Okay, so I've taken some liberties with this chapter – I've never been to Vancouver and I can only half imagine what it might be like in the time of Mass Effect.

PART 13

The trio trudged through the empty, desolate streets.

They were getting close to Alliance HQ now and like everywhere else in the city, the signs of destruction were everywhere and for the first time, they were actually seeing remains of those people who didn't survive. Smashed vehicles, half collapsed buildings, dead soldiers and dead civilians. Shepard could see that some of the bodies had been draped some kind of orange plastic, as though a sign of respect. There couldn't possibly be enough body bags for all the dead today. It was another heartbreaking reminder of what they had lost. It was truly a war zone. Each of them became grew quiet as they navigated their way, always moving closer to their ultimate destination. At least now, thanks to Lieutenant Harbor, they weren't defenceless and they had a route by which to follow.

The area they had emerged from the tunnels was an older part of town nestled by the harbour. It was a tourist pocket, buildings from centuries ago kept intact to showcase Vancouver's origins. Now, it was a disassembled mess. The once rich red brick of the old buildings were scattered over the ground, and colourful shards of old fashioned stained glass crunched under their boots as they walked. None of them spoke, each lost in their own sad recollections of this once proud city. Shepard sighed inwardly when she remembered just arriving in Vancouver just days ago. This tourist pocket had been the first place she went to upon leaving the spaceport. She remembered walking along this very street, admiring the sights, sounds and smells after too long spent on a cold frigate in space.

She kept a vigilant eye as she scanned the area ahead. So far, they hadn't run into any hostiles out here, but she knew better than to relax her guard. Something in the distance caught her eye. Something foreign and that looked completely out of place in this local area. She picked up her pace and strode quickly towards it and then stopped in surprise at the sight of it.

It was an unusual piece of tech. The strange greyish device perched against the side of the building, as though clinging like a bug. It was about half human height and about as wide. It stood out garishly against the ancient red brick of the wall it leaned against, a mix of old earth world and alien new. Shepard studied it curiously. It was clear that whomever had placed it there wasn't interested in subtly.

"I've never seen anything like this before," she said, crouching down in front of it. It really was an odd design. Something in her gut demanded she pay attention to it, but as she studied the object she was at a loss as to explain why. "Any ideas what it is?"

The trio regarded it silently, each one of their brows knitted in speculation. After a moment, Ashley lifted one shoulder in half a shrug. "Looks maybe quarian to me."

"Or possibly geth," Shepard answered.

Kaidan lifted an eyebrow and shook his head. "The geth haven't been seen outside the veil in almost 200 years, and any of those that were involved in the attack on the citadel have been wiped out. Besides, how could the geth get to Earth?"

Ashley cocked her head. "Didn't you see the geth dreadnaughts attack along with the reapers?"

Kaidan frowned and shot her a sharp glance. "Er, no, I was a little too busy running for my life," he said sarcastically.

Shepard bit her tongue, knowing there was more to the story of the geth and Sovereign than what had been released by the media for public consumption. "I'm sure I recognised some, although I didn't see any mention of them in the reports we found," Shepard said, cocking her head at the device.

Ashley shifted on her feet and let out an irritated growl. "Look, whatever it is, I want to get as far away from it as possible."

Kaidan agreed with a jerk of his head but Shepard studied the tech for a moment longer. It teased something at the back of her memory, but what she wasn't sure. It was frustrating, the information was there in her mind, but dancing just out of reach. It was the exhaustion showing she was sure. It worried her. If they ran across more reapers, her reaction times would be slow and she could quite possibly put her companions in danger. Just like Akuze- No! She wasn't going to go there, she had to focus. Damnit, Shepard! Focus! With a great mental shake, she pushed away her jumbled thoughts and concentrated on the strange tech in front of her.

She crouched down closer and studied the long twisted purplish cables that protruded from it. "We should follow these, see where they lead."

Above her head, Kaidan & Ashley exchanged a glance. Shepard was aware of them inching back from the device in tiny increments, as thought it was an unconscious movement. Kaidan rubbed his temple. "Is that really a good idea?"

Shepard stood up and turned to them. "Something tells me we need to investigate this."

Ashley curled her lip in a sneer. "Something tells me to get the hell away from it. Like, now."

Kaidan said nothing, but he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his temple again. Shepard looked over at him in concern. "Kaidan, are you okay?"

He dropped his hand and faced her. "Yeah, just-" He looked dazed and slightly confused. "Suddenly not feeling so great."

Shepard grimaced in sympathy but then suddenly turned back to the device. She lifted her arm and flared her omni-tool, searching for any kind of energy reading or output. It came back negative. So much for the theory it was the device that was causing the confusion and irritating Kaidan's headache. Guess they really were all just exhausted. How many days had it been since the invasion now? Three? Four? Six? She suddenly realised she had no idea. She swung around to her two companions and took in their tired, pale countenances. Kaidan was clearly suffering from another brewing migraine and Ashley, although trying to put on a brave face, had dark shaded rings under her eyes. Shepard didn't imagine she looked much better.

She backed away from the device, and tried to put it out of her mind. She made the decision that her first task right now was to get her squad some decent food and rest. Her squad, she laughed internally to herself. Since when had she started to refer to them as that? It was kind of fitting, she supposed. The three of them had certainly clicked well enough, and operated well as a team. She would have been honoured to have these two people at her side during any military exercise and she was suddenly grateful that they were with her right now.

Turning her back on the tech, she gestured to Kaidan and Ashley. "We aren't going to make it to HQ tonight. Come on, let's get going and find some food and rest. We're all exhausted."

Kaidan sent her a small grateful smile, the tiny twist of his lips and his warm brown eyes soft in relief. It sent a tiny fission of heat through her veins and she looked away quickly, mindful of Ashley.

Ashley on the other hand, gave a great big sigh of relief and said "Aye, aye ma'am."