Live Journal Insanity Round January 30

PROMPT: Point of no return


"60 percent." Legion said as it continued uploading the Reaper code to the Geth fleet.
Shepard turned to Tali, an icy fear pouring over him. She was desperately trying to reestablish comms to the fleet, but silence was the answer to all of her hailing attempts. Gerrel had broken their connection, choosing to end the war today instead of listening to the 'misguided ramblings' of an exile and her alien captain.
"70 percent." Legion continued.
Tali looked into Shepard's eyes. Her pain and fear of losing everything she had ever known flowed out of her, striking him and making his own fear all the more frigid. He made a choice in that moment, a choice he had to make, for her.
"Legion stop." Shepard glared at the synthetic as he lifted his pistol.
The Geth continued uploading, completely ignoring the human.
"Legion stop!" Shepard stepped forward and jammed the pistol in its back.
The synthetic turned, its headflaps flaring. It lunged at Shepard, knocked him to the ground, and then lifted him up by the neck. Shepard desperately grasped at the metallic hands, feebly trying to clear his airway.
"No, we will not allow you to decide our fate. 90 percent."
Shepard closed his eyes; he had failed...
At that moment he heard the sound of metal grinding on metal and the synthetic's hands loosened. He gasped for breath, scrambled for his pistol again, and then pointed it at a . . . person he once called a friend.
"I'm sorry, Legion." Tali placed her hand on the synthetics shoulder as it knelt on the cliff, broken and defeated.
"Tali'Zorah . . . does this . . . unit . . . have..." The light in Legion's eye began to slowly fade.
"Yes, yes it does." Tali turned to face Tikkun as it steadily rose on the horizon.
"Shepard-Commander..." Legion turned its head to him. "what . . . have we . . . done . . . to deserve..."
"Nothing." He placed the pistol's barrel in the center of Legion's eye. "I'm sorry."
He had reached the point of no return. Legion was losing power, but was still functional. To save the Quarians he had to . . . completely stop the upload.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.