Chapter 39: The Doom That Came to 2181 Despoina

We got Ann to Huerta Memorial without any problems. Getting her admitted was relatively straightforward. Actually getting someone to see her was a bit of a challenge. Minor nosebleed and claims of being indoctrinated/possessed by an alien force wasn't considered more urgent than, say, being stabbed a dozen times, falling several stories to the ground or suffering from systemic bacterial infection. EDI, of course, took the wait in stride. I was used to it after hearing horror stories from Ellie. Ann was fairly understanding about the whole ordeal. James, though, found it all a bit trying. By the time Dr. Michel came down, James was so worked up that she asked if he needed some anti-anxiety meds.

Thankfully Dr. Michel had a sufficiently high security clearance that we could give a somewhat accurate patient history. She assured us that Ann would be fine and whisked her away for some tests. Then we had to go back to the Normandy and get back to work.

Ann's sacrifice had narrowed the search to two systems in Sigurd's Cradle—the two systems that, as luck would have it, I hadn't checked out during my various random jaunts around the galaxy. It really was a fifty-fifty shot as to which one I went to first. I wound up choosing the Psi Tophet system. (1)

Turned out that was the right choice: a single scan from our sensors picked up an anomalous energy signature from a planet designated 2181 Despoina. We flew on over and launched a probe, which confirmed the energy signature was consistent with Leviathan's. We'd found it.

Ever since we'd left the Citadel, I'd been thinking about this mission, the disturbing things we'd seen and the suffering that had been inflicted on far too many innocents. Apparently I wasn't the only one.

At least, that was the impression I got when Miranda and Garrus got on the elevator, waited until the doors closed, then brought the car to a screeching halt.

"Is there a problem?" EDI immediately asked.

"Just need to have a little chat," Garrus replied. "We'll start the car up again when we're done."

"Understood."

"This seems eerily familiar," I said. "Have either of you been talking to my friends from OCS?" (2)

Garrus looked at me blankly. "Huh?"

Miranda shook her head. "No."

"Okay. Next question: is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"We were wondering whether you had any idea what we were going to find down there," Garrus admitted.

"Hopefully Leviathan," I shrugged. "I know: that's a little vague. But it's the best I got right now. Intel's been a bit sparse."

"Normally your tactical acumen would be sufficient to address whatever developments you find," Miranda said smoothly. "However, this is hardly a normal situation—even by our standards. Task Force Aurora originally theorized that Leviathan was a Reaper-killer. What we've discovered thus far is that Leviathan is far more than that. It is a sentient being that has gone to great lengths to cover its tracks. It has used a series of artifacts to monitor galactic events from the shadows. It has repeatedly used those artifacts to control countless individuals, with no regard for the impact on their lives, and have them carry out its will."

"And all those facts have one common denominator," Garrus continued, "to erase any trace of its existence and prevent anyone from finding it. In fact, it's said as much on several occasions."

"So you're wondering why I'm ignoring all those glaringly obvious facts and blatantly clear messages to pay Leviathan a visit anyway," I concluded.

Miranda shook her head again. "Why is not a question. Clearly there is an incentive to continue searching. Clearly there is some kind of past connection between the Reapers or Leviathan. Uncovering more information about that relationship could be insightful."

"Not to mention the Reapers are clearly interested in Leviathan," Garrus added. "They've been going out of their way to try and locate it."

"What we want to know is whether you have a plan," Miranda took over. "Any more than you usually do. Because the stakes are higher than normal. Which means 'standard operating procedure' may not be sufficient this time."

"A plan for what to do once I get down there?" I asked. "No. I wish I did. But I do have some thoughts on what to do beforehand…"

"Okay, listen up," I said.

I'd assembled the squad between the Armoury and the shuttles. Cortez was there too, by my request. There was more than one curious look as to why I was already suited up. Well, that mystery would be solved shortly. "We're currently in orbit around Despoina," I began.

"2181 Despoina," Miranda corrected.

Some things never change. "I stand corrected. Moving on: before I left the CIC, I launched a probe to scan the planet. The telemetry should have been sent to the shuttle."

"Tracking it now, Commander," Cortez confirmed. "I've confirmed that Leviathan's signal originates from this planet." He paused, then looked at me uneasily. "Heard how, uh, Ann helped us locate it. Pretty spooky stuff, huh?"

James muttered something under his breath. I couldn't quite catch it, but the fact Miranda felt the need to pat his arm gave me a pretty good idea of what he said.

"Very spooky stuff," I agreed. "Makes you wonder what we're going to find down there."

"Whatever shape or form Leviathan might come in, one thing is clear," Liara said. "It doesn't want to be found."

"It doesn't have a choice," I said bluntly. "We've tracked it down. The Reapers are probably close behind. Its days of hiding out here are coming to an end."

"Right, I get that," Kaidan acknowledged. "But what are we going to do once we find Leviathan? From what we've seen, it plays pretty rough and doesn't mind turning people into slaves. Not to mention that it might be an actual Reaper. Is that really the kind of help we want?"

"Want? No," I admitted. "Need? Maybe. We've made a lot of progress over the last several months, more than anyone could have expected or even thought possible. But we're still a long ways from the point where we can afford to turn down allies. Nobody says we have to be friends with it, but if this thing has the rest of the Reapers worried, then we need its help. Anything it can do to slow them down or distract them would be a big help right now.

"Liara, Kaidan: you're both right. Leviathan will probably be pissed when we find it, after all the warnings it's given about leaving it alone. And we've all seen how it can control people as easily as the Reapers. There's a very good chance that if we go down there, we won't be coming back up. Not without Leviathan in the pilot's seat.

"That's why I'm not ordering anyone to go down to 2181 Despoina. This is strictly a volunteer mission. Anyone who wants to stay onboard the Normandy can do so without any reprimands, recriminations or repercussions. I'd only ask three things. First, no one will launch any rescue party if I don't return. Second, tell Admiral Hackett and the Council about everything that happened during our search for Leviathan and what probably happened to me. They need to know the risks involved. Third, keep gathering allies, resources, technology and anything that might help retake Earth, build the Crucible and defeat the Reapers.

"Now then, if anyone still wants to volunteer—"

I was going to say something along the lines of 'meet me inside the shuttle.' But those words died when everyone took a step forward. Every man. Every woman. Human, asari, turian, quarian, synthetic—and yes, even Prothean. All these men and women, without a second's thought, had chosen to descend into the mysterious abyss and brave whatever horrors might be lurking within its depths. Without any intel as to what we might find. Knowing full well that we might be stranded down there or, worse, become thralls and slaves to Leviathan.

A few seconds passed while I dealt with the lump that suddenly formed in my throat.

"All right, then," I nodded. "Grab your gear."

"Commander?" Cortez called out. "New readings from the probe. It's narrowed down Leviathan's location. You're not going to like it."

The squad had donned their hardsuits, grabbed their weapons and boarded the shuttle. Cortez had gone through the usual pre-flight checks. Only four minutes had passed since we cleared the shuttle bay and began descending through the atmosphere of 2181 Despoina. And already I was receiving bad news.

Figures. "Let's hear it."

"There's nothing but ocean."

I blinked. "Say what now?"

"That's consistent with what little we know," Miranda said from the cargo hold. "2181 Despoina was only recently detected by human space probes, which revealed the entire surface was covered by an ocean. There are no natural land masses above water at all."

"Really?" I turned back to her. "Anything else?"

"Just standard information on orbital distance, orbital rotation, planetary radius, average day length, atmospheric pressure and surface temperature," she shrugged. "There haven't been any official surveys of the planet aside from flybys."

And she didn't feel the need to give us chapter and verse? I'd ask if she was feeling all right, but that wasn't the sort of thing a CO—or boyfriend—should voice out loud.

"Well, someone must've come here unofficially," Cortez replied. "I show a concentration of structures floating on the surface. From the readouts I'm getting, they might be ships. Unfortunately, the probe's giving us a signal below that. Way below."

"Underwater," I deduced.

"Looks that way. The shuttle should still be able to reach it, though."

"That's possible?" I asked in mild disbelief.

"The Kodiak is specced to handle nearly a thousand atmosphere of pressure," Tali told me.

"Really?" I blinked.

"Really," Cortez confirmed. "Though I've never actually tested that."

And of course I would have to be along for the trial run. "Guess we're gonna find o—"

I felt a sudden tingling on the back of my neck just before the entire shuttle rocked violently. "Status?" I snapped over the alarms.

"Some kind of pulse hit us! Systems are shutting down! Brace for impact!"

"Strap yourselves in!" I ordered my squad, as I staggered from the cockpit. "It's gonna be bumpy!"

Some of them had managed to stay in their seats. The rest of them were picking themselves up from the deck and dragging themselves into spare seats as the alarms blared out. As I followed suit, I saw Cortez madly work the controls, trying to regain some kind of control. But it was clear we were going down…

… and going down hard…

…we hit something. I don't know what, but it violently jolted the shuttle to one side. We jerked against the seat restraints as the shuttle careened along a slanted slope to the shrieks of tortured metal. Just as suddenly, we slammed back to an upright position. The shuttle let out a tortured squeal as we slid for what seemed like an eternity before abruptly coming to a halt.

"Everyone fine?" I asked as soon as I'd caught my breath.

A chorus of affirmatives came back, though Garrus had to add "Not our best entrance, Shepard."

"Any landing you can walk away from," I shrugged. "How's the shuttle, Cortez?"

"Checking now. I'll see if I can get power restored."

"Copy that. Maintain an open comm link." I opened the hatch and stepped outside. "We'll look around."

We found ourselves on one of those ships Cortez had mentioned. Rain quietly fell from the sky, a deceptively tranquil counterpoint to the violent landing we'd just endured. I could see some tall towers looming into the sky on the far end. The wreckage of dozens of different ships were scattered around us, either floating on the water or crashed into each other.

"Look at all these ships," Liara said. "Whatever that pulse was, we're not the first to get hit."

"I recognize a few of them," Tali said, "but only from historical records. They're ancient."

"You okay there, EDI?" James asked. "That pulse thing didn't shake you up?"

"I ran a full diagnostic. All systems are operating within normal parameters. While my systems were hit by the pulse, they were not affected."

"The shuttle may have taken the brunt of the pulse," Tali offered. "If so, that might be why you weren't disabled."

"Could be Leviathan's last line of defence," Kaidan agreed. "Take out any ships in the area. It doesn't matter what's still functional if the ships themselves are offline."

Well, at least one of those ships left a record of what happened. I picked up a datapad containing a log entry:

Datapad Log: Atton Brooks

The hull will hold—that's what they say. Whatever god watches over eezo prospectors came through for us. Despite a hell of a smack in the water landing, the MSV Monarch displaced enough air to stay afloat. We're all thankful we're alive. Captain Pratt even ordered the champagne broken out. Helps perspective, I guess.

The big puzzle? What downed us in the first place. Kunshan says it wasn't lightning; it was some kind of pulse. A directed-energy weapon seems likely, but where would it have come from? There's no radio traffic. The whole bloody ocean is silent.

Tonight, the techs are going to try rerouting the power to get a good mass drop before getting the thrusters firing. If all goes well, we'll be airborne in 24 hours.

Well, now we knew the name of the ship we crashed on top of. Thankfully it was still floating after all these years, or we'd be on our way to the bottom of the ocean by now testing the limits of the Kodiak. Next to that datapad lay a shelter of sorts. Lots of loot there. Lots of bodies, too. "Any idea how old these are?" I asked.

"At C-Sec, they always said the key to decomposition was scavengers," Garrus offered. "Without them, it's quite a while."

Right. A while. They looked so peaceful, despite their gaunt and skeletal appearance.

In the midst of my looting, I found another datapad:

Datapad Log: Shen Kunshan

Attempts to get airborne have failed every time. The damage done by the pulses, if you could call it damage, doesn't make physical sense. The connections aren't fried, but the Monarch's thrusters disengage. The distress beacon is likewise dead, but most of our electronics are still functioning. It doesn't seem to be a result of shielding.

Without a distress beacon, we've got no chance. I hear bad things about ration supplies, and I think that's why the captain ordered us to collect rainwater and set up tents on the deck. It keeps us busy. Brooks has been talking about using the Triton's weapons to try blast-fishing. I agree, but I haven't seen anything that looks like a fish.

I wish I were an optimist.

Well that confirmed why EDI was still functioning. But it didn't bode well for our chances.

"Shepard," Miranda said.

There was a certain dread in her voice that immediately caught my attention. "Found something?"

"One of those artifacts."

Uh oh. That might explain the tingling at the back of my neck. And possibly why I was feeling so cold. "Explains why no one gets out of here," I replied. Stepping outside, I looked around. "Where is it?"

As soon as she pointed it out to me, I pulled out my submachine gun and opened fire. A few bullets were enough to shatter it. Gingerly reaching around the shards, I looted a medkit and picked up a third datapad:

Datapad Log: Dr. Chai Lin

The rations will hold us two days more. Brooks sent a drone to the bottom, and it came up with bioluminescent plant life. None of it is edible. I warned the crew not to eat it before my tests were done, but Romero and Molins tried it anyway. They haven't stopped vomiting, and their dehydration wastes fresh water.

We sent Kunshan's team on a raft over to the wrecks. They came back with spheres—some kind of organic-based alien technology—and nothing to eat. I want to believe they'll give us some answers, but if they had helped the other ships figure out what happened, they wouldn't be here, now would they?

It's getting cold.

Now was it getting cold because of the incessant rain or because Leviathan was creeping around the corners of their minds? I found myself checking the temperature controls of my hardsuit, just in case.

I continued my search, picking up some copies of survey data and a couple star charts along the way. Old stuff, but it could still be worth something. A few samples of pure eezo, probably from the Monarch. Another artifact, which I promptly destroyed. (3) Another med-kit. And a fourth datapad:

Datapad Log: Captain Abel Pratt

Ramos is our first death. He tried to throw one of the spheres overboard, and something happened. Kunshan and maybe three or four others started beating him like madmen. I wish I was quick enough to save him.

They showed no remorse, not even comprehension. It's clear I am no longer in control.

I held a funeral to keep order—the crew would have been at his body like wild dogs. We compromised: he will be tethered in the water to attract scavenging animals that we will catch for food. If he doesn't get a bite within three of this planet's days, we cut him loose as a water burial.

We've sealed the Tritons off. They're dangerous, especially given the crew's mental state.

After reading that, I quickly summarized the contents of the various datapads out loud to the squad. They needed to know the risks. "If you see a sphere, don't wait for permission. Shoot it, smash it, blow it up—I don't care. Just let us know afterwards so we know you weren't shooting at a husk or something.

The pale, grim faces told me no one would be disobeying that particular order. Though if there were any doubts, they would've been set to rest by the contents of the fifth datapad:

Datapad Log: Encarna Camacho

The captain gets it now. He tried to lock himself in the ship, screaming that he had to fix it.

We were gentle. One person for each limb. We let him rest on the sphere. Sometime in the middle of the night, he came around, and now he agrees. We won't leave. Why would we?

I think this will be my last entry. Everyone here understands me. If anyone finds us, they might feel differently, but that can be fixed in time.

It's so good not being hungry anymore.

That was probably the scariest log entry of all. The entire crew had been indoctrinated. They forcibly subjected their captain, the lone holdout, to the artifact until he was indoctrinated too. And then they just stopped. Stopped trying to survive. Stopped trying to escape. Stopped trying to do anything. They were content to just sit there, stranded on this godforsaken planet, until they starved to death. And they didn't even care.

Now we were in the exact same situation. By this point, we could all be affected and we wouldn't even know it. And it would be my fault. Because I led my squadmates—led Miranda—to this backwater planet in the middle of nowhere. (4)

"Commander, over here."

Kaidan had found some kind of container. It was hiding under a tarp, squeezed between some large crates. "Some kinda mech."

He was right. Peering through the windows, there was just enough illumination to reveal something inside that looked like a mech. In fact… "Looks like a damaged Atlas," I squinted. "It seems different, though, and it's not flying Cerberus colours."

"Older too," Miranda added.

"Primitive," Javik declared. "Not worth..."

…

"You were saying, Javik?" I prompted.

…

"Javik?"

…

Ladies and gentlemen: when Javik stops laying out yet another example of the supposed shortcomings of this cycle, you know you have a problem. The fact that the back of my neck began tingling—again—was surely a coincidence.

"Look! Up there!" he finally said.

I looked up, along with everyone else. At first, all I saw was grey clouds. And rain. Clouds and rain. But then, there was a bright spot. Was the sun finally succeeding in poking through the clouds? Could it be the Normandy coming to the rescue?

Miranda and her enhanced eyesight ID'd the newcomers first. "Reapers!" she cried out in horror. "They were right behind us!"

Yeah, who am I kidding? My luck's never that good. "Everyone back to the shuttle!" I ordered. "Protect it at all costs!"

"Esteban!" James hollered over the comm. "If you can hear me, stop sleeping on the job and grab a weapon! The Reapers are coming!"

By that point, I could see the trajectory of the Reaper drop pods and extrapolate their landing zones. It was clear that we were between the pods and the shuttle. So I got everyone to slow down, split up into teams and spread out.

Team One wound up in the middle. Liara froze one Cannibal in a stasis bubble so she and EDI could shoot at a stationary target. I used my sniper rifle to drop another one before getting on the comm. "Cortez! Sitrep!"

"Swapping out shuttle parts, Commander! Hang on!"

There were more Cannibals popping up, but the teams were doing a good job of keeping them at bay. It helped that they were only coming two at a time, which made it easy for us to react. In fact, I actually had a chance to cloak, move ahead, and take out a Cannibal that was still emerging from the latest drop pod to land on our charming little platform.

Given how things were going, I decided to go on the offensive. "Team One; we're going to advance. Take out any targets of opportunity along the way. Teams Two and Three; reposition to protect the shuttle."

Miranda, Garrus and the other men and women who stayed behind were professional enough not to complain about the boring babysitting job they'd been assigned while my team got all the fun stuff. I made a mental note to make it up to them somehow, if we ever got off this rock. For now, it was time to go hunting.

To be honest, it was almost too easy. EDI and Liara wound up having very little to do. (5) "Cortez?" I said over the comm, after sniping my fifth or sixth Cannibal.

"Almost there, Commander!"

I guess the Reapers had run out of Cannibals, because the next horror to stumble into view was your garden-variety husk. And several of its buddies, all of whom were quite agile and persisted in random movements that made it almost impossible to predict where they were going. I led Team One back to join the others.

"Did you miss us, Shepard?" Miranda asked sweetly.

"Sorry, Miranda," Garrus laughed. "We both know he came back for me."

"I missed you both equally," I butted in. "But one more than the other. Now stop squabbling and finish off those husks. Please."

The squad settled down and got to work. Miranda and James took out a husk with a combo of biotics and concussive rounds, a second before Javik and Garrus did the same. Kaidan and Tali made it three, albeit with an EMP to excite the biotic energy. Naturally, I sniped a couple more.

Unfortunately, there were more on the way. Some of them vaulted over crates and dead husks in their haste to close in on us. Two of the husks we had supposedly killed got back up: guess they weren't out of the fight after all. And at least one Cannibal came right on their heels—thus disproving my earlier assumption about the Reapers running out of them. "Liara, singularity on the right," I ordered. "EDI, light 'em up."

EDI and I sent fireballs at the husks who hadn't gotten the message about being dead yet. Liara yanked three husks in her singularity. "Tali, combat drone on the left."

"Understood."

In their bloodlust, none of the husks thought to go around Liara's singularity or Tali's drone and flank us. Instead, they obligingly went straight for the open spot, bunching up together, getting in each other's way and making it virtually impossible for us to miss. The sheer number of explosions resulting from various mixtures of biotics, plasma, EMPs and concussive rounds were a testament to that.

"Cortez!" I called out as the number of husks went down to a more reasonable number and we resumed filling them up with lead, "what happened to 'almost there'?"

"Had a development, Commander. Fixing it now."

"Better pick it up," I replied as the latest monstrosity crashed the party. "We've got a Brute on our hands. Literally."

"Husks and Cannibals approaching," Kaidan warned. "Figure we have thirty seconds, sixty tops, before they arrive."

"Okay, people," I said. "You know the drill and the clock's ticking. Let's get to it."

I went first, followed by EDI, Liara, Miranda, Kaidan and James. Somehow, the Brute was still standing by the time all the explosions died down. So I shot the damn thing in the head. But it ricocheted off a bony plate.

Meanwhile, the other Reaper forces had arrived. "Team Three on the Brute, everyone else on the late arrivals," I shouted.

While we were making sure the random husks and Cannibals didn't overwhelm us, Javik hit the Brute with an emerald bolt of biotics. Garrus fired a concussive round, reloaded and snapped off another shot while the latest explosion was still echoing through the air. Not to be outdone, I drilled a hole through a husk's head, swivelled, did it again, panned to the left, launched a fireball and fired another kill shot.

By the time I lowered my sniper rifle to reload, the Brute was finally down for the count. The remaining husks were being wiped out as well. As for the last Cannibal, that creepy horror was being ripped apart by Miranda. I turned away before the gore could splash my visor, just in time to see the shuttle take off. "Commander, I'm airborne!" Cortez announced, somewhat unnecessarily.

"Get us some cover fire!" I told him.

"Copy that!"

With three hardened teams at full strength and Cortez providing air support, the Reaper forces went down like flies. Husks were being shredded to pieces. Cannibals were being burned to crispy critters. Even a second Brute didn't last long against our combined onslaught.

Naturally that couldn't last.

We were just whittling down a Marauder—the first one I'd seen so far—when Cortez delivered the bad news: "Another pulse hit me! Flight control's scrambled!"

"Damn it!" I cursed. Sparing a second to look up, I saw the Kodiak spinning around in a slow but irrevocable descent. "You heard Cortez, people: he's in trouble. Team Two: get to him! Teams One and Three will cover you. Move!"

Easier said than done. A Marauder and a Cannibal managed to flank my team. Before I knew it, my shields were gone. EDI quickly dropped an EMP on the Marauder, which Liara detonated with a single biotic blast. That bought me the time I needed to line up a shot and take them out one at a time.

By the time I reloaded, my shields were almost completely restored. Which was a good thing considering two more Cannibals were charging in, led by yet another Marauder. A quick glance told me Team Three had their own problems: a fresh wave of husks were swarming them, hoping to beat them by sheer numbers and complete lack of self-preservation.

"Shepard, I've got enemy contact!" Miranda said over the comm. "Team Two requires assistance!"

Don't we all? Of course, I didn't say that out loud. Instead, I grabbed a grenade and tossed it at the husks before they overran Team Three. Turning back, I saw the Marauder's shields had been partially drained, courtesy of EDI. The Cannibals were being held up—and by that, I mean spinning around helplessly in Liara's singularity. I ripped the Marauder's shields to shreds with some plasma, then began firing my sniper rifle. EDI and Liara helped me finish off the Cannibals. Then I turned my attention to the other half of the battlefield. "Garrus?"

"Thanks for the assist. Just mopping up here. Go help Cortez!"

Good enough for me. EDI, Liara and I double-timed it for the shuttle. We arrived just in time to see almost a dozen Cannibals pouring fire into it. Team Two was putting up one hell of a fight, but there were enough hostiles to keep them effectively pinned while a trio crept up on the side. Right up until EDI and Liara blew one of them to smithereens while I popped another Cannibal's head like a water balloon. I sniped the third would-be flanker before switching to my omni-tool and setting Cannibal Number Four on fire. Miranda blew it up with her biotics while Kaidan and James took out a fifth. By that point, the Cannibals were trying to readjust to fighting an equal number of enemies on two fronts.

Which made Team Three's arrival the worst thing that could possibly happen. For them, of course. It was all over within a minute. "Okay, we're clear!" I announced.

"Nice work, Commander," Cortez said, "but there's a development. We need to talk."

"Understood," I said. "Squad; reload and search the enemy for spare thermal clips."

Before we knew it, we were fully stocked on clips once more. And I found some more loot in the form of weapon mods and credits, because I'm that good. So we returned to the shuttle.

It didn't seem the worse for wear. And none of us had heard any loud crashes, so Cortez must have managed to set it down with less trouble. Speaking of which, he was standing outside behind some makeshift cover; assault rifle in hand and missile launcher lying by his feet. "Status," I prompted.

He shook his head. "Shuttle's a mess, Commander. I know it doesn't look like it, but that second pulse was a doozy. Knocked it right out of the air. We're not going anywhere."

"Surely the Normandy will realize what happened to us and send the other shuttle to investigate," Liara said. "Or perhaps fly down herself."

Miranda shook her head. "Comms are jammed. They won't have any idea what's going on."

"If they send more people down here, the same thing would happen to them," Garrus added. "Which would mean more people stranded."

"Exactly," Cortez nodded. "And if the Normandy tries to fly in, only to be hit by the pulse… well, the landing won't be as pretty. Whatever defence system Leviathan has in place, it's good." He paused as a loud explosion rang out overhead. Looking up, we saw yet another drop pod land. We took out its contents—three husks, if you must know—before hunkering down and getting back to our conversation.

"Then we aren't getting out of here until we find Leviathan," I decided. "Any ideas on how we do that?"

"Originally, we were following the probe's signal," EDI said. "Our last readings indicated Leviathan was somewhere underwater. That's where we need to go."

"One of the logs we found mentioned Tritons," Miranda recalled. "Perhaps that was the mech we saw earlier in that cargo bay."

"The Triton ADS, to be exact," Cortez confirmed. "Old military model originally designed for the battlefield, but initial tests showed they were too slow and cumbersome. Conventional infantry and other mech designs proved to be more effective, so the prototypes were repurposed for manual-operated control and deep-sea exploration."

"If I had to guess, I'd say Cerberus must have come across their schematics and corrected the flaws," Miranda said. "That would explain why the Atlas mech bears such a striking resemblance to the Triton."

Another drop pod landed. Cortez picked up the conversation while Team Three opened fire. "Makes sense, ma'am. Getting back to the Triton: given the problems we're having with the shuttle, I'd say it's your best bet to find Leviathan. As long as the seawater hasn't corroded it and all those pulses haven't scrambled its systems, of course."

"Then let's get started," I decided.

Garrus turned around, having just dropped another husk, and stared at me in disbelief. "Hold on a second. Are we actually considering—"

"First, we'll need to restore power to get that cargo door open," Cortez said without a hitch.

"How?" I asked.

"I suppose we are," Miranda frowned.

Ignoring the two of them, Cortez answered my question. "The ship we crashed on is an old Ballard-class vessel. They're equipped with exterior power sockets. Crews use 'em for emergency repairs. If we strip some power cells from the shuttle, we can use them for juice to open the cargo door. Hang on, and I'll get you started."

"Got a cell for you, Commander. Find somewhere to plug that in!"

I should mention that somehow I'd been volunteered to lug those power cells around and search for power sockets. While Reaper drop pods landed all around me and disgorged various beasties who had nothing better to do than claw, shoot and stomp away at me. Do I know how to have a good time or what?

Okay, to be fair, it wasn't that bad. I didn't have to worry about actually rerouting the power from those cells to the cargo door—Tali had that covered. The rest of the squad working to kill, pin down or just plain distract all those Reaperfied horrors. And I have to admit the first trip was pretty easy: there was only one drop pod that had landed and the hostiles that emerged weren't anywhere near the power socket I was going for. While the squad opened fire, I sprinted for the socket and plugged the cell in.

"Power level rising," Tali called out. "Four percent… twelve… twenty… holding at thirty percent."

"Got another power cell for you, Commander!" Cortez called out.

"Hang on!" I set a husk on fire, let Miranda blow it to smithereens… then brushed off as much guts and innards as I could. Ladies and gentlemen, the glamorous life of a Spectre.

"More hostiles inbound!" Garrus warned.

"Get another power cell, Shepard," Liara said. "We'll hold them off!"

I grabbed another power cell, but not before sniping a couple Cannibals. What? I couldn't resist. They were just big growling targets, begging to be shot. And then I had to stop and help the squad deal with the Brute stomping in by launching another fireball. As soon as EDI ignited it, and the explosion went off, Liara tossed out some biotics. Team Two then began chaining explosions.

"Shepard! Power level fluctuating. Twenty-nine percent… twenty-eight…"

Team Three finished off the Brute, clearing the way for me to head for another power socket. I made it there unmolested and plugged it in.

"Power up to fifty-five percent," Tali called out.

"Got another cell here," Cortez hollered.

"Gotcha!" I said to both.

Back I went. Picked up a power cell. Lobbed a grenade. Barely made a dent. The latest Reaper pods had unloaded a ton of husks. I began sniping them one by one, but it didn't even slow them down. There were just too many of them and too many ways for them to come at us.

Garrus saw the same thing. "We need to move some of these crates to set up barricades. Cordon off some routes and funnel them into kill zones. I know the timing sucks, but…"

"Power's starting to drop," Tali interrupted.

Right. "James, Javik; move whatever Garrus tells you. Everyone else, hold off the husks!" With those orders given, I sprinted for the closest power socket, slammed the power cell home. Hopefully that would do the trick.

"Power up to eighty-four percent."

Are you kidding me? That's it?

"One more cell, Commander."

Argh! Fine! I'll do this again. Because I love running back and forth and back and forth. Really. Beats shooting at husks or blowing up Brutes. Honest. Picking up power cells from point A and plugging them in slot B is so much fun. I could do this all day long! (6)

I picked up the latest power cell from Cortez and looked for yet another socket. Spotting one, I broke into a sprint. A Marauder tried to get in my way, only to have its shields fried by dual EMPs. I ran over the Reaperfied turian like a linebacker, dropping some plasma on its face as I passed, then bolted for the socket and inserted the power cell.

"Power at one hundred percent!" Tali shouted.

"Cargo doors are opening, Commander," Cortez. "That mech is all yours! It should still have weapons capability!"

"Wait a minute," Garrus said slowly. "Did Cortez say…"

"He did," Miranda confirmed bleakly. "He said it has weapons capability."

"And Shepard's going to pilot it."

"Yes. Yes, he is."

"Should we be worried?"

"I think we should be extremely worried."

"Do you remember when he first got into that mech at Grissom Academy?"

"I still have nightmares about Corang."

"Was that the planet where Shepard killed all those geth—"

"By running them over with the Hammerhead? Yes, yes it was."

"Okay, I can see why you'd be worried."

While my supposedly loyal squadmates were besmirching my reputation, I was racing inside the cargo bay and climbing into the Triton. (7) To my surprise, the controls were remarkably similar to the Atlas I had piloted all those months ago—from the physical controls to the HUD that tracked my head movements. So it didn't take long before I started firing at the husks. Limbs started flying everywhere as I blew them up three or four at a time. Then I began firing shots at the Brute that came charging in.

Or I tried. "Team Three, fall back! I need a clear shot at the Brute!"

Once Garrus, Tali and Javik were out of harm's way, I could finish off the oversized monstrosity. Then I spotted another Brute, which I promptly took out. Turning around, I saw a third Brute trying to get to Team One. Liara was slowing it down with a singularity, but it was clear that wouldn't cut it. "Team One; I'll handle the Brute!"

Sure enough, a couple shots were all it took. As the Brute collapsed, I began scanning the area. At the moment, there were no more priority targets to tackle. Actually, there weren't any target—any husks, Cannibals or Marauders had been taken out by the squad.

"That did it," Cortez said over the comm. Looks like we're in the clear now, Commander."

Aw, was that it? But I was just getting started!

But I couldn't say that, of course. That would be incredibly unprofessional. "Good. I need to get in the water before they come back."

"Roger that. Walk the mech back to me when you're ready to dive. I should check it over first."

I did that as soon as I'd done a bit of looting. And fired on another pair of creepy, glowing, alien spheres. Because I had to be me. And not some creepy soulless shell controlled by an alien puppeteer. An alien puppeteer I was doing my darndest to meet.

God, I need a life.

It didn't take long for me to steer the mech back to our temporary base. And I didn't even break anything. "All right, Commander," Cortez said. "Let's get you out of there and I'll do a systems check."

Garrus joined us with a frown on his face. "Listen, Shepard: I'm all for crazy ideas, but this one's off the charts."

"We've come too far to stop now," I replied, opening the hatch and hopping out.

"The Reapers have halted their assaults for now," Miranda said. "We have some time to devise another plan of action."

"Look, I realize the risks," I replied. "But we don't have any viable options right now. The Reapers could drop fresh troops in any second now and the shuttle's still dead in the water. The only way out of here, the only way home, is through Leviathan."

"Okay, seals check out," Cortez announced. "Power core's steady, computers running and oxygen pressure's nominal. Systems are a go."

"Then let's do this," I said. Turning around, I got back into the Triton.

"Hang on." Cortez climbed up after me. "All right: quick crash course on mech piloting." He gave me a very brief rundown on how to operate this thing. Turned out I had been doing it mostly right all along. But I did learn a couple new tricks. Including how to come back from the ocean depths, which might've been slightly important.

"Shepard," Miranda interrupted. She opened her mouth. Paused. Stared at me. A million words or more flew between us in that gaze. "Be careful," she said at last.

"I'll do my best," I nodded.

Closing the hatch, I powered up the Triton. "Engaging systems. Ready."

"Testing comm link," Miranda said.

Oh good. At least I wouldn't be completely alone down there. "I read you. How about you?"

"Loud and clear."

"Good. Here goes." I steered the Triton towards the edge of the ship and stared at the choppy waters "Commencing dive in three… two… one…"

With that, I took a few steps forward and plunged into the inscrutable depths.

It was dark. Murky, but dark. If it wasn't for the sensation of falling, I wouldn't even know what direction I was going. All those people who had been taken over by Leviathan reported sensations of darkness. Judging by that, I was definitely in the right place. Reaching for the console, I turned on the exterior spotlights. Their feeble beams reached out into the gloom, allowing me to dimly see the underside of the various ships that had crashed here in the distance. Everything else was swallowed up by the murky shadows of the depths.

"Shepard?" Miranda said after a few seconds. "Report. How is the suit holding up?"

"Looks good so far," I replied.

"Good. I'm getting some comm interference on this end. Stand by."

I could tell that by the faint buzz of static over the line. "Copy that."

"Commander, can you read me?" The static was back, and it was a lot worse. I could barely make out what she was saying, but it sounded like "We're losing your signal. Something is blocking your comm. Please respond."

"Miranda? Miranda, can you hear me? Anyone, are you receiving?"

There was nothing.

I was alone.

And then, the spotlights began popping. Guess they couldn't handle the pressure. One by one, they shattered until the last one went out. The only light came from the consoles around me inside the Triton's cockpit.

Yeah. That wasn't ominous at all.

With a jolt, I landed on, well, something. The ocean floor, I guess. Through the window, I could see other sources of light. It almost looked like… marine life of some sort. Whatever it was, there wasn't enough illumination to safely navigate. Now that I was on solid footing, so to speak, I could start deploying flares.

I ran another systems check. On a whim, I turned on the recording function of my omni-tool. After double-checking that the comm systems were still on, I began to talk. "This is Commander Shepard. Not sure if you can read me up there. If you can, I'll bring you up to speed. If not, well, it wouldn't be the first time I talked to myself.

"Looks like I've finished the major descent. I'm at 3080 metres below sea level. Can't see much from here: exterior lighting's dead. All I've got is the glow from the consoles and the flares I'm shooting out… no, wait. There's some kind of marine life down here. Bioluminescent. Looks like jellyfish. But aside from that and the plant life, there's nothing but rock."

I began walking along the ocean floor, randomly shooting flares to light up my path. "Suit is… holding up. Emergency systems have come online. Life support operational."

My next step went into thin air. Or water. You know what I mean. I dropped a few metres before the Triton landed on solid footing again. "Depth now 3100 metres. Shutting down all non-critical systems to preserve remaining power: not sure how much juice the emergency thruster will need to get me back to the surface. Guess I can't worry about that now."

It was too bad I couldn't re-route some of that power to the environmental systems: it felt really cold in here. I could've sworn it wasn't this cold on the surface. Maybe it was because I was so far underwater. At least, that's what I told myself. Because everyone who had ever been taken over by Leviathan had also mentioned feeling cold…

As I walked along, I continued deploying flares. I did a quick check to verify that I was, in fact, receiving telemetry from the probe. What it was telling me… "Getting some strange readings from the probe," I added. "Something is definitely down there."

I walked off another cliff and dropped—or gently floated, I should say—to the floor below. "Depth 3120 metres. Reading the probe directly below me. Looks like the final drop."

Before I stepped off the edge, I peered down. "I'm just about to step off a ledge and head down towards the probe. Can't see anything just yet. There's some kind of… illumination down there. It's lighting up the surrounding rock, more than the flares or marine life could possibly do."

I took a deep breath. "All right," I said. "Here goes." I took the Triton another step forward and deliberately stepped off the ledge.

"3140 metres. Can't see anything just yet…

"3200 metres…

"3250 metres…

Even all the cushioning built into the Triton couldn't absorb the impact when I finally landed. "Depth 3274 metres," I said. Peering ahead, I added "Found the probe. Seems intact. I'm going to keep moving.

"It feels like I'm in a cave," I added. "I could swear I see rock formations stretching up and down like, what're they called, stalactites? Stalagmites? Almost feels like there are caverns up ahead, too. Depth 3276 metres."

This was truly eerie. The jellyfish and the seaweed were the only life I'd seen so far, and that was before I dropped down to find the probe. Now... now there was nothing. No life. No movement. Nothing but me, piloting this mech through a dull, grey, underwater wasteland. Thumbing the controls, I launched another flare. It flew up in an arc before plummeting into the depths.

Then the ground shook. "What is that?" I whispered. (8)

Bubbles began rising. Lots of them. An entire wall of bubbles suddenly boiled from the abyss directly in front of me. I could feel the back of my neck tingling as I watched.

And then a pair of horns rose up...

Followed by a body...

And more body...

It just kept rising and rising...

Before I knew it, an enormous... creature had risen up before me. It stared down with clusters of blue eyes, utterly inhuman in their soulless intensity. Reaper, I thought immediately. But as I stared in awe and horror, I realized it wasn't a Reaper. It lacked the clean, metallic lines of a Reaper. No, this looked more... more organic. An uneven, jagged exoskeleton. This was a living, breathing creature. Natural, but unnatural at the same time.

This... was Leviathan.

You have come too far.

With a start, I realized those words didn't come over the comm, but inside my head. Speaking of my noggin, I could feel the tingling spread up and over my head. With each passing second, the tingling became like vibrations, hammering against my skull faster and faster until it became this... this pressure, squeezing all around me. Everything went dark around me as the pressure increased. And I felt this cold, this chill seeping through my skin, through my flesh, sinking down into my very bones. I gasped as something inside me gave way...

...

I wasn't in the cockpit of the Triton any more. Now I was in a... a void. A grey void that stretched out as far as I could see. I closed my eyes and concentrated...

Opening my eyes, I found myself back in the Triton. Its biometrics tracked my head as I jerked it back and forth to verify I was back in the real world. Thinking back, I recalled Leviathan's last words. "I had to find you."

This is not your domain. You have breached the darkness.

"You killed a Reaper," I retorted, squinting at Leviathan. It was so dark and cold out there. "I need to know why."

They seek our extermination. That cannot be allowed.

The pressure came back. Worse than any migraine I'd ever had. Before I knew it—

—I was back in the void, down on my hands and knees. The... floor, beneath me, was wet. Like it was flooded with water. I concentrated again, trying to force the pressure back—

—and I was back. Blinking hard, I tried to focus on Leviathan. On what it had just said. "The enemy? But... I thought you were a Reaper."

They are only echoes. We existed long before.

Before? So Leviathan predated the Reapers? "Then what are you?"

Something more.

I felt the pressure come back, worse than before. I tried to fight it, tried to keep it at bay—

—coughing as I fell to my hands and knees again. I coughed again, trying to catch my breath. Trying to stand up. I could see a pair of legs walking towards me.

"Your mind belongs to me. Breathe."

Coughing again, I stood up and looked at... "Ann?" I said in disbelief. "What's happening?"

She tapped her head with a finger and opened her mouth. "Your memories give voice to our words. Your nature will be revealed to us. Accept this."

So this wasn't Ann. Just Leviathan using my memories to create surrogates to interact with me in this... world. In my mind. We were in my mind. No wonder it was so empty.

Okay. I clearly had Leviathan's attention. Time to start doing what I did best: ask lots and lots of questions. "The galaxy's at war with the Reapers. You defeated one. Why aren't you fighting back?"

'Ann' shook her head. "There is no war. There is only the harvest."

"Then help us stop it," I urged.

Silently, 'Ann' walked away.

"None have possessed the strength in past cycles."

Turning around, I saw 'Hadley' walk past me and towards a bench full of lab equipment, one that hadn't been there a second ago. "Your own species could be destroyed with a single thought," he added.

Glancing over his shoulder, I saw Dr. Garneau's face—or rather, the man who had impersonated Dr. Garneau. "But you are different. I have witnessed your actions in this cycle: the destruction of Sovereign, the fall of the Collectors. The Reapers perceive you as a threat."

The faux Dr. Garneau turned back to the bench, morphing into Ann midway, and bending down to peer through a microscope. "And I must understand why."

I had the feeling Leviathan was distracted. Maybe not by much, but enough. I tried to find that mental pressure and push back—

—I did it! I was back! But not without cost. I could feel a trickle of blood start to make its way down from my nostril. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I realized that that was probably a bad thing. It must have been from the strain of 'talking' to Leviathan—

—before I knew it, I was back in my mind. Crouching down, I saw 'Hadley' sitting down on the floor beside me. "Before the cycles, our kind was the apex of life in the galaxy. The lesser species were in our thrall, serving our needs."

We looked at a large rock face that inexplicably stood in front of us. Crude paintings of humanoid stick figures paraded and bowed before a large, but similarly crude Reap—no, Leviathan.

"We grew more powerful and they were cared for. But we could not protect them from themselves. Over time, the species built machines that then destroyed them. Tribute does not flow from a dead race."

'Hadley'—no, now it was 'Ann'—stood up. As I joined her, she began to walk. "To solve this problem, we created an intelligence with the mandate to preserve life at any cost. As the intelligence grew, it studied the development of civilizations. Its understanding grew until it found a solution.

"In that instant," Leviathan, now posing as 'Dr. Garneau,' said, "it betrayed us. It chose our kind as the first harvest. From our essence, the first Reaper was created. You call it... Harbinger."

"You... you built that machine despite what you saw the other races experience?" I sputtered in disbelief. "Why?"

'Hadley' looked up. Despite my best efforts, I found my eyes following. I saw worlds upon worlds hovering overhead. "You cannot conceive of a galaxy that bends to your will," he said.

As I watched, lines began tracing out to connect those worlds, one by one. "Every creature, every nation, every planet we discovered became our tools. We were above the concerns of lesser species. The intelligence was envisioned as simply another tool."

All right. Let me get this straight: zillions of years ago, Leviathan's species ruled the galaxy. It discovered world after world, species after species, and turned them all into its thralls. It basked in all the trinkets and baubles they sent them... until that flow of tribute stopped. Why? Because the lesser species were silly enough to create AIs that turned against them. So what did Leviathan's species do? Create an AI to study the problem. Because, in their hubris, they didn't think history would repeat itself. They didn't think that what they had observed countless times before could possibly happen to them. But it did! Whoops! "And now we all pay the price for your arrogance," I said bitterly. "Your mistake."

"There was no mistake," 'Hadley' disagreed. "It still serves its purpose."

Oh for crying out loud! "Okay," I said, shaking my head. "Let's try this: how did you remain hidden all this time?

"Our extermination was not complete," 'Garneau' replied. "Some survived and found refuge in the dark corners of the galaxy. I am their progeny. Over the cycles, the thrall races were controlled, removing traces of our existence as we directed them to. In this way, our survival was kept secret from the Reapers. Today, we reach out through the fragments and watch for discovery."

He stepped back as he finished, allowing a cylindrical arm to move up between us. It was holding a certain familiar item, whose glow provided the only source of light in this drab, empty void. "Fragments," I repeated. "You mean the artifacts we found?"

"They provide a window into the galaxy. Tools for exploring the events of this cycle from the safety of this world. Through them, we watch, we study, and remain in the shadows."

So we were right! The spheres were the mechanism for Leviathan to spy on the galaxy and, if needed, manipulate events to ensure the secrecy of their survival was maintained. But I had another question: "How did the intelligence defeat you?"

'Hadley' took over again. "To find a solution, it required information—physical data drawn from organic life in the cosmos. It created an army of pawns that searched the galaxy, gathering this data."

We looked down at the floor. Instead of a sheen of water, we now saw a map of the galaxy. Various locations were marked one by one, as if representing the search that the intelligence's pawns had conducted.

"There was no warning, no reason given when they turned against us. Only slaughter. Only the harvest."

"Tell me about the Reapers," I urged.

"Each harvest ends with the birth of a Reaper," 'Ann' explained. "Perfect in its design. Each formed in Harbinger's image. Our image. Each Reaper has the power to influence organics, much like we do. Over countless cycles, this ability was refined, perfected, and gave rise to indoctrination."

Which explained why Leviathan and the Reapers could manipulate organics in such a similar fashion. Leviathan did it first!

I noticed that these representations of the people I'd encountered during my search for Leviathan were also similar. They were all drawn from my memories. All clothed as I remembered them. But there was no life in their expression. No light in their eyes. They were as soulless and empty as the thralls Leviathan controlled.

Another observation to put aside for later. If there was a later. "But what's the point of all these harvests?"

"The intelligence has one purpose: preservation of life. That purpose has not been fulfilled."

"You call that preservation?" I gasped. "I call it genocide."

'Ann' continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "It directed the Reapers to create the mass relays—to speed the time between cycles for greatest efficiency. The galaxy itself became an experiment. Evolution its tool."

"We are not an experiment!" I said hotly.

"You speak with the vision of a lesser species. Of course you are."

So the intelligence was still mindlessly trying to fulfill its directive. A directive programmed into it by the very species it had attacked and supposedly destroyed. All these cycles, all these deaths, all this suffering... just to continue some damn experiment. "Will it ever end?" I asked.

"Unknown. Until the intelligence finds what it is looking for, the harvest will continue."

"What do you know about the Crucible?" I asked.

'Dr. Garneau' thought about my question, or so it seemed. It could also have been sifting through my memories to figure out what this Crucible was. "We have watched its construction before," he finally said. "It has never been completed. Those who have tried still fell victim to the harvest. Its outcome is unknown."

"Okay," I said, taking a step forward. "You've made your point. Explained your side of the story. Will you help us stop this cycle?"

"I have searched your mind," 'Ann' said. "You are an anomaly—yet that is not enough."

She started to walk away. "Wait!" I cried out.

"The cycle will continue," she stated, without any hint of pity or remorse.

I shook my head. "No! You've been watching. You know this cycle is different."

"We will survive," 'Ann' insisted. "You will remain here as a servant of our needs. The Reapers will harvest the rest."

Yeah, not gonna happen. "If you release me, no one has to be harvested."

"Nothing will change."

"You just don't get it, do you?" I threw up my hands in frustration. "Hey, I know I'm some 'anomaly' from a 'lesser species,' but here's a news flash for you: the Reapers know where you are! They've been sending their minions down to attack us for the past hour or so. You can't just watch from the shadows anymore—you have to step out into the light and fight!"

Leviathan didn't say anything, but I could've sworn the ground shook underneath my feet. I know the air suddenly got colder. Whatever I had said, it got their attention. So I pressed on, watching as my breath condensed in little clouds. "Even if you survive the battle today, the Reapers won't stop—ever. I shouldn't have to tell you this: you created the intelligence that gave rise to them. You've been watching for countless cycles. You know how relentless they are. Release me, and we have a chance to end this once and for all."

'Ann'—Leviathan—looked at me. Looked away. Then disappeared.

I was alone.

At some point, I found myself back in the real world. I didn't know how long I'd been there—seconds, minutes, hours even. All I knew was that my head was dangling limply to one side until I mustered the strength to look around—a seemingly herculean feat, given how much my head was pounding. Licking my lips, I tasted the coppery tang of blood that was still trickling from my nose. Above the glow of the Triton's consoles, I could see Leviathan…

…

…and…

…

…it was not alone. As I watched, at least two other creatures—two other Leviathans—were rising out of the depths to stare at this puny interloper who had dared to breach the darkness and enter their realm.

"Your confidence is singular," 'Ann' said.

Looked like I was back in my mind. "If you say so. All I know is that I've spent the last several months figuring out a way to stop the Reapers. I've been working my ass off finding allies and tech and resources that can help us hold the line and take back my homeworld. Because this is the only cycle I have.

"And you know what's come out of that? We've cured a biological weapon that was deemed incurable for over a thousand years and had doomed a proud race to extinction. We've brought bitter enemies together, helped them find common ground and finally brought an end to the hostilities that marred their relations for centuries or more. After fighting, bleeding and sacrificing for each other, there's actually a chance that we can win this. The best chance we've had in countless cycles."

"It is clear why the Reapers perceive you as a threat," 'Garneau' admitted. "Your victories are more than a product of chance."

"Glad to hear it. I have to admit: I wish I knew what happened in the last couple cycles. Just so I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes again. You guys could probably tell me what happened, right? I mean, you've spent all that time down here, watching the events of each cycle through those artifacts. Keeping your distance from everything that's happened. Bearing witness to all the species they've slaughtered. All because, what? You still thought you were conducting some big experiment?"

"One that has yet to produce a conclusion," 'Hadley' insisted.

"Is that's why you sat back all this time? You didn't want to interfere and inadvertently skew the results? You wanted the intelligence you set loose and the Reapers you helped create to come to a conclusion? 'Cuz I've got news for you: that ain't gonna happen.

"You wanna know why I ignored all your warnings about breaching the darkness and came to your doorstep? Because the Reapers aren't just a threat to us 'lesser species.' They're a threat to you too. They've been tracking you, just as we have. They've been using your artifacts to search for you, just as we have. And now they're here, just like us."

The ground beneath my feet shook again. The air got colder. And I could see my breath again. Leviathan and its buddies weren't happy with what I said. Which meant they'd really be upset with what I was about to say.

"Even if they get bored and go away, they'll be back. Because, like it or not, you're a part of the galaxy that your intelligence and the Reapers are using as the biggest petri dish ever. And when they do come back, they'll have wiped out or harvested the rest of the galaxy. Which means you'll be all alone. Alone and outnumbered. I don't know what'll happen on that day, or how long you'll last, but then, I won't be around to see it."

I think I had their attention. Or maybe I'd just gotten really good at giving long, rambling speeches. "Look, I know you've been doing this for millennia now. It's hard to get in the game when you've spent all this time on the sidelines. But you've run out of time. Like it or not, you're part of this fight now. So step out of the shadows and fight. Don't do it for me or any of the other so-called lesser species out there. Do it for yourself. Do what you've done all this time: survive."

…

…

"Very well," 'Garneau' said.

"Indeed," 'Ann' nodded.

"We will fight," 'Hadley' said. "But not for you, or any lesser race. We were the first, the apex race. We will survive."

'Ann' turned towards me. For the first time, I saw a flicker of emotion in 'her' eyes: outrage. Seething, long-simmering rage. Repressed for countless cycles, but no more. "And the Reapers who would dare to trespass on this world will understand our power," 'she' declared. "They will become our slaves.

"Today they pay their tribute in blood."

With a violent start, I woke up. There was a loud warbling in my ears. Everything was a blur. My nose was still bleeding. My head was still pounding. And I was this close to puking my guts out. But I didn't care. You know why?

'Cuz I was back!

I was back in the real world. No longer trapped in my head. And it sounded like I had convinced the Leviathans to stop being neutral, passive observers of this war. At least, I hoped I had convinced them, because they were gone. Rubbing my eyes, I stared out into the ocean depths. But they were gone. All of them.

That warbling was still going on. Something told me that wasn't normal. I looked down—

PRIORITY ALERT: POWER AT 2.0%! COMPLETE SYSTEMS FAILURE IMMINENT!

Aw, crap.

I tried to remember what Cortez had taught me... and drew a blank. Blame it on the alarms beeping and my head pounding. Not to mention the panic building up inside me from the fact that I was about to be trapped down here, all alone, after finding and securing a new and tentative alliance. I began typing away at the console in front of me, then at the one to my right, then banging on anything that would get me out of here. Something must have worked, because the Triton began backing up. It crouched down. Either it really needed a potty break or it was—

YES! It was firing the emergency thruster!

The ascent was fast. Like, really fast. Which normally wouldn't have been a problem, but I'd just endured a conversation with Leviathan and, well, that guy isn't exactly easy on the senses. I'm pretty sure I blacked out at some point. Or maybe everything just became a blur.

I think the Triton emerged from the ocean and clomped back onto the top of the ship. I think the hatch opened automatically once the mech had come to a stop. I think I didn't hop out so much as fall out.

"Shepard!"

I knew that was Miranda screaming out loud. I knew she was horrified to see I had come back in the midst of one wicked fight. And as the two Brutes advanced towards me, gradually picking up speed until they had broken into a flat-out run, I knew I was going to die. I tried to stumble away, only to trip over my feet and fall down again. Looking up, I watched as one of the Brutes lifted a giant claw. Stared right into its eyes…

…

… eyes suddenly glowing with iridescent light…

…

…and then, without warning, it spun around and slugged its fellow Brute. Once. Twice. Three times. Then, with a deafening roar, the two of them began wrestling. All thoughts of pounding me into a bloody smear on the deck had apparently vanished.

Taking advantage of the moment, Miranda and Garrus raced towards me and hoisted me up. "Shepard's back," Garrus said. "Cortez, talk to me!"

"Shepard, just hang on," Miranda urged.

"We're good to go!" Cortez's voice came over the comm. "I don't know what the Commander did, but the pulse is offline! Everyone, rendezvous at my location for immediate evac!"

Most of the squad didn't have a problem reaching the shuttle. Miranda, Garrus and I had to make a slight detour around the brawling Brutes, who were still too intent on ripping each other to shreds to notice us. As for the remaining Reaperfied horrors—mostly husks—some of them began tackling the rogue Brute. The others tried to attack us, only to get mowed down by mass gunfire from the squad.

Before I knew it, we were in the shuttle. Kaidan was closing the hatch while Liara knocked off a lone husk that was trying to hitchhike. I could feel us moving…

…

"Shepard?"

…the lights were growing dimmer…

"Shepard!"

…went dark…

"Shepard! Wake up!"

…

"He's freezing!"

…

"Shepard!"

I jerked awake, coughing violently. Opening my eyes… wound up being a really bad idea given how the lights seemed to blast their way into my skull. Squinting, I tried again. And again. Eventually, I managed to open them enough to focus on Miranda's face. Even when she was freaked out of her mind, she was beautiful. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine," I groaned. "Hell of a headache."

The headache flared as Miranda practically tackled me. "Don't do that to me!" she scolded.

"No more crazy, suicidal trips," I slurred.

"Good."

"Met my quota for today."

"Not funny!"

"I'm joking," I said feebly. "Really. Um… what happened?"

"Well, the Reapers began dropping more forces after you left," Garrus began. "In far greater numbers than we witnessed earlier—those initial waves must have been scouting runs to assess our strength. We were barely holding our own when that Triton returned and dropped you off—right in front of those Brutes. Spirits, I thought you were done for!"

"Me too," I agreed. "What happened next? I'm not sure if it was just in my head or…"

"The Brutes were right on top of you, man!" James said. "Dios, I thought you were done for! None of us could get to you in time. But then… I don't know… one of them went nuts! Started whaling away on its buddy. About that time, Esteban realized the pulse thing was gone and powered up the shuttle. Ms. Lawson and Scars picked you up while the rest of us got to the Kodiak and laid down cover fire."

"Once we got you aboard, we thought we were in the clear," Garrus continued. "But then Cortez detected a Reaper coming through the atmosphere. Before we knew it, the damn thing was right on top of us! It opened those arm things and began powering up its primary weapon…"

He trailed off. "And?" I prompted.

"And it… just…" Tali tried.

"It appeared to have a systems failure," EDI finished.

"Huh?" I said blankly.

"That's as accurate a summary as any," Miranda agreed. "The Reaper seemed to suddenly lose control. Its weapon powered down. It veered out of its intercept vector and into an uncontrolled descent. The last we saw, it had crash-landed into the ocean and was slowly sinking. I'm not sure what happened to it."

"Leviathan happened to it," I said firmly. "And that Brute that went berserk. I'm sure of it."

"Keelah!" Tali gasped.

"We're lucky we got you back," Garrus said.

"And we destroyed a Reaper," Javik added with satisfaction.

"Commander, I've got Ann Bryson on the comm," Cortez said. "If you're up to it."

"Good. Put her through," I nodded—a really bad move, considering how everything began spinning. Miranda gently helped me up. By the time Cortez had transferred her signal through to one of the computer screens in the cargo bay, I had more or less recovered.

"Commander," Ann—and her twin—said.

Squinting didn't really seem to eliminate the phantom double. Eh, close enough. "Ann," I said. "You feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm doing fine. What happened?"

"We found it, Ann. We found Leviathan."

"Was it worth it?"

"Yeah, it was. Don't get me wrong: it took a lot of work to find Leviathan. Damn thing almost trapped my squad on the planet it was hiding on. And we had to face more Reaper forces. And I almost drowned. But we proved it can't hide anymore… that it's a part of this war, just like us."

"Sounds like an amazing story."

"One for the history books," I agreed.

"Well, I look forward to hearing all about it. My father would appreciate this, knowing the truth is out there."

"He'd also appreciate that you were instrumental in helping him fulfill his legacy," I pointed out.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. So what now?"

"Admiral Hackett has asked me to join his scientific team. I don't have all the details yet, but I got the impression he has something particular in mind."

"I can't confirm or deny anything, but you're probably on to something," I said carefully.

"Well, we all have our part to play. I should get to it."

"Take care, Ann, and thanks for all your help. Shepard out."

With that, I signed off. Turning to the window, I watched as 2181 Despoina, its mysteries and its horrors grew smaller and smaller. I thought about how this crazy search began and where it had led us. I rubbed my hand against the back of my neck as I thought about all the lives that had been lost. I shivered as I looked back at how close we had all come to losing our minds and our souls in that watery prison.

Then I looked at Miranda.

And I felt warm for the first time all day.

(1): Specialist Samantha Traynor swore that Shepard picked the Psi Tophet system by covering his eyes, literally spinning around on the spot and blindly stabbing out with a finger. Shepard offered no comment.

(2): Several of Shepard's friends from Officer Candidate School ended up in the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Their leader was known for having impromptu private conversations in the elevator by abruptly stopping the car without notice.

(3): Normally I would be the first to object to such deliberate destruction. By now, however, I had been given ample demonstration of the danger they presented. Any archaeological urge would have to be satisfied with eyewitness accounts and rock paintings.

(4): Yet another sign of the enormous weight of the guilt Shepard bore, considering he had asked for volunteers to accompany him rather than ordering us to follow.

(5): In other words, Shepard wound up 'hogging' all the fun for himself. I can say that now that it is after the fact, of course.

(6): Considering the grave peril we were facing, some frustration over the menial and repetitive nature of this task is understandable.

(7): I for one still vividly remember Shepard's alarming skycar chase through the skies of Illium.

(8): This was the last audible sentence that was recorded by Shepard's omni-tool. The subsequent conversation came from his personal logs, a testament to his memory and his will to document this historic—albeit terrifying—event.