It was the stillness of the air that caused him to open his eyes. He gazed around, uncomfortable from the lack of any stimulus to his senses. There was no wind to blow his hair, no sounds for his ears to pick up, no scent for his nose to detect. Absolutely nothing. A void.

He groaned as his tortured body rose, trying to comprehend where he was. And the sight took his breath away.

Looking up, he could see the round formation of the Crucible which meant that he was somewhere at the bottom of the Citadel. How he got there was anyone's guess. Straight ahead was an odd looking structure that featured two jutting, mechanical, Reaper-like pylons that were aimed towards the center of the entire thing. In the middle shone a bright blue beam, not unlike the one that transported him to this station in the first place. But what shocked him more was the fact that he was completely exposed to the open space. There were no shields protecting him from the vacuum but he was still able to breathe in his state. His mind tried to wrap around this fact but he gave up and accepted it for what it was.

But he was still confused. Why was he here in the first place? How did he come to be here when the last thing he remembered was lying down in the interior of the Citadel, next to Anderson's body. Was this another Reaper trick? He wanted answers. Now.

Answering his silent demands, Shepard saw a vague form appearing in the distance, moving towards him. It was short and glowing, bands of energy flowed around and through it as it gave shape. It approached Shepard and acknowledged him as if were talking to an equal.

"You're awake."

Shepard frowned, the voice that came from the form sounded rather…young. As if he was speaking to a kid. He squinted his eyes until he finally recognized the figure that the energy had chosen to represent.

A young man. A child. More specifically, it was the child that had haunted his dreams ever since Vancouver. The child he couldn't save. He gasped at this, what was happening?

"Who…what are you?" he asked cautiously.

"I am the Catalyst," the figure said matter-of-factly. The more Shepard listened to its words, he could hear several different intonations embedded in the speech. He could hear a hint of a female, a wisp of an older male. It dimly reminded himself of Garrus' flanged speech that all turians possessed.

"But…" Shepard said lamely. "I thought the Citadel was the Catalyst."

"No," the figure said sternly. "The Citadel is part of me."

"If you're the Catalyst, then can you help me stop the Reapers?"

"Perhaps. I control the Reapers. They are my solution."

Shepard frowned. He was not expecting this line of dialogue at all, "Solution? To what?"

"Chaos."

The figure then turned around to walk towards the beam, Shepard followed at a distance, eyes wary, apprehension ever growing.

"The created will always rebel against their creators," the figure continued. "But we found a way to stop that from happening. A way to restore order."

Shepard stopped walking as he considered the meaning of the Catalyst's words, "By wiping out organic life?"

"No. We harvest advanced civilizations, leaving the younger ones alone. Just as we left humanity alone the last time we were here."

"But you killed the rest-"

"No," the Catalyst said even more forcefully, seemingly growing impatient at Shepard's inability to understand. "We helped them ascend, so they could make way for new life, storing the old life in Reaper form."

Shepard considered this as the Catalyst pointed to a Reaper on the edge of the battlefield, its red laser blazing. "I think we'd rather keep our own form," he said.

"You can't," the Catalyst asserted. "Without us to stop it, synthetics would destroy all organics. We created the cycles so that never happens. That is our solution."

"And how exactly did you come up with this solution?"

"When we realized the correlation between the rise of synthetics and organic involvement. I was created to be the bridge between the two, the Catalyst. In essence, you only exist because of our involvement."

Shepard cocked his head, "So who created the Reapers?"

"By ones who never even looked upon this galaxy with their own eyes."

Shepard recoiled, "The Reapers exist elsewhere?"

"Correct," the Catalyst nodded. "We have ensured that the cycles have continued for even longer than you can fathom. Our involvement was deemed necessary when we first observed the same patterns repeating themselves across the universe. We have only been following our purpose that our creators had intended ever since."

"By using the Reapers to harvest life?"

"Yes. Their creators gave them form, they gave me purpose."

Shepard gave a small laugh in disbelief, "And your creators? What happened to them?"

"They became the first true Reaper," the Catalyst said mildly, as if discussing the weather. "They did not approve, but they did not realize that they were part of the problem that they had envisioned."

"And all this?" Shepard waved his arms to the heavens, denoting the ships locked in battle above them. "All the slaughter? To protect us from synthetics? How does this help?"

The Catalyst produced the machine equivalent of a shrug, "Synthetics, by their very nature, seek perfection. To be perfect requires them to evolve. Synthetic evolution, as we have observed, has always led to conflict as they strive to surpass their creators. You also indicate that you are in conflict with the Reapers, but they are not interested in war."

"I find that hard to believe," Shepard said with annoyance at the construct's indifference.

"Would you call a fire burning in conflict? A fire's purpose and our purpose are no different. We simply are and will continue to do so unless we find a new solution."

"Does the Crucible help you with finding a new solution?"

"It depends. Our original intent was to restore balance to the galaxy, preserving cultures, memories, individuals in the reborn form of a Reaper. Many cycles ago, we noticed the design of the Crucible being formed. Its purpose is adaptable, even though it is a crude design, but effective in its purpose. Apparently organics are more resourceful that we realized as we believed the concept had been eradicated."

"Your original solution was flawed, which is why we created the Crucible in the first place!" Shepard said loudly. "You're taking away our future! Without our future we have no hope! Without hope, we might as well be machines, to do whatever we're told"

"You have hope," the Catalyst said simply. "More than you think. The fact that you are standing here, the first organic ever proves it." The intelligence looked away for a second before continuing, "But you are right in one regard. It also proves that my solution won't work anymore."

"So now what?" Shepard growled, starting to get irritated at the lack of progress.

"We find a new solution."

Shepard regarded the Catalyst below him. He was still mildly disturbed at the form it had chosen. To take the shape of the child that had died, in spite of his assistance, was an outrage. Were the Reapers deliberately trying to submerge him in his grief and regret?

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked. "Why help me? Why help organics if this was not your original intent in the first place?"

"Do not assume that we are helping you," the Catalyst intoned. "Rather, it is you who are helping us. Your presence here has altered the variables."

"What does that even mean?" Shepard said urgently.

"The Crucible changed me when it docked. It gave me new energy, expanded the realm of possibilities. But I cannot set these changes in motion, for the process requires a corporal form. If there is to be a new solution, you must act."

The form waved a hand to Shepard's right, indicating one of the pylons that glowed a deep red. Shepard could see a bundle of cables wrapped behind a thick glass wall as the Catalyst explained, "It is now in your power to destroy us. But be warned, others will be destroyed as well. The Crucible will not discriminate, all synthetics will be affected."

"And me? I'm partly synthetic from my upgrades. What will that do?"

"Technology you rely on will be affected, but the damage should be easily repaired. The energy released from the Crucible will not be based strictly to Reaper forms, all will be targeted."

Shepard breathed, "But the Reapers will be destroyed?"

The Catalyst paused for a brief second before responding, "Yes, but the peace won't last. Soon your children will create synthetics and then the chaos will come back. And without us to intervene, there will be nothing to stop the inevitable conflict."

"Despite the fact that we made peace between synthetics? The geth are fighting against you alongside us!"

"This is not an anomaly, your mind cannot comprehend what despair will drive individuals to do. In the wake of seemingly overwhelming odds, alliances will be made, but the chaos will resume. It always has."

"Do you have an another option, then?" Shepard grimaced as his side started to throb again. He planted his hand to the wound as he hissed in pain.

Ignoring his grunts, the Catalyst turned to the left indicating the second pylon, a deep blue emanating from two leads that extended from the structure, "You could alternatively use the energy of the Crucible to control the Reapers."

Shepard's head rose in shock, "What? You mean the Illusive Man was right after all?"

"Yes," the Catalyst nodded. "But he could never have taken control. We already controlled him. He only believed what we wanted him to believe, until it was too late."

"But…" Shepard said in realization. "I can control them."

"You will die," the construct said bluntly. "You will control us, but you will lose everything you have. Your form will be dissolved but your thoughts and memories will continue. You will no longer be organic…"

Shepard stopped listening after the Catalyst had divulged that bit of information. He mentally shook his head as he straightened more. His thoughts were free from the blackness but he now heard a solitary voice whisper in his ear, reciting a strange language. A purple filter suddenly fluttered in his vision as he was brought back to the present as the Catalyst was continuing to talk.

"…We will be yours to control and direct as you see fit."

Shepard turned his head away in apprehension, musing.

"There is one more solution," the intelligence offered. Shepard looked at the small form as it turned to the center, towards the column of blue light, "Synthesis."

"And that is?"

"You will add your energy to the Crucible's. When that happens, the chain reaction will combine all forms of life, synthetic and organic, into a new framework. A new DNA."

"How is such a thing possible?" Shepard asked.

"When you add your organic energy, it will be dispersed throughout the galaxy. This will alter the matrix of life entirely, creating new connections, new webbing, new life. Organics seek perfection through technology, synthetics seek perfection through understanding. With this final step, organics will be able to achieve perfection with harmony through synthetics, while synthetics will be able to reach understanding in the way only organics can."

Shepard was growing more and more apprehensive by the minute as the Catalyst continued, "It is the ideal solution. Synthesis is the final evolution of all life, but it is not a change that can be forced. Your involvement will signify the willingness to adapt and evolve and the change will be implemented seamlessly."

Shepard took a small step back, "I…don't know. That's still a big change…for everyone."

"Why not?" the Catalyst asked. "Synthetics are already part of you. They are the reason that you are alive right now, can you imagine your life without them?"

"So what happens afterward?"

"The cycle will end. The Reapers will stop the harvest and there will be peace. However, the change will require you to submit your body and soul to the Crucible."

"I have to die for the change to take place?"

The Catalyst nodded once again, "There is no other way." The Catalyst took a step back to match Shepard now, "The paths are open, but you have to choose."

Shepard looked around the wide expanse. Three different pathways, three different choices. He was not mentally prepared for the ramifications of him being here. He had come here to stop the Reapers, didn't he? How was he supposed to know that he could control them all along? Or even more so, synthesize life altogether? It was hard to believe.

He ran a hand through his scalp, feeling the shorn hair as the voices in his head rose an octave.

"Control is the means to survival…"

"We destroy them or they destroy us…"

The Catalyst's holographic lips turned down in a frown, "There is little time. You must make the choice if you want to end the cycle. The Reapers are opposed to the idea of change and they will work to see that your efforts fail."

Shepard took a step forward, barely even acknowledging the left path. He limped forward once, then again, then again. Once he reached the trident where the paths diverged, he took a deep breath and willed the one voice he only wanted to hear in the galaxy.

"I love you, John."

The realization and finality of his choice loomed overhead, threatening to pin him to the ground. A smile spread across his face as he now knew where he must go. The only way he could go. He lifted his foot…to the right and stepped towards the red pylon, feeling strength flood his limbs with each planting of a foot. He yanked his pistol from his side as he proceeded forward, flicking off the safety simultaneously.

The Catalyst appeared in front of him, "What are you doing?" It seemed alarmed by his actions.

"Making my choice," Shepard gritted.

"You would condemn your species, the entire galaxy, without so much as considering the effects of your decision?"

"I set out to destroy the Reapers…and that's what I'm going to do."

The Catalyst was now struggling to keep up with his increasing pace, "Despite the options presented to you? Knowing that synthesis is the apex of evolution for you and everyone?"

"Based on what you told me, yes." Shepard sighed as he walked right through the intelligence. "I'm not about to act on what a construct created by the Reapers would recommend what actions I should take."

"There's another reason," the Catalyst persisted. "There has to be a variable that we have not covered. Tell us! What is it?"

Shepard, now facing the bundle of cables, turned his head, "Your other solutions are unacceptable. I will never bend the Reapers to my will and I will never alter the very fabric of life if that means any one of you continue to live. Your existence would be a constant reminder of how you tried to rape and eradicate our existence entirely. I cannot allow that. We don't need you to survive."

"You're hiding something!" the Catalyst hissed. "Those aren't the only reasons why."

Shepard was stone-faced, unwilling to give another inch to this…abomination. The construct's projected features smoothed in realization as it understood the organic's reasoning.

"Of course…" it said in disbelief. "Love. It was obvious…" The Catalyst shook its head, "We should have anticipated that your decision would be impaired if your mind was set on such an insipid and parasitic concept."

"It's a concept that you would never understand," Shepard spat. "You're just machines. I'm alive…and I will end you right here." I will come back to you, Tali. I love you too much to martyr myself here.

You will submit!

Shepard yelled as his muscles seized once more, held in place by the Reaper's meddling. An orange glow fell across his eyes and he glanced to the side, finding the squid-like form of Harbinger projected over him.

Why do you persist? Why will you not accept your fate?

"I'll…never…be your…slave!" Shepard shouted.

You have no choice.

Shepard clenched his jaw shut as his pistol wavered in the air, not focusing on any particular target. The familiar black tendrils snaked across his eyes, bringing back his unbearable pain in his head. Shepard shouted and squeezed the trigger once. A crack appeared in the glass across from him. The tendrils retreated slightly and Shepard grinned.

Stop this.

"Never."

Another shot, another crack. Shepard grimaced as the embrace of the Reaper was all around him, threatening to cut him off from all that he knew, all that he could fathom.

You will change nothing.

"I already have!" he roared as he pulled the trigger a third time. The glass protecting the cables shattered, exposing them to the air and the elements. Shepard smiled in triumph as he brought his pistol to bear one final time.

Harbinger was not quite done with him yet as a howl filled his consciousness. His aim jerked off course as his arm twitched to the side. He grabbed his stubborn limb and wrenched, trying to bring it back into place as the rendering of the Reaper projected everywhere.

The cycle will continue!

Shepard screamed as his arm was brought back into place, drawing from every reserve of strength his body held. Even then, it was too much as Harbinger's hold on him was too strong. A grinding sound of metal on metal shrieked triumphantly, and Shepard could feel his despair start to swallow him whole. The galaxy was on its own, he had failed them.

"I love you…John. Come back to me…"

Letting out a bellow capable of shattering the stars, he lifted his arm in a rush and from out of the barrel exploded a white hot bullet, traveling at sublight speeds on course to its predetermined path. The cables sparked once and then everything within the pylon exploded in a sizzling rush as electricity arced everywhere, melting everything it touched. Shepard fell to the ground, the pistol skittering over the edge of the platform as Harbinger roared in anguish.

No! How could you resist?

Shepard coughed as he rose to face the apparition, "Because one living person is standing where no others have been. That's a victory in of itself."

Your arrogance has doomed everyone, Shepard.

"Look who's talking!" Shepard laughed. "You can't even bring yourself to admit that you've lost, machine."

The ghostly hologram of Harbinger tilted in a gesture that Shepard could not interpret.

On the contrary, you cannot begin to grasp that the war…has not even started.

Shepard tilted his head in confusion, wondering what the Reaper was referring to when suddenly, Harbinger's eyes glowed brightly, making him throw up a hand to protect himself from the glare. The orange light was permeating his eyes, through his lids, he could not escape the glow. He felt a hot substance all over his body. The warmth coddled him, embraced him, and was transporting him away, far away.

And though his impairment, he could still hear the Reaper drone in its confidence.

Assuming direct control.

Author's Notes:

Don't think I'm going to end it right there! We still haven't hit the halfway mark yet.

I wanted to post two chapters today because I am unsure that I will get to write for a bit due to a few hiccups in my schedule (which is a shame, because I'm looking forward to the next one). Consider this a concession for my absence in case I get to writing it a bit later than usual.

Now we're going to get to the part where I really start diverging from the story. Hope you're ready.