Face It

Unleash

Inside there is a fire. It does not need fuel. It does not need energy. All it needs is itself. It will carry. It will maintain. It will thrive. More importantly, it exists. Inside there is a monster. It does not need a target. It does not need food. All it needs is itself. It will run. It will wait. It will grow. More to the point, it is real.

Some people recognized this fire, this monster. Some did not. Those who chose to ignore the monster got eaten. Those who chose to pretend the fire didn't exist got burned. Most didn't recover. Scars were left. Scars could heal as much as they wanted. But they never went away. Never really got better. You never forgot them.

For those that chose to acknowledge, there were another two routes to go. You could acknowledge. That's not enough, of course. One had to acknowledge. One had to control. Elsewise, be controlled. There was no other option.

Heroes could be made by controlling this fire, this monster. They learned to control themselves. Or at least, the dark part where the fire-monster lived. The knew how the chains worked, what you could release and when. When it was a good idea to fight on your own, or to let go of reality on the whole. Those times were few and far between, of course. But they happened.

Tragedies were made when you knew the fire-monster was inside you, but you chose to roll with the punches. To not really take responsibility for the fire-monster. Those people were quite the time bomb. They could never tell when the fire-monster was close to breaking free of its not-so-permanent bonds. People died.

The key to success, was finding that fire. Finding where your monster lived. Then, making sure it stayed there and only came out when you wanted it to. When you were in command, it was your job to do that for other people. It wasn't entirely fair, of course. Because your leaders didn't do that for you. You had to find it on your own. It had been dangerous. But you had to find it out for other people, because if you didn't, people died.

Shepard was good at finding fire-monsters. She was very familiar with them. There was an understanding between Shepard and fire-monsters. She knew what they needed- only themselves. You didn't need to add wood or prey, but point them in the right direction. The monsters understood that Shepard had uses for them, and that she had a long list of people to send them after. They liked direction. They liked destruction. She was quite capable of providing it, as long as they did what she asked.

Many people knew/saw/felt/heard her change on the battlefield. She was a force, no doubt. There had to be something that could stop her. Something stronger than death. Perhaps her own fire-monsters were afraid of her. She'd never explained exactly what they were, but everyone had a general grasp of her intentions. She didn't play around when it came to survival. Nothing was more important to her when she was fighting than getting through it alive.

Garrus couldn't remember the first time he saw it. That small change in her stance. There was fights where she could keep conversation. She could laugh, though stay focused. Then there were times, like with Saren, where she said nothing. It was dead silent, save the gunshots and the biotics. The light in her eyes burned. Someone didn't look into them without knowing she's different...or at least, she wasn't there. There was...another person in her eyes. Her body language changed. Many a doctor had tried to explain it.

They reached no conclusion. No matter how much they tried- they did not see multiple personalities. They did not see problems. She was her, in control as long as they could watch her. So they could do nothing to stop her.

Inside of everyone, there is a fire. It needs direction. It needs to destroy. It needs Shepard.

Inside of every soldier, there is a monster. It needs direction. It needs to destroy. It needs Shepard.

There must always be a Shepard.

There must always be a monster.

The only difference, between acknowledgment or ignorance, control or controlled, is how you unleash your fire-monster. Whether you unleash it, or it unleashes you.

Someone, must come out.

A/N: I quite like this chapter. I think it's pretty interesting. Well, anyways. Happy Labor Day. (For which purpose I do not know. Thank you union workers? White collar people? Thanks for all of the people who, ah... work? In all sincerity... Thanks.((Gosh, I'm stupid...don't even know what I'm celebrating..)))

Have a happy Monday if you don't celebrate Labor Day. I will not be in school. Enjoy your day as much as me. xD