Nothing could prepare Commander Shepard for what she would find out in just moments. As she and Garrus stand there waiting for their dead friend to come out of hiding, their best friend and comrade was being dissected like he was nothing. Thane was suffering while Shepard was distracted by the past and unanswered questions. She worried about Thane, just as she worried about the universe. Garrus stood beside her, his gun in hand, his finger on the trigger. Just a year ago, they were standing in his very spot where all this had happened. Doctor Heart had shown his face and they killed him with ease. They thought that the mission was completed; they thought that the nightmare of selling organs on the black market was over. It was just several months earlier that they found out that everything they knew was a lie. They were now facing something big. It was an evil way of preserving the galaxy but it was something Shepard felt needed to happen. With the information she had about the Reapers, it was inevitable to miss out on a project like this. She had been thinking long and hard about it, never mentioning anything to Garrus. She could lay it all to rest, stop pushing for something this big to stop. With the hybrids, they could make more advanced aliens. They could help stop the Reapers and build anew again. As they waited for Kaiden to arrive (who she knew was a hybrid by now or someone back from the dead like she was), she turned her attention to Garrus, taking in a heavy sigh.

"We have to let this happen."

"What?" Garrus asked, dumbfounded that she would say something like this. He wondered if she was ill or if being sleep deprived had finally gotten to her. Shepard looked down, wondering if her choice was the right one. She should think about the galaxy. Governments were already joining this force. The Alliance was agreeing with this. What are they going to do to stop it? Kill the doctor again? It seems to her that Cerberus has his clutches on this project, no matter what, they couldn't stop him. If she did, she would stop the galaxy from expanding. She didn't want to admit that she was wrong about her motives in the beginning. She was terrified of what Garrus was going to tell her. She had to stand for what was right in a situation like this. Shepard looked back up to Garrus with tears streaming down her face. She didn't want to make this decision. The crap they went through, the mental damage she had to endure, it was all for nothing. Garrus, instead of saying anything, put his weapon in his holster and pulled the Commander in close.

"We will make it," Garrus whispered.

"I want to save everyone," Shepard whispered. She knew that she couldn't, and it killed her. It was killing her that she didn't know where Thane was and how he was probably being tortured by the doctor. She was starting to lose her sanity. Everything was coming to a close, the Reapers were getting closer, and the Hybrids were being made probably in a part of the universe that she has never been to. If this doctor was smart enough, he would have left the galaxy to perform these cruel experiments. There was another solar system outside of the Milky Way that has been researched for years. If he did leave the solar system, there was no stopping him. There was no way they could get Thane back. He was dead and that thought killed Shepard.

"You've made it." Kaiden's voice came out of nowhere causing Shepard to quickly grab her pistol from her hip and point it at the man. He had his hands raised in surrender as if it would stop Shepard from killing him. Garrus had his weapon pointed at Shepard's ex. There were several things Garrus wanted to do to him. He wasn't one for torture but after hearing what he had done to not only the Alliance but what he had done to the woman he loved, he wouldn't mind slowly killing Kaiden again.

Kaiden chuckled, "It's nice isn't it?"

Shepard nor Garrus said anything, Shepard was too sick in her stomach to utter a word to the man.

"To be alive again? Come on Shepard, you have to admit, it's the most refreshing experience-"

"Where is Thane, Kaiden?"

Kaiden laughs, "The Drell? I am sure you already figured it out by now, Shepard."

Her stomach fell. Shepard was trying her best not to let her emotions get to her. She didn't want to lose her Command over the Normandy. Seeing Kaiden though made something come out of her. The man had played with her emotions and then betrayed her and the Alliance. Now, having thought he was dead, he was standing there in front of her. Now he was telling her that her best friend was under a fucking knife, being dissected for this science experiment she didn't even know would work. If this cause everyone was signing up for didn't work and didn't help anyone else in the long run, Shepard was going to come out with vengeance. After the Reapers are through the galaxy and if she was alive, she wouldn't mind tearing a few heads.

"What do you want from us, Kaiden?" Shepard finally asked, "We came here..." She sighed, not sure what else to say. Her mind was still racing about her losing a fellow comrade.

"I know what you came here for, Shepard." Kaiden frowned, "If you and your boy toy here can lower your gun, there is still help for your friend. And your crew."

"You fucking-" Garrus began, Shepard rose her hand to stop him.

"I want to know what you want with Thane. What do you want with us... with anything."

"It's simple Shepard. We need specimens for our little science project. We can resurrect the dead. We can create multiple clones and hybrids, the list is endless." Kaiden smiled. He stepped closer to Shepard and Garrus. Garrus and Shepard both looked at each other, feeling anxious. They could give each other towards Kaiden, they could kill him and stop all of this chaos happening. They knew though, that giving into this would be the way out of this mess. They would be giving up everything that they had been working towards and they knew it. They hated the fact that they were doing something like this but there wasn't anything that they could do. Especially now that Kaiden had ahold of the Normandy and the crew.

"Please... don't hurt the crew. Just... take me."

"We plan on that Shepard, you are a valuable piece to what the doctor wants to do. You too Garrus." Kaiden just smiled at the two, enough to make their skin crawl. Shepard looked at Garrus, and Garrus looked down at her. The fear hidden in their eyes caused them to grab each other's hands. They both took a deep breath and followed Kaiden out of the hidden laboratory. The place where all of this chaos had started. They didn't know what the future held for them but deep down, they were a little excited. It was sickening to know that something like this could make them excited but just knowing that there was going to be a day that they could express their love together and have a child of their own made them smile on the inside. The process of this happening was sick and twisted but Shepard believed that this was the best for the galaxy. They couldn't stop it, it was too good for it to stop. Kaiden brought the small aircraft back to Normandy. Cerberus crew was everywhere. Even where Joker was sitting in his pilot chair. Shepard was glad to see that her crew didn't do anything rash. She did, however, give everyone a reassuring look. She wanted to tell them how everything was going to be alright, how they were all going to be safe in the hands of Cerberus. She knew that it wasn't going to happen. Everyone here was going to die. They were going to be tortured by the doctor who was making himself a god. There was nothing she could do about it though. If Shepard and Garrus opened fire now, or ever, there was going to be a battle here on the Normandy. She believed in her crew but there was too much riding on this. She thought of the possibilities in her mind as she walked toward Joker. The long hallway made her feel uneasy. Everyone was looking at her, begging her with their eyes.

She bit her inner lip. Garrus squeezed her hand. Kaiden went to the copilot seat next to Joker. Joker glared at him while Shepard suffered a flashback. The man that she once knew, the kind heart of Kaiden with the soft, black curly hair and the twinkle in his brown eyes has been long gone. His eyes were filled with resentment while his body was covered in scars. His soft black hair was thinned, a dull black color now. She wanted the old Kaiden back. She wanted to tell him that she was sorry but there was no use in it now. It was too late. Everything was happening and spiraling out of control. She wanted to stop it but she wasn't strong enough.

"Commander, what's happening?" Joker questioned, looking toward the one woman he admired more than life itself. He would happily die for this woman, just as she did for him. She had saved him so many times and he sat at the pilot ship feeling defeated. He had let the Normandy get captured and it killed him inside.

Kaiden chuckled, "What's happening-"

"I asked my fucking Commander!" Joker hollered, bringing his attention towards the smirking Kairden who had a pistol raised to Joker's head. Shepard went to jump into action but Garrus pulled her back.

"You shut up, you puke. I don't know what the Doctor has in store for you but I hope your clone is a better person than you are."

Kaiden had the gun raised but looked down at the screen in front of him. After a few pushes of the buttons on the screen, the Normandy started to hum, "We are leaving here. We are going far away and all of you are going to become slaves to the Doctor."

Joker opened his mouth but closed it again, he looked back at Shepard with tears in his eyes. Joker didn't know what Shepard was planning but by the look on her face, it looked like to him that she had given up any sort of hope. It scared him to no end to think that his Commander, the one that saved him, wasn't going to be there to save him again. She was going to let everyone on this ship die. He didn't want to give up hope but it was looking like there wasn't much hope left. Joke swore under his breath, gripping his seat. He was trying to think of a plan that wouldn't kill everyone else on the ship.

"Do what he says, Joker," Shepard whispered.

"What?" Joker deadpanned.

"I said do what he says," Shepard growled through gritted teeth. She didn't like this any more than he did.

"I DEMAND TO TALK TO MY COMMANDER YOU FUCK FACE!"

A sudden shout made Shepard turn around and see her friend, Rex. He was attempting to plow through the Cerberus crew to get to her. He looked desperate, scared, and angry. Rex knew Commander wouldn't betray them. She had a plan, she always has a plan. He was just hoping that that plan would be something better than Cerberus capturing them as if they were just some lost crew out in space. Rex knew though, just by the look that the Commander had given him that she had given up a long time ago. Maybe it was when they took Thane or maybe it was the fact that Kaiden was back. It shook her to her core. She was already stressed out by thwart was happening to her crew and to the galaxy that any thing else was going to cause her to snap. Rex too wanted to do something about it but having a fun fight out on the Normandy would cause more harm than good.

Kaiden got up from the co-pilot chair and walked past Joker. He stood next to Commander, grabbing her suddenly and ripping her away from Garrus. Kaiden was swift at putting a pistol to her head but not as quick as it was to Garrus having his rifle pointed at the man's head.

"I am getting really sick of you, Kaiden," Garrus growled. Shepard could hear the safety of his rifle click off, "Let. Her. Go."

"Nice of you to finally become the hero, Garrus." Kaiden rolled his eyes. He kissed Shepard's temple and looked out toward the crew. Kaiden knew he had all of them wrapped around his finger and it made him sick with power. He could do anything right now and he would have everyone crew member gobbling at his feet. They would do anything for their commander.

"I want you all to know that you now belong to the doctor. Your Commander has failed you. You will be under the scope to save the galaxy. The doctor has special things in store for you two." He said glancing at Shepard and then back to Garrus.

"Give me the word, Shepard, I'll kill him where he stands."

"You do that and you trigger a bomb, freak."

Kaiden used to consider Garrus as a friend but now, he was the enemy and someone he wouldn't think twice about killing. He had taken the one person that meant the world to him and now he was going to deal with the consequences.

Shepard didn't say anything. The pistol pressed against her temple made her feel a little uneased. She felt like her mind had finally snapped though. She was finally looking death in the eye. Again. Kaiden went back towards the crew, letting them know their fate. The crew stared at their leader. Some were crying, others looked like they were about to pull out their pistols. The one that was the most hurt was the Asari. She and Shepard always had a special connection that was hard to describe. When Shepard saw her, she felt like she could sense all of her pain and it was that that triggered Shepard to let the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Let's get going, Joker. I already typed in the corrodents."

"Whatever," Joker muttered, looking up at Shepard one last time, hoping for something to change. Shepherd's expression didn't change. There was nothing she knew what to do. She wanted this all to go as well. She was scared, and hopeless, more so than with the Reapers. All the work she had done, the friends she had made. Her crew was going to die at her hands. Their blood was on her hands. She frowned, looking down at her boots. Kaiden kissed her again, letting her lips linger on her cheek as he stared at Garrus. There wasn't a moment when Garrus wanted to shoot him, stab him, anything to get Shepard away from him but he stood there like a statue, waiting for his Commander to give an order.

She didn't.

She didn't give any type of command.

The woman that he had fallen hopelessly in love with was gone. Her strength was no more. Her beautiful eyes were now soulless. Garrus had lowered his weapon, feeling the sudden weight of sorrow reaching his chest. Kaiden had pulled away from her, whispered something to her, and went back to the co-pilot seat. Shepard looked up to Garrus and in a split moment, Garrus grabbed her and held her tight. For the moments it took to go wherever they were needed, the crew stood there in silence. They all knew that they were going to die and be used as an experiment but what bothered them the most was how their Commander didn't stop it from happening. They were broken, hurt, and angry. Shepherd knew that they had every right to be. She wished she could have helped them sooner. She wished that she could have helped her crew and done one more mission. She knew that her time was coming and all she could do was cry and scream in the chest of her Turian.