"So, Torchwood? What's it like?" James Vega asked the man opposite him in the cafeteria of the Alliance Headquarters in Vancouver. It was a nice view with a wide view of the skylines with many vehicles passing through inbetween the skyscrapers. It was pristine, clean and beautiful.
"Spetacular, we used to have this competitive rivalry with UNIT back before the Systems Alliance was formed and the two integrated." Captain Jack Harkness replied while dashingly smiling, "Shame about the Ice Warriors, the Protheans sent them on the run once they had wiped their planet."
James just shook his head, Martians? Yeah, right and the Reapers were real. The two of them had developed a sense of comradery which was founded on their mutual trust of Commander Shepard. James was glad that he wasn't the only one who trusted the Human Spectre. He wasn't sure if he believed what he said about the Reapers but the talk about the existence of Martians? That's just bullshit.
Still, he was still sure that Jack Harkness was checking him out, he was a sleeky bastard but a cool sleeky bastard if you get the idea. He was in a service uniform now while Vega still was dressed in his bunk shirt. It still was a good time to catch a break as it's been tense on the base for the last couple of hours. Something was apparently going on, that much was obvious.
"Did you know that people have the misconception that UNIT is the Military arm of Alliance Intelligence? In reality, the Alliance Intelligence and Alliance R&D are branches of UNIT." Jack inquired, seemingly at ease as he took a sip from his mug of coffee.
"No, I had no idea actually." James replied in all honesty. "Where does Torchwood really like though?" The misdirection which Harkness made didn't fly over his head, well almostly didn't fly over his head.
"I'm sorry James, that's classified." Jack answered, "What I can tell you though that we're monitoring threats to humanity and its allies. Believe me, there's a threat on the horizon to all of us." The way he spoke puzzled James. The implication wasn't lost to him, he was talking about the Reapers. If UNIT took Shepard's claims that seriously to consider it a threat. Then they've been fools of ignoring Shepard's warnings for the past three years.
Their Omni-tools chimmed with an alert. Jack was already skimming through the message before James could even check his. The cheerful disposition which Jack had earlier evaporated. "The defense committee is in an emergency session and wants to see Shepard ASAP." They both rose from their respective seats, lunch break was over for them. They left the Cafeteria in quick strides, there was a increased amount of tension in the air as they moved through the corridors. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry. They promtply arrived to Shepard's Quarters, they trusted him well enough to put him under house arrest instead of locking him up in a brig. He did turn himself in afterall and was capable of breaking himself out if he wanted to.
James stood attentively and saluted Shepard once he had entered the room. "Commander." He announced. The Human Spectre turned about, having been looking out the window with a datapad in hand.
"You're not supposed to call me that anymore, James." The Human Spectre said, briefly looking up from a datapad. His eyes set upon him once he spotted the salute.
"I'm not supposed to salute you either." James retorted, Shepard conceded with a nod. "We got to go, the defense committee wants to see you."
Shepard perked a brow, "Sounds important." he said as heeasily let go of the datapad upon the bed and followed James through the door. Once out in the hallway, Shepard noticed the increased pacing of the Alliance personnel. "What's going on?"
Jack Harkness whom had waited outside, and walked a few paces behind them spoke up. "We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol System." The answer made Shepard's expression to harden, glancing over his shoulder at Jack and nodded curtly as he followed James through the corridor. However it didn't take long for a familiar figure to meet them. A well-built black man in his late prime dressed in a pristine naval dress uniform with four golden stripes decorating each shoulder.
"Anderson." Shepard said in acknowledgement as they shook hands. Vega and Harkness saluted as per the military doctrine to address a superior officer with respect.
"You look good Shepard. Maybe a bit soft around the edges. How are you holding up after being relieved from duty?" Anderson said, a bit jovially.
"It's not so bad when you get used to the hot food and soft beds." He replied in good humor as they continued down the corridor.
"We'll get you sorted out." The Admiral replied with a faint smirk.
"What's going on? Why is everyone in such a hurry?"
"Admiral Hackett's mobilizing the fleets. I guess that word's reached Alliance Command. Something big is heading our way." Anderson answered, the tension in his tone was evidence enough for Shepard to know that something was up.
"The Reapers?" The question made Anderson stop in his stride and turn to face him. The tension was there alright, the jovial demeanor had changed to a more hardened disposition. It was mental preparation for the war to come.
"We don't know that, not for certain."
Shepard snorted, "What else could it be?" The question was valid, given the information they had. It was delusional to believe that something else other than the Reapers would be capable of severing the lines of communication from the Sol System to Arcturus Station and beyond.
"If I knew that—" The response was subtle enough, Anderson wasn't questioning that it was the Reapers. He was just dearly wishing it wasn't them.
"If it's the reapers then we're not ready for them. Not by a long shot." Anderson frowned as Shepard pressed his argument.
"Tell that to the defense committee." Anderson retorted, implying that Shepard didn't need to convince him. It was the Alliance Brass that he had to convince. They had started walking again, passing by a few clerks quickly skimming through their datapads. A few armed marines rushing to fortify choke points.
"Unless we plan to talk the reapers to death, the committee is a waste of time."
"They're just scared. None of them has seen what you've seen." Anderson replied, scowling at Jack as he exchanged a few words with a blond clerk whom blushed like a bride before striding off with a skip in her step. "You faced down to a reaper. Hell, you spoke to one then blew the damn thing up." Anderson continued, the tone in his voice was unmistakable. It was one of respect, of awe, of hope. "You've seen how they've harvested us, what they plan to do to us. You know more about this enemy than anyone."
"That why they grounded me? Took away my ship?" Sheppard snapped, some of his annoyance brought to the surface. They had stopped again in their path, the gleaming light of the sun shone upon them.
"You know that's not true." The response from Anderson was sharp, stern yet it was mild and considerate. A raised finger at him like if exaggerating a point. "When you blew the batarian relay, hundreds of thousands of batarians died."
"It was that or let the Reapers walk through our back door." He snapped back at Anderson, the reminder of how many lives had been lost because of him; over three hundred thousand batarians. They were all dead because of him and there was no excuse which would make up for what he've done.
"I know that, Shepard, so does the committee. If it wasn't for that, you'd had been court-martialed and left to rot in the brig." The reassuring tone of Anderson wasn't patronising or condescending. It was one of understanding of the guilt which was weighting him down.
"That, and your good word?" Shepard asked, the tension in his voice was evident. Not that he wasn't grateful, but he didn't deserve the special treatment. He would've to answer for his crimes, even if he was a Spectre.
"Yeah. I trust you, Shepard. And so does the committee."
"I'm just a soldier, Anderson. I'm no politician." Shepard argued, closely following his Anderson as they continued down the corridor towards the check point before the committee chambers.
"I don't need you to be either. I just need you to do whatever the hell it takes to stop the Reapers." The stern edge in his tone was one of a superior officer. Shepard couldn't argue with his logic, he was the First Human Spectre. He had more leway than any human had right to be. He knew that people looked up to him and saw as a hero, but he was still just a man. A red-headed clerk greeted them as they approached the check point. She was dressed in a blue naval service uniform and held a datapad. "They're expecting you two, Admiral." Her tone had been quite indifferent, cold and professional as they continued onwards.
"Good luck in there, Shepard." He and James shook hands while Jack gave him a reassuring smile. Shepard couldn't help but shake the feeling that despite the man's youthful appearance that he was older than he looked. That train of thought was interrupted once a familiar voice was heard.
"Anderson." That voice, his heart skipped a beat. He turned around to spot a woman dressed in blue armor emblazoned with insignia of the Systems Alliance Marine Corps. Ashley Williams still had her hair secured in a bun. They hadn't spoken since the aftermath of the Collector attack on Horizon. She had denied him her assistance when he asked for it, just because he was working with Cerberus to put a stop to the Collectors. They used to be in love, but the rejection didn't do him any favors. He put it behind to focus on the suicide mission through the Omega 4 relay.
His love for her had been firm, which was until Miranda Lawson thawed and ceased to be the Ice Queen he earlier knew. His thought process was interrupted when Ashley had turned towards him and said his name. "Shepard."
"Ashley." He replied, having mustered his confidence. He still had feelings for her but he couldn't act on those feelings. It was in the past.
"Lieutenant-Commander. How'd it go in there?" Anderson asked, gave Shepard time to collect himself.
"Shepard, I know it's a bit tough but right now. You got to focus." Jack Harkness whispered to him. Shepard knew that he was right. He could tell that his concern was genuine. Shepard had warmed up to the sleeky bastard whom somewhat reminded him a bit of the Illusive Man but with distinct differences in his demeanor and jovial nature. He still didn't trust him or Torchwood for that matter, however he didn't have the luxury to turn down help. Not with the Reapers right at their door.
"I can never tell with them. I'm just waiting for orders now."
Wait, Shepard caught up with Anderson had just said and snapped back to reality. "Lieutenant-Commander?"
Anderson glanced over at him, a perked brow. "You hadn't heard?" Evidently surprised that he hadn't heard of her promotion.
"No, I hadn't." Shepard responded curtly.
"Sorry, Shepard. It's been… well." Ashley said with a ghost of a smile. She still had feelings for him. He could tell by the way she subconciously fidgeted a bit. If he wasn't in another commitment, then he would've considered rekindled what they once had.
"It's okay, just glad that I bumped into you."
"Me too." She responded with a smile as the red-headed clerk returned as she motioned for Anderson and Shepard to come along with her as she called. "Admiral."
"Come on. You too Harkness." Anderson ordered, the two men followed the Admiral into the Committe Hall.
"You know the Commander?" James asked, the response was laced with sorrow and regret.
"I used to."
The Committe Chambers was pristine and in good condition, monitors on the wall and clerks going through various data through data-pads and omni-tools alike. At the far end sat the Admirals by an elevated desk facing them. The sun gleamed through the window behind them which only added to the prominence in their seats.
"Admiral Anderson. Shepard. Captain Harkness." Spoke the Admiral in the middle with a tone which carried weight and authority, Admiral Chen was in command of the Fourth Fleet which was orbiting Earth. To his left was Rear Admiral Fält, Head of Logistics for the Alliance Navy. Last but not least there was the head of UNIT to his right – Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart.
"What's the situation?" Shepard asked, there was no point in beating around the bush. The reapers were here and they might aswell cut to the case.
"We were hoping. That you would tell us." came the reply from Admiral Chen, the weariness in his voice was evident.
"The reports coming in are unlike anything we've seen. Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the sol relay." Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart added, out of all the Admirals present – she was the incarnation of self-control. A clerk handed Shepard a datapad which he skimmed through
"Whatever this is. It's incomprehensingly powerful." Admiral Fält continued, a sense of dread in his voice. Shepard looked up, the data was incontrovertible.
"You brought me here to confirm what you already know—" Shepard spoke as he looked up from the datapad. "The Reapers are here."
The whole hall fell silent, the clerk looked up from the monitors and other staff stopped in their track. All heads were turned towards him and Shepard knew that they were afraid.
"Then how do we stop them?" the voice of Admiral Fält broke the silence, the dread which was hinted was now more evident.
"Stop them? This isn't about strategy or tactics. This is about survival. The Reapers are more advanced than we are. More powerful. More intelligent. They don't fear us, and they'll never take pity on us."
"But… there must be some way." Admiral Fält continued, starting to lose his composure. Admiral Chen seemed more puzzled and in deeply in his own thoughts as his gaze was firmly set on him. Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart pursed her lips together, nodding for Shepard to continue.
"If we're to have chance of survival, we'll have to stand together." Shepard stated in a devoted determination.
"That's it? That's our plan?" The words blurted out of Admiral Chen's mouth in frustration. The tension hang in the air while a cough silenced them all.
"There are alternatives to consider." Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart spoke with everyone's attention firmly set on her. "In the Black Archives in London, we got a device which we can use to call for assistance from our most ancient and trusted ally."
Admiral Chen lofted a brow, "Our most ancient and trusted ally?" he replied sardonically. "Would you like to elaborate why this most ancient and trusted ally haven't aided us in the First Contact War or the Skyllian Blitz?"
"The Doctor isn't our babysitter." The curt reply silenced Admiral Chen. "We can't expect him to take care of all of our problems."
"The Doctor, Doctor Who?" Admiral Fält asked quizzically which Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart only answered with a smile which Shepard recognized as amusement.
"It's classified as per the Unified Secrecy Act, Admiral. We wouldn't want that information to fall into the hands of Cerberus." The Head of UNIT replied, the other Admirals reluctantly agreed with. Shepard could understand that they didn't like to be kept in the dark.
Admiral Anderson coughed, "Admirals, I think it's safe to say that Commander Shepard is free from all charges?" The three admirals turned their attention back to Shepard and Admiral Anderson and nodded.
"We've faith in Commander Shepard. Naturally a more thorough investigation will be conducted once the Reaper crisis is dealt with." Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart added, her eyes locking with Shepard's as she smiled before her eyes turned towards Jack Harkness. "Captain Harkness, you're to—"
However, before she could finish the sentence, the red-headed clerk interrupted dutifully but Shepard could tell that she was distressed. "Admirals, we've lost contact with Luna Base."
"The Moon, they couldn't be that close already."
"How'd they get past all of our defenses?" Admiral Fält uttered in disbelief. Admiral Chen narrowed his brows, his composure hardened.
"Sir, UK headquarters got a visual." The big screen changed and started to display the massive reaper in two kilometers height, who's blazing energy beams obliterated everything in its path. Holding the camera, an Alliance marine with a beret on his head looked a bit shock as he tried to show the footage but the signal was lost a few seconds after. The beam had incinerated him as well. Followed by that, footage from the Alliance News Network get caught in, displaying the horrors which occurred worldwide which got Jack Harkness' face to be wiped out as he said "Looks like the black archives are a no go."
Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart stared at the screen in disbelief herself, the first sign pass her composure. Shepard was fixated on it as well. Husks seemed to be crawling all over New York and the sky scrapers were falling apart.
"What do we do?" Admiral Fält spoke, his voice now seething with fear.
"The only thing we can, we fight or we die." The words were spoken firmly and with authority. They couldn't lose control now. There was no time to waste. War has come and there was no escape from it.
The admirals exchanged worried glances with one another, they nodded briefly in agreement while Anderson leaned in as to whisper into Shepard's ear. "We should get to the Normandy."
Then they heard it, like a crack of mechanical thunder and a big thud as a sovereign class Reaper descended from the sky and demolished the several blocks which was visible from the window. The Admirals turned around and stared in disbelief and horror. "Oh my god—"
The Reaper gave away a terrifying screeching sound as energy charged up in its red socket and unleashed an obliterating beam of destruction which continued to lay waste to the pavement, the park outside and the buildings with a clear intention of the target. Shepard shouted out "Move!" as he turned around with Anderson at his heels. Running away from the beam. What Shepard didn't expect was that Harkness was running towards the beam in a quick pace, vaulting the table as he proceeded to tackle Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart out of the way as the glass shattered and sent the admirals and the table flying. Getting caught in the blast instead of the Admiral.
Running for their lives as the tables flew over them and bounced over the door and blocked the doorway out of the hall, another beam was sent which sent Shepard flying to the wall. Hitting it dead on as he fell to the bench. Groaning and disorientated. Andersons' voice echoed in his eardrums which was banging like hell. "Shepard!" his eyes snapped open as he saw his mentor make his way to him. The once pristine service uniform was now ruined, covered with blood and concrete debris. "Shepard, come on get up."
He grabbed Shepard and pulled him up before handing him an M-3 Predator heavy pistol. "Here, take this." He turned around, making his way to the large cracked window. Barking an order. "We've to get moving."
"This is Admiral Anderson, report in anyone. Lieutenant-Commander is that you?" Anderson said, his finger against the earpiece plugged into his ear. Shepard was relieved that Ashley was alright while making his way through the debris towards Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart.
"What's your status?" asked Admiral Anderson over the com. Shepard gently reached out to assist Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart up on her feet. "I'm alright, thank you. Shepard." She said in a resolute manner before she got up to her feet. Shepard's gaze turned towards Jack Harkness who was caught dead on in the blast. While everyone else was terrified and ran for cover, he had run to save a life. That was courage beyond the call of duty. Shepard sighed, walking over to check on Jack Harkness and retrieve his dogtags. However, what he discovered amazed him. Harkness was still alive.
"I can't raise the Normandy. You'll have to find her. We'll meet you at the landing zone, Anderson out." Anderson's voice echoed in the. Jack was groaning, his blue naval service uniform in ruins, his skin now had a most gruesome complexion. Shepard didn't understand, how could Harkness still be breathing?
"That hurt like hell…" Jack cursed, he needed medical attention but they couldn't stay here. Shepard moved to lift up the man.
"Hold on, we'll get you to the Normady for medical attention. Admiral, you too." He commanded, an order which they complied with. Anderson took point as Lethbridge-Stewart watched the rear. Shepard, carrying the severely injured Jack Harkness out the window to behold the beautiful city of Vancouver to be caught in the terrors of war. No, the terrors of an interstellar harvest. All the while over his shoulder Shepard could hear Jack Harkness introducing himself to Admiral Lethbridge-Stewart in a cheesy way, ignoring the fact that he was badly injured. He was wrong when he thought that nothing could surprise him anymore.
…
Author's Note: There we are, people may have noticed the differences of this story and the last one. I would like to explain a few things. Firstly, yes this story features the 12th Doctor instead of the 11th. Secondly, I hit a writing block in my previous story due to me (stupidly enough) decided to add the Burning Legion into the whole mix. A mistake which will be avoided in this version. Thirdly, I would like to apologize in advance that like my other stories, the updates will be irregular. Finally, consider the cover image to be a placeholder since I no longer have access to image editing software.
Nevertheless, the game is afoot. The Reaper Wars has begun. Like in the previous story, "Miracle Day" never happened.
A friendly reminder that I appreciate any kind of constructive critic and suggestion which may improve the overall story. Furthermore, I wish you a grand morning, noon, afternoon or night whenever you've read through this chapter.