Chapter 1

A/N - Here we go again! Wanted to post this earlier but had some sort of error when trying to post a new story on the site and decided to leave it for a few days. Might've mentioned it towards the end of the first part but this one will hopefully stray a bit more away from the canon story. I believe that will make it more entertaining to read. Please note that I'll post the first two chapters at once so that you don't miss the second one.

"...ander!" A distant voice yelled through the filters of technology. Squirming, Shepard tried to roll over to try and defend her sleep with the help of a pillow. Sluggishly, she searched around with her hand but couldn't feel anything other than the cold, hard substance she was on.

"...ing hell..." She murmured before realizing that something wasn't right. Her bed wasn't cold nor hard. It was warm and soft.

"...ard, can... ar me?" The voice kept nagging her and Shepard tried opening her eyes with as much strength she could muster. This was when she realised she didn't have much strength at all.

"... I don't remember drinking last night..." She wheezed out. Her throat was as dry as a desert. After some struggle, she was in a sitting position and her eyes were busy adjusting the light. Whatever it was that she had done last night she would not repeat.

"Commander Shepard!" The voice yelled and now Shepard noticed that the voice was wrong as well. It neither belonged to Joker nor any other crew member that she knew of. Coughing lightly and frowning at the pain it brought with it, Shepard responded to the voice that seemed so eager to gain her attention.

"What is it and who are you?" She struggled to voice as she looked around the room she was in. This was not The Normandy unless they had done some major rebuilding while she was out. "... And where am I?"

"Good, you're awake." Well, who would be able to sleep through your constant screaming? Shepard wanted to ask that as well but her throat still cursed her for the words she had already let out. "Just remain calm and I'll get you out of there."

"Are we in a hurry?" Shepard asked as she swung her legs over the side. Now that her eyes could actually see, she recognized the thing she had been laying on as a medical bench. "...Did I get injured?" She followed up. Her mind struggled trying to remember exactly what had happened before she had been out cold.

"All your questions will be answered. For now, I need you to search the desk behind you, next to the door." Looking over her shoulder, she saw the desk mentioned and cursed how far away it was. With shaky legs, she jumped off the bench and slowly made her way over to her goal. She felt completely helpless as she walked and wondered how badly she had been hurt. It felt like she had not used her muscles in years.

"What am I searching for?" Shepard asked whoever it was that had woken her up. She was impressed at how quickly the woman on the other end had gone from frantically tried to wake her up only to become completely calm once she had succeeded. She must be a professional in whatever it is she does.

"The gun in the top drawer." She answered in the same calm voice and now Shepard's mind was sending off alarms all over the place. She had just woken up in, what seemed to be, a hospital of some sort, and now she was asked to jump into a fight?

"And wh-" She was about to ask for more information before the other woman interrupted her.

"Geth are inside the facility. I'm sure you understand that a gunshot to their head is the only way to communicate with them." That only raised more questions in Shepard's head. What place was deemed important enough for the geth to launch an attack on it? Were they after her? "Grab the gun and leave the room. Find cover quickly, some of them are on their way." That was the kind of info that Shepard liked. Short and direct. She quickly grabbed the gun and headed out the door.

"So where are they coming from?" She asked just as a shot passed by over her head. She quickly ducked behind the nearest container and noticed once again how dull her senses were. "Never mind..." She grumbled as she shook her head to regain her focus.

"You've been out of it for a while, Commander. Just take it slow and easy." The woman instructed, almost like Shepard was in the middle of a training session and nothing more.

"This better not be some elaborate prank." She said as she began shooting towards the geth. There only seemed to be two of them. Which was a relief, considering her aim. A missed shot after missed shot. It was like her arms and eyes had zero coordination.

"Take a deep breath and fo-"

"I know how to fucking shoot a gun!" Shepard snapped. She was not some fresh recruit that had never held a gun before. She had taken down countless of geth before these. She had even taken down krogan, ancient beings and even Saren only months prior to this. Might have been more than a couple of months though, depending on how long she was out cold. It took a few shots and a few lucky dodges but soon the geth were down and Shepard stood up, breathing heavily and sweat running down her forehead. "I'm so out of of shape..." She mumbled to herself.

"That's to be expecte-"

"How low do I have to whisper for you to not be able to hear me!?" Shepard exclaimed as she began moving towards the first door she could see.

"Don't take that way." The voice ordered and Shepard angrily stopped and looked up to the nearest security cam. "The door to your left is a much safer route." The voice suggested before an explosion was heard on the other end. "I won't be able to lead you but continue down the path I suggested and you should run into someo-" Was all that was heard before the communication abruptly ended. Shepard remained standing in the middle of the room with a hand resting on her hip and the other still getting familiar with the weight of the gun. A feeling that she never thought she would feel again.

"What the fuck is going on..." She asked herself, hoping that the old voice, or a new one, would suddenly appear to answer. Shaking her head, she headed through the suggested door, hoping that she would get some answers soon. She hated having to fumble around in the dark like this.