She wasn't going to make it. Her lungs burned. Muscles screamed. Training forced her to press on anyways, asking her body to push its limits. Garrus and Thane were far ahead of her because she'd stopped to cover their retreat, but now all she could do was sprint for all she was worth. No matter how much air she sucked into her lungs it didn't seem enough.

The Illusive Man's face rose before her bleary eyes, Harbinger's voice echoed behind her. The reaper embryo was dead, the base was counting down the seconds before it was going to blow. Only one thought kept her going: Garrus. For once in her life she experienced a peace and happiness she hadn't thought possible when she was with him. She was not about to lose that now.

Her armor felt like dead weight. Gravity seemed doubled to her heavy limbs, but she pressed on, forcing one leg in front of the other as fast as her muscles permitted.

The Normandy: that beautiful ship rose into view as she turned the corner. Garrus and Thane sprinted up the hill ahead of her, but she was beginning to close the distance. The countdown pinged loudly in her ear… drown out by the thundering of her heartbeat and her ragged breaths. She had to make it.

Debris fell all around, large beams came tumbling down. Even during training she'd never sprinted at full capacity, fully armed and armored for this long in her entire life. They'd been in the center of the base. Harbinger's voice continued to echo behind her as she re-doubled her efforts, impossibly pressing her body on harder.

Joker! He was at the airlock of the Normandy, covering their retreat with an assault rifle. From the sounds of Collectors dying behind her, he was a good shot. Garrus leapt to safety, followed closely by Thane. She was almost there.

A beam fell between her and the Normandy, knocking out the platform, now a gaping chasm stood between her and the Normandy airlock. So she pushed herself harder. Her whole body was on fire. Her muscles burned, her lungs ached, her skin and under armor was drenched. Her eyes met Joker's, his were wide with panic. She couldn't afford panic. She had to push herself. At a dead sprint she approached the gap and leapt…. For a few heart stopping moments she was weightless, then she felt like her heart was going to stop when the realization hit her… it wasn't enough… she wasn't going to make it. Her armor weighed too much.

The impact her chest made with the bottom of the airlock knocked the wind completely out of her and she grappled desperately for purchase. Joker dropped his rifle and grabbed her shoulder plate and gauntlet, trying to help her up.

She was slipping.

"Joker!" she slipped backward, desperately holding onto what she could grab. "Make sure they know! Tell them!" he shook his head and pulled at her desperately.

"No!" he shouted. "Not again! You're going to tell them! I'm not letting that dream come true!" suddenly a gauntleted turian hand came out of nowhere, gripping her by her collar and bicep and pulled her up. Garrus grunted as she finally fell in the door and the airlock closed. The protective arm squeezed her tightly as she collapsed against him, breathing hard. All thought of celebration died before they began as EDI announced the countdown.

"Yea, yea, I get it, EDI! Impending doom and death, hold on, everyone!" he slid into his seat and Shepard gripped the back of his chair like it was a lifeline, her breathing still coming in frenzied gasps.

All of them had survived. She had succeeded. Now it was all in Joker's capable hands.

The red of the relay blinded them. Stars streaked. They were safe.

Shepard leaned against the wall outside the cockpit as the newly rescued crew cheered. Turning his seat he regarded her carefully as her head drooped to her chest, her breathing still coming in ragged and desperate pants. She slid down the wall to a sitting position, eyes squeezed shut. One gauntleted hand covered the top of her bowed head. Joker's console beeped.

"Incoming message from the Illusive Man, Commander. He's sending coordinates for the Normandy to dock with a Cerberus facility so they can copy the reaper IFF and he wants to speak with you in the debriefing room," he looked over at her and was surprised to find her already standing, though her eyes were closed as though she were collecting herself. When her eyes opened they were full of feral, simmering anger.

"Well he's in for a surprise," she said cryptically before turning and heading rigidly to debriefing. Wading her way through the mess of fallen beams and electrical lines she stepped onto the pad, the familiar grid washed over her. The Illusive Man looked less than pleased.

"I should have known you'd fold when it came to the really hard decisions. Hopefully something can be salvaged from this," he said darkly, malice gleaming in his freaky eyes.

"Well, isn't that disappointing for you? Because I'm destroying that IFF. I don't want anyone following us through that relay" she crossed her arms over her chest, his eyes narrowed at her.

"You think you've won. That you have some edge in all this," he dragged at his cigarette. "The Alliance doesn't even believe you, I hardly think they'll believe your reports of destroying the Collector base. Because undoubtedly you'll be running right back to the Alliance," the tone of his voice was snide.

"Actually, I planned on doing some clean up first. There are some fascinating reports in the data banks of this ship and in Miranda's logs that will make for nice reports to the Alliance," she gave him a satisfied grin before she turned to leave.

"Don't turn your back on me, Shepard!" she paused. "I made you, I can unmake you," his threat hung in the air a moment before she looked over her shoulder at him with a feral grin.

"Joker, lose this channel." The feed cut and Shepard walked out of the room smirking like a fiend.