Chapter 25

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of its characters. Those belong to Bioware and EA. Any movies or music I may reference belong to their rightful owners.

Thanks Everyone!

I was very thankful for the advanced medical technology of the future.. or at least in the Mass Effect universe. It took a few days but the doc managed to repair my broken ribs.

While I didn't mind being laid up in med-bay... mostly considering the fact that Tali joined me frequently and we discussed various things. Emily was surprisingly around a lot also. She constantly asked me if I was alright which I reassured her that I was fine.

Finally after 3 days Dr. Chakwas released me and I was under strict orders to rest and recover before we hit the Mu Relay.

I was in my room when my door opened and Shepard walked in.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" She asked.

I nodded.

"So... tell me. How are you holding up?" She asked.

I smiled. "I'm doing good Shep. I'm actually kinda glad you came by."

I explained to her the situation with the OSD containing the co-ordinates that my sister had given me. Shepard sat down on the bed beside me and placed her hand on her chin in thought.

"So far... this is the only time I've actually heard from my sister since I've been here... even if it was a dream or vision." I said looking at her.

She nodded.

"While we can't do anything about it right now. Well see to it when all this is over with." She said gesturing upwards at the Normandy.

"I'd appreciate it" I said smiling.

It was my turn to ask the questions "So... how are YOU holding up?" I asked her.

She smiled "As well as I can be given the situation you know."

I nodded ~how right you are commander~

"Still though... It's nice to know that this business with Saren will be ending soon. I'm seriously looking forward to some R&R" She said as she placed her hands on the bed and leaned back against the wall.

"I normally would agree... but I just feel like I can't rest until I find Stacey!" I said leaning back against the wall beside Shepard.

"Tell me more about your sister Will" Shepard said. I glanced at her only to see her eyes still closed.

I nodded and began telling her about a time when my sister had got mad at me for putting shaving cream in her hand while she was sleeping and tickling her nose causing her to smear it all over her face.

Shepard laughed and I told her some more. Soon I realized that the commander had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder. I sighed and looked down at the commander.

"Sweet dreams" I said getting up and letting her lay on my bed.

I was starving so I headed to the mess.

XXX

The next 3 days went by fast and Shepard didn't seem embarrassed by the fact that she had fallen asleep on me. I personally think she needed the rest. For one thing she was always go go go kind of person and I was seriously worried she would burn herself out before all this was over with.

I was sitting in my quarters scrolling through some songs when Shepard came over the Com "Were 9 hours out from the Mu Relay. All personnel will report in 6 hours to their designated workstations. Enjoy the little time we have before the endgame begins people. Were going to Kick Saren's ass and then toss him into the sun if we can!" She said over the com. I heard a great number of cheers ringing out up and down the corridor outside my room.

I selected Inhale by Stone Sour and hit play on my omi-tool. I leaned back and closed my eyes when I heard a knock on my door. I said come in and the door opened revealing Emily standing there.

I looked at her questionably "Everything ok?" I asked. She looked kinda nervous about something.

She nodded and sat down on my bed. " I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out some before we hit the relay. You know It might be the last time that... we get a chance to spend together having some fun." She said her voice betraying her.

I sat up and turned the music off. "What's wrong Emily?" I asked.

She looked down for a moment before speaking "It's just that... I wish I had met you earlier in my life... perhaps.. things would have been different."

I watched her for a moment before grabbing her and pulling her into a hug. She burst into tears and held me tight. I wasn't sure what was wrong with her but I could tell that something was tearing at her bad.

I gripped her shoulders and gently pushed her away from me so I could look into her eyes "Emily! Is there something your trying to tell me?" I asked.

Her lip quivered as she spoke "I...I..wo... " She was struggling to get it out.

"It's ok... you can tell me" I said smiling at her.

She took a deep breath "I want you to come back safe. There are many people that care about you... including me." She said getting up and heading for the door.

"Emily!" I called but she was out the door in a flash.

…...

She let out the breath she had been holding as she leaned back against the wall outside his door.

She couldn't do it. She had received the signal to kill him and she couldn't do it. She looked down at the small almost invisible knife hidden in her sleeve. One jab and he would be dead. She couldn't do it and now she would be branded a traitor to Cerberus.

She sighed and stood up and started walking down the hallway towards her quarters. She almost confessed to Will about who she really was and and who she was working for but she couldn't do it. She was afraid of how he would take it.

She decided that she would tell him once this mission was done and then she would go into hiding if she could. Because she knew that no one betrayed Cerberus and lived.

XXX

As I walked through the hallways towards the hanger bay my armor made loud clanking sounds. I rather enjoyed it though. I felt like I was a knight from the medieval times.

I walked into the hanger and saw Shepard and the rest attaching their weapons and pistols to their persons.

"When this is over and done with were going to have a serious talk about your being late all the time" Shepard said with a smirk on her face.

I chuckled "What can I say... I like to be fashionably late"

That got a chuckle out of Shepard and Ash.

I grabbed my pistol and sniper from my locker and after giving them a check over loaded them and attached them.

We headed towards the Mako and climbed aboard.

"So... Jokers going to drop us into a target area the size of a small car huh?" I asked surveying everyone.

The humans in the group chuckled while the rest looked puzzled.

"What is a car?" Tali asked causing me to chuckle.

Tali for the most part had once again been forced to sit on my lap due to the limited space inside the Mako but now I was starting to believe it didn't bother her anymore.

"Hold on tight!" Shepard yelled from the front.

I heard the clamps release and the Mako dropped hard. We were going faster than I thought could be possible as the Mako plummeted through the atmosphere of the planet.

"Firing thrusters!" Shepard yelled and the Mako jerked hard upwards causing several people to get thrown back against the wall.

I held Tali tight as several warning lights started flashing in the Mako.

"What the hell is that?" Wrex asked.

"Were coming in too fast! Hold on everyone!" Shepard yelled.

There was a moment or two when it felt like eternity and than wham the Mako hit the ground hard and we jerked hard against our restraints.

I heard a click and the small bomb that we had put together to blow the door broke lose from the straps restraining it and slid across the floor to come to a stop in front of me.

I felt my face visibly pale as I stared down at the bomb.

"Alright everyone out!" Shepard said getting out of her seat.

"Um... Shep!" I said pointing at the bomb.

She looked at me and smiled. She walked over and patted the boom making all of us do a sharp intake of breath.

She chuckled "Relax it's not armed yet!" She said dangling the primer key in front of us.

~I swear Shepard your just too evil some days~

Wrex and Garrus placed the bomb near the door while we all piled back in the Mako.

"Shepard! We've got Geth coming up behind us." Ash said as the Mako started to back up away from the bomb.

"Show em our teeth Ash!" Shepard barked.

Ash let a barrage of fire from the Mako's guns before hitting the switch letting loose the Cannon tearing apart three Geth that it hit.

"I'm blowing this door!" Shepard yelled.

There was a beep than a massive explosion that rocked the Mako.

As the dust cleared I clearly saw that the door had been blown apart. "Let's kick it!" Shepard roared flooring the Mako.

"My god what are all those pods on the wall?" Tali asked.

"Stasis pods I'm guessing. Perhaps they tried to preserve themselves before the end came?" Liara let the question hang as they continued through the winding tunnels firing at various Geth in their path

Suddenly they saw some sort of barrier ahead.

"Shepard Stop!" I called out.

Shepard hit the breaks and the Mako skidded to a halt.

We piled out and I pointed towards the elevator. " We need to go in the elevator Shepard" I said.

"I don't like this." Wrex mumbled.

"I agree Shepard... and how do you know it is safe?" Kaiden asked looking at me.

Shepard choose to ignore this and turned to all of us.

"Wrex! I want You, Garrus, and Kaiden to watch the Mako and keep our position fortified. Were going to head down in the elevator." Shepard said walking towards the elevator.

"Be careful Commander!" Kaiden said as Shepard hit the button in the elevator.

"This place feels very old" Tali said.

~Tali.. you don't even know the half of it.~

As the elevator came to a stop the door opened revealing an extremely enormous room.

I glanced down the walkway. ~Yep! There's Vigil~

As we approached the degraded VI appeared.

"You are different than those that passed by recently. The taint of indoctrination is not upon you." Vigil said.

He started to drone on about the Citadel being a massive relay that opens into dark space allowing the Reapers to ambush the seat of the Galactic governments for millions of years. It droned on for another few minutes before it gave Shepard the data packet that contained the codes for taking control of the Citadel.

Suddenly he stop talking and I glanced towards the VI

"This one... is also different..." It seemed to hesitate which was strange.

I took a couple of steps towards the VI in curiosity.

"There... was something left for you... I was told..." Vigil stated.

Shepard looked at me and I shrugged. Shepard faced the VI "Who left what for Will?" She asked.

"I... do not know... that part of my memory core was erased... but It said it was another piece the the puzzle that you are close to solving." It said.

The VI winked out and a door on its console opened revealing yet another crystal.

"What the hell?" Ash's asked.

I reached for it and Shepard grabbed my hand "Are you sure that is wise Will?" She asked in concern.

I smiled "It's nothing new by now Shep!"

She nodded and let my arm go.

I grabbed the crystal and instantly there was a flare of bright light. I heard a cry from those behind me as the light temporary blinded them.

I felt a rush of energy as best as I can describe it when just as quick it was gone and I felt myself falling to my knees gasping for air.

"Will! Are you alright?" Tali said rushing to my side as she had recovered enough.

"I'm fine!.. We need to go stop Saren!" I said walking towards the elevator.

As we boarded the elevator and hit the button Shepard turned to me "Will! What Is going on?" She asked a little confused.

"Ask me when all this is over cause by then I'm pretty sure I'll know... for now I'm just saying that I'm winging it ya know!" I said giving her a smile.

She stared at me a moment before nodding "I just hope you don't get us killed!" She said.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter. Up next the end of ME1 and a whole new saga starts and things are going to change for some of the characters. What changes you ask? Stay Tuned! :D