A/N: We're in the home stretch! After today, I'll be posting the final two chapters on Friday. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me this far. There will some canon deviation in the final chapters so I hope you continue to enjoy!

Wake up - Arcade Fire

Although the galaxy was moving at an incoherently fast pace, Shepard wasn't ready to move with it. The unfortunate truth was that she had no choice, and it was wearing her more thin than a teaspoon of butter on a loaf of bread.

She was currently situated in her normal position in front of the memorial wall, stacks upon stacks of data pads covering the bed in front of her. All were related to the impending attack on Earth.

Quiet footfalls echoed behind her, but she was so occupied she didn't bother to look up until she heard Doctor Chakwas's voice. "Although my formal psychiatric education may have ended in my third year of my bachelor's degree, I can still analyze that your current behaviour isn't what I would consider to be healthy."

Shepard finally looked up from her work, and when she did, both the pain and the exhaustion were evident on her face. The bags underneath her bloodshot eyes were darker and deeper, her hair was thinner and greasier, the bones in her forearms were more prominent than ever, and she even smelled like she hadn't showered in a few too many missions. "What would your diagnosis be, Doctor?"

Chakwas took a tentative seat on the edge of the bed so not to disturb her work. "A good night's sleep and a good meal to start, and a week off and a few happy pills if you'd ever actually listen to me."

Shepard let out a barking, mocking laugh. When she spoke, every word was facetious. "Oh yes, because sleep and a good meal solves the loss of my future husband. And while we're at it, I'll just call up Admiral Hackett and say, 'Hey listen, I know we're about to launch that galaxy-saving attack on the Reapers but do you mind holding off for a bit since I'm having a really sad day?'. And when that doesn't work, I'll just ring up Harbinger, say, 'So I know that you're all hell bent on exterminating us but if you could just'-"

"Shepard, enough." Chakwas's firm and steady interruption reminded Shepard eerily of her mother, and it felt like a stone was dropped into the pit of her stomach. "I understand you're having a difficult time with the loss of Garrus. He was very dear to all of us. But I came here to try and speak with you and help you."

Shepard let out a long sigh, finally resolving to put down the data pad. "I'm sorry, Karin, you're right. It's not just Garrus, although that's a damn big part of it. It's the fact that I've become a figurehead in this resistance against the Reapers that's about to come to a head, and I don't have my second in command at my side anymore."

"If anyone can do it, I know it's you."

Shepard's eyes narrowed as she stared into the distance. "And what if I can't?"

"Then God help us all."

Zoey quickly realized that was the mentality for not only Doctor Chakwas, but for much of humanity.

"Ash, I'm going to want you and Tali on the ground with me on Earth. And I'm going to want you to use this."

Ceremoniously, Zoey passed the Black Widow into her friend's hands.

Slaw-jawed and narrow-eyed, Ashley asked, "Why?"

"Because it's the best damn sniper rifle out there."

"Why aren't you using it? And why the hell do you have a Mantis equipped?"

She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Call it bad ju ju. I bought the Black Widow for Garrus, just holding it brings back bad memories. And this Mantis? He bought it for me. So I'm bringing it for good ju ju."

"This is a little strange, Shep."

"Taking down the greatest threat the galaxy has ever seen on Earth isn't a little strange?"

Ashley acquiesced and laid down her Incisor to replace it with the Black Widow. "You've got me there. You alright? You ready to do this?"

Zoey paused, her sharp eyes flickering across her team scattered across the cargo bay as they made their final preparations for the assault. In their eyes she saw trepidation and fear; but she also saw determination and hope. She could not hesitate; she could not let them down. "No and no," she admitted. She began to speak in a raised voice, drawing the attention of the rest of the team. "You and I share a very special bond, Ash; we're Spectres, protectors of the peace and vanquishers of evil. We aren't doing this for us, we're doing this for them: those who have given their lives so that we can fight another day, and those who will be our future. We will fight, with everything we have, so that all of our worlds may see another day, and so they may see a brighter future. If we don't see tomorrow, we shall be immortalized in the records as the saviours of the galaxy; and I don't know about the rest of you, but that's all that I need. The Reapers will not show mercy, and neither shall we. So let's get out there, and let's single-handedly win the greatest war that any of us will ever know. Can I get an oorah?"

"OORAH!" The team chorused.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU! CAN I GET AN OORAH?"

"OORAH!"

While the team chattered amongst each other, the fear and trepidation slipping from their faces, Zoey smiled sadly feeling that this may be one of the last times that she would see many of them.

Tali's breaths came in rapid gasps as she sprinted to the beam.

She leapt over a human soldier who fell dead before her feet. She darted to the side as a massive, disfigured hunk of metal attempted to lodge itself into her side. She cried out as a Mako, tumbling through the air, came down and landed on her legs.

The world went black.

When she began to regain consciousness, blinking rapidly at the sudden and overwhelming brightness surrounding her, she saw the outline of a face. Shepard's face. Her hearing began to return, and she realized that Shepard was speaking into her comm, demanding a Normandy pick up.

Suddenly Ashley was there, helping to pull Tali out from under the wreckage of the tank. Her entire body felt bruised and broken, every inch of her aching with unbearable pain; but she suffered through it and stood, wavering on the spot before Ashley held onto her.

Everything was covered in a fog, yet she could distinguish the outline of a ship lowering itself into the hot zone.

"Don't, Shepard," she grumbled. "I can do this. I can fight."

Through the fog she could see Shepard's eyes, blazing with the fiery passion of a critical mission nearing completion. "No. Ashley, take her onto the ship to Chakwas and keep her safe."

"We're staying with you, Shepard!" Tali argued. She mustered all her strength in an attempt to stand straight, but a gaping wound in her stomach protested and she bent over double. Ashley acquiesced with a nod, and with her arm around Tali's waist she tenderly began to guide her to the Normandy, to safety.

"Shepard!" Tali cried out desperately. When she was safely in the cargo hold, both her and Ashley turned to face their commander, their hero, their friend. Tali's vision cleared enough to see that Shepard's eyes were wet with the threat of tears.

"I need you two to take care of the Normandy. Take care of the crew. I'm going to find Garrus." Each word was punctuated with the hardness of infallible determination. The ship began to lift and the door began to close, leaving Tali with the last fleeting glimpse of her commander.

"Find Garrus?" Ashley inquired as she carefully lead Tali towards the med bay. "What does she mean?"

Tali's voice was hushed and thick with grief. "She means she's not coming back."

With the effects of putrid death and decay overloading her senses, Shepard pulled together every ounce of her will to make her way through the Citadel.

Her head felt cloudy, like she had overdosed on medi-gel; she heard Anderson speak to her through her comm but he sounded far away, and she could hear whispers in the distance. When she focused her energy on the whispers, she discovered that they were voices saying "turn back", "you will not succeed", "you will fail as the vanguard of your people", "you cannot help us", "TURN BACK!"

As her wounds recovered, her body changed from acute and striking pain to a dull ache. She pushed herself through the mental barriers out of the chasm to find Anderson at the control panel.

They were on the verge of success.

"YOU WILL FAIL."

"Shepard. I have to say, you've impressed me by making it this far." The Illusive Man laughed harshly. "I thought you would have broken down."

Hate, pure unadulterated hate, flowed through her at the sight of him. She wanted nothing more than to rip him apart, piece by piece, starting with his fingers and toes and moving up his limbs. She moved to jump on him but the cloudiness in her head overtook her and she no longer had control of her legs. She begged and begged her limbs to allow her to move, to destroy this man who had taken everything away from her, but a force stronger than even her will was forcing her back.

The Illusive Bastard spoke blasphemy about controlling the Reapers but she refused to listen to his poison and focused her entire mental energy on trying to move herself so she could destroy him.

"You're just a puppet to them!" she shouted in frustration. "You're nothing but an empty shell, filled with the Reapers' bidding."

"You think that you aren't?" he roared. "You've kept it quiet but you and I both know that it's Reaper tech inside of you. They promised me endless power and technology if I brought you back and I did, and they granted it to me. But you? You're weak, Shepard. You thought that love and friendship is what would win this war. POWER WINS THIS WAR."

He lifted his hands, like a magician about to perform his best trick, and aimed Shepard's gun at Anderson. She attempted to channel all of her strength to stop him, but it was too late: she shot Anderson.

Hatred, stronger than anything she had ever felt, boiled through her every vein. Into her head she pulled up an image of Garrus and used it like a block against his control; with a surge of triumph she shot him in the stomach, sending him crippling to the ground. As soon as he fell the haze in her mind cleared and she ran to stand over him, a wicked grin on her face.

"Hello, Illusive Man." A wicked grin, both beautiful and terrifying, was plastered on her face. "I believe I'm in a bit of debt with you and it's about time I paid it off, don't you think?"

He groaned and rolled onto his side, gripping his stomach.

"Get on your back, you worthless pig!" she shouted, booting his stomach wound until he complied. "Now, let's see. This one's for Jacob." She shot him in the left foot, and he let out a high-pitched scream. "This one's for Legion." Right foot. "This one's for Jack." Left kneecap this time. Tears were flowing down his face and he was begging for mercy, but Shepard would never grant it to him. "This one's for Kaidan." Right kneecap. "This one's for Thane." Left hand. Blood was starting to gurgle from his mouth, but the Reaper implants were keeping him alive. "This one's for Mordin." Right hand. She reloaded with a new thermal clip. "This one's for Wrex." Left shoulder. "This one's for Jenkins." Right shoulder. "This is for my mother." Square in between the legs. He squealed like a stuck pig, and Shepard laughed maniacally. "And this one?" She loaded in a new thermal clip and pointed the pistol at his face. He was an absolute mess now; his body was an indistinguishable bloody pulp, pieces of flesh, bone, and sinew scattered over the floor. Blood, vomit, and saliva were spilling from his lips as he attempted to speak garbled pleading words. "This one is for Garrus, you son of a bitch. You took away my life when you took him from me. Now time for me to take yours." She unloaded the clip into his face, sending bits of brain and skull to cover her blood-soaked armour and her face. When the clip was empty she stood, panting, over the form of a man who thought that he would bring peace to the galaxy through conflict.

Her gun clattered to the floor as she ran to the control panel to dock the Crucible. She finally turned to face Anderson, who was slumped against the wall with a far off expression.

"Shepard..."

"You did good," Anderson hissed, coughing violently. She ran to crouch before him, holding his shoulders. "You did good, child. I'm proud of you." She pulled him into an embrace and felt him grow limp in her arms, tears rolling down her face onto his shoulders.

"Come, Shepard. It is time."

The voice was unrecognizable but the most beautiful she had ever heard: it belonged to a woman and was dual-toned like a turian but possessed the sing-song quality of the asari. She gazed around her to find that she was alone, but a platform was rising before her. Without thinking she stood on it and was lifted into the sky.