Bex stood at the panel which controlled all systems on the Citadel. The course of the battle raging outside was almost entirely in her hands—the moment she opened the station's arms, the Alliance would be free to attack Sovereign head-on.

And be attacked in return.

"Go make sure he's dead," she said to Kaidan and Garrus, sparing a glance to the crumpled body of Saren Artereus on the platform below. "I don't want any surprises."

They both nodded and jumped down. A moment later, a gunshot echoed through the cavernous chamber and Kaidan's voice sounded hollow in her earpiece. "He's dead."

No sooner had he spoken than the floor began to rumble and pieces of the walls began falling around them.

Bex had just enough time to slap her hand on what she prayed was the arm control before the platform she stood on crumbled beneath her feet and she landed with a thud, and a sickening crack, beside Kaidan.

She yelped as he and Garrus helped her to her feet, her left arm dangling uselessly at her side. Seconds later, a soothing, numbing sensation flooded her shoulder as Kaidan hit the medi-gel control on her armor.

Laser fire from a corner of the room sent all three scrambling for cover.

Bex peeked around the piece of rubble she'd crouched behind and stifled a curse.

Saren was no longer dead, if he truly had been to begin with, nor was he flesh and blood. Nothing more than a metallic skeleton remained, and the way he moved was akin to some possessed being out of a horror movie.

"Welp, my nightmares just got a lot more terrifying," she muttered as she called up her biotics. "You gents ready to do this again?"

Kaidan and Garrus called out affirmations from their respective covers, a faint glow emanating from one, the end of a sniper rifle peeking over the edge of the other.

Bex counted to five and left her place, intent on freezing the Saren-skeleton in stasis. Her shot missed its target, which had disappeared, and dissipated harmlessly against the far wall.

Shit.

She dashed back to cover and just watched the creature move for a few moments. It looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Ghosts."

The word in her earpiece made her jump. But Garrus was right. While it still reminded her of something out of a horror movie, it was more familiar than that. It moved the same way the geth "ghosts" had moved on Feros and Noveria. Insect-like with the ability to climb walls, jump great distances, and stick in impossible places.

Plus laser fire.

This fight was going to be a bitch.

"There's no rhyme or reason to this," Bex said on the comm. "Hit the son of a bitch with everything you've got and keep him in your sights!"

Another set of affirmations and they went to work.

Her injury made maintaining her biotics nearly impossible, but Bex found she could act as a lookout for Kaidan and Garrus, who worked together to bring Saren to his knees once more.

Bex stumbled from cover and pulled out her pistol, stalked over to where the skeleton lay, not far from the pool of blue blood where Saren had lain before, and shot the bastard in his metallic skull until she ran out of bullets.

"Now stay dead, you stupid fuck!" When he didn't move after several seconds, she let out a breathy laugh and sank back against the nearest piece of rubble. "Thank fuck that's over."

"Everybody all right?" Kaidan asked as he pulled up the medics scanner on his omni-tool. "Everybody in one piece?"

Garrus only grunted a response, though Bex noticed bloody scratches all across his face and he moved more stiffly than usual, but after the day they'd had, she wasn't surprised.

"What about you, K?" Bex asked. "Just because you're the medic doesn't mean you get a free pass on a check up."

Kaidan rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, thank you. Neck's a bit tight, but nothing to worry about."

"If you—what the fuck?" Bex flinched as something hit the top of her head. She glanced up and her eyes widened as she willed her feet to move. "Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit…"

Everyone scattered as an arm of Sovereign crashed through the top of the Council Tower, glass and other debris raining down in its wake.

Dodging around a piece of flaming wreckage, Bex felt her knee go one way as her body went the other and she crumpled to the ground, cursing as her head hit the corner of a planter and her vision immediately went dark.


"Shepard. Shepard? Answer me, goddammit! Where the hell are you?"

Bex blinked several times, trying to clear her vision. Everything felt hazy, like a drunken dream.

"Shepard! I swear, if you're dead…" Anderson sounded panicked, and very far away, even for being in her earpiece.

"Then there's not a fucking lot you'd be able to do about it, sir," Bex grumbled. "As for where I am… the world seems to have turned the fuck upside down, so I don't have a damn clue. I'm sitting on some stairs. Somewhere."

"Wow, you are just so very helpful," Kaidan chimed in.

Bex couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled up, relieved that he at least had made it to safety. "Hush you."

"Can't make me."

"Children. Please." Bex could easily picture Anderson pinching the bridge of his nose, counting backwards, probably from 100 at a time like this. "Shepard, can you move at all?"

She frowned. Why hadn't she even thought of that? "I don't know yet… haven't tried." Using her right hand, she tried to push herself up at least enough to sit on the planter that had knocked her out, but dizziness washed over her and she sat back down on the ground. "That would be a no. Between my shoulder, my knee, and probable concussion, I'm not going anywhere on my own."

"All right, we'll try to find you. Are you safe at least?"

"Aside from having to fight to stay awake, yeah I'm all right."

"We'll keep talking," Kaidan said. "Also might help us find you easier."

"Fair enough. Is Garrus okay?"

"I'm here, Shepard," Garrus said. "Good to hear your voice."

"You too, big guy." Bex winced as she tried to adjust her position. "Has anyone heard from the Normandy or the Orizaba?"

"Both Joker and your admiral have checked in," Anderson said. "Last I heard, Steven was arguing with C-Sec, trying to arrange docking for so many ships."

"Can't say I envy him," Bex said. "Think I rather like my current position, injuries and all."

"Just as long as you don't intend to stay there forever."

"Well, if you'd hurry up…"

"Can you see anything that might help us?"

"Giant ass arm, rubble, burning trees, stairs." Bex swore under her breath as she shrugged without thinking. "That's about it."

"We're right on top of the arm, so you shouldn't be much further."

"Can you yell something?" Garrus asked. "Might help figure how close you are."

Bex raised her good arm and waved, though she doubted they'd be able to see her from very far. "Oi! Injured Spectre over this way!" she yelled as loud as she could, though her own voice sounded as far off as Anderson's had.

"We're very close," Anderson said. "Do that again. We'll be there in no time."

Bex continued yelling random things, interspersed with curses as the medi-gel Kaidan had injected into her shoulder wore off and the pain intensified. "For fuck's sake, hurry the fuck up before I fucking f—"


Panic shot through her as she regained consciousness again. She couldn't move, every part of her body feeling weighed down. She could barely even move her eyelids enough to look around the room. The only thing out of place in the otherwise generic, stark white room was Zaeed, stretched out between two chairs next to the bed.

He sat up quickly when he saw her eyes open. "Oh thank Christ."

"You're an atheist, Z."

"A man can change."

Bex raised an eyebrow. "Not in my experience. Not you, anyway."

Zaeed grunted. "Just glad to see you're not dead, all I meant by it."

"Fair enough. Um… why can't I move?"

"You have a history of exacerbating a problem by not staying still," said Dr. Chakwas from the doorway. "But if you promise to be good—"

"I'm not a fucking child, doc," Bex snapped, the panic rising again. "Please, I can't…"

"Very well. For the record, this was not my idea."

"Then who?"

"It's on your official chart, from before you joined up."

"The fuck?"

"That goddamn snake, Dr. Pearson," Zaeed said. "Had to be."

"Fucking hell."

It had been years since she'd thought of Pearson, of Jump Zero, even her father.

She breathed deeply as a weighted blanket was removed from the bed and Chakwas raised the top of the bed so she could sit up. "Thank you." She frowned as she looked around the room. "Steven? Is he—"

Chakwas shook her head. "He's fine, just busy. The admiralty called an emergency meeting while you were in surgery. They voted to make him the new head of the Alliance military."

"That's… great, bloody brilliant." She meant it, she was beyond proud of him, but she couldn't help the bitter tone in her voice.

"He'll be back soon," Zaeed said, "goddamn instantly once he hears you're awake."

"Great."

"How do you feel?" Chakwas asked.

"Other than bloody panicked? Groggy, starving, ready to get the fuck out of here."

"I'm sure you are. I'll see about food, even if I have to send to the Normandy's mess for it. As for leaving," Chakwas gave her an appraising stare. "Once your surgeon clears you, you'll likely be discharged, though he is keeping an eye on possible concussion."

"Fucking knew it," Bex muttered. She glanced up at Chakwas. "So what's the damage?"

"Extensive."

"Helpful."

"Your left shoulder, arm, hand… I don't know what you did out there, Shepard, but you'll be lucky if you ever get full functionality back."

Bex frowned. "The hell? It was just a fall. About… 10 or 15 feet maybe, from one crumbling platform to the one below it."

"Hmm."

"It's never good news if Karin has been reduced to a hmm response," Hackett said as he stepped into the room. "Rebekah, what have you done to antagonize her now?"

"More befuddled than antagonized," Bex said. "Apparently my injury is not compatible with how I got it."

"Maybe past injuries made this one worse," Zaeed said. "Such as being strung up like a side of beef?"

Chakwas blinked slowly. "Would you mind repeating that, Mr. Massani?"

"Injuries unrelated to service… sort of," Bex said. "I was treated for it on Arcturus, but a second-hand account of it, even from someone like Admiral Faulkner, must not have been 'credible' enough to include in my chart."

"I see."

"And that wasn't even the first time this shoulder has been injured."

"Of that, I am aware," Chakwas said, "more or less. Details are sparse, but there is mention of it included with your initial medical exam when you enlisted."

"See, Steven?" Bex said. "Befuddled, not antagonized, but also not my fault."

He chuckled. "I see that."

"I… I'm…" She stalled, suddenly feeling crowded, but needing him to stay.

Zaeed appeared to sense her hesitation and got up from his chair. "Come on, doc, let's go see about getting food. Wouldn't want her to pass out at a time like this."

"Indeed." Chakwas nodded slightly. "We'll be as quick as possible."

"But not too quick." Zaeed leaned over and kissed the top of Bex's head before he all but herded Chakwas out the door.

"I see you convinced Karin to remove the blanket," Hackett said as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Massani and I argued against it when they brought you in from recovery, but we were shouted down."

"Oh, so you were here," Bex said, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She sighed. "I am glad to see you though."

"And I am glad to see you awake, though I'm sorry I wasn't here when you first woke."

"You didn't miss too much of the excitement, I promise."

"I've had my fill of excitement for the day." Hackett lifted Bex's uninjured hand to his lips. "I could use a reprieve, a dose of calm."

"Not bloody likely to get that here," she muttered, glancing at the two men standing in the doorway behind him. "You'd better have a damn good reason for bringing that asshole in here," she said as Anderson and Udina took a few steps into the room. "This, whatever it is, couldn't wait?"

Anderson smiled apologetically. "Afraid not. Glad to see you up and as pissed off as ever. Scared the hell out of us when we found you slumped over."

"That's what I live for, scaring the hell out of my friends and family."

"Can we get on with this?" Udina said, standing to the side and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else. "Some of us have work to do."

"Right." Anderson set a disc on Bex's tray table. A few moments later, miniature images of the Council erupted from the disc.

"Commander Shepard," Tevos began. "We… we owe you our lives."

"If that's the reason Udina is in my room, I'm not sure I can say I'm happy to have done so," Bex said, not caring how callous she sounded. "Besides, it wasn't me, not really. It was the fleet, fighting against the geth, that's what saved your lives."

"We are aware of that," Sparatus said, "but as we understand it, it was you who gave the order to save the Destiny Ascension."

"Guess I did, yeah." She glanced again at Udina and Anderson, both looking apprehensive, though she didn't know if it was because of her contentious history with the Council or something else. "So, again, why are Anderson and Udina here?"

"We would not be here if it were not for the Alliance," Valern said. "For that, we are grateful, and we feel it only right to have a human representative on the Council."

"That's very… that's great and all but that still didn't answer my question."

"We feel it only right," Tevos said, "that the Hero of the Citadel choose the Counselor."

"The what now? Fuck. Better than the Butcher of Torfan, but still…" Bex blew out a long breath through her nose. "You've never trusted my decisions before, but guess there's a first time for everything."

"Indeed." Sparatus looked, as always, pissed off at Bex's very existence. "Well?"

"Normally, I'd say let me think about it for a day or two, but in this case, it's a goddamn no-brainer. Has to be Anderson."

"Are you sure?" Tevos asked. "Ambassador Udina—"

"Is an asshole, a politician, has been chomping at the bit to get this position for years, and in general has made my life a living hell for the last six months." Bex rolled her eyes at Udina sputtering in the corner. "Anderson on the other hand is a brilliant leader, level headed, not a goddamn politician and, from the look he's giving me, absolutely does not want this position. Which tells me he'll be brilliant."

None of the councilors seemed to have anything to say to that. Sparatus disconnected immediately, clearly thinking that, as usual, Bex had made the wrong decision. Valern cast his eyes on the three men, nodded to Bex and disconnected. Tevos remained silent for nearly a minute, staring at Bex as if she was trying to figure out her thought process, before she also disconnected.

"Thank you, Shepard," Anderson said. "You're right, I don't want it. To be honest, I was looking forward to retiring altogether, maybe moving back to London. But this… it's an honor."

"This… this is a mistake," Udina said from his corner. "Mark my words, this—"

"Shut up, Donnel," Anderson snapped. "You want to be on the Council so badly, for the status of it all. You don't give a damn about any of the important parts, integrating humanity into the galactic community, to thrive beside them, not try to overtake them."

"You—"

"And as of this moment, you are no longer an ambassador."

"I—"

Bex couldn't help a snort of laughter when Anderson looked Udina dead in the eye and said, "You're going to be my assistant."