/Fear/

August 31, 2186 CE – 6 Months after the end of the Reaper War.

*Muffled explosions. Screaming *

There is a dense mist, surrounded by a dark stillness.

Commander Shepard stands in her Systems Alliance dress blue uniform, unmoving but attempting to assess her situation.

In the mist, off in the distance, a figure appears. It is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. Every time she looks away and back again, the figure gets closer.

As the apparition gets closer, it comes more into focus. The same fire-red hair and piercing green eyes, but something's not right.

The figure stops, and cocks its head. She looks away once more, then back again. The mysterious figure is close enough now to feel its breath.

It looks like Shepard, but the face is smashed in and mangled - her clone.

"It can't be! You fell off the Normandy's cargo door!" she gasps, realizing who she's looking at. Shepard takes a shaky step back, recoiling in horror.

"No! This is impossible!"

The clone takes a moment, cocks its head slightly. "I'm you, Shepard", the clone growls.

"I'm never gone, you bitch!" The clone's eyes begin to glow red with heat, hotter and ever hotter still, until Shepard has to shield her own face.

"I'll see you in hell, Shepard!" The clone screams as she explodes, causing the Commander to practically leap out her dream.

Sweating and shaking, Shepard attempts to sit upright, but is restrained by IV tubes and straps. Blinking away the brightness, a sterile-white room comes into focus. Beeping from hospital machines becomes clearer.

"Where am I?!" she asks, in disbelief. "What is all this?!" Shepard started to pull on the tubes and machinery, causing herself great pain the process, which in turn caused her to scream.

"Hold her down! She'll rip out the IVs!" Shouts a handsome woman with short grey hair and a slight British accent, wearing a white medical suit. She seemed familiar, but Shepard couldn't place it.

"Vakarian! Get over here and help me hold her!"

Why is this woman calling for Garrus? Who is she? Is this another Cerberus trick?

It was too late to question now, as a soothing warmness flowed through her, as the sedative took effect. As her eyes begin to close and once more envelop her in darkness, she hears a familiar voice call to her. The voice was gruff, but at the same time beautiful, with a harmonic quality to it.

"Shepard… It's all right, I'm here." Then, everything went black.