Chapter 15:
Face-to-Face
Shepard immediately raised his shotgun and fired until it overheated, the kinetic barriers harmlessly absorbing each shot. Behind the curtain, Hollister smiled and shook his head. "Ever the enthusiast," he observed.
Shepard glared at the Cerberus commander. "It's worked for me in the past."
"Oh, yes," Hollister replied sarcastically. "Yes, you've done wonders in the past eleven years. Joining the Alliance, nearly topping your class." His smirk grew. "Surviving a thresher maw attack."
Shepard shook his head. "You seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, too."
Hollister shrugged. "I do my best. But honestly, the thing that always drives me?" He paused for a moment, and Shepard could have sworn that he saw an even broader smile on the twisted man's face. "Waking up every day knowing that I've done more than you could ever hope for." He began pacing, and Shepard could just make out the figure of Captain Foster behind him. "Look at us, John. We couldn't be further opposites. I'm a high-ranking Cerberus operative, a cold, ruthless terrorist. Aren't I? The bastard who's killed dozens, including several people close to you. Yet I regret none of it. I've embraced who I am." He stopped pacing behind Foster. "What about you?" he asked. "Have you embraced yourself as everything you are?" A cold smile danced across the invader's lips as he placed the pistol to Foster's head. "As a failure?"
Then he pulled the trigger. "NO!" Shepard yelled, pounding his fist into the barrier, the mass effect energy singeing his hand. Retracting his hand from the barrier, he began beating on it with the butt of his shotgun. The click of a weapon and the feeling of a muzzle against the back of his head stopped him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Riley said smugly.
Shepard straightened, anger surging through him. Behind the curtain, Hollister's eyes narrowed into a sneer. Shepard let out a breath to calm himself. "I'm gonna fucking kill you," he muttered, not caring which of the two hostiles it affected.
Apparently, Hollister didn't think it was him. "I wouldn't be so sure of that," he replied.
"Freeze!" a familiar voice shouted. Commander Anderson entered the CIC from the cockpit, training a gun in Hollister. "Don't move, Hollister!"
Rather than looking worried, Hollister actually smiled. "And the other prize reveals himself," he announced. He then glowed with dark energy and threw a throw to Anderson, knocking him against the near wall. He stepped up to Anderson's unconscious figure and placed the pistol against his head.
"HOLLISTER!" Shepard shouted, giving Hollister a moment of pause. "I'm the one you want. Shoot me."
Hollister turned his head to Shepard, the pistol still trained on Anderson's forehead. "Why would I want to shoot you?" he demanded. "You're so much fun to keep alive. To watch, to witness, to laugh, to cry, to understand your few victories, or to celebrate your many defeats." He looked back at Anderson. "The commander, however..." Shepard shook his head. He was about to lose two friends in one day. But Hollister simply lowered the gun, satisfied that Anderson was unconscious. "I actually have a use for him," he finished. Taking Anderson by the arm, Hollister hoisted the commander up and began to drag him to the breach point, where the other ship had placed a docking tube. He looked back at Shepard. "Better luck next time, old friend," he smirked.
"Wait!" Riley called out. Hollister stopped and gave him a quizzical look. "What about me?" he demanded.
Hollister looked to a monitor to his right. "There's still one escape pod left," he replied. He looked back to the duo and grinned. "May the best man win." With that, he left through the docking tube.
"Son of a bitch," Riley muttered.
Shepard took Riley's stunned inactivity as an opportunity to gain the upper hand. He spun suddenly, knocking Riley's pistol away from his head just before it fired. He then brought his palm to the center of Riley's chest, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to drop the pistol. Shepard picked it up and aimed it at Riley's head. He was about to pull the trigger, but stopped himself. Riley was betrayed by Hollister, just like he was so many years ago. Whatever his motivations, Riley could be an ally, if only temporarily.
He lowered the pistol to Riley's leg and pulled the trigger. "We're even," Shepard said as Riley fell screaming. He grabbed his arm and drug him to the only remaining escape pod and strapped him in before strapping himself in across from him. With the Kennedy's final two passengers on board, the escape pod jettisoned into the ocean of space. Mere seconds later, the other ship began firing, destroying the Kennedy into nothing more than shrapnel.
Shepard felt the blast from the Kennedy exploding, and the escape pod began shuddering uncontrollably. The onboard VI program informed the passengers of their destination: Omega.
As the pod slammed into the lower portion of the mined-out asteroid, Shepard lost consciousness, both from the impact, and the physical and mental exhaustion from the day.