The Mars Archives

"What the hell is going on?" Vega asked in a frustrated tone. He was perplexed as to why the Normandy seemed to be leaving. "Where's Anderson?"

When Shepard didn't answer him he pulled him back. "Where we going?"

"We're leaving" was the reply.

"Leaving?" Why would they leave? He thought. The fight was here!

"What's going on?" Ashley asked, her posture calm compared to Vega's frustration.

"Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel. Get help for Earth" James couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew Anderson was a lifelong soldier and ordering Shepard to leave the fight seemed unbelievable. And what about Shepard? The stuff he'd done wasn't accomplished because he followed orders to run! He would have figured Shepard would belay any order that disagreed with his views, even if it was given by a superior officer. Especially when it was about the fight for his homeworld!

"Bullshit! He wouldn't order us to leave!"

Shepard turned round to face him. "Look, I don't like it either. You want to be down there, fighting for your home. I get that. But we can't win this thing alone"

"Ok, you can play politician with the suits but you can drop me off, 'cos I'm not leaving!"

Shepard glared, looking him right in the eye. "Enough! Don't you think I'd rather stay and fight? You see the devastation down there? Double it, triple it, hell quadruple it. That's what is going to happen unless we get help!" Again Shepard glared at him, the cold stare he was emitting would've made a krogan pause. Vega glared back, but he'd lost his footing in the argument and both men knew it.

"We're going to the Citadel. End of story. If you still want out you can leave from there" were Shepard's last words on the subject. "Commander?" Joker's voice rang out on the intercom.

"Yes, Joker?"

"We've got an incoming transmission from Admiral Hackett. Patching it through"

Shepard jogged to the nearby terminal and established a link. It was garbled and broken up, but clear enough to understand. "Shep…at you?"

"Yes, Admiral. We've escaped in the Normandy and are on our way to the Citadel to request help for Earth, sir"

"Y.. do that, but go to… Mars Archives… research with Dr Tsoni… ound way to stop them… only way to stop them"

"Understood, sir"

With the connection shut, Shepard told Joker their next destination. "Set a course for Mars"

"Mars? Um… ok, understood Commander"

"Why are we going to Mars?" Ash asked, while James exclaimed "This is loco!"

"Tell you on the way. You two, suit up"

Looking at the red and black N7 armour on the table, Shepard hoped this trip would be worth it.

After Ash and James were told the reason for the journey the ride there was quiet. James still looked pissed at leaving Earth, but he seemed to accept and understand why they had to. Shepard was piloting the shuttle, bringing them into Mars's atmosphere. Good thing he won't be driving a Mako, Ash idly thought. The thought brought memories back though, memories she was convinced she'd buried. Ever since Horizon she'd tried to reason that she was right, that she couldn't possibly trust some Shepard clone Cerberus could've made up. The problem was, she was becoming more convinced she was wrong.

Dammit Williams. You're so focused on Cerberus you can't see the real threat!

Garrus had told her that on Horizon, the last time she spoke with him too. She knew Garrus had helped Shepard take down the Collectors, and that didn't surprise her. Garrus was a fighter, always trying to protect innocent people, no matter what race they were, and he was unswervingly loyal to Shepard, probably his best friend. She'd heard Tali had joined with him too. Ashley always suspected Tali had feelings for Shepard, and why wouldn't she? He'd saved her ass time and time again. Unintentionally the thought of them together produced a pang of jealousy. Had he seeked solace in her arms? She hoped not. She also knew that Wrex would have gone with him if he could've, and to have a krogan clan chief's loyalty meant something. The only one apart from her not willing to join with him at the time was Liara, but Ash suspected her reasons were different from hers.

The fact that Shepard went on a suicide mission and came back suggested that he was the real deal. No mindless slave could do that, or have the loyalty of his diverse crew. But she still couldn't let go of the fact that, even if he was alive now, Shepard died and came back working with a terrorist organisation, an enemy of the Alliance. If they were the Alliance's enemies, they were her enemies, no matter who they were.

She was shaken out of her thoughts as the shuttle landed. The doors opened, revealing a dusty and rocky landscape, with a research station in the distance. Together, as they secured their helmets, the trio exited the shuttle.

Surveying the landscape with his Mantis sniper rifle, Shepard sighed. The Normandy currently only had hold of the basic weapons, meaning they wouldn't pack the punch the arnaments Shepard and his old team had when they turned it in. He'd have to remind himself to put in requisition orders once he'd gotten to the Citadel. Putting that thought on hold he and his team looked around the terrain. A storm was coming from the east, and it was approaching rapidly. They kept going on the path when they heard a single gunshot. Then another one.

"Not a firefight, otherwise there'd be bursts of fire and bullets hitting off cover, not single shots. I don't like the sound of this" Ashley said. Adopting a more stealthy approach, they silently walked to where the gunshots were heard. Several more shots were fired before Shepard looked down his scope and saw what was happening from his position.

"Holy shit they're executing them!" James urgently whispered, as they saw a group of soldiers in armour were executing the researchers. White and yellow armour, with a distinctive diamond symbol.

"Ash, snipe 'em, now!" Shepard ordered, as they both took out the two men closest to the last innocent. Before the group could react James chucked a grenade into the midst of the group, taking out over half of the force. James continued to distract them from the snipers by firing continuing bursts from his Avenger assault rifle, making them pop out of cover and easy pickings for Ashley and Shepard. As the last of the Cerberus squad was finished, they were dismayed to find the researcher they'd saved dead on the ground.

"Those bastards. They could've at least taken them prisoner! And look at him. Wasn't even executed, just murdered in cold blood by some asshole who knew his time had ran out" James exclaimed angrily.

"Maybe they're luckier" Shepard said. Before Vega could tear into him he added "I've seen what Cerberus have done to their prisoners. I'd rather a quick death then prolonged torture"

"What are they doing here anyway?" Ash asked.

"Don't have a clue" Shepard replied.

"You don't know?" Ash said, before she realized what she was implying.

"Why would I know?" Shepard calmly asked, trying to keep his voice non-accusatory.

"It's just that… I'm just saying that it's weird Cerberus are here as soon as we arrive. I mean, look at the amount of vehicles. They didn't show up in force, meaning they had inside help"

"And you're implying that Shepard had something to do with that?" James asked. He looked incredulous. Shepard just kept walking into the facility, closing the doors so they could go without the breather function in their helmets. With her head filled with doubts about Shepard's loyalty, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

"I need a straight answer Shepard. Are you with Cerberus? Why are they here? When did you last have contact with them?"

"Ash…" His voice seemed to be trying to tell her that her doubts were wrong, that she should have more faith on him.

"I need a straight answer. Are you with Cerberus or not?"

Sighing, Shepard replied "No, I'm not with Cerberus. I haven't had any contact with them since I destroyed the Collector base. Hell, I basically spat in the Illusive Man's face when I did that. I also opened the eyes of two of his best operatives, one of which was only there because the Alliance were doing nothing. Before you defend them, admit it. They were doing nothing. And no, I don't know why they're here"

"But-"

"Shepard's been under constant surveillance since he was removed from service. He's had no contact with Cerberus whatsoever" James defended him.

"You know me better than that Ash, you of all people" he said.

Putting her head down, Ashley felt ashamed. It was almost as if she couldn't see through the 'Cerberus is bad, Alliance is good' motto she had. The problem was that Shepard hadn't appeared to change. When she looked at him she saw the same person she'd loved two and a half years ago. His mission against the Collectors was supposed to be impossible. While not privy to the mission files Anderson had told her who he'd recruited, and she'd bet that anyone else wouldn't have been able to get them to work together. A convict, a teenage krogan, an asari justicar, he'd even managed to get a geth onboard. And according to Anderson, it had followed his orders without question. A brainwashed Shepard couldn't have possibly achieved that. And yet she still had doubts…

As they entered the facility they heard noises. They seemed to be coming from the duct systems. Using the cranes in the room as cover they sneaked around, only to see an old friend.

Liara crawled in the ducts as fast as she could. I should've known they'd come find me! she thought as she tore round one of the corners. Two Cerberus assault troopers were after her. Although they were better armed, as long as she managed to avoid being caught in a straight path the confined space was her advantage. They couldn't get a clear shot at her, and the second soldier couldn't fire at all, in case he shot at his fellow man. Assuming he had morals. Knowing Cerberus, she wasn't so sure. She sighed with relief as she saw light in one of the passageways. Crawling quickly, she blasted the shutter blocking her exit with Throw, and dived through the hole. Dropping down she prepared herself as the Cerberus Assault Troopers predictably tried to follow her through the exit she'd caused.

They never got the chance.

As the two in pursuit of her dropped down, she caused a Singularity to levitate them right in front of her. Taking out her Shuriken, she calmly shot them in the air. As they dropped onto the floor she aimed and fired four shots, two for each man. She then heard something behind her. Looking round she saw three soldiers behind her, however they weren't dressed in Cerberus attire. In fact the man in the middle had one of the most recognisable sets of armour in the galaxy. N7 armour.

"Shepard!"

"Hey Liara. Nice to see you". Stepping forward he hugged her. She reciprocated the gesture.

"Haven't seen you in a while. I'm sorry about Earth" she said apologetically.

"Yeah, it was hard to leave" Ash remarked, walking next to Shepard.

"I know this must be hard on you" she said sympathetically. Getting to the point however, she added "but we may have a find a way to stop the Reapers. Maybe the only way to stop them"

"Hallelujah. Some answers. Finally" James exclaimed.

"Oh, hello. And you are?"

"James Vega. Alliance Navy. You?"

"Liara Tsioni. Just an information broker and prothean expert. A very… proficient info broker"

"So, there's a weapon that can destroy the Reapers?" Shepard asked. He sounded sceptical.

"No, well, yes. It's a blueprint for a Prothean device. A weapon massive in size and scope, capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction"

"How'd you find out about this?"

"Ever since the Alpha Relay incident I figured we were running out of time, so I used my resources of the Shadow Broker to prepare. Admiral Hackett knew something important could be found in the Archives, and asked me to look into them. What I found was… astonishing"

Any further conversation was put on hold as the alarms of the doors on the floor above them sounded, signalling the arrival of more Cerberus troops.

"More troops incoming!" Liara exclaimed.

"Hell yeah, come and get us!" James shouted. Shepard shook his head.

"No. James, go back to the shuttle"

"What? But why?"

"I need you to be able to get us outta here in case things don't go to plan"

James looked like he wanted to argue but he saw the reason why he had to go. Nodding, he took the lift back down to the area they'd just been. Taking cover, they prepared themselves.

"How many do you think there'll be?" Liara asked.

"Don't know. Can't be too many, they only had a couple of vehicles outside" Shepard said. "Ready a Singularity, they've got the high ground"

Three Cerberus troops ran through the upper doors, only to be sucked into a mini black hole as Liara went to work. Levitated out of cover, they were easy pickings.

"Lift is out. We'll go up here" Shepard said as he pulled a lever to bring one of the storage boxes up, creating a makeshift walkway.

"This is a secure station. How'd Cerberus get in?" Ash asked.

"Don't know" Liara replied. "We were getting reports of the invasion and then chaos. Didn't even realise it was Cerberus at first"

"Could they be working with the Reapers?"

"Not likely, but I guess anything is possible" Shepard said.

"So, Liara… you're the Shadow Broker?" Ashley asked. So that's why she didn't go with him.

"Yes. In fact, a certain Spectre helped me get that application"

"Shepard?"

"Maybe" she said with a smile.

Running through the facility, they came across three assault troopers, speaking into their radios.

"Yeah. Think the Alliance sent back-up. All right, stay alert" There was something wrong with his voice. It sounded too… synthesised. Shepard was mystified to why.

Must be something with their voice modules he thought.

Engaging their radios, Shepard whispered "One on the right's mine. Ashley, snipe the one at the door. Liara, Stasis field on the last one. Ready, go!"

Executing their commands, the three troopers fell. One was without it's head, one was stuck in stasis and the other had an omniblade through his chest. Shepard materialised behind him, his Tactical Cloak wearing off. Raising his pistol, he took care of the last one in stasis.

They kept running through the facility, taking care of any Cerberus troops they could find. However, most were in groups of threes, and they were outgunned and outmatched by the trio. Running into a room, they found a set of controls.

"We'll need access to the pedway. Give me a minute" Liara said as she tried to do it. "Damn it, security's been tampered with"

Going to the next console Shepard tried to gain access.

"Wait, who's that woman in the vid?" Ash questioned as the screen in the corner came to life. It showed a slim woman, maybe mid-30's.

"That's Dr Eva Core. She came here about a week ago. Any luck?" Liara asked Shepard.

"Pedway's been locked out"

"Right. There's construction on the roof. We can go out and get to it round there"

Securing their helmets, they went through the newly opened door to be greeted by the storm they saw earlier. Although it didn't impede their movement the dust would fog the visors of their helmets if they stayed outside too long. In the distance they saw two trams, with people aboard trading gunfire.

"What the hell?" Ashley shouted.

"Looks like the Alliance is still putting up a fight. They'll be overwhelmed soon though, we got to hurry" Shepard exclaimed.

"That tram leads right to the archives. Once they're across they are at the last security checkpoint" Liara explained.

"Another reason to move our asses. James, do you copy?"

"Comm- ou read -e?" James' voice came onto the radio, however it was garbled and hardly recognisable.

"Barely. Storm is causing some interference"

"Tell me bout it- lost contact with Normandy. What's y…"

"Didn't read that. James, can you hear me?" James tried to reply but the only he could say was "I said…" before the line went off.

"Dammit!"

As they came to a door Liara looked puzzled. "This airlock shouldn't be open" she exclaimed.

Doesn't look like it was forced" Ashley remarked.

"No, you'd have to override security protocols" Liara agreed. Putting their torches on to deal with the darkened environment inside the room, they ventured in. The sight that greeted them was horrible. As they illuminated the room they saw several dead bodies on the ground. No bullet wounds, just the telltale sign that they'd died because of lack of oxygen. Cerberus had cut the air supply while they were still inside.

"This is brutal, even by Cerberus' standards" Liara looked disgusted with the scene. Shepard just kept walking. He loathed what they'd done but he had got used to seeing things like that.

Scanning the room ahead he noticed five Cerberus soldiers, looking through the transparent glass. Apparently, they couldn't see them. Shepard formed a battle plan.

"Right. Ash, shoot the glass and just keep firing at them. Liara, I need a stasis field to catch the three in the middle, because I'm going to detonate a grenade once the field's up. After that just try and kill the last two stragglers. Ready?" They both nodded.

"Go!"

The assault troops didn't know what hit them as three were stuck still a second after the glass shattered, with an active grenade rolling up to them a second later. Ashley and Shepard opened fire on the last two as they tried to run, however they never got to the door. With no time for congratulations Liara jumped through the broken glass and started to type at a nearby terminal.

"I need to pressurize the room first. I've got some footage of what happened here- Oh goddess!" she shouted in surprise, as the clip showed the video logs of one of the security personnel. As he was talking the woman they'd seen before, Dr Eva, came in and shot him in cold blood. She then proceeded to type commands onto the terminal, presumably to let Cerberus in.

"Guess we know how Cerberus got in" Shepard remarked.

"I… I should've known. I was just so focused on the device that I became complacent, I guess" Liara looked troubled.

"You couldn't have known. Besides, it doesn't matter now . We just need to get the blueprints for the weapon. That's what matters" Shepard reassured her.

A small smile grew on Liara's face. He'd always had the ability to reassure her. "I suppose you are right. I don't know how you handle it all"

"I have my ways"

"Right. We have access to the labs now. They'll take us right to the tram station. Let's go"

Running silently through the doors they came across a slightly larger Cerberus force than the ones they'd already encountered. The leader seemed to be issuing orders, telling them to set up a perimeter and not to let any intruder through.

"They know we're close now" Shepard said into his radio. There was around eight or nine of them, all huddled together.

"I'll create a Singularity, drag maybe four or five in if I'm lucky" Liara whispered.

"Right. Ash: Grenade. Take 'em out. I'll take care of any stragglers" Shepard ordered.

Executing his commands, three soldiers were sucked into Liara's Singularity, while another two were taken out by Ashley's grenade. The remaining four dived into cover, trying to dispel the threats that were tearing through their units. Exchanging fire, the trio of Ashley, Shepard and Liara soon outclassed the four remaining soldiers.

"There's going to be more up ahead" Ashley warned. Sure enough, as soon as Shepard opened the first door in the corridor of labs, another Cerberus squad attacked. What was worse was that this force was bigger, with soldiers equipped with riot shields, with the only opening in it being the 'mail slot' situated at the soldiers' eyes.

"Ashley! Time to deliver the mail, sniper style!" Shepard yelled, as they both pulled out their long range weapon. Liara, seeing what they were planning, made a barrier to give them enough time for the shot. The clattering of two shields hitting the floor told her they'd found their mark.

Cerberus fought back furiously, trying desperately to kill the intruders by using sheer numbers. However, as one tried to advance, he saw the shimmer of a Tactical Cloak right before he was pulled behind Shepard's cover. Eventually, Shepard and his team managed to wear them down, thinning their numbers, before advancing. A suicidal charge by the last soldier and the sound of three guns firing at once put an end to the battle.

"Uh, what's that smell?" Ashley asked, as they made there way across the station.

"They just activated the decontamination protocols" Liara said gravely.

"With the staff still inside" Ashley finished.

Deactivating them, they ran on through the labs.

"This is where they would study the various info or relics in this place" Liara explained.

"What'd they find?" asked Shepard with interest.

"More than I could describe in a short conversation. There are hundreds of Prothean databanks in the archives untouched" Liara said with awe in her voice.

Running into the next corridor they were greeted by a massive turret hanging from the ceiling in the next room. Diving to cover they assessed their options. Ashley peaked out to see the turrets targeting laser aim at her before she ducked back down to avoid being killed.

"It takes at least two or three seconds to target you! Dive in and out of cover before it gets you!" Ashley shouted as she ran up the corridor. She avoided the laser long enough to move further up the room and stay in cover. Following her example Shepard and Liara ran up to the room. Eventually the trio managed to get to the back of the room. The turret couldn't rotate to their position, granting them a moment of safety. Getting to the console they needed Liara sat down and went to work. She managed to get footage of Dr Eva. She was ordering the shutdown of every camera and the lockdown of the trams, meaning the trio couldn't get across from their current position. She then proceeded to shoot the camera.

"Looks like they've made it to the archives. And it doesn't look like they'll be sending a tram anytime soon" Liara muttered.

"Can you override it?" Shepard asked.

"The archives are on a separate network. We're completely locked out" she answered.

"Maybe not" Ashley said.

Shepard turned round to face her. "You got an idea?"

"What if we found a close range communicator, like helmet-to-helmet?"

"And?"

"Then we contact them saying we're on their side, the Alliance forces have been neutralised"

"Good idea" Shepard said. He sounded impressed. As Ash turned away to find a transmitter, Liara eyed him.

"What?"

"The Lieutenant-Commander seems to have gotten very capable"

"That she has"

Turning away he left her to the terminal.

Ashley finally saw a body with a working transmitter in his helmet. She saw Shepard walk behind her. She was … confused about what she felt for him. The way he'd reassured Liara, the way he'd put James in his place and even the way he fought was all reminiscent of the Shepard she'd loved. She couldn't help but feel happy at the fact that he was impressed with her because of her idea. The way everyone acted around him, the way he went about himself, maybe he really was the Shepard she had known before. Maybe miracles could happen.

These thoughts were eradicated when she peered through the helmet's visor.

"Oh god" Ashley wretched, completely disgusted with what had happened to the man. "He looks like a husk!"

Shepard looked at the corpse. She was right. His skin was deathly pale, and even though he was dead bright blue lights shone from his eye sockets. Shepard's mind flashed to when he fought Saren, and also the husks and cannibals. Their eyes had been bright blue as well. Only one thing could've caused it.

Indoctrination.

"Who knows what they jammed into his skull!" Ashley yelled. "That could've been you, Shepard!"

She was angry, that was certain. The difference Shepard noticed was that before she was accusatory, suspicious. Now her voice seemed to be filled with concern. Still, he was tired of her constantly questioning him, his wellbeing and his loyalty. And it showed in his next words.

"How can you compare me to him? If I was like him I'd be a slave, with no mind of my own! How could I have disobeyed TIM at the Collector Base? Huh?"

"What if they're controlling you? Maybe you just think you're Commander-"

"Listen to yourself! Why do you have so much trouble trusting me? All the facts are staring you in the face and yet you refuse to believe it! Please, I'm not being a dick here, but give me one good reason, apart from the fact that I worked with Cerberus for the greater good, why you can't trust me!"

Ashley looked for a reason but she couldn't find one. Instead, she bowed her head, and stated "Look, I…I just need to find a way to know you again. Know the guy I used to love"

Shepard stared at her, but the malice in his expression faded as he said quietly "I'm still that guy, but I can't make you trust me. And you better find a way to trust me quickly. Otherwise if life or death depends on whether you trust me or not… I don't know how that's going to turn out"

Picking up the transmitter, he turned back to her, saying "Look, I don't know what's going to happen, but can we cooperate for the rest of the mission? After this, we'll talk. Properly"

"Okay, okay… Commander"

Smiling, he turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Hello, is anyone there?" he said into the transmitter.

"Who is this?"

"This is… Delta Team" Where the hell did I get that?

"What's your status?"

"All hostiles terminated. We're awaiting pick up on the other side"

"Good work. Echo Team will ride over and secure the station"

Cutting the line, Ashley asked him "Think they bought it?"

"Think so, they'll find out it's a trap soon enough though"

"We better get ready" Liara reasoned, walking up to them.

"All right. Apparently they're sending a whole team, so Ash: grenade in the back of the tram. I'll take the front. Liara, well, just do your thing"

"Gladly"- "Affirmative"

"Lets go kick some Cerberus ass"

The Cerberus troopers didn't know what had hit them. A simple pick-up turned into a fight for life as the front and back of the tram simultaneously exploded, killing over half their team. The rest were boxed in, leaving a simple choice: Die inside the tram or die outside of it. If they stayed they were crushed by Liara's Singularity, and if they left they died without a head, as a result of Ash and Shepard taking up sniper perches. One looked like he was about to surrender but before he could he shot himself, like an invisible force told him to. The Cerberus force was eventually whittled down to one man, and he ran in a suicide run towards Liara. His legs were crippled by two sniper shots and Liara calmly drew her Predator and ended him.

"Well, that takes care of that" Shepard remarked, as he and Ash came down from the upper level. Jogging into the tram they rode to the last security checkpoint.

The Cerberus forces were ready for them, as they opened fire as soon as they were in range. The two snipers fired, but the enemy had superior numbers and position. As the tram came to it's destination, Shepard activated his cloak. Using the last of his grenades he managed to cause a big enough distraction that most of the troops stopped firing at the ladies and zeroed in on him.

"Can't fight back like this!" Shepard yelled, as four Cerberus troopers converged on his position, which was the left to the centre of the room, meaning he was cut off from Ashley and Liara. Switching to his shotgun, Shepard braced himself.

He was surprised to see a Singularity appear close to him, but far away enough to avoid being sucked in. He was even more pleasantly surprised to see a Concussive Shot take out the remaining soldier.

"Thanks!"

"Don't mention it!" Ash yelled, somewhere on the battlefield. The furious battle raged on, as the experience and power of Shepard's team tried to beat the numbers of Cerberus's squads. However, Shepard's team had experience and endurance, and it soon showed. When the trio fired most moves they made scored a hit, while the assault troopers carelessly blind fired at their foes. Eventually the last one fell.

"This is it. Beyond this door is the blueprint we need" Liara explained, as she opened the door. Liara ran up to the terminal overseeing the hologram of the information they needed.

"Here it is!" she shouted excitedly. Their good mood was soon ruined however, as the hologram of a man materialised behind Shepard. A man who saw himself as the epitome of humanity. A man who'd go to unknown limits to get what he wanted. Just the type of man Shepard despised.

"Shepard"

"Illusive Man"

The hologram paced in front of Shepard, studying the images behind him. "Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover and we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the archives for thirty years, and what have they done with it?" he rhetorically asked.

"What do you want?" Shepard snarled, getting straight to the point.

"What I've always wanted. The data in these archives are the key to solving the Reaper problem"

Shepard didn't like the way he said 'solving'. I've seen what your solutions are. Your soldiers are turned into monsters"

"Hardly. They're being improved"

"Really? Having Reaper tech stuck in their skull, constantly hearing voices till they become a mindless slave? And you call that improvement? You could at least pretend to care about their welfare, their wellbeing. Actually, don't, it'll just sicken me. Everything about you is a lie, apart from the fact you're a cold-blooded snake who'll do anything to get what you want. Use anyone"

"See, you just don't realise. Where you see a means to destroy, I see the way to control, to dominate and harness the Reaper's power"

"Our world is burning and you want to spare the Reapers from destruction? Keep them around for your own selfish gain? You've lost it"

"You've always been short-sighted, hasty. Your destruction of the Collector Base proved that"

"No, I think that proved my intelligence. You pretended to be my friend, my advocate just so you could exploit my success at the end. If I'd saved the base you'd be here right now gloating over how you used me to get what you want. You should've quit while you were still ahead"

"It doesn't matter. This isn't your fight any longer. You can't defeat the Reapers"

"You sure? You know what I'm capable of. I've done things that belong in fiction. Tracking Saren to Ilos, beating the Collectors, being the first human Spectre… the list goes on. I'll defeat them" he stated resolutely.

"Doubtful. The odds aren't in your favour"

"They never have. Yet I'm still standing, and all the people who said I couldn't are eating their own words. Either that, or they are dead" Shepard said, with a hint of warning.

"It's not going to happen, mainly because I don't want the Reapers destroyed. We can harness their very essence, use them to bring humanity to a new stage of evolution. Humans will be the centre of galactic power, like it should be already"

"No, I'll tell you what's going to happen. I'm going to use this data to blow the Reapers back to whatever hellhole they came from. And I'll kill anyone in my way"

"You're pathetically short-sighted, only able to kill. You're a tool Shepard, a tool I used to destroy the Collectors, because I saw fit to carry out the action. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in this place, you're time is over"

Shepard smirked. "I think we'll disagree on 'relatively successful'. I completely aced it. I managed to assemble the deadliest team the galaxy had ever seen, and I managed to make them work together. I managed to succeed against the Collectors, and on the supposed 'suicide mission', I brought everyone back alive. I even managed to convince your second-in command about who you really were. I think that surpasses 'relatively successful'"

"Don't interfere with my plans Shepard, I won't warn you again"

"Go to hell" Shepard retorted, not intimidated in the slightest.

"Shepard!" Liara's voice cut in. "The data is being wiped!"

"What?" he replied. "How is he doing it?"

Smirking, the holo of the Illusive Man disappeared. As he left, he departed with the words: "Goodbye, Shepard. The next we meet, it won't be this pleasant"

Liara furiously looked for someway to save the data. Scrolling down, she discovered the source of the problem. "Shepard, it's being wiped locally! Someone is still here!"

Ashley heard Liara's cries, and was quick to react. Scanning the room, she saw a familiar women on a terminal, a women she had seen throughout the mission. Dr Eva Core.

"Get off the console, now!" she demanded. Eva seemed to hesitate.

"I said now!"

As Ashley closed in, Eva spun and surprised Ashley with a snap-kick to the chest. As Ash tried to get up, the Cerberus mole overloaded her omnitool and plunged it into the terminal, stopping Liara from downloading the blueprints. Checking to see that the info she needed was safely on her omnitool, she turned and sprinted out the room.

"She's quicker than she looks!" Ashley exclaimed, as the trio charged after her. Core tried anything she could to get away, sending several fire blasts of Incinerate at her pursuers, hoping to slow them down. Getting outside, she quickly climbed up the ladder and ran to a Cerberus shuttle in the distance. Shepard pressed on, but it was becoming clear she would outrun them.

"Joker do you read me? James do you come in?" he shouted into the radio desperately. Damn storm is gonna cost us everything!

As he climbed up the ladder, closely followed by Ash and Liara, he saw Dr Core jump into the shuttle.

"James? Joker? Anybody?"

He watched helplessly as the Cerberus shuttle was departing.

"I got this!" James yelled into the radio. Looking up, Shepard saw an Alliance shuttle slam into the Cerberus one in a side on collision. While James's shuttle creaked and hovered a bit, the Cerberus one crashed onto the ground, forcing the team to dive either side. Shepard dove to the right, while Ash and Liara jumped to the left.

"James, get down here!" Shepard yelled up at him. As James stepped out, they heard a scream from the other side.

Liara had taken a bad fall. Ash hauled her to her feet, right before the damaged door of the Cerberus shuttle was knocked off. Rising from the fire stood Dr Eva Core. Only it wasn't Eva Core. Her flesh was badly burned and her clothes were gone, but the thing standing before Ash looked anything but human.

Noticing with a shock Ashley realised it was a synthetic. No organic could've survived a full frontal clash like that. But she removed these thoughts as it charged.

Not today bitch she thought as she pushed Liara aside and fired at the thing. It didn't even flinch at the bullets that struck it as it grabbed Ashley by the helmet and lifted her up into the air. Her scream was muffled into the hand of the machine as she tried to do something, anything, to put the thing off balance.

"Ash!" Shepard cried as he whipped round the corner and trained his pistol on Core, James following suit a minute later.

"Let her go" he demanded, as the synthetic continued to hold her aloft. It didn't seem to even register his words. Instead it spoke into the radio, the sentences that followed chilled him to the bone.

"Orders?"

"Finish her"

"No!"

Turning round it smashed her a against the shuttle once, twice, before turning round to deal with Shepard.

It was gunned down by Shepard and Vega yet only one thought were in their minds.

"Grab that thing. Take it with us" he ordered, as he ran over to Ash. Lifting her up, he prayed to every deity he could that she was all right, that everything would be okay.

"You'll be okay Ash. I promise"

Phew! Finally done with this. I have to admit I looked forward to writing from Ash's point of view. Despite the fact that I prefer Miranda, I feel a bit sorry for her in this situation. She has always been loyal to the Alliance, as her family have served with them for generations. Then Shepard comes along and kind of dashes her sense of loyalty by working with Cerberus, even if it was for the greater good. I think it would be natural for her to be untrusting of Shepard but still have feelings for him, as her jealousy of a possible quarian for example, even though this is Shep/Miri fic. I'll try and get the next chapter by Sunday, since I'm going on holidays next week and won't be able to get to a computer to upload it after.

Read and review!