Chapter 21
As they moved through the base, the lack of Cerberus troops worried Kaidan. We should be seeing more of them... unless they're dealing with the fleet... They were far enough into the base that any sounds from the raging battle outside were muffled by layers of walls and insulation. Shepard groaned loudly as they approached another locked door, and turned to EDI.
"Anything you can do here?" EDI glanced at the door.
"Another security lock. I can bypass it."
"Do it."
Kaidan propped himself up against a desk while EDI worked, and after a moment of hovering, Shepard left EDI alone and joined him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm just antsy. I don't want to lose the data again. This is our last chance."
He put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her gently.
"We're going to make it. Don't worry."
Just as Kaidan was starting to enjoy their brief moment of quiet, the comms crackled, and Admiral Hackett's voice called out to them.
"Incursion team, are you still with us? We're limiting fire as best we can!" Shepard sprung up, as if the Admiral had enter the room, practically tripping over her own feet. Kaidan shook his head. She really needs to calm down.
"Admiral, we're in deep, and the Prothean VI will be in the safest part of the station. Don't hold back!" There was a long pause before the Admiral answered.
"This isn't Elysium, Shepard. I don't need a hero."
"I'll be fine. Just take Cerberus down." She protested. "Please." Her voice cracked slightly, betraying her worry.
"Understood, Commander." There was a slight murmur of conversation. "All ships, you are free to fire! Several loud explosions roared from the far side of the ship, and a tremor shook the floor.
"Sounds like the Fifth Fleet just gave Cerberus a wake up call!" Kaidan smiled as he found his footing. "They'll get it done!" Shepard grinned back at him, then shook her head to regain her composure.
"EDI, you get that door open?"
"Yes, Commander. We can proceed."
Kaidan stuck his head around the corner, and the sounds of screams and muffled orders echoed down the hallway.
"I think they're distracted now. We should be clear for a while." Shepard sighed, still gripping her rifle tightly. "Let's stay quiet, and not take any chances." He nodded back at her, and they moved out, slipping silently through the shadows. As they crept through abandoned corridors, EDI paused periodically to scan consoles.
"What are you doing?" Shepard asked, watching curiously.
"Looking for any pertinent information that will help us on this mission. Also, downloading Cerberus files." She stopped next to a large panel. "This console contains video files I believe you will be interested in."
"What are these about?"
"The Illusive Man."
When Shepard started up the file, he was surprised to see Kai Leng actually talking to the Illusive Man, not a hologram.
"Have you ever actually seen him?" He asked Shepard, who shook her head.
"How are you holding up?" The Illusive Man asked the pacing Kai Leng.
"I'm fine. Ready for action." He cracked his knuckles and bounces softly on the balls of his feet, as if he was testing the solidity of the floor. It took Kaidan a moment to notice the scarring and cybernetic braces on the man's legs.
"Your eagerness is commendable. But the cybernetics take time to get used to, believe me." The Illusive Man took a long drag of his cigarette. "You really do remind me of Shepard."
She's nothing like you.
"Shepard betrayed you!" Kai Leng slammed his fist into the table, and the Illusive Man sighed deeply.
"Shepard was always going to stay true to her beliefs. She's wrong, but I can respect her decision." He gestured in the air with his cigarette. "Finish your therapy, and put together a plan for the Citadel. Councilor Udina is... amenable."
"Yes, sir." The video ended, and Kaidan nudged Shepard with his elbow.
"What happened to his legs?"
"Anderson shot him."
"In the leg?" Shepard glanced at him, a wild grin on her face.
"Both."
Shepard turned back to the console, and started the second file. Kai Leng was pacing again, but the bounce was gone from his step. He stalked back and forth, clenching his fists. A holographic Illusive Man watched him, quietly smoking.
"I could have taken her." Kai Leng seethed.
"Absolutely, but the Council was your priority, not Shepard."
"Because of her, the Council is still in power!" I almost ruined everything. Thank god I trusted her.
"Shepard is keeping the Reapers occupied while our research progresses. But as it happens, I believe you'll find your chance for a rematch." The Illusive Man sighed, as if Kai Leng's frustration bored him. "Head to Thessia. Shepard will be there soon... and I want you waiting." The file ended, and Shepard scrolled right into the next. The Illusive Man was real again, accepting an OSD from Kai Leng. Shepard growled under her breath as she realized what was on it.
"Here it is." Kai Leng said, a smug grin on his face.
"Excellent. The Prothean VI should enable us to determine the nature of the Catalyst. Combined with the breakthrough at Sanctuary, we have everything we need. We just need to tie up a few loose ends."
"Like Shepard? She should've died on Thessia. Should I finish her?" He cracked his knuckles, and Kaidan fought the urge to punch the screen.
"I'd rather you avoid killing Shepard for now... if possible. For now, Sanctuary gave us a proof-on-concept for controlling the Reapers."
"And made it a target. Miranda Lawson..."
"Get the data from Sanctuary. If Miranda gets in your way, deal with her."
"It will be a pleasure, sir." The video faded to static, and Shepard slammed her hand down on the console.
"Damn I hate him."
"Kai Leng, or the Illusive Man?" EDI asked.
"Both." Shepard answered, and moved away from the console.
After ducking through several more offices and corridors, the squad found themselves in a large open warehouse. The lighting was dim, and flickered, somewhere, a crucial generator must have gotten damaged. It gave the room an eerie feeling, something that wasn't helped when Kaidan looked up.
"What is this thing?" He asked, mouth open. A mechanical rib cage hung over them, jagged edges drooping close to the scaffolding Shepard was climbing onto. She was dwarfed next to it, staring up into the blackness that surrounded it.
"This is the Human proto Reaper Shepard destroyed." EDI said, coming up behind him. This? This is what she fought at the Collector's base? It's so huge... The waves of guilt he had tried to shove away came rolling back, washing over him with feelings of failure.
"I wish I could've helped." Shepard turned her back on the monstrosity, and reached her hand out to him. He took it, and she pulled him close, gently resting her gloved hand on his face.
"You're here now."
EDI studied the Reaper carefully, her face blank.
"Cerberus is actively using the surviving pieces. The central core, analogous to the heart, is largely intact. I believe Cerberus is using it as a power source."
"Damn." Shepard groaned as they moved forward. "Should have aimed for that, instead of its face."
"Oh my god! It had a face?" Kaidan shuddered, and Shepard nodded. Before she could answer, the sound of running feet above them drew their attention.
"Shit! Troopers!" She hissed, checking the heat sink on her rifle.
As they took cover, Kaidan glanced up, noticing several small, wiry figures crouched behind the large troopers.
"Here come the girls." He muttered, nudging Shepard.
"Okay. They haven't noticed us yet." She steadied herself, bracing to charge, and glanced at their third squadmate. "EDI and I will taken down the troopers, and cover you. You hold those little bitches where they are."
Aye aye, Ma'am." Shepard and EDI jumped out of cover, firing up at the startled troopers. Kaidan threw his power up behind them, lifting the Phantoms up off the ground.
Shepard ran underneath the Phantoms, and unleashed hell with her assault rifle, not stopping until she was sure they hung limply in the air. Kaidan released his powers, letting them fall to the floor like rag dolls. They crept quietly now, listening carefully for the sounds of boots on scaffolding. Kaidan couldn't help but glace up at the dead proto Reaper, its bones the same dark black as the full Reapers.
"Fighting through this thing makes my skin crawl. Its like we're bugs crawling across a sleeping giant." He murmured to Shepard, who shrugged.
"Tried to kill me last time. It can watch all it wants."
As they climbed down off the scaffolding, one last small squad of troopers was waiting for them, guarding a large door. Instead of taking cover with Kaidan and EDI, Shepard charged them, gun blazing. They all fell before her, dropping to the ground in a clatter of armor.
"Piercing rounds?" Kaidan asked, as Shepard stood amidst the carnage.
"Yup." She said absently. A trooper groaned, and she knelt down beside it.
"Shepard? What are you doing?"
"Helping him." She flicked out her omniblade, and gently slid it between the plates of the trooper's armor. "Remember what that trooper on Mars looked like?"
"Yeah. He was pretty huskified."
"Think how long ago that was. How far along to you think this poor bastard was?" She retracted her blade and stood up. "I'm almost sad I didn't start using this earlier."
"You had it earlier? I didn't get the upgrade until last year!" She smirked as she looked past him, obviously remembering something.
"Kasumi had a prototype. Never told me where she got it."
She continued as they made their way through the large door.
"Always thought it was an ineffective way to fight. If I'm close enough to punch someone, I'm going to punch them."
"I know. Remember that bitch on Zhu's Hope?"
Shepard laughed outright.
"Oh yes. But then I started using the omniblade today, and I learned something."
"And that is?"
She grinned at him, her face mischievous in the shadows.
"Stabbing is much better."
"Shepard, I found another terminal." EDI interrupted.
"Great. Then I think I'm ready for the real Illusive Man."
The first video was the Illusive Man, in his regular holographic form, being addressed by an unknown female Cerberus scientist.
"Grayson's brain is a mess. He must have been completely under Reaper control by the end." She held up a datapad to him.
"And the physical enhancements?" The Illusive Man leaned forward to study the information.
"Extremely impressive. If we could avoid having entire neural pathways rewritten in the process..."
Shaking his head, he leaned away from her, absently waving his cigarette in the air.
"Grayson's failure was due to a lack of resolve. He wasn't loyal to anything but his next dose of red sand."
"You'd like to try it on loyal test subjects, sir?"
"Find volunteers among our new recruits. They physical benefits are too useful to ignore." Kaidan felt the anger stirring in his bones again. He was testing Reaper tech on his own people? That's sick.
"Oh no..." Shepard tensed. "When we were on Thessia, the Prothean VI referred Kai Leng as an indoctrinated presence. He must have the Reaper tech implants."
"But he's working for the Illusive Man, and he's fighting the Reapers. Right...?"
"I don't know." She shot him a worried glance, and started the next file.
As Kaidan struggled to control his anger, Shepard started the second file. Again, the female scientist reviewed data for the Illusive Man's hologram.
"The performance upgrades are off the charts. Our troops can outfight any Alliance soldier." She gestured to her datapad, pointing to a small chart.
"Roll it out. I want all troops fitted with implants before the Reapers arrive."
"I'm still concerned about us losing control of our forces. Some of them are already hearing voices." Shepard shuddered, and without looking, reached her hand back for Kaidan's. He took it, squeezing gently.
"When our work at Sanctuary pays off, the only voice they'll be hearing is ours." As the video ended, Shepard shook her head angrily.
"How could he have been so stupid?" She sighed, relaxing her shoulders, and started the last file. The Illusive Man sat on a cot in a med bad, being attended to by the same scientist. She fidgeted nervously, turning a syringe in her hands.
"Sir, you wanted my opinion on this. It's too dangerous."
"No. We're close. Sanctuary was a success." Kaidan narrowed his eyes at the screen. How can you call that nightmare place a success?
"We can control Reaper forces. Everything we've been fighting for, every sacrifice we've made... it's about to pay off."
"We can't lose you, sir! Humanity needs your mind, and they need it intact." Shepard snorted, a sharp noise in the otherwise quiet room.
"I understand the danger, Jana. That's why I'm trusting you with this. As long as you're here, I know you'll keep me in line."
"I'm holding you to that, sir. Okay." She said, with almost breathless hero worship.
"Begin the procedure. No anesthetics." He looked directly at the camera, causing both Kaidan and Shepard to jump. "Computer, end recording."
"Oh no." Shepard muttered again. "He took the implants too."
"Do you think the Reapers are controlling him?" Kaidan frowned. "But he's put so much into fighting them. He thinks he's doing the right thing!" Shepard grimaced, and slipped her hand from his to grip her rifle.
"So did Saren, remember?" They left the room, entering a long hallway with a steep incline, and at the top of the ramp, finally entered the Illusive Man's office. Kaidan's jaw dropped. The room was large, with enormous windows that looked out onto a dying star. The view was broken up by the constant dog fighting of the Fifth fleet and Cerberus fighters, but was spectacular none the less.
He tore his eyes away from the view, and watched Shepard tentatively make her way across the floor. She was stepping lightly, as if she didn't want to disturb anything, and when she reached the center of the room, she paused, and looked down.
"What is that?" Kaidan pointed to the large circle she stood on. She shuffled her feet, feeling the edges carefully.
"I guess this is the hologram platform. When I had meetings with him, I was always right here." She took a deep breath, and stepped off. "We need to locate the Prothean VI." She walked with more confidence now, her steps more bold as she made her way to the chair in the center of the room. She sat with a satisfied smile, and EDI started working on a nearby console, downloading information. Kaidan found his gaze drawn back to the large windows, the view was amazing, but seemed cruel and harsh somehow. He was so caught up in watching the fighters swoop and dive, that he nearly jumped out of his skin when a calm, yet annoyed voice called out across the room.
"Shepard." They all spun, guns drawn. The hologram of the Illusive Man stood in the small circle. His face a mask of irritation, as if they were errant children. "You're in my chair."
Shepard slowly eased herself out of the chair, holstering her sidearm.
"This chairs about the only damn thing you have left. Cerberus is finished."
"On the contrary. We have achieved everything I ever imagined." He took a long drag from his cigarette. "Almost everything."
"Yeah, we all saw what you accomplished on Sanctuary. But it's not the same as controlling a Reaper." He waved his hand, as if to shrug off a minor inconvenience.
"A significant hurdle. But thanks to the Prothean VI, I have what I need to make it a reality."
"The Catalyst." Shepard's shoulder's sank, and the Illusive Man smiled cruelly.
"Yes."
"What is the Catalyst, and how exactly will it help you control the Reapers?"
"You'll have to ask the VI yourself. I'm done helping you."
"When did you start?" She growled at him.
"You think because I'm willing to use the enemy's tactics that they're no longer my enemy? Everything, Shepard... everything I've done has uplifted humanity. Not only above other species in our galaxy, but over the Reapers." He actually believes it. He really thinks he's doing good for humanity!
"If you're willing to do everything it takes, then hand over the Catalyst. With the Crucible, we can end this!"
"It's not that simple-"
"It is!" Shepard interrupted. "It's that simple! We're fighting each other while the Reapers occupy Earth! It's time to stop." He smiled again, like she was a dog that had performed a new trick. Kaidan had never wanted to punch someone so badly before. Don't look at her like that, you bastard. She isn't your toy.
"You're idealism is... admirable, Shepard." He waved her off. "But in the end, our goals are simply too disparate. I believe destroying the Reapers would be the worst mistake we could ever make. And nothing you can say will convince me otherwise." Shepard folded her arms across her chest and sighed.
"Even with Cerberus in ruins, you still think you can do this your way."
"I'd expect you to say that. You never truly believed in us. Cerberus isn't just an organization, or the people behind it. Cerberus is an idea. That idea is not so easily destroyed. Besides, I've already acquired what you're looking for." Shepard turned to EDI, who had ignored the Illusive Man since his arrival.
"EDI?"
"I've almost got it." The synthetic woman responded, and the Illusive Man shook his head.
"I'm surprised at you, working so hard to bring about the Reaper's destruction."
"Don't listen to him!" Shepard called out, but he continued.
"You could have destroyed Eva's body. But instead, you chose to control it."
"It was necessary." EDI continued to work, flying through commands on the large console.
"My point exactly."
"I've got it." She smiled smugly, and finally turned to face her creator. Next to her, a flickering green hologram of a Prothean came to life.
"Online. Security Breach detected." Its voice was lower than Javik's, but had the same gravelly anger behind it.
"Enjoy your little chat, but don't overstay your welcome." The Illusive Man turned his back on them, and walked out of sight.
The Prothean VI turned its head to look at Shepard, its eyes blank but piercing. I think I liked the VI on Ilos better, back when it was just a ball of light.
"You are attempting to recover me from indoctrinated forces?" It asked.
"Yes. I need to know what the Catalyst is!" Shepard held onto the back of the Illusive Man's chair and leaned towards the VI.
"Security protocols have been overridden. I will comply." It paused, as if searching for files, then continued. "The Catalyst enhances dark energy transmissions and coordinates the entire mass relay network. In your cycle, it is known as the Citadel. "
"What?" Kaidan and Shepard said together. The Citadel?
"The Catalyst is the Citadel." The VI repeated.
"So the Crucible and the Citadel together can stop the Reapers?"
"That is correct."
"But... the Citadel was built by the Reapers." Shepard tightened her grip on the chair.
"The plans for the Crucible were passed down to us from the previous cycle, and countless cycles before that. At some point, it is difficult to pinpoint when... the Crucible plans were adapted to incorporate the use of the Catalyst. Presumably, the Crucible was not sufficiently powerful to defeat the Reapers." Kaidan felt his mouth fall open. Countless cycles? How many civilizations have the Reapers wiped out? And it's down to Shepard to stop it from happening to us. He knew she was thinking the same thing, and wanted to reach out to her, hold her... but now was the time to be strong for her.
"So we use their own technology against them." EDI nodded, putting her hands on her hips.
"Precisely."
"Why couldn't you tell me this before?" Shepard said, with more than a hint of irritation.
"It was feared that if the Reapers were aware of the Catalyst's intended use, they would retake control of it. I am programmed to withhold that information until the Crucible is complete."
Shepard sighed with exasperation, and pushed herself away from the chair.
"It's as ready as it's going to be. Let's get it to the Citadel." She turned to start walking out of the room, but the VI called out again.
"That may no longer be possible." She turned slowly, the color draining out of her face.
"Why not?" She asked slowly.
"The one who broke through my security protocol, the one you call the Illusive Man, has fled to the Citadel and informed the Reapers of our purpose."
"Damn it!" Her cheeks flushed with anger, bright red against the pale of her face.
"Then the Citadel is in danger." EDI said. "The Reapers will take control of it."
"They already have. The Citadel has been moved to the Reaper controlled space." Kaidan felt his heart sink. Oh god, is everything lost?
"Moved? To where?" Shepard was practically yelling.
"To the system you refer to as Sol."
"Earth." Shepard whispered. Home.
"Correct. The Reaper forces will now consolidate power around the Catalyst and protect it at all costs. The odds of accessing it are remote." Shepard shook her head, and glared at the VI.
"Don't count us out yet. We've come this far, and we'll finish this. We'll get the Crucible to Earth." That's my girl. The VI nodded slightly.
"I hope you find success."
"EDI, get me Hackett. He needs-" She flinched as a gunshot whistled past her ear, and spun to face the door.
Kai Leng stood with his hand outstretched, a glowing pulse rifle fused to his palm.
"Not so fast."
"You." Shepard's voice was cold, her eye's narrowed. Kai Leng gave a small shrug, and grinned back at her.
"He did warn you not to overstay your welcome." Shepard whipped her sidearm out and fired, just as he jumped out of the way. Kaidan tried to grab the man with his biotics, but missed. Kai Leng laughed, and several troopers burst through the door behind him.
"Kaidan! EDI!" Shepard yelled, as she took off after her enemy. "Deal with them!"
"Right!" He called back, and threw up a barrier to hold the troopers while EDI picked them off with a machine's precision. Behind him, he could hear Shepard and and Kai Leng arguing as they fought. Besides their angry words, sounds of destruction echoed across the room.
"This is better than Thessia. More personal." He taunted, and Shepard replied with a volley of rifle fire. "All you're doing is making humanity weaker!"
"You're using Reaper tech!" She spat back at him.
"And I'm stronger for it! We evolve or we die! Those are the options!" The troopers dead, Kaidan tried to turn to Shepard, but EDI grabbed his arm.
"More Cerberus troops are approaching. We must stop them here." He nodded, and pulled out his own sidearm, running a careful hand over what was once his only link to Shepard. Kick his ass, love. I'll cover for you.
"Is that the best you can do?" Kai Leng was laughing, a slow chuckle that echoed over the gunfire.
"How are the legs? Getting tired?" Kaidan wanted to laugh at Shepard's cheap shot, but focused on the troops approaching him and EDI. A few of them were carrying riot shields, and he had to focus to rip them away.
"You're still slow, Shepard!"
"I'm only slow 'cause I'm not running! You ran on the Citadel. You ran on Thessia."
"Shut up!" Kai Leng screamed, a crack appearing in his cool demeanor. Shepard laughed back at him, it was forced, Kaidan could tell, but it rattled Kai Leng. "Even if you win, you're too late to stop what's coming!" His voice was desperate, angry. The second wave of troops down, Kaidan spun to help however he could, but Shepard didn't need it. Kai Leng was crouched in a small hollow in the floor, the room destroyed.
"Maybe, maybe not. But you won't be there to see it." Shepard raised her pistol, and shot him twice in the chest. She cocked her head at him, waiting for him to move again, then lowered her gun and slumped into the Illusive Man's chair. "Let's get all the data and get the hell out of here." Kaidan and EDI rushed to the other terminals, transferring as much data as they could to their omnitools. A small clinking noise registered at the edge of Kaidan's hearing, but he wrote it off to something falling from the Ceiling. Whatever they had done during their fight had completely trashed the once nice office. Wires were exposed and dangling from ceiling, whole sections of the floor were gone, revealing the pipes and support beams below. He turned to see what had fallen, and felt his blood turn to ice as Kai Leng rose up behind Shepard. As he brought his sword down towards her neck, Shepard turned, shattering the blade with the back of her arm. Her omniblade clicked out, and she rammed it up into his chest. He gasped, and slowly turned his head to look her in the eye.
"That was for Thane, you son of a bitch." She hissed at him, and kicked him back into one of the pits in the floor.
As Shepard retracted her blade, the Prothean VI spoke once more.
"The Citadel is in position. The Reapers are preparing to complete their harvest of your species."
"I'll stop them."
"It is too late. I recommend investigating a means of conserving information for future species."
"I"ll stop them." Shepard repeated it like a mantra as she spun on her heel and marched out of the room. "I'll stop them." Rushing to follow, Kaidan hailed their shuttle.
"Cortez! We have the data! Do you see anywhere you can pick us up?" There was a burst of static, then the voice of Cortez echoed in the long hallway.
"There should be a small shuttle bay near you, probably the Illusive Man's private one. Do you think you can open it for me?"
"That will not be a problem." EDI said, moving towards a small panel in the wall. "It will be just a moment. As EDI worked on getting the door open, Kaidan turned towards Shepard, slumped against the wall. As he walked towards her, she slide down, until she sat, her knees pulled up to her chest.
"Hey, Shepard. That was rough. I'm so relieved to see you in one piece." She nodded, and rested her forehead on her knees. "You are okay, right?"
"Yeah." The reply was muffled.
"Shepard, look at me." She looked up and smiled at him. It wasn't her forced smile, but there was no warmth behind it.
"Ready to head home?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.
"Home. Back to Earth. Oh yeah, I'm ready."
"About time."
"About freakin' time! And if the Reapers messed with anything I left behind, I'm going to be so pissed." This time her smile was genuine, and he kissed her on the forehead.
"Shepard, Cortez has landed, but there isn't time to re-pressurize the hanger. Once we get through the airlock, we will be in zero atmosphere."
"Great." Shepard grumbled. They put together their helmets, and slipped them on. "Let's get the hell out of this place." They followed EDI through the airlock, and onto the shuttle. As they left, Kaidan took one last look at the dying star behind them, and thought about home.