Mass Effect: Hope
Prologue: The Catalyst
Author's Note: As I have people reading this who haven't played Mass Effect, and probably never will. THIS IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW THE ENDING OF MASS EFFECT 3. Skip to the next chapter for the real story.
As I make a rush for the beam, I look around me. Soldiers are getting obliterated by Harbinger's beams. "I gotta make it to the Citadel." I say in my mind. This war has been going on for years, from the day I met Ashley on Eden Prime, to where Kaidan sacrificed himself on Virmire, to the day we defeated Saren and Sovereign. From me dying, to Cerberus rebuilding me, to building one of the biggest teams in the galaxy to stop the Collectors. Now we're here on Earth, after all the deaths, romance, and drama. After what seems like forever, a beam strikes a Mako tank and it flips over. I jump out of the way, and thankfully it misses me. I look back at my squad of Ashley and Tali as they run to catch up to me. My heart sinks when another Mako tank gets flipped over and heads towards them. They jump out of the way but the explosion hits them. I run over, jumping over the tank and dashing towards them. I help Tali up, but Ashley doesn't need my help, she never has. "Shepard to Normandy, I need an evac, now!" Joker, the pilot of the Normandy responds and I can barely make out what he says. "We're taking heavy losses up here, Commander...but we're on our way." I watch as the Normandy flies down with the defense team protecting it. I rush Tali to the spaceship, but she tries to resist. "Here, take her!" I tell Ashley, handing over Tali. "Shepard…" Tali responds. "You gotta get out of here." I tell Tali. "I can't stay behind." Tali replies. "Don't argue with me Tali." "Don't leave me behind." Tali replies. "I need you to make it out of here alive Tali...go back to Rannoch, build yourself a home." I say. "I have a home...come back to me…" Tali replies. I look over at Harbinger who appears to be getting ready to fire a beam. "GO!" I yell. As the Normandy starts to fly away, I look at Tali once more, I remember the young quarian on her pilgrimage I saved from an ambush on the Citadel, and remember how much she's grown as a person. But I can't regret my decision now, I run as fast as I can towards the beam that will take me into the Citadel. Suddenly, I trip and fall on the ground, I slowly get up...only to be blasted by a giant laser beam.
I should be dead...but I'm not. I awaken in a pool of my own blood, somehow still alive, my body hurts like hell. It feels like I'm in a bad nightmare of some sorts, everyone around me is dead, at least Tali made it out alive. I get up and walk slowly, like a zombie towards the beam. As I approach the beam a Marauder jumps out and shoots me in the arm, I take out my pistol and kill it. Great, now my arm hurts even more. I get to the beam and get thrown in the air.
I get flung into the Citadel, I don't know how my body can take all this, however, I've died once and was brought back to life. I awaken in a room, filled with decomposing corpses. Admiral Anderson tells me it reminds him of my description of the Collector base back when I was with Cerberus. I continue my walk through this dark, disturbing room, when a door opens revealing a light ahead, it's the control panel! I need this to open the arms of the Citadel to dock the Crucible, the weapon that could end this war, and defeat the Reapers. As I approach the room, I see Anderson is already there. I walk towards him. "Anderson!" I yell...but as he turns around something is wrong.
I start to hear whispers in my head, and I start to get a headache. "Shepard...I..I can't…" Anderson replies. I then hear the voice of the man who has been causing me trouble for the majority of this war. "I underestimated you Shepard…" says The Illusive Man. "I warned you...control is the means to survival...control of the Reapers...and of you if necessary." "They're controlling you!" Anderson says to Illusive Man. "I don't think so Admiral." "Controlling me...is a lot different than controlling a Reaper." I say to The Illusive Man. "Have a little faith." he responds. "When humanity discovered the mass relays, when we learned there was more to the galaxy than we imagined. There were some who thought the relays should be destroyed. They were scared of what we would find, terrified of what we might let in. But look at what humanity has achieved, since that discovery we've advanced more than the past ten thousand years combined! The Reapers will do the same for us again, a thousand fold. But…" His controlling power makes me lift my gun towards Anderson. "Only if we can harness their ability to control." "Bullshit, we destroy them, or they destroy us!" Anderson replies. "And waste this opportunity? Never." "You're playing with things you don't understand. With power you shouldn't be able to use." I tell The Illusive Man. "I...don't believe that...if we can control it, why shouldn't it be ours?" he tells me. "Because we're not ready!" I try to explain to him. "No, this is the way humanity must evolve." "There's always...another way…" replies Anderson. "I've dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers, and I know with certainty, the Crucible will allow me to control them." "And then what?" I ask. "Look at the power they wield, look at what they can do!" With that, his power makes me shoot Anderson in the stomach, I just shake my head in disgust. "I see what they did to you!" "I took what I wanted from them...made it my own! This isn't about me or you! It's about things so much bigger than all of us!" "He's wrong, don't listen to him!" says Anderson. "And who will you listen to Shepard? An old soldier stuck in his ways? Only able to see the world down the barrel of a gun? And what if he's wrong? What if controlling the Reapers is the answer?" "If we destroy the Reapers this ends today! What if you can't control them?" I say. "But I can!" he yells. "Are you willing to bet humanity's existence on it?" "I...know...it can work!" he responds "You can't...can you? They won't let you do it." "NO! I'm in control, no one is telling me what to do!" he responds. "Listen to yourself...you're indoctrinated." Anderson says. "No...NO! the two of you..so self righteous. Do you think power like this comes so easy? There are sacrifices!" "You sacrificed too much…" I reply. "Shepard..I..I only wanted to protect humanity, the Crucible can control them, I know it can! I just…" "It's not too late...let us go...we'll do the rest." I reply. "I...I...can't do that commander…" he responds. "Of course you can't….they own you now!" says Anderson.
The Illusive Man grabs Anderson's gun. "You...you'd undo everything I've accomplished, I won't let that happen." "Because of you humanity is already undone." I say. "That's not true!" "They have the Citadel! They got us fighting each other instead of fighting them!" I say. "I just need to…" "You've done exactly what the Reapers wanted, you're still doing it, because they control you!" I say. "I...they're too strong!" says The Illusive Man trying to break free. "You're stronger! Don't let them win! Break their hold! Don't let them control you!" I say. He looks at me one last time with his cold, blue eyes. "I tried...Shepard." He place the gun towards his head….and pulls the trigger…his body drops to the ground. Free from his grasp, I walk towards the control panel, and open the Citadel arms. I take a seat besides Anderson. "Commander…" he says. "We did it…" I respond. "Yes...we did…" We both take a look at Earth still under attack by Reapers. "It's quite a view…" says Anderson. "Ha...best seats in the house…" I reply. "God...feels like years, since I've just sat down…" says Anderson. " "I think you've earned a rest." I respond. "Anderson?" He starts to mumble. "Stay with me Anderson. We're almost through this." I say. "You did good son...you did good….I'm proud of you…" says Anderson. "Thank you sir...Anderson?" I look over and see Anderson...no longer living. I think of my whole life, and how Anderson has done so much for me. I look down at my wounds, when suddenly. "Shepard, Commander?" It's Admiral Hackett. I'm starting to get weak. "I...what do you need me to do?" "Nothing's happening, the Crucible's not firing, It must be something on your end." I'm in so much pain...but I have to end this mission, I crawl towards the control panel, with my last breaths of air. "I don't see….I'm not sure how to…." My world goes black.
I wake up, in a mysterious room...there are only three paths in this room and no exit. To the left is a blue looking machine, in front of me is a giant beam, and to the right is a red looking explosive tank of some sorts. Suddenly a ghostly presence in the form of a child walks up to me. He explains that the Citadel isn't the Catalyst, but he is. He explains that the Reapers are his solution. Every fifty thousand years, the Reapers come and destroy almost all life, usually leaving some behind. In the last cycle, the Reapers took out the Protheans, but left us here. He explains to me that his solution won't work anymore, since I am the first organic to meet the Catalyst. He gives me the first option, destroy. This will destroy the Reapers, but it will destroy all synthetic life in the process. I think of Joker, and his girlfriend EDI. If I choose to destroy the Reapers, I'll be losing a great friend in EDI. He gives me another option, control. If I choose to control the Reapers, my body will perish, but my mind and soul will live in the Reapers, I can control them and end this war. He gives me a third and final option, synthesis. I can add my energy to the Crucible and kill myself, but it will give synthetics and organics the same DNA, so we can live the rest of life in peace. All of this is overwhelming, but I know there is only one true option. I walk over the the explosive tank and start to shoot it, this will destroy the Reapers. This is what my whole journey has been about, and how it has to end. As I shoot the tank, I think of my friends, allies, family and everyone else who I've known on this mission.
As the tank explodes, the Crucible fires. The Citadel gets blown away, and I'm sent flying out of it. As I look around I see the Alliance ships fly away, along with the Normandy. I realize this is the end for me...this is the end for Commander Shepard...I fall towards Earth bracing for death.
