Shepard put on a black suit, white shirt, and black shoes. The clothes were baggier than usual, and for a good reason.
"Hey, big guy." Haku said. "You'd better get out of this alive, or I'll kill you."
Shepard smiled. "I think Wrex said that once upon a time."
Michael walked into the room, looking pale.
"Worried, Mike?" Haku asked.
"A little." Michael admitted.
"Don't worry. I won't let you die." Haku patted Michael on the back, and color returned to his face.
"What are you talking about? I'm the one who's gonna save you." Michael smiled.
Shepard looked his pistol over.
"After this," Shepard said, "I'm not going to fight anymore. I'm just going to settle down and act like I should."
"Amen, John. I can call you John, right?" Haku asked.
"I believe our relationship is where you could even call me by a pet name," Shepard said, loading an Assault Rifle. "We're going to come out of this alive. The Illusive Man isn't. It's as simple as that."
"So much for big speeches." Michael rolled his eyes, grabbing two pistols. "I've been training, Shep. I hope you can shoot like you used to."
"Don't worry about me." Shepard said. "Old soldiers never go out of practice."
"I could tell." Michael said. "You need to duct tape Haku's mouth shut."
Haku blushed, and Shepard stepped forward, the door opening slowly. There, in front of them, were bright lights. Immediately, Shepard shot them, revealing five heavily-armed soldiers. The squad slid into cover, narrowly dodging an explosion. Shepard blind-fired, then tossed a grenade, killing two of the soldiers. Michael and Haku stood, firing quickly, and the others died.
"Go!" Shepard grunted, and ran forward. His squad followed when Michael noticed something.
"Run ahead!" Michael said, stopping and activating his omni-tool. "The shuttle doors are open! If I don't shut them, more will come."
"What if you can't shut them in time?" Haku asked.
"Then I'll be in heaven with a whole bunch of hot chicks," Michael chuckled nervously. "Now go ahead before I have to invoke the infamous anger of Michael Vega."
Haku nodded, and Shepard said "Good luck."
"I'm too good for luck, Shep." Michael smiled. Haku and Shepard left the room and, hearing boots coming for them, got into cover on the sides of the door. Shepard held up three fingers, and Haku nodded. Three seconds later, Shepard opened the door and the two blindfired in the hallway, killing the squad that had been sent to kill them. The two then ran through the door, into a dark room.
There, across the room, was a pair of familiar eyes. The Illusive Man lit a cigarette.
"Took you long enough." The Illusive Man said. "I've been following you every step. I've prepared for this."
"That's a bluff." Shepard said.
"Is it? Check Michael's vitals. I dare you." The Illusive Man said. Haku and Shepard wanted to, but they were afraid of what they'd see. "Face it, Shepard. Do you really want to kill me?"
"What I want doesn't matter anymore." Shepard said. "The galaxy will be a better place without you."
"Save it," The Illusive Man said, pulling a pistol out and unloading it into Shepard's chest. Shepard fell to the floor, his large body thumping against the floor.
"John!" Haku shouted, then pointed her assault rifle at the Illusive Man, crying. The Illusive Man walked forward, smirking, and reloaded his gun.
"It looks like I won in the end. There was no doubt, of course." The Illusive Man said. Then, suddenly, Shepard shot up, giving the Illusive Man an uppercut that sent him to the ground. Shepard immediately grabbed the Illusive Man's gun, sliding it across the floor.
"Good acting, Haku." Shepard said, taking his destroyed suit off. Under it, a set of armor was on Shepard, unharmed by the bullets. Shepard's shield began to recharge, and the Illusive Man glared.
"I hope you burn in hell." The Illusive Man said.
Shepard took his gun out. "I know you will."
Then, a single shot ended Shepard's seemingly-endless hunt.
"Yo, Shep, is he dead?" Michael asked.
Shepard took a photo of the body, sending it over the extranet. It would later be confirmed as real, and an extranet meme would grow where people would say they had killed the Illusive Man, not unlike a previous meme about the murder of a rapper in the nineties.
"Yes." Shepard said. "Let's go."