The krogan roared as he wheeled the turret around in the Kodiak, aiming behind the craft as he fired at their pursuers. The wind was rushing into the craft, buffeting everyone around in the chilly draft.

In the cockpit, Dayrl was adjusting the controls as he skimmed low above the Maryland forests. The shuttle nearly collided with a few of the reaching branches but the quarian expertly maneuvered around them. Next to him, Vaeri was fiddling with the secondary controls, aiming the forward cannons at whatever was blocking their way.

"Two contacts, Vaeri," Dayrl said. "Position one."

"On it, bro," she smiled. The cannons at the front adjusted slightly and boomed twice. Two black dots puffed gently in front of them as two helicopters fell from the sky in flames. Evidentially, the Kodiak had the range and the targeting advantage over their Earth counterparts. She adjusted the position of the guns as she scanned for more targets.

Wrex, however, was having the time of his life. As a heavily armored Pave Hawk came up alongside the craft, he would simply spray the chopper with the turret that he was controlling, shredding it instantly. If one came up the other side, he only needed to bark a warning to the cockpit, who would then turn the ship and maintain the same direction and speed, allowing Wrex a clear shot at the bastards.

Tali, Garrus, and Liara could only hold on and pray as the motion dampeners lessened the jerky movements of the craft. If the Kodiak did not have the specialized mass effect fields, then they probably would have either broken their backs from the turbulence or have just fallen out altogether.

But it was the navigation and piloting of Vaeri and Dayrl that was currently keeping everyone alive. Dayrl, funnily enough, was demonstrating the type of exuberant flying that only the best aces in the fleet could hope to achieve. Tali had never seen this side of her son before and had a curious thought about his little unseen facet.

Next to her, Garrus suddenly cursed, tapping at his omni-tool in desperation, "Spirits…come back…piece of shit…"

"Garrus?" Tali asked, alarmed. "What?"

"Tali…I…" Garrus' face was drooping, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I…lost Alec's tracker."

"What does that mean?" her voice rose.

Garrus shook his head, "Tali…these trackers run on a tightband frequency. There's no way that I could lose the signal, unless…"

Tali could only stare at him behind her visor. Garrus noted that the glowing eyes did not change in shape, only her posture which seemed to slump slightly. He desperately wanted to say more but he could not find any words of comfort at the moment.

Tali turned her head away, "Machines break…he doesn't."

"Tali, we might have to consider…"

"We might have to consider nothing," she growled. "I can't…I won't accept that fact until I see for myself. Where did you lose the signal?"

Garrus gulped at her stubbornness, "The same…the same place we're heading, still a hundred miles out."

"Then we're still going there," she said with a forceful nod. "We're going and we will find him. I'm not giving up on Alec yet."

Wrex was laughing in the background as a brief flare of orange blossomed outside. Liara was wincing at the krogan's joy, Dayrl and Vaeri were working out maneuvering strategies in the front, and Garrus sighed as he deactivated his omni-tool. The choice had been made, now all he could do was hope to see a crazy human waiting at the end of the tunnel. It might have been a foolish hope, but it's all he dared to see at this point.

Beside him, Tali set to work loading her shotgun, her breathing slow and steady as she refused to let any tears fall, unseen.

Don't do this to me, Alec. I can't go through this again. You better be there.

Kasumi's stood, gaping, at the smoldering pile of ash in the room. Soot streaked her face, as did a few angry red spots from the burns she had accrued from the explosion. Numbly, she walked over to the far end of the room, her feet kicking up grey clouds of dust as she shuffled them along. The wrecked hulk of the Caiman was overturned to her right, having finally suffered enough. She shut her eyes as she passed through the devastated corpses of the Generation V soldiers.

Her foot squished and she instinctively looked down. She almost heaved as she realized that she'd been standing on a grey tube of intestine, the blood smearing around her boot. She breathed heavily in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to avoid the rising feel from the pit of her stomach. She could hear slight groaning coming from the lit hallway of the stairwell. Curiosity getting the better of her, she moved quickly towards the sound, daring to hope to see a familiar face.

She scowled as she saw a beige soldier stirring, back propped up against a pillar. The man was clutching the stump of an arm as the cauterized wound slowly oozed blood. The man caught her gaze for a second and both said nothing, each silently acknowledging the other. With tears in her eyes, Kasumi drew her Locust and released a three round burst at point-blank range. Half of the man's face was torn off from the barrage and he slumped as broken pieces of his skull deformed.

"That was for Alec, you bastards," she whispered.

Hands fumbling in her pocket, she withdrew her minipad and saw that her target was, incredibly, still in the same room as before. She slid it back, her eyes hard, mind sharp. She needed to repay a debt, might as well get it done sooner rather than later.

She took the stairs three at a time as she ascended to the third floor, her movements quick and nimble. She cautiously opened the door and checked in both directions down the carpeted hallway. No movement in sight. Holding her submachine gun in front of her, she cautiously padded down as the door in question lay on her left as she approached.

Trying to not make a sound, Kasumi twisted the knob and opened the door, gun at the ready. She was now in a small reception area, with a brown desk to the side and a couple of plush chairs in the center. Looking past, she saw another door, this one wooden, although the plate on the front read "Director of the NSA – Lt. Gen. Palmquist." She smiled as she leveled the Locust at the door itself, preparing to rake the fire across, killing the occupant inside. She smiled with certitude, she would be the one to put it all right. Not bad for a former thief.

There was a loud report as the door splintered, a single hole protruding from the oak door. But Kasumi had not fired. She jerked in place as she felt something small impact with her stomach. Her breath was forcefully expelled from her body and she felt herself falling to the ground, hood askew. She coughed as her Locust tumbled out of her grip, out of arm's reach, hands floundering as she tried to ascertain the damage to her body, her breathing ragged and uneven.

The wooden door's knob turned and a large figure in a white buttoned shirt and dark pants came from behind it. In his hand, he held a large revolver, barrel smoking as he lowered it to his side. The man slowly took his time as he approached the fallen, crumpled form of Kasumi Goto, mouth in a cruel smile.

"I have to admit," Anthony said. "I was a little disappointed when I saw all that down there. Alec really did his damnedest to get to me, didn't he?" The man seemed to be enjoying himself in the madness of the situation, "And then he goes and blows himself the fuck up. I mean, after all that, and to fall so short of his goal. That is depressing."

Kasumi couldn't speak as a bubble of blood started to form on her lips, bursting in the air. Anthony tilted his head at her as he laughed, "Of course, I'm quite curious that you're here, Ms. Goto. Don't look so surprised, we've been keeping tabs on you the entire time you were here. Infiltrating restricted quarters, aiding and abetting, massive property damage, not to mention the staggering loss of life you left in your wake."

"Nothing…about…sensitive documents?" she smiled weakly.

Anthony frowned, "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Tertiary…Protocol. Generation…V," she coughed.

Anthony's face was aghast, "Goddamn it, you saw those files. You know, I had thought that I had deleted them but apparently you are even more resourceful than I thought. It doesn't matter as you won't be able to do anything with them now."

Kasumi laughed, "I…didn't have them. Alec did…before he sent them off…"

"Sent them?" Anthony's mouth dropped. "Where? Tell me, you little bitch!"

Kasumi laid her head back as she relaxed. "Everywhere," she whispered.

Anthony growled as he aimed the revolver at the downed thief's head. He wanted this over immediately, there was still time to salvage this debacle. He only needed to get in front of a camera to put a spin on the whole situation before the media jumped to their own conclusions.

There was a slight thumping noise and then the glass from the neighboring office exploded outward as something ran through it. Anthony tried to swing his weapon around but could not tell what was going on until he felt a mass strike his jaw and he was propelled to the ground, revolver clattering back into his office. He then felt strong hands lift him up by the shirt as the shimmering substance that constituted his assailant suddenly crackled and gave shape and form to a black and red armored humanoid as the active camouflage dissipated. The figure brought his helmet close as it gave a whisper.

"I haven't fallen yet."

Alec then roared as he shoved Anthony back into his office, causing the man to land hard on his side against his desk. Alec stalked after him and drove a fist down that he barely had time to avoid, the impact breaking through the wood. The armored man straightened and lashed a backhand across Anthony's face, causing him to jerk backward as he was now up against the wall. Not slowing down, a fist was savagely planted in his gut and another blow was placed against his head. Anthony cried out as Alec kicked a nearby chair over in frustration, the other man scurrying away back towards his desk.

Amused, Alec followed as Anthony grabbed a bottle from a nearby cabinet. Alec stopped, waiting for him to make the move. After some hesitation, his opponent stutter-stepped in and brought the bottle down upon his helmet with a sickening crack, glass shattering in all directions, liquid dripping off his suit.

Alec, unflinching and unhurt, lifted his arms to discern what had now coated him. "Not much use for the scotch now," he quipped.

Anthony spat, "I wouldn't be so sure about that." From his coat pocket, he produced a lighter. Alec realized what was about to happen but stood in place, letting Anthony think he had the upper hand. With a flick, the silver lighter flared and was then tossed in his direction, hitting the shoulder of the Terminus armor. Alec's upper body was now wreathed in flames but still he stood, basking in the slight warmth, fireproof armor shielding him.

Anthony was now gaping at the hellish demon before him. Completely covered in fire, Alec looked like an angel of death, the specter of his destruction. With a cruel laugh, the figure strode across and punched Anthony in the face. He howled as the flaming fist made contact with his cheek, flesh singed beneath. The flaming man was now advancing, arms whirling as he threw punch after punch, flames trailing behind. A deadly blow impacted with the drywall behind him, plunging his arm through but still he shrugged it off. Grabbing his shirt, Alec hit the man again and again, feeling the hard muscles and tendons give every time he made contact.

The flames had finally engaged the sprinkler systems at this point and now water was cascading from the ceiling in cones. The fire on his body extinguished, Alec hefted Anthony's limp body and placed him across the wet desk.

"Why?" Alec hissed. "Why did you do it?"

Anthony spat blood at Alec's faceplate, dribbling off the slick surface, "Because humans don't deserve to be second rate! No matter what you try to pass yourself off as, you're not one of us! You didn't understand what this meant!"

"Of course I did!" Alec yelled. "I saw humanity's true face when they pushed against what they feared. You didn't have to attack us! We presented you with a fair offer so why fight?"

"You mean…after you threatened to destroy us? Don't blame us for this, you were the one who pushed first! You! You told us that you would burn the planet if we didn't cooperate."

"That was misconstrued and you know it! I only was providing a warning should you have chosen any wise ideas, now look how that ended up."

"Look how it ended up?" Anthony roared. "Look at you! You're standing right here, tearing down everything you once swore to defend. You're attacking your countrymen, panicking the nation, for what? Because you were only thinking with your dick when you were boning that…thing you call your wife?"

Alec punched Anthony in the face, making his head rebound against the desk, "Don't you ever disrespect her again. She was maimed in that attack that you sent after us, Anthony. She got her fucking leg blown off!"

"Boo hoo," Anthony snarled sarcastically. "I'll be sure to send some flowers."

Alec seethed and his fist came down on Anthony's nose. He squealed as it broke, blood squirting over his mouth. Alec was breathing hard, "If she had been killed, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. You'd already be dead."

"Can't really say the same for your crew," Anthony mumbled.

Alec grabbed the lapels of Anthony's shirt as he brought him up off the desk, "What are you talking about?"

"Didn't I warn you that I had access to the nuclear launch function? The Tertiary Protocol is still in effect, I still hold all the executive power."

"Bullshit, there's no way that you can execute a launch now."

Anthony laughed, "You misunderstand. I gave the order when you unceremoniously crashed your truck through the lobby."

Alec felt a surge of heat flush through his body. There was a raging inferno broiling beneath the armor, he started to shake. It wasn't possible, how could he have let it come to this? The fleet was in danger because of him. His friends were in danger, Tali was in danger.

Alec's heartbeat slowed as he thought, "Your order would need to go through several channels for authentication. Even though you hold all of the presidential power, there are certain safeguards that would delay the launch by about an hour."

"You are right about that, Alec," Anthony shrugged. "By my count, there are only thirty minutes left, not that you'll be able to stop it. But the question of the day is, what are you going to do about it?"

Before Alec could react, Anthony's left hand scythed forward and impacted with Alec's side. There was no pain but there was a clunk as something latched on. Alec was about to ask a question when electricity seared across his body, sending him writhing to the damp floor as the sprinklers continued to rain water down. Alec jerked as the current passed through him, his helmet's HUD was going haywire, the display distorting. He grasped the edges of his helmet and yanked, tossing it away as he groped for the small EMP emitter embedded on his armor. He tore it free and sat up as he realized that Anthony had fled the room, the revolver with him.

Alec sat up, suddenly noting how heavy his armor felt now. His hydraulics weren't working, he no longer had amplified strength from his suit. His shields, active camo, and omni-sword were offline as well, they needed power from the suit to function and right now, there wasn't any.

Cursing his luck, he started to follow him out the door when he noticed Kasumi sitting with her back to the receptionist's desk. She was clutching her stomach as she slowly wheezed in pain. Alec knelt down as he approached.

"This wasn't what I had in mind."

Kasumi coughed and smiled, "You truly are a bastard. You used me as bait."

Alec hung his head apologetically, face frowning as Kasumi was now able to see his grizzled features, "I know, I know. But I had to make Anthony think that he had the advantage or else I couldn't have surprised him in that manner."

"I think…there could have been a better way," she managed.

Alec gently pried her hands away from her body to get a look at the wound. He was surprised to see that there wasn't any blood, just the tip of a slug embedded in the mesh of her suit.

"Kevlar?" he asked.

Kasumi nodded, "I take no chances, but I think a few of my ribs are broken, regardless."

"Lift up your shirt," Alec ordered. Kasumi cocked an eyebrow as she stared. Alec sighed, "There's now time for modesty now, just lift it up so that I can access the wound."

"Shouldn't…" she said as she raised the top of her suit so that the massive bruise was exposed. "Shouldn't you be going after him?"

"Later," Alec shook his head. "This is more important." Depressing a valve on his suit, he quickly and gingerly applied a swath of medi-gel to Kasumi's injuries. She hissed as the gel stung when it contacted but she gritted her teeth and held on. She continued to breathe heavily for a few more seconds before Alec patted her on the shoulder, "It should be better in a few minutes."

Kasumi then started to relax as she slumped against the desk, "Alec?"

"Yes, Kasumi?"

"When," she breathed slowly. "When this is over…can you take me with you? Please…I want to go..."

Alec frowned, realization spreading across his face, "So...that's why you were helping me. All this time you wanted a way in with us."

"I have nowhere else to go," she pleaded. "I don't want to stay here...I mean, look at you. You have it all figured out, you're...living my wildest dreams. I only want to be able to experience what you have. To get away...from this planet..."

Alec stood as he gripped her hand firmly as he echoed the words a turian once said to him, "If a human wants to come with us, then it has its priorities in order. You can come, Kasumi. I don't know of anyone else on this world that's deserved it."

She smiled, but quickly winced in pain, causing Alec to point a finger, "But no dying here, understood?"

"Understood…captain," she slid across the floor her minipad, the device still showing the location of Anthony.

"That's it," Alec said gently as he moved toward the door, pocketing the slate. "You going to be okay if I leave?"

"I don't think anything else could take my mood away. When I recover, I'll join up with you."

"That's the spirit."

The Kodiak lurched as it dove for the riverbed, two choppers in hot pursuit. A brief explosion outside the door knocked Wrex back in the cabin, causing him to land on his back. Springing back up, he roared a challenge and manned the turret again to cover the skies with high-velocity rounds.

"Um…Dayrl," Vaeri said in concern. "You don't think we're a little close to the ground?"

"Not in the slightest," Dayrl said with some levity. "You think we can go lower?"

"Don't you dare."

In response, her brother flicked the craft upward as it passed over a bridge, causing one of the helicopters following right behind to lift suddenly, having not seen the structure before. The tail rotor got caught on the concrete and it flipped in the air to land in the dry creek below.

"Absolutely insane…" Vaeri muttered.

"Runs in the family," Dayrl shot back.

Back in the main area of the shuttle, Garrus was holding on for dear life when his omni-tool pinged from his open application. Confusion flooded his face as he brought his arm up to read the display. His free mandible flexed in surprise.

"Spirits, he's back!"

"What?" Tali asked.

"Alec's back! His icon just reappeared on my map!"

Tali now tilted her head as it was her turn to be puzzled, "But…you said that the signals couldn't be lost unless…they…"

Garrus slapped his head with his free head in shame, "Oh…damn it. I completely forgot." When Tali didn't say anything he continued, "His active camouflage. Activating it doesn't just make it invisible to the naked eye, it severs all outbound communications coming from the armor. It's camouflages the signal."

"Then…then that means…"

"Alec was never gone in the first place, which is a relief because-"

Tali leaped forward across the shuttle, causing Liara to cry out in surprise, as she brought her hands around the unfortunate turian's neck, squeezing it. Garrus gagged at the quarian's assault, utterly bewildered.

"Tali!" Liara shouted in shock. Wrex glanced back and gaped in surprise as he saw the scene unfold before him.

"You…utter…asshole!" Tali screamed. "You had me nearly worry myself to death! You knew what that camouflage function on his armor did, why didn't you think of that before!"

"I…forgot…" Garrus choked out. "I…really…did…forget…Tali…"

"That's a fucking lie!" she cried. "I can't believe that I fell for it! Do you have any idea on how ashamed I feel right now?"

Wrex bounded across the shuttle as he ripped Tali's hands off of Garrus' neck before she strangled him to death. Liara dragged the turian away to further the distance between the two.

"I'm…sorry, Tali," Garrus wheezed. "I…am…sorry that I forgot about that fact. I should have remembered!"

Tali jerked in Wrex's grip but he held firm, not letting the quarian one inch towards skinning Garrus alive. "Stop it, Tali!" he growled. "That's enough! Alec is alive, which is what matters. What also matters is that I don't have to explain to him why his wife suddenly killed his best friend in front of our eyes, is that what you want?"

Tali ceased struggling, her wispy eyes drooping as she sighed, "No…he wouldn't. But that doesn't mean I'm not mad at you." She then looked to Garrus and seemed to melt in her shame, "Oh…Keelah, Garrus. I don't know what came over me…"

"I don't know either," Garrus rubbed his neck, wincing. "You have a strong grip, you know that?"

"I'm still furious at you for this…but I am very, very sorry for hurting you. Please, I…I can't believe that I would do such a thing…"

Garrus hacked up for a second, coughing, "It's no big deal, Tali. But I think I now know who's the boss in your relationship."

Despite the fact that they were evading military choppers in the middle of North America, and that everyone was in a shuttle being targeted by every single aircraft on sight, Dayrl and Vaeri shared a glance at the scene.

Vaeri tilted her head as she looked at her brother, "Mom is kind of scary when she's mad, you think?"

The basement door clanged as it bit into the tile wall. Alec had kicked it in so hard that the lock had snapped, hydraulics be damned. He leaped over a small staircase as he continued further under the NSA headquarters. He could see the main hallway up ahead, brightly lit in contrast to the dark corridor he was now exiting. Something flashed across his face as a figure up a head blocked the light as he ran past. Spurred on, Alec moved faster and rounded the corner just in time to see the figure finish descending another staircase.

"Anthony!" Alec yelled. The man immediately turned, face hateful, as he whipped out his revolver and fired. Alec grunted in pain as something impacted with his side and he dropped to a knee as his target continued to flee. He gasped as he put his gauntlet to where he was shot and it came away bloody.

"Goddamn it," he groused. "Not again."

Stupid idiot, he had completely forgotten that his shields were disabled. This put a whole new perspective on things. He was no longer resistant to small arms fire, and on top of that, he was now helmetless so any marksman worth his salt could pick him off any day of the week now, if he gave them that chance.

Rubbing medi-gel on his side, he limped down the staircase as his omni-tool told him that Anthony was only a hundred feet ahead. He picked up his pace, despite the stabbing pain. Moving past a column, he was met with an unwelcome sight.

In front of him was a subway line, with the lights flashing as the doors started to close. There were three silver cars as the automated train began its departure sequence. He could see Anthony in the front car, smirking as he was obviously congratulating himself on his getaway. Alec did not know where the rail line went, only that he was getting on that train.

"Stand clear of the closing doors, please," the automatic announcer chimed as the doors began sliding shut. Alec, snarling, rushed forward as the train started to move. He covered the last few meters with ease and flung himself through the air, timing himself just right. His body smashed through the metal doors as if they were paper, cracking the glass and letting the wind from the motion of the train come rushing in. Alec grimaced as his side ached, but now the medi-gel had taken most of the edge off. He was ready enough.

Anthony, seeing the whole thing, aimed his pistol at the black-clad man lying down two cars away and pulled the trigger, sending another slug barreling towards him. Alec ducked behind a row of seats as the windows of the doors ahead shattered. He pulled out his Paladin and fired, rounds punching through the metal cleanly. He used up two more rounds as covering fire as he shoved the first set of doors aside, crouching behind the last row of chairs in the second car. He popped the thermal clip as it overheated, reaching for a new one but grasped only air. He was finally out of ammo. Anthony was now reloading as he could hear the clatter of spent cartridges rolling around the floor.

Alec cautiously moved up, pistol aimed ahead, despite it being empty. At this point he could only use it as a club but it was better than nothing. He couldn't see Anthony in this position, he needed to get closer. Suddenly, his target stood and emptied his revolver as he fired indiscriminately into the car. A light shattered overhead as a round deflected off of Alec's armor, reverberating through his body.

"Ten minutes to go, Alec!" Anthony called. "Think you can make it?"

Alec stood up in a fury and lobbed something into the next car. Anthony did not have time to react as the sonic grenade exploded mere feet away. Every window and light in the car cracked and shattered as the high-pitched burst from the device assaulted them with a powerful frequency. Anthony ducked as glass rained down upon his head, suddenly plunged into blackness as all of the lights went out. The buffeting winds from the train's velocity were scattering pieces everywhere and sent a chill up his spine.

He straightened up to see his friend hurl his fist at his face. Anthony was propelled backwards as the sickening crack connected with his jaw. He fell to the ground but caught himself on a nearby seat rest. Finding an inner reserve of strength, he whirled himself around to now hit Alec solidly in the head. Alec grunted and threw up an arm to protect himself. A huge fist hit his cheek and Alec felt something give slightly. Anthony's leg was thrown up to kick him in the gut, shoving him heavily to the ground.

"You still fight like shit, Alec," Anthony panted. "You could never beat me in a straight fight."

Alec's only response was to heave a fistful of glass from where he was sitting at Anthony. Anthony turned away, covering his face with his hands to protect him from the shards and the wind. He reached for his pistol and drew it, only to have Alec right there as he grasped the barrel in his hands. The two of them stood in that position as the barrel wavered back in forth in their grips. Anthony forced his muscles to the limit, the gun now starting to point at Alec. But before he could pull the trigger, Alec tensed and pushed, gun coming back to its original position and beyond as he slowly forced it to face Anthony. Anthony's eyes grew large as Alec forced a finger near the trigger.

"Alec, wait…we can-"

Alec squeezed the trigger with all his might and the gun boomed. Anthony screamed as the bullet passed through his shoulder, creating a large exit wound on the way out, ragged muscle spewing everywhere. Alec held the gun triumphantly and chucked it out the window.

"That was for Kasumi," he growled.

"Alec, wait!" Anthony tried again. "If you kill me, you won't be able to save your fleet. Your friends…your wife will die. Let me live and I will stop it."

Alec brought a hand to his smashed cheek as he spoke slowly, "The Anthony that I knew…would never compromise his principles. Not even when he was in the minority. I…don't need you to save my family."

"Wrong answer!" Anthony leaped to his feet and began swinging with his left hand. Alec ducked the blow and rammed his elbow into the man's ribs. Yelling in pain, Anthony brought his fist down in a hammering motion, catching Alec on the head. He staggered backwards, seeing stars. As he clutched his ruined shoulder, Anthony was now baring his teeth as he slowly advanced, a predator not giving up on the hunt.

"I don't know who you are anymore," Anthony said. "But you're not Alec Lee. He would understand my position perfectly. He always did…"

"I may have changed," Alec grimly replied. "But so have you." Anthony took a wild swing as he lunged towards his former friend. Alec ducked the blow and brought his right arm up in an uppercut. The actual blow missed, but the hard material of his gauntlet caught the edge of Anthony's cheek, tearing the skin in a ragged edge as the blow traveled upward. Half of his face was now shredded, colored red from the sudden onset of blood.

"For Garrus."

Anthony jerked an elbow back and it hit Alec squarely on the nose. He moaned as it broke, spewing his blood down his armor. Another kick to the hip and Alec fell down, trying to clear his clogged passageways as he breathed out. The roar of the train was now reaching its apex as the train hit its maximum speed, wherever it was going. Anthony walked forward, arm outstretched to haul Alec to his feet. A foot lashed out and connected with Anthony's knee, causing it to suddenly pop out at a different angle to the side. Anthony looked surprised as he finally collapsed, his crippled leg useless.

"For Tali."

Alec gingerly rose to his feet and strode over to where Anthony lay, who was hyperventilating in the intense pain. He grabbed him by the shirt and rested his head on a nearby seat. Alec stared at him, saddened by the fact that they had reached this point in their friendship. When each one could no longer recognize the other and see only regret at the lost memories the two had once shared.

But they were only memories.

"For me."

Alec brought his fist down on Anthony's face, throwing all of his weight behind the movement. Anthony yelled as the blow connected with his jaw again and it cracked. He barely had time to blink before the hand was upon him again, striking with the fury of a man pushed to the brink. Blows rained down upon him as each impact raised a small spurt of blood. Alec continued to pummel the man's face, blood coating his hand and chest each time to struck. A blow on the jaw, breaking it. A blow to the side of the skull, now cracked. A blow to the eye socket, detaching the cornea. Alec could no longer focus on anything else, not the pain from his ruined hand as he continued to smash it into his former friend, not the hope he held for seeing Tali possibly walk again, not the panic at deactivating the impending missile launch.

And Alec still rained down punches, even after the man in his grip had stopped gurgling. Lights from the tunnel were flickering across the ruined car, distorting the figures inside. He was numb now, he had lost all track of time and place. All he could do was swing.

"Alec…"

He halted with his arm about to land another blow, what was going on?

"Never leave me again…"

Alec exhaled as his arm lowered down to his body, Tali's voice calming him. He breathed out as warmth spread through his body. He closed his eyes and shook his head in regret. It was time to stop.

Suddenly, the body next to him let out a rasping cough, causing Alec to jerk in surprise. He was astounded that the man was still alive, let alone breathing. It didn't look like he had very long as his skull was deformed, caved in at some spots where it had been crushed. His nose was completely obliterated, sunken into the man's head as black gore streamed down from the ruined nostrils. His jaw hung at an unnatural angle, tongue lolling out as he lost all motor control.

"Finish…" the man sputtered through a mouthful of shattered teeth. "Job..."

Alec scowled, the last thing he wanted to do was to act on an order from Anthony, but this nightmare had to end sooner or later. Not hesitating any longer, he took his hands and wrapped them around Anthony's thick neck, constricting as he felt the flow of life slowly start to ebb away.

The roar from the wind overpowered any faint noises Anthony was making in his throngs. The flashing lights gave an eerie quality to Alec, hunched over his body as he slowly strangled his friend to death, his shadows leaping in all directions. A bead of sweat dripped down from Alec's broken nose, tendons were popping from his neck, and his veins pulsed on his forehead.

Anthony gargled in his grip, spit was starting to foam around his mouth, dribbling down the sides. Blood and bits of eyeball were slowly sliding down the man's face, his ruined eye hanging from a thread in its socket. His tongue was starting to move from side to side, seeking refuge from its fate.

Alec could feel tears start to fall from his face, added to the mix. He shut his eyes as Anthony's spasms became weaker and weaker. He felt a shudder through his neck, he was about to go. With a mournful wail, Alec gripped with all his might until he heard and felt a huge snap. Alec moaned, eyes still shut as he dragged his hands off the man's neck. He turned away, feeling the car start to slow. He didn't care, everything felt like it was in slow motion for him. He adjusted himself in a sitting position so that his back was propped up against the wall of the train. He glanced down at his hands, they were coated with red.

In a spark of clarity, he grabbed his medi-gel pack with one hand and with the other, he reached up towards his nose and twisted, the cartilage sliding back into place. Alec screamed at the pain, tears welling up again, but he quickly dabbed the medi-gel around his nose, feeling it numb as it worked to firmly bond it back into place.

The deed done, he dropped his arms to his side as the doors next to him opened. He didn't move, though. There was nothing to do. He didn't know where to go, where he could go. He banged his head against the wall in frustration, sighing explosively as he closed his eyes, tiredness overwhelming him.

It felt like an eternity before he heard a noise. It was a faint scurry, then a stomping of padded feet. He considered opening his eyes but decided against it. He was so relaxed in this position, he didn't want to ruin the tranquility.

"There he is!" came a voice.

"Yes, I see him!"

"Alec! Alec!"

The voices were calling his name. He wondered if he should call back. But there was no strength he could call upon to open his mouth. He could not find the words.

But wait, what was this? He felt himself being lifted up, several firm hands were hoisting him to his feet, carrying him out of the car. Now interested, he opened his eyes to find the world initially blurry. He could see a mass of red, hints of blue and grey, a flash of white, a touch of purple.

"I'll take him," one voice said. "You get them out of the way."

He wondered what the voice meant by "them." He felt a few of the hands leave his body as their footsteps echoed away from him. There was now the rattle of weapons fire, the screams of fallen men. He could hear shouting between two familiar voices, getting farther away as they seemed to advance into their foes. The yelling continued as he was placed on a bench, sitting down.

"Help them out, Liara," the voice continued. "I'll look after him."

Liara? That name sounded familiar. He could not put a face to the word though, as his mind clutched for straws and ended up with nothing.

His eyes finally focused as he turned his head as far to the right as he could manage without exhaling in pain. A purple visor was inches from his face, a set of familiar eyes behind its depths. He recognized her, but could not say her name.

"Alec," the figure said. "It's me. I'm here now, you're fine."

His eyes were sliding away now, his head returning to his original position. As much as he wanted to address her, he couldn't. There was nothing to say.

"Please, Alec," the figure seemed close to tears. "Talk to me. Are you hurt?"

She gently wrapped her arms around his body, one hand ruffling his hair. This was a nice sensation, the intimate motion seemed so familiar, yet so distant. He continued to gaze into space, breathing slow and shallow as he sank deeper into the abyss.

"Alec," she pleaded, hugging him. She sounded close to losing it, "I love you. I'm not leaving you here. Come back now. I need you."

His head was now descending in her grip so that it was on her lap. She held him closely against her body as he could feel her start to cry. Why was she sad? He was here, wasn't he? But…she sounded like she wanted more from him. What could he give? He was confused, what did she want? He started to track his eyes over what he could see. She was wearing an environmental suit, from the looks of it, draped in some type of purple cloth. For that matter, most of what she was wearing was purple, her hood was purple, the visor purple, even the boots had a purplish luster.

But that was odd. This one was wearing two boots. The last memory of this person was of her with only one leg. Why were there now two? Was he going insane? Was this a dream? He slowly reached out with an arm to touch it, confirm for himself what was real.

Fingertips made contact with a firm, but yielding surface. It was solid, he could feel it. It was real. His vision was now clearing, the fog that obstructed his vision was rapidly dissipating. But what did this mean? It meant that if the leg was real, then she was real. He was with her now. He was with-

"Tali," Alec whispered. "I love you."

His four words unleashed a flood of emotion as the quarian threw her arms around him and now wept openly, bawling. Alec numbly snaked his arms around her lithe form and firmly squeezed her in reassurance. He gazed at the empty room as reports of gunfire echoed around him. He didn't care as he comforted his sobbing wife.

He spoke softly to her as her helmet was nuzzling his cheek, "Can you forgive me, Tali? After all this, can you forgive me?"

Her helmet slowly withdrew as she brought the front to gently rest against his forehead. She placed her hands on his cheeks, slowly rubbing the surface, a gentle caress. He could hear her breathing through her voice modulator, it was thick and husky. He saw those same pair of shining eyes, the eyes that he had fallen in love with when they first met, the only visual reference he had for her face. Her voice was a whisper as she breathed.

"Yes."