Warning: the following chapter contains military strategy. =P
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Chapter Nine: The Three Headed Dog
Brixton, south London
The rear elements of TF Hammer had arrived at the edges of the ridge.
Hammer had taken a beating during the landing and advance – about half of it had been destroyed. The remains were being set up in the best defensive positions that could be made at short notice.
Reaper forces to the north had been largely destroyed. The southern approach to the conduit went through the site of a complex of apartments – these buildings had been utterly destroyed, their rubble preventing access from that direction. The eastern approach was also blocked by wrecked sections of a Maglev rail link that had once connected London and Paris. That meant that the logical line of Reaper approach was from the west.
With that in mind, Major Coates had ordered a layered defence.
The first line, consisting of hastily dug foxholes, was to be manned by the remains of the 103rd Marine Division, bolstered by ex-Cerberus and Resistance elements. They would hold for as long as possible before falling back to the second line, a few hundred yards back.
Here, they would join the remaining infantry, dug in on the side of the ridge. Once there, the order was to hold until relieved. Behind them, elcor warriors and a tank battalion of the 103rd – the last remaining vehicles on the ground – would provide heavy fire support.
Coates sighed as he watched the troops get into position from the top of the ridge. He knew it was a long shot, to say the least. For all they knew, Shepard was dead and they'd already lost.
He shook his head. Better to die on his feet, after all.
"Major?"
Coates saw James Vega trudge up the ridge, and nodded in recognition.
"We get any word on the Reapers?" he asked.
"No," replied Coates, "We don't have any air recon and our scouts haven't made it back yet."
James nodded, and looked over the other side of the ridge, towards the Conduit. Harbinger was still there – he made no attempt to attack them, but kept watching.
"What the hell is that thing doing?" he thought aloud.
"I don't know," replied Coates, "Waiting for the right moment? Making sure we don't advance? Who knows?"
"Maybe it's just trying to weird us out?" mused James, "Creepy son of a bitch."
"I doubt that's his intention," shrugged Coates, grinning slightly.
Elevator between Presidium Commons and Tower
"I wish they'd speed up these things," muttered Tali.
It was almost farcical, Shepard thought. The fate of the whole galaxy was at stake, hundreds of planets were wrecked, time was running out – and they were stuck on one of the Citadel's infamously slow elevators, going from the bottom of the Citadel Tower to the top.
"I tried to improve them while I was councillor," noted Anderson, "The others blocked me."
He snorted.
"Reckon they spent this time brokering private deals between themselves," he sighed, "Power corrupts, I guess."
All of a sudden, the elevator shuddered and groaned to a halt.
"That's all we need," groaned Anderson, activating his radio, "Bailey! What happened?"
There was no reply.
"Bailey! Come in!"
Still nothing.
"Dammit!" exclaimed Anderson, "Something's blocking us!"
"Maybe we can find another way up," mused Shepard, "Another Keeper Tunnel, maybe…"
He opened the door.
They were greeted by two Cerberus Troopers, both holding rifles at their faces.
"Drop your weapons!" one of them shouted.
Tali shook her head.
"Keelah," she groaned, "Do you ever give up? We destroyed your base!"
"Shut the fuck up and drop the gun, bitch!" thundered the trooper.
Shepard growled, raised his rifle and aimed at the trooper's head, infuriated. His finger began to squeeze the trigger.
Drop the gun and get on the ground, Shepard.
Shepard let out a sharp cry as pain filled his head. He fell to his knees, dropping the gun in the process. While he couldn't see them, he heard Anderson and Tali cry out. He tried to turn his head, but his body wouldn't respond to his orders.
"Heh," snicked the trooper, "This is how it is, huh? The great Commander Shepard, on his knees. If the boss-man didn't want you, I'd shoot you dead right now."
"How…" Shepard heard Anderson moan.
"Shut up and get on your feet," snarled the trooper, "You have a meeting with the Illusive Man. Hands behind your head."
Get up, Shepard.
Shepard got up against his will and put his hands behind his head. He walked out of the elevator, his movements unnatural, almost like a puppet.
They were in the embassy foyer, a place Shepard had been many times in the last few months. The ambassadors and diplomats that had crowded the place were gone, but the receptionists and C-Sec guards remained – as corpses strewn over the floor. Cerberus Troopers and Centurions stood guard around them – some were laughing at him, but most watched him warily.
He was led into the corridor and up the stairs, towards Ambassador Udina's old office. The door opened and they went inside, the two troopers remaining in the hallway.
The Illusive Man sat at Udina's desk, a serene grin on his face. He nodded as the team entered.
Shepard did a double take.
The man's face seemed to be peeling at the edges, revealing withered, metallic blue skin underneath. His prosthetic eyes were blue, but they seemed to glow more vibrantly then before. A quick look at his hands revealed that this was not restricted to his head.
"Shepard," he nodded.
He got up and began to pace the office before them.
"You're still trying to destroy the Reapers, aren't you?" he sneered, "Short-sighted as always, Shepard."
He shook his head.
"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard," he mused, "As it would turn out, the Catalyst was exactly what I needed, and the Crucible, it would seem, is the key to accessing it. Combined, they will give me all I need to control the Reapers. You've played right into my hand."
"For god's sake, you're the one playing into their hands!" snapped Shepard, "Look at yourself! You've been indoctrinated!"
"Have I, Shepard?" retorted the Illusive Man, "Or am I just the only one willing to do what's necessary for the survival of humanity?"
"Humanity?" demanded Tali, "This isn't about humanity! This is about the survival of everything!"
"Trust the alien to say that," snorted the Illusive Man, "You don't understand – this is our destiny! If the quarians had been given a chance to ascend like this, wouldn't you seize it?"
"No," replied Tali, simply, "I wouldn't."
"Then it looks like Shepard's naivety is infectious," the Illusive Man said wryly, "Think about it! Think of the great men and women of human history! Would Churchill have baulked at this chance? Would Washington have let idealism get in the way of our future?"
"This is different," snapped Anderson, "If what I'm looking at right now is the future of humanity, then I'd rather die."
"You don't get a choice, Admiral," replied the Illusive Man, "I'm afraid I've come too far to let you stop us."
Shepard felt his hand move to his pistol. He struggled against his own muscles, but his arm still jerked upwards, his gun aimed at Anderson's head.
"I'm truly sorry I had to come to this," said the Illusive Man, "You could have been…valuable to Cerberus."
"You think the Crucible will help you?" asked Shepard, "Then why are the arms still closed?"
"Because…now is not the time," replied the Illusive Man.
"When is the time, then?" demanded Shepard, "When the Reapers finish burning Earth? When they've mopped up all human colonies?"
"When…"
The Illusive Man cringed.
"That's irrelevant!" he thundered, "The time will come!"
"No it won't," snapped Tali, "You're just a pawn of the Reapers. They won't let you open them."
"You don't understand," growled the Illusive Man, "This plan is…it's intricate! Lesser minds can't comprehend…"
"I comprehend it alright," hissed Anderson, "What happens next? What do you do when you 'control the Reapers?'"
"I…I always believed…we take control!" barked the Illusive Man.
"Yeah, you said that," said Shepard, "What happens next?"
The Illusive Man cringed.
"I…we…I don't know," he blurted.
"It's not too late," said Shepard, "Let us go – we can still stop them."
"I…no, I can't…"
"Then you've failed humanity," finished Shepard.
The Illusive Man stood still, contemplating. He clenched his fists.
"I…I need to think…need to…"
He groaned loudly.
"You can open the arms at the council chamber…just…just go."
Shepard lowered his pistol, able to move on his own accord once more. The Illusive Man reached under the desk.
He brought out a pistol.
"I only ever wanted what was best for humanity," he sighed.
He brought the pistol to his temple and fired.
Shepard bowed his head as the head of Cerberus slumped over the desk, before turning his back and heading for the door.
"I almost feel sorry for him," sighed Tali, "He was so sure he was doing the right thing…"
"He has no-one to blame but himself," growled Anderson.
"We're not out of the woods yet," sighed Shepard, "Cerberus still has troops outside and probably in the council chambers, and we've lost most of our guns."
"So what do we do?" asked Anderson.
"Head for Spectre Requestions," replied Shepard, "They have an armoury in there. Once that's done, we fight our way back to the elevator and see if we can't override the controls."
He turned back to the door.
"Easier said then done," said Anderson, drawing his pistol.
"We've been through worse," shrugged Tali, "Let's go."
AN: This was a hard chapter - I was rewriting the only good part of the ending, and the Illusive Man is a complex and difficult bloke to write. I did my best, I suppose.