Shepard was laying there he did it he had opened the arms of the citadel, the crucible had made contact he felt like shit he heard hackett almost begging for Shepard to figure out why it wasn't firing then as he reached for the controls his body gave out and he fell unconscious but as he laid there he felt himself move while still holding on.
Soon he awoke looking around he woke up to see the most strange thing ever it was this become of energy and this boy made of energy had walked up to him getting to his feet he then heard the boy speak.
"Wake up, The citadel it's my home."
"Who are you?" Shepard was confused, maybe it was blood loss but none of this was making any sense at all.
"I am the catalyst."
"I thought the citadel was the catalyst?'
"No, the citadel is part of me."
"I need to stop the reapers. Do you know how to do that?"
"Perhaps they are my solution."
"Solution to what?"
"Chaos, the created will always rebel against their creators but we found a way to stop that a way to restore order."
"By wiping out organic life?"
"No we harvest advanced civilizations leaving the younger ones alone like how we left just as we left yours here."
"You killed the rest."
"We helped them ascend so they can make way for new life storing the old life in reaper form."
"I'd think we'd rather keep our own form" Shepard was more aggressive now realizing the situation and seeing the chaos and destruction created by the reapers in the so-called name of order.
"No!, you can't without us to stop it, synectics would destroy all organics we've created, so that never happens."
Shepard heard all he needed to hear this 'child' if he could call it that, was saying that everyone must die to keep some order intact but he wasn't going to lie down and let everyone who died for him to get here be for nothing. He started to remember his crewmates, those he lost who got him here Legion, Thane, Mordin, Miranda, Kaidan, Nyreen, Anderson Garrus, Tali, Wrex, Javik Grunt, Liara. They gave their lives to get Shepard here and was it worth it? He was faced with the choice of losing who he was and gaining control of the reapers, destroying himself and trusting the reapers to keep their end of the deal and synthetics with humanity and everything would be hunky dory or push away all these options and destroy all synthetics but that includes the geth, Edi and finally himself in a way.
"The paths are open but you have to choose."
As the boy finished what he said shepard heard as the floor raised up and gave him the 3 options, he walked forward unsure what he'd might pick his first reaction was to control the reapers and have them leave everyone alone and defend them incase of more reapers but he soon realized that if he'd do so he'd prove the illusive man right. If he destroyed it legion's and Edi's struggle to become human would mean nothing and they'd die. They did have a soul they deserved to live as much as someone with flesh and blood deserved it. Trusting the reapers to keep good on their word and have this perfect utopia was completely out of the question too; they'd lied to Saren, why not lie to Shepard now? He felt trapped; he controlled the entire universe's life in his hands and he had only 3 options. He stood there thinking and thinking what would be right for everyone, Shepard was an idealist and greedy; he always wanted the best for everyone even if it seemed completely out of the question but he'd get what he wanted in the end. But honestly all he wanted now was to try again, start all over and do it right, save everyone he could and prevent the reaper's being able to get to this point save the geth save legion's soul. As he thought this he heard something above him start to lower it looked to be stairs of pure white the boy of energy started to speak.
"This is not correct. The only options you organic's had was these Shepard do not go up those stairs."
Shepard looked to the boy the so-called catalyst and he thought about it whatever was up there would be better than what's down here so ignoring the boy he walked up the staircase leaving bits of blood following behind him until he reached the top in front of him was a door that opened to a room with a pure white box he walked closer and closer to it unsure what this was and as he stood maybe arm's length away from the box he heard a feminine voice boom from it.
"Shepard, I see your struggles and have given you a fourth choice, try again, return to the start, save those you could not save, defeat the reapers."
"W-who are you?"
"I am the queen of the reapers. I wished to end the cycle of reapers harvesting the organics but for bringing such an idea up I was sealed to the catalyst forever locked away to not taint other reapers but I still have the strength as their queen to give you this option. Please Commander Shepard save us all I can offer is this one chance after this I will die but you can fix our wrongs."
Shepard couldn't believe what he heard, try again? Return back? This was too good to believe but what other choice did he have? The other 3 were awful so taking one more look at the world around him and seeing the death and destruction he hardened his resolve and touched the white box.
"Thank you, commander, may fortune favor smile upon you."
Then as he heard those last words from the reaper queen he awoke he was in his room he checked his holopad it was the day that Shepard made his way on Eden prime for the first time he couldn't believe his eyes he'd actually done it he went back in time and now had the chance to fix his mistakes he knew what he had to do and headed to the docking bay where the Normandy laid in waiting besides it's never nice to be late on the first day.