A/N: I never leave my fans hanging. Heres the near final chapter.
I don't own Mass Effect
We will Fight on
Shepard stood in the cargo hold, looking down at the lone metal coffin that set comfortably in the center of the small corner. The ex Specture sighed, there have been so many lives lost since the Reapers first reared their ugly heads. The hundreds during Soverign's attack 2 years ago, the colonists that were taken by the Collectors since he was gone, and now...
The Commander closed his eyes. There wouldn't be anymore, not if he could help it. And the crew was backing him up 110%, no matter what he decided to do. He ran his hands over the cold surface of the coffin, hoping beyond hope that the one it was meant for found peace where ever they were. The sound of footsteps came up behind him, "I hope its enough." Shepard said.
Chase stepped up next to the Commander looking down at the coffin, "More than enough. Thank you Shepard." There were words written on the small plate mounted on the coffin, reading;
Lucus Matthews
Pilot. Friend. Uncle. Brother. Hero.
"His sacrifice will never be forgotten."
The freelancer sighed, "Now he can rest in peace. And we'll keep fighting." Shepard nodded before turning his attention to the younger man. It had been a miracle that they were able to bring him back after what happened at the Collector base, the Commander remembered it so vividly.
FLASHBACK
The sound of the flat-lined heart monitor filled the air, making the air almost sufficating for everyone. Jack sat and starred down at Chase's blank face. Gone...he was gone. "No..." she whispered as more tears came from his eyes. "No." she said a little louder, putting her hands back on his face as if willing him to come back. "NO!" she shreaked, he biotic energy exploding from her, shattering the glass window of the medbay and sending a few of the crew staggering back.
Jack's hands never left Chase's face as her power flowed from anger and sorrow, "You mother fucking bastard! Why! Why would you leave those girls! Why would..." she choked on a sob, "Why would you leave me? After everything you promised...why would you...die?" Jack burrowed her face into the crook of Chase's neck, and for the first time since she could remember, she cried in anguish.
The crew never said a word, they let the woman cried over the man she had fallen for. They themselves mourned his loss. "It shouldn't have been this way." said Garrus. "We all knew the risks. Chase did too." said Jacob. Shepard stepped forward and rested a hand on Jack's shoulder as a sign of good faith. The biotic never shrugged away, she just continued to cry.
Suddently Miranda perked up, "Wait! There maybe a way!" Everyone looked to her, even Jack. "What do you mean Miranda?" asked Shepard. "Before we left the station where you woke up. I managed to download and keep the data from the Lazarus Project." said the Cerberus operative. Everyone was shocked, "You mean Chase can be brought back?" asked Tali. EDI appeared in the room, "It is possable. The ship has enough resources left over and enough auxillary power for the process. However, theres only enough for one try."
"I can do it Shepard, but I'll need Mordin and Chakwas' help for the process." said Miranda. Shepard looked from Miranda to Chase, then to Jack. "Jack?" he asked her. The ex con ran a hand through the bloodstained blonde hair on the freelancer's head, "I want him back Shepard. I wanna kick his ass for trying to leave me and our daughters." The last part of the statement shocked everyone. "Our daughters?" asked Thane with a raised eyebrow. "You heard me fish man. When can you start cheerleader?" asked Jack. "Immediately. If its alright with you Shepard?" asked Miranda. "Get what you need, and start when your ready. I need to thank the guy for saving my life." he said smiling.
Thankfully, Chase was nowhere near as bad as Shepard was when he was brought back. The process took six long hours, and Miranda, Chakwas and Mordin were dead tired afterward. "Hes stable. But it might take time for him to wake up." said Chakwas as they left the medbay, the crew let out a breath. Jack stood looking at the medbay before she was nudged forward by Miranda, "Go see him." she said silently. "Thanks." she replied civily to her for once.
The medbay was dark, the metal shudder for the window was pulled down over the gaping hole where the window once was. In the bed, Chase laid motionless. To someone on the outside they would assume that he was still dead. But the steady beat of the heart monitor that replaced the flat-lining ring from before would change perspectives. Jack approached the bed and looked down at the freelancer's peaceful expression. She was thankful that they cleaned the blood off his face making him look normal again.
The center of his right pectoral was patched with a piece of synthetic metal that worked like skin and muscle. They had to basically rebuild his lung, muscles, bone and skin with the material. Her fingers gently traced the glowing yellow scars the spiderwebbed out from the patch, the doctor said she would take care of the scarring when he woke up, but a small part of Jack wished she wouldn't. In her mind it made him look badass.
"You got a lot of nerve trying to die like that piss-ant." she said, gently running her fingers over the patch. Her eyes downcasted for a moment, "Do you know how many hearts you would have broken?" She looked at his face, "Athena...Emily...they need you...I need you. You have no idea what you and those girls have done to me." Jack reached out and stroked his face, "You've made me feel...human again. A normal woman instead of a weapon or a fuck buddy."
Silence filled the room for a moment, "You showed me love...now...I can't stop thinking about you, the girls, all of us together when all this shit with the Reapers comes to an end." She leaned over the bed and pressed her lips to his, pulling back a moment later with a warm smile, "I love you Chase. And...I want to spend the rest of my life with you." She laid her head on his chest listening to his heart, which had been so silent hours before. "But you have to wake up first."
The sound of the heart monitor filled the room for a while, Jack let the sound of the machine and Chase's heart lull her into a light sleep. "J...Jack?" Jack's eyes snapped open, that wasn't a machine. Her head looked up, and saw Chase's eyes slowly opened. Jack grinned widely, Chase smiled back.
'SLAP!' The freelancer was wide awake at that point with a large red hand mark on the side of his face. "You diserved that." said Jack cracking her knuckles. She then grabbed his face and mashed her lips onto his. Chase ignored the sting in his cheek and kissed back, pulling the woman onto the bed with him. They came up for air minutes later panting, "That was the best wake up ever." he said grinning ear to ear. Jack curled into his side with her arms around him, he mirrored the action.
"What happened?" he asked still pretty weak. Jack bit her lip, "You...died." Chase froze, "But, how am I alive now?" he asked confused. "The cheerleader did the same shit Cerberus did with Shepard." said Jack. "The Lazarus Project." said Chase, realization dawning on him. "Yeah, so your back from the dead. But its a one shot deal." said the ex con. Chase held her tighter, "Then I won't waste my second life." he said smiling. Jack smiled into his neck, "You better not, or else."
END FLASHBACK
It took a couple weeks for Chase to get back on his feet. It wasn't so bad considering the ship needed repairs and they had docked at Illium. During that time, Shepard had told the Illusive Man to fuck off. Now the crew had to keep an eye out for Cerberus, but thankfully Miranda and Jacob resigned their posts with the organization.
Chase looked to Shepard and smirked, the two of them now had something in common. They both gave their lives for friends and comrads, and were given a second chance. The freelancer looked across the cargo hold and saw Jack showing Tali how to upgrade her shotgun. Scratch the last statement, they had two things in common. They each also had a strong woman with them through thick and thin.
The two walked away from the coffin and headed toward where the rest of the crew had gathered. Joker approached Shepard with a datapad showing all the data they had gathered about the Reapers. This data in combination with what Chase had imprinted on his mind was more than enough to prove to the counsel of the Reaper's existance, and their threat.
Shepard stepped infront of a large viewport and looked at the vastness of stars beyond, Chase right next to him. "Their coming." Chase said seriously. He could feel the pressure in his mind that only came from the Reapers themselves. "And we'll be ready for them." said Shepard. Jack came up and put her hand in Chase's, Tali doing the same with Shepard. The rest of the crew behind them as they all starred out into the stars.
Out in the void, Harbinger drifted forward with a vast armada of Reapers behind him. The swarm of monsters floated without emotion toward their destination. The Terminus Systems, and the billions of innocent lives they contained.
A/N: I'm a straight up Paragon folks, no one dies if I can help it...even though some lose their lives for the sake of others. Review!