Chapter Ten
"You strapped in in there?"
"Yeah," says Garrus's voice over the intercom. "Almost forgot how to drive this thing though."
"It's not exactly rocket science," says Joker. "Don't think Shepard ever learned how in the first place."
"Ooh. Don't remind me. We in the right place?"
"Almost." Joker checks the rear-view monitors. The blue trail of the missile is closing slowly, but Joker lowers the engine speed slightly anyway. They don't want to get too far ahead.
He has a pretty good idea of what Garrus is planning. It's risky, bordering on insane, but there's no way the Normandy can land under these conditions. If there was ever a time for insanity, it's now.
"Okay," he says, checking the monitor again. "Fifteen seconds. Ready?"
"Ready. Give us a countdown."
Joker looks at the screen one last time, then loosens his grip on the controls and lets out a deep breath. "Ten. Nine. Eight."
The missile shrieks across the sky, distance between it and the Normandy closing faster and faster.
"Seven. Six. Five. Four."
Joker hears Jacob's muffled voice over the intercom. "Wait, what are we doing?"
Joker smiles and lets the tension ease out of him. This is it. The reason why he flies. "Two. One."
Several things happen at once. The Normandy's engines cut, and she drops out of the sky as the missile shoots overhead, deprived of its target. Joker squeezes a burst out of the starboard thruster, sending the ship into a gentle spin as she falls toward the planet's surface.
In the Mako, the impromptu ground team grasp their harnesses as the hangar floor tilts gradually upwards. Garrus guns the jump jets just as the starboard thruster fires again. The hangar suddenly drops away from under them, and the Mako drifts out of the Normandy like a seed pod out of a dandelion.
The team are pulled back into their seats. The Mako drops forward, flying forward in a nose dive. Garrus pushes back against the console, opens the blast shield. The window lightens, and they are treated to a view of the faraway tree tops rushing toward them.
Garrus grits his teeth, trying not to lose his breakfast. A dot appears on the screen, growing rapidly into the shape of the enemy hovercraft.
Garrus punches his seatbelt, and floats gently backwards in the null G of free-fall. He concentrates on the ceiling, pulling himself up into the Mako's turret. If he doesn't get this right, they're all dead.
…
Legion crouches behind the railing, then pops up to fire down the stairway. It is rewarded with a cutoff grunt. Steadily and methodically it pulls the bolt back and reaches for another cartridge. Its hand closes around nothing. Legion looks down, and finds to its dismay that its supply of thermal clips has run out. It collapses the rifle's stock, switching to its pistol. The ammo counter reads three shots left. That, combined with the four rounds in its shotgun make seven possible kills. Every shot will have to count.
Shepard hits the deck beside Legion, leaning heavily against the rail. The commander shoots a glance at legion, and the geth notices that although the firm, determined set of Shepard's brow remains the same, there is a slight quaver there at the corner of his eye. "How are you for ammo?" he asks.
"Seven shots left, Shepard-commander," Legion replies.
"I have twelve. We can't keep this up much longer." Shepard closes his eyes for a moment, taking a breath and coughing lightly.
"Shepard-commander... Are you-"
"Just the smoke, Legion." Shepard tries to laugh, which sends him into a more violent cough. He wipes his mouth and moves his hand away quickly, but Legion sees the flecks of blood. It wishes it knew more about how humans work. There is clearly something damaged below the surface, and Legion feels powerless not knowing how to fix it.
"We'll give it one more minute," says Shepard wearily. "If Joker's not here by then-"
Suddenly, Legion's omni tool flashes. It puts down its pistol and taps at the orange surface. It looks up at Shepard. "Shepard-commander, there is a Mako class ground vehicle approaching on a vertical plane."
Shepard starts to laugh, this time for real. He runs a hand over his face, chuckling to himself.
Legion looks at him concernedly. "Shepard-commander?"
Shepard throws back his head, a smile stretching across his face. "They're flying the tank," he says.
…
Garrus pulls himself up the rungs into the turret housing. He grips the control stick, his palms sweating through his gloves. He peers through the narrow viewing slit, holding his breath. Come on, come on…
The Mako falls, faster and faster, and the hovercraft grows larger in the viewfinder. Garrus squeezes his eyes almost shut, and just before he hits the button he sees the surprised face of a soldier on the craft below, looking up as seven tons of enraged tank plummet out of the heavens at him.
The cannon fires. Garrus is thrown backwards, sees a fireball erupt through the view port, and the fire is all around them. The Mako falls through the wreckage, twisted metal exploding around them, and in the force of the blast the Mako's nose levels out with its back. Garrus pushes off from the floor, floats over the top of the driver's seat, belts himself in, and fires the jump jets.
The Mako slows but doesn't stop, the pale jets desperately trying to make a difference against the angry hands of gravity.
…
Shepard fires over his shoulder as he retreats back into the room.
"What are you doing?" yells Jack. "We can't go back!"
"Trust me! Back in, against the wall, now!"
The squad warily obeys, moving back into the room. They crouch behind the overturned desks at the far end, leveling nearly empty weapons at the doorway.
Jack casts a glance at Shepard. "We can't do this! We have to get out!"
"Stay put! There's a plan!"
Jack rolls her eyes, snarling in anger. "If I die because of this, I'm haunting you forever Shepard!"
Shepard hears the soldiers outside getting braver. They'll be attacking again soon, and then he knows the squad doesn't stand a chance. He looks at them, willing to follow his orders without explanation, and feels the weight of the universe become just a little bit heavier.
Someone shuffles just outside the doorway, and a shot ricochets off the wall near Shepard's head. He closes his eyes, bares his teeth, and yells. "THREE!"
A group of Batarians step into the room. They swing their weapons around, and Shepard grips his gun, counting down to salvation or death. "TWO!"
The soldier brings the gun to one of his four eyes, aiming down the sights at the spot where Legion crouches. The geth turns toward Shepard, and the commander holds its gaze for a second that stretches to infinity. "ONE!"
The ceiling explodes and is gone, and the floor is gone too, and the soldiers cast up their hands and die in a split second as the nose of the Mako crashes through the top of the building like the fist of some ancient, extremely pissed-off deity. Chunks of masonry and steel fill the air. Shepard sees Legion go down as a piece of stone the size of his chest hits the geth from above. Dust fills the room, blinding him as he grasps wildly for the geth, suddenly the only important thing. Hands grab him from behind and he strikes out, pushing them away, and then suddenly everything is dark.