A/N: Yay! Just barely got it out on time. :) So, this chapter is pretty much the Leviathan DLC, so if you haven't played that and you are going to: SPOILERS! ;-) I usually try not to do too much of the actual in-game stuff, but the interactions here were important to where I was going.
Please let me know what you think! Your feedback is my writing fuel!
BioWare owns all, I just can't leave it alone.
Their search for Dr. Garneau had brought them to T-GES mining location in the Aysur system. Shepard had felt her unease grow with every step they'd taken through the facility. Now, as they waited for an Alliance medical crew to arrive and take the T-GES employees into quarantine, that unease had grown into a voice shouting in the back of her head. These people were missing ten years of their lives. Whatever it was that they were chasing had the ability to do this and had been able to destroy a Reaper. Leviathan obviously did not want to be found, and she was starting to wonder if they should be trying so hard.
James obviously shared her concerns. "Lola, you sure this is a good idea?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not. But at this point, with what we've seen, I think we have to find...whatever this thing is. We've seen what it's capable of, and if it's an enemy in this war, we need to know sooner rather than later."
"It kept these people as thralls for ten years," Kaidan interjected. "I think it's safe to say it's not a friend."
"I agree with you, Kaidan. But even if it's not a friend, there's still the possibility that it could end up being an ally."
When both men gave her identical, dubious expressions, she couldn't stop the laugh that burst forth. They both looked at her in confusion, which only caused her to laugh harder.
"Something you said, Major?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, Lieutenant."
She couldn't respond, but she heard Garrus speak from behind her. "If I had to hazard a guess, I would say it has something to do with the fact that you two are doing the exact same things with your faces right now."
Regaining her composure, Shepard nodded. "Just a few days ago, I was worried that one of you was going to seriously injure the other. If I'd know that all I had to do to get you to work together was make questionable decisions, I'd have done it sooner."
James smirked at Kaidan. "She's happy because we both agree that she's crazy. And she's the one laughing at us?"
The major just laughed in response, and Shepard smiled. She really was just happy that everyone was getting along. They certainly had enough other, bigger problems to focus on. Looking back towards the large group of people who were just now coming to terms with how much of their lives they had missed out on, she knew where they needed to turn that focus.
"EDI?"
"Yes, Commander?"
"Have you had a chance to look over Garneau's data?"
"I have, and I believe I can extrapolate what your next question will be. I think I can create a shield for the artifact that is currently residing on the Citadel. This should prevent Leviathan from using it to take control of anyone there."
"Excellent. As soon as the Alliance crew gets here, I want you and I to head back to Bryson's lab. We need to find this thing as fast as we can."
"Agreed, Commander."
"Ann?"
"The darkness must not be breached."
"Ann! Shit!" Shepard quickly turned towards Kaidan. "Shoot that goddamned sphere now! James, help me restrain her so she doesn't get us all killed. EDI, contact Cortex and tell him to get his ass over here ASAP."
She didn't wait for a response. Instead she tackled Dr. Ann Bryson, the daugher of the late Dr. Garret Bryson, as she left their cover and was heading towards a large group of cannibals. The doctor was stronger than she looked, and Shepard was glad for James' assistance in dragging her back to cover. She knew the second Kaidan had destroyed the artifact, because Ann immediately stopped struggling and sagged in her arms.
Kneeling down in front of her, Shepard searched her eyes. "Ann?"
"Yes?"
Sighing with relief, Shepard continued, "Our shuttle is on it's way to pick us up. We're going to go clear the landing zone. Stay in cover for now, but the minute you see that shuttle, you start running towards it. We'll cover you. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Good."
She motioned for her squad to follow and headed out of cover. There seemed to be an endless stream of cannibals and marauders coming from above, below, and around them. She knew it had only been a few minutes, but had felt like hours when she heard Cortez's voice in her ear.
"Commander, you have an incoming harvester! I can't land until that thing is gone!"
"Copy that, Lieutenant." She peaked out from behind her current cover and saw the harvester coming in from the left. Speaking to the rest of her squad, she said, "Cortez can't land until we get rid of that harvester. EDI, I want you to drop back to cover Dr. Bryson, while Kaidan, James, and I focus on that thing."
"Yes, Commander."
"Switch over to your incendiary ammo, guys. Lets burn this fucker. James, how many grenades do you have left?"
"Uh...five."
"Good. Use them all."
"Aye, aye."
From behind cover, they slowly whittled away at the harvester's thick armor. With a well-aimed throw off his last grenade, James managed to completely remove one of it's wings. It crashed to the ground with a shriek, exploding on impact from whatever the Reapers had upgraded it with. She heard her shuttle pilot in her ear again.
"Nice one, Mr. Vega! Commander, I'm clear and on my way."
"Sounds good, Lieutenant. EDI, you and Ann still okay?"
"Affirmative, Commander."
"Good. Start making your way towards the shuttle. We'll cover you until you're both aboard."
Once they were all safely aboard the shuttle, and on their way back to the Normandy, Shepard crouched down in front of Ann Bryson.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. What just happened?"
"Leviathan took control of your mind."
"Leviathan...wait, it did what?"
"Somehow, that artifact allows it to control people's minds. That's why we destroyed it. Doing so severed Leviathan's connection to you."
"The Reapers seemed very interested in it."
Shepard nodded. "Agreed. And I was hoping you could help us figure out why, and maybe how to find Leviathan before they do." She hesitated briefly before continuing. "But first, Ann, I have some bad news."
Dr. Bryson stood up and started pacing back and forth in what little space she could find in the shuttle. She started speaking rapidly before Shepard could say anything else.
"You really should be talking to my dad about this. He's been studying Leviathan a lot longer than I have. Or is he the one who figured this out? There was this theory that I remember him mentioning once. I dismissed it at the time, but maybe...maybe he was onto something." She abruptly stopped pacing and looked up at the commander. "Where is he anyway? Did he send you to get me?"
Shepard didn't know what to say. She was completely caught off guard by the turn in the conversation. As she grasped for the right words to say, the right way to tell this woman that a piece of her life was gone, James lept into action. He placed a hand on Ann's elbow and guided her back to her seat, telling her that she needed to sit down in the cramped shuttle. He spoke softly to her, trying to distract her. This allowed Shepard enough time to regain her composure, and she took a seat at the other woman's side.
"Ann...I'm incredibly sorry to have to tell you this, but your father...There was an incident in his lab, and I'm afraid he's been killed."
"He's been...what? My father is dead? What happened?"
"I believe it was Leviathan. His assistant pulled a gun and shot him. It happened right in front of me, but I couldn't react fast enough to stop it. I'm so sorry."
"I...I'm going to need to process this." Ann took a deep breath, straightening her spine and meeting Shepard's eyes. "But we must finish what he started."
"I agree. But please don't rush into anything without taking some time to yourself."
She nodded. "I'll head back to his lab, and spend some time there alone. I'll call you when I'm ready, okay?"
Shepard offered a slight smile, and briefly laid her hand on the other woman's arm. "Take all the time you need, and I'll be there when you call."
After dropping Ann off at the Citadel, Shepard decided to use the time to complete a few smaller missions that Hackett needed help with. She still couldn't figure out what the hell Cerberus was up to, but she knew whatever it was, it couldn't be good. So she was happy to make small strikes against them and disrupt their operations as much as possible. They had destroyed a cruiser over Tuchanka and stolen some Intel from one of Cerberus' labs when Ann finally called to say that she had an idea to track down Leviathan. She wanted to meet at her father's lab, so Shepard had Joker set a course back to the Citadel and then headed off to find James. She'd been incredibly grateful for the calming affect he'd had on Ann, and she wanted him to come with when she went back to the lab.
Hours later, when Ann explained her idea to them, she was incredibly grateful to have him there-even if he was trying to talk her out of it.
"This is completely loco. You cannot be seriously thinking of going along with this, Lola."
"I can, and I am. I know it's crazy, but I think it could work. And she's the one who suggested it. I'm certainly not going to force her to do it, but if she's willing…"
"You know that logic is bullshit, right?"
She sighed. "I know. And you know that under normal circumstances, I wouldn't even be considering this. But these aren't normal circumstances. If we don't stop them, the Reapers are going to wipe out everyone and everything in this galaxy. "
He just stared at her for several long seconds, until he finally sighed and turned away. He looked over towards where Ann was sitting.
"I still don't like it."
She laid a hand on his arm, and said softly, "Do you honestly think I do?"
He turned back and met her eyes. His expression softened slightly, but he didn't answer her. Instead, he said, "Let's just get this over with as quick as possible."
"Right. EDI, are you ready to track the signal?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Okay. Ann, are you absolutely sure you want to do this? You don't have to."
"I'm positive, Commander Shepard. We can't let the Reapers get there first." She turned to where James stood behind her and continued, "I know you think I'm crazy, but this thing murdered my father. I have to do this."
James nodded. "Fine. But I'm going to be right behind you. I'm putting that barrier back up at the first sign of trouble."
Ann took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Okay, I'm ready."
Shepard looked up at James. "Drop the shield."
He nodded and hit the button to drop the containment from the artifact. It immediately started glowing and EDI locked on the signal. After a very long minute, Ann said she was feeling a chill and suddenly her posture changed. James dropped her hands onto her shoulders and she started struggling to break free. Leviathan's control was was obviously strong because James was struggling to keep her under control.
"Turn back. The darkness cannot be breached."
Shepard decided to try and converse with Leviathan while they had the chance.
"I will find you. And the Reapers are coming right behind me."
"You! You will lead them here. You must be eliminated."
"I wish you luck. Many have tried, including the Reapers. You obviously do not like them. Maybe we could work together."
"For what purpose? The Harvest cannot be stopped."
Shepard heard EDI speak from being her. "I have narrowed it down to a system, working on narrowing it down to a planet."
Shepard hesitated.
"Lola?"
She looked up to James and nodded at his unspoken question. He hit the button to bring the barrier back up and Ann sagged in his arms, the connection to Leviathan terminated. Shepard rushed over to her.
"Ann? Talk to me. Are you okay?"
"Yeah...yeah. Did it work?"
"EDI?"
"I was able to pinpoint the system. And with the data we have, we should be able to scan the planets to find Leviathan's signature when we get there."
"Good. Ann, thank you. You didn't have to risk yourself like that, but you may have given us a fighting chance by doing so. I want you to go get checked out, just make sure that everything's okay. James, can you take her to the medical center?"
He nodded and started towards the door with Ann. Halfway there, she turned back and met Shepard's eyes.
"Just find that thing, okay? No matter what the doctors say, it was worth it if you find that thing."
"I will."
Ann nodded and then turned around to continue out the door.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
James looked up to where Shepard was sitting inside the old diving mech they'd found. She was getting ready to dive into the ocean in search of Leviathan, and he was convinced that she had some sort of death wish.
"I'm going to find Leviathan."
"Not in that thing!"
"I obviously can't take the shuttle. Do you suggest I swim?"
"I suggest you wait until we can find a better way. There has to be something we could come up with that doesn't involve-"
"Enough, Lieutenant!" His narrowed his eyes at the use of his rank, but didn't say anything. She continued. "This isn't a debate. I'm going down now. Help Garrus and Kaidan defend the shuttle. Be ready to clear out of here the minute I get back."
James was beyond angry. He understood her thought process, that she felt the need to take drastic measures to win this war. Really, he did. But she behaved as if her life meant nothing, and that couldn't be further from the truth. She was the only one who could keep everyone working together against their common enemy. And the Reapers had more respect for her than anything they'd dealt with previously.
He also had to admit to himself that his personal feelings were dealing heavily his reaction. He just plain didn't want to lose her. But he was a good soldier, and he knew he had been given an order and what the correct response was.
"Aye, aye, Commander."
He saluted and then spun on his heel, heading back towards the shuttle. Hearing the mech close up behind him, and he chose not to watch as she took it towards the edge of the ship and then over into the ocean. He stood, frozen in his spot, until he heard Kaidan shout, "Incoming!"
He sprung into action, doing what was second nature to him at this point. It felt like hours passed as they fought off wave after wave of Reaper troops. His anxiety grew with every second that went by, and he started to feel guilty for getting angry with her. He shouldn't have turned his back on her before she went down there, he should of told her…
"Lieutenant!" Kaidan's voice interrupted his line of thinking, and he looked over to see the mech emerging from beneath the waves. It shot onto the ship, and the hatch opened. He watched as Shepard stumbled out, collapsing right in the path of two brutes. He didn't even think.
"Cover me!"
He ran towards her without even waiting for an acknowledgement from the other men. But he couldn't run fast enough. One of the brutes reached her before he did and raised it's giant fist. Time stood still, and he watched in horror as it started to bring it down. But then it suddenly stopped, inches from her still form. He reached them just as the brute turned and started attacking the one behind it.
He didn't waste time dwelling on the incredible turn of luck. Instead, he picked the commander up into his arms and ran back towards the shuttle.
"Esteban, is that shuttle ready to go?"
"Yeah, I don't know what she did, but the pulse is gone. We should be able to make it back to the Normandy."
"Good. She's hurt, so let's move fast. Whatever she did has the Reapers fighting each other, but let's not count on that lasting."
He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, jumping in the shuttle and laying Shepard gently on the floor. He vaguely heard Kaidan shouting at Steve to move, while he checked her over for injuries. There was dried blood under her nose, but he couldn't see anything else. He took his gloves off and felt her face.
"Goddamnit, she's freezing! Get some blankets!"
He started removing her armor so that he could wrap the blankets around her.
"Come on, Lola. Please wake up. I'm sorry I yelled at you."
She started coughing and he almost cried with relief. After wrapping several emergency blankets around her, he pulled her with him onto a seat. With her settled on his lap, he held her tight, trying to bring her body temperature back up.
"J-James?"
"Hey, Lola. You okay?"
"Yeah, I think so. I feel like I have a wicked hangover, though."
The laugh he gave was more relief than anything else. "You know, there are much more pleasurable ways to get that feeling."
"Yeah."
"So, what happened down there?"
"I found Leviathan. Long story, but it's gonna help us in the war."
"Well, I hope it was worth it."
"I guess that remains to be seen."
A few hours later, Shepard was in her quarters putting the finishing touches on her report to Hackett. She heard a knock at her door and James' voice on the other side.
"Commander, can I talk to you for a second?"
Commander? Was he still mad at her?
"Come on in, James."
She watched him walk in and was immediately put on edge. She could tell he was nervous, and he wouldn't make eye contact with her.
"What's on your mind?"
"I can't do this."
She was confused. "Can't do what?"
"I..you and me...I just can't do it."
"I don't understand."
"The things you do…they are amazing and inspiring and...completely loco. You're going to kill yourself." He laughed bitterly. "You're going to save us all first, but you're going to sacrifice yourself to do it. And I can't just sit by and let you. So I just...can't do this. I'm sorry."
She felt her heart breaking, but she couldn't find anything to say. What he said wasn't completely untrue. She would sacrifice herself in a second if it meant the Reapers would be gone. If it meant the galaxy, and everyone that she loved in it, would be safe. Could she really ask him to just be okay with that? Wasn't it selfish of her to ask him to give his heart to her when there was every chance that she would just end up breaking it?
"I...understand."
He looked up. "You do?"
"Yeah. I don't like it, but I get it. And you're right. This was a mistake all along. I knew that, but I chose to ignore it."
Something flickered across his face that she couldn't read. He seemed like he was about to say something else, but stopped. Instead, he searched her face.
He had to leave before she lost her resolve and started crying in front of him, so she said, "I really need to get this report to Hackett."
That unreadable expression returned, but this time he said, "Okay. Well, then...later, Commander."
"Later, Lieutenant."
And then she watched as her heart walk right out the door.
A/N: Please don't hate me for ending like this! What can I say? If you haven't figured it out by now, these characters are incredibly stubborn…..