Chapter Fourteen:
To Merida's frustration, they had arrived on Ilos only to miss Saren by mere seconds as he had disappeared behind a huge closing door. It then became a matter of how to open it, which proved to be not so easy when Geth started to appear.
"Well, it seems like Saren was kind enough to give us a welcoming party," Garrus mused, releasing his sniper rifle and taking geth out.
Liara gave Garrus a look of utter confusion. "I don't believe leaving us geth to deal with was very kind at all."
Merida chuckled as she took out a few geth herself. "That was sarcasm, Liara," she told the naïve asari.
"Oh," Liara blushed.
Once they had managed to kill all the geth, they accessed the prothean terminal to open the door. In doing so they activated a warning, distorted as it was. Unfortunately, because of the cipher Merida had gotten from Feros, she was the only one to understand the prothean language within the distortion.
Back in the Mako, they started down the long pathway. "What are those things on the walls?" Kaidan wondered as he drove.
"I'm not sure, but there sure are a lot of them." Garrus seemed to fiddle with his eye–piece, trying to get a reading.
It was Liara who revealed the purpose. "Those are sleeper pods. I've found texts referencing pods like these in my research."
Merida couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You mean they all contain protheans."
"If my research is to be believed, then yes."
"By the spirits."
It wasn't long, however, before they came across a barrier. At first Kaidan theorized that it was a trap.
Merida had a different thought, especially after seeing an open door in the wall of the cavern–like hall. "I actually think it's an indentation. Through here." She led them through the door and to an elevator.
On the ride to who knew where, Merida couldn't help but be amazed by the amount of sleeper pods she saw outside the small windows.
Liara clutched her hands to her chest. "By the goddess, so many protheans. Why have they not woken?"
"I don't know, but I hope we can find out soon." Merida sighed. "Hopefully whomever put up that barrier will give us answers."
And answers they did get, from a VI called Vigil. Of course the information was more than any of them could have prepared for. The conduit was a way into the Citadel. Hearing that, all four looked at each other. The mass relay statue wasn't a statue at all, but an actual relay.
Vigil had gone on to explain how the protheans were defeated when the Reapers used their greatest mass relay. That bit of revelation drove Liara to her knees. The relays, the Citadel – all the things thought to be of prothean design – were in fact Reaper design. But the greatest mass relay was the Citadel itself. Sovereign was going to use it to bring back the rest of the Reapers, with the aid of Saren.
To prevent this, Vigil gave Merida a program to reclaim control of the Citadel. It was a program created by the last prothean scientists. Mentioning them spurred Merida to ask what had happened to all of those pods out there. Vigil confessed their horrifying fate: all but a handful were slowly deprived of power to keep the most important alive. The remaining protheans had gone through the conduit – a route that Merida would now have to repeat.
Back in the Mako, Merida took over, her hands clamped onto the wheel as she floored the accelerator, sending the land rover along the remaining path, taking every turn until they came to the final stretch. There, they saw the conduit lit up like a sun. But it was closing. Geth flanked either side of the path, ready to fire and prevent them from going through. Merida didn't hesitate, pressing forward. The Mako thudded and rocked with every hit it took, but it kept going, racing to the conduit until . . .
They landed at the base of the tower. Merida had tried to keep them from going out of control, but the Mako ended up upside down. She gasped, moaning, pain ripping through her lungs. In the landing metal had come loose and sliced through her restraint and her side.
"Everyone okay . . ." she asked, trying not to shout or breathe too hard.
Kaidan had banged his head, but not enough to get a concussion. Garrus had a few cuts to his face though nothing that would scar. Liara was lucky; her natural instinct had been to create a biotic barrier to protect herself.
"Alright, let's head in." Merida got up, crying out in pain, but waved off Garrus as he came to help her. "Saren is more important right now. Don't worry about me," she informed him before heading into the elevator. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to Saren.
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Opening the hatch, Merida stumbled into the Citadel Tower and tore off her helmet, gasping for breath. The ride up had turned into a nightmare full of red, flashes of light, and burning pain. She was running full on adrenaline. The geth had stopped the elevator, driving them out. The only thing more horrifying to Merida, besides the thought of being knocked off and drifting into space to die, was seeing Sovereign so close.
"Are you sure you're alright, Commander?" Kaidan asked her. It was a question that each of her companions had taken turns to inquire, and she gave them the same answer every time.
"I'm fine, let's just finish this."
They continued on, taking out the few remaining geth before seeing Saren. He started the procedures to give control to the giant Reaper outside, then hearing their approach, tossed a grenade and jumped onto his hovercraft as the projectile went off mere feet from Merida.
She clenched her jaw against the pain, held her gun firmly in her hand. It was now or nothing, she would have to make Saren see what he was doing was wrong, or die trying.
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Joker looked at the terminal. He was scared for Shepard. The moment he had dropped her off, he raced off to join Hackett, ready to attack Sovereign. Before she had gone to the Mako, Shepard had contacted the older man, and Hackett had been very willing to help, believing without question what Shepard was saying about the Reapers.
Her last words to Joker were to join Hackett, and help take down Sovereign no matter what. It felt like days had gone by. He had tried contacting Shepard several times, but there was no luck. "Damn it Shepard, don't you dare die."
Then he heard static and a transmission from the Ascension – the official ship of the Council, they had the councillors on board and needed help now. But what mattered most to Joker was that it meant communications were up . . . he could get through to Shepard.
"Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you, Commander," he pleaded. It had to be her. She had to make it through.
Then came the most beautiful words he'd ever heard. "I'm here, Joker," Shepard responded, though he noted it sounded pained. But she was alive.
Joker let out a sigh of relief. "I caught the Ascension's distress call. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with Hackett's fleet. We can save them if you unlock the relays. I can lead the cavalry in," he told her. "Or do you want us to wait and focus on Sovereign when the arms open up?" Joker regretted having to make her choose.
He didn't need to hear the arguments from Garrus over the comm to know what that would mean. If they went through now, ships would be lost, more so if they waited. However, any delay would mean the Council would die . . . A Council who had refused to believe Shepard time and time again.
"Shepard?" he asked, wanting to know her answer, though he felt he already did – a feeling that was confirmed when she gave him the order to save the Council. Typing fast he sent a transmission to all ships, telling them to follow his lead. He was the best pilot, and today, he was going to prove it. "Alright, let's dance." He flew through the relay, swerving around the geth ships and debris from the ships that had been destroyed.
By the time all the ships had come through, the councillors' ship was safe. Joker almost relaxed, but then the arms of the Citadel opened, and he saw it: Sovereign. He hadn't seen it before, and seeing the Reaper now, even he felt intimidated, and he was not one to get nervous about taking on things bigger then him. Hackett came over the comm, directing everyone to start firing on the Reaper. "With pleasure," Joker muttered and started firing the Normandy's guns at the giant Reaper.
But it had shields, and though it looked like some damage was being done, it wasn't enough. More ships were being destroyed around Joker. He ignored them, not missing the fact he hadn't heard from Shepard since she gave the order to save the Council. That meant the only thing standing between her and safety was the Reaper. It had to die . . .
His terminal flashed a new reading. "The shields are down! The shields are down!" he yelled into the comm, signalling all the ships to open fire with all their guns. As they did, Joker flew the Normandy up before bringing her down and through Sovereign, delivering the killing blow. Once through, Joker watched as the Reaper started to break apart. "That was for Shepard, you . . ." He couldn't finish his thought. Yes Sovereign was dead, but pieces were starting to gravitate towards the Citadel, and . . . the tower.
"No!" He rapidly started pressing buttons. Shepard was still there! He had to intersect the debris . . . but he wasn't even close when the first piece tore into the tower.
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Merida wiped the blood from her mouth, every breath was painful. Her body trembled from exhaustion and pain. She was barely holding on. The ribs she damaged when the Mako crashed were certainly broken now. But despite her pain, she had beaten Sovereign. Moments after the husk that was once Saren dissolved, she heard the Reaper itself break apart outside the tower windows. "Let's . . . get out of here . . ." she suggested.
Her comrades, Liara, Kaidan, and Garrus all agreed, and the four of them turned to leave the council chambers, trying to get to the elevator when a noise interrupted them. Merida barely needed to glance back to realise what was happening. A piece of debris was crashing through the wall and windows of the tower, the gravity within the Citadel's atmosphere bringing it in faster now . . . and it was heading straight at them like it was Sovereign's one last attempt . . .
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Anderson stood in the elevator, a medic team at his back. The moment comms had been restored for the second time Joker had contacted him and told him that Merida had still been in the tower when the remains of Sovereign hit it. Hearing that, Anderson had felt his stomach drop. He had always looked out for her. She was almost like a daughter to him, and they both knew that, though it was never said.
"Are you there yet?" he heard Joker ask anxiously. The pilot had requested Anderson keep the comm open, so he could know what was going on.
"Not yet Joker," Anderson replied. Normally he would have snapped, but there was something in the pilot's voice that prevented him from doing so. Finally the elevator reached the top, and the medics ran ahead of him as he took in the scene before him. "Good lord . . ."
"Captain! Over here! They're alive!" the medics called. Anderson ran over, expecting to see four heroes being pulled from the rubble. But only three were pulled out, all injured, and Merida wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Where's Shepard?" he demanded. All three of the people before him hung their heads. The asari pointed weakly back to where the devastation was worse. "No . . ." She was gone . . . Merida was gone.
Over the comm Anderson could hear Joker take a shaky breath. "Damn it, Shepard . . ." he heard the pilot mutter, though he didn't respond.
The group slowly started to head to the elevator. There was nothing more they could do now. Anderson sighed. He didn't want to look at the rubble any more. He was about to step onto the elevator, contacting a cleanup crew to come and dig out Merida's body, when he stopped. What was that noise . . . ? There it was again! Turning back he heard her before she stumbled over the wreckage, clutching her side.
Anderson ran to her as she collapsed on his side of the debris. She was pale, her lips slightly purple, but she was alive. "Good to see you're still with us, Shepard," he told her. She was able to give him a small smile back before passing out. Thankfully the medics were too busy rushing to her aid to see Anderson jump from the sudden shouts and cheers coming through his comm.
It didn't take long for the medics to assess Merida's condition. She was going to be okay. She had survived. But there was more to this. Merida Shepard had saved the Council, and defeated Sovereign. She would be considered a hero, whether she would take the title or not.
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Joker caught his breath after shouting so loud. He was sure he had lost his voice from that, and the crew were probably staring at him, but he couldn't care less. Shepard was alive. He wanted to cry. For a second, he was sure she was dead. He realised now that he shouldn't have doubted. She was Shepard – nothing could kill her, because after all, she was never one to give up when things needed to be done . . . and it was just one of the things that he loved about her.