of silly that you no longer had the same biotics even if you stayed the same class. So, in the future that will change. I feel like there was more that I was going to say but I am drawing a blank… oh well. Thank you all for reading/following/favoriting and reviewing! Love you guys! You all keep me motivated!

Chapter 26

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

An explosion shook the room and Jane felt herself rock on the bed. Her eyes opened in the same instant and she felt dizzy, despite still being flat on her back. Moving a hand up to her face, Jane touched her jaw and began to move her mouth, still confused how she was awake.

"Shepard, your scars aren't healed but I need you to get moving, this facility is under attack!"

Jane began to sit up and clutched her ribs, her face distorting in pain. Everything was still a little blurry but she blinked several times as she sat upright and saw flames swell and gunfire flying past in the adjacent room. That got her adrenaline pumping. She looked around the room and began to roll off the bed.

"There is a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!"

Landing on her feet, Jane wanted to scream at the invisible woman, What the hell do you think I am doing?!

"Grab the pistol and armor from the locker."

Jane opened the locker and stared at the armor. It looked like her old N7 armor, but not the last one she remembered having.

"You don't have time to wait around, Shepard! Grab your weapon and armor!"

Whoever this woman was, she was already starting to get on Jane's nerves. After closing the last clasp, Jane raised the pistol, What the hell are these fuckers trying to pull? "This pistol doesn't have a thermal clip," Jane spat.

"It's a med-bay," the woman snapped back. It was obvious that she was getting impatient with Jane. "We'll get you a clip from – DAMMIT!"

Jane looked around and saw the fire coming out from some barrels near the door. That must have been what the woman was cursing about and it was soon confirmed.

"Those canisters by the door are going to blow! Keep your head down, Shepard!"

Jane rushed forward and slid behind a short blockade just as the explosion shook the room. Fire raged upward and began to spread across the front of the room. Almost as soon as it had erupted, the fire dissipated.

"Someone is hacking security trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip for your pistol."

Just like old times… Jane thought to herself. She went through the doorway and saw someone's body on the ground with a clip next to them. Scooping it up, she loaded her gun and almost stopped to inspect the body closer. Those colors. That logo… but there was no time to focus on that now. Going through the next door, Jane saw a darkened room with tables and chairs stacked in her way.

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

Mechs… so it isn't an outside force attacking… yet. She jumped over the barricade and looked to the stairway.

"Lookout!" the voice screamed.

Damn, with the way she talks, you would think that I haven't done this before… Jane complained in her mind. She wanted to be more outspoken but she didn't know where she was and the voice was the only one helping her. She ducked behind a box and leaned out to fire several shots at the mech on the first landing. Jane could feel her biotics boiling under her skin as if they were begging to be used. It was a different feeling, almost like they were more pronounced.

"Keep moving, we need to get to the shuttles."

After dispatching the mech, Jane flexed her hand trying to shake off the biotics. This was irritating. As she got up and began moving again, Shepard could feel the small details that she hadn't noticed before. It was almost as if her body wasn't hers anymore. Why didn't she feel like her old self? She kept moving forward as more and more thoughts and memories started to flood back to her. Hadn't something traumatic happened? It didn't matter, at least not right now. Entering into what looked like another lab, Jane began to wonder what this place was. Had she been one of their experiments?

"Shepard, security mechs are closing in on your position. Take cover." A few mechs began coming through the door. "Don't take any chances. Stay in cover while you take out those mechs."

Jane couldn't hold back anymore, "No shit!" She leaned out and fired a few well-placed shots into the mech.

She looked around the corner and saw another three coming towards her. Jane felt her biotics rise again and she decided to give in. Thrusting her arm forward she tried to unleash a throw but instead felt her biotics build up too much. She yelped at the release of her biotics as her hand burned. A large shockwave of biotic energy surged forward and Jane watched in awe as it ripped through the mechs. What the hell… she thought and shook her hand again trying to get rid of the biotic energy that seemed to be scratching under her skin. Something was different.

"Nice work, Shepard."

They woman sounded a little too pleased. What happened to me? She knew that her biotics were strong but that was why she had purposely tested lower to get a weaker implant. Did they upgrade my implant? Why would the Alliance do that?

Jane ran down the hallway and paused at the glass. On the other side were two people facing off with a large mech. They obviously were not trained in combat and were soon taken down by gunfire. She wanted to do something to help them, but there was nothing she could do as blood splattered on the glass. She could hear the woman's voice talking to her again but Jane ignored it. She turned to the right and saw the large logo on the floor. It was triggering something in her mind, who was that associated with? Her mind was still a little hazy and the name wasn't coming to her but she knew that it wasn't good.

After going through a few more hallways Jane found a grenade launcher. This should be fun… Jane smiled to herself. Pausing on the landing, she waited for the door to open as several mechs came through. Lining up the shot, she fired, blowing the machines in several directions. Jane turned the weapon over in her hands smiling at it. It was a new model and Jane was looking forward to getting to use it again. She looked down at the path and cursed inwardly, a spout of fire blocked her path. Running down the steps, Jane put her arm over her face and ran through.

Her adrenaline coursed through her veins and she could barely focus on anything but the task at hand. As Jane made her way through the hallways she began to lose contact with the woman. Shit… now what? She knew that there was no other option but to press forward.

She knew that she should keep on track down the hallway, but after seeing another door to an office, she couldn't. After opening the door, she found two mechs dragging themselves across the floor and quickly took them out. Checking that the room was clear, Jane lowered her gun and looked around. Now that she was without the voice coaching her, she decided to do a little snooping. In the corner, there was a computer that was still up. Intrigued, Jane activated the log.

A woman's face appeared and the voice soon followed. It was the woman that was walking her through the facility, "Progress is slow, but subject shows signs of recovery." Subject… is that me? "Major organs are again functional and there are signs of rudimentary neurological activity. In an effort to accelerate the process we have moved from simple organic reconstruction on the subject to biosynthetic fusion. Initial results show promise." Jane was waiting for more but the vid had long since cut out. What was she? What did they do to her? She frantically began looking around for more information and activated another console nearby.

This one was a man's voice, one that Jane did not recognize, "The cost of this project is astronomical. Over four billion credits so far. But nobody seems to care that we have gone over budget. I don't know where the boss gets all his money. Maybe… it's better not to know. I just wish he'd give a little more in my direction every once in a while."

She stood staring at the monitors and couldn't help but think that the more she heard, the more she seemed like the science experiment. She couldn't focus on this right now. Instead she kept going. Whatever this place was, she had to get out.

Running around down the hallway she skidded to a stop as she saw someone on the other side of the glass banging his fists. He screamed her name. He was screaming for help as a mech came down the hallway towards him. Jane ran to the side and beat on the keypad at the door trying to get through. He screamed for her again just as the mech began to open fire. Jane smacked her hand into the door, and took a deep breath. There was nothing more I could do, she told herself. Why do I still feel like a failure? Moving over to where the man had been standing, Jane saw the mech. It looked straight at her then turned to the side to find another entrance. Moving on, she saw another data log and she couldn't help but activate it.

"Log update," it was the same man's voice. "I can't figure Miranda out. As project director, she should be ecstatic at all the progress we've made, but she's still the same old ice queen. Maybe she's worried that Shepard would become the new favorite. Or maybe she's just a pure cold-hearted bitch."

Jane stood there in shock. They had said her name. Specifically her . These logs had been about her. And who exactly was this Miranda woman? For some reason she felt like she should know the name. She could feel herself want to start hyperventilating, but she knew that she had to stay focused. Going through the next door, she heard another man yelling. Pressing against the wall, she leaned out and saw mechs across the room firing at him. The man had that familiar biotic blue rippling around him and was taking out mechs on his own.

Jane ran forward and slid undercover next to the man. He jumped back a little at the sight of her but seemed to welcome the help. "What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress?"

He talked like she should know what was going on, and his words stung a little. She wanted to ask him what he meant but only one question came to her, "Are you with Miranda?"

"Yeah… sorry. I forgot this is all new to you right now. I'm Jacob Taylor, I've been stationed here for –"

"Hostiles detected," a mech sounded. A shot fired and ricocheted off the railing right next to Jacob's head.

"Dammit!" he stood up and fired a single shot into one of the mech's heads. "Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda has you running around. I'll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first."

Jane wasn't going to let that fly, "I know this isn't the best time, but I am sick of stumbling around when I don't know what's going on."

Jacob almost seemed amused by her, "Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version. You and your ship were attacked and destroyed. You were killed. Dead as dead can be when they brought you here. Our scientists spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time. Welcome back to your life."

Her mouth dropped open. He was abrupt, but at least he had told her. Again, she could feel her breaths begin to come a little shorter and her fear rise but she pushed it back down. Closing her eyes she swallowed her pain. "That's im—" she had to bring herself under control again. "I'm having trouble wrapping my head around this."

"Yeah, I can imagine…" Jacob said. His voice was still a little rough but she could hear his apology behind it. "The Alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead. And if we don't get to those shuttles, they'll be right."

She knew that they should start moving again but knowing that everyone thought her dead and that it had been two years she couldn't stop, "Were there any other survivors from the Normandy?"

"I'll tell you what, you help me finish off these mechs, and I'll play twenty questions with you all day. We're low on thermal clips but I'm a biotic, just give me the order when you want me to hit them with the good stuff."

Jane wanted to cry. She really did, her entire world had been turned upside down with a few sentences. But, right now, they had other matters to attend to… and Commander Jane Shepard didn't cry over her own selfish situation. She didn't know the last time she had truly cried but it wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

Despite her slight fear of her own biotics she unleashed a pull, coupled with one of Jacob's. They fought well together and Jane could tell that he had substantial training. As soon as they had taken care of the last mech, Jacob made his way over to the door and Jane followed.

"Okay, I promised I'd answer your questions. What do you want to know?"

Where to begin? "The last thing I remember is the Normandy blowing up," he voice caught in her throat, "Did anyone else make it?"

"Just about everybody survived. A few servicemen from the lower decks didn't get out. Navigator Pressly was killed by an explosion. But everyone else, including the non-Alliance crew, your brother, John, Tali, the quarian, they all made it out alive."

"Do you know what any of them are doing now?"

"Well, John works with us, though I don't know where here at this moment. Don't worry, I don't think he was on the station when the attack happened. But I don't know, Commander. It's been two years. They've moved on. Left the Alliance. Could be anywhere."

"They were my team. If they knew I was alive, they'd come back," Jane said more to herself than to him. The words were strong, and her hope backed them but she wasn't one hundred percent sure they would all come back.

"Maybe you can track them down after we get off the station. If we get off this station."

She nodded to herself, hopeful that she could find everyone again. She needed her family back together. But she could feel her strong commander façade coming back to her. "You underestimate me. I have gotten out of worse situations. I still have a few questions." Jacob nodded for her to continue, "You said they spent two years rebuilding me… How bad were my injuries?" She was still hopeful that she had just come in hurt.

"I'm no doctor, but it was baaad. When I first saw you, you were nothing but meat and tubes. Anywhere else, they would have put you in a coffin. But Project Lazarus was different. Cutting edge technology."

Jane sucked in a breath. How could this be true? Maybe… "What can you tell me about the project? Were there other test subjects?"

"Project Lazarus only had one subject. The whole point was to bring you back. Just you. Even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists. The best technology money could buy."

"What do you mean? Cloning?" Panic started to take hold of her chest. "Cybernetics?" That at least seemed a little better.

"I don't know the details. You would have to ask the scientists. But I'm preeetty sure you're not a clone. They wanted to bring you back exactly as you were. You're still you. You just might have a few extra bits and pieces now."

Jane stayed with Jacob for a few more minutes, asking him more and more questions about this person named Miranda, his job and their current situation. She was still having a hard time wrapping her head around everything. It seemed like it should have only been a few days maybe even a few weeks at most for her… but years? How was she supposed to deal with all of this? Jacob had received a call from a guy named Wilson and he certainly seemed surprised that she was alive. Then again, so did Jacob. The name Wilson was familiar to her and he seemed closely tied with Miranda.

It was odd, they kept in contact with Wilson, but they seemed to be running into squadrons of mechs instead of avoiding them. She even ran into a few more logs about her reconstruction. At least it seemed like they were adamant about keeping her the same as she was before. Whatever that meant…

By the time they met up with Wilson, Jane had her doubts about him. He seemed defensive, too defensive about everything. It also bothered her that he seemed to get out with only one gunshot wound to the leg when he was nothing more than a doctor. Everyone else had been gunned down on sight. He also seemed pretty convinced that Miranda was dead or the reason behind the attack and didn't seem too bothered about finding her. He was too ready to point the blame at someone.

After clearing out the mechs that began to converge on their position, Jane made her way towards the door. She stopped after feeling someone touch her arm, it was Jacob.

"Okay, we took them down, but this is getting tense. Shepard if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?"

"This really isn't the time, Jacob," Wilson said limping forward.

"We won't make it if she's expecting a shot in the back."

Jane took a step back and her hand tightened around her pistol.

Wilson crossed his arms, "If you wanna piss off the boss, it's your ass, Jacob."

Jacob ignored the man, "The Lazarus Project. The program that rebuilt you. It's funded by Cerberus."

"I think I ran into Cerberus a few times when I was investigating Saren. Some kind of pro-human splinter group, right?"

"Well, that's what the Alliance wants people to believe. There's more to it. The Alliance declared you dead. They gave up. Cerberus spent a fortune to bring you back. Look, I'd be suspicious too," Jacob took a step forward but Jane kept the distance between them, "but right now we have to work together. I thought you deserved to know what's what. Once we're off the station, I'll take you to the Illusive Man. He'll explain everything. I promise."

This was all becoming too much for her. She had died, her team separated, abandoned by the Alliance, rebuilt by an extremist organization... what was her part in all of this? How could she know for sure that she was the same person she was before? "I don't care what they did or what you say, I am not working with terrorists." She turned away from them and started heading for the door, ignoring Jacob talking behind her.

Jane was quiet as they moved forward. It was ironic. Jacob had told her so she would feel safer, but it was only now that she felt like she might be shot in the back. She had managed to ignore the elephant in the room before but now it was breathing down her neck. Finally, they reached the docking station. She slowed down as Wilson ran ahead of her to the door. His leg certainly seemed fine now.

Wilson typed in the code and as the door opened, his mouth dropped. "We're almost at the… Miranda?" The woman looked straight ahead and her face was stony as her eyes found the man. "But you were –" Her brow furrowed and her eyes cold. She raised her pistol to his chest, just below his throat and fired. She watched him fall to the ground.

"Dead?" she finished for him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jacob yelled while rushing forward. He looked down at Wilson's body.

Miranda stepped around the man's body. She moved with sexy fluidity and emanated a nonchalant air about her, "My job."

Jane held her weapon at the woman, unsure what might happen next. She couldn't help but make assumptions about Miranda already. Jane had seen the woman talk about her like a science project.

"Wilson betrayed us all," Miranda said.

"Even if you're sure, did he deserve that welcome?" Jane asked.

"He sabotaged the security systems, killed my staff and he would have killed us."

"You sure about that, Miranda? We've known Wilson for years. What if you're wrong?" Jacob's voice wasn't as hard as it had been when speaking to Jane.

"I'm never wrong. I thought you would have learned that by now, Jacob."

Jane rolled her eyes and it was obvious that there was some sort of history between the two. "You should have taken him alive. See what he knew."

"Too risky. I've put too much time and effort into bringing you back to life to let you get killed now."

"You really think Wilson is capable of that?" Jacob asked.

Miranda looked down at the dead man, "Not anymore."

Garrus ran his thumb along the edge of the silver box. He knew that he should have gotten rid of it; not sell it, but at least get it out of his sight. But just like with her message, he couldn't bring himself to let go. He had upgraded the security on the box a while ago, adding in a voice recognition and a hologram that, when activated, would bring up a set of keys to play notes. At first glance, it would appear to be a simple music box; so, even if the box fell into another's hands, it would only seem to be a novelty item.

Taking a quick glance at the time, he stashed the box in the hidden safe in the wall and made his way out to the meeting room. He looked around at his crew and noticed a face missing, "Where's Sidonis?"

"No one has seen or heard from him yet," Ripper answered.

"Do we know if he is okay?" Sensat asked.

"We will give him a few more minutes," Garrus said tersely. Sidonis wasn't one to be late. Something was wrong.

Everyone sat in silence as the seconds ticked by, every moment seeming to drag and raise the stress level. Melanis kept checking her omni-tool and looking to Archangel for support. She hadn't heard from him since their date and it seemed like no one else had either.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Sidonis walked through the door, "Sorry I am late. Couldn't quite get away in time. Did I miss anything?"

"No, we were waiting for you," Garrus studied the turian. He was definitely different. Sidonis looked tired and in pain like he could keel over any minute. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah… Let's get the meeting started."

Sidonis gave Garrus a look that seemed to say 'I need to talk to you' so for now, Garrus would drop it. "Alright, so we just intercepted a message saying that the meeting has been moved up. It will be in a week."

"A week!?" Erash yelled, "We barely had enough time to plan for a month! Now we have a week?"

"It's either that or we scrap the entire mission," Archangel replied.

"We can get it done. A week isn't so bad," Sidonis added in quietly.

"I agree with, Sid," Melanis leaned forward, "We have a great group, we can take out a few low life thugs."

Sidonis met Melanis's eyes and almost lost all control as she gave him a wink. He couldn't say anything or they would know and she would get hurt. Following their plan was the only way to save her.

The rest of the meeting passed as most did, small arguments breaking out followed by another suggesting an alternative and everyone agreeing by the end. Soon, they had what seemed to be a solid plan of attack. In the days leading up to the attack, they would all stay at the base to get the most work done. Everyone in one place, it wasn't ideal, but it would have to do for now. As everyone began to go to separate parts of the building to get to work, Sidonis followed the other turian into the side office.

"Archangel…"

"What's going on with you, Sidonis? Did something happen?"

"No! Well… yes. I mean, my family is in danger. The Blood Pack has suspicions about them."

"I didn't realize your family was on Omega. And how do you know the Blood Pack is after them?" Garrus said.

"Yes, well, my brother had come a while back and I had been trying to keep it hidden. I saw a lot of krogan and vorcha around his apartment and around his workplace. Something is wrong."

"Alright, what are you looking for?"

"I need you to help me. It is just something small, if you and I could lead them away from my brother then he would be safe."

"We could get others to help too if you need. We are all willing."

"I think if we had more people it might raise suspicion. Maybe if we just staged us coming out of a nearby apartment, make them think they were following the wrong guy… that should be enough."

"Okay, I'll let you take lead on this one. How do you want it to go down?"

"Well, the sooner the better." Sidonis pulled up his omni-tool, "I'm sending you the location where we will meet. Depending on how many are at the location, we'll take it from there. Just tell me when will work for you."

Garrus checked the information he just received, "As you said, the sooner the better. Let's head out."

"Okay, right behind you. I'll just need to grab some extra supplies here."

Garrus nodded to the man and left before Sidonis did. Honestly, he didn't remember Sidonis mentioning a brother. But, Garrus hadn't actually been an open book either and Sidonis had been his first friend here. They could trust each other.

Sidonis waited at his locker until he was sure Archangel had left. Melanis hadn't come up to him yet but he needed to warn her somehow. The gangs had heard everything and now that Archangel had left, this place would be crawling with enemies. Archangel was long gone by the time Sidonis made his way out to some of the others. Grabbing Melanis's arm, he pulled her into another room.

"Sid, what the hell? What is going on with you?"

"Look, I can't explain but you have to get out of here. It isn't safe."

"What are you talking about?" she chuckled. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, no… it's not a joke. Just, please, listen to me. You need to get out of here."

Melanis seemed to realize that he was serious, "You're scaring me. Tell me what is going on!"

"I just – " he was interrupted by an explosion on the first level.

"Shit!" Butler yelled. "They're here! How did they find us?!"

Melanis looked up at Sidonis. They stared at each other and she saw the pain in his eyes. "Tell me it's not true." When he didn't answer her, she shook her head and grabbed a weapon from under the table; ignoring the betrayal she felt.

Everyone ran around for their weapons, grabbing the first ones that were stashed nearby. Sidonis joined the group but they were outnumbered and the gang members were already inside. He tried to take out as many as he could but he knew it was a lost cause. He heard a yell and saw Weaver fall backwards and lie motionless on the ground as he bled out. This was my doing. How could I have done this? He heard another scream and knew it to be Sensat's. Sidonis knew that he would never forget these sounds.

A flood of Eclipse, Blood Pack, and Blue Suns surged up the stairs and several vorcha dashed around their cover grabbing and clawing at everyone. Sidonis felt someone grab him from behind and drag him back. By the time the screams began to settle, he was hoisted onto his knees and dragged in front of his teammates as they were placed on their knees before him. He did a quick scan and saw that Grundan Krul was already dead on the ground. Sidonis felt gun being placed to his head and he saw his friends were given the same treatment. The batarian that had interrogated him before stepped between them.

"I understand that all of you work for Archangel. He is not here. He is walking into a trap right now and will be dead soon. Don't worry, you will all soon join him." He smirked at everyone as they stared up at him, "I just thought that you should all know who is responsible for your undoing. If it hadn't been for him, you might have all eluded us for years. Who knows? But, anyway, the one accountable is this turian." He stepped to the side and motioned to Sidonis. Everyone's eyes fell on him. "He sold you out."

Sidonis lowered his head. He could feel all of their piercing gazes. All he could pray to the Spirits for now was a death with his friends. Swallowing his pain he lifted his head to face his sins.

"We debated how to kill you all. If we should torture you, kill you slowly, or just be done with it. I have decided to make the executive decision." Pulling out his gun he quickly placed it to Ripper's head and fired.

There were a few shouts and screams and Sidonis lunged forward as if he could stop it but his captor continued to restrain him. Sidonis looked at Ripper's lifeless body on the ground and wished that it had been him. He knew that it should have been him.

Another shot. Butler. "How does it feel now, turian?" Another shot. Vortash. "Knowing that you are the one who caused all of this." Another shot. Mierin. "What if you had just been stronger?" Another shot. Monteague. "I wish you could see your leader's death but we won't be taking any chances with him." Another shot. Erash. "Who was he, while we are on the topic?" He lowered the gun to Melanis's head.

"No! Stop!" Sidonis screamed. "You promised you wouldn't hurt her!"

"What was his name?"

"I don't know! None of us knew!"

"It's a shame really," the batarian looked down at Melanis. "I actually didn't want to kill her."

"You said that you wouldn't hurt her! That was our deal!"

"Actually, it was only if you answered our questions. And you haven't given us an answer as to who Archangel is."

"No! Please! Kill me! Kill me instead!" Sidonis strained against his captor. He looked into Melanis's eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was only trying to protect you."

Melanis nodded at him and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I forgive y – "

The batarian fired.

"NOOOOOOO! NOOOOO! You bastard! You sick, lying, son of a bitch! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" Sidonis screamed.

Several other members had to hold him back as he tried to attack the batarian. A krogan put a gun to his head.

"Stop," the batarian said calmly. "Sedate him. Drop him off in a street somewhere. I want him to have to live with himself after this."

Jane stared out the window. They were on their way to Freedom's Progress now; another colony that disappeared without a trace. She didn't even feel like she had a chance to breathe yet. First, they got on the shuttle and it was Miranda's turn to ask twenty questions. The worst had been when they asked why she left Ashley behind… as if it had been an easy choice. It still felt like it had just happened. But it hadn't… It had been two years and twelve days since Jane had died. Yet, it still seemed like nothing had changed. It was hard hearing that all these colonies were going missing and the Alliance and Council were doing nothing about it. Deep down, it didn't surprise her.

She couldn't help but wonder why she had been brought back. What made her so special? Why did everyone see her so differently than she saw herself? How could she be a symbol? It was so strange hearing how people spoke about her. "Don't you get it?" Miranda had said, "The only one worth saving is you, everyone else is expendable." How could she say that? Jane didn't see anyone as expendable. I am no better than anyone else. Oh god, have I become what my mother was always hoping? A poster child? This real life embodiment of a vision?

The Illusive Man didn't sit well with her. It seemed like he had hidden agendas left and right and that he was just saying what she wanted to hear. But how could she say no? He was helping her challenge the Reapers and there was certainly no one else lining up for that. Jane was sure that they would end up butting heads, and she would more than likely have that problem with Miranda as well. Damn, she needs a big attitude adjustment. I can see why that guy referred to her as an "ice queen" She just seems so high on herself. Maybe I should just give her a chance… I don't know her history. It could be darker than I think. Jacob seemed like a decent enough guy though. Some of what he said made sense and she agreed with him, but the way he spoke about Cerberus was a little disturbing. I wish he would stop referring to me as "ma'am", it reminds me too much of Kaidan.

"So, are we going to be saving the galaxy in shuttles the entire time?" Jane asked while continuing to stare out the window.

"No, we'll be meeting up with the ship at the station after."

Jane just nodded. She didn't have the desire to find out anything else on that front. The loss of the Normandy still seemed too fresh in her mind. It felt like she had just been on her ship. Another ship would just seem wrong. "Where is John? Jacob mentioned that he worked for you now?" Wow… John working for Cerberus… Has he become something I would despise now? Please let him be the same man I know.

"He left before the attack on the facility. We had been in the process of transferring non-medical, non-security staff to a different location. John was, and is, scouting possible recruits for you. Last I heard, he was heading to Omega," Miranda answered.

"What a place to go recruiting…" Jane sighed.

Garrus eyed the apartment through his scope. Something was wrong. He hadn't seen any turians on this street. Why would Sidonis tell him that his brother lived on this street? Did Sidonis already evacuate him? What made the situation stranger was that Garrus hadn't seen one gang member. Maybe he… no… he is my friend. He was my first friend here. He wouldn't betray me.

But Sidonis had yet to show up.

Checking the time once again, he took a deep breath. Something was wrong. Garrus was now wishing that he had taken the time to set up some equipment to get a better feel for the situation. Why hadn't he trusted his instincts? Lowering his rifle, he began to scan for coded frequencies. The first scan failed, but if experience had taught him anything, it was always triple-check yourself. The second scan proved that his intuition correct.

"What is your status?"

"No one has shown up yet. Are you sure we could trust that turian?"

"He said that he worked for Archangel and we have already eliminated the rest of the squad. We can trust him."

"We'll keep you posted if there is a change then."

"And remember, you are looking for a turian."

He felt sick. How could Sidonis betray them like this? And his team… My team! Garrus screamed inside his head. Picking up his rifle, he scrambled to his feet and made his way back to the access tunnels. Maybe… Maybe he hadn't heard them correctly and he would reach his team in time to save them.

He couldn't move fast enough. The doors wouldn't open quickly enough. He scraped his armor in each doorway as he tried to run through before they had barely opened. Closing in on the last door, Garrus got control of his breath and pulled out his pistol. He opened the door and began to fire. Before they even knew what hit them, three gang members were already down. Throwing a mine across the level, he took out the last few before him. There were only those on the upper levels now. Sprinting up the steps, Garrus used the rest of his clip on those waiting on the next level. He was surprised, they didn't seem to have left that many in defense.

Everything became quiet. He could only hear his own breathing. Opening his omni-tool, Garrus did a complete scan for life… nothing. Making his way to the other side and into the makeshift sleeping quarters, Garrus collapsed onto his knees. There was his team. Everyone but Sidonis. All just thrown into a pile like slaughtered varren. He slammed his fist into the ground and clenched his jaw and mandibles. How could Sidonis have done this to them? "I'll kill him… even if it's the last thing I do."

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but he was soon aware of voices coming up from the lower level.

"I swear I heard gunshots."

"Who could it have been besides our own men? The dead?"

"The other squad hasn't reported any activity. Maybe Arch – Shit! Send out the alert!"

Garrus jumped to his feet and leaned over the railing placing shots in the four enemies that had just entered through the tunnels. He couldn't mourn the dead now. Both exits were blocked. Opening his omni-tool, Garrus closed the access tunnels. There would be no escape. He would just try to take out as many as those bastards as he could. Running around his base, he grabbed as much as he could because he wasn't sure when his next chance would be. With a hefty pile of rations, stim-packs and of course clips and firepower, Garrus propped his rifle onto the ledge.

"What is that human saying Jane?" he asked the air. "Like shooting fish in a barrel?"

The first squad came through: three Eclipse, two Blood Pack, and one Blue Sun. It only took a single bullet for each. He knew this would be a long fight, but he was determined. He would take as many out with him as he could.

Hours had passed and finally it seemed like the gangs were taking a break to regroup. Letting out a sigh Garrus stretched his neck. There were a few minutes of silence and he felt himself losing steam. How long could he keep this up?

Then, as if it were something from a dream, Garrus heard his omni-tool pinging. Looking down, he realized what that notification was. How could he forget that he had left the timer on to let him know each year? It was bittersweet, but he couldn't say goodbye to it. It allowed him to believe that she was still thinking of him, even in her death. Opening the message, it began to play, "Hey, big guy. Although, I am sure we have already seen each other, I still wanted to send you this."

As he watched, he smiled at the way she sat. How could that be comfortable?

"But, I just wanted to say happy birthday! I know what you are thinking: how in the name of the Spirits does she know? Well, Garrus, I have my ways. Well, I knew that you wouldn't want me to give you a present, but I am going to do it anyway. I know that you wouldn't stand for me buying you anything, but don't worry, I didn't spend a single credit…"

Garrus sighed as her message continued to play. "Spirits, Jane… I miss you. How long has it been? Damn… really? Two years and twelve days since I lost you? It looks like I'll be joining you sooner than I thought. But don't worry, I'm going out the way we talked about. You got to save loved ones. I get to go out in a blaze of vigilante glory. At least we will both get the deaths we wanted… Even if we didn't get each other."