"We're in a very bad spot, Admiral!"

Settling back against the ruined hull of the gunship, I fired my newly-acquired Avenger over my head; hopefully hitting some of the Reaper monsters across from us. Commander Shepard, across from me, was lashing out with her biotics and I could see the strain it was taking on her body.

"Normandy, this is Admiral Anderson, I'm activating the distress beacon near a downed dropship; get here ASAP!" Admiral Anderson's fingers flew across the beacons' keyboard; flinching as enemy rounds hit near him.

I rose up, tucking the boy behind me, and winced as I sent a massive biotic wave towards the Reapers; laughing darkly as I watched two of them vaporize instantly. Staggering back, I shouldered my rifle and fired; downing another before the thermal clip overheated.

"Damn, Chief, remind me never to piss you off!" Shepard shouted as she popped out of cover; firing rapidly with her sidearm. "Anderson, I'm on my last thermal!"

"Stay here." I said, shoving the boy behind the cover as much as I could. "Shepard, catch!"

Tossing my last thermal to Shepard, I pulled a grenade from my belt and sent it spinning towards a cluster of the reapers.

"Eat this!"

The explosion sent shrapnel flying at us, making me duck and Anderson to curse loudly. Ducking down, I watched as more of the meteors fell from the sky and exploded on the docks; more of the reapers pouring out.

"Shepard, I'm out! Fall back and I'll cover you; get the kid!" Flaring my biotics, I balled the energy in my hands, lobbing them like grenades at the reapers.

"Anderson, get the kid and fall back; we'll cover you!" Shepard shouted as she also flared her biotics; lobbing energy like I was.

Grimacing at the toll the fight was taking on my body; I lashed out at a reaper, wrapping the energy around it like a coil and sent it flying out into the water. Gunfire sparked along my feet, sending me rolling into cover next to Shepard.

Patting her on the shoulder, I switched sides and sent another wave at the reapers. "Dammit, I thought I told you to fall back? Why can't officers ever listen?"

"You don't give me orders, Gunnery Chief; besides I'm not going to leave anyone behind." Shepard said, ducking down and weakly flaring her biotics. "How are you doing?"

Grinning, I lifted a piece of debris and sent it crashing into the approaching reapers. "I haven't had this much fun since N7 training; nothing more heart-pounding than a last stand!"

Laughing, Shepard pulled her last grenade from her belt and tossed it over her head; shrapnel coming down a second later. "I've had enough last stands to know this isn't where I'm gonna go out and neither will you! Look!"

Pointing across the bay, Shepard cheered as the Normandy soared over the docks; opening up with her armament and eradicating the reapers. Fire, smoke, and debris rained down on us and I couldn't have smiled wider.

"This is the SSV Normandy to Commander Shepard; get onboard before the reapers get any wiser. Seriously, I'm not too sure how I'm still flying, can we go now?"

Grabbing me by the arm, Shepard pulled me to my feet and led the way up the ramp to where the Normandy was hovering. Running after her, I found myself beside Anderson, still carrying the boy. Anderson stopped short of the Normandy's ramp, passing the child over.

"Anderson, let's go!" Shepard shouted from the Normandy's ramp; flanked by two marines, one the officer from before in the Committee hall.

Waving her off, Anderson reached over and gripped my shoulder. "Chief, you've been assigned to the Normandy, but what I need is for you to stay with Shepard. Be her shadow."

Disbelief filled my mind and I'm sure it was on my face. "Sir…I want, need to be here. I want to fight! I'm a marine, not some sailor to get cooped up on a ship! Admiral, please!"

The boy screamed in my ear as an explosion rocked the docks and caused a tidal wave to crash over the gunship; washing away the corpses and splashing us. Softly cradling his head, I turned him away from the sight of Earth being destroyed without mercy.

Pointing a finger at me, Anderson shook his head. "NO! I'm ordering you onto ship whether you like it or not; and you will help Shepard with everything she needs." Anderson turned and reached into his pocket; pulling what looked like a pair of weathered dog tags. "Consider yourself reinstated, Commander."

Shoving me forward, Anderson turned and began walking down back towards the docks; a small group of battered marines waiting for him. I took a step and then another; finding myself on the Normandy.

"These people need a leader, I'm the only one who's left." With that, Anderson jogged down the ramp and joined the marines; taking off and disappearing behind the downed gunship.

Cursing to myself, I set the boy down; watching as a group of shuttles landed among a group of civilians. I barely felt the boy's hand slid into mine and squeezed. I did, however, hear him shout and tug on my sleeve.

Pointing at the group of civilians, new tears streamed down his dirt-caked face. "Mister, my mom and dad! They're down there!"

Looking to Shepard, she nodded her head and turned towards the marine to her left.

"Corporal, radio those shuttles and get-

"Commander!"

The corporal pointed out towards the docks and I paled as a Reaper, a massive Reaper, tore through a skyscraper and approached the shuttles. Everything seemed to slow as the shuttles hurried to escape, their engines burning everything they had…it wasn't enough.

I watched as the Reaper's eye heated up and blasted one shuttle after another before turning its attention to the remaining civilians.

"MOMMY! DADDY!" The boy rushed forward, like he was going to fly off and make it to the docks before…

"Look away." I turned the boy as he reached out still; crying out for his parents.

I couldn't see the beam burn them, but I heard the sound of the screams, even from the distance, and the sound of the Reaper sounding its god-awful horn as it moved away. The boy screamed louder and louder; enough that I knew I would remember the sound till my dying day.

"Get us out of here, Joker." Shepard told the pilot; the Normandy already turning away and heading for the atmosphere.

I picked him up and carried him inside, passing Shepard, whose head hung low, as tears fell to the deck. The major nodded in my direction and reached forward for the boy; taking him and carrying him into the elevator.

Squaring my shoulders, I forced myself towards Shepard. She barely glanced up as I stood in front of her; smoothing the tattered remains of my uniform.

Clearing my throat, I stood at attention. "Gunnery Chief Andrew Hackett, reporting for duty."

"Get out of here, Chief." Shepard muttered, refusing to look me in the eye.

"Negative, ma'am. What's out plan?" I crossed my arms; leaning on my back leg.

Glancing up, Shepard smirked before wiping at her eyes. "You're gonna be a problem, aren't you?"

"For you, maybe." I said as I walked to the armory; pulling out a new assault rifle. Setting it down on the table, I placed my hands on either side and looked at the Commander square in the eye.

"For the Reapers…hell yes."

Xxxxxx

The Normandy shook as it cleared the atmorsphere of Mars, the red planet. I had never been here before, but orders were orders. Admiral Hackett had ordered Shepard to find information that had been stored away for who knows how long.

"So, this Dr. T'soni is somehow going to help us? I don't get how some random chica is gonna be any use in war." Vega, the loudmouth marine that I had found surprisingly entertaining. "What do you think, Chief?"

Settling into the pilot's seat in the shuttle, I brought up the diagnostics. "You don't want to know what I think, LT. Besides, it's not my place to think, I just shoot the bad guys."

Laughing, Vega stored his helmet in the copilot seat and leaned against it; keying his earpiece.

"Hey, Commander, we're ready to rock and roll."

"I can hear you fine, James, let's get this show on the road." Shepard said as she pulled herself into the shuttle; the Major Kaiden Alenko on her tail. "Chief, you cleared on this shuttle?"

Smirking, I turned in my chair. "What's wrong, Commander; don't trust me?"

"I think we know the answer to that." Shepard joked as she strapped herself into her seat as I fired up the engines. "Damn, I hate shuttles."

I chuckled as I maneuvered the shuttle out of the bay and out into the dry, Martian wasteland. Almost immediately, my sensors picked up anomalies in the area. Mentally cursing, I rapidly typed at the controls; swiping left and right.

"Commander, we've got a big ass sandstorm moving in on the base; we've better make this pickup quick." I accelerated the shuttle, the ride becoming rougher as we grew closer to the base.

"How long we have, Chief?" Shepard asked, now standing behind me. "We most certainly do not want to be here for too long with that damn storm."

Nodding my head, I steered the shuttle to the ground; sighing as it settled in the red dust. "I'm not sure, ma'am, but I can't raise the base. Something tells me the storm has something to do with it."

Pulling my helmet on, I opened the shuttle door and stepped out; the winds already picking up. The dirt swirled around me as the rest joined me; their weapons already pulled. Shepard took the lead, hopping down a ledge and immediately cursed every god known.

"You alright, ma'am?" Kaiden asked, rushing off the ledge and going to Shepard's side.

Looking at Vega, who only shrugged, I followed and found myself staring at the dirt covered corpse of an Alliance marine.

"Shit, now we know why we couldn't raise the base." Shepard muttered, kneeling beside the body. She rolled the body over; her hands probing the body until she pulled a card from it. "Sergeant Rivera, executed. Never saw it coming."

"Orders?" I asked, pulling my Mantis from my back.

Shepard nodded her head at the sight, pointing back up the ledge. "Want you on over watch, keep us updated."

Shipping my rifle, I climbed up the ledge and scrambled over the rocks. Settling into a crevice, I pulled spare thermals out of my belt and laid them out in front of me. Shifting once, I brought up my rifle sighting in…almost wish I didn't.

"Commander, I'm in position…you're not going to like this."

"What'd you find?" Shepard's voice crackled in my headset. "And stop calling me commander."

Settling my crosshairs on the lead Cerberus trooper, I watched as he pressed the barrel of his sidearm against an Alliance marine and squeeze the trigger; blowing the man's brains out. Grimacing, I watched the marine's body twitch once, twice, before ceasing. I just watched a fellow marine die and didn't do anything…not yet.

"Shepard, Cerberus bastards just executed a marine and I'm sure they're the reason for the sarge back there. Permission to waste the bitch." I muttered, my finger taking up two pounds of the two and a half pound trigger.

"Take him out."

I grinned as the Cerberus trooper's chest exploded as my round blew through his armor. Cocky bastard didn't even have his shields up. Ejecting the clip, I slid a new one in and immediately fired again; catching another trooper in the side. The remaining four scrambled for cover; their gunfire was scattered, not even close as I sighted in on another.

"Three…down. Three left." I said, scanning for the rest, now under cover.

I didn't need to find them.

Gunfire erupted from their flank and tore into them; their shields sparking. Caught unprotected, the troopers panicked, allowing me to send another to the ground missing half his head. I watched as the two left were shredded by the squad's incoming fire; Shepard leading the charge down the hill.

I watched as Shepard emptied her rifle into the chest of the trooper closest; his screams audible from my perch. Ejecting her thermal, she kicked the body over, dismissing it like it was nothing more than a fly. The last trooper crawled away slowly; a stream of blood trailing behind him, along with Shepard. She raised her rifle, finger on the trigger.

No, you don't, spitfire.

Centering my crosshairs on his back, I squeezed the trigger, watching red blossom out of his back. Shepard spun around, her rifle aimed in my direction. I could see her narrow her eyes through her visor; almost looked like she was accusing me. Cute.

"Enemy neutralized, Commander." Vega said, rolling a trooper over. "Nice shooting, Chief. No wonder you earned the Stripe. Hey, Commander, what's Cerberus doing here?"

"Beats me, James. Chief, stay on over watch and if you steal another kill…" Shepard trailed off as she knelt beside the Alliance marines lying dead. "These marines didn't deserve this; not going out without a fight. No way for a soldier to die."

Pulling more thermals out, I laid them in a row again. "Shepard, I'm tracking activity north of your position. Cerberus is moving to intercept; storm's most likely messing with their comms as well."

Shepard moved behind one of Cerberus' trucks, her assault rifle shouldered. "James, Kaiden, take up flanking positions. Chief, keep doing what you're doing."

"Aye, aye, ma'am."

Second chapter down, looking forward to hearing what yall think. Leave me a review!