There was a satisfying crunch as my Omni-blade hit its mark.

Before the collector pressed against me even had time to finish its dying shriek, I pulled it around and used it as a shield from the incoming gunfire.
A few stray rounds pinged against my shields, which I ignored and leaned around the very dead collector and fired back. The collectors shooting had seemed to forget that cover was, in fact, an important part of living through a firefight.

They went down almost as fast as their shields.

I pressed the well worn button on my arm and my Omni-blade disappeared, letting my improvised shield drop to the ground. I turned and saw Miranda finish the last of the collectors on her side of their floating arena by gracefully drop-kicking it off the edge. How she managed to gracefully drop-kick anything I'll never know.

A loud roar drew my attention to the center of the arena. A bright red light surrounded the human-reaper as it tilted it's head back and prepared to fire the most annoying weapon I had ever encountered. That EMP... thing had already taken out my Omni-tool and my shields for the majority of the most important and dangerous fight of my life and there was no way in hell that was happening again!

"Damn it Shepard, kill that thing already!" I yelled. The red haired, soon to be savior of the galaxy twice over and self proclaimed badass turned to me and gave me a sly smirk. Instead of shooting the weak points as I imagined, she pulled her "baby" or the M-92 Cain off her back with inhuman speed and pointed it straight at the reaper.

Miranda and I, however chose the safe option and dove behind the nearest cover we could find in a feeble attempt to shield ourselves from the blast. "Shepard we tried that already!" I tried to scream over the roar of the reaper's charging attack. "It doesn't work! Get down!" but Shepard's smile only grew bigger as the Cain glowed in her hands. The reaper threw its head down with an enormous screech of metal and opened its mouth to fire it's blast straight at her.

Then it's head exploded.

The decapitated reaper flung itself back while it's head was reduced to ash in an impressive display of nuclear power. Shepard stood in place with a bemused expression on her face as if she could hardly believe her plan had worked, which was likely.

She slowly lowered the now smoking Cain while a rare and radiant smile overtook her features. A feeling of elation filled my chest and I whooped happily, even Miranda looked happy. The moment was cut short when the reaper, in one final attempt at our lives threw itself forward and crashed right into the metal arena we were standing on.

My yell of triumph turned to a scream of terror when I felt the floor being ripped from my feet. I free fell for what felt like minutes until I crashed into the plates again. I realized I was slipping off the plate, fast, shortly after.

I flipped onto my stomach and clawed at the metal, trying to find something, anything that could stop me. Ice dropped into my stomach as the realization that I was going to die hit me. Then I felt my legs drop off the platform, soon the rest of my body followed as my mouth opened in a silent scream.

I stopped when I felt something grab one of my flailing arms in a tight hold. I blinked and looked up at Shepard, her face screwed up in effort and a fire in her eyes that melted the ice in my stomach instantly.

I grabbed hold of her arm and she hoisted me up onto the platform. Then we were running again, but it felt pointless when the platform started to plummet to the ground. Despite the circumstances i couldn't help but feel annoyed, couldn't anything go right for us? I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a helicopter and found, to my horror, a plate spiraling out of control and heading straight for us!

CRASH

I groaned loudly when I felt a weight that I hadn't even realized was there was lifted off me. I could feel someone lightly pushing my side, but my eyes stayed firmly shut. It wasn't involuntary, I was just tired. Galaxy be damned I've earned five minutes of mid-suicide mission shut eye, right?

Wait... Suicide mission?

Memories rushed back to me as I shot up and was on my feet in a record time. I glanced around and found Miranda already up on her feet and dusting herself off. There was a brief, minuscule moment where I could see a look of relief on Shepard's features. Then it was gone, replaced with her usual cold indifference.

"Commander do you copy? Come on Shepard, don't leave me hanging do you copy?" Joker's voice crackled through our radio.

"I'm here Joker, did the ground team make it?" For anyone who didn't know Shepard it would sound like she didn't care, but I heard the small hint of worry laced into her voice. I smiled a little, If it was when I first met her Shepard couldn't have cared less, but now she had a heart. One covered in a large shield of ice yes, but a heart nonetheless.

Joker's relieved sigh was audible, "All survivors on board commander, we're just waiting for you."

"Human, you have changed nothing."

Harbinger's voice boomed all around us, echoing through the entire base. I jumped and frantically tried to find the glowing collector that I thought would be talking to me. Then I remembered that this was the start of Harbinger's epic speech at the end of the game. Then I saw the giant swarm of seekers heading straight for us. Then I realized Shepard and Miranda were already sprinting to the exit. I swore loudly and dashed after them.

"You're species has the attention of forces infinitely your greater"

Shepard and Miranda were really far ahead of me,and they were only getting further. I pushed more power into my legs and mentally damning my pathetic stamina to the lowest reaches of hell possible... and then some.

Memories came to me as I ran, I've done things like this before and failed, but this time I wouldn't fail my team. I would not allow myself to fall behind again. I couldn't let myself be responsible for another death.

"The ones you call reapers are your salvation through destruction."

Collectors seemed to pour out of every opening, crack, and crevice on the base and open fire on us all. I felt round after round be deflected by my shields and all to quickly the loud electronic beeping signaling my shields were almost out of power assaulted my ears.

Then the Normandy rose from the end of our increasingly short pathway and turned so the airlock faced us. It opened and Joker stepped out with an assault rifle in hand and fired on the collectors.

To my relief all of the collector's fire was now focused on Joker and the Normandy. I was slowing down as all the running was taking its toll. I could barely even think anything besides make it to the Normandy over and over again.

God, I was tired.

I looked up and saw Miranda leap up onto the Normandy and Shepard followed soon after. Now it was only me and I was almost there, but there was something my tired mind was telling me I was forgetting...

Suddenly a huge chunk of metal came down and demolished the edge of the pathway, leaving a massive gap in between me and the Normandy. "Oh, come on!" I managed to yell.

I reached the edge of the pathway and put every bit of energy I had left into my legs, and jumped. I saw the airlock and Shepard glaring at me full force, wordlessly telling me... no, ordering me to make the jump.

I saw Miranda, her eyes wide. I saw a rare moment of fear in her, something that forced me to throw my arms out as far as I could. Joker was wearing a similar expression as Shepard and he was already heading to the edge of the airlock with his hand out in an attempt to catch me.

The airlock grew closer, I was almost there! I reached out my arms to try to catch the edge. Then I felt something solid against my finger tips and I threw my other hand out to try and get a better grip.

Then it was gone, my lifeline and my only hope for survival. The Normandy disappeared from my vision. The squad's horror struck faces were burned into my mind. Then they were gone too, and I was falling with no hope of living all over again. It was then, I found that the rumors that your life flashes before your eyes before you die?

They're true.

So this is the start of the next SI in the mass effect section!

This wasn't actually how the first chapter was supposed to go but I personally thought the original (the next chapter in this case) was a little too boring for a first chapter. So then this happened.

I hope you enjoyed it and please review. I promise chapters after this will be longer. Thanks for reading!

THIS IS CURRENTLY BEING WRITTEN WITHOUT A BETA.