This wasn't possible. Or rather, it wasn't supposed to be. He was dead. Gone. He had been spaced, and then, after an agonizing 2 minutes, it was over. There was nothing but darkness. Then, in a sudden turn of events, he was back. His eyes were closed, he was slipping in and out of the darkness, but he could…feel. No, this had to be something else; maybe some sort of deranged afterlife. As the seconds passed, however, he began to feel more and more aware of everything; his vitals, surroundings…maybe he really was back. His eyes opened to an unfamiliar operating room with two blurry figures. As he tried to move, he heard one of the figures say, "There, on the monitor. Something's wrong."

"His brain is showing spatial awareness; reacting to outside stimuli…oh my god Miranda, I think he's waking up!"

Shepard's heart began to pound at an alarming rate. He didn't know where he was or who these people were. He had to get up. He had to get out of here. His efforts to move had resulted only in a raised left arm, as it was all he had strength for. He heard a woman's voice yell, "Dammit Wilson I told you your estimates were off! Give him the sedative!" and before he knew it, the woman was by his side saying, "Shepard please stay calm." Despite his still-adjusting vision, he saw beauty that he had never even imagined. The woman's face was immaculate, with full, natural lips and piercing blue eyes, and was framed by jet-black hair. He didn't know who this woman was, or if she was even real, but he was certain he would never forget that face. In a matter of seconds, the darkness was enveloping him again…