A/N: First off, dear readers, so sorry for the wait. I hadn't intended for this chapter to take so long but that's just the way it goes sometimes. Life, eh? What a kick in the quad...


Chapter Six: Three months, five days Before the Fall of Earth

Shepard walked into the hallway that led to the conference room and paused. The others were already there, gathered around the conference table together but looking very separate at the same time. Vega was leaning against it, arms crossed and shifting impatiently. Across from him was Liara, her voice soft and hands making small, restless movements as she spoke to EDI. Over the comm., she heard Joker interrupt, his voice laden with sarcasm. Only Thane was completely still and quiet, his hands clasped behind his back and head bowed. She watched them with a slight frown, feeling the empty spaces. Spaces that belonged to the other members of her team.

That belonged to her family.

Garrus, Tali, Mordin, Kasumi, Grunt, Samara and the unlikely ones like Legion, Jack, Miranda, Jacob and even that fucking bastard Zaeed. They had been her crew, her friends, her family and their absence felt like a gaping hole in the room. After the Collectors, she had hoped some of them would stay but the destruction of the Bahak system had changed all that. Now, her team was scattered across the reaches of the galaxy and the void was heavy around her shoulders.

Her skin prickled with the feeling of being watched and she looked up, meeting Thane's searching eyes. She stared at him, a sense of realization coming over her. He raised a questioning eyebrow but she only smiled and glanced away. Some were gone but others were here and she had been an idiot to have been feeling alone.

"Alright everyone," Shepard called out as she walked over to her team. They came to attention immediately, Liara nodding and Vega giving her a crisp salute. Leaning her palms against the table, she paused to gather her words then tapped her fingers decisively.

"Here's where we're at. We've learned that the Alliance has unearthed a Prothean device of some sort. We don't know what it is but Cerberus wants it which means we don't want them to have it. They've infiltrated the science team studying it and, according to our sources, are planning to steal it." She scanned the faces gathered around her, "we're going to take it before they have a chance to."

No one spoke for a moment, seeming to mull this over. It was a bold plan, to be sure, but not their craziest and the silence was thoughtful rather than surprised. Only Vega seemed to feel doubt, shifting his feet uncomfortably and recrossing his arms.

"Not so sure it's a good idea to piss off the Alliance any more than we already have, Commander."

"It's a little late to be worrying about getting on the Alliance's bad side, Vega," she told him dryly.

"I'm not." He huffed slightly and shrugged a massive shoulder. "Just sayin' it might not be worth it when we don't even know what we're going after. We're going to need their help if we're going to take on the Reapers."

"Fair enough," she nodded and pushed off the table, "but we're on the Alliance's shit-list, regardless. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Cerberus is almost as big of a threat as the Reapers and anything they want, can only mean bad news for the rest of us. And you're right. This artifact could be anything but the Illusive Man wouldn't be wasting his time with it if it wasn't worth something."

"How did we learn of this?" Thane asked thoughtfully.

With a nod from Shepard, Liara stepped forward. "The Alliance has been keeping the discovery of the ruins quiet but it is difficult to make something so monumental disappear entirely. It wasn't long after that my agent inside Cerberus informed me of the Illusive Man's interest."

"And we know nothing of what exactly this object is." A discontented rumble from Thane's throat and his eyebrows drew together.

"No. My agent was unable to discover that before Cerberus killed him."

Shepard frowned. Liara hadn't said that her spy had been found out and subsequently murdered for it. She wondered what that said about her old friend.

"You didn't mention that," she said, loosely crossing her arms. "Do you think they're aware we know about what they're up to?"

"I don't believe so. I had suspected they knew of my agent for some time but only acted on that knowledge recently. Presumably, in retaliation for the death of their own informant."

This was starting to give her a headache and she was beginning to realize that Liara hadn't told her quite as much about the situation as she should have. There were plenty of benefits to Liara being the Shadow Broker but her newfound cageyness really wasn't one of them.

"If Cerberus knew about him, then they could have been feeding him false information. How do we know any of this is accurate?"

Liara lifted her chin slightly and her voice had a hint of cold steel. "It is. I know what I am doing, Shepard."

"Never said you didn't," she told her, keeping her tone and expression neutral. There was a hard set to Liara's mouth and Shepard moved on without another word. "What was this about a Cerberus spy?"

"She was another piece in the game Cerberus and I are playing and largely irrelevant. Her mission had been to hack into the ship's systems so that the Illusive Man could gain access and control. Likely so they could stop me from destroying information when they attempted to seize the ship."

"And she had nothing to say about any of this, I imagine."

"She might have but I don't know." Liara shrugged slightly. "I was forced to kill her before I had a chance to interrogate her."

"Alright then," Sighing, Shepard rapped her knuckles on the table. "Back to the mission. There aren't any plans for the research facility so EDI will have to do a scan before we drop and see what she can tell us. Liara, Thane, and I are going in-"

"Whoa, hold up." Vega straightened with a frown, ignoring the look she sent him. "You're leaving me behind?"

"No offense, Vega," she said, tone dry, "but this is an infiltration run and you're about as subtle as a warp to the face."

"Come on, Commander. I can handle it."

Shepard shook her head. "You're just going to have to cool your heels until something more your style comes along."

"Commander-"

Her voice turned frosty as she crossed her arms with a stony expression. "I said 'no', Lieutenant."

Scowling, Vega held her stare defiantly for an instant before backing down, turning his gaze to his feet. Shepard allowed the silence to linger for another moment then let the tension dissolve.

"We're going in quiet. Disabling any security we come across. Any guards we either avoid or disable. I don't want anyone to know we've even been there until we're long gone. We'll be able to form a more complete plan once we reach the site and get some more information about what we're getting into. Any other questions?"

"Where we headed to, Commander?" Joker asked over the comm.

Shepard didn't let out the small grimace that wanted to make its way to her face. "Eden Prime."

"Shit. Really? Anyone else getting a bad omen here? No? Just me?"

"There's no such thing as bad omens, Joker," she drawled even as a tense wrinkle formed around her mouth.

If she was honest with herself, it had given her an uneasy feeling when she first heard where the facility was. Eden Prime was where it had all begun and there were even some similarities in the missions that had sent them there. The feeling had died once her rational brain had kicked in but it made her pause to know that Joker had felt it too.

"Yeah, you say that now but we'll see who's saying 'I told you so' when the shit hits the fan."


They reached Eden Prime within hours, coming in quiet and the stealth systems engaged to avoid attention. Shepard watched from the bridge as they approached the planet, dressed in gunmetal gray armor and a heavy pistol at her hip. Both were Liara's, spares that she was borrowing until she managed to get her hands on something else. The armor didn't fit- too tight in some areas, too loose in others, and it sat on her shoulders in a way that was slowly driving her mad- but the gun was nice and the armor would stop the bullets. Better than civies would, at any rate.

Joker leaned back in his chair and glanced up at her, the leather that he loved so much squeaking as he moved. "We're in range for the drop, Commander."

Not looking away from the abyss outside her ship, Shepard nodded a little distantly. She'd seen a similar view a hundred times but it always struck her just the same. A glowing globe of a planet suspended in a great, glittering emptiness. Endless and beautiful.

"EDI, tell Thane and Liara to meet me in the shuttle bay." She tore her eyes away from the stars and looked down at her pilot. "I want you to find a dark corner to hide in as soon as we're clear. No reason to let everyone know we're crashing the party."

"You got it. But, you know, I think they just might figure it out when you bust down the front door and start shooting."

Grinning, she lightly slapped the back of his chair. "Have some faith, Joker. I know to always start shooting first."

"Ha ha," Joker said with a roll of his eyes. "Have fun, Commander. Try not to cause too many explosions."

Shepard turned away, eyes glinting mischievously. "Wouldn't dream of it."

He scoffed but she only laughed and walked off, heading for the elevator and Deck 5. The elevator moved at its usual crawl but soon enough she was stepping out into the shuttle bay. Neither Thane or Liara were there yet but Vega was, doing sit-ups a little more intensely than he usually did. It was clear that he was still sullen about being left behind but he'd get over it. Though, she doubted the sore ass he was going to get from exercising on the ridged metal floor was going to help with that.

She gave him a nod and made her way over to Liara's ship. "Vega."

Sweat trickling down his brow, he grunted something that sounded vaguely like a greeting but didn't pause in his workout. She let him be and looked over the ship that would carry them to Eden Prime. It was bigger than a standard shuttle but not by much with only two small guns mounted on the front. Probably a civilian craft. A glance inside, past the tiny airlock, showed that it had been gutted; all that was left were a few metal platforms welded to the ship itself.

Wanting to check out the systems, Shepard climbed into the cockpit and maneuvered herself into the pilot's seat. A few moments and she had the ship powered up, the interface flickering to life with a vivid orange glow. She examined the systems thoughtfully. It was a solid ship; strong shields and a little more punch in the engines than she'd expected. She wasn't much of a pilot but the controls seemed simple enough and she could probably pull off a few tricky moves if things went south. Not if. When.

"Siha?"

She twisted in her seat with a smile, craning her neck to see Thane just inside the ship. "Hey. Just checking out our ride. Liara with you?"

"She is not. I believe she's still in her quarters concluding," he angled his head and hummed, "business."

Sighing, she got up and walked to the airlock, Thane stepping smoothly out of her way. "She can conclude her business on her own time." Shepard stuck her head out the door. "EDI, kindly tell Liara to hurry her ass up. We've got a schedule to keep here."

"Yes, Commander," EDI replied promptly, cool voice echoing through the bay. "Though I will assume you don't wish for me to use those exact words."

"Use whatever words you like, EDI," she said, smirking slightly, "as long as they get her here."

"Yes, Commander."

She gave a small shake of her head and turned back to Thane, moving to stand near him. "Once Liara's here, we'll set our course and go over our approach. EDI should have all the intel she's going to get by then."

Nodding, he took hold of her hand with both of his. "I have something for you, siha. I believe you'll need it for the mission."

He let go, leaving a small, thin chip in her palm. Shepard picked it up and rolled the omni-tool chip between her fingers, smiling.

"Thanks. I was going to ask about it earlier but well," she shrugged a little sheepishly, "I forgot about it instead."

That was strange of her, to forget about something so important. Thane was right in that she needed her omni-tool for the mission but it had more than tactical value. There were a lot of precious memories stored on that tiny chip. Little snapshots of the important things in her life. Of her crew. Of her ship. Mostly though, they were of Thane. Holos she had sneaked throughout their time together. Some were of the both of them, others of him alone, but it was the ones he hadn't known she'd taken at all that were the ones she cherished the most.

"Thank you," Shepard looked at him through her lashes as she inserted the chip into her armor, "for holding on to it."

He nodded once, a smile resting on his lips. "It was a small thing, siha, and I did it gladly."


Night had fallen over the research base when they broke atmo on Eden Prime. Staying low and quiet, Shepard guided the ship to a landing zone a few clicks away from the site and behind a small hill. She killed the engines as her team clamored out and she quickly followed, glancing around to get her bearings. The area they were in was rocky, hilly, and covered in dark green grass that swayed in the chill wind. Everything seemed to shine eerily under the planet's bright white moon. In their darker gear, Thane and her were relatively hidden despite this but Liara's white armor practically glowed in the light.

Gesturing to her team, she began to climb the rise, the others a short distance behind. She crawled her way to the top and kept prone as she examined the facility. It was located in a small valley beneath their position, nestled between a cluster of hills. On the opposite side, Shepard could just make out the thin glimmer of water.

The complex was large but hastily erected; nothing more than a bunch of windowless prefab buildings pushed together. It was built in a circle around the dig site, a hard dome hiding the excavation from sight. A gleaming metal fence protected the base but otherwise it was completely nondescript, looking more like an industrial factory than a secret research base. Something about that bothered her. Her eyes were eagle sharp as she scanned the base again. Except for the lights that flooded the outside of the facility, it seemed lifeless, the only movement the slow swing of security cameras. It was then she realized what was wrong.

"There aren't any guards," she murmured.

Lying at her side, Thane peered through the scope of his rifle. "I can see no bodies either."

Prickles of unease danced across her skin. "Why do you think that is?"

"Considering what happened with the Prothean beacon," Liara spoke softly from Shepard's other side, "perhaps they simply want to avoid drawing attention."

"That," she said, her voice grim, "or things just got a hell of a lot harder."

"That is also a possibility," Liara admitted.

Frowning in thought, she watched the base for another moment then began her careful slide down the hill with her team just behind. They covered the distance to the base at a decent pace, using the uneven terrain to stay out of sight. The rough footing made it difficult but they reached their target in good time, dropping to the ground when they got close. They were near the entrance; a pair of solid metal gates flanked by two security cameras. The floodlights in the background made them difficult to spot except for the glinting of lenses as they swung in sweeping arcs, keeping watch over the area.

"Liara," Shepard whispered, feeling her nerves prickle in anticipation. "Ready?"

Liara nodded, eyes tracking the slow movement of the cameras. "Yes, Shepard."

She waited a beat for just the right moment then made the call.

"Now."

As one, the two of them summoned their biotics and locked the cameras into stasis, forcing them to face away from the entrance. They targeted precisely, avoiding covering the lenses and keeping the light radiation to a minimum. It was difficult to be so finely controlled and Shepard began to feel the strain almost immediately. She breathed steadily, using the rhythm to keep herself grounded.

She felt more than saw Thane leap lightly to his feet and begin his dash for the gates. A drop of sweat rolled down the back of her neck. The acrid smell of their biotics hung low around them, stinging her nose. He reached the entrance, a dark shadow against the metal, then flared bright and took control over one of the cameras.

She let her biotics die and pushed herself up, darting after him. At the gates, she secured the other camera while Liara ran towards them, activating her omni-tool as she went. She worked quickly to hack into the facility's systems, her face lined with concentration. Shepard waited stiffly, a familiar burn starting in her nerves like a wave down her body. On Liara's other side, she could see Thane, appearing at ease though concentrating deeply. She felt a flash of admiration for the careful restraint he had over his biotics, something she often struggled with.

"Liara," she prodded as the minutes stretched on.

"I'm sorry, Shepard," Liara shook her head, keeping her eyes on her omni-tool, "but their security is complicated. The program needs more time to crack it."

Shepard felt the loss of her tech experts keenly at that moment, knowing they would have been able to hack into the system as easily as they breathed. She shook the thought quickly away, her mind shifting gears. They were prepared for this and she knew they could manage without her tech team.

They would just be a lot less elegant about it.

"Time we don't have. Kill the program," she said, glancing over Liara's shoulder as her omni-tool flickered out of existence. "Thane?"

He nodded once, his expression a picture of control. "I can but you must hurry."

There was a faint surge of Thane's biotics around her and she released the camera, taking a deep breath as the strain eased. She moved to stand beside Liara and together they blanketed the gate in a rippling blue field. Steadily, they forced the gate to slide open in a clamor of protesting machinery. The show of power was almost laughably easy in comparison to earlier and they had it open quickly. She had been worried that the noise would draw attention but they were still alone, the night strangely quiet.

Shepard increased the pressure on the gate as Liara released it then nodded for her to go. She held it open while Liara ran through, the heavy metal straining against her. Thane darted by and she knew she had only moments until the cameras swung her way. Taking a deep breath, she lunged inside, losing her grip on the gate along the way. It slammed shut instantly with a ringing bang, almost clipping her as it went.

They didn't waste time lingering, heading for the entrance to the facility as soon as her feet were planted on the ground. Besides the three of them, the area was still empty and they made their way unhindered. At the door to the base, Liara began to tackle the security system while she and Thane stood guard with weapons in hand. Knowing they had no choice at this point, Shepard had been prepared for a long wait but almost immediately the door slid open with a soft whoosh. Reflexively, she raised her pistol but it was clear. She looked at Liara questioningly who frowned back, unsettled.

"There was a sudden, critical security shut down," she explained. "I can't say what caused it but I think it's safe to assume it wasn't accidental."

Well, shit. Furrowing her brow, Shepard peered warily into the building. The room beyond appeared to be a security checkpoint, a dead barrier generator dividing it in half. There were several guard stations as well, but they were vacant with no trace of their occupants.

"Stay on your toes, people." She stepped over the threshold, her team falling in behind her. "Looks like we've just walked into trouble."

"Perhaps it's Cerberus," Thane suggested, his rough voice low. His tone took on a bit of humor. "You do seem to attract that sort of misfortune, Jane."

She snorted. "If we're going by that rule, then there's probably a Reaper in here somewhere."

"Goddess, I hope not," Liara said.

"So do I," Shepard muttered, serious once more.

They fell silent and made their way further into the room. There were two unmarked exits past the defunct barrier and she chose one at random. EDI's scans gave them the general layout of the base- a series of rooms connected by one long hallway- but they were otherwise in the dark. They had no way of knowing where the artifact was stored and would be forced to search every corner of the facility. That had worried her originally- there was no way they could have managed that without being caught- but she doubted it would be an issue now. The base seemed deserted; every room they passed by, empty, and every security measure inactive. There were still scattered signs of life- barracks with unmade beds, terminals glowing with energy, mugs still half full of coffee- proving that it hadn't been abandoned for long.

They paused at a few of the terminals, hoping to learn more about what they were after, but every file was too heavily encrypted to easily crack. Giving up, Shepard began rooting through the desks instead, eventually finding what she was looking for. It was a datapad, neatly tucked away in a drawer. Written by one of the science team, it mostly detailed mundane aspects of the man's life but hidden among them, was a nugget of information. In an entry dated a few weeks ago, he very briefly describes the excavation.

"He doesn't say what they found," Shepard said, passing the datapad over to the others, "but whatever it is, he was awfully excited about it."

"Of course he was," Liara replied as she read. "It appears the artifact is intact. That's practically unheard of!"

"He mentions speaking with it." Thane handed the datapad back. "Perhaps it is a VI?"

"Makes sense," she agreed, brow crinkled in thought. "Though it doesn't explain why Cerberus would be interested."

"I don't see why not. The Protheans may not have built the mass relays," Liara explained, her voice edged with excitement, "but their technology was still generations ahead of ours. Just imagine what we can learn!"

Shepard placed the datapad on the desk. "Nothing if we don't get it before Cerberus does. Come on."

Leaving the office, they continued down the hallway. They came across no one or any hint of what may have happened to the people that were once a part of the base. It wasn't until they entered the mess hall that they learned why.

It was a grisly scene. Bodies were gathered along the back wall in one large pool of blood. Most lay where they had fallen but a handful had been dragged over, thick trails of red marking their path. It looked to be mostly scientists but she could see some Alliance soldiers piled among them. Shepard walked over and got close to examine the remains, the other two fanning out to do the same. Except for a noteworthy few, they each appeared to have been shot several times, leaving their torsos nothing more than bloody ruins. The ones that hadn't died by bullet had their skulls crushed, their faces entirely unrecognizable because of it. She glanced around and spotted the wall that had served as the bludgeon, its grayish-white surface painted with blood, flesh, and bone.

"Shepard."

She stood and went to where Liara was on the ground next to the body of a soldier, medi-gel in hand. Blood leaked heavily from the woman's wounds, her civies completely soaked with it, and she was breathing rapidly from pain. She was still aware enough to track them with her eyes as Liara began to apply the medi-gel but her vitals were weak. It was a surprise that she had survived the initial assault and judging by the state of her, Shepard doubted she had much longer.

"Who did this to you, soldier?" she asked lowly, crouching down to speak with her.

"The…others," the woman's voice was weak and thick and she had to lean close to hear, "and some-."

The soldier gasped out a groan and her whole body shuddered, her eyes closing tightly as tears fell. Shepard gave her a few moments, reaching out to lightly grasp her hand. The woman latched on, her fingers straining to grip. Behind her, she could hear Thane start a quiet, lilting prayer and knew it was for forgiveness.

"Go on."

"And some...of the scientists. I don't- I don't underst-stand."

"Okay," she cut her off, squeezing the soldier's hand. "Don't worry about that right now. I need you to tell me what they were studying here."

Liara finished applying the medi-gel and began to put on her gauntlets, her blue hands stained red. The medi-gel had stopped the bleeding and numbed the pain but wasn't enough. The woman was ghostly pale, her heart beating too fast even as her blood pressure plummeted.

"They didn't-," her throat struggled to push the words out, her whole body trembling wildly. "It was…it was Pr-Prothean."

"Do you know where it is?"

"In…one of th-the labs. Down the…hall, past-t the infir-firmary."

"Thank you," Shepard told her and met the soldier's wide-eyed gaze, willing courage into her. "You saved a lot of lives today."

"I...don't want t-to die..."

It was less than a whisper but Shepard heard. She gave the woman's hand another squeeze, her throat tight even as she felt the weight of the clock around her neck.

"You aren't going to die," she promised, her tone low and soothing, "but it's time to rest."

"I can't..."

"Yes, you can. You're safe now and you've earned your rest." She went on, making her voice steady as a drum. "Your eyes feel heavy, don't they? So heavy you hardly know how you've kept them open so long. It would be so much easier to just relax, wouldn't it? Just relax and sleep."

She fell silent, watching as the soldier's life slowly drifted away. Blinking sluggishly, her eyes slid to stare toward the ceiling, seeing only what the dying could. She would see the lights, the colors of the world all blending together until they all became a part of the whole. She would see darkness, flashes of it, that she bled into until she didn't know where it ended and she began. And finally, time would stand still and she would see nothing at all.


For a second, Shepard didn't move. The dead woman's eyes were open but she didn't close them, gazing into the emptiness beyond. She let go of her hand and stood, her face hard and blank. Her team was quiet as she rejoined them, her jaw clenched to the point of pain. Thane was looking at her, his eyes endless pools of black, but she didn't meet his gaze.

"Cerberus has a head start so we need to move fast." She unclipped her pistol from her hip. "Let's go."

Moving at a jog, they left the mess hall behind, meeting no resistance as they moved through the halls. They passed the infirmary and slowed as they approached the labs. If Cerberus was still here, this was where they'd be. Cautiously, they explored the first of the rooms, finding plenty of equipment but no people and no hint of the device. They moved on until they reached a door that separated them from the rest of the labs.

The door was metal but not very thick and only muffled the commotion going on, on the other side. She heard a dull crash and the furious rat-a-tat of gunfire. It ended quickly, leaving only silence in its wake. Mouth set, Shepard placed her back to the wall beside the door and waited for her team to do the same. She glanced at Thane then Liara, receiving firm nods in return. Adjusting her grip on her pistol, she punched open the door and peered inside, staring at the scene in surprise. You've got to be fucking kidding me.

"Goddess…" Liara breathed, her eyes as round as little blue moons.

The room beyond was large with the inner wall left open to the dig site. A small army of Cerberus agents occupied the area; all but one crouched behind portable shields. Among the maze, a dead soldier was sprawled out on the floor, his neck twisted gruesomely. The lone operative was a dark haired woman dressed in a long white scientist's jacket. She looked unconcerned, her gloved hands hanging loosely at her sides and her expression entirely still, even as she faced off against someone that should be long dead.

"It is in your interest to cooperate," the operative said evenly, the words like silk. "It is not within my order parameters to harm you unless you provide resistance."

A few feet across from her, an alien in unusual armor stood behind a shimmering barrier. It distorted the view of the alien's face but Shepard could see that it was unlike anything she had seen before. The Alliance hadn't unearthed a Prothean artifact. They'd unearthed an actual Prothean.

The Prothean seemed to bare his teeth. When he spoke, his voice was deep and coated with disdain. "Save your words, machine. They ring hollow in my ears."

Her gaze was unwavering. "I am to bring you in. Your form being alive when I do is optional."

Shepard surveyed the battle field once more then turned to her team, silently giving them her orders. They nodded and shifted their stances, muscles tensing for the fight and barriers flickering over their skin. She began the countdown, ticking off the seconds with her hands. At zero, she charged through the door, the others at her heels. She targeted the closest enemy first, flinging him into the dark-haired woman with a brilliant burst of blue. The living missile hit dead-on, sending her crashing to the floor.

For a moment, the Cerberus agents failed to react, even as Shepard and her team began to pick them off in a hail of bullets. Then, like a flipped switch, they all seemed to retaliate at once and the room became a storm. The dazzling flash of biotics was the lightning and the roar of gunfire its thunder. Her and her team moved through it like birds, flying past the panicked shot of their enemies. Thane, in particular, was like a creature of the air. He twisted and leaped effortlessly, always a breath ahead of death. His opponents fired wildly after him until he ended their lives in a spray of blood and blaze of energy.

Through it all, Shepard could see the Prothean joining in on the fight. Snarling viciously, he launched a pair of Cerberus operatives into the air. They hung there like puppets until they were slammed brutally into the ground. To his left, the dark-haired Cerberus agent was back on her feet and headed his way. Curiously, she seemed oblivious to the battle that raged around her. As Shepard watched, several rounds struck the operative, tearing her clothes but doing nothing to what was underneath. She realized, in a flash of insight, what they were dealing with.

Fuck.

Her heart pounding with adrenaline, she began to weave through the chaos toward the android. Rounds battered her barrier and shields. They began to fail and she was forced to duck behind an abandoned kinetic barrier, her armor's whining alarm ringing in her ears. Bright biotic energy danced over her body as she waited for her shields to recharge. She heard a guttural noise and looked down. A dying Cerberus operative was on the floor beside her, a bloody hole where his lung used to be. She shoved a new thermal clip into her pistol, placed it to his skull, and pulled the trigger. Her shields came back to life an instant later and she jumped to her feet, laying down suppressing fire as she ran.

The android was mere feet from the Prothean when Shepard was finally close enough to intercept it. Vaulting over a half-dead shield, she flung a warp at her target's head. It splashed boldly into its mark, rippling and tearing the fake skin and buckling the metal underneath. The machine responded to the new threat quickly but Shepard was ready for it. The visor over its eyes flickering erratically, it turned towards her and raised its pistol. At the same time, she reached out with her biotics. She latched onto the weapon and pulled. The machine's grip was as strong as a vice so she didn't bother trying to tear the pistol away. Instead, she sent its shots flying wide then began her biotic assault.

It eluded the gradually arcing attacks easily. Shepard switched to her pistol as it started to sprint towards her. In seconds, the android was on her and striking at her throat. She threw herself out of the way, eyes wide, and just managed to land on her feet. The onslaught was merciless and she was forced to spin circles around it, barely able to keep pace with its inhuman speed.

The fight wore on. She was pushing her body hard and her cybernetic implants were beginning to struggle to sustain it. Liquid fire burned through her veins. A second before it happened, she saw the future but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She faltered. The machine reached for her, fingers spread wide. Before it could do more than graze her flesh, it was enveloped in a rippling field of blue. Suddenly, it was sent sailing across the room and into one of its own men.

She glanced around and spotted Liara, her form a blaze of energy. She nodded in thanks, receiving a grim smile in return. Panting, Shepard found some cover and took a moment to appraise the battleground. Thane was still in the fight and raining hell on his enemies. Both he and Liara had retreated behind Cerberus' portable shields, their backs to the walls. Despite being outnumbered, they were controlling the field, keeping the hostiles on edge. The Cerberus agents were disorganized and most had clearly never fought in a situation like the one they'd found themselves in. Only the former Alliance soldiers were capable of holding their own and while it was a difficult struggle, they were beginning to gain ground.

On the other side of the fray, the android was standing again. She looked for the Prothean, spying him crouched behind a shield a few feet ahead in front of her. The brief rest had given her body time to recover and she flew over the ground. Sliding into position next to him, she fired a couple rounds over their cover then turned to the alien.

He was more unusual up close than she'd expected but also more familiar. She hadn't thought that the Collectors would have had much resemblance to their former selves- and really, they hadn't- but there was still a connection between them. In the shape of his head, his eyes, and even the sharp angles of his armor, she could see what the Protheans had been forced to become.

None of her thoughts showed on her face. She only blinked and casually said, "Time to go."

He faced her sharply and narrowed his eyes, his teeth just showing. "Who are you, human?"

Rounds slammed into their shield, making it waver dangerously. Shepard responded with a torrent of fire while the Prothean cut them down with his biotics. There were several pained cries and then a lull in the attack. She poked her head out of cover only to quickly duck back into it as slugs whizzed by. The android had spotted them.

"Your ticket out of here. Now, come on!"

It was all she had time to say before she was forced to move. She danced through the room, leaping over bodies and fighting like the devil the whole way. A glance proved the Prothean was following, a fierce scowl on his face. As they reached her team, she paused in her charge to provide them with cover fire.

"Let's go, people!" she shouted.

The doors on either side of the room had been locked at some point and the only way out was through the dig site. They made for it quickly, Liara leading the way as Shepard brought up the rear. The dig site was a giant hole in the ground with lit platforms drilled into its walls. Railed walkways spanned across it, giving them access to the opposite side. The remains of an ancient building stuck out of the earth like a broken skeleton, stretching for the arched ceiling.

They pounded along the walkways, metal clanging noisily beneath their feet, and Cerberus close on their heels. Heart hammering against her ribs, Shepard spun to face the enemy and unleashed a singularity in their path. The tiny black hole whirled and pulsed, drawing in the unwary.

And their bullets.

The shouts and screams of the operatives at her back, she sprinted after her team. They had reached the other side of the base, a single door between them and relative safety. Liara touched the lock and it opened just as the singularity vanished with a cracking boom behind them. They poured through the opening. The last one in, Shepard immediately activated her omni-tool and brutally overloaded the door's electronics. There was the groan of machinery then a loud bang as it slammed shut.

The sudden quiet was almost deafening and they took the moment to breathe, replacing thermal clips and tending to any small wounds they had received. They looked to be in a storage room, the space filled with large, metal cabinets. There were a few tables, as well; their tops covered with old Prothean tech that had yet to be archived.

Blinking sweat from her eyes, Shepard briefly consulted her schematics of the base then checked on the status of the others. Liara was dabbing medi-gel on a wide cut along her scalp, a small grimace on her face, even as she stared longingly at the artifacts. Unhurt, Thane was simply waiting, hands clasped behind his back. He was breathing steadily but his throat and cheeks were pale, making her frown. Catching her staring, he raised a brow ridge and she looked away.

Apart from them all, the Prothean stood and watched; his gaze as sharp as a knife.

The reprieve was short-lived. Cerberus was at the door and she could hear them trying to break through. Eventually, they'd figured out they couldn't and would swing around to the front of the facility, cutting off her team's exit. She was hoping to reach it before they did.

"Alright, everyone," she said, tapping her pistol against her armored leg. "We better move our asses before they get fried."

She started to head out of the room only to be brought up short.

"Stop, human."

Her skin prickling with tension, she faced the Prothean as he stepped into her path. "What is it?"

"The asari and drell may blindly follow your orders but I will not," he said, his alien voice a deep purr.

She glanced at the door as the noise on the other side abruptly cut off. "We don't really have time for this."

"Perhaps," his four yellow eyes gleamed as they focused on her, "but there is still time for me to kill you where you stand."

The atmosphere of the room immediately shifted, becoming as charged as a live wire. She fixed her full attention on the Prothean, fire licking at her belly. When she answered, her voice was cold and hard as stone and her own threat was clear.

"I'm not your enemy." Yet.

"Then tell me who you are and what you are doing here," he demanded harshly, his teeth bared in anger.

"My name is Shepard and at the moment, I'm wasting my fucking time," she snarled.

He was quiet for a moment, studying her. The angle of his head gave him a menacing look and she narrowed her eyes at him, watching his every movement carefully. Turning away in disgust, he let out a growl of frustration.

"Why are you here? What is the Avatar of a dead people to you?"

"Nothing. I came here to stop Cerberus and as far as I'm concerned," she leaned forward aggressively, "I've succeeded. Now, I'm getting my team out with their lives. Whether you leave with the same, is up to you."

Their discussion was over. She shoved past him and out of the room, picking up the pace as Thane and Liara fell into step behind her. They raced through the facility, ever aware of the phantom of Cerberus nipping at their heels. To her surprise, the Prothean was with them, his expression unreadable as he ran. In minutes, they were at the front of the complex and gathered on either side of the door that separated them from the entrance.

"Last stop, people," she said, looking at each of them.

Thane and Liara both nodded slightly but the Prothean only glared. She took that as an acknowledgement and smacked the glowing interface. It spun in place and the door opened with a soft swoosh into chaos.

On the other side of the threshold, the android had been waiting. Before Shepard could even register that it was there, it was attacking. It aimed for her heart, firing its gun point-blank. That close, the round punched through her barrier, her shields, and straight to her armor. The air rushed out of her and she stumbled. Before she could do anything but gasp for air, the machine disappeared in a burst of biotics. As she fell back into cover, feeling like she'd been rammed by a skycar, the Prothean stepped forward and into the room beyond, a blaze of vicious energy.

"Shepard?"

It was Liara, her eyes wide with concern, and Shepard straightened painfully. At some point, Thane had switched places with her and was sniping around the doorframe, the rifle supported by his arm. Sucking in a breath, she reapplied her barrier and waved her off.

"I'm...fine," she wheezed. "Go."

There was a brief hesitation but then Liara did as she was told, her pistol barking as she charged. Moving up to provide suppressing fire, she gestured for Thane to go. She covered him as he darted through the maelstrom, picking off any Cerberus agents fool enough to show their heads. He reached the halfway point and she stormed after him, instantly drawing heat.

The room was littered with bodies, though not all of them dead and there were plenty still firing. Bullets hammering her shields, she ran for the entrance. The door was open and she could see the night sky beyond it. Her barrier vanished. She was almost there.

Something slammed into her legs from behind, launching her just through the door. She landed face first into the dirt, her nose breaking with a crack and a flare of pain. There was a crash then the rapid pops of gunfire and the stranglehold around her legs weakened. Scrambling to her feet, she turned to look through the tears welling in her eyes. Liara had overloaded the door, catching the android's torso between its panels. At the same time, Thane had unloaded his thermal clip into it, punching a hole into its head. Unbelievably, it was still active and starting to pry open the door, its arms twisted into unnatural angles.

"Fucking hell," Shepard muttered, wiping blood off her lip. "This thing just doesn't quit."

"You are slow, human," The Prothean spoke up suddenly, his tone thick with disdain. "This is the second time we have waited for you."

She sent him a glare. "Shut up and run, Prothean."


They ran, heading out of the base and into the surrounding hills. Clouds had rolled in, darkening the night, and they lost their pursuers quickly. They slowed as they traveled over the rocky terrain, exhaustion and lack of light making it dangerous. Before they could reach the ship, a shuttle flew over, low enough for Shepard to make out the black and yellow painted onto its hull. They ducked behind a hill to avoid it and watched its progress toward the base.

Shepard blinked tiredly, a headache beginning to bloom. "Tell me there aren't any more of you in there."

"My name is Javik, human," he said it with a scowl and a soul heavy with bitter anger, "and I am the last."

"It's Shepard." Her voice was cool but she was too tired to be properly annoyed.

"So you have said."

"What I didn't say was that I and a handful of others are going to be the ones to defeat the Reapers. You know what the Reapers are, don't you Javik?" His face darkened further. "Yeah, I thought so."

"Make your point, human," he growled, four eyes narrowed.

"My point is," she said, fixing him with a hard gaze, "will you join us?"

He stared back, his expression empty, then looked away.

"...For now."