Kate Shepard wakes to discover the entire universe has changed. For a contest on deviantArt.
A/N: I've already rewritten the ending to ME3 twice so rather than recycling plot lines I decided to give you something completely different. If you like it, leave a review!
Waking Up
Kate Shepard coughed, disoriented as she tried to make out where she was and what was going on. One moment, she was ordering the Catalyst to destroy the Reapers, and now she was here, surrounded by darkness with her body so stiff it was as if she had never used it before.
Her mouth felt like it had been freeze-dried, a foul aftertaste seeming to extend all the way into her stomach as she sucked her lips, trying to get some moisture to stir up. Her lungs were rattling in her chest as she blindly felt around the surface on which she was lying.
Her hands immediately came to a hard surface extending along her sides. Her fingers traveled up along the smooth, glassy substance, eventually meeting with the other hand about a foot above her head. The sound of her breath echoed back to her closely and a feeling of panic snaked up her spine. She pounded on the dome above her, trying to call out, but only a weak whimper came out of her diseccated throat.
A rumble preceded a crack of light above her and the dome above her descended as she watched in relief, pushing herself to a sitting position.
Even when she had come back to life she hadn't felt like this. Then it had been all pain and fire and confusion, the Cerberus facility already under attack. Then, her body had responded to her commands quickly and she had had Miranda's voice to guide her until she got her bearings.
She blinked away her blurry vision, attempting to take stock of her situation. Her body was sluggish, slow to respond but something felt wrong. It took her a few moments to realize she wasn't injured, while she clearly recalled being blown all to hell several times during the battle.
Obviously some time had passed and she had healed. But how much time? And where the hell was she?
She also didn't feel the familiar thrum of biotic just under the surface of her skin. She felt oddly… empty.
Carefully, she dropped a foot over the edge of the surface, her bare feet searching for the floor. They came to a cold, slightly grainy surface. She extended both legs down and stood shakily.
One hand tapped her wrist, seeking the omni-tool that was practically an extension of her body, but the familiar bracelet was gone. She cursed, feeling naked – immediately followed by the realization that she actually was naked.
The darkness didn't relent as she waited for her sight to adjust. Finally, she whispered, "Lights!" with the dim hope that the command would activate one.
She winced as the room flooded with yellow-white light. It all came from above her, pounding down on her sensitive eyes. She clapped her hands to her face, stumbling forward as she was knocked off-balance by the sudden movement. Her hip barked painfully against a hard surface. Peeking from between her fingers, she saw a perfectly ordinary set of drawers. She leaned into her shadow across it, allowing the pounding behind her eyes to adjust to the darker part of her vision. It was several minutes before she could lean back and really look around.
The familiar shape of a cold-sleep capsule occupied the center of the room. The floor under it was the slick white of a medical facility or a lab, but covered with a light coating of dust, dulling the finish. Only where her bare feet had slid through the detritus could she see the reflection of the light above her.
The ceiling seemed entirely made of light. She looked at it indirectly for a few minutes before she was able to tell that it was actually a window to the outside, a star shining brightly overhead, with fluffy white clouds drifting by.
Was she still on Earth? Could be anywhere with a yellow dwarf star.
Aside from the dresser there was nothing else in the room. She palmed the first drawer open and was relieved to see a rather plain, though durable, set of clothes. She unsteadily pulled on the clothes before looking in the other drawers.
She was perplexed and concerned when she saw a full set of survival gear and some basic supplies. Taking the hint, she took the equipment and hung it around her in all the appropriate places, latching on the backpack last and sliding the machete into a sheath on her leg.
She did a full sweep of the room but found nothing else of interest. As she approached the far side of the room, a section of the wall swooshed open. She peered down the long hallway it revealed, sunlight at the other end.
Her body was responding more readily now, the lethargy from cold sleep splintering from her stiff body with little internal jerks. She crept stealthily down the hallway, feeling the muscles in her legs beginning to warm. As she moved, her mind was clocking into overtime, rapidly firing off questions she had no way to answer.
Who put me in cold sleep? What happened to the Reapers? Garrus... what happened to Garrus?
Anguish threatened to overwhelm her, but she purposefully smoothed the tension across her forehead, knowing that she had to keep her mind in the present. If there were answers, she'd figure them out. She always did.
But all of her thoughts and intentions washed away when she walked into the bright sunlight.
She stood on the edge of a short platform. Over the edge, a vista consumed her vision. The land was rolling but mostly flat, rivers and streams sparkling as they cut through. Greenery flowed over the landscape, moving in the wind like the ocean. Where little eddies of wind collected, birds rose in dark flocks before disappearing back into the trees. It wasn't until she saw the birds that she knew for certain that she was on Earth. Their feathered wings were unique amongst the planets she had traveled.
There wasn't any civilization anywhere in sight, though she could see some telltale man-made shapes covered in green, in various stages of decay.
Dismay crashed over her like an avalanche. She had failed. Her jaw clenched and her breathe came quickly, rage taking center stage. What cruel stroke of fate had left her in cold sleep while the Reapers claimed every single human life?
But perhaps there were still people, somewhere. Maybe she could find them and make it up to them somehow. Not that there was any way she could ever make up for losing the most important battle ever. She felt a fresh wash of shame as she remembered how she'd succumbed to indoctrination in the end.
Well, she wasn't going to get anywhere by standing around feeling sorry for herself. She looked back at the building she had exited – single story, standard prefab – then walked forward and looked over the edge of the platform she was standing on. This single structure occupied the swell of the tallest hill around, at least that she could see.
The facility seemed to have been protected from the encroaching growth by a powered field. She could see the generators at regular intervals as she picked her way around the building, now no longer functioning. She touched one; it was warm. Must have turned off when she woke up.
There was an oddly-shaped lump just off (she glanced at the sun) to the west, which seemed oddly familiar. That was her goal. She was certain that if she reached that object, she'd figure out at least part of what was going on.
It was obviously just past midday so, not wishing to waste any more time, she began walking, using her machete to hack a path to the object. The going was difficult for one unused to wilderness traveling, but she was up to the challenge. She'd had rigorous survival training in the N7 program, though that had been some years ago.
She just hoped that, when she reached it, there would be some indication that others had survived... one in particular.
Day Five
His silhouette was over her, the sun shining hard in her face. But she wouldn't have mistaken that fringe anywhere, or the sound of his voice, full of kindness and strength. "Kate…" His talon held out to her, he pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as her hands drifted down his chest…
She woke abruptly to disturbing sounds in the growth around her, shaking her from what had the potential to be a very good dream. They weren't sounds she had ever heard on Earth; though, to be fair, she hadn't done much training on Earth. But these seemed distinctly alien… and at the same time, familiar.
She regretted missing the dream though, which had had a distinctly sensual flavor to it. But she pushed away the thought in light of this more immediate threat, her senses on high alert.
She was hidden in the shadows of the disintegrating hulk of the SR-2, the familiar shape she had seen from the cold sleep facility. It was hard to tell how long it had been there, but by the looks of it, hundreds of years. If not more. She had searched the ship, only to find that it had been stripped bare. That would have been a hopeful sign to her if it hadn't obviously been a while since anyone had been here. But at least it indicated that had been survivors at some point.
She waited until the sounds had disappeared into the distance before creeping out from her shelter. Whatever had been making that keening sound, there had been several of them, and she had the feeling that they would be back. She'd have to be especially careful, especially since she had discovered her implants were no longer functional. She was fighting at an extreme disadvantage, against the grain of her training, without biotics.
Despite her wariness, she had work to do. She'd rather stay back, with this new development, and wait for them to make a move, but survival wasn't something that could be put off for strategy. She had finally finished her traps yesterday, and she was almost out of rations. The stream nearby was her main source for food. She was fortunate to have grown up on a colony where fishing was common.
She crept out of the shadows and into the forest, every sense on high alert. The odd calls had stopped at least an hour ago, but she still felt like she was being watched. The feeling could just as easily come from a tree sloth as a predator though, so she kept her hunting knife in one hand as she walked the short way to the edge of the stream.
The rippling water made a pleasant sound that reminded her of happy childhood memories. She felt a moment's loneliness, remembering her parents, then a pang of anguish as that thought led naturally toward all the people who were now gone… all the people she'd let down.
The river tumbled toward her from the north, around boulders and smaller rocks, the sound growing louder as she stepped out from the undergrowth. Kicking off her shoes on the sandy strip, she put the knife between her teeth before diving into the sparkling water.
She dove deep, her lungs pressing uncomfortably for air as she kicked toward the weighted basket, underneath the more powerful current. Gripping the rock that was weighing the trap to the bottom, she held herself steady as she unhooked the basket.
She'd made many fishing traps as a kid, though she hadn't caught much then. Not the case here; the fish had thrown themselves into her basket with selfless abandon. The basket was full. She was glad she had come, since leaving the fish in there for too long would kill them and ruin her meals for the next few days. She released the basket from its anchor.
Her instincts pricked and she turned her head downstream. Her lungs were burning for air, but she stayed still as she saw a dark shape navigating the water a short distance away. She waited as the large shape, blurry in the distance, swam away from her. As soon as it disappeared, she kicked for the surface, making for the bank with strong strokes.
Setting the basket on the bank, she put both palms on the rocks to pull herself up.
Something brushed by her leg. Whipping around, she jerked her leg back and took the knife from her mouth, pulling herself up with the other hand. Something yanked on her ankle, something rough and sharp. She couldn't see anything past the disturbed surface of the water as she tried desperately to free herself.
Something slid up her leg and she pulled harder, then released her grip on the rock with the arm bearing the knife so she could stab down at whatever was attacking her. Her hand was immediately secured beneath the surface. Every part of her underwater was rendered motionless by the power beast in the water. She was surprised it hadn't tried to pull her under yet, or at least bite her.
As soon as she said this, she felt a nip at her thigh, then another. For the first time, she felt a sliver of fear, immediately followed (as it usually was) by a shock of anger. There was no way she was going to be eaten by a piranha, or whatever, not after everything she'd been through!
Letting go of the rock with the other arm, she began to put up a fight in earnest, taking a deep breath before she sank under the surface. She grabbed at the strong beast wrapped around her legs, now snaking up her waist, and pushed. She was surprised when it immediately retreated, and took the opportunity to yank herself partially back up on the rocks.
A splash came from behind her but she didn't turn, pulling herself up and away from the water. She left her shoes and her meal and rose to her knees, about to launch into a sprint, when a huge splash of water sounded from behind her and something incredibly heavy hit her in the back, pinning her to the ground.
She struggled as the beast settled over her, sniffing at her neck and hair. Chills flushed down her body, muscles tensing and adrenaline pumping as the hot, wet beast sank fully onto her. A claw grabbed her shoulder and flipped her over, the sunlight bright in her eyes.
A dark shape was over her chest, dripping water. She struggled against the strong limbs that had her pinned on the dirt.
"Aren't you happy to see me, Kate?" A familiar voice said in a mocking tone.
She froze and looked down. Piercing blue eyes looked down at her and happiness, totally undeserved (in her opinion), washed over her. "Garrus!"
Her arms were instantly freed and she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on his hard mouth with feverish delight. She felt a rumble of pleasure in his chest as he nuzzled her face, his scaly hands caressing her neck. They continued in this vein, expressing their relief at finding each other the way that only lovers do.
The sun had passed its zenith before they were sated enough to speak. "Garrus…" She almost couldn't get the words out around her relief. If there was any being in the universe she wanted to survive, it was him. "How are you here? What happened?"
"I woke up about six months ago. I was put in cold sleep, like you were. There are more of us, about a hundred so far, from all different species. We have a colony a little ways off. We were on a hunting trip when I found you." He stroked her hair holding her tightly. "I convinced them to leave you to me."
"Who put us in cold sleep? What happened with the Reapers?"
"The Reapers." He looked down, and she could feel the sadness coming from him. "They… reaped. It's all been over for a long, long time. Not sure why they chose us to survive, but it had to have been them that did it."
"Why did they do it?" She asked as she pulled her clothes back on.
"I have some theories, but there's no way to be sure. Probably because we put up a much bigger fight with so many species working together. So they changed us. We're all biologically compatible now. If they hadn't, I would have starved here. The other Turians, too. In a few millennia, we'll all be a single species. Much easier to reap in the next cycle." His voice dropped in frustration that they wouldn't be there for the next battle.
She had finished getting dressed and grabbed the basket of fish while he spoke. She'd have to clean them at the camp. "Well, I'm glad you haven't been alone." Then she stopped. "Wait- if there are other Turians, then-"
He rose and walked toward her, touching one three-fingered hand to her cheek. "We mated for life, Kate. There isn't anyone else for me." With his other arm, he pulled her close. She closed her eyes as she leaned into the familiar feeling of his rough, hard body. It was like heaven to have him there, almost as if it were in direct response to her dream.
Garrus went on. "I couldn't believe it when my hunting party saw you here. I had to be sure it was you, but as soon as I tasted you in the water… I knew I was finally home." She looked up at him, smiling, and touched the scarred part of his face. He touched his forehead to hers as she stroked his fringe. For the first time since she woke up, she wasn't consumed with guilt and sadness.
"So what do we do now?" Shepard asked, basket under one arm and the other wrapped around Garrus' waist as they turned toward the break in the jungle.
Garrus laughed and put his arm over her shoulder. "I do believe we have a planet to populate, Kate."
"We better get busy then." She smiled crookedly as they moved off into the forest, sunshine filtering beautifully across their path.
THE END