Saren had locked the elevator, but she was determined. She blasted through the elevator window, geth, krogans, ani-air craft turrets, several geth collossas' and she was running up the steps to stop Seren from punching in the manual code to let the Reapers flood the Citadel. Sovereign was already tapping into the Citadel's systems, waiting for Saren's assistance.
Shepard heart pounded in her chest, her ears, her head. She vaguely noticed the smell of the burning cherry blossom trees and the crackle of fire. She was focused. She had one goal and it was not to take Saren to the Council for judgment. She would be his judge and his executioner. She could see him tapping on the transparent orange screen of the console. She lost sight for a few seconds as she ran up the stairs, gun at the ready, her finger already putting pressure on the trigger. Saren was gone. She narrowed her eyes. He had to be near by. She heard the soft whir of engines. Saren appeared on the same hover craft he'd manned on Vermire and he was sending an explosive her way. She and her team leaped from the blast zone, barely. She found cover behind one of the stone flower boxes that separated sections of stair.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard." Saren remarked from his high ground.
"In time for what? Fighting through geth is tough work." She spat back.
"The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this."
Shepard couldn't take it anymore. Somehow Saren knew. He had too know.
"Why did we know it had to end like this? Why did you kill Spectre Agent Nihlus Kryik? You were his friend and mentor! He trusted you!"
"As he trusted you, Shepard. Did you think I wouldn't smell you on him? Or that I would not smell his mark on you during our encounter on Vermire? A turian's bonding sent can last a long time, Shepard." He was bluffing, but he knew his suspicions where right when she replied to him with such anger and pain it could only be true. For a brief moment he felt remorse for killing Nihlus, guilt for taking his student and friend away from the one thing he'd ever wanted. It was only a shame he'd found it in a human.
"You killed him for spite? Because of Us?"Shepard shouted at him, she tried to hide the threat of tears choking her throat, but she could hear them in her own words. "I will avenge him, Saren! I will kill you, and I will stop the Reapers! I'm heading to that master control panel, and you can't stop me!" She dared a look at him, her face full of hate, her teeth bared like an animal.
"You've lost. You know that don't you? In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open and the Reapers will return." Saren .
"You survived our encounter on Vermire, but I've changed since then, improved. Sovereign has... updated me."
"You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?" She shouted.
"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. After Vermire I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve." Saren made a fist. "Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you too."
"I'd rather die than live like that!"
"You can't stop them forever. The Reapers are too powerful. You will die, and your companions. Everyone you know and love. Everyone who you've ever met. Don't you understand? You will all die! The Reapers can't be stopped, not by the Protheans, not by you. The cycle always continues."
"You already killed the one I love! What can the Reapers take from me now? I'm not afraid of you and I'm not afraid of the Reapers! If I die, it will be fighting! You should have fought, Saren. You should have protected your friend, not shoot him in the back like a damn coward. That's what you are, Saren, a coward. There is no honor in what you're doing. You've failed your ancestors!"
"Don't you see? It'surrender or death. There are no other options."
"You'll die anyway. When the Reapers have completed their conquest they'll cast you aside! Some part of you must realize this is can still end this. You can fight this!"
"Perhaps you're right. Maybe there is still a chance for...grrah.." Saren trailed off, his body shocked with pain. "Ah..., the implants. Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry..." The guilt he carried heavy on his heart. "It is too late for me."
Shepard left cover to face him. To face the demon within herself.
"This isn't over! You can still redeem yourself!"
"Good-bye, Shepard. Thank you." In the seconds between his words and the self-inflicted gun-shot to the face that killed him, Saren was himself. Free from the influence of Sovereign. In those few seconds he felt only the pain and responsibility for the evils he had done.
Saren's body faltered, then fell through the glass of the green house below, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Garrus lingered behind cover for several seconds while Shepard approached the master control panel. His mind reeled at everything he'd just herd. Shepard and Kryik had been a mated pair? Had bonded? It was more than he had time to process just then. Shepard was punching buttons on the controls when he ran up the pier. Wrex eyed him briefly, then grunted.
"Vigil's data file worked." Shepard spun on her heals to face them. "I've got control of all systems."
"Quick, open the stations arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station." Garrus advised.
"See if you can open a communications chanel." suggested Wrex.
Shepard's omni-tool came to life on her arm as she hit a few buttons. A fuzzy distress signal focused in.
"... the Destiny Ascension. Main drives off line. Kinetic barriers at forty percent. The council is aboard. I repeat, the Council is on board."
Shepard paced as the message came through.
"Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel... Please tell me that's you, Commander." Joker's voice was staticy over the radio.
"I'm here, Joker. Were you expecting someone else?" Shepard answered him.
"We caught that distress signal, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Anduras sector with the entire Arturas fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the calvary in."
"You'd sacrifice human lives to save the Council? What have they ever done for you're kind?" Wrex pointed out.
"This is bigger than humanity. Sovereign is a threat to every organic species in the galaxy." argued Garrus.
"That's why you can't throw away reinforcements trying to save the Council. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open and the human fleet can go after Sovereign." Wrex knew battle strategy. He did lead an small army against his father, after all.
"What's the order, Commander?" Joker asked over the com.
Shepard closed her eyes to think. The council made her a Spectre, they were trying for humanity... as much as she hated their stubbornness to see this coming, if the leaders of the Citadel were taken out then the Reapers would have won this battle. They would be weakened and in chaos. An easier target for the Reapers.
"I'm opening the relays now, Joker. We need to save the Ascension, if we can. But don't throw you're life away."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Commander." mumbled Wrex.
Shepard couldn't see or hear the battle outside, but she was confident in her ship and in Joker. He'd proven his abilities to handle the ship.
Shepard walked to the end of the pier. Garrus followed behind her and peered over the edge to see Saren's body. Shepard tilted her head toward him, not taking her eyes from Saren's body.
"Make sure he's dead." Her words were laced with the poison of her hate.