Chapter Thirty-Eight
Roxanne
"Joker? Are you at the rendezvous point?" I ask as Garrus checks on the rest of the crew that was with him. No casualties.
"I'm here, Commander." Joker says. "Chakwas, Kasumi, and the rest of the crew just showed up."
"Kasumi's group just arrived, Roxanne. No casualties." EDI says.
"Excellent." Miranda says. "Now let's make it count. EDI, what's our next step?"
"There should be some nearby platforms that will take you to the main control console. From there you can overload the system and destroy the base." EDI says.
"Commanders? You got a problem." Joker says. "Hostiles massing just outside the door. Won't be long until they bust through."
I turn to the platform and climb on. Raphael climbs up beside me.
"A rearguard could defend this position and keep the Collectors from overwhelming us." Raphael says.
"Pick a team to go with you two." Miranda says. "Everyone else can bunker down here and cover your back."
I glance at Serenity. "You on board, sis?"
"Of course." Serenity climbs onto the platform.
"Miranda, you're with us too." Raphael says as he motions at her.
"Anything to say before we do this?" Miranda asks.
"The Collectors blindside their targets. Hit and run. As powerful as they are, they're cowards. They've never had to stand and fight the best of us. That's you." Raphael says, his voice carrying over the rest of the team.
"I don't know if they can feel fear, but we're damned sure going to give them the opportunity. Hit them hard." I say, raising an eyebrow. "One way or another, it ends here!"
"We've got you covered." Garrus says. "Good luck."
I wink at Garrus before Serenity uses the platform's interface to move us.
After moving for a few minutes, the platform stops midair.
"Take cover." I say. "That can only mean Collectors are on the way."
As soon as the words are out of my mouth, multiple platforms full of Collectors move towards us.
The four of us make quick work of them. The scion near the end of the platforms takes my shields down, drenching me in the liquid from it. I can feel it trying to gnaw through my armor.
"Miranda, warp that fucking thing." I growl as I duck behind the cover in front of me and try to scrub the liquid off.
I feel my fingers burn as I touch the liquid. I quickly move my fingers over my omni-tool, pulling up a decontamination mini program.
Raphael throws the scion from the platform as the program washes away the liquid.
Serenity crouches beside me and administers medi-gel from the pack Mordin gave us. "Better?"
"Yes, thanks." I shake my head. "Is that the last of them?"
"All clear, Commander." Miranda says. "Ready when you two are."
"Let's go then." I say as I push away from my cover.
At the last platform, I move my fingers over the interface and follow the tubes further into the base.
"The tubes are feeding into some kind of super-structure." EDI observes. "It is emitting both organic and non-organic energy signatures. Given these readings, it must be massive."
My eyes widen as we near the super-structure. It looks like a Reaper.
"Roxanne. Raphael. If my calculations are correct, the super-structure… is a Reaper." EDI says.
"Not just any Reaper." I mutter.
"A human Reaper." Raphael adds on.
"Precisely." EDI says as the platform we're on connects to the three near the Reaper. "It appears the Collectors have processed tens of thousands of humans. Significantly more will be required to complete the Reaper."
"What do the Collectors gain by turning humans into this… Reaper shell?" I ask.
"They may be facilitating the Reaper equivalent of reproduction. Or it may serve another purpose. I do not have the data to speculate further." EDI says. "However, it is clear that the Collectors are merely pawns. The technology and ability needed to create this Reaper is not their own. It is likely that different species construct each Reaper. In this case, the Collectors provide the labor."
"The Collectors are just Protheans." Raphael says. "Why would they help the Reapers?"
"The Reapers beat down the Protheans long ago." I say. "These are not Protheans any longer."
"Probabilities suggest they attempted to create a Prothean Reaper. And failed." EDI says. "Over time, they adapted the Protheans to suit their needs. Changed them. Turned them into workers. Tools for the Reapers."
"Why does it look like a human?" Serenity asks.
"It appears that a Reaper's shape is based upon the species used to create it." EDI says.
"Reapers are machines." I say. "Well, according to Sovereign, they're machine and organic. Is that why they need humans? For the organic part of them?"
"Correct." EDI says. "Since Reapers are sapient constructs, they require organic and inorganic material. The exact construction methods are unclear, but it seems probable that the Reapers absorb the essence of a species; utilizing it in their reproduction process."
"How many more humans, EDI?" I ask.
"Millions. Perhaps more. Impossible to know for certain." EDI says. "This Reaper appears to be in a very early stage of development. An embryo in human terms."
"So it's not alive yet?" Raphael asks. "We can still stop it from being… created?"
"The process can be stopped, but it is unclear exactly how much it has developed. I cannot, for example, tell you if it has awareness." EDI says.
"It's too big for our guns." I say. "EDI, find us a way to blow this thing to Hell."
"The large tubes injecting the fluid are a weak structural link. Destroying them should cause the supports to collapse, and the Reaper to fall." EDI says.
"Give us a minute, EDI." I say as platforms of Collectors fly toward us. "We've got to take care of some old friends first."
The four of us make quick work of the Collectors, flinging them from the platform with our biotics.
"The tubes are vulnerable, Commanders!" Miranda shouts.
"Miranda, take the far left. Sen, the one beside that." Raphael glances at me. "I've got the one by its head on the right."
"Got it." I lift my pistol, aiming at the tube on the far right. "Ready? Fire!"
The four of us fire off a couple of shots, destroying every tube holding the fucker up.
The Reaper leans forward, mechanical noises coming from it as the points where the tubes held it up cause it to fall.
"Raphael Shepard to ground team." Raphael says into the comm. "Status report."
"It's Thane." Thane says into the comm. "We are holding, but they keep coming. A quick exit is preferable."
"Head to the Normandy. Joker- prep the engines." I say. "We're about to overload this place and blow it sky high."
"Roger that, Commander." Joker says.
I crouch near the reactor and pull it out
"Uh, Commanders?" Joker chuckles. "I've got an incoming signal from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through."
Miranda moves her hand over her omni-tool, pulling up a video call from the Illusive Man.
I stay crouched near the reactor as Raphael raises an eyebrow.
"Shepard." The Illusive Man says as he greets Raphael. "You've done the impossible."
"We're not finished yet, Lucey." I say. "This base is ten minutes from extinction."
"Wait." The Illusive Man says. "I have a better option. I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded. A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors, but leave the machinery and technology intact. This is our chance. They were building a Reaper. That knowledge- that framework- could save us."
"Are you fucking kidding?" I snarl as I turn to glare at him. "They liquefied people. Turned them into something horrible. This base is getting destroyed."
"Don't be short-sighted. Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them." The Illusive Man says.
"I'm not so sure." Miranda says. "Seeing it firsthand… using anything from this base seems like a betrayal."
"I second that." Serenity shakes her head. "This place is an abomination."
The Illusive Man turns to Miranda. "If we ignore this opportunity, that would be a betrayal and abomination."
Raphael glances at me as the Illusive Man turns back around to face us.
"They were working directly with the Collectors. Who knows what information is buried there? This base is a gift. We can't just destroy it." The Illusive Man glances between us. "I know you aren't as short-sighted as your sister, Commander."
"That's funny." Raphael rolls his eyes. "Don't know how many times I have to tell you. You don't know me."
"No matter what we 'could,'" I put my fingers up in quotations, anger in my tone, "find, it's not worth what they did here."
"Shepard," The Illusive Man turns to Raphael, "you died fighting for what you believed. Don't let your sister's short-sightedness get in the way of that. I brought you back to keep fighting. Some would say what we did to you was going too far. But look at all you've accomplished. I didn't discard you because I knew your value. Don't be so quick to discard this facility. Think of the potential."
The look of disgust on Miranda's face causes me to smirk. "This place will be blown sky high, Lucey. We don't need it."
"She's right." Raphael tilts his head. "Fear won't compromise who we are."
I chuckle as I turn back to the reactor.
"Miranda," The Illusive Man says, turning to her, "do not let them destroy this base!"
"Or what?" Miranda asks, disgust coating her voice. "You'll replace me next?"
"I gave you an order, Miranda!" The Illusive Man snarls.
"I noticed." Miranda says. "Consider this my resignation."
"Shepard!" The Illusive Man calls out. "Think about what's at stake. About everything Cerberus has done for you. You-"
Miranda presses a button on her omni-tool, cutting the Illusive Man off.
I chuckle as I place the disc on the reactor and program it. "Good one, Miranda. You're not half bad."
"How much longer?" Raphael asks.
I finish programming it and shove the reactor back in. "We've got maybe ten minutes before the reactor overloads and blows this whole station apart."
As soon as the words leave my mouth, the area starts to shake as if an earthquake is happening.
"Ah, fuck." I mutter as the half made Reaper pulls itself up from the depths it fell in.