I apologize for the delay in release. University has been brutal. To make up for it, I included a small bit from the start of the next chapter. Enjoy!

Shepard made a full out sprint to the beam that would take him up to the Citadel. Three Reapers crashed down before him, but he didn't slow. They started to charge their eyes, yet he was almost too focused to notice. He dove headfirst into the beam, narrowly avoiding a trio of red lasers.

Shepard landed on his face with a thud. The surface was cold, metallic, and dark. Now that he wasn't being shot at, he remembered all the pain that was shooting through his body. Sprinting was not exactly a good health choice with the state he was in. Shepard's entire body yelled at him as he pushed himself off the floor, but he didn't have the option to just lay there. He went onward at a slow pace, gradually regaining his energy.

Shepard had time to look around, but he wished he didn't. The floor of the passage he went down was littered with corpses, piles stacked up at various intervals. The Collector base had been horrifying even when everything was organized; this was just sick. The only light being a faint red glow didn't help the atmosphere either.

He even passed several keepers, but didn't bother checking what they were doing. He continued on, eventually coming to a chasm of sorts, with a flat bottomed U shaped bridge going across. As he came up the far side, he arrived in a large, circular room. There was a console on the far side, and two figures standing between Shepard and the terminal. When they saw the Commander, one of them grabbed the other roughly and used them as a human shield. Shepard's eyes were still adjusting to the thicker darkness when one of them spoke. "Shepard," a cool, casual, voice greeted. "I was starting to wonder if you'd make it."

Shepard recognized the Illusive Man immediately, but was even more shocked when he saw who the Cerberus leader was holding at gunpoint. "Anderson," he practically cried. "How did you get here?"

Anderson opened his mouth, but the Illusive Man cut him off. "He left his whole base to a couple of guards and some unarmed strategists. It was child's play." The Commander's jaw clenched and he took a step towards the other two.

Suddenly, Shepard dropped to his knees. But he didn't want to. He didn't tell himself to. He fought against the strange restraining force, trying to stand. He was too busy to notice the Illusive Man typing discretely at his omni tool behind Anderson's back. "Control is the means to survival, Shepard," the leader of Cerberus began. "Control of the Reapers, and control of you, if necessary."

Shepard tried to move his mouth to speak, but it was like his lips were glued together. Anderson let out a groan, and Shepard realized just how bad a shape the Admiral was in. He had several bad wounds and burns. Cerberus didn't really treat him well. He imaged Anderson wasn't exactly welcoming either when Cerberus assaulted the Alliance base. Anderson spoke through tight teeth. "They're controlling you," he argued.

The Illusive Man tensed. "I don't think so, Admiral."

The tensing caused the signal from the concealed omni tool to be disrupted just enough for Shepard to move slightly. It was still too difficult to try and stand, but he found he could at least talk now. "Controlling me is a lot different than controlling a Reaper."

The Illusive Man looked back to Shepard with a cold, spiteful expression. "Have a little faith," he said in a monotone voice, tinted with resentment. "When humanity discovered the mass relays, when we learned there was more to the galaxy than we imagined, there were some who thought the relays should be destroyed," he continued. "They were scared of what we'd find. Terrified of what we might let in.

But look at what humanity has achieved. Since that discovery we've advanced more than the last ten thousand years combined. And the Reapers will do the same for us again. But…"

Shepard felt a surge of pain in his forehead. He let out an exhausted moan, and let his head go slack. The Illusive Man stepped away from Anderson, but kept his gun aimed at him. The Cerberus leader walked confidently over to Shepard, and placed the gun in his hand when he reached him. Anderson still didn't move, out of both fatigue and knowledge that he could still very well be shot. Shepard's arm rose when, again, he didn't want it to, and the Illusive Man continued. "…only if we can harness their ability to control." He stepped out of Shepard's line of sight and quietly typed at his omni tool.

Anderson raised an arm instinctively. "Bullshit," he breathed. "We destroy them, or they destroy us."

The Illusive Man stopped typing, frustrated by the nuisance Anderson was proving to be. He walked back to the Admiral while Shepard spoke. "You've playing with things you don't understand," he added. "With power you shouldn't be able to use."

"I don't believe that," the Cerberus leader asserted, albeit with a bit of hesitation. "If we can control it, why shouldn't it be ours?"

"Because we're not ready."

The Illusive Man shook his head. "This is the way humanity must evolve."

Anderson gritted his teeth. "There's always another way."

The Illusive Man spoke with anger clear in his voice now. Anderson was being too much of a liability, not the useful hostage he had planned for. "I've dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers, and I know with certainty the Crucible will allow me to control them."

"And then what?" Anderson asked.

The Illusive Man brought up a fist and clenched it, while hiding his other arm behind his back. Shepard felt his trigger finger contract in response. He tried to stop it, but he still lacked control over his actions. The gun fired, putting a bullet in Anderson's side. The Admiral closed his eyes and sighed in pain. "Just look at the power they wield! Look at what they can do!" The Illusive Man shouted.

Anderson was too shocked to tell Shepard it wasn't the Reaper's doing, which probably would have gotten him killed on the spot anyway.

Shepard glared at the Cerberus leader. "I see what they did to you."

"I took what I wanted from them! Made it my own! This isn't about me, or you. It's about things so much bigger than all of us!"

"He's wrong," Anderson said to Shepard under his breath, barely audible to the other two in the room. "Don't listen to him."

The Illusive Man continued what was essentially his rant. "And who will you listen to, Shepard? An old soldier stuck in his ways, only able to see the world down the barrel of a gun? And what if he's wrong? What if controlling the Reapers is the answer?"

The Illusive man took a natural pause, and Shepard jumped in the break. "If we destroy the Reapers this ends today. But if you can't control them…" he trailed off ominously, implying the negative consequences.

The Illusive Man exhaled angrily. "But I can!"

"Are you willing to bet humanity's existence on it?"

The Illusive Man glared at Shepard. "I…I know it will work."

"They won't let you do it," Shepard said, getting a boost of confidence from the obvious hesitation.

His words didn't have the desired effect. "No! I'm in control!" the Cerberus leader practically yelled. "No one is telling me what to do."

"Listen to yourself," Anderson replied. "You're indoctrinated."

The Illusive Man's upper lip raised in contempt. "The two of you, so self-righteous! You think power like this comes easy? There are sacrifices!"

Shepard cut him off. "You've sacrificed too much."

"I only wanted to protect humanity!" The word 'only' showed the others he was losing determination. The Illusive Man went on with much less conviction. "The Crucible can control them. I know it can. I just-"

"It's not too late," Shepard interrupted. "Let us go."

"I…I can't do that."

"Of course you can't," Anderson agreed grimly. "They own you now."

The Illusive Man remembered Anderson, and his frustration and confidence were refueled. "You," he stated loathingly as he stepped behind the Admiral. He took the gun off of his belt. "You'd undo everything I've accomplished," he said as the gun extended and he held it as his side menacingly. "I won't let that happen."

"You already have," Shepard replied, supporting Anderson's claim. "You've failed."

The Illusive Man shoved Anderson to the ground. "No! You're the one who failed!"

Everything went in slow motion for Shepard. The Illusive Man brought his pistol to the back of Anderson's head. Shepard looked down the length of his battered arm to his own pistol, which was now pointed squarely at the Cerberus leader. He tried to squeeze the trigger, which was met by a huge resistance from his finger. He focused all of his attention and energy to the tauntingly simple task.

A shot fired. The Illusive Man clutched at his chest as he slumped to the ground.

Shepard could move again, he felt the unnatural rigidness leave his body. He slowly stood up. Shepard was physically exhausted, even talking when he was in his previous state had been an ordeal. The pain he was already in from previous events didn't help either. He trudged his way over to Anderson, who was still kneeled on the ground, too weak to stand anymore. The Admiral waved Shepard on when he tried to stop. "Go…open the Citadel," Anderson breathed. Shepard continued on, reaching the control panel near the edge of the platform. The controls were fairly intuitive, and it didn't take long to find the way to expand the station. The arms slowly opened, groaning in protest of the rare movement. Shepard turned and walked tiredly back to Anderson as the Citadel slowly revealed Earth, which was still a gross mixture of gray and red in color.

Anderson propped himself up against a newly raised cylinder in the floor a ways from the body of the Illusive Man, with Shepard's help. The Commander unceremoniously sat down next to the Admiral.

"We did it," Shepard observed, still not fully believing it yet.

"Yes," Anderson agreed. "It's quite a view," he added, another obvious statement confirming the same hesitance.

Shepard started to chuckle, but it devolved into a single, thick cough. "Best seats in the house."

"God," Anderson said, mixing the word with a heavy sigh. "Feels like years since I just…sat down."

"I think you earned a rest."

Anderson only hummed in response. He wasn't sure he believed that either. There was so much more he could have done, so much more he could have helped or inspired others to do. "You ever wonder," the Admiral started. "How things would have been different? How our lives would just be…different if this hadn't happened?" Anderson paused, thinking a bit himself. "I never had a family, Shepard," he reminded regretfully. "Never had children."

"There'll be time enough for that now," Shepard responded, trying to comfort himself as much as his old friend. There were still no guarantees they were getting out of this, with the state they were in. He couldn't imagine what his other friends, what Tali, were going through.

Anderson let out a few labored coughs, which felt like they ignited his lungs. "I think that ship has sailed for me," he admitted. "What about you? Ever think about settling down?"

"I'm a soldier, Anderson," Shepard replied. He swallowed, partly out of worry for one of his oldest friends. He hoped when Anderson had said his ship was sailed, he was only talking about the family part. It was illogical, but he clung to it. "Like you. Not really fit for doing anything else."

"Sure you are," Anderson said with an authority the Commander had learned to trust long ago.

"Yea?" Shepard asked as he thought. He was pretty tired of this war; he had been for a long time. He thought back to Tali, and how happy he had been when they were engaged on the Presidium. He wanted more. "I like the sound of that." He paused. "I'm still not sure I'd be much good at it though."

"I don't know, Shepard," Anderson retorted, almost teasing. "I think you'd make a great dad."

Shepard struggled through a chuckle again. That wasn't what he had been thinking about. Anderson continued when Shepard finished, back to his serious tone. "Think of how proud your kids would be. Telling everyone: their dad…" He paused dramatically. "Is Commander Shepard!"

Shepard let out a sigh. "Not everything I've done is something to be proud of."

Anderson tore his eyes away from Earth, which they both had been staring at the whole time, and looked at Shepard. The Commander followed suit and the two old soldier's eyes met. "You did good, son," Anderson assured him. "You did good." Anderson inhaled sharply. He felt himself starting to fade. "I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Anderson," Shepard replied as sincerely as he could manage.

Anderson made a sound of agreement. His eyes started to grow dim, and he let his body go slack. Partly out of lack of strength and partly out of acceptance of his fate. He had nothing else he could do; his time had come. He had fought long enough, there was no point in doing it now.

"Anderson?" Shepard asked, his worry resurfacing. "Stay with me. We're almost through this."

There was no reply. Anderson was quiet, his body unmoving. There were no signs of breathing. Shepard just gazed at his friend for a while. He didn't have any anger or desire for revenge, only a deep sadness. Anderson had made it so far, fought so hard, only to pass right at the end. It wasn't fair. Anderson deserved better.

Shepard's eyes were drawn to the massive sphere that connected to the Citadel at that moment with a mechanical click. He hadn't been paying attention to anything but the Admiral, and it caught him a little by surprise. It was fairly flat surprise, though. Shepard pulled himself up with effort; he was going to finish this. For Anderson. For Tali.

He limped his way back to the control panel, searching for the way to fire the Crucible. 'Initiate' was the closest thing he could find, so he activated it. At first, it seemed like nothing happened. Shepard was too focused and exhausted to notice the tiniest shimmer in the walls around him. He continued searching on the console, only to be interrupted shortly afterwards. "Shepard," a young, emotionless voice called. The Commander turned around, and saw what looked like an AI. It wasn't standard though; it was less transparent than usual, and was emanating a bright, white light. But the thing that surprised him the most was the form it had taken.

It was the boy. From Earth, from his nightmares. Even while the AI was lacking some physical features, Shepard could easily recognize the child. The fact that the boy wasn't running brought a strange relief to the Commander. But he didn't speak. He didn't know what to say.

The child picked up the slack. "You have endured much to reach this point. It is impressive."

"Who are you?" Shepard finally blurted out.

There was a miniscule pause, almost like the boy was thinking of what would be best to say. "I am the catalyst," he responded. A light similar to that coming from the boy outlined a platform in the cylinder that had risen from the ground, which Anderson was still propped against.

Except the Admiral's body wasn't there. It had vanished. Shepard started at the spot blankly. "Where's Anderson?"

The child stepped inside the outline of the platform, which rose slightly off the ground. "I have…taken care of him. Please follow me."

Shepard gave the boy a wary look, but decided to join him on the new surface. There was nowhere else to go. He swore he felt his hand brush against something as the platform ascended. But he was too distracted by how it didn't feel like he was actually ascending. The movement of the surface was silky smooth, like he wasn't moving at all.

The suspiciously tranquil surface brought Shepard and the boy to another level of the Citadel. It was similar to the one below, but it was much brighter. It looked like they were on the outside shell of the Citadel, dogfights between Alliance and Reaper forces raged on above them.

But it didn't feel like it did when he was on the outside several years ago, fighting Geth. He didn't have any strange sideways sensations. Everything felt perfect.

The child didn't give him any time to dwell on it. "You must choose how to use the Crucible," he informed the Commander.

"What do you mean?"

"The Crucible can have several functions, depending on how it is activated. All options will break the cycle. You being here proves it has become obsolete."

Shepard couldn't pass up this opportunity. "Why was the cycle started?"

"It was necessary. If organics were not stopped from advancing, synthetic races of their creation would rebel. If I prevent them from ever reaching that stage, I can stop the threat."

"So you're sending synthetics to kill us so we won't be killed by synthetics?"

"No. I send synthetics to harvest you so your lives will not be wasted. Each species ceases to live at some point; I cancel the threat of lost information. I preserve. You will be destroyed by synthetics eventually, it is the only outcome. It is more efficient and beneficial to use what you call Reapers."

"But that's not the only outcome," Shepard retorted. "Look at the Quarians and the Geth out there," he said, pointing up to the fights going on above them.

"Then perhaps you would choose to end my solution," the child said, gesturing to one of the three platforms jutting out from the one they were standing on. "Destroying the connection on that platform will permanently shut down all Reapers."

Shepard hesitated for a long moment, pondering, before deciding on what to say. "What are the other choices?"

The child continued, with an oddly smug tone. "You can become one of them. You would be able to take the Reaper called Harbinger's position; it has not yet been filled," he said, motioning to the platform opposite the previous.

"I could control them?"

"In essence, yes."

"So the Illusive man was right," Shepard observed more than asked.

"Yes. But he could never have controlled them. He was already under the influence of the Reapers. The created chain would be a paradox."

"Reapers control the Illusive Man who controls the Reapers," Shepard said with a nod. "I see what you mean."

"The last option," the child started. "Is synthesis."

"Synthesis?"

"If you combine your energy with the Crucible's, via that beam," he explained, not even needing to indicate that he was talking about the large beam of energy connecting the two structures and streaming past the middle platform. "All organic DNA and genetic waves of synthetics will merge. Both types of life would become one. It is the pinnacle of evolution.

"Would the war end?"

"Yes. Synthetics would no longer kill organics. Neither would exist anymore."

Shepard thought through his options. He didn't realize keeping the Reapers alive was an option, but if they could change, it was a definite choice. This was turning into a very similar situation to that with the Geth. Not exactly the same, but there were enough parallels that it forced the Commander to consider this new peace.

"What would happen to me?" Shepard asked.

"All of your being will be consumed by the Crucible."

Shepard gulped. He felt like synthesis was the best choice, the right choice, but he didn't want to die. He had suffered so much, worked so hard. He wanted more out of his life. He wanted to share it with Tali.

But it still wasn't about what he wanted. Was he really willing to exterminate an entire race of sapient creatures when there were other options, just so he could live? So he could be happy?

Shepard started limping towards the fork between the two paths of destruction and synthesis while he continued contemplating. He still couldn't decide which would be more selfish: destroying the Reapers, or knowingly ending himself when he knew the state Tali was in, and the pain she would go through. It really wasn't all about him. The Reapers had never been a positive thing, but Tali had been exclusively supportive and loving. Should he really favor the Reapers over her? Did the Reapers miss their chance?

Yet he would be doing synthesis in large part for Tali. To ensure her safety, and to create a better galaxy for her. For everybody. Shepard was standing at the fork when he made his final decision. Synthesis was the best of the options, even though it did have some faults, and it wasn't what he wanted to do. He reluctantly dropped his pistol; there was no need for it anymore.

And there was no clatter. Shepard looked down in time to see the last half of his gun literally fall through the floor. The air in front of him shimmered, and he took a surprised, staggered step backwards. It was literally centimeters from his face.

"What the hell is this?" Shepard exclaimed, waving his hand forward only for it to vanish behind the image of the three platforms. Suddenly, Mordin's words came flooding back to him. Advanced AI. Illusion of choice. He whipped around to face the child. "Take this away," he ordered through clenched teeth.

The boy lagged for a few moments before disappearing without a word. It took the holographic projection with it, and Shepard was standing back in the original room. He realized he had been dangerously close to the edge of the platform. If he had taken another step, he would have taken a massive plunge, with little to no hope of survival. It all made sense now. The child way trying to trick him, taking a form he found unthreatening. It had offered choices, just like Mordin had said, to convince him of the illusion. He didn't feel like he was moving on the platform because he wasn't moving, and the same thing with the outside of the Citadel. Anderson's body was still leaned against the cylinder, probably too much of a realization risk for the AI if Shepard touched the projection of it.

And the thing he felt his hand brush against was a pedestal with a large red button that had risen from the cylinder in the middle of the platform.

Shepard pressed it without hesitation.

Garrus was still with Tali as she limped through the main deck towards the cockpit. She only needed to have a hand on the Turian's shoulder, basically for insurance. Chakwas had taken care of her quickly, and while Tali was still badly injured and was already suffering from the symptoms of her allergic reactions, she could largely operate on her own.

Garrus imagined Tali's feelings played a large role in her determination to do something. His own heart had dropped when Shepard didn't stay on the Normandy; he couldn't imagine how Tali felt.

They heard Traynor's voice before they were even fully in the cockpit. "Joker, we have to go!"

"This thing's going off across the whole galaxy," Joker retorted as the dextros joined the small crowd around his chair. "We might as well be near Shepard."

"We need to land somewhere," Vega argued. The side teams had been extracted when the Normandy reported Shepard made it to the Citadel. The crews had returned to their respective ships. "What happens if the ship's disabled?"

"We'll fix it," Adams replied with a strong confidence.

"I don't want to take that risk," Traynor said.

"Then get to an escape pod," Joker suggested with an irritated and dismissive hand wave. "The Normandy is staying near her Commander."

"Oh, come on," Traynor persisted. "Do you really think he's still ali-"

Traynor was cut off by a wicked, angry snarl. Tali had snapped to her before she could finish her sentence, slits for eyes and teeth baring evident by the way she spoke. "Don't even think it." For once, everyone was glad they couldn't see Tali's face. It would have been even more frightening.

Traynor's eyes grew wide and she ceased moving, stunned. She had never seen that ferocity from Tali before, almost no one had. It took her a few moments before she came back to reality. She did feel embarrassed and sympathetic for Tali, but those feelings were greatly overshadowed by frustration. She stormed out of the cockpit to announce the events to the rest of the crew. Vega and a few others followed cautiously, giving the Quarian a wide berth.

When all was said and done, the Normandy was almost empty. Most of the crew was just Alliance grunts; they didn't have any special attachment to Shepard. None of them wanted to take any unnecessary risks, and even though they probably wouldn't be any safer farther away, it would at least feel like it. Those left in the ship were Joker, EDI, Tali, Garrus, Liara, Kaidan, Javik, Chakwas, and Adams; who rushed off to persuade Ken and Gabby to stay to help.

The two engineers agreed while almost everybody else watched a small but rapidly expanding sphere of red energy appear in the center of the Citadel.

I can't stand writing the Illusive Man, so it's basically verbatim from the game on purpose. Artistic integrity!

Anyways, I hope you liked it, reviews are appreciated as usual.