Back in the present, watching the rage-fueled, forced-calm turian beside her, Tali wasn't completely sure what to do to help him. Don't let him disappear, Shepard had said. At this point, there didn't seem to be anything she could do beside leave him to his thoughts. Though that was a guarantee that he would slip away … but no ideas came to her.

Just as the elevator arrived on the CIC deck, another shudder went through the Normandy. Vega lost his footing, hitting the doorway with enough force to make him curse violently. Tali caught a hold of Garrus's arm to keep from falling headfirst out of the elevator doors. She straightened up to see crew members climbing to their feet, others assisting them to get back to their positions. James went to help Liara up from the floor nearby. Garrus continued on as if nothing could deter him. The quarian knew it was because her friend was struggling to keep control, but she could feel the cold, callus behavior quickly taking over his demeanor.

Kaidan could be seen getting up from the left side of the cockpit entrance. Tali suspected he stumbled into the airlock doors from where he was standing. In moments, all of the crew was back to work, their fingers working furiously over the holo-projections of the ship's systems. Everyone was quiet, the tense silence palpable as teeth gritted and eyes focused intently. Save for the general ship noises, and the occasional metallic thunk as something struck the hull, there was nothing. Tali's senses screamed with nervousness as she went to follow Garrus.

The turian was at the cockpit in record time. Joker occasionally said a few words to EDI as he piloted the Normandy. EDI's hands moved over the holographic screen in front of her in a blur. Kaidan gripped the top of the doorway, his jaw set. He shook his head before turning to look at Garrus and Tali. His face fought to remain in control of his emotions. It was clear the man felt just as defeated as they did.

"The Crucible finally triggered," he sighed.

"What happened?" Garrus asked, all business in his voice.

"We're not completely sure … there was a big red flash before it fired, then all of the ships surrounding it were destroyed."

"So it's working, then? It's destroying the Reapers?"

"And everything else, it seems like."

"And there's a pretty big chance it's about to destroy us," Joker cut in.

The pilot and his AI co-pilot continued maneuvering the ship as the crew remained quiet, occasionally saying a few words to communicate the ship's status. Tali felt unnerved by all of it, but every one of them knew that if they didn't do their jobs, there was more than a strong chance that none of them would make it.

"Are we going for the relay?" Tali asked to no one in particular.

"If we make the jump, we can probably duck the worst of the blast," Kaidan theorized.

"I thought it was supposed to work on all of the Reapers," Garrus said. "Not just the immediate area."

"It's not like the one blast can travel across the whole galaxy … Maybe it wasn't done properly."

"It was Liara who found the blueprints. It was done properly."

"Then why is it destroying other ships?" Tali wondered. "If it's supposed to destroy Reapers … Maybe the Crucible can't be used to target one specific thing."

Garrus shook his head. "It makes sense the immediate blast destroys everything around it, high impact. But as the blast goes out, it'll disperse the way it's meant to. Reapers get destroyed, but everyone else is all right."

"It is targeting a wider spectrum," EDI's voice made all of them turn to look into the cockpit.

The AI had stopped moving her hands over her station, looking down at her fingers. Her face held an expression of contentment, as if she had come to an unspoken conclusion. Once again, the ship shook with force, pitching a few people forward. No one fell this time, but Tali suspected the crew would have to get to their strapped seats soon to ensure their safety. Joker continued working to pilot the Normandy, but risked a look in EDI's direction.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The Crucible is designed to destroy the Reapers, the result of organic creation. They themselves are not organic. They are not of natural creation."

"EDI, you're not making any sense …"

"Thrusters are inactive!" a crewmember called out behind them.

"What?!" Joker snapped. "There was no damage warning …"

"There is no damage present," EDI replied as the crewmember announced, "No damage reported!"

"What the hell is going on?!" Joker demanded as more of the ship's systems began to blink out. "Prepare for the relay jump, we can still make it!"

"The Crucible is meant to destroy the Reapers," EDI stated quietly. Tali could sense the sadness in her voice. "The Reapers are not organic life …"

"They're synthetic," Garrus finished, realizing. "The Crucible is meant to destroy synthetic life."

"What?" Joker repeated, looking over at EDI with an angry expression. "You can't be serious …"

"Do not worry, Jeff," EDI continued, a small smile coming to her face. "The Normandy will remain operational. It is machinery. I, however … will not be."

"What are you talking about? EDI, you're fine. You're right here."

"Brace for impact!" another crewmember called. "We can't outrun it!"

"Goodbye, Jeff. Thank you for all you have done for me. I lo—"

EDI's eyes closed, her body went slack as she slumped into the chair. Kaidan and Tali rushed forward to her just as the blast from the Crucible struck the rear of the Normandy. Several people fell to the ground as the ship rumbled. Joker's shouting was heard over the frantic beeping of the cockpit's controls. Tali hardly took notice of what he was trying to say, unfortunately. The strike against the ship sent her head first into a surprisingly hard object, making her disoriented.

"Engines are shutting down!" Adams's voice seemed to come from miles away.

"EDI!" Joker bellowed again. "Wake up!"

"Everyone, get to your emergency landing positions!" Garrus was calling.

Someone pulled her up from the ground, though Tali thought there was blood streaking the upper part of her helmet's visor. It took a moment to realize that it was Kaidan who brought her to her feet. The man put her arm around his shoulders and began to drag her along with him as they left the cockpit. She wanted to protest, to see if there was something she could do to help EDI … No words came to her.

Scarlet blood ran steadily down the side of Kaidan's head as she looked at the right side of his face. Obviously, he had been injured as well when the ship was pitched forward. Garrus was to Kaidan's right, pushing him through the doorway before going to stand beside the pilot's chair. It seemed the turian was struggling to get Joker's attention. Her eyes closed despite her best efforts, and she eventually felt herself being put into a hard-backed chair. Straps were stretched across her chest and lap. For a moment, she tried to assist, but hands pushed hers away gently.

"Just stay with me, Tali," Kaidan's voice was heard over the loud rushing in her ears. "Hang on …"

The rushing suddenly dropped into silence, and all she saw, or felt, was darkness.