Alenko took cover. Then Jenkins moved out. Suddenly there was gunfire. Shots zinged through the air. Two armed scout bots hovered out from behind a rock. Jenkins didn't have a chance.

Shepard had to watch from cover as Jenkins was riddled with a barrage of enemy fire and crumpled to the ground. Shepard dove into the nearest cover, firing rounds into the closest drone. She saw Alenko's bullets fly and hit his target. More shots fired. Shepard ducked back into cover. She loaded her weapon with warp ammo and fired at the remaining drone. It exploded.

Shepard met Alenko at Jenkins' body. Jenkins was still breathing, barely. The gurgling sound of his struggle was sicking. Shepard knelt and ejected the L-pill capsule from his suit. Alenko looked at her, his expression hard and angry.

"He's not going to make it. This will end the pain." She said softly.

Kaiden reluctantly nodded his agreement. She was right.

Jenkins' eyes met hers. He was afraid and in agony. Shepard offered a sympathetic grin as she cradled his head with one hand.

"It's going to be ok." She said.

Jenkins blinked back tears and allowed his mouth to fall opened the capsule with the thumb and forefinger of her free hand and let the pill slide out into Jenkins mouth. She gave him water from her canteen, enough to help him swallow. Jenkins kept his eyes on his commander as the chems took effect. It didn't take long. Shepard did her best to keep up the soft smile for Jenkin's sake until she saw his eyes go dim and the gurgling stopped.

Alenko had been kneeling on the other side of the boy. He placed a thumb a forefinger over the solders eyes, closing the lids when he died.

"Ripped right through his shields. He never had a chance." Alenko said, shaking his head.

Shepard looked at the body and back to Alenko. She'd seen dead bodies of people she'd known before. It wasn't new, but it never stopped hurting.

"Sometimes marines die. We'll give him a proper burial when the mission is over. Understand?"

She had meant to sound comforting as well as remind him that they had a mission to complete. It came off colder than she'd intended. Kaiden tried to make eye contact with her though her helmet. She dipped her head so the sun reflected off the eye shield, blocking him from being able to see the tears welling in her eyes. She blinked them back. She hated loosing people. Hated the loss of life. It was easier to deal with faceless numbers than one of her team.

"Move out." She words were weak in her own ears.

"Aye, aye, Commander." Alenko nodded.

Kaiden heard the struggle in her voice and felt compassion for her. He liked that Jenkins wasn't just an expendable soldier to her, but he wondered how she ever got to be a Commander if she cried every time she lost a man.

There were more drones further up the path. The two took them out easily enough, using trees and rocks for cover. More shots were fired up ahead. Someone else was shooting things too.

"Lot's of burned down buildings here, Shepard. Lot of bodies." Kryik came over her com. It was reassuring to hear his voice. "I'm going t check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig sight."

Shepard took cover and fired at some more bots. There were hovering turrets, as well. Alenko used his biotics to over load their systems, taking down their shields. Shepard shot them until they dropped or exploded. More shots rang out. Not theirs. Not at them, but near by. Shepard ran up the hill and took cover behind a tree, leaning out to assess the situation.

An Alliance soldier. Female, one she recognized from the vid. She was being shot at by some kind of robots. Shepard fired. One of the synthetic's head exploded. Alenko was alight in blue, biotic flame. They gave the soldier cover fire until she got behind an out crop of rock. Several rounds later the synthetics were on the ground in pieces. Shepard ran to the female solder to make sure she was alright, and get some answers.

Ashley recognized the rank coloration of the woman's armor and gave her name and rank promptly.

"Gunner Chief, Ashley Williams of the 2-12, Commander."

"Are you wounded, Williams?" Shepard asked

"A few scrapes and burns. Nothing serious..."

"Where's the rest of your squad?" Shepard cut her off.

"We were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit, ma'm. We tired to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. We tried to double back, but we ran into an ambush. We held our position for as long as we could, but the geth overwhelmed us. I don't think anyone else made it. I've been fighting for my life ever since."

"The geth haven't been seen beyond the Veil in nearly two-hundred years. Why would they show up now?" Alenko asked.

"Maybe they came for the beacon, it' at the dig sight, just over that rise."

"Okay, come with us. We could use your help." Instructed Shepard.

They headed down the hill. Tall, tapering spikes lined one side of the path. They had bodies of colonists impaled on them. Blood ran down the spikes from the bodies. It made Shepard sick to her stomach. One of the body's fingers were still twitching with after death nerve reflexes. Shepard had to look away. When they reached the dig sight it was empty.

"It was right here. They must have moved it for transport. We should head to the loading docks. That's were they would have taken it." Said Williams.

"Change of plans, Shepard."

Nihlus was on her com again. He sounded emotionally taxed. He'd probably seen worse than what she just had.

"There's a small space port up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there."

The tone at end of his sentence lightened noticeably in her ears. Maybe he had some good news.

Williams lead them up the ramp that would take the to the camp and then the space port. Some of the pre-fabs were on were more spikes. The people on them had been changed. Mutilated.

"What did the geth do to them?" Williams wondered aloud.

They found out enough in the next few seconds. The spikes retracted, sending shocks of electricity into the bodies. The bodies re-animated and ran toward them, howling. Shepard didn't care if they had been people. They're weren't any more and they were attacking. She took cover.

"Fire!" She shouted

The mutilated bodies charged at them. Shepard used her own biotics to send one flying into the rocks. When their shots ripped through their target, flesh and tech spewed out behind it. These new creatures were synthetic. Their skin was black mesh and wires. Their eyes had been replaced with cybernetic ones that glowed a hollow blue. It sent shivers up her spine.

They found two scientists hiding in a pre-fab near by. Shepard learned little from them. One, a male, seemed to have lost it. She laid him out, just to shut him up. She couldn't take any more crazy shit right now.

"That might have been a little extreme, Commander." suggested Alenko.

"Take us to the space port, Williams." Shepard ignored him.

"Yes, ma'm."

Williams eyed the man on the floor then looked back to Shepard. This woman was nuts.

Around the bend the path lead up and down rolls in the hill. The space port was on the other side. Kryik would be there waiting for her. She picked up her pace.