Chapter 8: Double Trouble

The two marines fought through the guards Kenson threw at them, trying to reach the doctor. When they did, she was already at the reactor core.

"Don't try to stop me. I have to do this," Kenson cautioned as they rounded the corner and found her. Shepard shook her head at the ridiculousness of it all.

"We've already activated the Project. We can still escape this rock," Kaidan implored, hoping Kenson could break the hold of indoctrination, even temporarily.

"There is no escape. There is no redemption for what you've done. I will die never having seen the Reaper's blessings. And you two will just die." Kenson was deranged; there was no question anymore. Shepard pointed a gun at the doctor, but couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. In that moment, Kaidan almost smiled. That was the Anna he knew and loved. She was faced with a maniac, but she never lost her moral center.

"Dammit, Kenson!" Shepard swore as Kenson ran. In an act of frustration, Shepard turned and punched the nearby safety glass. It formed spider-web cracking under the force of her punch, and it was then that Kaidan truly grasped the gravity of what Cerberus did to bring Shepard back. They had kept her mind intact, but had made her body almost invincible. Given the fact that Shepard seemed nonplussed showed that she was used to it, but a glance at him sent a blush up her cheeks. "Um. Bone weaves help with that. Haven't tried punching anything for stress relief lately, but when you can headbutt a Krogan and walk away with just a headache, you stop asking what will happen." What? She seemed to realize the words after they left her mouth. "Umm. Oops?" Kaidan took a calming sigh before he stepped closer to her.

"I don't think there's any way I can change your habits at this point, and you've always been a risk-taker. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at the stunts you pull outside of parental control." She made a face at him, but the self-conscious blush had vanished, replaced by a mischievous glint. "Just don't go headbutting Krogan anymore. I couldn't stand it if they started thinking you were hot." He had meant it as a joke, but Shepard began shifting uneasily and refusing to meet his gaze. "Shepard," he asked hesitantly.

"We should stabilize the core again." With that, she marched over to a console. "How do I stabilize the reactor core?"

"All automatic safety protocols have been overridden. To stabilize the reactor core, manually reinsert Cooling Rod A at this station and Cooling Rod B at Control Station B," The computer responded, and Shepard grabbed the first Cooling Rod.

"Shepard, is there something I need to know?" Kaidan would not stop pestering her as the VI announced what they were doing to the rest of the asteroid.

"There might have been a breeding request for me once I was done helping Grunt become a member of Urdnot clan. But honestly, I think it was Wrex making a joke." She shouted over the gunfire of more guards trying to block their path to the second control station.

"Why would Wrex make a joke like that?" He asked once they were at the second station.

"How am I supposed to know? You and I both know that Wrex has a strange sense of humor, and he would think something like that was funny." Shepard had a point there, and he conceded that. "If it makes you feel better, I can reaffirm my bond with you back on the SR-2," she whispered in his ear as she inserted the second rod, winking as she turned back to the console. Kaidan shook his head. The woman never gave him a moment's rest.

"Cooling Rod B reinserted. Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping," the VI informed them. Both took a moment to sigh in relief before the screen was overridden and Dr. Kenson showed up again.

"You've done nothing, Shepard! I can still override power to the engines! Try to stop me!" The hectic glint in her eyes did nothing to sooth either of them. The Reapers were tightening their hold, and it was getting to the doctor.

"Oh I'll be sure to," Shepard muttered as more guards entered the control station. Together, they made short work of anyone who blocked their path to Kenson. As the two stormed into the heart of the core, Kenson didn't even turn, her hands feverishly working at interfaces. "Step away from the reactor." Shepard approached slowly and did not lower her weapon. Kenson still didn't turn to face them.

"You've ruined everything!" She screamed before hitting the console. "I can't hear the whispers anymore." Her voice cracked, and Kaidan saw the pain in her posture. It all made him want to vomit. The Reapers could turn this intelligent agent into an absolute mess, and they didn't even know how long she'd been indoctrinated.

"Turn around. Now," Shepard ordered firmly, and Kaidan knew she was right. Kenson could easily turn and try to kill them.

"You both have taken them away from me. I'll never see the Reaper's arrival." The look in Kenson's eyes as she turned was dangerous, and Kaidan quickly checked all the entrances into the room, looking for more guards trying to attack them. But what she did was more worrying than that: she held up the trigger for a bomb. They had no clue where the bomb was or how powerful it was. She'd had all the time she needed to set it up. Shepard glanced at him, and he knew the silent question in her eyes: do I shoot her? It would have been easy to just nod or even shoot her himself. But they had no idea about how large the explosion radius would be. For all they knew, it could take out the VI, rendering the Project inoperable. They had to try to talk Kenson down. Kaidan shook his head the smallest amount. "All you had to do was stay asleep. None of this had to happen."

"Kenson, you don't have to do this. We can still get off this asteroid," Shepard pleaded. Kaidan didn't know if he believed in Ash's god, not after all of the pain he had seen, but he prayed that Kenson would back down. Neither of them would enjoy gunning down the scientist, even if she was mad.

"No," Kenson replied, her voice deadened. "We cannot." With that, she pressed the button. Before Kaidan could take a step towards Shepard, she biotically pushed him back. That was when the explosion hit, tossing both of them backwards.

Kaidan had hit the wall hard. He knew that much. He also knew that he was in pain. That pain was in the same spots as two days earlier. Obviously, the medical officer there had done little more than put stitches in him, which had now reopened. The medical interface in his suit flashed warnings at him and put medigel where it was needed. It wasn't until Kaidan was struggling to get up that he realized something: Shepard hadn't come to help him. He began to fight harder to get up and look towards the core. When he did, he saw Shepard sprawled motionless on the floor. As he hobbled forward, mindful of his injuries, he ran a scan of her hardsuit. She was unconscious and in the same situation as Kaidan, with several injuries reopened. He gently applied medigel to an open wound on her head while her suit covered the rest. But now he had a problem: he wasn't sure if he could carry her without doing further damage. They had to get off the asteroid and rendezvous with the Normandy ASAP. Kaidan hobbled to the nearest working console.

"Computer, are the communications operational?"

"No. That system has been damaged. Given the status of the Project, evacuation protocols are now in effect. All personnel should report to the escape shuttles." That was exactly what he needed: an easy escape from this rock. Plus, the shuttle would have a separate communication system he could use to contact the Normandy.

"Where can I find an escape shuttle?"

"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower. The escape shuttles will be located on the tower's landing pad." Kaidan nodded absently, looking at Shepard. He had no way of knowing when she would wake, and if the rest of the base knew about the evacuation, there wasn't time to wait. So Kaidan shuffled over to Shepard and used his biotics to pull her up into the air. From there, he situated her weight to avoid both of their injuries as much as possible. His injuries stabbed at him in protest, but Kaidan gave them no room for argument. They were getting off of this rock. Now.