It's that day again.
The day it all began.
People scream as they scramble for cover at the lab just a couple miles outside of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Giant, robotic squid-looking things come from the sky, destroying the launch pad that hasn't been used in decades and the old space shuttles that remind us how far we've come. They took out the building that was once where the shuttles were built with one hit from their beam.
As the rubble came falling, so did our morale.
Our parents push Andrew and I through the doors of the lab, our mother carrying two year old Fletcher while I grip the hand of Andrew.
Our parents grab weapons from a rack hidden in a wall, as do about a dozen other people who also came here for protection. After grabbing an assault rifle, our father runs up as fast as he can on his never-worn prosthetic legs.
"We'll keep you safe. You'll be okay." He says as Mom hands me Fletcher, and I hug him close.
"Aaron, Kayla! They're leaving!"
Our parents turn to look at the man who said their names, and Dad looks confused.
"No... they can't. It's not right, they won't just leave."
He's right.
"But... look!" The man says as he peers out a window. Dad looks out as well, brows furrowed.
"...Kayla... Start up the Mass Effect field..."
"What?" Mom asks, as if unsure she heard him right.
"Something's not right. Start it up. We need every defense we have."
She pauses for a second before nodding and running to a console along a wall. With a few taps, the building begins to vibrate before a shimmery force field passes over the entire building before the vibration dies down.
It won't be enough!
Not even five seconds after the Mass Effect field stabilizes, a screeching pierces our ears and causes Fletcher to begin to cry. I pick him up and hug him tight, Andrew doing his best to comfort our brother as well.
"What the hell is that?!" A woman screams from the other side of the lab, causing everyone to turn and look.
Just in time to see a monster phase through the field and into the building, only to skewer the woman on its long, claw-like fingers.
Everyone opens fire on the beast, and it lets out a blood-curdling scream before it falls to the floor in a pile of blood and ooze. I was able to turn Andrew and Fletchers eyes away from the scene, but that left me with it seared in my memory forever.
"Is that... an Asari?" Mom asks no one in particular, slowly and cautiously approaching in case it's not completely dead. Her shotgun locked and loaded, ready just in case.
It was. Once.
"It's... different..." Dad says, approaching as well. He drags the dead woman away from the monster, a gaping hole just under her ribcage. As soon as the woman is off the creatures arm, its eyes open wide and lets out another screech.
BOOM!
Mom blows off the creatures head with a single shot, her Eviscerator smoking.
"Maybe... they're like Husks...?" I ask softly, and everyone turns to look at me.
"What?" One man asks as our parents walk up, dropping their weapons.
"Cassie, how did you come up with that?" Dad asks.
"Well... I've seen pictures of Husks... They kind of look the same..." I whisper. "Husks are what the Geth turned humans into on Eden Prime, and the Geth were trying to bring the Reapers back...That must mean the giant robo-squid-things are Reapers, and it makes sense that they can do the same thing to other species..."
"That... actually makes sense." Dad says, glancing back at the monster behind them.
"That's very good, Cass." Mom says with a smile, kissing me on the head.
"No it's not... means there could be more. Turians... Elcor, Krogan... all modified like that Asari or the Husks..." I say, tears beginning to come to my eyes.
I see it in their eyes. Fear. Genuine fear. When a ten year old comes up with the worst case scenario that makes so much sense, it's hard to think of any other option.
"We need to prepare." Dad says as he stands up again, quickly getting used to his prosthetics.
"We've done everything we can..." Mom replies, still kneeling down by me, trying to calm me down.
"Not everything..." He mutters, a thoughtful look on his face. His eyes go wide, and he looks towards the crowd.
"Someone start up the Mechs!"
It won't be enough.
It won't be enough!
"IT WON'T BE ENOUGH!"