Alright. Beginning of the end here. At this point, if you haven't read my first two stories: "Mass Effect: Rebirth" and "Fugitive", then a lot of this stuff will be completely nonsensical. And for Mass Effect 3 content, that's where things start to get REALLY AU. Thanks for reading!

Shepard sat in his cell. He had counted the days. The Reapers would be here any day now. Only when the galaxy was on fire would he be granted a pardon. And it was time.

"These readings just don't make sense! We've lost contact with Luna Base!"

Anderson glanced at the younger officer, "The moon? They can't be that close!"

Another officer called out, "We have video feed from London, sir."

"Play it on the main screen."

After a moment of static the image appeared. Reapers were attacking, by the dozens. And that was just in one city. It could only have been a few minutes, if that, since they landed, but already buildings were leveled and the destruction was evident.

Anderson sighed, "Get Shepard."

"What about the Parliament? The Prime Minister?"

"The Reapers are smart. If they're not dead already, they will be in a couple of hours. Even if they are alive, I think they'll be willing to make an exception."

Cynthia Shepard sat in one of the copilot seats of the Normandy. "Ready Joker?"

"Ready. Captain."

"Is Williams onboard?"

EDI's synthetic voice emanated from the ceiling, "Lieutenant Commander Williams is accounted for."

"Excellent. Get to Alliance Headquarters in Vancouver. We have someone to pick up."

Shepard waited patiently in his cell. A tremor. Another. He could hear gunfire and explosions. Finally, the door to his cell began to malfunction, opening partway before stalling. Humanity's first Spectre walked to the door nonchalantly and used his biotics to blast what remained of the door out of it's hinge. He could see as soldiers scurried about, panicking. He knew his destination. He began to walk to the Alliance Council's chambers.

When he finally reached it, he saw nothing but corpses. Anderson was amongst the wreckage, trying to free his legs from a giant metal piece of debris. Shepard easily threw it across the room, "Anderson."

"Shepard! We have to go!"

"I'm well aware of that. Where to?"

"The Normandy is waiting for us at the spaceport, we can take the path outside the window!"

Shepard nodded. They leapt out through the shattered window onto the walkway outside and began to sprint, traversing the terrain to reach their only chance for escape. They entered a building, blasting their way through too many husks to count. As they walked in, another husk burst through the malfunctioning door. Shepard rolled his eyes and used his biotics to accelerate his fist, smashing the husk out of the door.

He held it open for Anderson so that he could squeeze through the small opening. Probably not a good idea to try blasting the door off its hinges if they had other options. Shepard waited patiently, catching a glimpse of a small child in a vent. He had seen that kid before. Every now and then when he was being interrogated or in rooms with a window he could see the child playing outside with a toy spaceship.

Shepard slowly approached the vent. The child backed away slowly, obviously scared of the monstrous scars and mechanical eyes looking at him, "No!" Shepard's protective instincts kicked in, "You have to trust me. I can save you!"

The child shook his head, "No. No, you can't save anyone! Everyone's dying!"

"Shepard! Door's open!"

Anderson's voice caught his attention and Shepard turned his head. He looked back in the vent and-he was gone. The vent hadn't rattled, he had heard nothing, and yet the child was gone. He felt a throbbing pain in his head, "Urgh... I'm coming."

He walked through the door to join Anderson, trudging forward as they crawled under and around wreckage. Anderson grumbled, "This is a god damn mess! Every minute these things are here thousands of people die! I won't be held responsible."

Shepard kept his mouth shut. He honestly had nothing comforting to say-it was the Alliance's fault as a whole, if not the entire galactic community.

Anderson continued, "They got here so fast... I thought we had more time."

"We knew they were coming."

"And still they just cut through our defenses! We need to go to the Citadel. Talk to the Council."

Shepard nodded, "I know. We need a fleet if we're going to stop them. Otherwise the Reapers will destroy everything. But you really think they'll be so eager to help?"

The duo began carefully sliding along a narrow piece of metal-all that connected two platforms.

"No. But you were a Council Spectre, that has to count for something."

Shepard, despite himself, let out a grim laugh, "We'll see. They haven't exactly been helpful so far and-"

Shepard's footing was compromised, he began to fall but Anderson grabbed he hem of his sleeve and pulled him back.

"Thanks, Anderson. I owe you one."

"Heh. More than one."

They finally reached the end of the building, jumping out of the window onto the landing below. They just kept running. Anderson tried to call Ashley, and after a few tries they finally got a distorted response, "We...-at the Normandy...-take down that dreadnought...-ake cover!"

Anderson turned to Shepard, "You understand that?"

"I think I-oh shit."

Suddenly a dreadnought in the skies above detonated in a fiery spectacle. The shockwave smashed into the building they were standing on, leaving them to slide down the crumbling structure as it fell. Shepard landed on his feet, "You alright Anderson?"

He glanced over, the Admiral looked half dead. "Yeah... I'm ready Shepard, let's go." They continued running as Anderson radioed the Normandy, "We can't make it to the spaceport, there's a crashed gunship nearby. We're activating the beacon."

A jumbled response came back.

They finally reached the gunship, stepping over dozens of dead Alliance soldiers in the process. Anderson activated the beacon and tossed Shepard an assault rifle. Not exactly top of the line, but it would do. Those things that he had seen on the batarian colonies were swarming them alongside husks.

Anderson yelled over the clamor of crashing buildings and screaming civilians, "Take cover!"

"No sir. I've got a better idea."

Shepard's biotics flared, a cerulean aura engulfing his body. He rocketed from one 'Cannibal' as they had come to be called by the batarians to another, driving his fist into them to leave them twitching masses of flesh. When he returned to Anderson's side, he muttered, "Had plenty of time to hone my abilities in prison."

Anderson was simply trying to make contact with the Normandy-nothing was happening. They could only hope the Normandy had heard them, else they would die on Earth like all the others. Shepard and Anderson lay down suppressing fire to the huskified monstrosities charging them. Shepard lifted one and waved his hand, throwing it into the river besides them.

At last a refreshingly familiar voice came, "Cavalry's here!" It was Joker, his voice accompanying a javelin missile smashing into the oncoming enemy forces. The Normandy flew up besides the crashed gunship and for the first time in a year Shepard felt hope. The landing pad opened and Shepard took a flying leap onto it. Ashley-much to his surprised-grinned at seeing him. "Welcome back, Shepard."

"Thanks."

Anderson however, lagged behind. "Shepard!"

"Come on!"

"No... I'm not going. You saw what was left of those men back there. They're going up against impossible odds and they need a leader."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, get on this ship!"

"We need someone to coordinate the ground forces. Now get out of here. That's an order!"

"You can't give me orders anymore, remember?"

Anderson pulled some dogtags from a pocket on his uniform and tossed them to Shepard, "Consider yourself reinstated... Commander."

Shepard caught them and looked at Anderson.

Distraught ripped across Shepard's face, "I... I understand. I'll find a way, I'll amass a fleet of every species in the galaxy. And I will come back. Good luck Anderson."

"You too Shepard."

Ashley, Shepard, and the one who had guarded him-James-stood on the landing pad, overlooking Anderson and escaping shuttles and other ships. Something caught his eye-he could see the child from before looking at him from the ground below. Alliance officials herded him and a few others into shuttles, taking off in hopes of escaping the approaching Reaper.

The child boarded the shuttle, it and a few others took off. Before they could even begin to get away, the Reaper's thanix cannon blasted one shuttle and crippled the other one, leaving it to smash into a building in a flaming ball of metal.

Shepard closed his eyes and bowed his head as the landing pad finally closed. "Get us the hell off this planet Joker."

Beginning of part three. Please review!