VII

After a long march through numerous walkways, geth, and krogan, Elena and her team finally reached the spot where the nuke was going to be set.

"All right," Joker said. "Nice work. That's one less thing to worry about. Commander, I'm bringing us in. I'll get as close to the sight as I can."

They all kept an eye out for any enemies that might be stupid enough to pop up while listening for the sound of the Normandy's powerful engines. Fortunately, no enemies dared stepped out into the open if they had been hiding at all. Elena saw a small black speck high in the sky. Then the small speck quickly grew into the colossal Normandy as it descended downward. Soon enough, Elena saw Ashley and another member of the Normandy crew carrying the nuke. At first glance, it didn't look like a bomb, it looked more like an oversized mushroom. But she knew the power that was contained inside it.

Elena followed Ashley and the crewmember to the precise spot where the nuke would be placed. Once it was set down, Ashley opened the comm. to let everyone know the bomb was just about ready.

Static filled Elena's ear. "Commander, do you read me?"

"The nuke is almost ready, lieutenant," Elena responded. "Get to the rendezvous point."

"Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We've taken heavy casualties. At this rate, we won't be able to make it in time."

"Hold on! We're coming to getcha."

"It's too hot! You can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long as we-"

Ashley noted the concerned look on the Commander's face. "It's okay, Commander. I need a couple of minutes to finish arming the nuke. Go get them and meet me back here."

She nodded. "Up to the AA tower. Move!"

Elena chose to take Wrex and Garrus with her to the AA tower. They had to get pass a krogan warlord and his krogan warriors in order to reach the elevator that would take them up to the tower. After dealing with the krogan, they entered the elevator. When it took them up, they headed out. Unfortunately, they saw a geth ship heading for the area where they had just come from.

Damn it! Elena thought. That's where Ashley is.

Kaidan's voice gave voice to her thoughts. "Chief. We just spotted a geth ship inbound to your location."

"It's already here. It's bleeding geth all over the bomb site," Ashley said.

"Can you hold them off?" Elena asked.

"There's too many! I don't think we can hold them! I'm activating the nuke."

"What the hell do you think you are doing, Chief?"

"Making sure this nuke goes off. No matter what." There was a pause. "It's done, Commander. Get the lieutenant and get the hell out of here."

"Belay that." Kaidan urged. "We can take care of ourselves. Go back and get Williams."

Elena's heart beat faster as a chill went up her spine. The realization that she would have to leave one of her own team members behind to die didn't seem real to her. Suddenly, the memories of Akuze played out in her head. The night sky was filled with twinkling stars. The base camp was silent with most of the marines asleep. Elena was one of the marines that stayed awake to help patrol the area. All of a sudden, the ground beneath them shook vigorously. Then giant Thresher Maws burst out from under the ground and attacked. The marines that weren't quick enough to get up from their slumber were taken first, screaming as they were dragged to a horrible death under the soil. Elena fired or threw grenades at the Maws that kept on grabbing the marines. The ones that put up a fight were either taken like most or slaughtered by the Maws' claws. The once peaceful night now turned into a night filled with the blood-curdling screams of the marines while their blood painted the dirt.

Elena gasped and regained her focus when she felt something on her shoulder. She looked back to see Garrus. She knew by the look on his face that he understood her struggle.

"We're running out of time," he said softly.

She took a deep breath. "...Alenko, radio Joker and tell him to meet us on the AA tower."

"Yes, Commander, I-I..."

"You know it's the right choice, LT," Ashley said.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Ash," Elena said. "I had to make a choice."

"I understand, Commander. I don't regret a thing."

Elena stood there in silence for a moment. Then she tightened her hands into fists. Saren's going to regret all he's done. She boldly turned to Garrus and Wrex. "Let's go. I refuse to let Ashley's sacrifice go to waste."

Elena fired her assault rifle at a geth that foolishly had its back turned to her. Then she struck another one before putting rounds through its flashlight head. Garrus sniped geth shock troopers that were near a fuel tank. Wrex activated his barrier before engaging a geth destroyer with his shotgun. When the fighting slowed down, Elena was almost hit by a biotic attack. She jerked her gun around to find the being responsible. The being responsible was Saren.

He flew down toward them on a hover board while firing biotic attacks at Elena and her team. They withdrew to find some cover. While running back, Elena returned fire at Saren. She leapt when one of his biotic attacks was close to hitting her. Then she slammed her back to a pile of fortified crates that provided cover from Saren.

Saren leapt off his hover board to engage her directly who soon came out of cover and shot him a few times.

"Damn!" she cursed when she saw that her fire was deflected by his shield.

"This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard. The geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. Of course, it was all for not. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what is at stake."

"This isn't complicated. You'll do anything to get power. Even joining with the Reapers!"

"You've seen the visions from the beacons. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. An entire race wiped out. But what if they had bowed before the Reapers? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?"

"Do you honestly believe those machines will let us live?"

When Saren mentioned not talking to the Council about the Reapers and Sovereign, Garrus reasoned that if they didn't believe Shepard's word why would they listen to Saren. Then again, they had doubted her action and word since the beginning. He was glad, however, when they made her a Spectre. He had total confidence in her. She would be a better Spectre than Saren ever was.

Meanwhile, Elena wished that Saren could hear himself talk right now. No matter how he put it, allying with the Reapers meant ever being would just be a tool. She had to shake her head at him. He foolishly thought that a research facility could protect him from being manipulated by Soveriegn.

"Saren, you are just like every poor bastard in this place. A tool to be used and discarded."

"I've analyzed the effects of indoctrination. The more control Soveriegn exerts, the less capable the subject becomes. That is my saving grace."

Did he just say 'saving grace'? Elena thought. Reaper and 'saving grace' do not belong in the same sentence.

"...My mind is still my own...for now."

'For now' are key words, she thought. Saren should really hear himself talk. To him, joining the Reapers is salvation, which is not. However, he does admit that joining the Reapers means that all organic life would become slaves. I would rather die fighting than bend-over-backwards for those killing machines. "Saren, can't you get it through your thick skull that you are already under Sovereign's power!"

"No! Soveriegn needs me. If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."

For a quick moment, Elena thought she heard pain or fright in his voice. "Can't you see that you are just a tool to Soveriegn? In the end, it'll discard you just like it'll discard everyone else."

"Do you think you can sway me, Shepard?"

No, she is trying to knock some sense into you, Garrus thought.

"Sovereign is a machine. It thinks like a machine. If I can prove my worth, I become a source worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion."

"You were a Spectre! You swore to defend the galaxy. But you broke that vow to save your own sorry ass!"

"I'm not doing this for myself. Don't you see? Sovereign will succeed. It's inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive. I'm forging an alliance between us and the Reapers-organics and machines. In doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed. But you would undo my work. You would-" A sniper rifle round suddenly hit him from the side. He jerked his head to see Garrus aiming his sniper rifle at him.

"I've heard enough of your lip, Spectre," he said, spitting the word 'Spectre' out.

Saren charged up a biotic attack. Elena sprinted up from her hiding spot. When Saren fired his biotic at Garrus, she tackled him in order to shove him out of the way.

"Garrus, what the hell were you thinking?" Elena snapped.

"'There wasn't time to think. I just reacted'," he said quoting himself after Shepard had helped him save Dr. Michel.

She scowled at him, but her expression soon softened. Then she hugged him tightly. "Don't do that again," she said softly. Then she got up and sprinted out of cover.

For a second, Garrus basked in the aftermath of her brief touch. Then he got up off the ground and joined Shepard and Wrex's fight against Saren who was back on his hover board.

Garrus used his electronics to overload Saren's shield. As soon as his shields were down, Wrex used warp. Elena fired her assault rifle at him. Saren fired his weapon at Wrex who put up his shields just in time. Seeing as firing at the krogan was useless, he fired at Elena. Garrus dashed toward her and, when Saren fired, he took the bullet.

"Garrus!" she cried. She kneeled down to check while Wrex kept Saren occupied.

"I'm fine," he moaned. "He only shot my leg."

Elena tightened her fist. "Don't scare me like that."

"Sorry." He moaned as he tried to move his leg. "Don't worry about me. Go after Saren."

"I...I..." She turned her head when she saw Wrex getting knocked back by Saren's biotics. The sight of Saren hurting everyone she cared for pissed her off. She slammed her fist on the ground before standing up.

Saren approached the downed krogan as he charged his attack.

"Hey Saren!" Elena shouted. "You son of bitch! Leave my squad alone." She fired her rifle.

Saren jerked around to engage her. When he glowed blue, he swept his arm out, knocking her down with his biotics. Then he angrily tossed his weapon aside. Elena looked around to see her squad trying to get up. Before she knew it, Saren grabbed her by the neck, sweeping her up off the ground. She now hung beyond the tower's edge.

As he continued his attempt to stand up, Garrus saw Shepard in danger.

"Shepard," he gasped.

Elena struggled to get out of Saren's grasp, but his grip tightened. Things were getting blurry when the building's alarm went off. The alarm had distracted him thereby loosening his grip on her neck. She tightened her hand into a fist. Then she delivered a blow to his face when he had turned his head around to her. The blow caused him to let go of her. Luckily, she didn't fall off the edge. Saren got back onto his hover board as Elena retrieved her pistol and aimed it at him.

Each exchanged a glare before they directed their attention elsewhere.

Elena put her pistol away as the Normandy flew over them. Then she picked up her rifle she had dropped when Saren picked her up by the neck. She ran toward Wrex to see if he was all right. No surprise, he was. He may be a little sore, but he was krogan who were known to be robust. A moan made her heart drop.

"Garrus," she gasped. "Wrex! Help me with Garrus." When she found him, she took his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "You didn't have to take that bullet for me, Garrus. You know that."

He chuckled. "And risk losing our commanding officer, I don't think so ma'am."

"Garrus..." she whispered.

"A few slabs of med-gel and the turian should be fine," Wrex said as he took Garrus' other arm.

"I'm not too worried." She looked at Garrus. "Should I?"

Garrus shook his head. Then Elena and Wrex helped Garrus back onto the ship.

Before meeting the rest of the crew in the debriefing room, Elena took Garrus to the med-bay. He had protested the whole way there, but she simply ignored him. Once he was settled in, she made her way to the room. When she arrived, she took a seat.

"I...I can't believe Ash didn't make it," Kaidan said. "How could we just leave her down there?"

"Williams knew the risk going in. She gave her life to save the rest of us."

"But why me? Why not her?"

"It wasn't your call, Alenko. I had to chose. I chose you."

"But if I had simply done my job, you wouldn't have had to make that call."

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't my fault. The one to blame here is Saren."

"Yes ma'am. I-We'll get it done."

"Commander?" Liara said. "Excuse me for interrupting, but I have an idea. I think the beacon you found in Saren's base is similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. It may have filled the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all the pieces together."

In truth, Elena really didn't like joining minds with Liara. It wasn't Liara herself, it was the fact that they seemed to enhance the intenseness and vividness of the her nightmares. Because of that, she hadn't gotten much sleep. Regardless, she would still do it due to its significance.

"Go ahead, Liara."

Elena and Liara walked toward each other until they were only a few inches away from one another.

"Relax, Commander," Liara said.

Elena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Embrace eternity!"

The recognizable images flashed in Elena's mind. They were clearer and made more sense now that she understood what they represented. The story they told. The last image, which was Sovereign or simply a Reaper, caused her to have a small adrenaline rush. She opened her eyes when she heard Liara speak, exhaustion clear in her voice.

"Incredible. I...I never thought the images would be so...intense. I need a moment to collect myself."

"Did the vision make any sense to you?" Elena asked.

"It's a distress call. A message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but it came too late."

"What about the Conduit?"

"There were other images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research..." Liara thought about all the places she had come across during her researching of the Protheans. Suddenly, the images she had seen in the vision and the places she came across in her research had 'created' a match. "Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos! That is why Saren needed to find the Mu Relay. It is the only way to get to Ilos."

"We need to get to Ilos," Elena said.

"Forget it," Tali said. "The Mu Relay's inside the Terminus System. Neither Alliance ships nor Spectres are welcomed there."

"The Conduit is on Ilos. That's where Saren's headed. I'll be there to give him and his geth buddies a warm welcome."

"But Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos. You won't make it down to the surface without reinforcements. You must alert the Council. We need a fleet to-ohh..." Liara sighed. "I'm sorry. The joining is...exhausting. I should go to the medical bay and lie down for a moment."

Elena nodded. "We're done here. Crew dismissed."

"Commander, there's a comm. buoy nearby," Joker said over the room's comm. speakers "I can link us in if you want to report back to the Citadel Council. You know, to warn them about Sovereign."

She took a deep breath. She already had an idea what the Council was going to say. But maybe they would change their minds and finally take her word for it. Only one way to find out...

"Set the link up, Joker. They need to know."

"Patching it through."

"Commander Shepard. I'm pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success," the Asari Councilor said.

At a cost, Elena thought as she thought of Ashley.

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of krogan serving under him," the Turian Councilor said.

"The krogan would've served Soveriegn," Elena said. "A Reaper"

"Yes...," the Salarian Councilor began.

Oh, you've got to be kidding me, she thought, her blood beginning to boil.

"...We saw mention of this on your report. Sovereign. A sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming...if it turns out to be accurate."

No way... "Soveriegn is real! The Reapers are real! Saren even admitted it."

"He's playing you, Shepard!" the Turian Councilor said. "Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports. The ones talking about your vision. And the Reapers."

...no way...

"It's highly possible Saren is using false information to throw you off balance," the Salarian Councilor said. "Our own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information."

...no freakin way! "I tried to warn you about Saren! You didn't believe then and look how that turned out."

"I believe you humans have a saying: 'Even a broken clock is right twice a day.'"

Oh. That's. It. She glared at the turian. "Screw you, Councilor."

"Maybe we were wrong about you, Shepard. Maybe humans are-"

"Aw, looks like we lost the signal, Joker."

"Understood, Commander," Joker said before disconnecting the Council.

For a moment, Elena simply stood there with both of her hands clenched into fists. Each shook with agitation. She jerked around and headed out of the room. She slowed to a halt as she got closer to the door. Then she slammed her fist against the wall.

"Shepard?"

Elena looked up to see Garrus.

"Oh, Garrus" she said, running her free hand over her face, "I didn't hear you come in."

"Yes. It seems that I missed the mission's debriefing."

"Um..." She took a deep breath to get rid of her anger as well as calm down. She stood up straight before speaking. "We were able to find the Conduit's location. It's on Ilos. We're going back to the Citadel to maybe get some reinforcements from the Council." Her anger returned when she thought about the Council.

Garrus took notice. "Are you all right?"

Elena simply looked at him. She slowly walked up to him. Then she put her hand on the side of his face.

Garrus' heart began to race. He tried to control his breathing.

"Garrus...please excuse me...I...I need to take care of some things." She then put her hand down and walked out of the room without another word.

After talking to the crew, especially Kaidan, Wrex, and Kirrahe, Elena went to Normandy's Galaxy Map to plot a course to the Citadel. Suddenly, Joker's voice was heard over the comm.

"I forwarded the mission update to the Citadel, Commander. We got conformation on those reinforcements. Ambassador Udina wants us to report back to the Citadel. The Council is massing a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his geth."

What a freakin miracle, the Council is actually stepping up, she thought. "It took them long enough. Back to the Citadel, Joker! I want the Normandy at the head of that fleet!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

As she walked up the stairs that would take her to the Council, Elena remained in control of her emotions. She not only had to look presentable in front of her two crew members-Kaidan and Tali-but also to the ambassador. When she stood next to the ambassador, she quietly took a deep breath.

"Good job, Shepard," Udina said. "Thanks to you, the Council is finally taking real action against Saren!"

"The ambassador is correct," the Asari Councilor said. "If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel-as you believe-we will be ready for him."

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus System," the Turian Councilor said, pride and confidence plain in his voice.

The Citadel? What about Ilos? Elena thought. "But Saren is on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now! What are you doing about that?"

"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus System, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war," the Salarian Councilor explained.

"However, Councilor, one ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war," Elena retorted. "I can be discreet."

"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire," the Turian Councilor snapped back. "I wouldn't call that discreet!"

I would so like to see his ass out on the front lines, Elena thought. With the way the Council kisses each other's asses, they would've had no problem with him doing it. "If Saren finds the Conduit, we're all screwed! We have to go to Ilos!"

"Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn't willing to let this go."

Udina scowled at the Commander. "There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity's made great gains thanks to you. But you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"You bastard!" Kaidan shouted. "You're selling us out!"

Elena's heart drop as her blood boiled again.

"It's just politics, Commander," Udina said with an almost cocky tone and attitude. "You've done your job, now let me do mine. We've locked down all the Normandy's primary systems. Until further notice, you're grounded."

"Nobody stabs me in the back Udina!" she said stabbing her finger at him. "Nobody!"

"I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you..."

The hell it doesn't! she wanted to shout.

"...The Council can handle this. With my help, of course."

Fools! she thought while walking away. All of you!

When Elena returned to the Normandy, she explained to the crew to not worry about it and enjoy a little down time at the Citadel. When Joker had noticed something unusual about the Commander, he asked if she was okay. She told him everything was fine. Then she went to her quarters to finish some paperwork. Her pity party began soon after.

She locked herself in her quarters. She had been in there for almost an hour. But after all that had happened, she simply wanted to be alone. She had chosen to save Kaidan, but she had lost a very good and loyal soldier in the process. Ambassador Udina had backstabbed her when he had the Normandy grounded. And after all she'd done, the Council still didn't believe her when she warned them about the Reapers. It just wasn't fair. She felt that her whole world was coming apart and falling down on her.

She sighed as she sat on the edge of her bed. She ran her fingers through her hair before covering her face with them. She simply thought about her current situation and how to get back in the game. She then heard someone at her door.

"Shepard?"

She recognized the voice. "Garrus?"

"I just want to come and see if you are all right."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? If you want to talk about it, you can always come to me."

"Thanks, Garrus, but I just need some time alone."

"But-"

"Please...just leave me alone."

Outside her door, Garrus sighed and, reluctantly, complied. "Yes ma'am. I'll be down in engineering if you need anything."

Inside her room, Elena sighed and sat up to allow only a few tears to spill out. What was she doing? She pushed away the one person-turian-she cared about most. For a moment, she stopped thinking about the bad things that happened and, instead, altered them toward Garrus. She remembered when her feelings for him first emerged. It was when she met him in the Citadel Tower.

"Commander Shepard. Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-sec investigation into Saren."

"Sounded like you really want to bring him down."

"I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way. But he's a Spectre everything he touches is classified. I couldn't find any hard evidence."

"I think the Council is ready for us, Commander," Kaidan said.

"Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."

"Thanks," she said.

Garrus bowed his head in respect. She proceeded to the Tower when she accidently bumped into him. Time seemed to slow down for her. He looked into her eyes and then...

A smile appeared on her face when she thought about the look he had gave her with his deep, intense blue-gray eyes. They were so beautiful. His graceful and sturdy build was a turn on for her. She admitted that she was excited when he became a part of her crew. When she talked to him, she noticed that he wanted to get things done fast. She giggled when she remembered Harkin calling him a 'hot head.' Then tears fell down again.

Garrus had had her back ever since the beginning. He was one of her most loyal and courteous crew members. She treated every crew member with equal respect and attention, but Garrus was an exception. There was something about him that kept drawing her to him. Her heart had fluttered when he had confessed his feelings for her.

She wiping her tears away and ran her fingers through her hair once more. Then she got off her bed and headed down to engineering.

The elevator slowly opened. She looked up, seeing the entire engineering room completely empty...almost. She saw Garrus working on the Mako as he always had since she recruited him. She smiled and, with silent, careful steps, she walked to him. Once she was close, she wrapped her arms around his waist. Then she rested her head on his back.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Garrus gently took hold of her arms and pulled them away from his waist, only to bring them back around when he turned around and faced her. "For what?"

She shrugged. "Just...I don't know...just-"

He put a finger to her mouth to close it. He shook his head. "Don't be."

She embraced him tightly and allowed her tears to fall.

"It's all right, Shepard. Everything is going to be fine."

"Why do I not feel that way than?"

"I wish I could tell you. All I know is that you'll get us through this, I believe in you."

She moaned and rested her head on his chest. Then she carefully hit his chest with her fist. "Why won't they listen to me, Garrus? After everything I've done, they still have their heads up their asses."

"I know they do," he said with a quiet chuckle. "They're stubborn beings who will never change, no matter how hard anyone tries to persuade or push them. To me, the smartest move they've ever made was making you a Spectre. You did exactly as they asked and more."

She smiled. "You are too kind."

"Just stating the facts."

For a long, quiet moment, they held each other closely in their embrace. The thought of letting go never crossed their minds. They cherished every second that passed by them. Eventually, Elena sighed and slowly, but only slightly released Garrus. They looked at each other, but the gaze held more meaning than it appeared. They weren't so much looking into each other's eyes, more like they were looking into each other's souls. Garrus smiled and leaned closer to her as she leaned closer to him. They were only a few inches away from each other's mouths when Joker interrupted.

"Sorry to interrupt, Commander, I got a message from Captain Anderson," he said over the ship's speakers.

Elena moaned and let her head fall down on Garrus' chest.

"Damn it!" she cursed quietly.

Garrus chuckled.

"What did he want?" she asked, embracing Garrus.

"He said to meet him at Flux. The club in the Upper Wards."

"Well, I guess you better get going," Garrus said.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Just because I have to leave, doesn't mean I'm leaving you here." She walked away while taking hold of his hand and taking him to the elevator.

While on their way to meet Captain Anderson at Flux, Shepard and Garrus ran into Wrex. He asked where they were going. She explained that they were going to meet Captain Anderson. He came along with them because he was getting bored. Shepard had to laugh because, she guessed, he had gotten so used to the fighting and the action of hunting Saren that the Citadel seemed too quiet and boring for him. Soon after, they arrived at Flux.

Shepard scanned the bar for the captain. She found him sitting at a table near the far end of the room. She walked toward him and then she took a seat.

"I'm glad you made it, Shepard," Anderson said.

"Normandy's been grounded," Shepard explained.

Anderson's expression on his face grew soft. "I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. Shepard, I know you're pissed right now, but you can't give up. They think it's over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit."

"There's just one problem with that. There's only one ship that can get me in the Terminus System undetected and she's grounded."

"Citadel control locked down all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the Ambassador's orders, we can get the Normandy back online. You can be in the Terminus System before anyone knows you're gone."

"If we steal the Normandy, you're the one left holding the bag."

"And if Saren finds and uses the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us, humans, asari, everybody, you're the only one who can stop him. So I'll do whatever I can to help you get off this station."

"But stealing the Normandy is mutiny. What if the crew won't help me?"

"The Normandy is your ship now. Her crew will follow you to the ends of the galaxy. We both know that."

Shepard thought about her crew and their loyalty to her. They had been faithful to her this far. Everyone was devoted to her, especially one certain turian. A thrill of excitement and content flowed through her body. She looked back at Garrus and Wrex. They both nodded to her, but Garrus smiled while nodding his head. She smiled and nodded her head, turning her attention back to the captain.

"I won't forget this, Captain. I promise."

Anderson smiled. "All right. I can unlock the Normandy in one of the Citadel's control centers. You'll only have a few minutes before any one realizes what happened."

"That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards," Garrus said, unexpectedly giving voice to Shepard's thoughts. "How are you going to get in?"

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when her systems come back online."

"No, Captain," she said. "You're going to get yourself killed. I'm not going to have you die just to save my ass. There has to be another way."

"Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, maybe I can override it."

"He's not going to let walk into his office and use his computer," Wrex said.

"Hopefully, he's not."

"But what if he is in there?" Shepard asked.

"I'll just think of something."

"The Ambassador won't let this slide, Captain," Garrus said. "You'll be charged with treason, a capital offense."

"He has a point, Captain," Shepard said.

"At this point, we don't have a lot options right now. I either break into the Ambassador's office to use his computer or I take my chances will the patrol in Citadel control."

Shepard pondered and examined every bit of information involved in the conversation. Then she got up from her seat, making a decision.

"You'll have a better chance with the Ambassador's computer. Plus, it is less dangerous."

"I was hoping you would say that. He made this personal. You ready to get the hell off this station, Commander?"

A devilish smile appeared on her face. "Let's do it."

"I'll take care of the lockdown. You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand-by."

Elena turned to her Garrus and Wrex. "Let's go."

They nodded and followed her lead back to the Normandy. As they were walking back, she contacted Joker.

"Joker, tell everyone to get their asses back to the Normandy now. There's been a change in plans."

Elena was anxious and jumpy ever since she had returned to the ship. Everyone had made it back in a quick amount of time. Now, all she had to do was wait for the red light on the Normandy's console to turn green.

Come on, Captain, she thought. For her, the tension of waiting was so thick, it could probably be cut with a knife. She saw Joker take a look at her from his seat. She simply looked at him before returning her gaze back to the red light. Then it happened-the red light turned green. She tapped Joker's shoulder. "Let's go. Get us out of here, Joker. Now!"

Once the Normandy was released, Joker sped the ship out of the docking bay, far beyond the Citadel, and headed for Ilos to stop Saren once and for all.