This is a work of fan fiction from all Mass Effect games owned by EA and Bioware. I do not claim any ownership of the characters or the Mass Effect universe. My thanks to Bioware and EA for creating an amazing story with characters we have all come to know and love.

Multiple characters, friendship, romance, drama, humor, and everyday life weaving game and story together.

Rated: M for strong language and adult content.

Chapter 01: Jolted Back

Ellure Shepard tossed the dossiers onto her bed and stripped on her way to the shower. The SR-2 laid claim to being more comfortable than its predecessor, but she was in no mood for sleep.

Within the confines of her sanctuary, she took a deep and jagged breath. She tried to bring to mind something - anything to tell her she was real. She needed real. Two years? The Collectors? And Cerberus? It was like a cruel joke.

She could remember the hiss of her oxygen slipping away, a searing pain in her chest, and the bitter cold as she was blanketed by darkness.

She hunched her shoulders forward and savored the warm cascade of water on her skin. The scars under her fingertips were a constant reminder of how different things were. All the physical souvenirs she'd collected in her life were nothing more than a distant memory now.

The water slowed to a drip, and she wrapped in a towel. Stepping out of the shower, she halted in front of the mirror. It certainly seemed like her staring back. A pale and scrawny orphan riddled with mistakes. Someone had cut her hair, still the same dark shade of mahogany, a stark contrast to the light blue-grey of her eyes.

She turned to the side and examined the cybernetics trickling down the back of her left shoulder and upper arm. What if it was just a trick? Maybe her "mind" was playing some sort of game. Can someone regain their soul after death? Was she ever really dead? What if Miranda did put in a chip, how would she know?

Feeling inundated, she streamlined her efforts into digging something comfortable out of her locker. Donning cargo pants and a Cerberus t-shirt, she clipped bothersome strands of hair back from view and settled amongst the sheets to ready for the work ahead.

She spread out the dossiers and sorted them by location. Three were from Omega. The one from Purgatory sounded exciting. A simple password on the Citadel, easy enough. The krogan should make things interesting; Wrex had always been fun to have around…

She lowered the datapad to the bed and fell back on her pillow, sinking. She wished Tali had been able to come with her on this one, but she couldn't be selfish. That little quarian girl had come a long way since the SSV.

Ellure stared at the bright blue glow of the fish tank. Who knew what kind of people Cerberus had her recruiting, could she trust any of them? Not that there was any other choice. Someone had to stop the Collectors, and she was given a second chance to do just that.

With no success at sleep, she slithered out of bed and joined the crew for their morning routine. In the kitchen, she poured a cup of coffee and snatched up a slice of rapidly darkening toast, holding it between her teeth as she stirred cream and sugar into her beverage.

Miranda Lawson appeared beside her, resting one hand on her hip while clutching a datapad in the other. "Commander, I know it's been a lot for you these past few days, but we need to start picking up our new recruits. I would recommend getting Mordin Solus. We need him to evaluate some test samples we've received."

Dressed in her white skintight ensemble with high black boots, the executive officer tucked her long black hair behind an ear as if waiting for something profound. Ellure removed her toast to set on the tray. "Thank you for your concern, Ms. Lawson, but I have already decided. We're going to hit the Citadel for supplies and nab our first dossier."

After observing Miranda's displeased expression, she added, "If you have an issue with that, I suggest you take it up with your supervisor." Carrying her tray to the table, Ellure listened to the sound of thumping boots filling the air of the mess-hall as Miranda left for her office.

"That's one way to get the XO out of your hair," Jacob Taylor said, pulling out a chair next to him and patting it.

"Yes, if only we could all be perfectly engineered like her, we could ride out on magical unicorns to defeat the Collectors with our kick-ass rainbow lasers."

Jacob coughed on his bagel. "I'd actually pay credits to see that."

"I'd just like to invent a rainbow laser. People would pay good money for that."

Kelly Chambers, the yeoman aboard the Normandy, smiled faintly and sipped on her drink. "The XO is only doing her job, Commander."

"So am I," she said with a wink. "And my job is to do the most sensible thing, which is to get us stocked up and ready. The Collectors like dropping in on me from time to time, as you may recall."

Jacob said, "Yeah, I saw how well that turned out for you last time."

She raised her eyebrows in silent agreement and picked at her meager breakfast till finished.

Departing from the crew's deck, Ellure crossed the hall into the captain's cabin and plopped down at her desk. To her right, set a picture of Kaidan. She made sure to take a mental note that whoever thought that was necessary was sticking their nose way too far into her personal life.

She sifted through her stack of dossiers one last time and synced her terminal into the bridge. "Joker, set a course for the Citadel. We've got a master thief to enlist."

"Do you need me to notify Executive Commander Lawson?"

"I've already taken care of that."

"Aye aye, Commander."

Miranda typed up her report. Six weeks had passed, and they had five of their dossiers completed. The commander's opening of the tank, containing a "baby" krogan, was one risky moment she doubted would have panned out so well.

Shepard was moving along promptly and efficiently, overall. She wished they'd picked up the salarian scientist sooner but that woman had a mind of her own. Perhaps the Illusive Man was right to leave out the chip. Things were getting done, no need to complain about how it was done.

After hitting send, she eased back and began sorting through the Cerberus database updates. Shepard was currently seeking out their final Omega recruit and had taken Goto and Subject Zero with her. They already seemed surprisingly fond of the commander. It bothered her a little, seeing as Shepard took them or the krogan with her to almost every stop, but this wasn't a mission on making friends.

She stopped scrolling as a particular file caught her eye. The Hugo Gernsback? She's heard the name of this ship before. The distress signal was sent from a small planet located in the Alpha Draconis system.

Should she tell him? Would he assume she had done this for the wrong reason? She didn't want him to think she was trying to cause him grief or rekindle something that wasn't meant to be. Jacob was still cold toward her, as she'd expected. Things hadn't been the same since she called it off. He agreed it was mutual, but being around each other every day was only increasing the strain between them.

She decided to use her understanding of the Cerberus network to hack through and send it anonymously. He could find it on his own, and it would keep her out of the picture. At least she had found a way to keep this one promise she'd made to him that night.

"This doesn't look good for Archangel."

Ellure noted the worried expression over Jack's face. Not a good sign, she thought.

"Relax. We've got nothing better to do." Kasumi Goto displayed a sly smirk as she popped in a heat sink and cocked her heavy pistol. "Besides, it'll be fun."

"Let's give these boys a surprise of our own then. Whoever this guy is, he better be damn good."

"It could be a woman..." She paused. Kasumi shrugged. "You never know."

"I have a gut feeling it's not," she answered, checking through the crosshairs of her M-92 Mantis. Using Jack for a distraction she signaled to Kasumi. Together, they cloaked and crept their way down the bridge in and out of cover.

"What the hell? You guys are so sweet to me. So fuck you." Jack flared her biotics to life.

Taking down an Eclipse after a precise shot to the back, she observed as Kasumi reappeared across the bridge. Her feminine form took on a new light as she sliced a merc's throat from behind. A low hum reverberated through the sector. Jack marched forward, powering a shockwave up the middle and downing three while tossing two more back simultaneously.

Kasumi nodded toward the scorching blue biotic. "Show off."

"They're with Archangel," shouted a merc as he returned fire.

Waiting for her tactical cloak to recharge, she said, "Looks like they're onto us now."

"Shame," said Kasumi, "I was enjoying the element of surprise."

Ellure took lead, advancing through the apartment. With her limited ammo, every shot was made to count. It was a challenge that she reveled in.

Reaching the second floor, they pelted down the remaining mercs trying to break into the sealed entrance at the end of the hall. As she reloaded her rifle, the light on the door flashed from red to green. She glanced back to her squadmates. "I guess he saw us coming."

The room was littered with scattered about bullet casings and burned out clips. From the look of things, he'd been here awhile. She halted. He was definitely turian. The way he steadied his rifle for a shot, she couldn't help but feel a memory tugging at the back of her mind. Pressing closer, she tried to acquire his attention. "Archangel?"

He composedly picked off a merc attempting to sneak across. Rolling up to his full height, she watched him cross the room. She was guessing a solid six foot five by his long-limbed gait. A blue with black trim helmet was removed and left to rest on a nearby end table as he sat down on a stack of crates. Her heart swelled with realization.

"Shepard... I thought you were dead..."

"Garrus!" She strode up and punched his shoulder in excitement. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing..." Garrus pored over her every detail. The evidence was jolting. "It sure is good to see a friendly face." Red cybernetics glowed through trace scars. She had the same contradicting soft and stern tones in her eyes, the same body movements, and the same sweet floral scent that mingled with her sweat - he always remembered that from before.

The tiny, marked up human following her said, "I take it you know this fucker?"

Shepard smiled brightly. "You could say that."

Relishing the enthusiasm in her voice, he struggled to keep focused on the task at hand. "What do you say we funnel all these witless idiots into scope? Then we'll talk. The Blood Pack and Blue Suns are all that's left now." He got to his feet and scouted the bridge. Like he'd told his father after their brief exchange, the odds just got a little better.

While Garrus gathered his thoughts on what their next move should be, the ground began to quake under their feet. Walls began to whimper and sway. Datapads, heat sinks, and a few potted plants plummeted to the floor as an alarm began to blare theatrically.

Jack cried, "What the hell?"

Sharing a momentary look with Jack, Ellure concluded their cold biotic killer was starting to show her softer side to be that of a frightened little girl.

Garrus said, "They've breached the lower level. They had to use their brains eventually. You'd better get down there, Shepard. I'll keep the bridge clear."

"We'll split up two and two. Kasumi, stay with Garrus to help hold them off."

Kasumi stuck out her bottom lip and turned to her with a pout. "But I was looking forward to crawling around in the dark basement."

"Thanks, Shepard." Garrus was exhausted and relieved to have the help, yet he worried it would be putting too much of a strain on her.

His mandibles shifted with a smirk when she leaned into her hip and crossed her arms as if daring him to disagree with her. She was already reading his mind. Whatever happened and wherever she'd been all this time, it was still her.

He instructed, "Go down a level. Basement door is on the west side under the stairs. I can radio directions if you need help."

"I got it. We have a lot of catching up to do, and I'll be damned if I let these morons get a hold of you now. Especially after I came all this way to save your sorry ass." Ellure gave him a discreet smile as she gathered up fresh thermal clips and tossed a few to Jack. Stopping to pat Kasumi's shoulder, she whispered, "Keep an eye on him for me and be sure to get in some good hits. His ego is big enough already."

"Good luck down there, Shep."

Ellure slammed the last shutter door closed as Garrus' voice rang through her visor, flanging more deeply than usual. "Hurry, Shepard. Garm and his men have made it through the door."

"We're on our way." She bolted with Jack on her heels, backtracking through twisted corridors and sprinting back up the steps to see the basement door had already been blasted open.

Seizing the pistol from its holster, she set to work on vorcha till Kasumi arrived to assist. They crept along the base of the stairs, corralling the pack right to him. If he was anything like she remembered, they didn't stand a chance.

In the threshold, Garm was unconsciously breathing his last. She stepped over and walked up to Garrus. One solid shot was fired from behind her, and she turned to see Jack replacing her shotgun onto her lower back.

The girl's brown eyes narrowed defensively. "What?"

She shelved her weapon. "All clear."

"Thanks. They hardly got through to me." Severe blue eyes held hers hostage. "This day just gets better and better. That just leaves the Blue Suns left. If we hurry-"

"Archangel," boomed a loudspeaker, "you think you can screw with the Blue Suns?"

Ellure tensed as the gunship rose. "I thought we'd taken care of that!"

A spray of ammunition shattered the window, and Garrus flew to the side, landing face down with a pained growl. He wasn't moving. "Garrus," she called, running full speed, folding one knee under to slide across the floor and stop beside him.

"Shit." Jack skidded down with her and threw a barrier up around them.

It was too late. She was already gaping at the pooling of blue underneath him. Her eyes burned hot as she grabbed her weapon and set her sights.

"Get the fuck down," Jack yelled, dropping her shield and pouncing up over the couch, yanking Kasumi down with her.

They sunk into cover as she crouched low out to the edge wall with her boots crunching through glass. Several missiles fired fluidly into the cockpit, and the gunship hurdled down in a ball of fire and twisted metal, leaving them all with a somber silence.

Ellure tucked away her launcher. She lowered onto her knees and rolled him over with her armored hand. Anything but this, she thought. "Garrus, just hold on. Stay with me."

Gun metal blue eyes snapped open, and he gasped for air. Gurgling resonated from his chest amongst hisses and groans as blood drenched the side of his face and neck; a melted hole in his armor not far from his wounds.

Urging with a mix of relief and fear, she said steadily, "Kasumi, radio Joker and make sure they're ready for us."

Jack knelt over him and brought out her Omni-tool, scanning as Ellure tossed her a Medi-gel pack. "Hope you didn't need this guy too much..."

The spectacle of three human females carting a heavily armored turian through the backstreets of Omega created an abundance of gapers. Most here knew well enough to keep out of someone else's business. And if they didn't, they should.

Along with the snarky comments from Jack, Ellure included her own share of intimidations to keep the busybodies at bay. She battled to keep her arms hooked under his shoulders as they shambled in unison.

Noting the curious stare of an asari, she considered how much their attire could be a contributing factor to their conspicuousness. Her own black N7 armor with blue-camo overlay, Jack's strategically placed chest straps and copious amount of tattoos, and Kasumi's dark black, grey trimmed hooded ensemble was certainly not helping with their attempt at subtlety.

Arriving at the loading dock, she struggled to keep him elevated as they were met by Jacob, Professor Mordin Solus, and Doctor Karin Chawkas at the airlock. Scooped under his waist, Jack's arms were visibly shaking as Kasumi held his knees and guided him through the entryway.

Having cleared the threshold, Jacob filled in for Jack as the signs of wear and tear from burning her biotics became more apparent.

Mordin placed a hand on Kasumi's shoulder and said, "Can take him from here. Haven't much time."

Kasumi nodded and stepped aside to sit at the resource scanning console on the bridge with Joker.

Supporting the side of his head against her chest, Ellure steadied his shoulders as best as she could.

Chakwas said, "I can take him."

No matter how much she wanted to believe that statement, she directed, "I got it. Let's get those elevator doors open."

"Yes, Commander." Chakwas rushed away but not without casting a calculative look over his injuries as she passed.

After leaving him in the medical bay, the hours ticked, one by one. Anger burned through her veins as she paced the debriefing room floor, listening to her own footsteps, trying to drown out Jacob's rambling. She knew he meant well, but he was trying to prepare her for the worst, and she wasn't ready to accept that. Another loss like this was too much to endure. The memories of Virmire weren't that far away to her.

Ashley Williams may not have been one of her closest friends on the SSV, she always made her feelings more than well-known about the alien crew members aboard, but she was a soldier through and through. Someone you could always count on to follow orders when crunch time came. In the end of it all, Ashley was the one to come through for each of them when it mattered most.

"The Doc's corrected him with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but-" The hiss of the doors interrupted Jacob's words. After a stunned pause, he continued, "Damn tough son of a bitch."

Garrus Vakarian entered tall and assured like she'd always remembered. He gestured to his injuries and said, "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"

Her pacing simmered. "Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on it and no one will even notice."

Wincing with a turian-style smirk, he swayed into a more sanguine stance. "Some women find facial scars attractive... Mind you, most of those women are krogan."

Moments after facing death, he was already cracking jokes. She shook her head.

"I'll let you two catch up." Jacob said and respectfully nodded.

Following the close of the doors, Garrus continued, "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. I've heard some bad things about Cerberus these past few years."

"That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus. If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side."

"You do realize this plan has me walking into hell too..." He rasped a laugh and scratched the good side of his face with one finger. "Just like old times, huh?"

She smiled and shrugged. "I guess it is."