The final tube exploded in a burst of gray liquid, and they all raced to the edge of the platform to watch the Reaper fall. It vanished into the dark pit beneath them, and for the first time today, Shepard was relieved. They'd taken down a Reaper, made it to the heart of the Collectors' base. There wasn't much more he could've asked for.

He put a hand up to his ear. "Shepard to ground team. Status report!"

"Jack here," the biotic said, voice fizzling. "I'm tagging them as they come, but feel free to call for an exit anytime!"

"Head to the Normandy," he said. "Joker, prep the engines. I'm about to overload this place and blow it sky high."

"Roger that, Commander," Joker replied. Shepard nodded to himself and headed for the control panel in the newest platform they had, grabbing its handle from the floor and pulling it out. "Uh, Commander? I've got an incoming signal from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through."

His brows furrowed in confusion as the familiar voice of Cerberus' leader reached his ears. What the hell did he want now? After everything Shepard had done, now was the time the Illusive Man decided to contact him? He wasn't even working for Cerberus anymore.

"Shepard. You've done the impossible."

"I'm not finished yet," he said. "This base is ten minutes from extinction."

"I have a better option," the Illusive Man said. Shepard froze, glancing over his shoulder to the flickering projection of him coming from Ashley's omni-tool. He couldn't see her face, but the rigid posture she'd adopted told him exactly what was going through her mind—she was pissed. "I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded." She what? EDI still reporting to Cerberus made sense, but it still infuriated him. It was in her programming, and explained a lot of unanswered questions. Who'd wiped scanning programs and algorithms from the ship's database on the way to Virmire, who had informed Cerberus of the Reaper IFF. EDI wasn't bound to follow Cerberus any longer, and Shepard trusted that she was loyal to the crew of the Normandy, but there was no way of knowing if the Illusive Man still had bugs on the ship. "A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors, but leave the machinery and technology intact. This is our chance, Shepard. They were building a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

Shepard got to his feet and nearly laughed. The Illusive Man really thought he'd save this place? After the horrors they witnessed here? Had he forgotten Shepard cut all ties with Cerberus months ago, for the exact same reason he was asking him to save the base?

"They liquefied people, turned them into something horrible. We have to destroy the base."

"Don't be short-sighted. Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them."

"You're full of shit," Ashley snapped. "It doesn't work like that and you know it."

"This is an opportunity we cannot ignore," the Illusive Man retorted. "They were working directly with the Collectors. Who knows what information is buried here? This base is a gift. We can't just destroy it."

"You're completely ruthless," Shepard said. "The next thing I know, you'll be wanting to grow your own Reaper."

"My goal is to save humanity from the Reapers at any cost. I've never hidden that from you."

"And if we lose our humanity in the process?" Ashley said.

He ignored her, kept talking. "Imagine how many lives could be saved if we keep this base intact and use its knowledge to thwart the Reapers. Imagine the lives that will be lost if we don't."

"I've seen what you do in an attempt to combat the Reapers," Shepard growled. "I look at it every single fucking day and it's not worth it. You would turn us all into half-human, half-Reaper things and say it was for the good of humanity. This base would just let you further your experiments on people, and I'm not letting that happen. Ash, lose this bastard's channel."

Her omni-tool snapped shut, and with it, the Illusive Man. "That felt better than it should have."

Shepard nodded and turned back to his work. "Tali, give me the explosives." The quarian handed him a small disc, much fatter than an old CD, and stepped back while he worked it into the systems. Once complete, he stood and pushed it back into the flooring. "Let's move. We've got ten minutes before the reactor overloads and blows this whole station apart."

He took a single step before the platforms lurched. Shepard caught himself on a barricade as the platform far to the left flew into the air. He ducked as it crashed into the wall, bringing tubes and paneling down on their heads.

"What the hell was that?"

Shepard shook his head and waved an arm, trying to clear the scattered dust from the debris, but was only rewarded with someone smacking into his side. They hit the floor as the platform shook. Everywhere he looked, red. His armor was bathed in an eerie red glow, but it disappeared just as quickly as it came. Only after he stood and saw the source did he realize why his ears were ringing.

The Reaper. It was alive.

"Take cover!" he shouted.

Its mouth was glowing. Shepard dove, rolling behind the main console as it fired whatever the hell it was out of its mouth. Without a moment of hesitation, he grabbed his grenade launcher and pulled it off his back, firing as it dropped back beneath the platforms.

"Is everybody all right?"

"We need to get out of here," Garrus said.

"Shepard, we can't kill it in ten minutes." Tali.

Both of them spoke at the same time, but he wasn't concerned for them. He could clearly see them, hidden at an angle against the base of another platform, guns at the ready. When he told EDI their guns couldn't damage that thing, he was right. Only now, they didn't have tanks to shoot. There wasn't any dropping it back into the pit beneath them; it was hiding down there. They needed a plan, badly, and Shepard didn't have any solutions.

"Ash!"

No answer, but the Reaper sent another platform flying. It sailed overhead and landed somewhere back the way they came. Shepard poked his head around the edge and did a quick count, noting all four platforms. The original three, plus the one they'd arrived on. The two that had carried Collectors down were gone.

A gray hand clamped down over the lowest of the four platforms and Shepard leant back. As soon as he did, the ground shook. He caught sight of Ashley's armor as she slid behind the barricade ahead of him. Before he could do anything, the Reaper hauled itself into view and spit more of the reddish-black orbs at them. Shepard ducked as one slammed into the console; they weren't leaving that way.

"Fuck," he grumbled.

"Hit it in the chest!"

Shepard stood and aimed at the hunk of armor covering what he assumed could be its heart. Pulled the trigger. The twin trail of smoke told him Garrus had the same idea he did, and as the grenades exploded, it fell again. He ran around the console and the barricade, dropping down to another platform to look over the edge.

Nothing. He couldn't see the Reaper, but he doubted that was the end of it.

Ashley ran up beside him. "It's not dead."

"Thanks," he said sarcastically.

She smacked his shoulder, but there was more force behind it than necessary. It made him stagger, nearly threw him off the edge. It would have too, if she didn't catch him. "Sorry." She didn't sound sorry.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Not really, no."

Shepard locked a hand around her shoulder and said, "Stay with me."

Ashley just nodded, and he tried not to notice how rigid she got at the contact. He pulled his hand away, intending to rejoin Garrus and Tali, but Ash stopped him. She took her pistol and held it out for him to take, then dropped her rifle over the edge once he had her sidearm.

"Just in case."

He swallowed as his brows furrowed, but nodded anyway. "Ash—"

"Collectors incoming!" Garrus shouted.

Shepard's head snapped up as two platforms began their descent, practically appearing out of nowhere. He stuck Ashley's handgun on his hip and reached for his shotgun. Still loaded, unused so far. He hadn't wanted to let anything get close to him, but over the course of the foray through the base, it had become progressively harder until it was impossible for him to even charge at anything.

The platforms barely had the chance to link with theirs; the Reaper smashed them the instant it appeared, launching Collectors and their corpses across the chamber.

Less than ten feet away. A real, living Reaper.

We don't have the time for this, he thought.

The glow around its mouth started pulsating and he pushed Ashley out of the way, rolling in the opposite direction as it unleashed the orbs. One connected with his shoulder. His suit's alarm went off as his barrier collapsed in one blow, leaving him vulnerable. Unfortunately for Shepard, he doubted anything that Reaper could do would be protected by his shields. It lifted a hand to smash him or the platform, he wasn't sure, but Garrus hit it in the mouth with another round from his grenade launcher, and it released its hold on their footing.

Shepard watched. Even though it lost its grip, the Reaper didn't fall. It swung itself under the platforms and around to another side, the end opposite of Garrus' and Tali's position. And while it had a clear shot at the other half of his team, the Reaper was still focused on him and Ashley. The two of them were beneath the platform it was currently using as a foothold whereas Garrus and Tali were on even ground, in the open.

Ashley had said something about that before, hadn't she? Back on Horizon, just after their first encounter with the Collectors. The Reapers wanted them dead. Not Garrus, not Tali. This thing seemed to understand that, half-finished or not.

Shepard risked approaching her, hidden behind one of the barricades, and grabbed her arm. If it was possible to tense up more than what she already was, Ashley did it. One of her fists hit the side of his helmet hard enough his ears rang and his visor cracked. Shepard cursed and caught her wrist, smacking off his helmet as he did.

"It's just me."

Ashley's chest heaved before her head fell back against the metal. "Sorry, Skipper."

Slowly, he reached up and hit the release for her visor. Wide-eyed and breathing heavily. They really didn't have time for this, but they couldn't fight a Reaper when they had to worry about her stabbing them in the back.

"I need you to stay with me," he repeated. "We're not getting out of here if you kill us, okay?"

Ashley squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed, nodding. "I know."

"Then you do whatever you have to to keep it together. We've made it this far without losing anyone and I'm not letting that Reaper fuck it up, got it?" She nodded again and Shepard smiled despite her not looking at him. He shifted his grip, squeezed her hand. "We're getting out of here. All of us."

"Leave me behind if you have to."

"Not this time," Shepard said. A black ball of energy exploded off the barricade and she flinched, tightening her grip on him. His hand throbbed, but he didn't let the pain show. "You said before the Reapers are after us. You and me. Right?" Ashley nodded. It seemed that was the most she was capable of, save the few words she'd already said, and he dismissed it. "Then we'll give it something to shoot at."

"I can't do this."

"Seven minutes, Commander!" Tali shouted. There was another bang and he saw Garrus drop back into cover to reload the grenade launcher.

He looked back to Ashley as she glanced around the room. Her pupils were huge. "Look at me." She tried, but she was giving him that thousand yard stare, like she wasn't really listening. "I'm not leaving you behind, and I'm not killing you. I did it once and look where it got you. Stuck in Cerberus armor and fighting Reapers. You have one option, and one option only. Get off your ass and help me, or they'll die too." He pointed at Garrus and Tali. "I didn't bring any of you so you'd die. I brought you because the three of you are the only ones I trust enough to fight something like that." Shepard stood and hauled her upright with him. Ashley swayed uncertainly. "We're all getting out of here. Do I make myself clear?"

Ashley yanked her hand back to slap her visor shut. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now go!"

His only response was a thumbs-up. Then she'd hopped the barricade, slid into cover, and vanished from his line of sight. The Reaper leapt at the chance–almost literally–pulling itself back over the platform instead of hanging lamely off the side. More black balls shot out of its mouth as Shepard aimed his grenade launcher at its chest. He had the trigger pulled the same instant, drawing its attention to himself.

Back under the Reaper went, swinging to the platform behind the Commander. Shepard jumped and dove onto the higher one. Rolling behind the console, he swung open the clip of his launcher and popped out the old rounds, shoving new ones into place. A crackle caught his attention; Ashley had hit it in the side of the head with a grenade, and he almost laughed. She wasn't as unarmed as she'd have him believe.

The Reaper's head snapped around and both he and Garrus shot it point-blank in the mouth, knocking it into the far wall. It ripped the platform off the rest of them as it fell, forcing Garrus and Tali to jump onto Shepard's. Before it had the chance to recover, Shepard levelled his launcher with its exposed chest and emptied the weapon in the span of five seconds. Garrus followed suit, hitting it in the mouth. Its jaw unhinged from the damage, dangling uselessly before falling off completely, and leaving the Reaper unarmed.

It shrieked, groaned, something, but whatever noise it made deafened him. That seemed to be its intended effect, because as soon as it started to slump over, they were still stunned by the sound. It shoved the platform out as it fell and the collision knocked the other three out of sync. The opposite end of the one they were standing on jerked up into the air, throwing them back towards another.

Problem being, he and Garrus didn't catch themselves like Tali did. Shepard locked a hand around the turian's forearm and grabbed the edge of the dias, abandoning his launcher to the pit below. He just hoped the explosion would still do its job.

Shepard tried to get his elbow over the lip, but Garrus was too heavy. "Shit, what have you been eating?"

"I don't think this is the time for fat jokes, Commander!"

Shepard snorted a laugh as a hand closed around his arm, hauling both of them to safety without any effort. Tali grabbed Garrus so Shepard would have an easier time of clambering onto the floor, but Ashley still had to drag him onto the platform. She left him there, rolling his shoulder, to look for a way out.

"Four minutes," Tali said.

He ran a hand through his short hair and looked back, peering over the edge to see if the Reaper was still kicking. If it was just messing with them, it would be dead in four minutes anyway. At this rate, though, so would they.

"Commander, over here!"

The three of them joined Ashley on the opposite end of the platform as she ran through the layout of the base on her omni-tool.

"Get the flares out of my backpack," she said. "I think I found a way back to the Normandy."

"You carry the weirdest shit around," Shepard said, unzipping one of the bigger pockets. Medical supplies, hacking equipment that she never seemed to use. He closed that one and opened another, smaller pocket. Much smaller, filled by red tubes he recognized. "Here."

Ashley closed her omni-tool and took the flares from him, igniting one. She threw it across the dark chamber. It landed on the wall before sliding down twenty-some yards onto a ledge. The ledge led into a tunnel, but seeing much into said tunnel was difficult at their current distance and angle. Even with the light from the flare, Shepard wasn't entirely sure that was a safe jump. It was really, really far off.

"You got any better ideas?" she asked when she looked back.

"No, I guess—" The platform behind them fell into the abyss as the Reaper clawed its way back up to them. He reached back for his rifle, but not before passing Ashley's handgun back to her. "Check it out. Go!"

She hesitated, glancing between them and the Reaper, but eventually nodded.

Shepard turned back to the monstrosity now sitting directly above them, eyes glowing with a menacing blue light. Fuck, but he hated husks. Staring at this thing now just made him all the more aware of it. He, Garrus, and Tali unloaded on its chest, but their bullets didn't seem as effective as the heavy weapons had been. It wasn't surprising, not by a long shot. Regardless, Shepard had hoped all the damage it had taken earlier weakened it.

Then he saw it. The flames licking the Reaper's neck, across its chest. It was burning, and this was its last attempt to finish them off.

"Two minutes!" Tali said.

"Concentrate on its chest!" Shepard ordered.

Sparks danced along the Reaper's body, various bullets leaping off its armor while others found their mark, and when the light fizzled from its eyes, Shepard could've cheered. It had been so long since a battle had felt so rewarding, but this was it. It topped his list. They'd killed a live Reaper on foot.

Holy shit. "We did it," he breathed.

Mostly, at least. It was still standing, and they kept firing until it collapsed. Unfortunately, it also collapsed on their platform, dragging them down at an angle while the others bounced off the walls. Shepard threw himself after Garrus as he rolled towards the edge, but after that, the world went dark.

Have to...get out...

Something was blocking his chest, keeping him from breathing, and he gave up. This was where they'd die, and for some reason, it felt fitting. He didn't know if he caught Garrus, but as the world darkened, Shepard couldn't feel worry; he could only feel the finality of the moment, much the same way it was as when the Normandy had gone down.