The Final Crucible
I lifted my hand to my forehead, rubbing my temples. I had known from day one not to over-exert my biotics, even when I was using the old L3 implant series, symptoms of overuse included headaches, temporary blindness and bleeding from the eyes or ears, the fact that I was getting headaches was proof that the reapers were incredibly powerful, even the desiccated corpses they used were overheating my L5 implants, and that wasn't supposed to happen at all, the amount of use before overheat was the reason many L3s upgraded to the retrofit edition, despite the risks unplugging the old implant from your brain carried. "we need to end this soon" I muttered, "If mine are only just starting to overheat, I'd hate to see how bad it is for the retrofits" Garrus merely nodded at me, cleaning the husk blood off of his Black Widow rifle where he'd had to use it as a club.
"don't worry Shepard" he finally said, his usual mischievous glint returning to his eyes, "soon this war will finally be done, and you and Tali can 'finally build her a house on the homeworld'" he finished with a faux mocking tone, trying to deflect the severity of the situation with humour.
"you are such a wanker sometimes Garrus" I chuckled, while Tali just looked down into her lap, apparently blushing behind her helmet. As the Alliance APC approached the conduit, I started going into a daydream, wondering what it'd be like living on Rannoch with Tali, I've never actually lived on a planet before, having spent most of my childhood in space. As the thought started to relax me, I heard the sound that had haunted my nightmares for six months. A reaper horn. Garrus, Tali and Anderson all heard it too and secured themselves just in time for the explosion, the beam fried the cockpit of the APC, Vapourized by the reaper's main beam. As I climb from the wreckage, I see the one thing I didn't expect, Harbinger himself. "we gotta move!" Anderson yells from just behind me.
"right behind you Anderson" I yelled back, drawing my Mattock from the magnetic clasp on my back. "Garrus, Tali, get to that beam! Double time!" without waiting for an affirmative, I charged down the field, watching my Alliance brothers and sisters fall before Harbinger's beams, narrowly grazing me as well, my red Serrice Hardsuit looking more black, with the left wrist mounted biotic amplifier melted completely off. My Kuwashii Visor indicated that there was only about 500 metres to the beam before the APC in front of me was blown backwards and the MAKO in front of it was sent flying back to my team. Oh fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck! I screamed in my head, doubling back behind the MAKO to see what had happened to Tali and Garrus. Garrus looked fine, but his rifle arm was broken, bent awkwardly at the elbow, but Tali, oh god Tali, she looked like someone from one of those old 'SAW' movies Joker made them watch back on the SR1, she was covered head to toe in blood, god knew how much of it was hers, with multiple suit ruptures along her arms and a broken left leg. I put my hand to the transmit button on my visor and all but yelled into the microphone. " Joker! We need evac! Immediately, we have wounded! I repeat, we have wounded!" I was more afraid than I had ever been at that point, even more than Akuze when I watched fifty-one other men get torn apart by thresher maws. I started applying medigel to Tali's wounds, using what little we had left to stabilize her and apply the suit patches she kept in her realk pocket. I heard her mumble 'Shepard' a few times and took that as a good sign, that she would live, if only Joker would get his crippled ass-
"Commander!" I heard through a burst of static "This is Joker, we're coming in for evac, but we're losing ships left and right!" I could hear his concern over the comm, and hear EDI barking orders to the crew, the pressure even seeming to affect the AI.
Before the Normandy had even set down, I had picked up Tali and began running to the cargo bay doors, using my biotics to increase my mass for more momentum, Garrus wasn't a slouch either, pouring all of his Turian strength into his run and almost matching my pace. As he climbed aboard, I handed him Tali, "take good care of her Garrus" I said, in a voice softer than any I'd ever used, surprising even me.
"I will Shepard, just come back alive." It was at this point that Tali returned to lucidity and grabbed my arm.
"Shepard!" she cried, not letting go, clinging to the remaining Amp on my hardsuit.
"you've got to get out of here Tali" I said, trying to stay strong.
"I can't stay behind, I'm not leaving you."
"don't argue with me Tali-"
"don't leave me behind!" she interrupted
"I need you to make it out of here alive Tali, go back to Rannoch, build yourself a home" I countered, cradling her helmet with my free hand.
"I have a home… Come back to me" it was at this point her grip on my arm loosened and I ran down the ramp, allowing Garrus to carry Tali to safety.
"I will, Tali, I promise."
"Shepard," Garrus finally piped up. "kick some arse, but make sure you come back alive. You made this young lady a promise"
I simply nodded and ran towards the beam, my Mattock lost in the vehicle explosion leaving me with the M-77 Paladin on my hip. It was at this point that Harbinger finally decided to shoot at me, barely giving me time to avoid as I watched the Normandy fly away with Tali aboard. Then all I saw was darkness.