"You have a choice, more than you deserve." Shepard cradled her side as the apparition droned on. Her breathing grew heavier the longer she stood. Every breath was soon an effort. Her side burned. She couldn't hear the child's next words; they seemed to come as though from a great distance. But Shepard had already made her decision.
"NO." she muttered through gritted teeth. The child cocked its head quizzically.
"Excuse me?"
"I refuse to do this. I will not sacrifice a race to the Reapers, and I will not assimilate myself, or anyone to the Reapers. I won't become what I hate. What I've fought against." She paused, breathing was almost impossible not. Each breath brought up blood to her mouth.
"What I will do is stand here and watch as my fleet does as much damage to your creations as they can, and if we die, we die to buy time for another option, another try. You can't kill us all. Eventually you can, you will be brought down." Sheppard spat out the last words, along with a little of her lungs. Blood spattered the bulkhead. She turned, now very lightheaded, to watch the progressing battle. Seconds passed in silence. Suddenly a terrifying howl split the air. Shepard fell to the ground. The sound seemed to pierce her eardrums, blood pooled around her head as the sound blared on. The anguished screams of a child. These shouts quickly morphed into those of a Reaper. The child, whose face was now covered with Reaper implants, advanced upon her.
"Fool" growled the voice of Harbinger "You have doomed your own race to destruction."
"Go to hell." Shepard muttered as the world around her vanished in a flash of light. The light faded, and Shepard felt a great weight upon her chest. She couldn't breathe. She tried to push it off, but a lance of pain shot up her right arm, and her left arm didn't respond. Her vision was blurred, she could barely see. She glanced around the burning room, as much as her neck would allow her. Funny thing, in addition to the fires, she could have sworn she heard voices. Shepard frowned. There they were again, only louder. Shepard tried to focus, hear what they were saying, but she felt lightheaded, the room span, and the voices grew louder, more urgent. Two figures ran towards her, one white, the other blue. The blue one started trying to lift the rubble. The white one stopped in front of her. Its face was blue, she seemed familiar to Shepard, but she couldn't place her. Until she spoke.
"Shepard!" the figure shouted, alarmed.
"L-Liara?" Shepard could hardly speak.
"Yes Shepard. Its me." Her face was glistening.
Shepard's right hand was freed; the Blue figure was trying to lift the rubble off her chest. Shepard grabbed Liara's arm. The room began to spin again, only faster. Blackness crept at the corners of Shepard's vision.
"Is it over?" Shepard gasped, as a lance of pain shot up her arm.
"Yes Shepard, It's over. Because of you." The blue figure stopped moving. It watched Shepard, Its face was glistening too.
"No" Shepard breathed as she slipped into oblivion, "because of you."
Shepard awoke with a start. The pain was gone. She could breathe. Her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings. She relaxed. It was her apartment on Illum, temporary capitol for the Council. Something stirred next to her, she glanced over at the prone form of Liara, lying at the other side of the bed. Her muscles were tensed, and her face contorted in pain. She was thinking about Thessia Shepard surmised. She gently placed her hand on Liara's shoulder; after a few moments, her face relaxed, and her shoulders slumped. Her mouth curved into a slight smile. Shepard, a similar expression on her face, lay down, falling back into more pleasant dreams.