Author's Note: We're going to move in and out of canon in this story. The events will intertwine with much of the timeline of Mass Effect 3 but we won't be following the exact order of events laid out in the game and some missions will not occur at all. The majority of the story will be set in the Mass Effect world, with a few scenes set in Dragon Age: Origins. We hope you enjoy unraveling the mystery!

The Next Great Adventure

Arrival

The Normandy, 2183

The first time he 'saw' her was just after Eden Prime.

Strange, disjointed images invaded his thoughts, offering tantalising glimpses which faded to nothing just before they took shape. Were they in his thoughts, though? Or could he actually seethem?

"Hey! Look!" he heard a far-off female voice cry. "He's coming round!"

One hand grabbed his shoulder, another clasped his own hand, which flailed wildly through the air. "It's okay, Commander," said a softer, male voice. "Just take it easy."

His eyes opened, and it took him a minute to register the three people who surrounded his bed. To his left was Kaidan, who was gently but firmly holding his shoulder down, and to his right was Ashley, who clutched his hand. At the foot of his bed stood Dr. Chakwas, wearing a perma-raised eyebrow, her face a study in professionalism and calm.

"Where is she?" Shepard blurted out, Kaidan's strong hand preventing him from sitting up. Shepard covered his eyes with his forearm and muttered under his breath while Chakwas and Ashley exchanged a glance.

"We're... right here, Commander," replied Williams, waving her hand in front of Shepard's face as he uncovered it and struggled to focus on her.

"No… the-the woman… where is she?" Shepard asked again, and propped himself up on his elbows, his eyes darting around the med bay.

Chakwas moved to the head of the bed – Kaidan stepping aside to allow her room – and looked down at Shepard before entering something on her datapad. "You were out for fifteen hours, Commander," she stated coolly, although her brow was wrinkled in concern. "What do you remember?"

Shepard stared blankly at the far wall for a minute, his eyes narrowing slightly as he struggled to make sense of the maelstrom swirling around in his head. And then his eyes widened, his breath rushing out of his lungs.

"I saw her again! She's here, in my head! Where…" He swung his legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand but was body-blocked by Williams.

"Commander, you need to lie down," she said forcefully, hands on her hips.

Shepard sighed, feeling woozy and disorientated. He was in no shape to argue with the feisty woman and glanced at Chakwas, who touched Williams's arm, causing her to step back.

"What did you see?" prompted the doctor.

"I saw… I can't make sense of any of it. Machines… flesh… blood."

"Sounds like a nightmare," Kaidan commented, shaking his head.

"What about the woman? Who was she?" Ashley questioned just as Captain Anderson entered.

"It's the only thing that's clear," Shepard mumbled. "I kept seeing a woman with blonde hair and really vivid blue eyes. Pretty."

Anderson moved to the bedside, Ashley and Kaidan straightening up and saluting. Shepard attempted the same, but was stopped by Anderson's outstretched hand.

"How's he holding up?" the captain asked Chakwas, who passed her datapad to him for inspection. He took a minute to read it before nodding. "Hm. Well, glad to see you're on your feet, Shepard," he said to his XO before looking at Kaidan and Ashley. "Dismissed."

They gave another salute before Williams turned back to Shepard. "You know where we are if you need us," she said, and Kaidan shook Shepard's hand before leaving with Chakwas, who promised to return after the men's debriefing.

9:30 Dragon
Outside of Lothering

The first time she 'saw' him was just after her Joining. Ostagar had been lost and she and Alistair had barely escaped with their lives.

She'd slept in fitful spells, each short period of peace infected with the 'song' of the Archdemon. The visions of darkspawn monstrosity swallowed her whole, the heat of their lair, the smell of their foul forms permeating every moment until she heard an unfamiliar voice off in the distance.

It was then that the dream changed.

She wasn't sure of the purpose of the words he spoke. His language she knew, but his accent was one she'd never heard before. He didn't approach, just lingered at the edge of her dream, his outline clear, his dress foreign.

"Now! Go now!" he commanded, his blue eyes alight with certainty. She woke then, his voice still clear in her mind, her heart thundering in her chest.

"Bad dreams?" Alistair had asked her and it was then that he told her of her new connection to the darkspawn and the Archdemon.

She'd quietly accepted what he'd shared with her, but the images she'd seen plagued her, and finally, days later, she'd asked her fellow warden about the details of her dream.

Alistair had confirmed that much of the dream was shared, their individual visions apparently not so individual after all: the only deviation from their mutual vision was the man she'd seen at its close.

"No, there's no man in the dream, Abby," he'd answered, shaking his head. "Horrifying dragon that seems to be looking directly at you? Check. Stinking, putrid horde all excited about killing us? Check. But strange man in odd clothing… nope, no check. I haven't seen him."

"Is it possible that not everything would be the same?" she'd asked, her uncertainty at her understanding of what she'd seen increasing with each shake of his head. "Perhaps our dreams vary?"

Alistair had simply shrugged. "To be honest, Abby, you know about as much as I do. I wouldn't worry about it too much."

Eventually, when she'd grown accustomed to the nightmares, she'd learned to ignore the horror they struck into her heart. It would be months before she saw the man again, but when she did, she couldn't ignore the courage his words gave her.

Knossos System, 2183

The second time he saw her was after Liara had been rescued from the prothean ruins on Therum, and the newly-appointed Spectre Shepard had succeeded Anderson as CO of the Normandy.

This time, he regained consciousness more easily, and felt a gentle presence guide him back to the waking world. His eyes opened to find warm blue hands resting against his cheeks, and searching blue eyes gazing into his own.

"Shepard," Liara breathed, still cradling his face with her hands, "how was it?"

He blinked and glanced around, slowly remembering that he and Liara were standing in the conference room, his senior staff seated around them. "I saw the woman again!" he declared excitedly before Liara swayed, and he grabbed her by the arms.

"What did you do to him?" Ashley demanded of Liara, who Shepard was guiding to a chair.

"She helped me," Shepard defended with a stern look at Ashley as he took a seat next to the asari scientist. "I saw more of the blonde woman. She was standing right next to me. She's almost as tall as I am. Her clothing… it was so strange. Like a short dress, but there were… buckles, straps. Made of some kind of animal skin, I think. It's like she's from a different time. Maybe a long time."

"I wonder who she is?" Kaidan asked curiously. "And why do you keep seeing her?"

"I also saw her," Liara provided. "She was not a prothean, but human. She was quite beautiful."

"Glad there are still some humans around here," Williams commented sourly, and Shepard glared at her before Liara clutched her head.

"You should lie down," Shepard advised her. "Go see Dr. Chakwas. She'll check you over."

"Yes… all right," Liara mumbled, rising with a little assistance from Shepard.

"The rest of you are dismissed," Shepard ordered and waited as the senior crew filed out. "Williams," he said just before Ashley reached the door, and he didn't speak again until the room was clear. "Would you care to explain your comments just now?"

She raised her chin defiantly, meeting Shepard's hard stare. "Sir, I don't approve of aliens who we've only just met performing mind tricks on you. Who knows what she's put into your head?"

Exasperated, he paced a little before facing her and folding his arms. "Is that all?"

"Sir?"

"Is it really because she's an 'alien'," he said with emphasis, making air quotations with his fingers, "or because she's a woman? Or, more accurately, because her species look like women? Just what is your problem?"

Ashley stiffened, her eyes glinting. "You've already made it clear that you're not interested in me."

"So it's the 'alien' thing, then?"

"I believe T'Soni's trying to manipulate you," she accused. "All the gentle touches, the dizzy spells… and she did something to your mind. She said she'd be able to help you make sense of your visions, but even she – an expert on the protheans – couldn't make sense of it. What was the point of it all?"

"Yes, she did do something – she made the vision more vivid. Now I can see more of the woman's features. She has long eyelashes and a few freckles on her nose. I almost feel like I know her, but I can't place her."

"Excuse me, Commander, but listen to yourself," she retorted. "You're describing yourself – you have blond hair, blue eyes and freckles on your nose." She stepped closer to Shepard, her arms folded. "This so-called vision was implanted in your mind by an alien device, and it was amplified by another alien, one who seems to be soft on you."

"There is nothing 'so-called' about my vision, Gunnery Chief!"

"Yeah, and there's nothing 'so-called' about the way Liara looks at you, either. Sir."

Shepard stared at her in disbelief for a moment before scrubbing his face with his hands. "All right. For the record, I am not attracted to women, period. You need to stop taking this so personally, Williams."

Ashley's face fell and she appeared to pale a little. "Oh. I see." She swallowed and straightened up. "Sorry, Commander. I thought-"

"You thought wrong," he replied and paused for a beat, keeping his voice steady. "This needs to stop. And I don't want to hear any more about how the 'aliens' are trying to control us. Liara is an ally, as are Garrus and Wrex. And give me a little credit for having a mind of my own."

"Yes, sir," she replied with admirable steadiness and dignity, snapping a salute. "I'm sorry."

He watched her for a moment, and realised that part of him understood her fears and sympathised with her, now that he'd effectively crushed her hopes of a romance between them. "You're a damn good soldier, Williams, as well as a friend. I hope this isn't going to affect that."

She gave a single nod and turned on her heel, heading for the door. Before leaving, however, she looked over her shoulder. "Just so you know, Commander, if you have any designs on LT-"

"Kaidan's not my type," he interrupted, "and I'm sure as hell not his."

"Good answer," she replied tartly, and a faint smile passed between them before she sailed through the doorway.

9:30 Dragon
Outside of Denerim

She saw him for a second time just before the Landsmeet, but his appearance at the vision's close was almost forgotten.

The wardens again shared the dream of the Archdemon, but this time it was much more vivid and deadly in its message, and the man's call was nearly lost in the panic the scenes brought her.

Abby and Alistair awoke to a fierce fight, shrieks attacking the haven of their camp and it wasn't until long after that she could reflect on what had transpired.

Alistair was nervous, the knowledge that the Archdemon had actively sought them out rattling him, but for Abby, it had demonstrated something else altogether. It was no longer the sheer numbers of the darkspawn that made her blood run cold, but the Archdemon's choice to attack their camp. It proved it was thinking tactically and that made the entirety of the event all the more horrendous. And yet...

This time, the strange man's call, "Now! Go now!" had been heard at a crucial moment. Had he not cried out to her, had she not seen the red stripe on his uniform, the odd number on his chest, would she have awoken before being sliced in two by the shriek that stood over her?

Again Alistair didn't know of the man she spoke of, again and again he discounted the value of the mysterious person's role in her dream, but she could not. Everything within her knew he was more than a straggling idea and she understood that he'd saved her life.

The question that plagued her stopped being who and grew into why. And, weeks later as she drove the shard of what remained of her father's sword into the Archdemon's body, as the light and heat of its death tore through her, she heard the mysterious man again.

"Now! Go now!"

And then she heard nothing more. Not for a very long time.

The Normandy, 2183

The third time he saw her was at Saren's base on Virmire just before encountering Sovereign for the first time. As he was accompanied by Liara and Williams, however, he kept it quiet.

Upon his return to the Normandy, he and the rest of the crew were too devastated by Ashley's subsequent death to discuss the mission in anything more than a perfunctory manner. After sending his report to the Fifth Fleet and deciding, on this occasion, not to inform the unsupportive Council, he checked in on Kaidan before retiring to his office on the Crew Deck.

A few hours later, Kaidan visited Shepard, finding the commander with his omni-tool activated, a large screen suspended in mid-air above his desk.

"Is that the woman?" Kaidan asked, looking up at the screen as he sat down.

"Best I can get her," Shepard answered. "I've been trying to draw her while the memory's fresh. Way to take my mind off things, I guess," he added with a half-hearted shrug. "Shame I can't draw."

"Does it look like her, though?" queried Kaidan, glad for the distraction.

Shepard looked up at the screen, committing his drawing of her face to memory before closing his eyes and sighing. "Kinda. But something's not right. I don't know what. It's really bugging me."

He opened his eyes and took a second look, realising that he hadn't quite got her eyes right. He re-opened the image creator program on his omni-tool and tinkered with his creation, grunting in annoyance when his efforts proved unsuccessful. "It's her eyes. I can't get them to look like the picture I have in my head."

Kaidan tilted his head and studied the drawing for a while. "You know... she kinda looks like you. Similar lips, and the nose is almost an exact match. She has the same colouring as you, too."

"Huh," Shepard mumbled. "Ash said something like that. Maybe my memory isn't as reliable as I'd thought."

"Well, maybe you should ask Liara? She saw the woman as well. Maybe she could help out?"

"That's a good idea, Lieutenant," Shepard replied, but made no move to stand up, and both men stared into space for several minutes before Shepard broke the silence. "I shouldn't be doing this. I'm still waiting to hear from Ash's family. Alliance Command's informed them, but I wanted to speak to them too. Just wish I knew what the hell to say."

"Tell them the truth," advised Kaidan. "She died a hero."

Shepard stared down at his boots. "She died because…" He shook his head, and Kaidan leaned forward in his chair, clasping his hands together.

"You spent more than an hour with me this afternoon convincing me that it wasn't my fault. Well, it wasn't yours, either, sir. You had to make a decision, and fast. If I'd been down on the ground, you would have made the same decision, because it was the one that saved the most lives, and you'd be having this conversation with Ash. You're our commander because you can make the hard decisions – you didn't hesitate, even though it's tearing you up right now. You did the right thing, Shepard," he said with conviction, though his voice faltered. "Ash agreed."

Shepard stared up at the screen, and the reproduction of the mysterious blonde woman. "I'm insulting Ash's memory by playing with this thing," he said, irritated with himself. "Come on," he invited Kaidan before standing up. "We've got a memorial service to arrange."

The image of the blonde woman fizzled out as Shepard deactivated the screen, and he forgot about her for a very long time.

After the Killing Blow

Nothing made sense to her, everything was bright and moving, and she felt like she was swimming in the chaos around her, maybe even drowning. Her eyes couldn't keep up with the commotion, her focus lost.

The pain was extraordinary and completely unexpected. She'd done what Riordan had commanded: she'd turned down Morrigan's offer and had sunk her blade into the beast, so why wasn't she dead?

She felt people around her, touching her, speaking to her and over her, but as her vision fixed on what surrounded her, she was overwhelmed with fear. Lights flashed and music thundered near her, and the structures that seemed to touch the very sky had pictures moving across them.

Was this the Golden City?

A stabbing pain shot through her and she closed her eyes against it, the intensity making her cry out. The people around her, many of whom looked like nothing she'd ever seen before, drew closer and she sensed their concern.

And then, she saw him for the third time.

Kneeling close, his features finally clear, she saw his kind blue eyes and heard his words, and tried to hold onto him, to latch on before he slipped away and she was left alone in the noise and the lights.

She felt a touch and then, he was gone.

The Citadel, Present Day

"Well, Joker. I guess that's answered that question."

"Bite me, Cortez."

The flight lieutenants deactivated their tech armor and stepped out of the Armax Arena onto the Silversun plaza, one of them looking very pleased with himself, the other less so. Behind them – trying but failing to maintain their stern demeanours – were the commander of the Normandy and his sometimes-XO, Major Alenko.

"Didn't know you were into that kind of thing," purred Steve with a wink at the affronted Joker, who held his hands up and limped ahead.

"Children," Kaidan remonstrated good-naturedly. "So you had a bet, and one of you lost. Why don't we all be mature adults about this?"

"Yeah, why don't we?" Shepard interjected with a pointed look at Cortez. "Wouldn't want to give anyone the wrong idea, would we?"

Cortez dropped back a little and sidled closer to Shepard. "I was just trying to soften the blow of his humiliating defeat. You know I only have eyes for one man," he finished on a whisper.

Shepard cleared his throat, firmly suppressed a grin and walked after Joker, leaving a beaming Cortez to catch up with Kaidan. "Hey, Joker!" called the commander. "Wanna grab some noodles?"

"Only if he quits rubbing my nose in it," Joker griped, nodding towards Steve. "So you won. Whoop-de-fucking-doo."

"Hey, I'm magnanimous in victory," declared Cortez, holding his arms wide open. "How about a hug, show there are no hard feelings?"

"Yeah, it's hard feelings I'm afraid of. I'll pass on the hug, thanks." Joker moved to Shepard's side and pointed at Cortez. "You can sit opposite me. And no footsies."

"Hey, what's that? Guys, take a look over there," Kaidan said, turning to look at a small commotion further down the Strip. Quickly, Shepard moved to his side and they watched as the small contingent of C-Sec officers attempted to hold back the growing crowd.

"Come on, Spectre Alenko," said Shepard, and both men, who were still fully-armored, made their way towards the clamour, pushing past the spectators.

"What's going on here?" Shepard demanded, his eyes widening when he looked down at the ground.

"I don't know, Commander," answered a baffled C-Sec officer. "She just… appeared."

"Jesus, give her some air!" Kaidan commanded, and the people in the crowd stepped back but did not depart. He crouched down next to Shepard, who was examining the bloodied, battered body of a barely-conscious human female wearing a very odd ensemble of clothing. "How bad is she?" Kaidan asked as Shepard scanned her with his omni-tool.

"Bad," Shepard said gruffly, administering medi-gel, and he indicated that Kaidan should do the same. Shepard looked up at the crowd and pointed to the far end of the Strip. "He said give her some air! Get outta here!" he ordered, and the spectators, wisely deciding not to disobey him, slowly started to leave, any stragglers moved along by C-Sec.

"What the hell?" asked Joker, who had been held back by the departing spectators, and Steve squatted next to the two Spectres.

"Shhh, she's gotta be terrified," Cortez said, watching her with concern. Her eyes met his. "Ma'am? It's okay, you're safe."

Her gaze darted away and she stared straight up, her vivid blue eyes unblinking, and Shepard felt his stomach flip as he recognized them.

"What's she looking at?" Joker asked, also glancing up at the sky cars which hummed overhead, and the dazzling neon displays along the Strip.

"Steve's right, she's terrified," Shepard deduced from her rapid breathing and stiffened posture. He tapped his omni-tool and frowned at the readout. "Shit, her heart rate's sky high. We need more than medi-gel, we need Chakwas! Steve?"

Cortez leapt to his feet and nodded.

"Now! Go now!" Shepard ordered as he watched her heart rate spike on his screen, and Cortez raced off. "Kaidan, can you–"

"I got it." Kaidan entered a rapid command and administered a sedative, which quickly took effect. The woman's eyes began to flutter closed before they became fixated on the N7 logo on Shepard's chest plate. She gasped and tried to grab him but her arm didn't quite reach him and flopped onto her chest, her eyes closing and her body falling limp.

"What now?" Kaidan asked Shepard, who was already scooping her up into his arms.

"We get her somewhere quiet and safe. Then we need to figure out who she is."

At that moment, one of the C-Sec officers walked over to them, having dealt with the hangers-on. "Do you know this woman, Commander?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, I think so," he mumbled, hardly able to believe what he was saying. Ignoring the curious looks he was receiving from his friends, he clutched her tightly against his chest. "I'll take responsibility for her, Officer. Spectre authority."

"Of course, Commander, Major," said the turian officer, who entered a quick report onto his datapad before leaving.

"Let's take her to the apartment," Shepard said. "Hopefully Steve will return with Dr. Chakwas soon and we'll figure this out."

"Wouldn't Huerta Memorial be better for her?" Joker asked as Kaidan picked up a few strange objects from the ground.

"No, that's not an option," Shepard stated. He didn't know what was happening, but he did know she needed to be around as few people as possible, and that once she awoke, they'd need a chance to speak privately. "Let's get her moved and quickly."

"What the hell?" Kaidan muttered, examining the woman's possessions.

"What have you got there?" Shepard asked Kaidan, who held a small pouch containing thin wooden sticks and a large, curved piece of wood, joined at each end by a taut string.

Joker took one of the sticks from the pouch. "Never seen anything like it," he commented, examining the arrow in his hand, noticing the engravings down its shaft.

"Maybe for hunting? But why would she have it here?" Kaidan wondered as he separated the quiver from the bow. "It can't be offensive. Our armor would snap those things in half or fry them."

"Bring them with us," Shepard directed and Kaidan nodded. "Let's get her upstairs and quickly. Come on."

"Okay," Joker began, "but I still think the hospital's-"

"Objection noted," Shepard interrupted sternly, his tone brooking no argument. Carefully, he steadied the woman into his arms and moved toward the elevator that would take them to the apartment.

~o~O~o~

Shepard roamed the kitchen of his apartment aimlessly, his nerves jarred by the arrival of the woman. Steve had, of course, made good on his promise to bring Chakwas back quickly, and while the men waited, the doctor assessed their mysterious guest's condition.

James had come in from his night at the arcade and had quickly been given an update on the evening's events. He, Kaidan and Steve were lounging by the fireplace, speaking in low voices as Shepard prowled the rest of the main floor, waiting to pounce on Chakwas when she emerged from the back bedroom.

He paused at the island in the center of the kitchen again and moved around a few pots and pans, his fingers tapping on the cool countertop before he pushed away and began another lap of the apartment.

"You're gonna wear the floor out," Joker said. The pilot was seated at the island, a beer in hand, and had quietly been watching Shepard pace for the last twenty minutes or so. "Plus, you're getting on my nerves with all this pacing. What're you so worked up about anyway?"

Steve entered the kitchen before Shepard could reply.

"Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing, Adam," Steve began. "I know finding that poor woman was a bit unexpected, but to be honest, you've had more interesting surprises than that before, most of which didn't even faze you."

Shepard sighed and nodded. "There's more to it than that," he explained. "I think… I believe I may know her. Or at least, I've seen her before. And if I'm right, then I can't begin to understand what it could mean."

Joker laughed. "Hey, man, I'm sure that whatever you need to share with us, Cortez will understand that we all have a past. Don't sweat it."

Steve smiled softly but Shepard shook his head.

"She's the woman from your vision, isn't she?" Kaidan asked as he too entered the kitchen, James at his side. "It took me a little, but I remembered that drawing you made after Virmire. It's her, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I think it is," Shepard replied, his voice hollow.

"Vision?" James asked, looking between the major and the commander. "Is this the one you got from that beacon on Eden Prime?"

"The first hints we had of the Reapers," Steve muttered under his breath. "But I've read that report, it doesn't say anything about a woman."

"It does," Shepard countered. "It's just not all that specific in her description."

James nodded slowly, his hands on his hips. "There was a part that talked about you seeing a female that you implied was possibly human. But the analysts didn't think it was related to the core message, they figured it was a lingering image of some sort."

"Right," Shepard nodded. "The consensus was that she was separate from the intended communication. Her appearance didn't seem to connect with anything that was seen and since the original report was made, we've met Javik, who's confirmed humans weren't affected by the last cycle."

Kaidan leaned against the end of the island and crossed his arms. "Javik's information seemed to solidify the general belief that the woman in the commander's vision was unrelated. But I remember how clearly you saw her, how certain you were at the time that she was connected in some way."

"I was," the commander agreed, gesturing to the back bedroom where the woman was being treated by Chakwas. "Looks like I was right, too. But as much as I love proving anyone sitting in a lab analyzing my work wrong, it's opened a real can of worms. Who is she? Why is she here? And what the hell does she have to do with the Reapers?"

"I'd like to add a question to that list of yours, Commander," began Dr. Chakwas as she entered the kitchen from the back hall. "How is she alive?"

Shepard arched an eyebrow. "Isn't that what you do? Keep people from dying?"

She grinned at his cheeky comment. "I do and rather well, as the woman back there can attest, but that's not the point of my question. I've run extensive blood work and while I'd very much like to have Mordin's opinion on what I've found, I do know one thing for certain. Your young lady, who looks to be no more than twenty-two or twenty-three years old, is far older than that."

Kaidan frowned. "How much older? Even covered in blood and wounds, it was hard to miss that she's probably in her early twenties."

"Genetic markers, as well as the inherited immunity traits present in her blood, indicate she is very likely over one thousand years old," Chakwas explained.

"You gotta be kidding me," James said quietly, shaking his head. "How's that possible?"

"Good question," Kaidan added. "Is she even human?"

Joker pulled a face. "If she is, she's using a damned good wrinkle cream."

"She's human, that much I can confirm, but how she's managed to outlive even an asari matriarch is beyond me. And it's possible I'm shaving several hundred years off her actual age."

Shepard's handsome features revealed nothing and his voice was even and steady. "Is she all right?"

Chakwas nodded. "She is. Thanks to your and Kaidan's quick thinking, those medigels saved her life. I merely fine-tuned what you two started," the doctor continued. "Whoever she is, though, she's seen her fair share of injuries, some of which were rather brutal. My scans revealed numerous healed fractures to her legs, one arm, and at least ten ribs. She also suffered from a cracked skull at one point and is covered in scars."

James frowned. "You don't think somebody was hurting her, do you? If so, we need to keep her safe from whatever douche bag might be out there."

Shepard laid his hand on James's shoulder. "I agree and we will, James, that I can promise you. Apart from what she needs, though, I still need answers. We need to talk to her and soon. When will she wake up?"

Kaidan answered that question. "I only gave her a small dose. She'll be up soon."

"Okay," Steve replied before turning to Shepard. "Would you share the details of her part in your vision? I'd like to be of some help in all this."

"You always are," Shepard replied sincerely, smiling softly at the pilot. "Good suggestion. Grab a beer, fellas, and I'll tell you what I saw."