I'll Find You

Extraction

Miranda jerked in her seat as another Reaper blast collided. The Crucible returned fire in full, the turrets ripping apart the monster's armor and shielding. Geth fighter ships swooped towards the damaged Reaper and reduced it to floating junk. Her panel shrieked when five more Sovereign-class Reapers broke away from the Earth's orbit to engage them. Four quarian ships and eight Alliance dreadnaughts shot towards the approaching demon to hold it off. Miranda quickly gave orders to her crew to fire off the turrets to support them. As the ensigns scrambled to obey, Miranda brought up the galaxy map on her panel.

Ever since the Crucible activated, the battle had taken a much needed turn in their favor. From the reports she had received from the other ships, the Crucible had done far more than she hypothesized. Absorbing and reflecting Reaper energy had just been the start. The Crucible had disabled the Reaper's shields and degraded their armor to almost conventional levels. Their ships could now damage and destroy them without waiting for the Reapers to fire, costing them valuable ships and lives when the attacks failed. The Reapers were now somehow slower as well. Miranda theorized that the Crucible had scrambled the processing speed. It had only slowed them by only a few choice seconds but Miranda knew all too well that seconds were equivalent to hours in combat. In the time it took for the Reapers to make a turn or to return fire at them, their ships could hammer it down five times over.

Reports from the ground were a growing positive as well. Each Reaper destroyed was the destruction of the Reaper signal, which disabled the troop transporters and the processing pods. Better yet, the destruction of the signal nullified most husks and cannibals, giving the soldiers a stronger offensive push. Miranda wasn't an optimist in any sense of the word but even she had to admit that she could finally see some light at this end of this long nightmare filled tunnel. Yet, Miranda couldn't shake the feeling of something missing. Or rather someone.

"Ms Lawson!" ensign Charles called from his monitor, his voice pulling her out her brooding thoughts. "I've located Commander Shepard!"

"What!" She cried out far too loudly and with much more inflection than she intended.

"I said I've located Commander Shepard."

Miranda's heels hit the chrome floor like a snare drum as she made her way towards Charles' screen. "Explain," was all she could bring herself to say without exposing her emotional state.

"I don't really understand it myself ma'am," he said, bring up the Reaper code. "My best guess, the Crucible must have weakened the jamming signal that was blocking our communications. With it gone I've managed to zero in on the Commander's omni-tool. However, I can't establish a connection."

"It's better than where we were previously," Miranda said. "What his status?"

Charles bit his lips. "According to his metabolic scans….not well…."

"Where is he?" Miranda asked, the unintentional edge not leaving her voice.

"Nowhere on the Citadel I've been," Charles said as he brought up the map. "He's on one of the lowest levels, where only the keepers go."

"Is it accessible through the Crucible?"

"An access port can bring a squad of four there in approximately six minutes."

One glance at Shepard's vital signs told Miranda he didn't have six minutes. "Make it a squad of two."

"Understood ma'am, I'll contact Admiral Hackett to assemble the team."

"No, I'll assemble it myself; Hackett has enough to worry about."

"Ma'am I'm not sure if you're authorized to-" But Miranda was already at her console hailing Jacob's frequency. The comm. Channel buzzed several seconds longer than Miranda would have liked. In what seemed like two years, Jacob finally answered. He started a greeting but he barely got two syllables out before Miranda cut in.

"We've located Shepard," she said. "I'm sending you his location now, find another squad member and get to the access port."

"Does Hackett know about this?"

Miranda felt as though a small flare went off in her stomach at the question. Her hand slammed on the console keyboard before she could stop herself. "Damn it, this no time to be caught in procedure!"

Despite having a monitor and three lower decks between them, Jacob still flinched at her outburst. Whether or not that was worrisome was a matter for another time. Her hand passed over her forehead trying to ease whatever flare had set off in her. If she couldn't control herself crew morale and the mission would be in jeopardy. Miranda took a breath before facing Jacob, the flare died down but she could still feel it flickering within her, just waiting for another opportunity to go off.

"All right, I get it Miranda," Jacob said. "I'll find Shepard."

Miranda sighed. Whether out of relief or something else, she wasn't sure. "Thanks."

"I'll get one of my people to join up. We'll be at the access port in two minutes."

"Be sure to hurry," Miranda said. "And Jacob…."

"Yeah?"

She opened her mouth but the words were unwilling to move. In all honesty she didn't know what she wanted to say. Her eyes dropped down to her hands only to see that she had been unconsciously rubbing them against each other in the same manor Tali did. She bit her lip and had to nearly scream internally for the ability to speak to return.

"I…just…"

To his credit, Jacob managed to catch on to her meaning. "I'll bring him back to you. I give you my word as soldier."

"Thank you."

A curt nod from Jacob was all he needed to end the transmission. When his image faded, Miranda leaned against her seat as if she had just finished running another one of father's ridiculous endurance tests. She could feel another vein form on her brow and face for whatever reason was rather flush. She wanted to accredit it to the stress of the battle, but she knew the real reason, if her outbursts were any indication.

"Ms. Lawson!" ensign Charles exclaimed. "We have a situation!"

Miranda barely contained a groan. "What is it?"

"Harbinger has broken off from Earth's orbit! It's heading straight for us ma'am!"

In an instant, Miranda jolted out of her relaxed state and plunged back into her console screen. She brought up the galaxy map and sure enough Harbinger was approaching with several dozen Reapers at its flank. It must have realized the impact the Crucible had on the recent destruction of the Reapers and was ready to take out the source of their new strength. Miranda made a fist. Without the Crucible they would be lost. This needed every resource they had.

"Get me Admiral Hackett immediately!" she said.

"Yes ma'am!"

One last hurdle and this whole ordeal would be over.

Miranda could only hope she wouldn't be facing the end alone.

OOOOO

The smell of rotting and burning flesh was a smell a soldier could never forget. To describe it in words was a feat no language could accomplish. Jacob had known many soldiers, himself included, who would never be able to get the smell removed from their memories. But perhaps the most troubling truth of all was the fact that Jacob was slowly getting to used to it.

The depths of the Citadel looked more like a slaughter house than interlocking tunnels the keepers used to travel around the structure. Bodies of countless refuges were piled on top of each other, their blood and innards joining together in a crimson river that flowed down to the walkway. The keepers moved through the bodies with a disturbing precision, carrying the corpses between different piles while running scans. In the back of his mind, Jacob wondered if this was true function of the keepers.

Jacob must have kept his gaze longer than he expected when his partner Hendricks nudged him. "How can you even look at this…..abomination…?"

Jacob glanced at him, noticing the trail of bile on the corner of his mouth. "Compared to what went on at Eden Prime and the Collector Base, this almost merciful," he said finally turning away. "Almost."

"Let's just find the Commander and get out here," the young soldier said. "This place is giving me the creeps."

"Agreed." He activated the comm channel on his onmi-tool. "We're in position Archer, how far are we from Shepard?"

"Continue down your current path and he should be near the control panel," the doctor said.

"Understood, keep this channel open and let us know about any developments on your end."

"Rodger that."

"Let's move out."

They moved at a swift but careful pace. Jacob took point with Hendricks keeping an eye on the rear and Archer warning them of any keeper movement. It wasn't a perfect squad in any sense of the word. Hendricks was one of the few Cerberus escapees who could handle a gun but he still required much more training and conditioning. Too often his aim was off and he had a tendency to panic. But he always had good intentions and would never leave a squad mate behind no matter how scared he was.

Gavin Archer was another story. Jacob would have sooner put the bullet Shepard promised him in his torso than have him join his people. But between Brynn's insistence and Archer's regret for Project Overlord, Jacob really couldn't say no and leave him to the Cerberus assassins. It's what Shepard would do, he thought. Archer had insisted on being their mission control for this assignment. In his words, saving the man who saved David was very least he could do in repentance. Jacob was in no position to say otherwise. But he had told Brynn to keep an eye on the doctor.

"You should be approaching the control panel now," Archer said.

An easy climb up a ramp brought them to the control panel and within sight of three bodies. The first was the Illusive Man. The exit wound in his temple made it clear as to how he died. Jacob scoffed, a feeling of disappointment rising in him. Suicide, the coward's way out, and far too easy a death for all the bad karma he'd built up over the years. But maybe in a way it exposed him to what he truly was underneath all that human supremacy bullshit, just a coward who had surrounded himself with cheap words.

"Jacob!" Hendricks called. "It's Anderson and Shepard!"

Jacob rushed over to the rookie's side. Anderson sat upright, a gunshot wound in his torso and countless other wounds dotted his body. His dipped head, closed eyes, and peaceful expression could easily be mistaken for slumber. But there was no denying the lack of pulse or heartbeat. Jacob could only hang his head and say a brief prayer for the deceased. He hadn't been acquainted with the admiral personally, but he knew about his struggles to bring the message of the Reapers to the public. And that the man never wavered in his support for Shepard or his principles. If there ever was a true champion of humanity, David Anderson had been it.

"Hendricks, is Shepard breathing?"

"Barely," Hendricks replied. "It's bad Jacob…"

"Shepard! Shepard!" he said, shaking the commander. "It's Jacob, come on, we have to get you out of here. Come on Shepard, don't do this!"

"Jacob… I think he's-,"

"Medi-gel, now!"

Hendricks passed his omni-tool over the commander's mangled body. The rookie had been right, it didn't look good at all. The salve closed a good portion of Shepard's wounds but that was only part of the equation. Jacob pressed his fingers on the commander's neck. A pulse welcomed him, but it was slow and only getting slower.

"Grab an arm rookie; we're getting him out of here!"

Jacob just barely took a step when the entire floor shook below him. The sudden motion startled the keepers into hiding and brought Jacob down to his knees. The former marine groaned and checked to see if both Shepard and Hendricks were all right.

"Archer," he called. "What the hell was that?"

"A…complication…" the doctor said. "Harbinger has caught on to the Crucible and is currently engaged with the main fleet. And to make matters worse, it has dispatched several ground troops to your location."

Jacob growled. Nothing was ever easy. "Looks like we'll be seeing some action after all Hendricks. Grab the commander and follow me, we need to get as close to the access port as we can before those Reaper troops hit us."

The rookie slung Shepard on his shoulders and gave Jacob a nod. The two dashed down the ramp, their guns drawn and eyes peeled. Jacob only wished they could bring Anderson's body back with them too. Hopefully they would return. If not…he had a promise to fulfill for Miranda first and foremost.

They didn't get far before Jacob heard an all too familiar sound. The zombie-like cry that announced the arrival of the husks, which made Jacob halt their advance. Before he could signal for cover, he saw them climb up the pillars like a swarm of cockroaches. There had to be at least twenty of them in all. Their out of sync moaning and groaning converged into an unsettling chorus that echoed through the chamber.

Jacob drew his pistol and with four shots took down three still climbing the pillar. But the rest climbed onto the platform and made their signature mad dash towards him. The former operative quickly switched to his shotgun. The moment it had extended to its full size, the chamber echoed with sounds of his shells striking the vermin. By the time he needed to reload, nine laid dead, but their brethren only passed over them.

Three jumped the distance between them. Jacob rolled forward and whipped out his pistol. As the creatures turned around they were met with shots between their eyes. But the movement had cost him his footing, making him vulnerable to the hoards of husks that remained. Jacob scrambled to his feet as seven more husks rushed towards him. Six wild shots from Hendricks only hit two in their arms and didn't slow them down at all.

An azure aura flared around Jacob as he activated his biotics. A blast of blue energy surrounded the charging monsters, making them as weightless as paper in the wind. A simple gesture from Jacob made them fly in his direction and smash against the pillars and walls. Still more made their way across the platform.

Azure blue surrounded Jacob and solidified around his body. The shield monitor on his jumpsuit confirmed that his barrier had fired correctly. The moment he looked up a husk filled his field of vision. Instinctively Jacob held up his shotgun, catching its first two swipes. The operative slammed his knee into the creature's torso and smashed the butt of his shotgun into its face. The moment it fell five more rushed to take its place and his barrier didn't protect against melee attacks. They wouldn't be getting anywhere this way.

"Hendricks!" he shouted as he emptied six more shells into the creatures. "Throw a charge at the pipes!"

The rookie fired off another wild shot that only caused a husk to limp. "What!"

"Just do it damn it!"

"If you say so!" The rookie fumbled with his gun and Shepard on his shoulders as he tried to pull out his supply of grenades. Meanwhile the husks were only increasing in number while Jacob's thermal clips were dropping. Another biotic pull cleared the path of another eight husks. But more only climbed up the pillars.

"Hurry up damn it!"

"I got it!" he announced holding up the charge. "Get clear!"

Jacob fired off one last round before sprinting towards the rookie. The husks followed full force. The entire swarm almost took up the entire walkway. Jacob nodded and Hendricks hurled the charge at the pristine white pipes above. Only a few seconds later an explosion nearly deafened Jacob as it echoed through the small chamber. The pipes dropped like a cave-in, crushing all husks dumb enough to be under it and blocking whatever husks had yet to cross. When the smoke cleared only a pile of rubble remained.

Jacob allowed himself a sigh of relief. But they weren't done just yet.

"Good thinking," Hendricks said.

Jacob waved off the rookie. "Compliment me when we get out of here."

"Right…"

"Archer, this way is a no go. Is there any other way back to the access port?"

"Double back to the control panel and take the pathway on the left. It should take you to the south entrance."

"All right, contact Miranda and tell her to send an access port there."

"I hope this is our only detour," Hendricks said as he fell into step with Jacob. "I don't think the commander will be able to last for long."

"Don't say that!" Jacob barked. "Shepard is no weakling. If anyone can pull through it'll be him."

"O-of course."

Jacob sighed and could only hope Shepard didn't make him a liar.

Thankfully it didn't take long for them to double back and redirect their exit. But the new direction didn't change the scenery at all. The pathway was still overflowing with corpses. Jacob had to stop himself from looking at them for too long lest he recognize some of them. Instead he looked over his shotgun. He only had enough thermal clips for 12 shots, 30 for his pistol. Not much but with any luck the path before them would be a straight shot. If not….

At the end of the walkway, Jacob could see the access port extend towards the chamber. He had to give it to Miranda; even in the Alliance she could get fast results.

"Jacob, the commander needs another dose of medi-gel," Hendricks said.

"Come on Shepard, stay with us. Just a few more steps," he said, applying the salve. "We still need to spill some drinks together remember?

A soft groan escaped the commander's lips. Jacob wanted to believe he heard him on some level but there was no way to be sure without a proper doctor.

"Jacob! Are you there Jacob! Come in!" Archer's hasty voice shouted.

Jacob already knew the news wouldn't be good. "Another complication, Archer?"

"They're heading you're way!"

"How? We blocked the last passage, how can they-."

A loud shrill shriek was his answer. Jacob could only watch as a banshee floated up onto the platform with over thirty cannibals being carried within its biotic shield. The banshee dropped them onto the platform with another shriek before firing a blast of biotic energy.

"Hendricks, down!" he shouted. The rookie just barely escaped the path of the blast by taking cover behind a nearby pillar. Jacob rolled behind a nearby platform and fired at least ten shots from his pistol. The hunchbacks of the cannibals made for good targets. The monsters took notice of him and focused their fire towards his position. Hendricks attacked with a few shots that managed to take down two cannibals but they were the least of their problems. The banshee's shrill cry sounded off as it fired another blast.

Jacob activated another biotic pull, clearing at least eight cannibals. But the rest only increased their fire. Hendricks hurled another charge into the fray. The brief but powerful explosion took out another eight or nine but they didn't seem to notice. After a few more bursts of fire, Jacob was out of thermal clips for his pistol. The former operative quickly switched to his shotgun.

"Damn it Archer!" he yelled into his comm. "Isn't there any other way off this heap?"

"I'm sorry but no! You've got to make this one work, Jacob!"

Jacob lit up the dark corridor with several shotgun blasts but before long it was nearly empty. "Isn't there anything else you can do?!"

"I'm trying but-! My God….Jacob be alert there's more coming on your flank!"

"What!"

As if on cue another shrill cry sounded. The banshee emerged from around the corner, blasts already firing. Jacob rolled out of the way and fired off a shot. The attack struck the former asari's armored skin but had no real effect. Behind him, shots from the cannibals slammed against his shields, weakening them every second. Jacob activated his barrier to give him some time but the banshee set off an explosion of biotic energy that tore apart his defense. The soldier stumbled back, defenseless as the cannibals shots pounded against his exposed back. Hendricks set down the commander and attempted cover fire.

Jacob made a dash for the platform. But before he knew it, another blast knocked his legs from under him. It felt as if he had just been hit by 24 bats at the same time. The soldier could only groan as the banshee grabbed him by his neck and hoisted him up, shrieking the entire time. Hendricks fired at the creature but the shots that landed didn't even phase it. A mere sweep of its hand knocked the rookie against the far wall. He slumped down an unconscious heap.

His vision blurred and Jacob could barely feel below his neck. His ears were overwhelmed by the banshee's shrieks. The monster raised its sharp talons over his torso. Jacob couldn't find the strength to resist. Brynn, his child, Miranda, he would never see them again. The soldier managed to get one last look at Shepard. At least he wouldn't be alone at the bar.

The banshee pulled back its arm and thrust its talons towards him. But over its shrieking, Jacob managed to hear the sound of a shotgun going off. In an instant the monster's head was nothing but a collection of destroyed flesh and innards. Another shotgun blast tore through its body, sending packets of skin flying onto Jacob's jumpsuit. An extremely powerful pair of hands ripped Jacob away from the crumpling creature and slung him onto its shoulders, all the while firing at the remaining cannibals.

Jacob shook his head trying to figure out what had just happened. His rescuer placed him next to the unconscious Hendricks and Shepard before engaging the cannibals with an all too familiar laugh.

"Heh heh heh….Reaper tech or not, these asari are just way too squishy for fights," he heard his rescuer say to no one.

Jacob's eyesight began to clear and he saw who he owed his life to. The sliver armor and lizard-like features being dead giveaways.

"G-Grunt?" Jacob managed over the sounds of the krogan's assault rifle. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The krogan let out a triumphant laugh as he dropped another ten cannibals, before offering his hand. "Saving your sorry ass Jacob, what's it look like?"

Jacob smirked and took his former teammate's hand. In a single tug, he was back on his feet. He didn't have his gun but he wasn't out of the fight yet.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet," the tank-born said. He turned to Shepard and Hendricks. "I'll grab Shepard, you take this young one."

Jacob complied. "What are you planning to do?"

Grunt slung Shepard over his shoulder. "Bust out of here. Stay close…if you can."

"Grunt there's a banshee out there! How are you going to deal with that?"

"The way I deal with most things…plow through it!"

With a savage roar, Grunt vaulted over cover and plunged head first into the fray. He swung his short arm like a club knocking cannibals off the walkway. Shots from the remaining monsters rained down on Grunt but other than making him flinch they didn't bother the charging krogan. Seconds later Grunt paid them back in full with shots of his Claymore. Eight more converged upon him trying hold him for the banshee to attack but Grunt broke through them like a wall made of plaster. The moment he emerged he was greeted by a biotic blast from the banshee. The krogan slid back and took a knee, his blood already oozing out from his new wound. A growl escaped his lips as the banshee continued to shriek.

"You want to play you over-sized varren?" Grunt muttered. "Fine, let's play!"

The two creatures sounded off with their respective roars before closing the distance. Blasts continued to pound Grunt but the tank-bred kept charging. His Claymore tore through the banshee's barrier in only three shots but the monster didn't seem fazed either. The banshee pulled back its arm for another attack, but Grunt made his move. He sprang forward, plunging his shoulder deep into the creature's chest cavity. Grunt's sheer weight and momentum was enough to knock it off its feet and fly back several yards. The banshee cried out as it struggled to right itself. Grunt let out his signature laugh before retrieving his Claymore and thrusting the muzzle into the creature's mouth.

"Shut up." A single pull of his trigger and the inner materials of the banshee's brain sprayed across the floor. "Jacob! You still alive back there?"

Jacob shook his head at the carnage before him. He had seen Grunt in action during the Collector mission but new born krogan back then was nothing compared to matured and vicious krogan before him. But then on Tuchanka it was either improve or die, he figured. As they made their way into the access port, Jacob could only be grateful that he could call this force of destruction a friend.

AN: Sorry for the delay, I took some time off to play through the Extended Cut. I thought it was ok…much better than the original ending but I still felt it was lacking. I really don't see why they couldn't just add in a cut scene where Shepard is reunited with his love interest. Honestly that's all I wanted. Maybe they'll add more, who knows. Anyways this chapter was my first gun battle fight sequence. I hope I did ok. If not let me know how I can improve. Also hope no one was too OOC. More to come soon.