Title: Ilos Chapter Five
Author: DinkyMew and Jagespages
Game: Mass Effect (one)
Disclaimer: Bioware own all content and characters related to the Mass Effect franchise. Abigail Shepard is my own creation inspired by the character of Jane Shepard created by Bioware. Any original characters contained herein are my own creations (with the exception of Vindex Foster who is the sole property of Julie Jones and the Swagger Vasa Chronicles) and are not necessarily affiliated with Bioware. **You may not copy, edit or distribute this fanfiction as it stands without my expressed permission – thank you**

The mako peeled along the towering vaults of the Ilos crypts kicking up dirt and debris as it skidded one way and then the other the signal on the dash showing the tiny red blips of Saren and his men head of them. Always ahead of them.

Garrus belched into a closed fist, fighting to keep the contents of his stomach where they were as he cranked the controls, the Mako bending unnaturally as it slid up the wall and just made a sharp turn without flipping.

Easy, he chided himself throwing a cautious glance over his shoulder at the others in the back don't want to get accused of driving like Shepard. At that thought he glanced to her, strapped into the passenger seat beside him her teeth were bared as she gripped the dash with gloved hands, her head bouncing with each jerky sweep and turn of the Mako.

Her face was flushed, her forehead misted with beads of sweat as she closed her eyes, her forehead creasing a little. "Where did you learn to drive Garrus?" She ground out.

He smiled, "Uh…from you Shepard." He gave her a grin and she rolled her eyes.

"Wooo-hooo!" Foster whooped as Garrus hit the jets and the Mako rose several feet into the air, the white whooshing energy of the armature, passing underneath.

Foster was prone on the floor and was secure because Wrex's huge feet were on his shoulders and Hobbs' boots crunched down on his butt, both holding him down effectively.

He was half-hanging out of the door, firing his sniper rifle at the rocket geth that flanked the armature.

Garrus glanced over the headrest. "I know I have excellent timing, but even I can miscalculate. Commander, could we please close the door?"

Shepard followed his gaze, turning in the passenger seat she gave Foster a shake of her head.

"Bambi," Shepard said sharply. "Door. Closed. Now!"

Foster obeyed with alacrity. "Okay to use the port, ma'am?" He asked, whooping with excitement again as Garrus jumped the Mako to avoid another blast.

Shepard exchanged a glance with Hobbs, whose chin was sunk in his gloved fist and he looked highly amused at his brother's antics. "He was hyper when he was a kid."

"Hey, "Foster said, not taking his eye from the scope, dropping another geth. "I'm not a kid!"

"Alright. Stow it Corporal," Shepard said mildly "We're almos-"

"Oh my…" Garrus' voice dripped with awe and Shepard turned to follow his gaze ahead where a beacon of light appeared to be stemming from the ground – only it wasn't coming from nowhere, in its centre a smaller version of a mass relay span with terrifying velocity.

"Is that the conduit?" Garrus asked, his small eyes coming to her unsure.

"Gun the Mako Garrus." Shepard ordered, spinning in her chair quickly "Hold on everyone, Bambi – off the floor now."

Joker watched Liara as she paced the cockpit, her blue eyes wandering over the consoles apprehensively.

"Any word?"

"Nothing yet." Joker said calmly "They'll be fine Liara. This is Shepard."

"I know." She nodded "But she should never have taken him with her. He has no experience in Alliance missions. He'll be a hindrance to the mission." She shook her head hotly, pausing this time to press hands on the back of the co-pilot chair.

"Who will be?" Joker frowned.

"Foster." Liara snapped "He's far too young for something like this."

"Too.. young?" Joker chuckled "Have you seen Hobbs? Those guys came from the same line, I think they only stock them in invincible Liara." He sighed "Why do you care all of a sudden anyway?"

"I don't." She protested quickly "I just… I'm worried about them all."

"Uh huh." Joker grinned, tipping his cap forward idly "I'm sure you are."

Garrus led them through C-Sec. It looked like a torture chamber. Dragon's teeth had been erected and he saw people he knew skewered on the things.

Foster took one look, produced his Stinger and put a round in every head. Garrus nodded his approval. At least they wouldn't be turned into those monstrous husks.

"Gar…rus?"

Garrus swung sharply to the left where the voice had come, recognizing it. "Chelick?" He drew in a sharp breath when he saw the blue blood pouring freely from the turian's head. He was leaning against the wall, barely able to support his weight.

"They…over ran us." Chelick coughed up more blood. "They're killing everybody!"

"Commander Shepard's here," Wrex spoke up, his voice rough with emotion. "If anybody can stop these bastards she can."

The light in Chelick's eyes flickered out and his damaged body toppled to the floor. Garrus crouched beside the body and gently closed the eyes. He straightened. "The medical clinic's this way." He led them up the flight of stairs. Foster stopped dead, staring out the viewing windows. Garrus knew all he would see was devastation, so he didn't look. He put a hand on Foster's shoulder and steered him away. "Focus," he said as they entered the clinic. "I have a feeling Shepard and her team will need more medi-gel."

They raided Dr. Michel's medi-gel dispenser and then hurried down to the Markets. Civilians might have fled there as well as Flux and Chora's Den.

The Wards were silent and that was more frightening than if the geth showed up in full force. Wrex gazed about uneasily and Foster chewed his bottom lip.

"This is all wrong," he finally said. "Nobody's here! Either they fled when the initial attack happened or the geth slaughtered them. We should be with Shepard!" He grabbed Garrus by the arm and gazed intently into his eyes. "Don't you see? The reason they're not here is because they're all there!"

"Our orders were to secure the Wards," Garrus pointed out. "And that's what we're doing."

"Finally," Wrex stated, raising his shotgun. "Some action."

The other two heads turned and they stared as a geth drop ship flew past the observation window, followed by two more. The huge krogan huffed in disappointment. Foster rushed to the window, using the scope of his rifle to follow where they went.

He ran back to his team. "They're headed for the Tower." Anxiety washed over his features. "Saren must have called for reinforcements."

"Okay, mount up," Garrus commanded. "Shepard and her team will be overrun. It's up to us to see to it that doesn't happen."

They made a quick stop at one of the vendor's stores and upgraded their weapons as fast as they could. Wrex tried to summon a flight car and met with no success. "We may have to go on foot."

Foster shook his head. "Maybe not." He opened his omni-tool and by-passed the lock-down, activating the car that was parked there. They climbed in, Garrus taking the driver's seat.

"I have an idea," Foster said, tapping the rocket launcher they'd pilfered from the store.

Garrus smiled. "I like it so far."

Foster gestured out the front view screen at the last geth drop ship. "Get as close as you can."

Garrus brought the flight car to the side of the geth ship and Wrex opened the door, holding onto Foster around his waist so he wouldn't fall. The blond adjusted for wind shear and then fired. Part of the geth ship disappeared in a billow of fire and smoke poured from it. Foster fired again, targeting what he figured was the bridge. And then he fired at where he hoped the fuel supply was, unfamiliar with the design.

Garrus shouted, completely forgetting he was supposed to stay cool, as the geth ship exploded into shrapnel that he avoided. The good thing about flight cars was they could turn on a credit chit.

"Land near the elevator," Wrex suggested and Garrus complied.

Foster let another rocket loose and it hit a wave of geth that seemed to have been posted there to guard the entrance. Circuitry and parts flew in all directions.

Wrex yanked him back inside. "Ha, I might make a krogan out of you yet, kid!"
The krogan shut the door and Foster returned to his seat, a big grin on his face.

"Brace for landing," Garrus said as the car careened past streaks of rounds that were being shot at them from another geth squad. The glass in the wind shield disintegrated and fragments sliced into Foster's neck and face. Garrus and Wrex were unharmed.

"You okay?" Garrus asked, casting a concerned glance over his shoulder.

Foster picked a piece of glass from beneath his right eye and nodded. "My fault. I'm not used to wearing the helmet."

Wrex picked it up where it sat beside him on the seat. "Put it on. I don't want to have to answer to Hobbs just because you were stupid."

"Hey!" Foster laughed and snapped on the helmet. "Better?"

"Much—now I don't have to see your homely human face."

For a moment there was silence and then the three occupants bellowed laughter. They knew it was to let off steam, to release tension. A lot of geth stood between them and Shepard, but they were ready to fight.

"Saren!" Shepard screamed aiming her pistol for the Turian's back and firing. She started the second set of stairs racing toward the Council's chamber, her legs pumping she barely glanced to make sure Kaidan and Hobbs were keeping pace. Reaching the landing she skidded to a halt – Saren was gone, in his place there was a glowing screen and console port – the master control Vigil had spoken of.

With a start she made to move toward the console already opening her omnitool to upload the datafile from Ilos, but as she took a step Saren suddenly reared up from the lower level, his flightpad under his feet he rose in the air a few feet above her as he threw a grenade.

The tiny, flashing disk, tinkered along the walkway and Shepard only just managed to stop herself running forward when it exploded. The heat blast crashed against her shields and the impact threw her backwards into Kaidan, both tumbling down the stairs in a tangle of limbs and groans.

Hobbs snapped his pistol round, firing at the hydraulics of the flight pad. The sound of bullet against metal rang throughout the room and then suddenly one of the capsule's burst as Hobbs managed a direct hit, rendering the pad off-balance enough that Saren toppled to the ground with a grunt. He got to his feet, firing his own pistol in return and Hobbs ducked behind the wall for cover just as Shepard got to her feet. Her shields were fried, and when Saren shot at her the bullets struck her armour directly, a few glancing off the plating but one sunk into her side and she cried out, doubling over as she pressed a hand to herself.

"Tempy!" Hobbs cried, his back pressed to the wall, his head in his chest. She scurried to him, pressing in next to him as he ducked lower, almost prone on the ground to inspect the wound in her side. They had done this before, years of working together – against each other; with each other; for each other, came almost naturally as he treated her wound while she banked around the corner firing at the turian.

Kaidan was getting to his feet, taking cover as the firing stopped momentarily. From where he lay Hobbs glanced up at her, mirroring her curious frown. Then, just as she turned her head to investigate, a military knife flashed against the firelight, coming around and down straight for her. Without thinking Hobbs yanked her by the hair, pulling her head to the side sharply as the dagger sank into the stone where her head had been moments before – Saren growled in contempt as he released the handle and launched a vicious kick at Hobbs.

It seemed as though he felt the blow in every part of his body as he skittered over ground, hands working over the surface trying to find purchase to stop himself. Through blurred eyes he saw Saren lift Shepard from the ground by her throat, her legs thrashing and kicking against his arms as he grinned maniacally at her.

"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time Shepard." He said bringing her face close to his – so close she could smell his breath on her as she struggled in his vice grip.

"In time for what?" She rasped, her teeth pressing together as she brought her hands up, working nails into his grip – fighting to loosen it.

"The final confrontation." Saren said, as though he were explaining the obvious "I think we both expected it would end like this." He smiled at her, pressing his face even closer, so close her vision was filled with his small reptilian eyes "You've lost, you know that don't you? In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel's systems. The reapers will return."

Shepard shook her head "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve…" she gasped.

He laughed "Really Shepard? Like what?"

She smiled "Friends."

Before he could react Kaidan launched a biotic attack that hit Saren with a jerk, losing his grip on Shepard she toppled to the floor and the lieutenant grabbed her hand, hauling her to her feet.

Saren was unfazed though, he whirled on them and Kaidan raised his pistol ready to finish it but Shepard made a noise – one that gave him pause, as she shook her head lightly at him, the signal to wait.

"You survived our encounter on Virmire." Saren said thickly "But I have changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has… upgraded me."

Shepard took a step toward him, her eyebrows rising to the sky as she shook her head "Are you insane?" She asked hotly "You let a reaper upgrade you?!"

Saren smiled, almost pityingly "You don't understand Shepard. There is a place for organics in the new order. The reapers need creatures of action like you and me. Sovereign recognises your value, surrender now and you will be spared. We can find a place for you with us."

Shepard pressed forward, determined to save the man Saren once was – there had to be some good left in him, she was sure of it "You're indoctrinated!" She cried "Don't you see that?"

The relationship is symbiotic." Saren insisted, slashing the air with a hand "Organic and mach-"

"The relationship is a lie!" Shepard cried "Sovereign hasn't won yet! Step aside and I can stop this invasion from happening – I can stop it taking control of the station."

Saren shook his head, taking a step back "We can't stop it." He insisted "Not forever, you saw the visions, you saw what happened to the Protheans, the Reapers are too powerful!"

"Come on Saren!" Shepard pressed and he pulled another pistol free aiming it at her. She raised her hands to chest height as beside her the lieutenant trained his gun on the turian, winded Hobbs moved to her other side, a pistol in his hand too. "You have to know this is wrong, somewhere." Shepard insisted "You can fight this."

For a moment the turian looked almost lost as his eyes searched the ground, "Maybe…" He whispered more to himself than to them "Maybe you're right…"He mumbled "Maybe there is a chance fo-" As he uttered the words he slammed a hand to his head grunting in pain, doubling over and stumbling a little as his nose began to bleed "The implants…" He groaned "It's too late for me… Sovereign is too strong…"

"No!" Shepard cried moving to him "It's not over yet Saren!"

"Goodbye Shepard." Saren said "Thank you." And with a swift movement he brought the pistol he was holding to his temple and fired. Shepard screamed, grasping for him, but his limp body tumbled backwards over the railing and crashed through the glass of the lower floor, landing in a jagged mess of blood and broken shards on the small garden below.

Shepard hesitated a moment before she charged to the console, opening her omnitool and uploading the datafile into the Citadel unit. It took only a moment, the screen flickering and flashing and then presenting her with the Citadel controls.

"Vigil's data worked!" She exclaimed, turning to see Hobbs and Kaidan watching her "I have control of all the systems!"

"Open the station's arms." Hobbs said moving to her side "The fleet can take out Sovereign before he can regain control of the station."

"Try opening a communications channel first." Kaidan said, "See what's happening out there."

As Shepard opened the communication channel immediately comm chatter began filtering in – the most distinctive transmission coming from a female voice, shrill and urgent as she cried:

"-Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down 40%. The council is on board – I repeat, the council is on board!"

"Shepard!" Joker's voice cut through the chatter "Normandy to the Citadel! Come on Commander, Normandy to Citadel anyone?!"

"I'm here Joker." Shepard said.

"Just caught that distress call Commander." Joker said firmly "We're sitting in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet – we can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"

"Shepard..." Kaidan's voice drew her attention and she looked to him "You sure you want to sacrifice the fleet to save the council?" He shook his head "We may need our fleets if-"

"Bullshit!" Hobbs snapped "This is bigger than any one species, Shepard open the arms and give the order."

"We should wait until Sovereign is exposed." Kaidan persisted "Attacking now is going to cripple our numbers."

"What is the order Commander?" Joker asked "Should we come in now and save the Ascension or hang back?"

Shepard glanced to the window, high above the Council chamber the geth were obliterating the Destiny Ascension and the Citadel fighters. There was no decision to be made.

"Opening the relays now Joker. We have to save the council, no matter the cost."

Joker nodded as the Normandy shot through the relay, the entire fleet on their tail as the first geth fighters appeared on their radar. The firing began immediately , the dark black of space suddenly a chorus of colour as high powered laser guns pumped energy at each other furiously.

He dipped the Normandy, her ability to move for him was unsurpassed fired on the nearest fighter.

"Alliance fleet move in, save the Destiny Ascension." Admiral Hackett's voice came over the Comm and Joker took measure of the scanner, spotting the Ascension under heavy fire. He took a geth fighter out easily, smiling as he reported into the comms "Destiny Ascension you are clear. Repeat you are all clear."

"The arms are opening, focus attack on Sovereign." Admiral Hackett's voice ordered.

Shepard swallowed, hoping she had made the right decision before she peered down to the lower level where Saren's body lay among the grass and glass. "Make sure he's dead." She said to no one in particular, but both men turned to head back down the stairs to the lower level.

A moment later they entered the garden room, their boots crunching over glass as Kaidan bent to look over Saren carefully. Hobbs drew his pistol and discharged a round into the turian's head which sounded with a sickeningly crunching wet thud, shrugging off the disgusted look Kaidan shot him.

"He's dead." The lieutenant confirmed through her speaker.

It's over, Shepard thought – but she knew it was a lie. It could never be truly over while the Reapers sat in dark space. They could still come, even absent a relay, it would just take longer. She was about to turn, to order the guys back up when the whole chamber began to shake.

At first she thought they had been hit by a ship outside, but it was wrong it was like an earthquake, the structure of the chamber splitting and cracking angrily, glancing below she could see Kaidan lose his balance, toppling over in the grass and Hobbs throwing his arms out as he tried not to follow suit.

And then Saren moved.

Shepard frowned as the structure she stood on split and collapsed, sending her falling and tumbling forward, landing hard on the ground the wind rushing from her lungs. The wound in her side pulsed angrily and she felt her consciousness leave briefly as she fought to keep her eyes open. The chamber was red – red light reflecting off the broken glass, dancing over the walls – searing red light that burned her eyes as she held fingers up to shade the pain.

Ahead Saren was suspended in mid air – his body coming to bits as internal mechanics were pushed forward. It was a gruesome sight – far worse than any she had seen, as his skull snapped and moved – reshaping into a shadow of what it once was and two glowing red eyes found hers and held them with a cold, dead stare.

"Holy…" Kaidan muttered, readying a pistol as the three of them all took an instinctual step back from the monster. It cocked its head to the side, such a human gesture it made her shudder as she rummaged her person for her weapon, she must have dropped it and cursed, squaring against the thing as her biotics began to flare.

It watched a moment longer, and then hunkering down on long legs it launched for her.

Shepard propelled herself forward, driving her biotic energy to her fists as they crashed together and she launched vicious blows to the body of the creature, bones snapped against her gloved fists and she pressed the attack drawing from her training, from her hate and from her friends as she drew back a leg – her foot hitting the creature square in the chest and sending it sprawling backwards.

She backed off, breathless but the monster sprung for her again and this time she wasn't ready – a step behind she raised an arm to fend him off just as her vision turned orange – the monster crumpling against the omnishield Hobbs had raised as he dipped to his knees. She recognised the manoeuvre immediately – as though they had been fighting together only yesterday never mind years before. Planting a firm foot between his shoulder blades she launched herself into the air, over the rim of his omni-shield and brought both fists down in a flash of biotic energy onto the monster's head.

Still it seemed unfazed, merely stumbling backwards over the grass before launching another attack. It lunged for her, heavy arms tackling her to the ground and Hobbs watched in horror as she disappeared under the writhing mass momentarily. He battered the thing with the shield, careful to move it so he could fire his weapon too as it back off Shepard and turned onto him. He managed to cast a glance toward her, she was lying on the ground, her eyes closed, a nasty cut above her eye bled down the side of her pale face.

"Tempy…" He said, momentarily distracted as the creature butted his shield, knocking him back a step or two before he dug his heels in, ramming it forward as they engaged in an epic battle of push and shove for territory. Sparks rained over him as the husk scraped talons over the omni-shield and he grit his teeth, forcing forward with a roar as Kaidan ran to Shepard's side.

The monster seized the momentary distraction, swatting him aside like a fly and for a moment Hobbs was airborne, snapping his omni-shield back before he crashed onto the ground, rolling with the momentum and clattering against the wall painfully. With a groan he shook his head, turning just in time to see the thing set upon Kaidan. They had to stop fighting individually or they were going to get killed.

Shots rang out as Kaidan began firing on it, interspacing the cooldown of his gun with biotic attacks, and the monstrosity that was once Saren realised his threat with cold, calculating accuracy as he switched attack lunging instead for the Lieutenant. He raised his pistol to fire, but the monster closed the space between them too quickly, swatting his arm aside and Kaidan felt the pistol slip from his fingers with the force of the move. Gathering his biotic energies he threw out a blast that knocked the creature back, enough for him to have a breath or two, but the monster simply came scrambling for him again.

"Kaidan." He heard Hobb's voice behind him, glanced to see him ducked low, the omni-shield held at an angle and he nodded. As the monster closed the distance with worrying speed Kaidan pivoted on his heel, slamming a foot onto the shield and using the momentum to propel himself up and over the creature, unleashing a concentrated blast as he landed heavily behind it. The blast struck the creature in the back, forcing it forward with deadly momentum toward Hobbs. In the same instant Hobbs slammed the shield forwards into the creature's maw, the flat lethal ferocity of the blow catching the creature under the chin and sending it hurtling backwards, a move that would have killed any other opponent for certain.

As though realising the success of teamwork a look passed between the two men, and Kaidan thought he could see a smile on the operatives face, but it didn't last – momentarily stunned the creature simply crab-crawled and was heading for them again. This time Hobbs stood in the way ramming again with his shield as Kaidan moved, his skin burning – his head flush with sweat as he opened his omni-tool, triggering a sabotage that sent some kind of circuitry inside the thing sparking. It was a momentary stun, allowing Hobbs to drop the shield and deliver a blast of supercooled particles from his Omni-Tool in a cone of freezing cold that engulfed the monster – the temperature in the chamber plummeting.

"Get up Shepard!" Hobbs yelled, his attention still torn "Stop sleeping on the job!"

As though he had broken some barrier Shepard stirred, a hand moving to her head and Kaidan almost cried out with relief, turning to look at her – and that was his first mistake. Seizing the advantage he heard the creature roar and turned just in time to see it launch toward him.

"Kaidan!" Shepard cried, but the creature was on him in an instant, barrelling him over onto the grass and raising great mechanical arms to skewer him through. Hobbs was ahead of her, his pistol firing rounds into the back of the creature as he roared, the monotonous beep letting her know his pistol had overheated as he tossed it aside instead crashing headlong into the side of the monster with his omni-shield.

It tumbled sideways taking Hobbs with it, and Shepard barely had time to look at the lieutenant before she was running for the two of them. Raising one of those arms again she screamed as it came down too fast on Hobbs, pinned beneath the creature, and he cried out in agony as metal talons drawn together to form a deadly spike punched straight through his shields and kinetic barriers and into his gut.

"NO!" Shepard screamed launching onto the back of the creature and pulling with all her strength. It reared back, the spiked hand coming out of Hobbs with a sickly spurt of blood and it kept falling, intending to grind her into the ground beneath it. Realising last minute, she dropped and rolled sideways instead letting the thing crash on its back on the grass.

"Socks!" Shepard heard his voice, her head snapping up just as Foster, Wrex and Garrus came charging into the chamber.

"Someone call the cavalry?!" Wrex shouted charging the monster and delivering a brutal kick to its head that sent the machine skittering away, climbing the walls as it reassessed the situation.

Foster ran for his brother, gripping the lapel of his armour he gave him a rough shake. "Get up socks!" He cried "Get up, on your feet!"

The creature slithered too fast over the ceiling, from somewhere in its mechanics a gun appeared on the shoulder, firing rounds at them all as they scattered for cover.

"Damn pyjak!" Wrex roared "Too afraid to fight a Krogan face to face!" He snorted angrily, charging the creature as it dipped from the ceiling to a wall, gripping one long metal leg he yanked it off the wall with force, sending it sprawling and skittering over the grass once more.

The chamber erupted in a cacophony of shots as Kaidan, Wrex and Garrus began to fire on the creature while it darted from wall to wall. Torn, Shepard retreated back to where Hobbs lay, dropping to her knees beside him.

Foster got to his feet, shouldering his rifle as he scoped the target swiftly, he closed his eyes. Steadied his breathing and then in the last instant his eyes flew open and he fired. The shot cracked in the small chamber, hitting the creature in one of the glowing red eyes and sending it screaming as it banked up the walls again, keening and roaring at them in a gargle of mechanical noises.

"Get up Hobbs!" Shepard barked "You're going to lie here for this scratch?!" She patted him down frantically and then opened her omni-tool applying the spray gel she had left. It might stop the bleeding if he didn't move too much – and that was unlikely, but it was all she had.

He chuckled, blood pooling at the corners of his mouth as he spat angrily. She took his hand, Foster the other and together they hauled him to his feet as he groaned, pressing a hand over the wound.

Whirling Shepard turned on the creature just as it lunged from the ceiling for her –

"Tempy!" She heard Hobbs calling for her, that same feeling boiling inside her that she had felt once before – back on Mindoir, back when Spooner had fallen before her and instead of fighting it, she let it go.

There was a flash; white searing light filled her vision, burning her retinas as she gave herself over to that feeling inside her. She felt like she was falling, her fingers spreading wide as she grasped for leverage, a body, a steadying weight – anything.

As the surroundings darkened once more, she blinked, black spots swimming in her vision as she staggered, exhaustion threatening to overcome her. She spotted the creature writhing on the ground, the red light seeming to burn it up from the inside out as Foster approached firing a few rounds into the head of the creature.

The corpse began to shudder and vibrate, superheating as it began to smoke and disintegrate to nothing.

"Shepard." She raised her eyes to see Kaidan standing with Wrex and Garrus, his face a picture of concern as she staggered her vision fading in and out as she tried to catch her breath.

"Tempy." The voice was behind her, strong hands coming to her waist as she stumbled, half turning into Hobbs. She looked up at his ashen face, crimson trickling from his lips and she wondered absently how he could still be so strong. He read her thoughts instantly and flashed a bloodied grin as he pulled her close, both using the support of the other to steady themselves as an explosion rocked the chamber. She turned toward the sound, the noise of Sovereign exploding as the Alliance fleet rallied outside.

She frowned, the long window darkening as a piece of the ship came flying toward the room they were standing in.

"Move!" She screamed – feeling strong arms grab her just as everything exploded.

As his eyes fluttered open Kaidan coughed, the movement bringing with it a bout of coppery blood that he spat out onto the grass beneath him. He lay still, his cheek pressed into glass and grass as he sucked unsteady breaths into his lungs, his consciousness flooding back with such intensity it took him a moment to decipher his own thoughts.

Saren. Shepard.

He blinked. Something had exploded. He had heard her scream to move, and he had moved blindly, and then there had been an almighty noise, and then nothing.

Wincing he pushed himself up painfully, his ribs groaning angrily as bone grated on bone, his lungs wheezing and threatening to give out in pain as his vision darkened and brightened interchangeably.

"Shepard." He croaked, his throat feeling like he had swallowed some glass and that awful taste of blood filled his mouth and nose as he blinked finally taking in the carnage around him.

The council chamber was unrecognisable. Rubble and fire and smoke filled every crevice and corner, the window had shattered under the blow, the external security barrier saving them all from being sucked into space glittered and rippled above the room.

"Abby." Kaidan wheezed, moving to his knees. With a deep breath he pressed a hand to the grass, gritting against the angry pain and pushing himself to his feet. He staggered, looking over the mountain of rubble and twisted metal that seemed to have appeared where he last saw Shepard standing. Doing a small circle he looked behind him, the grass littered with glass and bits of tech, metal, grass fires and smoking debris. Among it all he spotted Garrus, the turian was lying on his side, his back to Kaidan and he moved to him kneeling by his side as he gripped his shoulder rolling him to his back.

His eyes snapped open, holding Kaidan's with intensity as he offered his hand and the turian took it as they helped each other to their feet once more.

"What…" Garrus whispered, his mandibles clicking as he took in the sight of the destroyed chamber "Where…"

They stood a moment, leaning against each other and then Kaidan was moving again. Garrus made to grab him, but he batted the talons away, moving on adrenaline only – or maybe love – as he trekked the rubble, sliding and stumbling as he began to dislodge debris. He had to find her.

She was alive.

That thought was singular and drove him forward as he stopped gripping his side and instead began to dig with two hands. He heard commotion below as C-sec officers pushed through, he heard Captain Anderson asking where Shepard was – the question igniting in his head like a siren, pounding through his blood with each heartbeat as he moved. Blood dripped onto the rocks in front of him and he didn't care, he couldn't care – he couldn't stop – not until he found her.

"Alenko!" He heard Captain Anderson calling for him but he ignored it, now was not the time for a debriefing, the could court-martial him later, it wouldn't matter if she was gone. Nothing would.

He swallowed against the truth of that statement as it washed through him – it didn't matter she was the first woman; he wanted her to be the last – the only – and tears stung his eyes as he began to move frantically, rocks tumbling down the mass of rubble to crash on the grass as the officers set to work digging out the survivors. He glimpsed the heavy hump of Wrex, carrying the small form of Foster in his arms and he heard the young corporal shout his brothers name – the sound echoing in the cavernous hall.

Pushing another boulder aside he almost banked forward, unprepared for the gaping hole beneath him where twisted metal and rubble had created a frame for debris to pile on top, a dark hollow – the bright glow of an omni-shield the only source of light as he peered inside.

Abigail was there, her back bent awkwardly over rock, one arm above her head, the other resting on her abdomen as though she had fallen asleep that way. Her hair was splayed beneath her, matted and dirty and bloody; the cut above her eye had bled down her pale face which was marred with dirt and grime and dust, a bruise already colouring her cheekbone.

Beside her, curled against her and over her with his shield protecting the parts he had not reached lay Hobbs. His armour was badly damaged, blood oozing in rivulets from a dozen wounds, his face was buried in the space between her shoulder and head. Kaidan craned his neck, but his features were obscured by her hair and he couldn't tell if the man was alive or not.

The debris was covered in blood, even for the wounds he could see on Hobbs' back there was too much and then he caught his breath as he saw the source. Through the top right of his chest, stopping inches from Abigail's face, was a twisted spire of wreckage that had impaled the man like a spike, blood trickled freely down the jagged metal, pooling around the pair as they lay motionless.

Kaidan caught his breath, he had to help them both.

"I need help!" He screamed back at the medical team who were attending the other wounded crew members. "Someone help!" He cried, desperation bordering on sheer panic lacing through his voice. He looked back to them, knowing that in his condition he couldn't move Hobbs, he was likely to be in critical condition, but Shepard looked almost unharmed by the blast – thanks to her Paladin.

"Abby!" He cried, reaching down inside the hollow – his ribs cracked and howled angrily but he pressed forward, just unable to reach "Abby please!" He begged.

He prayed, he pleaded, to God, to the angels, to the Goddess – hell to the devil – to open her eyes, to have her look at him again like she used to so he could tell her how much she meant to him; so he could hold her against him – even if it was only once more – just to feel the warmth of her smile and hear her whisper his name the way she did.

"Don't leave me behind." He wept, straining, reaching and his gloved fingers brushed the tips of hers above her head. He felt the shock of biotic reaction, the rush of cold leaving him as her hand jerked and for a fearful moment he thought it was just the static, but then her fingers curled and she launched forward lunging into a fit of coughing and hacking as she spat blood to the rubble around her.

"Abigail!" He cried and she looked up at him groggily – not fully aware as her head rolled back and he reached for her again.

This time he caught her hand in a firm grip and pulled back, hauling her up and out of the hollow, up and over him as he crashed backwards onto the rubble pressing her body to his protectively. They lay there for a moment, breathing against each other, chests heaving, fingers curled and gripping, holding as the events sank through them both.

Shepard chuckled, low and throaty and painful and Kaidan smiled, glancing down as she raised her face from his armour to look at him "We did it Kaidan." She whispered, her voice paper thin.

"You did it." Kaidan said firmly and she moved over him, pressing her mouth over his eagerly.

"Commander." The stern voice washed over them both like ice as Shepard's eyes snapped open and she scrambled from Kaidan, getting to her feet awkwardly as Captain Anderson stood, his eyebrow raised sceptically. She threw out a crisp salute and Anderson turned his attention to the Lieutenant as he struggled to his feet.

Shepard didn't miss that look – she had seen it before; the look of a father weighing up the potential of a suitor as his gaze ran up and down Kaidan carefully. Sheepish and turning red, Kaidan snapped off his own salute and snapped from his reverie the Captain returned it fluidly.

"Is everyone accounted for?" Anderson asked, his dark gaze falling on Shepard once more.

Shepard winced, pressing a hand to the wound in her side "Where's…" She shook her head "Where's Hobbs? He was injured."

Kaidan hesitated beside her, his hand coming to hers and she turned sharply seeing for the first time the hollow she had been pulled from and the medical team inside working frantically over a still body. There was too much blood – too much – she knew that the moment her eyes glanced the red debris and she caught her breath in a ragged gasp as she dropped to her knees.

"Is he ok?" She screamed, the medical team flinching below "Hobbs!"

She got to her feet, prepared to launch into the hollow when the sight of Foster stopped her in her tracks. He looked at her puzzled, his eyes red rimmed from dust and smoke as he blinked at her.

"Foster…" She whispered and he frowned, immediately alarmed by her use of his actual name.

They were pushed aside, the medical team filing past with Hobbs' body on a stretcher and Foster's eyes fluttered as he collapsed to his knees faint. Shepard half caught him, dropping together as he wrapped quaking arms around her choking out a gut wrenching sob.

"Hobbs!"