The ground raced below him as he sailed through the air. Shepard was dimly aware of the sensation of flying when all of a sudden he hit the ground hard, the impact expelling the air from his lungs. He coughed and groaned as he lay on the smooth metal surface, still trying to recover from his experience.

His skin was prickling, when he had touched the beam it had felt like every fiber of his body was on fire. He had tried to scream but his mouth could not make a sound as he was already away by that point. The trip was instantaneous but it still felt like a lifetime as he slightly curled into a fetal position, trying to mentally will his pain away.

"Shepard," came a voice in his ear.

He racked a horrible cough as he somehow found the strength to lift his body with his arms. His muscles burned, his vision blurry, and on top of that, he felt like his head was going to explode from the pressure that was building up inside it.

"Shepard," the voice said more insistently.

He slowly sat himself up so that he was situated on his knees, dust falling from his body. Now that he was upright, he started to look around the room he had been unceremoniously flung into.

The entire room was tinted red, the contours most likely built for the keepers. In fact, one was situated in the corner right now, working around a mound of something unintelligible at the moment. The keeper paid him no mind, they were exceedingly simple creatures like that. Shepard turned his head to the side and stopped when his gaze fell upon a nearby pile.

Bodies. Bodies of humans were strung around the room. All were in various states of decay, many missing limbs. The entire floor was soaked in blood and the stench was overpowering. Shepard's eyes widened as he slowly got to his feet and looked away but everywhere he looked, there were a set of empty eyes staring at him, silently begging.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Shepard spoke raggedly, "Anderson, you up here too?"

"Yeah," came the tired reply. "But I couldn't stay in my position, I didn't know if it was safe. Did you make it over here all right?"

Shepard started to walk forward as the other man spoke but growled as the pain in his side blazed, it felt like somebody was sticking a spear into him. He clutched his wound as the blood coursed through his fingers.

"Not exactly," he gritted. "But I'm moving. That should be enough."

"What's your surrounding look like?"

Shepard forced himself to glance around the room again as he continued to limp. His foot stumbled across a severed arm and he winced as he spoke, "It's dark…there's human remains scattered."

"Sounds familiar," Anderson said. "Reminds me of your description of the Collector base. I'm in a dark hallway right now as well. Don't know what's up ahead."

Shepard took the time to stop in his tracks, despite the horrors the room held as he was reminded of that miserable place, "Makes sense."

"You think they're building a Reaper in here?"

"Sure. They round them up on Earth…then send them up here to be processed. It's the safest place they could go."

"Goddamn abomination," Anderson hissed. "I'm going to keep moving. The sooner we blow these bastards back to hell, the better."

"Docking protocol received," EDI's voice flittered over the intercom. "Med team standing by for extraction."

The shuttle passed through the gravity barriers of the Normandy with ease as it proceeded to set itself down in the middle of the bay, rather than its usual spot. Cortez, extracting himself from the pilot's chair, keyed the door control and went to the seating area to unbuckle Garrus from his straps. He looked over at the opposite side and saw Tali, arms holding her legs as she drew herself close. There was something in Cortez that melded with her at that moment, he knew what it was like to lose a loved one and he felt Tali's pain in that moment.

Dr. Chakwas was outside the door at the time, James Vega and Kaiden Alenko with a stretcher. They strode into the craft and gently lifted the turian onto it, who opened his eyes with a laugh.

"Vega, you bastard. What are you doing here?"

"Things got too hot, compadre," the soldier said firmly. "We were airlifted out by Joker when everything started to go south."

"But…" Garrus gritted. "The mission. Shepard. Did he make it?"

Vega slowly shook his head, "I…don't know, man. I just…I don't know."

Chakwas then strode forward, "Medbay, now. We need to set his leg before an infection can take hold."

"Wait," Garrus held up a hand while lying down. "Where's Tali?"

Cortez sighed, "I'll go get her. She will probably need treatment after what's happened."

Getting a nod of approval from everyone around, he walked back into the craft where Tali was still sitting in her same position. He gently sat down beside her and brought his arms under hers, lifting her up.

"Come on, Tali," he soothed. "We have to go."

She sniffled, her visor tilting away from him as he tried to comfort her. Cortez frowned, the poor woman was clearly miserable.

"Tali, please," he beckoned. "We need to go now."

"He…" she mumbled, not listening. "He said…that he loved me. He never said that before…"

Cortez did not have an answer for her as he carefully brought her to her feet and started to lead her out the door, where Garrus was still waiting for the quarian to exit. Her head drooped down in a sign of despair. Her tears had run dry at this point, she could no longer cry for him.

It was so unfair. Why now? Why did he have to go now? If he truly loved her, why didn't he stay? Her frail body trembled as her mind sought for answers she could not grasp. There was nothing that anyone could say to comfort her, only Shepard could do that.

Cortez's hands were now firmly planted on her shoulders, leading her towards the group. As Tali was walking, she turned to face the human.

"C-Cortez?"

"Yes, Tali?"

"You once told me about the man you loved…Robert. You said that…that he'd ordered you away. Why did you not go back for him?"

Cortez sighed, he hated reopening this wound in his life, but he reasoned that it would help Tali cope. If it made her feel better then it could bring some perspective into his own life choices, "He told me…that he didn't want me to die for him. He…wanted me to live, to carry on his memory. For years I told myself that I made the wrong choice, but…I know that this is what he would have wanted. For me to live in his stead."

Tali's body relaxed in his arms as she comprehended the meaning of his words. She turned around to address him, helmet tilting up as she whispered, "Then…you're a stronger person than I ever will be."

He was about to ask what that meant when suddenly, out of nowhere, a purple fist impacted with his jaw and he fell to the ground, unconscious. The poor man never knew what had happened in that moment as Tali wheeled back towards the shuttle.

"Tali!" Garrus cried, rolling off the stretcher to land heavily on his side, much to Vega and Alenko's shock. The turian started to crawl on all fours to reach the shuttle before standing in an awkward limp, "Tali, no! Don't do it!" He reached the door of the craft but she had already locked it. He banged on it with his fists, praying that she would acknowledge him.

As if on cue, her voice flittered through his comm, "I can't leave him, Garrus. I can't stay here knowing that he could be in danger…that he could be hurt."

"Tali…" Garrus pleaded. "He wouldn't want you to risk your life like this. Please, stop this."

There was a roar as the thrusters to the Kodiak came online. The boxy craft started to hover in place as Tali fiddled with the controls, "I don't care what he would want, you bosh'tet! I need him and I will never forgive myself if I don't go back for him."

"You can't just go out in the middle of a battlefield!"

"Watch me."

Before the turian could utter another word of protest, the shuttle pulsed and screamed out of the cargo bay, leaving everyone behind completely stunned. Tali, banking the craft to the side, programmed the Citadel as her coordinates. A few tears were running down her face but she didn't care. Shepard was in danger and she had to be there.

The Kodiak flittered in space, nimble fingers adjusting the craft to the proper orientation. Tali spun past a piece of wreckage as she determinedly gripped the console. Her eyes squinted as she fought to remain undetected in the debris field, silent as a ghost.

A Reaper oculus passed her by and she immediately keyed the weapons controls, sending it to the side as molten slag impacted with its outer armor. She fired methodically, breathing slow and steady as she continued to propel the craft forward.

There was no stopping her now as death and destruction rained around her. Her set course was locked, she was committed.

I'm coming, John.

Shepard had now neared the far side of the room during the conversation. When he reached what looked like a dead end, the wall suddenly split apart to reveal a walkway that extended over a chasm.

"Doesn't look like any part of the Citadel I've been to," he murmured to himself. He proceeded on, looking on either side of the rift. Electricity sparked between paneling on the ends of the long room. Much to his surprise, a few of the walls started to move back and forth with the current, shifting with a faint whirr.

"Hold on," he heard Anderson's voice in his ear. "There's something up ahead. A control panel, maybe?"

"Don't go too far ahead of me," Shepard breathed.

"I'm just going to go on to check-" the man's voice was suddenly cut off by a burst of static as Shepard neared a ramp. Weary, the man keyed the comm again.

"Anderson?" No response, "Dammit!"

He had reached the ramp by now and grumbled as his feet adjusted to the new gradient. Trying not to fall back over, he gingerly stepped up the smooth surface until he reached the apex of his climb. He could hear the sparking of lightning, there was a hint of ozone in the air. Reaching the top, he saw the outline of a man, bathed in an orange light as he stood in front of a control panel. The panel itself was situated on the end of a circular platform, overlooking the grid of the Citadel itself, titans above the masses. Situated above the platform was an intricate structure that expelled electricity and a faint metallic groan as the entire thing adjusted. This was something none of them had seen before.

Relief in his bones, Shepard approached the admiral from behind until a brief presence fluttered through his mind. As soon as his consciousness touched the figure, he realized with certainty what was happening. Black tendrils were now pulsing across his vision, constricting him as his muscles seized, unable to move, nerves flaring uselessly as they acted of their own accord. There was nothing he could do, he was stuck in this position. What was happening?

"An…Anderson…" Shepard groaned.

The admiral was now stepping away from the holographic console backwards. His limbs were jerky, his entire body seemingly fighting an unseen enemy. He turned around to face the commander, face in a position of shock.

"Shepard…I c-can't…" he managed before his eyes widened. "Behind you…"

"I underestimated you, Shepard," came a new voice in the direction that Anderson was looking. He knew who it was as the silky, hardened sound came across his ears. He tried to turn his head, to witness his addressor but the tendrils made any movement impossible.

Such action was unnecessary as the Illusive Man strode into his field of view, smirking as he beheld his two captives. Shepard could now finally see, in the flesh, the man who had tormented him for the past few months. The man who played god while the galaxy crumbled around him.

That man was far different from when Shepard last saw him. His face was a ruin, large portions of his skin had turned black and withered away entirely, as if diseased. Underneath, he could see the faint lines of blue circuitry running along his neck and up his jaw. The man's artificially blue eyes now blazed with something beyond the realm of humanity. His hands were no better off as the skin had sloughed off entirely, leaving nothing but blackness and blue wires for all to see. The man, at this point, was little more than a husk.

"What have-" Shepard tried to speak before his jaw clattered shut, betraying his own impulse.

"I warned you," the Illusive Man said calmly, oblivious to his grievous appearance. "Control is the means to survival. Control of the Reapers…and of you, if necessary."

Anderson groaned, "They're…they're controlling you!"

A brief laugh came from the Illusive Man, "I don't think so, Admiral."

Shepard squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds, trying to escape the black. There was a faint hint of chanting in the air, some unknown language was floating through him, yelling. He opened his eyes as he spoke, "Controlling me is a lot different than controlling a Reaper."

"Come now, Shepard," the Illusive Man beckoned. "Have a little faith."

The man was now starting to pace around the room, eager to share in his revelation, "When humanity first discovered the mass relays, when we learned there was more to the galaxy than we imagined…there were some who thought the relays should be destroyed! They were scared of what we'd find, terrified of what they might let in."

He was now walking around Anderson, tilting his head in apprehension as one would consider a morsel of food, "But look at what humanity has achieved! Since that discovery we've advanced more than the past ten thousand years combined! And the Reapers will do the same to us again, a thousand fold."

The Illusive Man was now situated between the two soldiers as he acknowledged them, "But, only if we harness their ability to control."

The modified man simply raised an arm and Shepard yelled as it felt like his skull was about to split, the headache pounding, the chanting getting louder. To his horror, his arm that gripped his Predator was now rising, not to face the Illusive Man, but Anderson. The admiral threw up an arm in vain as if that would somehow protect him.

"Bullshit," Anderson spat. "We destroy them, or they destroy us."

"And waste this opportunity?" the Illusive Man snorted, now walking behind Shepard. "Never."

"You're playing with things you don't understand," Shepard said, breath quickening. "With power you shouldn't be able to use."

The Illusive Man slowly turned towards Shepard, "I…don't believe that. If we can control it, why shouldn't it be ours?"

"Because," Shepard shut his eyes as the voices continued their onslaught. "We're not ready. We never will be."

A hand came to the Illusive Man's face as he touched the implants, gently stroking them in reassurance, "No, this is the way humanity must evolve. The way everyone must evolve, to take what we can control, to seize what we can grasp!"

"There's always…another way," Anderson pleaded, looking terrified.

"I've dedicated my life to understanding the Reapers, and I know with certainty that the Crucible can control them."

"And then what?" Shepard intoned. "They become your pawns? You exert control over the galaxy against everyone's will?"

"As always, Shepard, you're too dense to see the real picture. Just look at the power they wield! Look at what they can do!"

The tendrils made another press towards Shepard's sanity as the Illusive Man raised a fist, glowing with azure energy. His finger, pistol still pointing outward, twitched ever so slightly and the gun banged in his hand. Shepard's mouth opened in shock as Anderson jerked, a spray of blood coming from his stomach. The admiral winced in pain and appeared to flit in and out of consciousness as his body was still being supported by the Reaper's control.

"The real picture?" Shepard managed through his hate. "I see what they did to you."

"I took what I wanted from them! Made it my own!"

Shepard now yelled as he felt another pull towards his fragile soul. He felt like something was reaving inside his body, twisting his limbs, his mind. He gasped as he almost lost control, vision almost going completely black. He vomited where he stood, red mixed with black in a horrible combination fell to the ground. He remained standing in a daze as the Illusive Man continued to rant.

"This isn't about me or you. It's about things so much bigger than all of us!"

"He's wrong," Anderson's voice pierced through the fog. "Don't listen to him.

"And who will you listen to, Shepard? An old soldier, stuck in his ways? Only able to see the world down the barrel of a gun?"

The admiral was slowly turning to face the Illusive Man now. Calmly lifting a hand, he fiercely prodded the wound in Anderson's abdomen, causing him to scream in pain. Shepard had never heard the man scream like that before.

"And what if he's wrong?" The Illusive Man gritted, "What if controlling the Reapers is the answer?"

Drawing from the pit of his stomach, he coughed out, "If we destroy the Reapers, this ends today. But, if you can't control them…"

"But I can!" Despite his assured certainty, the man was starting to get agitated.

"Are you willing to bet humanity's existence on it?"

"Damn it, Shepard. I…know…it will work!" However, the Illusive Man was starting to clutch at his head as his voice started to fail. He shook from side to side, as if he was trying to rid himself of the dark choir in the back of his mind as well.

Shepard smiled, "You can't, can you? They won't let you do it."

"No!" the Illusive Man screamed. "I'm in control! No one is telling me what to do! I know what you're trying to do, Shepard. It…won't…work!"

"Listen to yourself," Anderson groaned. "You're…indoctrinated."

"No…no! The two of you so self-righteous…so assured. You think power like this comes easy? You should know most of all that there are sacrifices to be made!"

"You've…sacrificed too much," Shepard coughed.

The Illusive Man screamed as he bent to his knees, clutching himself as he writhed. "Shepard," he pleaded. "I…I only wanted to protect humanity…the Crucible can control them, I know it can! I…just…"

There was a forceful pressure in his heart, it felt like something had it in a tight grasp as he groaned, "It's not too late. Let us go…we'll do the rest."

"I...I can't do that, Shepard."

Despite his injury, Anderson laughed, "Of course you can't. They own you now."

Walking behind the admiral, the Illusive Man reached for the man's belt, producing a pistol which clicked and beeped as it extended from its collapsed position. The indoctrinated servant handled the weapon with care, caressing it as if the cold metal object were somehow alive.

"You…" he began. "You'd undo everything I've accomplished. I can't…I won't…allow that to happen."

Shepard shook his head, "Because of you…humanity is already undone."

"That's not true!" the Illusive Man cried, pistol flailing in the air as he waved his arms. "All I've done is for humanity, more than you'd ever know!"

"All for humanity? The Reapers have the Citadel now! They've got us fighting each other instead of fighting them!"

"I just need to-!"

"You're doing exactly what the Reapers want you to! You're still doing it because they control you!"

"I…" the Illusive Man bent over as he started to cry. "They're too strong…"

"You're stronger!" Shepard shouted. "Don't let them win. Break their hold, don't let them control you!"

The Illusive Man straightened as calm flashed through his face. His gaze was one of absolute serenity as he closed his eyes, savoring the feel of air on his skin, the sharp tang of ozone. His blue eyes flared as he opened them again and his lips parted to speak.

"I tried, Shepard."

Before the commander could say one more word, the Illusive Man brought the pistol up to his head and fired immediately. Shepard shut his eyes at the last moment, but not before he could see an explosion of black part from the man's head, a horrible squishing noise coming soon after as the body fell to the ground.

Freed from his control, Shepard and Anderson both fell to the ground, the latter unable to find the strength to catch himself, impacting heavily. The black tendrils were gone, the chanting quieted. Everything seemed so peaceful now. Eyes focusing with concern on the admiral, Shepard walked over to the console and steadied his body against it. Eyes dropping to the display, he lifted a finger to the holographic interface and gently flicked a control. A series of huge clangs reverberated through the station as the arms unlocked and swung outward, revealing the expanse of space to the two humans. Flares of ships exploding dotted the landscape, obstructing the otherwise pristine view of the planet below. Flushed with satisfaction, Shepard stumbled backwards until he met Anderson and sat down next to him.

Both men soon felt another vibration as the Crucible most certainly docked with the station. They didn't bother to check as they sighed in relief. Anderson barely turned to his protégé.

"Commander," he murmured.

Shepard nodded, "We did it."

"Yes," the other man said, a brief smile flickering across his face. "We did."

They both scanned the expanse that was in front of them. A beautiful orb, oceans of blue, puffy white clouds, it was the most stunning thing both of them had seen.

"It's quite a view," Anderson said simply.

"Best seats in the house."

The admiral sighed, "God…it feels like years since I last sat down."

"I think you've earned a rest, sir."

Anderson groaned as his eyes drooped. Shepard, alarmed, moved to reassure his mentor, "Stay with me, we're almost through this."

The man gave Shepard one last, sad smile, "You did good, son. You did good. I'm…proud of you…"

With that, the man's eyes shut and his head lolled to the side, supported on Shepard's shoulder. Shocked, Shepard lightly shook him, desperate to wake him.

"Anderson?" The man did not respond, "Anderson, get up! Please…I…"

It was no use, Admiral David Anderson had passed. Shepard was frozen in grief and gently laid his head across the man's chest as he started to cry, his sobs wracking his entire body. Hadn't he sacrificed enough at this point? What else was there to take?

Not Tali. Surely not Tali.

The thought of her caused his tears to stop, the flow stemmed at the warming thought of her presence. He shook his head, trying to clear it. He still had to return to her. It would be his final mission.

Before he could collect himself, he heard a voice speak from his comm, "Shepard? Commander?"

Shepard frowned, it was Admiral Hackett. He wouldn't be calling unless its purpose had dire consequences. "I…" he groaned. "What do you need me to do?"

"Nothing's happening. The Crucible isn't firing. It's got to be something on your end."

Shepard mustered himself to find the strength to move, crawling over to the console on the edge of the platform. His limbs felt heavy, impossibly heavy. He had been fine a few moments ago. What was happening? Was it the wound on his side that was starting to take its toll? Was it because his body was shutting down? Was he dying?

His vision was going blurry again as he tried to discern the symbols on the display, "I don't see…I'm not sure how to…" Mumbling incoherently his arm gave and he collapsed to the floor as his breathing came in quick gasps, his pupils going haywire as he desperately tried to focus his sight. He saw that he was leaving streaks of red on the ground wherever his face touched. He had lost too much blood, he was left lying in a daze.

He felt like he was flying again, the room around him looked like it was descending. He was confused at his predicament. Why was he rising? There had to be a logical explanation but he was too disoriented to even produce a coherent thought. Mumbling in a panic, he could only watch as his world got brighter and brighter.

All time seemed to stop as the outside world vanished from his perspective.