By now there's obviously a lot of outrage at the ending to Mass Effect 3. I'm not outraged, merely disappointed. The game was unbelievable. The scope, emotion, desperation...
And so I turn here to see what other people can come up with instead. If you haven't looked at the Indoctrination Theory, go check it out somewhere. There's rather convincing evidence that the entire current ending could be interpreted as Shepard fighting off the Reaper's indoctrination. Fascinating stuff. Since it makes complete and utter sense to me, I'm running with that. This is (hopefully) an ending that could actually fit alongside what's already been given to us. One that possesses the scale, heroic moments, and heightened finale a lot of us desired (in addition to less plot holes and poor writing). This immediately follows the infamous scene of Shepard taking a breath in the rubble following the "Red" ending.
Please take a moment to review. It only takes a second and really lets us know what you think. I never cease to get excited when I see an alert in my email. It truly is great motivation.
There will be cursing and action, but nothing that merits more than a 'T' rating. You have been warned.
A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own anything even remotely related to the Mass Effect Universe. I'm just here playing in their sandbox.
Blackness.
The Reapers were gone, the mass relays demolished. Hell, even the Geth and every other synthetic life-form in the galaxy had been expunged in the blink of an eye and now, here in the end, there was just...nothingness. Simply no sensation, no body his consciousness felt attached to, just empty, black space. The Crucible was fired, the extermination of every living, organic being by the monstrous living machines averted. Narrowly.
And at the end of it all, Commander John Shepard was dead.
He had no regrets. There was no looking back and wondering about other solutions, other variables, what could have been. In the end there could really only ever be one way. Them or the Reapers. That it had required his life to achieve was inconsequential. They'd won. It was done.
Of course, he hoped the loss of the relays could be overcome. The loss of their primary method of interstellar transportation was sure to cause massive problems. He still liked to think that the destruction of the Citadel and everything the galaxy had known up till now wouldn't lead to more war and needless bloodshed. He'd sacrificed everything for them all, banked that old conflicts, petty squabbles, and perceived injustices would be overcome...and could stay that way. The Krogan and the Salarians, the Quarians and the Geth, hell even the remnants of the Batarian empire all united shoulder to shoulder and facing the storm together.
But for Shepard it personally meant his life lost, a burgeoning love unrequited, and...his friends...
Well, those other races had damn well better do something worthwhile with the second chance he'd helped give them.
"...epard..."
He froze. That voice. Ash? Was it even possible that she was here somewhere too? Before making it to the Citadel they'd been together, getting split up in that last mad dash. He'd assumed she'd perished in the blast, an occurrence that he'd still yet to mourn.
And how could he hear her when he couldn't even feel his body here in this...well...afterlife?
It wasn't much as far as heaven went. Not what Shepard had expected despite the fact he'd never really been one to think about those types of things. It wasn't necessarily a great place to spend eternity, but at least there was some kind of peace. It was a sensation he hadn't known since before Eden Prime. Since before he learned of the existence of Reapers.
But...Ashley?
Shepard was fighting his thoughts now. They were working against one another, muddying together while simultaneously trying to provide him a sense of bliss and attempting to make him forget his affection for the Lieutenant Commander. All at once they were trying to convince him he was dead while some distant part wanted nothing more than to rebel to attempt and find Ashley. Whispers in his consciousness, gripping his thoughts. But he'd heard her, really heard her. It wasn't a figment of his imagination or wishful thinking. That had been her. And she'd been distressed, her voice yelling to him rather than lovingly calling out. So why couldn't he control himself? Why couldn't he control his own thoughts? If he wasn't dead then what...
Indoctrination.
The thought sent a chill stabbing down a spine that until a second ago he hadn't even been able to feel. It was eerily similar to what the poor Cerberus engineers on the defunct Reaper had described. Shepard wasn't dead at all and this wasn't heaven, purgatory, or some kind of dark oblivion at the other end of his life. He was battling for his mind with the very creatures he was trying to destroy. With that thought come a flash of focus. He threw everything else at the very idea of Ash. At his mission. At the survival of humanity and the galaxy as a whole. pouring every last ounce of his concentration into it. Shepard willed himself to bat away the whispers in his mind, the tendrils pulling at his thoughts, hacking at them as though they were vines clawing for him.
An inhuman roar shattered the peace of the darkness, an angry, mechanical sound that seemed to reverberate through his skull, ripping through his mind with a flashing, brilliant pain. As soon as it began it faded away, leaving just the peaceful blackness again. Except this time there was something else. Something growing.
Pain.
There was suddenly pain everywhere, a wave of it that swept over his consciousness. Shepard was suddenly very aware of returning sensations. A burning in his legs along with a strong, stifling pressure. A strong ache in his lower back. And everywhere a faint soreness that echoed his bruised psyche.
Shepard had never been so happy to feel something so awful.
His chest heaved as his lungs gulped in great quantities of air, the sensation on his damaged body and lungs burning every inch of the way. He hacked roughly in reaction, dust and smoke clogging his airways and senses. Grime encrusted eyes fought to open and focus, everything around him coming across as nothing more than a blur of dull, neutral colors.
There was a shifting of weight as he fought to push himself up off his chest, pieces of rubble and gravel sliding off him as his straining muscles worked, gradually answering their master's commands. His movements were disjointed though, his appendages barely answering his still addled mind. Putting a free hand to his head he tried to shake away the disorientation, trying to figure out where he was and what the hell was going on.
"Shepard! Come on!" His head snapped up, focus streaming in. Ash. She was on the ground too, not too far away to his right across a debris strewn, destroyed city street. Her armor was damaged in several places, cracks and discolorations spread over it and marring its normally clean surface. Her beautiful face was set in grim determination, dust and dirt smudged over her cheeks and forehead as a small bead of blood dribbled down from the corner of her mouth. She was crouched behind a small rise of rubble and bodies, her left arm cradled delicately in her lap as she fired her Avenger one handed over the top of her cover.
"Come on, Skipper," Ash yelled again. "Wake up! I can't hold this position."
He struggled again, pushing himself further up to look over the the debris he was partially buried beneath, his fingers sliding in the loose gravel. There were bodies everywhere, strewn across what was once a peaceful European street. It was all but unrecognizable as that now, Marines mixed with husks and cannibals lay over one another, some in pieces. Here and there he could even glimpse a Marauder or higher tier enemy combatant laying still.
But there was also a familiar unearthly moan. Forces were still charging them. From the looks of it, scrambling over the piles of rubble it was husks mostly, the horrifying cybernetically repurposed remains of humans. Another one fell to Ash's fire, but they came streaming on. If they reached the two of them it was over. A fact that seemed inevitable given their numbers.
"Status," he coughed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, dirt, and saliva. At the same time he began pushing more pieces of building off himself, scrambling to retrieve his discarded Vindicator. A fresh heat sink slapped into place and Shepard began sighting down at the nearest target to Ashley.
"Thank god!" she breathed, risking a glance in his directions. "Vega's down. Took on the last wave by himself before I was able to get back in the fight. No idea if he's still breathing, but I can't get to him. I...I don't think any of the Marines made it. Harbinger hit us hard."
It hit him all at once. They were still in London, his forces blasted and obliterated by the cannons of the massive Reaper as they made a last, desperate charge for the Conduit. Anderson, the Illusive Man, the holographic child...all of it...a dream? Some kind of hallucination during his unconsciousness? A product of indoctrination? Some way to enable control over him? He shook the questions off as another wave of husks came streaming up the choked street at them.
Shepard braced himself, firing up his nodes and engulfing himself in biotic energy. A simple gesture and it was unleashed, sending a massive shockwave careening through a tightly packed group of the zombies charging up the incline. For everyone though that they managed to obliterate though two more seemed to take their place.
Another shockwave went pounding down the street, sending body parts and debris flying, but still they kept coming, a squad of Cannibals now bringing up their rear and sending sporadic fire at the two holdouts.
He slapped another heat sink into the smoking assault rifle and looked again at the odds. "Ash," he called, looking over at her, "I...I don't..."
A bellow split the air. A deep, giant, grating sound that seemed to rend the air itself. Mechanical in nature it could mean only one thing.
The massive Reaper that had been slowly striding away, heading towards the Alliance's flank began turning around, coming back to bear on Shepard and his team.
"Shit!" Williams yelled. "He's coming back around!" There wasn't any panic in her voice, just simple determination. She kept firing, awkwardly putting a deadly stream of projectiles downrange as her useless arm hung limply at her side. "Options?"
"No way we're getting to the Conduit," He glanced again at the giant black machine as it continued its slow turn in place, firing again at the horde approaching them, "or away from Harbinger. They've got us pinned."
The Lieutenant Commander nodded soberly in agreement. Her jaw set as she said, "Then I say we take as many of them with us as we can!"
He sent another shockwave ripping through a group of assembled enemies, their body parts practically flying apart as the energy shredded through their ranks. Three others went down in a hail of rifle fire from Williams' position.
This was not the end he'd hoped for. The weapon unfired, the Reapers winning, the galaxy finished. They'd given it all they could and in the end, that simply wasn't enough.
"Ash," he started, glancing back over at her while maintaining his fire down field, "I'm sorry. We never had the chance to...I always wanted the chance, for you and me. I'm just sorry...we'll never have our time."
She looked back at him for the first time since he'd regained consciousness, her eyes still shining brightly despite the situation and the grime caked on her face. "I know," she said softly. "Me too."
The mechanical roar split the air again, making them both duck instinctively as the air began charging, a portion of the Reaper's shell pulling back to reveal one of its massive cannons. Sound itself seemed to disappear as electricity arced, gathering at the weapon's point of origin. It would be over in seconds. At least this way he didn't have to face the frantically clawing hands of the husks.
He flinched instinctively again when it did fire, holding up a forearm as though that would do some kind of good against the unyielding power of the beam weapon.
And then nothing. A beat. Then another. Shepard's eyes opened to find a world bathed in a deep red hue, but crackling in blue energy as the Reaper's weapon washed over their position. He was still breathing, the ground around him still very much intact.
"Rodriguez, no holding back! Everything you got! Pour it on!"
That voice.
A familiar slim figure stepped up next to him, her body tensed and her arms outstretched. The small woman's entire form was bathed in more biotic energy than Shepard had ever seen from one individual before. So much so that they nearly obscured the tattoos.
Jack.
"Fuck! Shepard, if you've got any bright ideas I'm ready to listen. This barrier ain't gonna last forever!"
Shepard blinked. "Jack?"
"Yeah," she smirked despite the effort she and the cadre of young adults with her were undergoing turning back the Reaper's weapon. "Ever imagine this? Me saving your ass. Say hello to the Biotic Support Group of the 103rd Marine Division." Her corona pulsed, energy crackling over her exposed skin. "So, you gonna help us out already or what?"
"Allow me."
The field brightened, its perimeter shimmering with additional power as another elegant figure strode forward, one arm held high as an enveloping sheath of energy flashed into place, nearly matching the ex-convict's for brilliance. The Asari's rich, ceremonial armor was scratched, but the bright crimson red was unmistakable.
He shifted to look over at Ash. Tali was there, kneeling next to her friend, splitting her attention between her omni-tool as she waved it over the human's arm and firing her pistol one handed at the scattered remnants of the last wave of husks. EDI was standing over them both, a Paladin pistol in one hand as she scanned the battlefield dutifully, watching over the Lieutenant Commander and Quarian Engineer. Williams looked up, her eyes meeting his for the briefest moment. He saw...shock. The same stunned expression that he probably shared. There was also something else.
Hope.
A sharp crack to his left made him jump, a spent heat sink dropping hissing to the ground beside him as another was chambered in the lowered Mantis.
"Jesus, Shepard...you look like hell. And I thought my face looked bad." Shepard just stared at the grinning Turian, watching the mandibles click together in a Turian expression of humor. The alien's eyes snapped back up to look around once he had the human's attention though. "Thought you could use some help. Turns out...you've got a lot of friends."
A squad of Krogan marched past toward the leading edge of the still brilliant barrier, rock and bodies crunching beneath their clawed feet and heavy armor. They were led by a large, scarred battlemaster sporting distinctive red armor. The ever impatient Grunt followed closely behind his clan leader.
"Where..."
The grinning Turian shrugged. "Most of them figured going on a suicide mission with you had better odds for survivability than pretty much any other alternative." Grunt and another Krogan roared in unison, ripping a pair of charging husks in half with their bare hands. Garrus shook his head. "I think the Krogan just thought this would be a whole lot of fun though."
He reached down, his clawed hands gently grasping Shepard's arm as he helped him up. There was a brief shooting pain through his left leg, but otherwise the pain had receded to tolerable levels. He probably had Cerberus' improvements to thank for that. The Spectre brushed some of the dirt off his charred armor with his free hand, letting his legs steady themselves under him before moving further. "Anderson's reinforcing our flank," Garrus explained. "He's got Miranda and Jacob helping him coordinate a defense to draw some of these units off us." The Turian glanced warily at the red energy sporadically washing over their protective bubble. "We're gonna need to figure out a way to get past Harbinger."
"I may have a suggestion." The metallic figure EDI had commandeered strode up. It was scratched and scuffed, but looked remarkably intact and clean when contrasted with the dirty, broken environment they were fighting in. "The Normandy is already en-route."
Garrus stared at her a moment before he shook his head emphatically. "No way the Normandy can take on Harbinger by itself. Hell, it took an entire fleet to take out Sovereign and luck was still involved. I'm sorry, but that's not going to work. Its shields are just too strong. Even Thanix missiles aren't going to crack that."
Shepard started working his way back to Ashley. By now she'd been helped up by her Quarian friend and was sitting on a pile of rock, trying to stretch her previously useless left arm. For the first time since he'd awoken Shepard felt like smiling. Garrus and EDI followed close behind, the Turian still expressing the utter lunacy of pitting the small frigate against the living machine.
"Because the Sovereign class Reapers do not share the same weakness as the smaller Destroyer classes a new method will have to be attempted. The Reapers have a potential weakness to massive amounts of dark energy. Initial analysis of their shielding systems suggest that they can be overloaded by a large enough quantity."
"I hate to ask," Garrus said, "but exactly where do we find a big enough supply of dark energy to make this plan work? And let's not forget the fact that we have no way of delivering it since we're under bombardment at the moment." The already stiff, plated alien visibly straightened. "Wait, why did you mention the Normandy before if you were never...?"
A dawning, horrifying thought struck Shepard. He froze and closed his eyes, turning back to his two colleagues. "The Tantalus Drive."
Garrus stared at him before looking back at EDI, his mouth hanging open in an almost human expression of shock. "You're serious?"
"If you are inquiring if this is a joke, it is not. The drive core should possess the necessary properties to disable the Reaper. At least in theory."
This time both Shepard and Garrus stared open mouthed at her. "In theory?" Garrus finally managed.
"At this point I believe that is the best option we have."
Shepard blinked, trying to somehow wrap his mind around the plan. Even for him it just sounded...suicidal. Detonating a core the size of the Normandy's? In atmosphere and at ground level? Not to mention in fairly close proximity to his entire team?
The red aura returned, churning over the biotic bubble the assembled team had created and were keeping in place against it.
"What about you?" he finally said. "EDI you're a part of the Normandy. We're going to need your expertise if we manage to get to the Crucible. You'll be destroyed with the ship."
"I am in the process of downloading as much data and runtimes as possible to this mobile platform. I predict all vital programs, memory, and core functions to be complete in one minute, ten seconds. This unit will be autonomous at that time."
Shepard sighed. Leave it to an AI to have all her bases covered. "And Joker and the crew?" He was already expecting her answer.
"They have already been evacuated to other Alliance vessels."
John took a deep breath and glanced at the collection of biotics working diligently on their defense. Two of Jack's former students were now on their knees, dripping with sweat and shaking. One had blood dripping from their nostril. The visual was clear. The barrier wouldn't last forever. Possibly only minutes.
He nodded to EDI before turning to the biotics. "Jack...Samara, can you give me another two minutes?"
"We got a fucking choice?" Jack spat back. The Asari simply nodded.
"We've got help coming. I only need a little more time."
Both were already back absorbed in their task, the ex-convict occasionally shouting out gruff encouragement to her pupils while Samara stood serenely to the side, never wavering.
Shepard continued back on his original course to Williams, coming up to her just as Tali finished gingerly waving her omni-tool over the shoulder joint one last time.
"The Lieutenant Commander ready to go?"
"I'd really prefer it if someone who actually knew human physiology could take a look at her. There's only so much I'm capable of. Especially when it's one of your kind."
"I'm sure you did fine, Tali. What's the verdict?"
The faceless female tapped something into the holographic display and looked back up at him. "Vega didn't make it," she said sadly, gesturing to the motionless body she'd managed to extricate from beneath a pile of husk corpses.
"He went down fighting," Williams whispered. "He saved us both, bought us time."
The Quarian nodded. "Ash's shoulder was dislocated and has been set. There's a break in the lower part of her left arm, I believe it's termed the ulna. Then a fracture to the femur. Otherwise just contusions and cuts. No evidence of internal or cranial injuries. But there's no way she can go on. We need to get her out of here and..."
"The hell with that..." Williams began straightening, trying to stand up, her eyes flashing in defiance.
Gently Shepard blocked her path, holding up his hand and helping her sit back down. She was hiding a good deal of pain, keeping her face carefully schooled, but Shepard knew the hallmarks. The way she was favoring one leg over the other ever so slightly. They way her jaw flexed.
"Tali," he said, turning to the fidgeting Quarian, "you two are heading back to command when we make our next move. Make sure Anderson knows we're still out here and moving forward. We'll need his support."
He turned to the other woman. She'd managed to wipe away quite a bit of the dust and dirt from her face, displaying the natural, unconscious beauty that had always so appealed to him. Real women didn't need to cake on makeup to look gorgeous. Even the sweat matted hair and streaks across her forehead just seemed to make her more appealing.
Ash tried to move the shoulder around, stretching it back and forth. She tried to hide the wince when her arm reached about shoulder height, but she eventually lowered it down again to her side.
"And you're going with her," he said. Before she could protest he held up a hand. "That's an order. You know what a potential liability it could be having an unfit soldier with us. I need everyone going full speed. Tell me I'm wrong." Her jaw tightened, but she didn't deny his assessment.
Shepard glanced at Tali and gave her a look, hoping she'd learned enough of human expressions over the years to understand his meaning. The Quarian gave him a small nod and moved away, heading to where Garrus and EDI were still discussing the ramifications of detonating one of the largest eezo cores ever created in the planet's atmosphere.
He knelt in front of her, dipping his head and resting his forehead against hers. She closed her eyes at the contact. "Do this for me, Ash. Please? Get out of here. You and Tali, go. I need for you to be okay. I've watched too many friends die while I walk out of the fire untouched. Kaidan and Mordin and Thane and all the rest...I just...I can't add you to that list. I actually need someone to make it through this time. I need that to be you."
Ash's voice was tiny when she finally spoke. "I've had to live with you dying once already." Her entire body shuddered the tiniest bit against him. "Please don't make me do that again. I don't know if I can handle it. I'm not that strong."
"Ash..."
She shook her head the tiniest bit, her forehead rubbing gently against his. "Goddammit. I know you can't make promises. I know you have no idea what comes next. I don't even know what I'm asking..."
Shepard moved his head so he could press his lips against her forehead, letting himself linger for the briefest of moments before moving back down to look into Ashley's eyes. "Listen to me. I've got every intention of coming out of this in one piece. Alright? But you can't come with me. Not this time. Just...go. For me."
There was the clearing of a throat behind them, revealing a rather uncomfortable looking Garrus refusing to meet the Commander's eyes. "Shepard, we need to get moving. EDI's ready." Looking back down at Ashley Shepard nodded, starting to straighten back up.
With her good hand she grabbed the lip of the armor at his collar, dragging him back down to her where she slammed her lips into his, pouring all her pain and desperation into one final kiss. When they were forced to come up for air she held on, meeting his eyes with determined, shining eyes. "Promise me you're coming back," she said low. Shepard started to say something, but she pressed on, interrupting whatever it was he was about to say. "Even if you don't know, just promise me. Just say it. For me."
The two stared at each other for a moment, neither willing to break the other's gaze. "Promise," he finally said.
She glanced up at Garrus over the Commander's shoulder her eyes hard. "You two have anything resembling a plan?"
"EDI's gonna see if the Tantalus Drive can help us out of our little jam," the Turian said.
"She's going to do what? And you're letting her?" Tali's voice wasn't quite a shriek, but it had definitely risen a few octaves in response to the tentative plan and her glowing eyes were wide beneath her visor. Quarians were well known to develop generally deep connections with their ships. It made sense considering their dependence on them over the past several hundred years. Shepard couldn't help but hope that would become a thing of the past.
He put his hand on her shoulder as she almost shrunk in on herself. "Trust me, it's the only way. This wasn't any easier for me."
"And I just got her working at peak efficiency," she grumbled. "Seriously Shepard, I think you enjoy toying with my emotions."
"How do you think I feel?" Garrus chimed in, crossing his arms. The sarcasm in his voice was obvious though to everyone. "It took me weeks to get those damn cannons calibrated just right."
Shepard smiled and was just about to make a joke of his own when EDI's voice came through over his earpiece. "Commander, I would strongly advise everyone to seek shelter. Projections from the resulting blast are...difficult to predict."
"EDI, what about the biotics?" Ashley suddenly said, looking up at all three of them from her seated position.
"The Normandy will attempt to distract the Reaper to afford them time to reach cover."
"Okay..." Garrus started, "...how?"
"I will fire the main gun at it."
The small group assembled all stood or sat silently. Tali fiddled nervously with her fingers and looked back and forth between Garrus and Shepard.
Garrus managed to be the first one to break the silence and speak. "So...let me get this straight. You're going to fire the Thanix at it...with us...where we are?"
"Correct."
He groaned. "Oh, this plan just keeps getting better and better." He threw a bewildered look at the Commander but punctuated it with a smile. "What could possibly go wrong?"
"The biotic barrier should protect you from any collateral damage."
"What about the Krogan?" Ashley asked, pointing to where they were still gleefully tearing apart anything that had the audacity to move within the radius of the barrier sphere the biotics were producing. There was even a mangled Brute lying amongst the various bodies now.
Garrus' mandibles clicked thoughtfully. "Not sure they know what the term 'cover' means."
Shepard pushed his second in command towards them. "Just get over there and tell them to get behind something, will you. I doubt even their redundant systems are going to be able to handle this. I'll inform Jack and Samara."
"Right," he nodded and jogged off.
Shepard tapped his comm, signaling both of the biotic warriors. "Alright you two, we're gonna try something here. As soon as the next bombardment stops I want you all running for cover. Get down and stay down. There's going to be a really big boom."
He didn't wait for confirmation. The barrier wavered the slightest bit, the constant reddish hue of the light around them intensifying as they began to be overwhelmed by another steady stream of the Reaper's main weapon. He turned and nodded at Ash and Tali, prompting them both to flatten themselves against piles of debris. The Quarian even seemed as though she was trying to dig herself a little deeper. Being an engineer she probably had as good an idea as anyone what to expect. Her actions were less than reassuring. "EDI, we're set," he said anyway. "Fire away."
"Acknowledged. Powering Thanix Cannon...initiating start-up sequence...targeting Sovereign class Reaper designated Harbinger...firing."
As he ducked, pulling himself next to Ashley and wrapping his arms around her he had a glimpse of a streak of blue-white energy streaking in from above. He felt more than saw the impact, heat and noise washing over them all, sucking the air out of their lungs as a massive pressure wave rocketed through the destroyed city. Shepard gripped Ashley, holding on with his eyes closed against the choking dust and heat.
Harbinger roared in that ear splitting, mangled, grating way the Reapers could, more angry at the annoyance of the gnat-like frigate than because of any serious damage or injury.
But, he turned to face the newest threat.
Shepard looked over top of his shelter long enough to see Jack and her students scrambling for the burnt and mangled hulk of an Alliance tank with Samara behind them, supporting one of the exhausted youngsters. They dove behind the destroyed vehicle right as the Normandy streaked into view, twisting slightly to avoid a blast from the machine before slamming full speed into it amidships.
Then everything disappeared in a flash of white.
It was the opposite of the blackness that had taken him before. Gone was the peace and the tranquility, the sense of being out of body or free. Now there was just pain, and noise, and nerves screaming as they were assaulted from every angle. He anchored himself to Ashley, alternately trying to protect her and cling to her so as to have something real within his grasp. The assault on his senses continued, the noise increasing and joined by a shrill new howl while rocks and debris kicked up from the surrounding city rained down on them, the force of the blast large enough to toss chunks of pavement and building around weighing several hundred pounds. One basketball sized chunk glanced off Shepard's armored shoulder guard in the swirl of chaos, sending yet another stab of pain shooting through his already pain wracked body. He grit his teeth harder, holding on for dear life to the only thing that he could tell was unequivocally real.
Ashley.
As if sensing the same thing, she too gripped his arms tighter, pulling herself in closer.
It was probably no more than a flash. A quick occurrence that assaulted the senses, but it seemed to stretch for long, daunting minutes. Slowly, the light faded and the shrieking winds died down. The sound of rending metal and colliding, breaking rubble returning to their previous levels. Following the battles and creepy noises they'd grown accustomed to the silence seemed almost eerie.
Shepard raised his head to look over what cover still remained. His face fell immediately. Hope was quashed. Through the choking dust still hanging in the air the silhouette of Harbinger was still clearly visible. Worse, it was moving, still standing tall above them and turning slowly, inexorably back to face his small squad.
But there was something wrong about the scene too. Something that hadn't been there before. It wasn't the noise of the Reaper's distinctive bellowing anymore that was audible over the returning sounds of furious combat taking place all throughout the city. It was a metal on metal screech, like stressed alloys groaning and shifting under extreme stress. Like the earlier screeches though, this too was emanating from the towering death bringer.
Armor plates rubbing, buckling, and failing. The damn thing's shields were down.
Shepard was running, leaping and sliding over the various bits of detritus in his way. He needed Garrus or EDI. Either one would have the necessary equipment. His own long range comm hadn't seemed to cycle back since he awoke from fighting off the indoctrination attempt earlier. He should have thought about that earlier. He should have known he'd need to talk to those in the outside world eventually, coordinate with those possessing the firepower. In less than a minute he'd have Harbinger's weapons turned again on his position. They needed artillery support and they needed it now.
Garrus was flat on his back, his eyes blinking rapidly as he slowly lifted his head, shaking it slightly as though he were just waking up. The shelter he'd dove behind was almost nonexistent, carried away in the violence of the Normandy's detonation and he'd borne the brunt of the resulting force.
The human didn't waste time checking on his friend, ripping the module off the Turian's armor and replacing his own with it. His omni-tool lit up instantly confirming a good connection.
"This is Commander Shepard, broadcasting in the clear. Does anyone copy? Hammer or Sword command do you read?"
Static was all that greeted his ears, punctuated occasionally by a fleeting portion of alarmed commands or communication bouncing between the ships in the space high above the decimated planet.
"...epard, what the hell...going on down there? We haven't...any contact with Hammer command...fifteen minutes."
"No time. I need assets tasked to my location. Anything with a mass accelerator you can spare and I need it now."
"Understood. Transferring you...the New York and the Sydney." An explosion was suddenly audible in the background, as was the immediate blare of a shrill klaxon. "Get back to me as soon...you can spare the time. Hackett out."
Immediately green lights blinked into existence on Shepard's omni-tool, signaling the connection with both Alliance cruisers. He began typing commands hastily, yelling at Garrus to mark the target for an orbital strike.
"On it."
And here was yet another unbelievably dangerous, suicidal act they'd be bringing down on their heads in the span of a few minutes. The force of a fully accelerated slug from an Alliance cruiser could level a third of a city the size of London, its force measured in megatons. It was ludicrously obvious that he'd need them to dial back the power significantly if the ground team was going to survive this. Utilizing mass accelerators for close-in infantry support had never been done before for a reason.
His screen flashed confirmation, the vectors and firing solutions scrolling past as far above somewhere twin cannons the size of small skyscrapers spooled up.
Harbinger roared again, one of its massive legs crashing down and through a relatively intact building, sending a plume of smoke up into the sky. Red arcs began building at the base of one of its great tentacles, spiraling around as its beam charged while it continued rotating.
"Fire, fire, fire!" Shepard screamed into his comm, pulling Garrus down next to him as the command broadcast into orbit.
Even at ten percent of maximum velocity the single round sent up a plume of dust close to two hundred yards high when it struck the ground, boring a hole clean through the massive Reaper in the span of a millisecond, shaking the ground and rattling everything within a half mile.
Everything froze, waiting for something to happen. Even Harbinger seemed genuinely stunned by the strike, its cannon rapidly losing power as it was actually damaged for the first time in its incomprehensibly long life.
"Good hit!" Shepard shouted over the noise. "Good hit! Fire for effect! Bring it on!"
More rounds rained down, repeating every five seconds or so and skewering the engine of destruction one after the other, sending geysers of smoke and ash into the darkened sky. The monster roared, this time actually seeming to sound in pain, its body featuring two dozen gaping holes in the thick armored carapace.
One leg staggered from the onslaught, two of its others sliding to compensate.
A round struck one of the legs at the joint, shattering the entire appendage and rocking the Reaper. Two more smashed into its lower body, drilling through and causing it to wobble further. By now the entire machine was ensconced in the dust of the impacts, affording the awestruck squad only fleeting views between strikes.
When Harbinger began to fall it started slowly, wavering back and forth as it fought to maintain its balance. But the movements became ever more prominent as it continued to fail. Eventually it couldn't maintain its position anymore and tipped, the entire two kilometer tall living machine plummeting to earth, crushing a swath of already destroyed city for blocks and shaking half the city from the impact.
Still the mass accelerator rounds fell, adjusting as the target shifted sideways. Shepard just watched. He had no intention of calling them off until the thing was good and dead.
The entire squad, even the Krogan, just stood there, stunned at the destruction and scene that continued to unfold before them. Then Wrex roared, joined quickly by Grunt and the others of his clan. Even Samara smiled at the victory.
"That was..." Garrus shook his head, blinking rapidly as he continued processing the scene. The Commander finally called the cruisers off, returning them to the battle raging out of control in the night sky. "I don't really know what that was, but damn. Shepard, you really don't do anything small, do you?"
Shepard was already heading back to Ashley though. He grinned, but even now was already moving on. They still had a long way to go. "Get them ready to move, Garrus. They've got a minute to find every last heat sink and grenade they can. I've got a feeling we're going to need them."
"You sure know how to impress a girl." Ash was sitting on the rubble again with Tali nearby, both of them coated in a thin layer of dust from the massive plumes kicked up.
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. It was time for the two of them to head back to the command and control point and they both knew it, reluctant to leave their friends and teammates.
"You two be safe," he said. "There's still plenty of Reaper ground forces out there. Nothing crazy, okay? Get back to Anderson and report in. We'll handle the heavy lifting. And you get those looked at it." He pointed at Williams' arm.
Tali sniffled and grabbed the Commander, hugging him tightly for a second before letting go and turning away. Ash kissed him gently, her fingers ghosting over his cheek. "Kill them all," she whispered. "Every last one of them. I believe in you. Save us all." Then she was moving gingerly away, her good arm over Tali's shoulder for support.
"Garrus," Ash said, sending her friend a pleading look as he stepped forward. "Keep him alive. I want him coming back." A mandible clicked as he stood there quietly for a moment, but the Turian nodded soberly. Williams managed a small, weak smile and then winced as she placed more weight on her injured leg, allowing Tali to assist her moving over the rubble in the opposite direction.
The Commander watched them for another few seconds before they disappeared around a corner, the Lieutenant Commander sending him one last, sad look, her eyes bright with tears she'd never let fall.
The team was assembled, all of them looking slightly worse for wear, but well armed and ready to go. Beyond the tip of one of Harbinger's downed and destroyed legs the Conduit still pulsed brightly with energy, sending a beam of light skyward to the Citadel.
Garrus nodded, fingering his Mantis and squaring his shoulders. Jack cracked her neck and drew her shotgun, her former students gathered around her fingering assault rifles and submachine guns nervously. The Krogan team was practically bouncing they were so excited, every last one of them grinning almost maniacally in a way that was completely at odds with the ever serene Justicar standing nearby.
"We end this," Shepard began. "Right here and right now. There's no telling what we'll face on the Citadel, but we push forward no matter the cost. We find the Catalyst and activate the Crucible. Nobody stops moving, nobody backs down. Back each other up and give em hell. We work as a team." He turned to Wrex and Grunt. "You're on point, but stay close, the rest of us will provide cover. I don't want you guys charging off on us." Jack and her team of biotics were next. "Rear guard. Keep our flanks clear and lend barrier and artillery support for the rest of us." The ex-convict grinned. "Jack, bring the rain down on anything that gets in our way. No mercy." She nodded enthusiastically and clapped Prangley on the back hard. "EDI, stay out of the way as best you can. We're going to need you to help figure the damn thing out and deal with any problems that pop up. I need you in one piece. Clear?"
"Understood, Commander."
Shepard scanned over the assembled squad one last time, triggering the mechanism on his back and drawing his Vindicator. Garrus' mandibles twitched and he nodded when his eyes passed over the former C-Sec agent. They were as ready as they were going to get. Half a battalion of Alliance Marines had payed with their lives to get them this far. As had the Normandy itself. As had James Vega and Stephen Cortez. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers and sailors of all species were buying them time on the ground, in the air, and in orbit, working together to hold back an overwhelming force in the barest hope that a squad of fifteen individuals comprised of Humans, Asari, Krogan, and Turians could halt eons of galactic history.
The Commander snapped the armor piercing mod into his rifle. "All right. Time to save the galaxy. Let's move."
A/N: So obviously this is supposed to be more than one chapter. No, it won't be the thirty plus epic that Legend, my Dark Knight Rises fanfic is. Perhaps two, maybe three chapters or so...possibly even more depending on how far I work this into the events post Mass Effect 3. We'll see.
Oh, and obviously this Shepard has been loyal to Ashley all along. Sorry Talimancers, this is just the way this story developed.
Please review though and let me know if this is worth continuing though.