He washed his face, then looked up at his reflection. For the first time in a while, he recognized the face looking back at him. There was still a hint of red light in his eyes, but the faintly glowing scars were all gone. Despite being technically not an officer anymore, he was once again in an alliance uniform.

Michael rubbed the back of his neck, then exited the refresher. His prison cell was a lot nicer than the usual fare. It resembled a small apartment with a decent view. He wasn't allowed to leave without Vega escorting him. Vega was enough like he'd been as a younger officer that he suspected Admiral Anderson had chosen the man as some sort of mild revenge.

Months, and without Samara's meditative teachings, he'd have broken out from sheer boredom. Visitors were also something he wasn't allowed, unless they were visiting in an official capacity. Wrex had managed to send him a letter by citing diplomatic privileges, but all the good parts had been censored.

Mostly he just wished he knew everyone was alright. Some he was sure about. Tali would be back with the migrant fleet. Garrus had said he was heading back to Turian space, which meant he was either fine or in a cell of his own. Wrex was looking out for Grunt. Legion, Liara, and Samara had their own duties. Jack and Thane were the ones he was most worried about. Thane was ill, and Jack was Jack. And, on occasion, he'd feel a small but annoying inkling of worry about Miranda and Jacob.

Hackett had let him know Kaidan was doing well, but since the man was on covert ops, even that much was technically information he wasn't allowed to know. The geezer would keep an eye on Kaidan. A small comfort, but a comfort.

The room was quiet. He started some light music, then went to the window. Outside, a kid was playing in his rooftop garden again. Michael had only a couple pictures of his cousin Samuel, but there seemed a resemblance there. It was a pleasant enough daydream, anyway.

Behind him, the door opened to reveal Vega. "Got an hour scheduled in the gym if you want, Commander."

"Sounds fun." Michael shrugged.

#

Answering the same questions over and over again was frustrating. Kaidan managed to keep his face calm. They wanted to know more about the Reapers. He'd told the same story a thousand times over the past six months. Frankly, if they wanted to know more, they should be talking to the man they held in custody here.

A small, nagging feeling of guilt tried to well up. He should talk to the man held in custody here. Despite the restrictions, he could have tried to see Michael. Except Michael could have contacted him as well before showing up on Earth to turn himself in and... No. He knew why Michael hadn't. Always the protector.

And he should pay attention to the questions. Good thing he could recite the answers by rout at this point. Kaidan sighed, then saluted when he was finally dismissed.

He smiled when he recognized the man walking toward him. "Anderson." Anderson's eyes flicked to the right, and Kaidan's gaze followed. A familiar figure was talking to a powerfully built soldier in a white shirt. "Michael."

Immediately, the man turned around. Somewhat to his surprise, Michael smiled. "Kaidan?"

There were a thousand things he wanted to say. None of them he wanted to say with an audience watching. Anderson saved him. "How'd it go in there, Major?"

"Okay, I think." It was hard to focus his gaze on Anderson with Michael approaching. The scars on his face and the Cerberus uniform were gone, like it really was Michael standing there. "Hard to know. I'm just waiting for orders now."

"Major?" Michael seemed surprised. Apparently, no one had filled him in.

"You hadn't heard?" Anderson glanced at Michael.

"No, I hadn't..." Michael shifted his weight, twitching his shoulder just a little.

That gesture made Kaidan want to smile. "Sorry, Michael, it's been..." He had no idea what to say. "Well..."

"That's okay." Michael nodded. "Just glad I bumped into you, Kaidan." Those pale blue eyes were locked onto his face.

"Yeah, me too." Fuck it. He'd call in whatever favor he needed to with Hackett. He and Michael needed to talk.

"Admiral." Another officer approached.

Anderson gestured for Michael to accompany him. Michael gave Kaidan another look before following Anderson, and Kaidan turned to watch him go. The large man who had been escorting Michael approached. "You know the Commander?"

There was a time he'd thought he'd known Michael better than anyone. "I used to." He watched until Michael and Anderson disappeared, then turned to the large man. "You're his guard?"

A chuckle came from the large man. "Lieutenant James Vega." He nodded. "Not sure if I'm supposed to be protecting him or protecting people from him."

"With the Commander, it's likely both." At least Vega looked like he could handle the task, and he and Michael had seemed cordial enough to each other. Vega had been around Michael a lot recently. "They'll be a while. Let's find a commissary."

#

Entering the council chamber stripped him of the good mood seeing Kaidan had put him in. "What's the situation?" Michael didn't bother to stand on ceremony. Since he wasn't an officer anymore, he no longer had to pretend to hold a respect he didn't feel.

"We were hoping you would tell us." He had. Again, and again, and again. And now, with the Reapers knocking on their door, they wanted to hear it yet again. "The reports coming in are unlike any we've ever seen." He looked down at the data pad. He'd seen it. "Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol Relay. Whatever this is, it's incomprehensibly powerful."

Fucking damn it. How many had already died while he'd been sitting on his ass in a cell? "You brought me here to tell you what you already know." He glared. "The Reapers are here."

They had the gall to look shocked by that news. "Then..." One of the council members spoke up. "How do we stop them?"

If they were here, it was already too late. He'd murdered three hundred thousand batarians to avoid this situation. "Stop them? This isn't about strategy or tactics." He shook his head. "This is about survival." Michael took a step forward. "The Reapers are more advanced that we are. More powerful. More intelligent. They don't fear us, and they'll never take pity on us."

"But..." She shook her own head. "There must be some way."

How long had it been since these people had been on a front line? Shanxi? A fight were their foes had long since become some of their best allies? "Each of us has to be willing to die to save humanity. Anything less..." The dead seemed to already stretch out further than the eye could see. Too well he remembered the ship full of harvesting pods. "And they've already won."

"That's it?" Another Alliance member gave him a disbelieving look. "That's our plan?"

This was Alliance top brass. Weren't they supposed to be the ones coming up with the plans? He was about to say something to that effect, and probably get smacked upside the head by Anderson, when an officer interrupted. "Admiral, we've lost contact with Luna Base."

#

"No, considering his reputation, he's been surprisingly cooperative." Vega shrugged. "I mean, there have been a few times I saw him wanting to smack a politician, but he never tried." Vega waved a hand. "Guy had his own super stealth warship. If he didn't want to be in custody, all he really had to do was not turn himself in. Whose dumb enough to try hunting Shepard?"

"You'd be surprised." Kaidan chuckled. Vega sounded like he had a small case of hero worship. His commanding officer was not going to be thrilled about that.

"Did he really take down a thresher maw on foot?" Vega tilted his head.

"Tali'Zorah sent me -" Something crashed, and then there was a chillingly familiar sound. A sound etched into his skull. Kaidan looked up to see a nightmare breaking through the clouds.

"Is that..." Vega stared.

"Come on." Kaidan started moving. If the Reapers were here, he knew exactly where he needed to be. "We've got to get to the Normandy."

#

Anderson gave him a hand back to his feet. Michael started looking around. There didn't appear to be any other survivors. Damn it. A good chuck of Alliance leadership wiped out without a fight. He clenched his fists. "Here, take this." Anderson handed him a gun. "We've got to get moving."

Michael checked one of the bleeding bodies. He'd warned them. Damn it, he'd warned them. Now the Reapers were here and all he had was a small sidearm. Anderson was on the comm. Michael didn't even have one of those. "This is Admiral Anderson. Report in. Anyone?" Michael was looking up when Anderson's next words took a huge weight from him. "Major Alenko, is that you? What's your status?" Anderson gestured for Michael to follow him to the broken window. "I can't raise the Normandy. You'll have to contact them. We'll meet you at the landing zone. Anderson out."

They exchanged a look, then jumped out of the shattered glass.

#

The Reapers were landing, and a private was arguing with them about authorization. Kaidan sighed, then flared his biotics. He picked up the private, moved the woman out of their way, and started for the Normandy. She made a squeaking sound before following them. "Sir, sir...!"

A familiar face was already in the ship. Another private was with Joker, clearly on guard. Joker blinked. "Major Alenko, I..."

"Get in the cockpit and prepare for takeoff." Kaidan nodded to him. Admiral Anderson was on his way, hopefully with Michael in tow. If not, the Normandy had best be ready to go get them.

"Major, that man is a prisoner. He's only on board the ship because -"

"Because he's the best pilot in the galaxy, knows this ship like the back of his hand..." Kaidan turned to stare at the private. "And on very rare occasions fate sides with us."

"Are we stealing the Normandy?" Joker gave him a hopeful look. "Again?"

"We're rendezvousing with Admiral Anderson." Kaidan shook his head. Joker actually looked disappointed as he turned and headed for the cockpit.

"We're supposed to be with the prisoner at all times." The private swallowed.

"Then help him prepare for takeoff." Kaidan nodded to her.

"Right." She ran after Joker and the other private.

"I'm supposed to be with Shepard at all times." Vega shrugged. When Kaidan glanced at him, Vega shrugged again. "Eh, figure he'll be along in a minute or two."

#

Michael bent, trying to coax the kid out of the duct. Close up, he really did look like that picture of Samuel. "Come on. You've got to get out of here." He reached a hand into the duct. "Take my hand."

"You can't help me."

Anderson's voice drew his attention away, and when he looked back, the kid had vanished. All he could do was hope the boy got to safety. He stood and followed Anderson. "This is a goddamned mess." Anderson kicked some debris out of his path. "Every minute these machines are here, thousands of innocent people die. I won't be responsible."

Too many had died already. "You're not responsible for the ones that die." Michael shoved some debris aside. "We fight for the ones left standing when it's all over." Hopefully, some would be.

"Yeah." Anderson sounded tired. "Maybe you're right." They kept moving. "They hit so fast..." Metal creaked, and they each had to lift it so the other could pass. "I thought we'd have more time."

Time was a luxury. Too much had been wasted already. "We knew they were coming."

"And they still just cut through our defenses." It took a moment to clear a path through the next part of the ruined building. He could hear faint screams in the distance. Nothing they could do for those ones now. "We need to go to the Citadel. Talk to the Council."

"The Citadel?" Michael shook his head. "The fight's here."

"It'll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself..." Anderson ducked under a burning girder. "The Reapers will destroy everything if we don't stop them." They started along a narrow ledge. "The council has to help us."

He'd heard that song before and didn't care for the refrain. "You sure about that?"

"No, but you're a Council Spectre, that has to count for something." The building shook, and Michael stumbled, nearly falling before Anderson caught him. "Gotcha."

"Thanks." Michael kept moving. "I owe you one."

Anderson gave him a pointed look. "More than one."

#

The ship rocked from a nearby hit. He watched the sensors. Admiral Anderson's voice came over the comm again. "Major Alenko, we're in sight of the spaceport. ETA: 3 minutes." We. Anderson had said we. Michael was with him.

"We've made it to the Normandy." It wasn't like the old Normandy. In the old Normandy, he'd be sliding into the copilot seat. Instead, he kept his weapon handy. "Taking heavy fire-" He caught a glimmer on the sensor. "Oh god." He gestured to Joker, who immediately started working the controls. "They're going to take down that dreadnought. Evasive maneuvers."

The comm crackled as Joker got the ship out of the way. "Too close." Joker continued working the control. "EDI, get our shields online."

"Yes, Joker." The computerized female voice came over the speaker.

Kaidan tried to raise Anderson again, but had no luck. More buildings were damaged. "Vega, be ready. We may have to pull them out of a fire fight." He checked his own rifle. "Keep scanning. They are somewhere nearby."

#

He wouldn't have thought it possible, but the Reapers had actually invented a whole new level of ugly. The thing looked like someone had melted together a several bodies. Michael shot the last one, then helped Anderson free the wounded man. "Come on." Anderson jerked his head. "Let's get to that gunship."

Michael gestured to Anderson, then led the way. As much as he knew Anderson was a capable combatant, the truth was Michael was considerably more durable and a better shot. They had to fight their way through a half dozen or so more of the grotesque things. Mentally, he started to keep score, then shook his head. No point without Garrus in the fight. Damn, but he wished Vakarian were here.

Anderson got to the radio. Michael picked up a rifle and took up a covering position. "Normandy, this is Anderson..." Anderson exhaled. "Do you read?"

Kaidan's voice came back over. He was relieved to hear it. "Admiral. What's your location?"

"By a downed gunship in the harbor. I'm activating its distress beacon." Ships were locked into combat all around them. The Alliance wasn't doing well. "Send support. We've got wounded down here."

The comm scrambled again, rendering whatever reply Kaidan made unintelligible. "Damn it." Anderson stood. "I lost the signal."

"Let's hope that beacon does its job." Kaidan was on the Normandy. Good. EDI would have no problem finding them.

"And fast..." Anderson pointed. "We've got company."

#

"There." Kaidan pointed at the sensor before gesturing to Vega. The big man followed him to the hatch of the ship, rifle ready.

"The cavalry has arrived." He heard Joker's voice over the comm as the ship fired.

A few moments later, the hatch opened, and he could see Michael and Anderson running toward them. Micheal leaped as soon as he reached the top of some debris. Almost instinctively, Kaidan reached out with his biotics to steady Michael as the man landed in the Normandy. "Welcome aboard."

"Thanks." Michael turned and fired his rifle at the last of the creatures moving below. "Come on." Anderson reached the top of the debris, then paused. Michael gestured to him.

Ambulance shuttles were starting to swoop in to help. Anderson watched them, then turned to look up at them. "I'm not going." When Michael started shaking his head, Anderson pointed back the way they'd come. "You saw those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader."

"We're in this fight together." Michael took a step like he was about to jump back out of the Normandy, and Kaidan mentally prepared his biotics to stop him if he tried.

"It's a fight we can't win. Not without help." Anderson took a step back. "We need every species and all their ships to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers." Anderson pointed at Michael. "Talk to the Council. Convince them to help us."

"What if they won't listen?"

"Then make them listen. Now go. That's an order."

"I don't take orders from you anymore, remember?" Michael shook his head.

Anderson removed a set of dog tags from his pocket, then threw them at Michael. "Consider yourself reinstated..." Michael caught them easily. "Commander." Michael looked down at the dog tags. "You know what you have to do."

Michael glanced briefly at him before looking back at Anderson. "I'll be back for you, and I'll bring every fleet I can." Michael started into the ship before glancing back at Anderson again. "Good luck."

"You too, Shepard." Anderson smiled.

Kaidan holstered his rifle as Michael came to stand next to him. Shoulder to shoulder they watch Anderson head back toward the soldiers still fighting. Kaidan started to turn back in as the hatch closed, but Michael was still watching something. Kaidan frowned but stayed where he was. Michael turned away as one of the ambulances was hit by a Reaper beam, and the man's shoulders visibly sunk. He touched Michael's arm as the hatch closed, and Michael nodded to him.

Together, they headed into the Normandy and away from Earth.