A/N: So, uh... this is where I would like to remind everyone that there isn't a big 'THE END' caption at the bottom of the page. And the credits aren't rolling either. Like they would do if this was the goddamn game.
Chapter 122 - The End of the Cycle
"What's happening, Garrus?" Tali asks anxiously, hiding behind one of the destroyed tanks from the companies of the third wave, nervously staring at the turian. Garrus does not answer immediately, observing the field of corpses ahead of them, planning on how to best advance across this battleground of death.
"Not sure..." the turian replies, sounding ponderous. "Harbinger is still there, but it doesn't seem to be firing anymore... maybe it wiped out everyone around the relay?"
"Do we still advance? What are the orders?" Tali asks again, her voice rising a pitch higher with nervousness.
"Let's see if I can... no wait, there's a signal coming in from the command," Garrus speaks, reading the incoming message on his omni-tool. "It's Major Coats. He claims that someone has made it through to the relay and taken the beam to the Citadel."
"It was Shepard... I'm sure it was her," Tali breathes out in relief.
"According to the reports, it was Admiral Anderson," Garrus grinds out. "We have our orders to retreat back to safety."
"I am no longer receiving biometric readings from Commander Shepard's hardsuit," EDI reports, forcing both Tali and Garrus to face her with shocked, disbelieving stares. "It is possible that her armor is too severely damaged or she has taken the relay to the Citadel and some kind of interference is preventing me from receiving her readings."
"It's probably the last, EDI," Garrus sighs. "Shepard just has to have made it up there, after having brought the entire galaxy together for this final push."
"Her vital readings were decreasing rapidly before I lost them completely," EDI elaborates, and this time Tali and Garrus do not reply with a single word, only exchanging gloomy stares, forced to face the very real possibility that their dearest friend might not have survived this final assault.
"What... what about the others?" Tali eventually manages.
"Lieutenant Vega and Javik are amongst the casualties. I am still detecting life signs of Dr. T'Soni and Aria T'Loak not far from our position. The readings are weak, but stable," EDI reports.
"Screw these orders to retreat, I'm going after our friends!" Garrus exclaims, about to dart forward, throwing all caution to the wind. "And look!" he then points ahead, towards the relay. The Harbinger is not only no longer firing at them, it is preparing to leave the field of battle, floating upwards and retreating. "That bastard is fleeing, now's our chance to get to Liara and Aria!"
"Damn it, I bet it's going back up there to stop the Crucible from docking..." Tali sighs, getting up and about to follow Garrus. "Just because Anderson got to the relay doesn't mean we've won yet..."
"Nor does it mean that the Reapers have given up on the battle here," EDI remarks, pointing to their left. The thrumming roar of a Reaper particle beam being fired resounds close by, red wave of destruction surging through the battlefield and catching one of the salarian specialists, choosing to retreat at the wrong time. There is a destroyer very close to their positions, with another giant tentacle monster a little behind the first one. "That is no doubt the reason why Major Coats has ordered a retreat."
"Well, I don't care about his orders, our friends are still out there, injured!" Garrus exclaims defiantly. "If there's one thing I have learned from Shepard, it's that we don't leave anyone behind. Now, who's with me?"
Tali nods immediately, even if her posture is full of fear as she looks at the advancing destroyers. "You need not ask, Garrus, I will follow you," she adds, both then looking at EDI.
"My potential non-functionality could only be caused by the destruction of the Normandy, and my hardware aboard the ship," their synthetic friend replies. "The destruction of this platform would be unfortunate, but it would not threaten my core systems."
"Well, just because you can't die like we can, we're not going to deliberately throw you in harm's way to increase our own survival odds, EDI," Tali says softly. "You are our friend."
"I thank you for your words, Tali'Zorah," EDI replies, bowing her head. "But time is of essence if we wish to rescue Dr. T'Soni and the esteemed Queen of Omega..."
"All ships, this is Admiral Hackett. The Crucible is on the move. I repeat, the Crucible is on the move," hearing Hackett's voice on the comms makes Lia'Vael tremble with chills of anticipation, goose bumps breaking all over her skin under the tightly clinging suit. "All fleets converge on the Crucible! Protect it at all costs. Everyone... this is it!"
"Keelah... look at that thing..." the young quarian gasps, seeing the massive ancient super-weapon, result of cooperation between the brightest minds of the entire galaxy slowly being escorted towards the Citadel, protected by the already fairly depleted Turian Seventh Fleet. The Normandy, along with some of the human and asari fleets have moved to aid them, leaving the rest of their ships behind to protect the space around the Citadel.
"We have reports that someone has made it to the Citadel," Samantha Traynor's voice cuts in on the comms. "It's... Admiral Anderson? I... but..." The young specialist falls silent for a moment, struggling to speak. "As... as soon as he opens the station's arms, we will need to make sure that... that the Crucible can be docked."
"What... what happened to the Commander? And the others?" Lia'Vael asks in a trembling voice, sparing a brief look at the holographic orb representing EDI, appearing next to her.
"Commander Shepard is currently MIA," EDI replies, perhaps it is some glitch in her protocols and algorithms that prevents her from stating the logical extrapolation that Shepard has more than likely perished. "I can confirm that Lieutenant James Vega and Javik have been killed in action. The others have suffered various injuries, and at my request, Dr. Michel stands ready in the medbay."
"This can't be... Shepard was supposed to make it to the Citadel and save us all, not Anderson!" Traynor still sounds distraught on the comms. "I... refuse to accept this."
"I can't believe it either... but we must focus on doing our part and hope that the others do theirs," Lia'Vael speaks, activating the firing controls as the Normandy joins a dozen of other frigates and cruisers currently targeting one of the destroyers that had approached the Crucible too close for comfort. After managing to take out several frigates, the destroyer is finally blown to bits, and both Lia'Vael and Samantha breathe heavily in relief, but their joy is short-lived.
"Several destroyers and a Sovereign-class capital ship incoming on the Crucible position!" EDI informs them sharply, the fleets immediately scrambling to counter. "All fleets have been recalled to prevent them from destroying the Crucible!"
The red particle beams light up the sky once again, most of them aimed at the Crucible, but each and every shot hitting the defending ships of the galactic fleet, entire crews sacrificing themselves just to preserve the Crucible. The Destiny's Ascension is there as well, acting like a massive shield, absorbing the attacks of three destroyers at once, and beginning to feel it, the surface of the super-dreadnaught beginning to rock with explosions as its kinetic barriers fail.
But now the fleets arrive in full strength, as much as remains of them, barely counting over six thousand ships. The Destiny's Ascension limps to safety as other ships take its place in the firing line, all humans, asari, turians, quarians, equally ready to throw their lives away for the sake of preserving their one chance at victory. And under the assault of six thousand ships, the Reaper forces are starting to crumble as well, the destroyers falling one by one, however, the capital ship is an entirely different matter. It has already destroyed close to three dozens of ships, meticulously punching its way through to the Crucible, and about to get a clear shot at the super-weapon.
"Get the Crucible out of there, NOW!" they can hear Hackett screaming on the comms. "Any available ships, block their attacks or everything is lost!"
In horror, Lia'Vael and Samantha Traynor watch as the capital ship's firing chamber ignites, about to destroy the Crucible and with it the last chance for this galaxy, when suddenly an Alliance dreadnaught appears as if out of nowhere, putting itself in the line of fire. It takes several beams from the capital ship's firing chamber to eventually destroy the Alliance vessel, the massive dreadnaught bursting in a fiery bright explosion, but by that time, the Crucible is well out of the capital ship's firing range, in relative safety, about to reach the Citadel.
"I... we seem to have received a burst transmission from the dreadnaught before it was destroyed..." Lia'Vael says quietly.
"What was it, tell us," Samantha demands urgently.
"'Tell my child that I love her...' and nothing else after that..."
"That was the SSV Orizaba," EDI informs them tonelessly, Traynor turning pale as chalk from realization. "The ship was under the command of Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard."
When Shepard finally snaps back to consciousness, she is unsure what has awakened her and how much time she has spent passed out. She remembers having plunged her mangled frame into the relay, and so she assumes that she has arrived on the Citadel, but after opening her eyes she is not certain just where on the Citadel she finds herself now. The room is sinking in darkness, and she can sense grotesque shapes moving about, instinctive shudder passing through her as she assumes them to be Reapers, but upon further inspection she realizes that they are the harmless and benevolent keepers of the Citadel.
What the hell are they doing... she ponders, trying to focus on something else, her surroundings, instead of thinking about the terrible, sharp pain coursing through her ruined shape. They seem to be dragging something... my god... corpses, those are human corpses... all these piles around me, dead bodies transported here from London...
Can't do anything for them, though. But there was something I was supposed to do... damn, wish I could remember what... oh right, I do remember. Opening the arms of the station! She gingerly tries to move her head, then her arms, both responding though the pain that even the slightest movement causes her is excruciating. Those implants are probably hard at work... but I'm not sure they can fix all this... don't feel so good, really. Wonder if I can even rise...
"Shepard!" suddenly she hears a whisper, it feels so pervasive as if it was originating within her own mind, even if the voice is oddly recognizable. "Shepard! Do you read me, soldier?"
There's no doubt anymore. It is Anderson, up here on the Citadel as well. Good. If I don't make it, and I don't think I will, at least he can get those arms open. "David... you made it too?" she asks, not recognizing her own voice, weak and raspy.
"Yes, but I must have come up in a different place, I don't see you anywhere, Shepard," Anderson responds. "Are you alright, Commander? You don't sound too good."
"They got me, David. They got me real bad," she replies quietly. "I... I'll try to get up... see if I can walk..." The next half-minute is spent in desperate struggles to first propel herself up on her knees, grunting and struggling not to scream, finally being able to observe the punishment she has taken just prior to jumping through the relay. There is not an inch of her body that doesn't look to be coated with blood, and her stomach has been ripped open in a way that makes her want to throw up as she sees something sticky and disgusting poking out of her belly, being forced to press her left hand against the repugnant, slippery... thing trying to escape from the wound, pushing it back in where it belongs.
"Shepard... gods, don't you have any medi-gel?" Anderson asks, sounding distraught as he is forced to listen to her screams on the comm link as she finally pushes herself up on her feet, taking the first slow step, trying not to fall on the human remains scattered throughout the chamber.
"Too late for that David... swimming in medi-gel and stims already..." she croaks on the comms. "I'm moving, though. Think I... see the exit. We need to hurry up, sir. I... don't have much time left to me..."
"Don't think like that, soldier!" Anderson tells her, trying to urge her on by sounding stern, but his voice carries to much concern and sorrow to be effective. "I just reached the exit of a dark hallway, full of human remains."
"I'm in... one like that... looks like... Collector base. Making Reaper here... I think..." Shepard grunts out the words.
"Whoa... one of the walls here just realigned itself," Anderson reports. "The whole place is... shifting, changing. I can see chasm here, and more hallways like the one I was in."
"Try to... get to... Citadel control..." Shepard breathes, each step taken a sheer agony. "...open arms..."
"Take your time, soldier," Anderson replies softly. "I'm crossing that chasm now, Shepard... there's something up ahead, might be the Citadel controls."
"Don't wait... will take... a while..." Morgan croaks, fighting waves of weakness and nausea, as blood and perhaps something more than just blood slips through her palm pressed against the abdominal wound and sloshes on the ground below, as she continues to drag herself forward one step at a time, finally arriving at the chasm that Anderson had described a while ago.
"I think I see it, Shepard, there's some sort of control panel here... let me check it out." There's a brief pause in the communications, while Shepard continues to pull herself forward, the injuries likely too severe for her implants to compensate for. "I've got it, Shepard!" Anderson exclaims after a while, sounding relieved, almost triumphant. "The arms are opening! God, this is-"
Suddenly, his voice is cut off and static becomes the only noise she hears on the comms. "Anderson?" Shepard croaks, for a moment forgetting to keep moving, worried at this sudden break in broadcast. "Damn it," she swears, resuming moving and trying to drag herself forward slightly faster, feeling loss of consciousness approaching rapidly as a result of her increased effort. Not that I can do much to help Anderson if he has ran into some kind of trouble... she realizes, still using her free right hand to draw her Carnifex, ineffectually continuing to press the left hand against the gaping wound.
She finally crosses the chasm and begins to climb up, towards a platform that Anderson had described before, and where the control panel should be located. The sights that open to her eyes as she climbs are breathtaking and frightening, but her current condition does not allow her to focus much on the way the Citadel arms are slowly parting, revealing the space battle taking place around the Citadel, the sky littered with debris from destroyed ships, fiery explosions and weapons fire lighting up the sky, and below them, there is Earth, still burning, still devastated.
The few final steps until she reaches the edge of the platform are the most difficult, Morgan is staggering heavily, about to fall over from the effort. Slowly, she looks up to see Anderson standing next to the control panel, not moving a muscle, not saying a word, and the reason for his lack of reaction reveals itself shortly. Another man steps out from behind Anderson, pointing a heavy pistol against the admiral's temples, giving Morgan a stare full of smug condescension before he begins to speak.
"It appears I almost underestimated you, Shepard," The Illusive Man, or what has been left of him, addresses her. In his current state, he looks almost like Saren did shortly before he met his demise, the Reaper influence and corruption spreading along with the cybernetics the Illusive Man has implanted himself with. Shit, we forgot all about Cerberus again! I should have expected this from the way he hadn't showed up until now...
"I had to wait considerable time for you to get here and open these arms for me. If I had done it myself before someone else had made it to the Citadel, the Alliance would have become suspicious," Tim explains, looking very satisfied with himself. "As for now... the Crucible is about to begin docking."
The intense hatred for the Illusive Man for a moment seems to blind Shepard's pain, and she cranes her head just a little to the side to see that indeed, the Prothean super-weapon is slowly being moved into position, the smaller research vessels with scientists and engineers swarming around it, ensuring that the docking procedure is completed smoothly, while what remains of the galactic fleets continues to hold one last desperate line of defense.
"And once I have access to the Crucible... our research shows that reconfiguring it to do exactly what I want it to do is a very simple process," the Illusive Man continues, no doubt eager to continue with his villain's exposure, his vanity seeking to receive admiration from his adversaries even at a moment like this.
"What is he talking about, Shepard?" Anderson asks, glancing briefly at the Illusive Man, considering his chances to break free, but Tim is careful enough not to give him the opportunity.
"He wants to... control the Reapers..." Morgan grinds out.
"Is... that even possible?" Anderson looks and sounds positively shocked.
"It is..." Shepard replies, staggering again, falling on her knee, feeling something slip through the fingers of her left hand again and she briefly wonders just how she is still able to function.
"Controlling the Reapers is the only way we should stop this war," Tim speaks again, eager to elaborate on his grand and yet deeply flawed designs for humanity. "Having the Reapers under our control will allow us to make another technological leap, there will be no limits to what the humanity could achieve!"
"He needs to be stopped, Shepard," Anderson says firmly.
"I do not think Shepard is in a state to stop me, Admiral," Tim replies confidently. "She is clinging to the last shreds of life, about to expire. A pity, I had hoped that she would be around to witness my vision for humanity being fulfilled."
"He's right..." Shepard manages. "Not... much time..."
"Then do it, Shepard," Anderson speaks, looking grim and resolute. "In fact, I order you to."
"You... can't ask me to..." Morgan replies, still holding her Carnifex raised, even if she knows that her aim is seriously impaired. I know what he's suggesting... he's telling me to risk and take the shot...
"I don't know what you two are talking about, but I think you might want to lower that weapon, Shepard, or the admiral here will meet with an unfortunate accident. He is inconsequential to my plans anyway," Tim threatens them.
"Shoot your hostage... and there will be nothing... left stopping me... from shooting you," Morgan croaks, exhausted from having to put together such a long sentence.
"What are you waiting for, Shepard! Do it!" Anderson exclaims, frustrated.
I'm dying, I know that for certain. But I can help save the galaxy before I die. Just this one more sacrifice... "I'm sorry, David..." she whispers.
"Don't be. You did good, child," he only smiles warmly in reply.
And then she is firing shot after shot, the Carnifex threatening to jump out of her trembling hands, Anderson and the Illusive Man caught in a struggle, before Tim's pistol goes off as well, first aimed at Anderson, then he slowly turns it towards her, but one of the many shots unloaded by her Carnifex catches Tim in his cybernetic-covered forehead. In success, redemption. In death, release.
Two bodies slump on the floor and she struggles back to her feet, towards them and the control panel. The Crucible seems to be in position by now, and the Citadel arms fully opened. Everything appears to be ready to fire the ancient super-weapon, but Morgan is not sure whether she should make the attempt before getting the all clear from someone in charge. And then there's the matter of figuring out the controls... I guess including a manual would have been too much to ask, she grumbles at herself, looking for a 'Press This To Save The Galaxy' button.
"Citadel Control, is anyone there? Citadel Control?" she suddenly hears Admiral Hackett's voice. "Come in, Citadel Control! Anderson, are you there?"
"Sir? This is... Shepard," she manages weakly. "I regret to inform... Anderson is dead..."
"Dead? Damn it! We thought you had perished, Shepard," Hackett sounds distraught. "But you do sound badly injured, Commander. How are you?"
"...not so good, Steven," Morgan replies, feeling more and more contents of her bowels slipping through her fingers and escaping, not daring to look below at the bloody mess. "Not so good."
"There's just one final thing I need to ask of you, Shepard," Hackett tells her. "The Crucible is ready to fire, Commander. I am uploading the instructions on how to activate it. While you do so, I will be ordering the ships to retreat to a safe distance... just in case."
"Yeah... good idea..." Morgan agrees, starting to look over the instructions being forwarded by Hackett. Fortunately they are simple enough, and she quickly presses the correct combination of commands to reroute Citadel's power to combine it with the Crucible. Even if by some miracle this thing doesn't blow the whole Citadel up, I know I'm done for... just a shame about all those good people stuck here... Bailey, Rila, Falere, Tevos and the other councilors... and millions others... if there had been a way to save them, but... it seems we're bound to rely on blind luck...
"The fleets have retreated, Shepard," Hackett informs her a few minutes later, as she patiently waits and hopes that she doesn't pass out in the very last moment before activating the Prothean super-weapon. "You may fire when ready, Commander. And Shepard... if this thing backfires... I want you to know, I couldn't have been more proud having served alongside you. Despite our differences, there is nobody else I admire as I admire you."
"Thank you... sir. The feeling is... mutual..." Morgan manages, entering the last of the commands, immediately feeling a steady, low hum echoing through the entire space station, slowly beginning to charge up its energy before transmitting it through the Crucible.
Her job finally complete, Commander Morgan Shepard gently lowers herself on the ground, next to Anderson's body, reaching out to take his limp hand, one of the bullets of her Carnifex probably having killed her old friend, but so close to death, she cannot feel any guilt or remorse, knowing that in a matter of moments she will be relieved of all her horrible decisions, along with their weight and the guilt they have burdened her with.
No, her thoughts are elsewhere, as she lays on the floor, watching the Crucible slowly starting to glow as the energy builds up. Liara, light of my life, this is for you. I give my life so that you can continue to live out yours... and I hope you will make the most of it, my love. Remember me, and what we shared... but don't let the memories drag you down, learn to love and be loved again...
The Crucible is starting to shake, emanating with pure, cleansing red light, the energy about to be released and Morgan Shepard closes her eyes, anticipating the inevitable explosion with one last thought.
I didn't do this for Earth, for the galaxy, or just because it was the right thing to do.
No... I did this all for you, Liara.