"This thing with Ann sounds dangerous as hell, Lola," Vega announced in an undertone to Shepard as Ann stalked off to retrieve a task chair.

"Put the brakes on those casters," Shepard commanded. "If you flip out, I don't want that chair rolling over anyone's toes."

"Then I'll find a box," Ann said simply, retreating to do so.

"Which is why I'm making you responsible for her, and I'm going to man the shields on that artifact."

"Responsible?" Vega blinked.

"Just keep her calm, make her feel safe, and if Leviathan tries to use her to murder anyone, you restrain her until I sever the link," Shepard answered simply.

Vega did not like this plan. He didn't like it at all, though there was no point saying as much. He'd already said so, and everyone else effectively said (or hinted) that his opinion was noted, and not the common consensus. "Okay. I can do that."

Shepard nodded, as if to say she wouldn't have tasked him with the matter if she didn't think he couldn't handle it. "An N works with people. I think you'll benefit from this experience, if it goes badly."

"And if it goes well?"

"Then Ann gets something out of this experience: you're cute, Tank. Assuming Ann has noticed, I'm sure she'll be quite happy to let you be interested in her wellbeing." She was only half-joking; neither of them really expected this to go well. That just wasn't the pattern of their luck.

Still, a joke for a joke… "Is that why you didn't ask Alenko—Mr. Sensitive himself—to do it!" Vega asked in a low undertone, grinning wickedly at Shepard. "I didn't have you pegged as the jealous type."

Shepard glanced around and, seeing that Ann couldn't see them, slapped his arm playfully. "Loose lips, Vega. I'm so disappointed."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Vega grinned, holding up his hands as if in surrender.

Ann returned with a heavy packing crate, which she set several feet back from the artifact, and sat down upon. She took a deep breath, which she let out slowly.

When he saw Ann shaking, he thought he could see some of what Shepard wanted him to get experience with: reassuring someone, shoring them up, while they did something crazy-dangerous, because the mission needed a crazy-dangerous stunt to be performed. He put his hands on her shoulders.

Ann tensed for a moment, then craned her neck to give him a sweet half-smile. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'm gonna be right here and stay right here." He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.

Shepard moved over to the shielded artifact.

EDI, already at the computer, looked at Shepard, then nodded.

"On your mark, Ann," Shepard said, her hand hovering over the shield's controls.

"I'm ready," Ann said, one hand creeping up to curl around Vega's wrist.

"Shield is…down," Shepard declared.

"Artifact, online," EDI announced.

They waited for several moments in tense silence, Ann staring into the depths of the artifact. Vega made himself look away, when he found himself gazing unfixedly into its watery depths.

Suddenly, Anne took a sharp breath, her fingers contracting around his wrist. "I feel a chill," she whispered.

"No trace, yet," EDI relayed.

Suddenly Ann jerked as if to surge to her feet. Vega yelped, but kept her sitting down. Ann began to struggle, trying to shrug him off with more strength than he expected. "Holy hell!" he cried, startled.

"Keep on her!" Shepard commanded levelly.

"Signal is tracking. Maintain connection," EDI announced.

Ann's head lifted, tracking towards Shepard. "Turn back," she almost slurred. "The darkness cannot be breached." Ann managed to slide sideways, slipping off the crate. Vega lurched, getting a grip on the struggling woman and holding her on her feet.

"Listen to me!" Shepard barked in her best 'keeping a lid on things' tone. "I've already found you. The Reapers are right behind me."

"You have brought them. You are threat…" Ann threw herself forward.

"Shepard—" Vega stopped Ann from getting far, but he lost several steps forwarding he attempt.

He had to give Shepard credit: she didn't flinch, didn't move to restore distance between Ann and herself. She just stood there, calm as a frozen lake. "So are you. I've seen what you can do. The war needs you."

Ann's head shifted from one side to the other, as if Shepard was hard to being into focus. "There is no war. There is only the Harvest."

The Harvest—capital letter? That was something new.

"Partial lock. Maintain connection to narrow the search," EDI said.

An elbow caught Vega in the stomach, but he didn't let go. "Shepard!" he grunted, fighting even harder to keep Ann from closing the distance between Shepard and herself. The strength she exhibited went way beyond a normal human woman; at this rate, she'd injure herself.

Not that it was really Ann at this point, a corner of his mind pointed out. It just looked like Ann.

Shepard seemed to count to five, then tagged the shield's controls. As soon as it was up, Ann collapsed. Blood dripped from her nose, and she shuddered with tiny convulsions. Vega wasn't sure whether to put her down or pick her up.

Shepard motioned her him set her on the floor, but keep her propped up. "Ann. Ann," Shepard repeated her name several more times before Ann took a sharp breath, as one waking up.

"I'm…h-here," she said slowly.

"Are you alright?" Shepard asked, retrieving a box of tissues and offering it to Ann.

"I think so." She didn't sound sure. "It's…angry," Ann chattered, one hand groping blindly for something until Vega supplies his own hand. Her fingers were ice cold as they closed around his hand like a vise. "I think it wants to kill you."

"Well, it'll have to get in line," Shepard answered sardonically.

Ann gave a weak giggle. "Did you get it?" she asked, craning to see EDI.

"We got…enough," EDI answered, but Vega recognized 'being tactful.'