Hi, everyone. It's been a year since I released Buried Beneath, so I wanted to thank everyone again for reading and supporting the fic. I've decided to release three chapters for the one year anniversary, so please enjoy.

Signal Lost

Normandy, 2185, November 30th 5:26 AM

I move fast, keeping my guard up, gauging Riley's stance. She's quick, but I've been keeping up. No, better than keeping up.

She shifts her weight, feinting before lunging in, aiming a punch at my ribs. I twist, deflecting her arm with my forearm, and in the same motion, drive a quick jab into her stomach. She exhales sharply, stepping back, and I see surprise in her eyes.

She smirks at me. "You've improved a lot."

I shrug, flexing my fingers. "Must be a natural."

She laughs, shaking her head. "Don't get full of yourself."

I grin, getting back into position, ready for the next round. But my focus moves past her shoulder as the elevator door opens. The moment I see who steps out, my body tenses.

Miranda.

She looks the same as always, confident and put together. She walks over with no hesitation, no uncertainty. And she doesn't even look at me. Her gaze is locked on Riley, like I don't exist.

My hands tighten and-

Pain jolts through my jaw.

"What-" I snap, blinking at Riley as she lowers her fist.

She raises an eyebrow. "What is it?"

I don't answer. Instead, I glance past her again, toward Miranda.

She looks over her shoulder. "Oh."

Miranda steps up to us. "Commander," she starts, all business. "The Illusive Man just informed me about a Cerberus cell that's gone offline. We need to go to Aite."

Riley wipes some sweat from her forehead. "Okay. Send me the information, and I'll be right there."

Miranda nods. "Yes, Commander."

She looks at me. It's brief, barely a second, and then she turns on her heel and walks away.

Suddenly, I remember what she said last week… about not being beyond repair.

Riley lets out a breath. "I suppose you get off early today."

I shake out my arms, pretending I wasn't paying attention. "I guess so."

She gives me a quick nod before heading for the door. I stay behind, my jaw still other things.

Normandy, 2185, December 1st 3:18 PM

"…And now I have to help some Cerberus base in the middle of nowhere," I say, leaning back against the chair, stretching my legs out in front of me.

Jack lounges on her bed, arms folded behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. "Just ask to be taken off the mission then."

I scoff, shaking my head. "And miss out on all the action? Never."

She glances over, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds like you're helping a Cerberus base then."

Sighing, I run a hand through my hair. "I guess so." It's not like I have a choice. The Illusive Man gives the orders, Riley follows them, and I go where she goes. Simple as that.

Jack watches me like she's waiting for me to talk myself out of it or something. But, there's something else on my mind.

"After this mission… we're going to get the IFF," I add after a pause.

She moves, propping herself up on an elbow. "It's finally time."

"Yeah." I tap my fingers against my thigh. "Everything we've done has led us to this… let's not fuck it up."

Jack grins. "To be fair, if anyone was gonna, it'd be us."

"Hey." I shoot her a look. "I've been great, thanks.

She laughs, sitting up. "How many times were you in trouble again?"

I roll my eyes. "And you."

She smirks, leaning back like she already won the argument. "You're right. And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Nodding, I smile at her. "Same here."

For all the shit we give each other, Jack gets it. And out of everyone on this ship, she might be the only one who really does.

Aite, 2185, December 5th 9:21 AM

The shuttle touches down outside the facility, shaking slightly as it lands. I give my pistol one final check before following the group out.

Yep… that's a Cerberus base. White, boring, sitting on the edge of a cliff. Very dramatic.

"Make sure you're all ready," Riley says, turning to us. "We don't know what we're walking into."

Miranda adjusts her shuriken, nodding. "Even I'm not familiar with this cell's work."

I smirk. "Couldn't imagine being left in the dark by the organisation I work for."

She places a hand on her hip, arching a brow at me. "And you know everything Aria's done?"

Well… she's got me there.

Riley groans. "Knock it off, both of you."

Miranda straightens immediately. "Yes, Commander."

I roll my eyes. "Sure, whatever."

Before Riley can scold me more, a voice appears over a speaker.

"Thank god you came!" A man's voice. He sounds tense. "My name is Dr. Gavin Archer. The situation is urgent. We're facing a catastrophic VI breakout."

Oh, is that all?

"I'll explain the details later," he continues. "But you must retract that transmission dish! The controls aren't far from your position. You have to hurry!"

"You heard him." Riley starts walking toward the entrance. "Let's go."

Zaeed shakes his head. "I don't get paid enough for this."

I glance at him. "Agreed."

Archangel walks up beside me, checking his rifle. "Come on, you two. Maybe we can destroy some Cerberus equipment along the way."

I grin. "Always a silver lining."

Miranda shoots me a glare over her shoulder, and it's almost nostalgic. She used to look at me like that a lot. Back before… everything.

Inside, the facility is dim. Lights flicker, and a calm, automated voice drones on. "Be advised, this is a secure facility. All weapons must be declared upon entry and checked with security personnel on duty."

Archangel chuckles. "And now you can ignore their rules too."

I nod, smirking at him. "I'm starting to feel better about this."

Miranda shoots me another look.

We step down a stairwell, finding bodies on the landing. Blood smears the walls. Riley pauses, looking at them before leading us the rest of the way.

At the reception desk, a monitor turns on, showing a man with tired eyes.

"Over here," he says. "I've locked myself in a computer room on the far side of the base. There are geth on the loose."

Zaeed scowls. "Geth?"

I shrug. "Makes sense. We are in the Phoenix Massing nebula."

Miranda sighs. "Vex is right. It's not unheard of."

"Correct." The man swallows hard. "A rogue VI program has seized control and… I've lost a lot of friends today. I'd hate to see you join them. Please watch yourself."

The monitor turns off.

Riley glances at us. "We're dealing with geth. You all know what to do."

We push further inside, the same automated message repeating over and over. It's starting to get on my nerves.

Riley leads us into some kind of control room. Consoles and monitors line the windows, giving us a view of the transmission dish outside. That thing is huge.

Miranda steps forward. "I can handle this, Commander." She starts typing at the console. The dish begins to lower.

"System error," the automated voice says.

A distorted, garbled sound comes from the monitors. The screens flicker, and a neon green face leers at us.

"What the fuck is that?" I ask, hand already on my pistol.

Miranda backs away from the console. "I… don't know."

Riley scans the screens. "Is that the VI?"

Archer's frantic voice bursts through the comms. "Damn it! The VI's overridden the controls. We have to stop him… he's trying to upload his program off planet."

I frown. "He?"

"No time!" Archer snaps. "Destroy the antennae inside the dish. There's a tram on the lower level. Get to it as fast as you can!"

Riley gestures forward, and we move out, passing more screens, more eerie green eyes. The walls feel like they're watching us.

The automated voice returns. "Geth activity has been detected. Please remain at your workstations until the all-clear is given."

"This is getting weirder by the minute," I mutter.

Zaeed nods. "I definitely don't get paid enough for this."

We enter a cafeteria, seeing bodies slumped near tables. The overhead speakers announce today's lunch special in a monotone voice.

There's movement. Two geth stand on the balcony above. Four more around the room turn to face us. A larger geth steps out of the kitchen, joining the others.

Riley lifts her rifle. "Here we go."

The geth open fire. I dive behind an overturned table as plasma rounds litter the floor.

"Rocket troopers up high!" Archangel shouts, already lining up a shot. He snipes one, and it jerks back before collapsing.

Miranda lifts a geth with her biotics, slamming it into the kitchen counter. Zaeed and Riley fire at the ones on the ground floor.

I peek over the cover, firing a disruptor round. A geth staggers but keeps coming. I switch to my pistol, finishing it off.

A rocket crashes into the ground close to Miranda. She jumps out of the way but still takes some damage, her barrier breaking.

Fuck. I stand up, ready to help her, but the larger geth turns towards me and starts shooting. I get back into cover.

"Vex, move!" Riley yells.

I sprint forward, reloading as I slide into new cover. I fire a disruptor round at the geth, it stumbles but doesn't go down. Archangel joins, shooting at the large geth.

Miranda throws some biotic bullshit, causing it to stagger. I take another shot at it.

It freezes, twitching before falling over. The room becomes silent.

Zaeed sighs. "Well, that was entertaining."

Archangel reloads. "It's been a while since I've had to fight geth."

I tilt my head. "Weren't you on the Haestrom mission?"

He shrugs. "That was still two months ago."

Riley clears her throat. "If you're done, we still have a mission to do."

"Sorry, Shepard." Archangel turns to her. "Let's keep moving."

We head up some stairs, taking out more geth before reaching a tram system, the glass walls giving us a full view of the outside. Mountains stretch in the distance, green valleys between them. It's almost peaceful… almost.

Archer's voice returns as the tram starts to move. "Damn it all. He's aligning the dish to a new upload target! He'll have a clear line of sight to our satellite!" He pauses. "This is going to be tight."

I glance at Miranda. She's near the window, arms crossed, staring at the landscape. I wonder what she's thinking. If she's okay with all this. I shake my head. This isn't the time. I need to focus.

The automated message chimes in. "Arriving at dish access."

The tram slows to a stop, and the door opens, revealing more bodies in a hallway. We step over them, pushing forward until we exit onto a metal walkway above a long, long drop.

I look down. "Well, it's not as bad as the Shadow Broker's ship."

Zaeed scoffs. "Heights never seemed to bother you before, Ward."

"And they still don't." I roll my eyes. Can't let Zaeed get under my skin.

We barely take a few steps before more geth attack. I line up my sniper rifle and squeeze the trigger. One down. Miranda throws a biotic blast, sending one over the edge while the others take down the last one.

Riley walks ahead, leading us to the base of the satellite. The VI's distorted voice speaks again as she tries the door.

"Locked." She turns to me. "Vex, you're up."

"On it, Riles." I give her a mock salute, opening my omni-tool. The lock is tougher than usual, but it shouldn't be a problem after the upgrade. And… done. Easy.

I step back and let Riley take the lead as we enter the satellite.

Geth… lots of them.

I don't think, just react. My pistol is already out, I can't snipe at this range. The team splits up, firing as we move, picking off the enemies while we fight toward the stairs in the centre of the room.

We climb, dodging plasma. Archangel cover fires while everyone pushes forward. We reach the top just as Archer's voice returns.

"You need to destroy the three support struts now!" He says. "They have their own capacitors. Try blowing them up!"

"Miranda, Zaeed, go for that one," Riley orders, pointing to the left. "Vex, Garrus, that one." She motions to the right. "I'll handle the third."

Archangel and I sprint toward ours, dodging geth fire. I thruster forward, landing at the terminal to open the capacitor. The second it unlocks, I throw myself out of the way as Archangel shoots. The explosion is small, but it's enough.

I glance at the others. "Let's help them."

Archangel nods. "On it."

We regroup, covering Miranda and Zaeed as they take out the second capacitor. Riley overloads the last one herself, and a final explosion rocks the entire satellite.

"You've done it!" Archer says. "You've severed the link to the satellite!"

The entire satellite shudders, metal groaning as it starts to break apart beneath us. The supports snap, and the structure tilts. A massive piece of debris crashes down behind Riley, nearly landing on her.

"Go!" she shouts.

We don't hesitate. We sprint for the edge as the satellite collapses behind us.

I jump off first, using my thrusters to break my fall as I land hard on the walkway below. I turn just in time to see Riley and Miranda leap down next. Riley lands first, but Miranda slams into her from behind, knocking them both over.

Zaeed lands next, rolling to his feet with a grunt.

Archangel jumps last, landing at a weird angle. He stumbles, slipping back as his arms flail.

Shit.

"Garrus!" I lunge forward, grabbing his arm just before he tips over. His weight yanks me forward, my boots skidding, but I plant my feet and pull him to safety.

He stares at me with a surprised expression. "You called me Garrus."

I blink. Did I?

It takes me a second to process. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out at first. "I-I guess I did."

The words feel strange. Not wrong, just… unfamiliar. A month ago, I was convinced I hated him. I wanted to hate him. But now?

Now I don't. Not quite.

Before I can figure out what that means, the last of the satellite collapses, sending up a wave of smoke and dust.

A figure emerges.

"Over here!" he calls out.

Riley steps toward him, rifle still in her hand but not raised. "Are you Dr. Archer?"

The man nods. "I am. Come with me, and I'll explain everything."

Aite, 2185, December 5th 12:32 PM

I adjust my grip on the body as Archangel and I carry it toward the row of pods lined up at the front of the facility. Zaeed walks beside us, a second corpse slung over his shoulder like it weighs nothing. He doesn't even look winded.

"This isn't how I thought I'd be spending my day," Archangel mutters, shifting his hold on the body.

I nod. "Right back at you."

Zaeed scoffs. "I thought you'd be used to cleaning up Cerberus' messes by now, Vakarian."

Archangel shrugs, tilting the body slightly. "Well, it was never so literal."

I glance at him. "Yeah, I heard about it. You, Riley, your crew… stopping their experiments."

"Yeah, we did." A small smile crosses his face, like he's remembering the good old days.

We reach the pods and carefully lower the bodies down. I crack my neck and shake my arms, trying to get the stiffness out of them. My attention drifts to the facility, to the large window where I can see Riley inside, talking to Archer. She gets to be in there, figuring out what the hell actually happened, while we're stuck out here dealing with the aftermath. Not exactly fair.

"Vex?" Miranda's voice snaps me out of it. "Are you paying attention?"

"What?" I turn to her, where she stands by the pods, a datapad in her hand, looking at me expectantly.

She sighs, gesturing to the bodies. "I asked if that was all of them."

"Why didn't you ask…" I glance around, searching for Archangel and Zaeed, only to find them already walking off, leaving me alone… with her.

Of course, they did.

She impatiently taps a finger against the datapad. "Well?"

"Yeah." I cross my arms. "Those were the last two."

Miranda nods. "Good. Help me get them into the pods?"

I shrug. "Sure."

We lift each body with care, placing them gently into their containment pods. Even if they were Cerberus, they deserve that much.

I close the last pod. "I really need to wash my hands now."

Miranda barely looks up from her datapad. "You have gloves on."

"I know…" I roll my eyes. "I was just saying."

She taps a few things onto the datapad and then nods to herself. "We're done here. Let's go wait for Shepard."

She turns and takes a few steps.

I hesitate. I could leave it there and just move on. But… I need to know something. "Uh… Miranda."

She stops, glancing over her shoulder. "Yes?"

I gesture vaguely to the pods. "You seem quiet about all this."

Miranda raises an eyebrow. "Should I say something about it?"

I run a hand through my hair. "I don't know. Maybe."

"There's nothing to say," she replies, fully turning around. "We have a mission to do, and standing here talking about it won't undo what happened."

I hold her gaze. "So it does bother you."

"Of course it does." Her words come out too quickly, and that tells me all I need to know.

Neither of us says anything. The silence builds between us, and I can't figure out if I want to push her further or let it go.

"Was there anything else?" she asks, sounding more under control now.

I shake my head. "No…"

"Good." She turns on her heel and walks off toward the facility's entrance.

I follow, but I don't hurry to catch up. There's still a distance between us that neither of us seems willing to close.

By the time we reach the entrance, Riley steps outside, her expression seems serious.

"I just told Joker to send the shuttle," she says. "We're going to need everyone."

Thank you again for reading.