Destiny's Call
Difficult situations are what make us who we are, whether we react and overcome the odds or fall down and become subject to fate. Each person has their own history, filled with stressful, frightening, and horrible events. However, it's not the event we need to remember. It's the way we react and how we as a person or as a group overcome. Commander Shepard's past is filled with crucial moments that show what he truly is, and as Zaeed would say "He's a God damn hero!"
The Normandy SR-1 was already ablaze and had swaths cut through it in some places. The crew rushed to escape pods as the Commander had given the order to abandon ship, and while a few still remained to try and put out the fires or rescue the injured; most had already fled the frigate. The Commander was currently searching the ship for anyone left to save, he kept thinking in the back of his head how the captain of a ship is always supposed to go down with her. However, he truly hoped he could get his crew and himself out before the attacking ship returned for another pass.
Commander Shepard helped another Marine into a pod and turned to see Lieutenant Alenko running up.
"Commander, all sensors are down and we can't tell where the attacker is. We need to leave NOW!"
The Commander took this brief moment to check his Omni-Tool which had an ID tag marker for most of his crew.
"Is everyone else off the ship?" The Commander barked.
Alenko crouched down as another life support tube exploded from the extreme stress and pressure. Sending a shower of sparks and bits of shrapnel flying.
"I haven't seen PFC Renko, or Corporal Harkin. Everyone else is either dead or off ship." Alenko stopped for a minute and then realized he had not seen the Quarian anywhere.
"Wait, The Quarian. I don't remember her name, but I haven't seen her yet!"
Shepard stopped looking at his Omni-Tool and grabbed the LT's shoulder pushing him in the pod.
"If I'm not back in five or if we come under fire launch this pod..and seal your damn helmet before we lose pressure!"
Alenko was about to protest the order, but before he could the Commander turned and ran towards the stairwell going down.
Shepard knew exactly where to look if Tali was not seen by the LT, who had looked virtually everywhere. She had always spent most of her time in engineering studying the drive core or exploring the various functions of the engines. Why she had not already made it to an escape pod or activated her distress beacon on her Omni-Tool worried Shepard.
Usually when a crew member fails to activate their beacon or radio for help, everyone assumes there dead, but Shepard refused to believe this. He was the only reason she was on board and he did not want the death of a young girl on his already crowded conscience.
The Commander pushed the door to engineering open with his biotics and quickly scanned the area for survivors.
"Tali! Tali are you down here!?"
Shepard screamed trying to locate her. The Commander noticed a large section of the roof had collapsed and spools of wiring and various debris now covered a portion of the floor. He quickly began to dig through the rubble in search of Tali. The Commander was about to give up and look somewhere else for her when he saw a piece of her quilted hood. Shepard's adrenaline pumped in and he quickly removed the last bit of rubble covering the small lithe body of a female Quarian.
"Tali! Tali wake up its Shepard, we have to get out here now!"
Tali let out a small groan and moved her head to see who was screaming at her. The Commander could see her eyes opening up, but she was obviously in no condition to walk. Shepard easily scooped her up in his arms and quickly exited engineering, heading back up the stairs to the last escape pod.
Shepard was concerned when he reached the door to the CIC. The door panel was lit up with a red warning, signaling that the room had lost pressure. He quickly scanned himself and Tali with his Omni-Tool to ensure no suit punctures were present. Shepard's eyes widened and a chill went down his spine when he saw that the outline of his body had multiple weak points from shrapnel hits.
Shepard took a deep breath and tried not to think what would happen if the weak points became a full rupture. He adjusted Tali in his arms and whispered close to her mask.
"It's going to be ok, I've almost got you out of here." He didn't know if she could understand him or not, but she managed to whisper his name "Shepard" before closing her eyes again.
Shepard kicked the panel with his foot since his arms were occupied holding Tali and immediately the sound of air being sucked out was all he could hear. Shepard tried to move as fast as he could, but progress was slow since he had to rely on his mag-boots for proper movement.
It was amazing how quiet it was in the CIC. The breach in the hull had apparently sucked out a large portion of the roof covering the galaxy map. Shepard began to calm down and thought they would make it as he saw Alenko standing inside the pod waiting on him.
Tali's eyes opened back up and she saw Shepard's face above her and felt his arms carrying her. She was weak and could feel her energy drained, but she managed to say
"Shepard, you came back for me."
The Commander looked down at Tali in his arms and saw her eyes staring at him. He smiled and replied
"No one gets left behind, Especially you." Tali's body felt unusually warm after hearing Shepard say that and she was glad he couldn't see the absurd smile she had on her face. Tali wrapped her arms around his torso and held him tightly.
"Thank you Shepard, you-"
Tali's words were cut short as a bright beam of light cut a swathe into the Normandy's already carved exterior. Shepard lost his balance as the wreckage began to shift. The beam moved along the CIC and cut a line straight through Shepard's path to the pod, effectively cutting the Normandy in two. Shepard knew time was short and he had to act quickly before the drive core exploded from all the intense pressure and weapons fire.
The only thing the Commander could think to do was jump, so before the front of the ship with the pod drifted further away he jumped as far as he could towards it. Shepard drifted very slowly in the space between the two halves of the ship, but he could tell he wasn't moving fast enough. The ship was to far away and drifting further away each second, he knew it was too late.
Shepard looked down at Tali who was still clinging to his chest, as they both floated through space. He knew there was only one thing he could do to make this right.
"Tali look at me, there's something I need you to do." Tali felt weak and helpless, she could barely move but managed to open her eyes up for Shepard.
"Yes, Shepard?"
"Tali...No matter what happens you need to know that I'm sorry. I only wish we could have had more time. Theres so much I wanted to tell you, so please forgive me."
Shepard grabbed Tali firmly and spun himself around as hard as he could. Tali who had not been expecting the sudden action lost her grip on Shepard and was sent flying towards the escape pod where Alenko was standing watching the event unfold.
Unfortunately, since every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Shepard was sent flying backwards toward the rear end of the Normandy wreckage.
Shepard opened up his comm link and patched himself into Kaidens.
"Take care of her LT, I'm counting on you now." All Shepard could see from his distance was Alenko grabbing hold of Tali and pulling her into the pod.
"It's been an honor Commander." Shepard quickly disabled his link to Kaiden before Tali could send him a response. He didn't want this to be any harder than it had to be for her and a message full of crying and hopeful wishes wasn't going to help anyone.
Shepard could see the escape pod activate and fly away from the wreckage and out of view. He was surprised that he kept thinking about her in what he assumed were his last moments. He thought nothing of what would come next or anyone else he was sorry to leave behind. Shepard smiled at his own thoughts and decided how ironic it was that of all people he could have fallen in love with or of all the times to discover it, it had to be now, on the brink of death.
The Commander took one last deep breath as his suit rupture began to form and the Normandy's drive core began to overload.
"Just needed more time." was all he managed to say before it ended. Wether or not he meant more time to stop the Reapers or more time with her is a difficult question, even for him.
The Redeemer
To the Commander it seemed like only a few days had passed since he had been killed on the Normandy, but in reality in had been much longer. The Commander currently sat in a drop pod aboard the Normandy SR-2. So much had happened and he had a hard time wrapping his head around it all. What he did know is that he was not the same man he used to be. His body was composed of mostly flesh, but inside he could feel the difference. The Commander knew his body was different and had been told it was "better" than before. He however, doubted the scientists that re-created him had anything besides combat in mind.
The Commander was unsure how he felt about all this. The only thing right about his current situation was that Monroe was flying the Normandy. The Commander hadn't ate, slept, or felt anything since waking up two days ago. He was told by the operative leading his resurrection that since he was not completely human anymore, he would feel basic needs less. However, the Commander didn't feel them, or anything, at all.
The Commander had always prefered fighting alone, but until now he always had a team that needed to be with him. Lawson and Jacob had insisted on going along with Shepard to Freedom's Progress, but the Illusive Man said the Commander was in complete control over mission details. Besides, he needed this time on the ground alone to clear his head.
"Commander, closing in on the targets vector, dropping in 5." Jokers voice suddenly filled the quiet dark space beneath the cargo bay. Cerberus had constructed a small orbital drop pod system into the Normandy's structure. This was a luxury most Alliance ships never had, due to extreme costs. However, Cerberus had sparred no expenses in fitting the Normandy with the most advanced hardware available.
He felt as if he didn't even breath inside the small confined drop pod. His response to Joker was a deep growl
"Understood." Joker knew he wasn't the same since being brought back. He looked more like a bio engineered soldier then the old Commander and Joker didn't remember his voice being so deep and calloused over before.
Being brought back didn't seem right and the Commander didn't know where to place his loyalty. However, he sensed a deep respect for the Illusive Man, almost like the respect he had for his superior officers when he was with the Alliance. It felt odd and the Commander didn't fully understand it, but he simply attributed it to the fact that the Illusive Man had brought him back and he did owe him his life.
The arms holding the pod in place suddenly opened up, releasing the pod into the space beneath the Normandy. The Commander still didn't move, he simply sat patiently waiting for the pod to reach the colony. Fire began to envelope the pod as it reached the atmosphere and began its final decent, a few seconds later it struck the ground hard and buried its bottom half in the ground. The metal pod still glowing from the intense heat melted the snow that covered the rocky area.
The door of the pod suddenly and violently popped off and flew a few meters away. The Commander stepped out of the pod and stood up straight surveying his surroundings. Standing straight up in the moonlit sky, the Commanders dark black armor reflected the white snow that surrounded him. His new body was obviously not entirely human, as he stood 7ft 5in his armor. His figure was massive in comparison to other humans and he made no unnecessary movements. Keeping his form still and quiet it was almost inhuman how he moved with graceful precision and only when movement was needed.
The Commander retrieved his assault rifle off his back and proceeded to walk towards a collection of buildings not far from his drop pod. Walking slowly, but very aware of his surroundings the Commander began clearing the small pre-fab buildings on the colony's outskirts.
He traversed the maze of small building in the colony without much trouble. The only sound he made was the snow under his feet crunching and the sound of his armor as it churned and clanked. He couldn't tell if the sound was indeed his armor or his own body making the metallic sounds. The Commander didn't really want to think into it too much. The thought of being a machine and perhaps having reaper tech inside of him gave him an uneasy feeling.
The Commander slowed down as he passed a dead Quarian near another colony building. He didn't stop to check it. His sensors told him it had fallen a short time ago and his enhanced hearing could pick up the trace sounds of voices. No time to stop, he had to find the survivors or the attackers and discover what had transpired here.
Moving slightly faster than before, the Commander raised his weapon and steeled himself for the coming fight. He didn't feel any adrenaline pump in like he used to feel before a fight. Instead he felt calm, aware, and ready. Whatever had been done to him was obviously in order to make him a weapon. He didn't have to stop to survey an area or slow down to think of a tactical solution to a problem. Instead he simply moved without thought, as if his instincts told him what to do.
The door ahead of him appeared locked. The only door in the compound not open, something was inside. He could hear the faint sounds of numerous heartbeats behind the door.
Multiple contacts, 4 no 6.
He moved to the edge of the door and positioned himself accordingly. Finger on the trigger and eyes dead ahead.