Shattered Hopes and Memories Ch52

Title: Shattered Hopes and Memories
Author: Zulija
Beta: ElCapitan18 
Game: Mass Effect
Characters/pairings: Kaidan Alenko/Jane Shepard
Disclaimer: Property of BioWare. I'm just playing in their sandbox.


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The Citadel's artificial sunlight feathered over him as a warm, invisible sheet that kept the comfortable warmth on him like a second skin. Kaidan let out a long, exhausted breath as he stared at the people on the level below him, trying to distract his mind with their interactions, but nothing exciting caught his attention. The people were either shopping or talking with their dates, friends or family. The only amusing thing that caught his attention was a krogan reciting poems to an asari, though the asari was obviously embarrassed and tried to pretend as if she didn't know him. Kaidan smiled at the display of affection of a species that was born and bred to fight.

The ruckus and noises from the lower level provoked the headache that been bothering him since last night, made even worse by the exhaustion that threatened to claim him at any second. Kaidan hadn't slept well for the past couple of weeks because of the everything that had happened to him lately, and because his new assignment kept him constantly on edge.

The thought that he was appointed to keep Shepard's little brother safe was still surreal to him. Somehow, it was hard for him to come to terms with it. Maybe it had something to do with the way Jane had threatened him to stay away from Chris. An icy chill ran down his spine whenever he thought of her blue eyes mixed with a hellish red glow that seemed to burn with hatred. He shook his head and banished the creepy image away, and instead focused on the people and their interactions.

So far, he had no problems with Chris; their walks home were either accompanied by a comfortable silence, or they would debate things that had little to no importance. It was easy to lose himself in their conversations, and Kaidan had to remind himself multiple times that he was on a crucial assignment, that a human life depended on him. Soon after he had accepted the assignment, Kaidan grew to like him as the little brother he never had, and spending time with Chris felt like spending time with family.

It made him wonder if Jane knew that Chris's safety was his responsibility. However, if he gave it a second thought, he decided it was better that she didn't know of this. She had clearly voiced her discomfort of him being close to her little brother, and he didn't want to think about what could happen if she found out that, despite her threats, he still accepted the assignment. Jane was a force of nature, and he didn't want to be on her bad side.

Who knows what Cerberus did to her…

And just like that the doubt spread through him like poison, tainting the rational part of his mind, making him unable to rationalize what was the truth and what the product of his own cruel imagination. He was ashamed to admit thathe still questioned her very being. He was an idiot, but he couldn't just change the way he thought and felt with the press of a button. Accepting the reality would take time and a lot of effort, because the pain inflicted with her death was still too great to be ignored.

Breathing out, he turned on his omni-tool and scrolled to the sent mail submenu. Disappointment cut through him like a sharp knife when he saw that his voicemail was still unopened. Sighing, he closed the menu and turned off his omni-tool before he returned his attention to the crowd below him.

Two weeks had passed, and she still didn't play his voice mail. He shouldn't have found it surprising though. He had lashed out at her without giving her time to explain her actions and what had happened to her. What did he expect? He should count himself lucky that he didn't receive a bullet between his eyes on Horizon. Still, she could've at least play the voicemail and hear him out. But now that he thought of it, he wished he could undo the message.

Sending her a voicemail was a stupid idea. He didn't know what came over him when he poured his heart out into a voicemail, instead of telling her all the things in person, but talking to her still felt like such a surreal thing. He had thought of arranging a meeting with her, but he didn't know how to approach her. If he sent her a message, she would never open it. If he called her, she wouldn't pick up his call, and getting her exact location was impossible because he had no clue in which part of the galaxy she was in at the moment. He had thought of asking Chris to arrange a meeting with her, but that would unleash an avalanche of questions out of the boy, and Kaidan couldn't deal with that now.

A soft breeze feathered over his cheeks and he inhaled slowly, the scent of flowers mixed with the artificial wind reminding him of Earth. He closed his eyes to fully relish in the fragrance that so reminded him of the planet he came from. Keeping his eyes closed, he summoned Jane's face in front of his closed lids and winced when he saw her narrowed eyes and her glowing scars. He tried to picture the old Jane he so well knew and missed, but could only manage a vague image of her. He winced again when he realized that all he could remember was the Jane that had threatened him if he ever came too close to her brother.

He leaned his elbows on the railing and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. What had Cerberus done to her? How was it possible that scars glowed like the fires of hell? Kaidan rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms and could barely contain the anger that burned through him. He hated Cerberus for what they did to her, and he would resent them for as long as he lived. Everything about Cerberus was wrong, and again he couldn't understand how she agreed to work with them.

He straightened his back and gripped the railing again when he banished the thoughts from his mind. The same dread he'd felt for the past few days spread through him like wildfire. Something didn't feel right. He didn't know if he was paranoid from lack of sleep or the constant tension he was exposed to, but he felt as if he was being watched, right in this very moment.

He didn't like it. Kaidan particularly didn't like the feeling of being observed; it made him feel uncomfortable, exposed and vulnerable, and it made the headache he suffered from only more unbearable.

Anderson had pointed out that Cerberus might be after Chris, but the older man didn't go into detail. As far as Kaidan knew Jane was one of them and the Illusive Man had no reason to turn his back on a mighty ally such as her. Something was off, he could feel as though everything would start to collapse very soon.

Someone dropped something near him and Kaidan jumped, startled, only to see Chris standing next to him, his bag dropped forgotten on the ground next to his feet as he gazed out at the same scenery. Kaidan let out a breath of relief before he took a deep, calming breath.

"Damn, don't sneak up on me like that," said Kaidan, a laugh in his voice with which he tried to hide his nervousness.

Chris gave him a sideways smile, his eyes roaming the crowd below them. "Sneak up on you? I called you for about five times and you didn't hear me."

Kaidan blinked in surprise of the younger boys statement. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he completely lost track of his surroundings. He needed to be more careful from now on, otherwise he could pay a terrible price for his lack of focus. "Really?" he asked, and grit his teeth at his slacking.

When all Kaidan received as answer was a low, "Uh-huh." he couldn't help but feel irritated. He worried about things that he couldn't change and were all in the past, instead of focusing on what was happening right now.

"Everything okay?" asked Chris as he turned to look at Kaidan.

Kaidan smiled assuringly before asserting, "Yeah, I was just standing here and thinking..."

"Uh-oh, that can't be good," teased Chris and playfully nudged Kaidan's arm with his elbow, showing him that Chris was just messing with him.

Kaidan smiled and turned around, his lower back now pressing against the railing as he leaned his elbows on it. "I'm still convinced that the SDS-5 is better than the FX-300." he confessed, his gaze directed at the many people crowding the Wards.

Chris huffed in displeasure before he stated, "Come on, the FX-300 is light years faster than the SDS, and has a better omni-tool firmware." the confidence clearly audible in his voice.

Kaidan turned to look at him and grinned mischievously as he added, "The SDS has more power."

"The FX has it too!" Chris quickly inserted in hope to win the debate on which omni-tool was better.

Kaidan, already smiling in victory, was only too eager to correct him. "Only if you upgrade it. Otherwise it's not fast enough to hack through the security systems."

It was Chris's turn to grin when he playfully nudged Kaidan's upper arm with his elbow. "Looks like someone got around," he teased, and Kaidan decided to leave the conversation at that. Chris didn't need to know of his little escapades after he had returned from BAaT. Some things should remain unspoken.

This was one of many things Kaidan liked about him. Chris was a curious person, discovering things and learning new things ran in his blood. It was what defined his personality and Kaidan respected him for that. He slightly reminded him of Liara back on the SR-1, when the asari doctor had tried to dig out everything about humans so she could understand our behavior.

Turning his attention from the crowd to Chris, Kaidan wondered, "How was school?"

Chris frowned slightly before admitting, "I'm so freaking glad the classes are over."

Kaidan couldn't help but chuckle. "That's the first time I hear you complaining about it."

"You know the new science professor I told you about?" Chris asked, and when Kaidan nodded that he knew what he was talking about, Chris snorted and shook his head. "That woman is a hard-ass." Kaidan quirked a mildly scolding eyebrow at his choice of words, but was silent as he waited for the teenage boy to continue. "'Chris, you have to do better than that. You're the only human here. Don't disgrace us'." he said, trying his best to mimic the voice of Miss Hudson. "Ugh... I swear she doesn't like me."

Kaidan chuckled again and gave him a comforting pat on his shoulder. "I'm sure she means well. She knows what you're made of so she expects the best." he teased, and was rewarded with a mildly scolding glare from the teenage boy.

"Sure, but I'm no robot." Chris stated before a playful smirk coiled his lips. "Unless she thinks I am one and tries to blow my cover."

"Well, that would explain a lot," Kaidan inserted before winking, and was rewarded with a playfully insulted look on Chris's face. Chuckling, Kaidan patted his shoulder again before adding, "Come on, let's get you home."

Chris sighed and picked up the bag from the ground and muttered, "Aye aye sir." before he caught up with Kaidan.

Kaidan double-checked each corner and their surroundings as they headed the usual way home. Chris seemed oblivious to his tension and he thanked the universe that he didn't have to lie his way around that uncomfortable conversation. Chris was a smart boy and could smell lies and half-truths from miles away; it was a trait he and his sister shared. Sometimes, though, all Kaidan could do was wonder how two siblings, who each had a different childhood, had so much in common.

There were so many people and Kaidan had a hard time tracking each one of them, so he focused only on the ones who walked threateningly close by to either him or Chris, which was a whole lot. He glanced behind his shoulder and smiled when he saw the boy only a step behind Kaidan. He returned his focus in front of him and his smile fell completely as he came to a halt.

Chris stopped dead in his tracks as well, but was oblivious to what Kaidan had just seen and instead turned to him for answer. "Kaidan what's wrong?"

Kaidan swallowed hard and kept his eyes on the man dressed in a plaid shirt and jeans that was approaching them with a knife drawn and a pistol holstered on his waist. The man's eyes were focused on them and Kaidan didn't have to guess who he was and what was about to happen. He grabbed Chris upper arm and pulled him behind as he drew his sidearm with the other, aiming for the man's chest.

"He's got a gun!" warned Kaidan, his loud voice echoing in the crowded Ward's alerting everyone around them. The crowd dispersed screaming in panic and within seconds the Ward's became almost empty. The opponent's eyes widened for a second as he dropped the knife and pulled his sidearm before lining the weapon on Kaidan's chest. Kaidan pulled up a barrier that deflected the bullet before he lined two shots; one to disrupt his shields, and the other to pierce through his heart.

The unknown man fell dead and Kaidan quickly looked around to make sure there were no more attackers, holding the barrier up just in case. Chris was holding fistfuls of Kaidan's jacket on his back as he ducked his head behind his protector. Kaidan could feel his hands shaking, but he dismissed the thought and instead continued to look for more hostiles.

"Oh shit," gasped Chris from behind him, the fear that wracked his body audible in his voice.

Certain that the danger had passed, Kaidan dismissed the barrier and turned to look at Chris and inspected his face for any damage. All he saw was his pale features and his wide, frightful eyes, and was glad that he wasn't hurt. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, he asked "You okay?"

Chris nodded quickly and assured Kaidan that he was fine, but the fear in his eyes remained. As much as he tried, he couldn't fool Kaidan, he knew the sight of fear on civilians all too well.

Instructing Chris to wait here, Kaidan walked towards the dead figure in hope to find any evidence on who he was, but was disappointed when he found none. The sirens of C-Sec were already heard in the close distance, and Kaidan allowed his body to relax. C-Sec was here, there was no need for him to worry now. He returned to Chris and stood by his side when minutes later, C-Sec skycar's boomed into the Ward's.

Bailey jumped out of one of the skycar's and made a beeline for him and Chris. "You two alright?" he asked, giving both a quick once over when he stopped in front of them.

Kaidan nodded and was glad when after a quick conversation, Bailey dragged the two away from the crime scene to the nearby headquarters. Once they arrived, he ordered a nurse to check on Chris while he pointed Kaidan to a secluded corner where no one would interrupt them. Kaidan told him that he feared that the man was Cerberus and asked Bailey for any clues, but the Captain shook his head and informed him that any ID on the man was erased. The only thing Bailey could tell him was that he arrived yesterday on the Citadel using a forged ID.

Giving the Captain and quick and firm handshake before saluting, Bailey moved back to the crime scene and Kaidan turned to look at Chris. A nurse was kneeling in front of him scanning his vitals with her omni-tool while he sat on the couch, a blanket over his shoulders, as he tried to convince the nurse that he was fine. But even from this distance put between them Kaidan could tell that he was not fine. Today's event was a huge shock for him, and Kaidan could understand that he was afraid.

Taking a deep breath, Kaidan turned his back to the scene and, with trembling fingers, dialed Anderson's contact information on his omni-tool. Cold sweat covered his body and every beep that resonated from the omni-tool sent his heartbeat thudding crazily against his ribcage. He cleared his throat when the admiral picked up the call, and was as shocked as Kaidan when he heard the news.

His final order was to bring Chris to the human embassy because it was the safest place on the Citadel at the moment. He also mentioned that he would inform Jane of the situation before he hung up. Kaidan didn't know how to feel about that, but he didn't want to think of it either. He had done his job; he'd protected Chris from any threat, and he did it without any one of them getting hurt, though he knew that this was only the start of it. Still, his heart thudded wildly with fear as to what Jane might say or think when she found out about this.

####

About Horizon…

The mess was empty for the last hour or so, and Jane used the chance to have some privacy. She threw the data pad on the mess table and sighed in frustration at her cowardice. She rubbed her tired eyes with her forefingers as she wondered why it was so hard for her to play the voicemail. It was just a fucking voicemail, not a box containing a bomb. She hated herself for being a coward, but whenever she thought she was ready to play it, she chickened out. It was starting to annoy her and, as much as she wanted to just delete the message, she didn't have the heart to do so.

She took a sip from her beer and placed the bottle back on the table as she looked around, only for a smile to unearth on her features when she spotted Garrus walking towards her, his eyes zeroing on her. She leaned back into the chair and smirked at her long time friend as he approached the table before he sat down on one of the chairs opposite of her.

"Shepard," he greeted her courtly, a smile in his voice. His eyes flickered to the bottle of beer on the table and back to hers, only then did the smile unearth on his plated features when he stated, "Drinking on the job?" shaking his head in mock disappointment, he inserted, "That can't end well."

Shepard shrugged and took a longer sip from her beer before she placed the bottle back a little too roughly, "You sound like EDI." She teased, fighting of the annoyance that threatened to ruin her mood as she remembered how many times the AI had reminded her that she would risk the assignment because she drank.

"I have reminded the Commander several times of the importance of this mission," stated the AI as if to prove that it had tried its best to stop the Commander from drinking.

Shepard tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling, her eyes narrowing slightly when she stated, "A beer won't make me less capable EDI, if that's what you're worrying about." before taking another sip from her beer.

"That is incorrect," corrected EDI, a scolding note in its artificial voice. "It is not my concern for you to get drunk, but the importance of your current task doesn't allow you to be hindered or debilitated."

Jane swirled the beer bottle in her hand and looked at it as she smiled mischievously. "EDI?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

Shepard brought the bottle to her lips and muttered, "Shut up." before she took three large gulps.

EDI sighed and the intercom clicked, and Shepard couldn't stop the grin from widening when she looked at Garrus, who grinned as well.

"That's one way of putting down an AI," he said, a laugh in his subharmonics as he shook his head. He looked at her again and his grin spread a little when he added, "I wonder if it works against a reaper."

Shepard chuckled and threw the remaining beer down her throat before she put the bottle back again. "Only one way of finding out," she said with a teasing note to her voice, her eyes playfully narrowed.

Garrus chuckled again and crossed his arms on the table as he leaned forward. "You know, that reminds me of the high volus we met when we helped Samara on Illium."

Shepard grinned and leaned forward. "Yeah, the one that was as strong and fast as the wind." Shaking her head, she added, "I should've brought that volus to the Normandy. Kasumi wanted him because he was cute."

"Yeah, I don't think that would be any good, I mean having a high volus around." Joker joined the conversation over the intercom, his playfully serious voice resonating in the mess. "I heard the glorious tales of Commander Shepard shooting a gun after she had one drink in Afterlife; half the thermal clip was shot in the wall around the actual target. Can't imagine what a dose of red sand would do to you."

Jane tilted her head back and glared at the ceiling. "That was a shot of ryncol, I was lucky to have survived that. Besides, don't you have a ship to pilot?" she asked and could practically imagine Joker shrug in response.

"I switched to autopilot. I'm just up here to look pretty, you know that." Shepard and Garrus shook their heads at Joker's statement, and Shepard suppressed the urge to laugh. Joker always knew how to make them forget just how badly they were buried in shit. "So Commander, does that mean we can start drinking too? Because I totally want a beer now."

"Nope," she answered, and smiled when she heard Joker's drawled out and disappointed 'aww'. "The crew has to actually do something. Me? I'm just here to point and shoot people."

"Great," sighed Joker, the humor completely gone from his voice. "I'm working my ass off twenty four seven and I can't even have a refreshing drink."

"Didn't you just say you're just there to look pretty?" reminded Shepard as she lowered her eyes in time to catch Garrus shaking his head, chuckling.

Joker let out a annoyed 'pfft' and added, "Now she's even nitpicking everything I say." beforeclicking the intercom off again. Shepard laughed lightly as her eyes flickered unintentionally to the data pad, and her smile immediately vanished.

Garrus seemed to catch her change of mood because his expression narrowed as well. "Shepard, everything okay?" he asked, and when Jane finally managed to tear her eyes away from the data pad, she could see honest concern reflected in Garrus's steel blue eyes.

She shrugged and looked away, not really knowing how to explain to him that she wasn't brave enough to play Kaidan's voicemail. If she was honest, she didn't even know if telling him about it was a good idea. Garrus hadn't voiced his opinion about Kaidan on Horizon, but she knew him long enough to know that he was close to ripping Kaidan's head off. Though she appreciated Garrus's overly protective big-brother attitude, she wouldn't trash Kaidan's name in front of anyone. She felt pathetic to admit that even after everything she still had feelings for him.

Waving his concern off like it was misplaced, Shepard forced a smile on her lips and assured her big-brother figure, "Don't worry. I'm actually thinking if bringing beer to the ship would be good for morale."

Garrus's mandibles flared when he laughed, and Shepard was glad that he dismissed his concerns so easily. "Please don't, Joker is already a terrible pilot. I don't even want to think how he'll fly after drinking one beer."

"Are we talking about bringing booze to the ship?" Tali joined in out of nowhere and Shepard greeted her quarian friend with a beaming smile.

"Yep," confirmed Shepard as Tali took a seat beside Garrus. "But we're scheming a plot against Joker."

"Oh?" Tali was already interested in the story. Shrugging, she supplied, "Well, whatever you have planned, don't let him drink. He's already a terrible pilot."

"I so hate you guys." added Joker, his voice resonating once again all over the mess. Everyone startedlaughingwhenJokerturned off the comm, they tried to raise him one more time but he didn't respond.

Something caught Jane's attention and she turned her head in its direction. Her stomach dropped when she spotted Krios emerging from Life Support, his hands on his back, as he walked straight towards them. Jane's smile faded with each step as he got closer to the table. She shifted in her seat and lowered her gaze to the table when he stopped next to Garrus, and only then did the turian acknowledge him.

"Ah, Thane, shame you arrive only now. You missed quite a bit." said Garrus, oblivious to the tension radiating off of Krios.

Thane didn't respond to Garrus, but instead turned his obsidian eyes to Jane and she could feel them burning through her without even looking at him. "Commander?" he called out softly.

She nodded once to him, showing him that he got her attention. He lowered his head for a second, as if debating whether he was completely sure about to do what he came to do, before meeting her gaze again, then asked, "I was wondering if we could speak in private?"

Both Tali and Garrus averted their attention from Thane to Shepard, a look of utter curiosity written across Garrus's features. Jane didn't need to look past Tali's helmet to know that her wide, surprised eyes looked directly at her. Shepard sent them a sharp look before she pushed the chair back and stood up. She stopped next to Krios and pointed for him to take the lead to which he immediately obliged.

Before she followed him to what she thought was the Life Support, she turned to glare at Garrus and Tali, growling a threatening, "Not a word." before she moved on as well. She didn't want to hear any suggestions as to why Krios wanted to talk to her in private, nor did she wanted them starting to spread any juicy rumors about them.

She caught him going into Life Support just before the door hid him from her view. She took a steady, sharp breath before she followed him, hands clenched into tight fists as she wondered why he was demanding they talk in private. They barely talked to each other and Jane rarely brought him on her missions; she thought she'd made it clear that she wanted to stay away from him. It looked like she didn't try hard enough.

The doors hissed open and she stepped in, and immediately spotted the drell pacing the room up and down, his head lowered, and his steps hurried. He was distressed, that much she could tell, but his well-trained expression didn't give enough clues for her to tell what he truly felt.

She walked further in and leaned her weight on the wall opposite of the desk he was usually sitting on, and crossed her arms and ankles. He stopped close to her, his head lowered. She could already feel his presence burning the air around her, making her uncomfortable and unfocused. She watched him with slightly narrowed eyes and hoped that they would get this over with soon. His presence was suffocating her.

He lifted his head and his eyes met hers, there she could see the many emotions that he was hiding so perfectly. He cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, until he spoke, his voice low and filled with uncertainty. "I... find myself in a difficult position to ask for your help."

"What is it?" asked Shepard, and waited for him to continue. The sound of the engine was the only thing breaking the silence all the while Krios struggled with what to say. It was intriguing to see a man such as him to be at a loss for words. When he spoke, he explained that he needed her help in finding his son, Kolyat, before he made the biggest mistake of his life.

It made her wonder why he wanted her help at all. Krios had much better contacts on the Citadel than her and he was capable of dealing with this matter himself. She wanted to reject helping him at first, but when she heard the pleading note in his voice when he demanded her help, she couldn't say no. She could tell that Kolyat meant a lot to him despite the long span of time they hadn't seen each other.

"Thank you, Shepard," he thanked politely, bowing his head in respect. Shepard nodded when suddenly her omni-tool started buzzing, indicating that she had just received a new message. She glanced down at the sender name and a smile curled her lips when she saw Anderson's name.

She opened the message hoping to read something about Chris, but her smile fell when all the message contained was, "Meet me at the Human Embassy, ASAP."

Suspicion mixed with fear sent her heart racing as she glanced up at Thane again. His brows were slightly furrowed in concern but he remained silent and didn't voice the question that was written in his eyes, nor did Shepard answered the question she knew was on his mind. "Gear up," she instructed him before explaining. "We're going to the Citadel immediately. I have to go to the Embassy first, then we'll search for your son."

Thane bowed his head again and with that, Shepard left Life Support and quickly strode over to the elevator. Her arms were crossed and her finger tapped nervously on her bicep as she tried to convince herself that everything was fine. But the longer the elevator took to ascend, the more anxious she became because she feared for the worst.

She was out as soon as the elevator doors parted and headed straight to her locker to change into her armor. She hailed Joker and told him to bring them to the Citadel, and was relieved when he said that it would only take them half an hour to get there.

Jane prepared everything, her rifle, her sniper, her shotgun and her heavy weapon just in case something went wrong. Anderson had never ordered her to the Citadel before which proved to her that something was definitely wrong. She only hoped that Chris was safe. If something happened to him, Jane would drop the assignment to the Collector base and knock on the Illusive Man's door to teach him a lesson.

####

Half an hour later, they docked on the Citadel in the Zakera Wards. Jane made a beeline for the already waiting skycar, Thane close behind her. She ignored the nervousness his presence ignited inside of her and instead tried to focus on the path in front of her. Thane was silently following her every step, and Jane was partially grateful that he didn't insist on having a conversation with her.

A comfortable yet tense silence followed them the rest of the ride, but with every second that stretched into eternity, Jane felt more and more anxious to get to the embassy as fast as possible. The only thing in mind was her little brother, and it was the only thing that distracted her from the drell's suffocating presence.

Moments later, Jane parked the skycar in front of the Embassy and was out as soon as the shuttle touched the ground. Her steps were even more hurried than they were a few moments ago, and her heart raced with nervous anticipation as to why the admiral had ordered her here. A bolt of relief shot through her when she was a few feet away from the door. But as soon as the door opened a tight knot tightened her stomach.

Anderson was standing behind the desk, a dozen data pad's strewn in front of him, his hands holding up his weight. He looked up when he heard someone had entered his office, but Jane's eyes were already on the person standing on the left side of the desk. Chocolate eyes wide with realization looked straight into ocean blue that were narrowed in anger, confusion and fear.

Kaidan was here. It didn't make any sense. Shaking her head, she blinked as if to see if she wasn't seeing things again. After the third time blinking, she decided that Kaidan was not the product of her own imagination. Why, then? Anderson knew the way they had parted, knew what had happened on Horizon and how he continued to mistrust her, yet he ordered her here and gave her no warning that Kaidan was here, too. Anger started to rise and her heartbeat accelerated even more. She would give Anderson a piece of her mind, she needed to tell him just how displeased she was. Then she caught Kaidan's eyes moving and locking on the person standing next to her.

She turned her head and noticed Krios standing next to her, his spine straight and his shoulders set, as he bore Kaidan's dumbfounded and slightly angry gaze. Jane realized what this had to look like, but in her current state, she couldn't care. Anderson had ordered her here because of an unknown reason, Kaidan was here God knew why, and Chris was missing. She swallowed the mass of emotions down her throat as she returned her now pleading gaze to Anderson, silently begging her father figure to tell her where her little brother was.

Her heart fell with dread and a familiar blackness started to form at the edges of her vision as the chilliness underneath her armor rose. Something had happened. She knew it the moment Anderson's features hardened. She clenched her hands into tight fists as her entire body started to shake. The look on Anderson's face spoke volumes, and she felt as if she already knew what had happened.