The Mako barreled through the complex and Ashley fought the urge to hide her eyes. You'd think, maybe, he would improve with practice. Shepard's face was screwed up with determination. The commander leaned forward, his eyes not straying from the path in front of them, his jaws clenched and hands gripped tightly to the wheel. Ashley followed his gaze out to the tunnel, strangely void of geth or any sign of Saren. They had to be in here somewhere. The damn flashlight heads couldn't have just disappeared.
She glanced again at Shepard – he'd been quiet since finding the Prothean distress call. He had brushed off their questions and simply ordered them forward, only saying it was a warning. That they had to keep moving. But his reaction… The soldier sighed, looking back to the road. It took so little to set him off, who the hell knew what it could be this time? Despite everything that happened between them, he still had this strange, dark side to him. He had said he loved her, but here he was, closing himself off again, and she just had to wait around and hope he didn't pull something stupid again like he usually did in these situations.
This idiot still doesn't get it.
He couldn't just shut down, not here, not now. They were doing so well - kicking ass and taking names before getting to that control room. But on the way back, he had become reckless, a desperate fire in his eyes. Sure, it worked for him most of the time, but the times it didn't… Ashley's heart raced at the memory of the shots he took on Ontarom. That couldn't happen now. She wasn't going to let it. This mission meant too much, and they needed him to finish it. Hell, the galaxy needed him to finish it. He was too important, but no matter how many times she tried to tell him it, he just went back to this. It was ridiculous, and beyond frustrating. With anyone else, she'd say they were a lost cause, that they should get some damn help before trying to command a warship. But Shepard… He was meant to do something big. She knew it. If he would just start to believe in himself the way he said he believed in her, maybe he'd have a chance.
"I know you don't love me, and you shouldn't."
Her eyes narrowed at the memory of his words. You don't know a damn thing, Owen. The soldier stole a look at him again. His expression hadn't changed. Ashley sighed and rolled her eyes, before looking out the dash again and seeing…
"Uh, Skipper?"
"I see it." He grunted back. A large, translucent barrier stretched from floor to ceiling in the distance, blocking their way. "Garrus, try the cannon." Garrus did. The cannon shot shook the Mako, but it impacted the barrier with no effect. Ashley watched as Shepard's brows creased tighter together. "Tali, what are we looking at here?" The vehicle slowed as they approached it.
"It looks similar to the one that held Liara in the mine. I don't believe we'll be able to use force to take it down." Tali answered quickly. The girl had seriously brought it for this mission, she wasn't holding back. Ashley smiled at the transformation. "We'll probably be able to find a way to disable it somewhere nearby."
There was an odd snap as another barrier came up behind them, effectively trapping them in front of a passage to their right. "Well, that's fucking fantastic." Shepard growled. "Move out. We're shutting this thing down."
"Is it a trap?" Liara mused as they stepped onto the road. Ashley rolled her eyes.
"If it were, I think we'd be getting shot at by now." The soldier muttered, unable to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She hadn't ever been great at letting go of grudges. Ashley walked past her, following Shepard as he led them into the narrow hall towards an elevator.
"Why would Saren erect this barrier, then station no guards?" Garrus murmured as the boarded. "It makes no sense. It would have been a perfect spot for an ambush."
The turian didn't receive an answer as the elevator door opened shortly after it closed. Why can't they all be that fast? They exited onto a platform and another panel stood before them - lit and seemingly functional, just as the others had been. The Protheans built to last, apparently. A holo flickered to life as they approached. It was the same mess of flashing, distorted lights as the last one was. But there was no static.
"You are not Prothean." Shepard stopped, his jaw clenching once more as a synthetic voice filled the chasm around them.
"It's a VI." Tali murmured, her voice full of wonder. "It looks damaged, but in remarkably good condition after this many years…" Liara's eyes grew wide at her side, looking like a kid on Christmas.
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon you, unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope." The voice continued, and Shepard's fists clenched. Oh, great.
"A VI! A Prothean VI! Oh, this is incredible!" Liara practically squealed.
"There is still hope." Shepard's voice was low and threatening as he ignored the asari's outburst. Ashley's brow furrowed at his reaction. "How can they understand you? What are you?"
"I have been monitoring your communications since you entered this facility. My output is translated into a format you can comprehend." The voice replied to Shepard's demands promptly. "My name is Vigil. I am an advanced intelligence system with imprints of Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility. You are safe here, for the moment. But soon, nowhere will be safe."
"Yeah, I've picked up on that. If you would take down that damn barrier you put up, we could continue on our way and make sure that doesn't happen." Shepard took another step forward, his eyes narrowing at the VI. Ashley arched a brow. Why would a computer stop us?
"No. Before you go after the other, you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did. You must break the cycle that has continued for millions of years."
"We don't have time – "
"Shepard, we must listen. It may have information we need to defeat Saren and the Reapers. Please, we will not have another chance. This is our greatest clue to see exactly what the Protheans faced!" Liara stepped forward, her eyes wide and pleading. Shepard settled her with a chilling look, but nodded.
"Fine. Understand what?" He growled, glancing back at Vigil.
"The Citadel. It is the heart of your civilization and the seat of your government, just as it was for ours, just as it was for those who came before. But the Citadel is a trap." The VI paused. Way to keep us on the edge of our seats, buddy. "It is not simply a station. It is an enormous mass relay. A relay which links to dark space."
That can't be good.
"The Reapers." Shepard muttered, drawing in a breath.
"Yes. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed."
Ashley felt the dread wash over her, and a glance towards the rest of the team told her they were feeling the same thing. Shepard just looked… angry.
"How the hell has no one ever realized the Citadel is a relay? Isn't that kind of hard to miss?" The commander snapped.
"The Reapers are careful to protect their secrets. The Citadel is key to their invasion. That is why they left it in the care of seemingly benign organic caretakers."
"Seemingly benign… The keepers?" Tali warbled in surprise.
"Yes. The keepers maintain the Citadel's most basic functions, allowing any species that discovers it to utilize the station without fully comprehending its abilities. They are the ones that ensure the relay's activation when the time for an invasion comes."
"So tell me, how the hell are we supposed to stand against an assault like that? What can you make us understand? Because all I can see is our galaxy's largest capital being hit, our leaders being killed, our peoples being massacred, while we stand here talking to a VI."
"It is true, that was our fate. Our government, our leaders, were gone before we even knew there was an attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays." Ashley watched Shepard's eyes start on fire as he listened to Vigil's tale. She could understand his frustration with inaction – and Shepard especially was a man she would never describe as patient. But they couldn't go anywhere, not until this thing let them through. And as much as she hated admitting it, Liara had a point. Vigil might give them some idea of what fighting the Reapers would be like. They would need any help they could get. "Our communications were cut, our transportation. Entire systems were isolated and made easy prey for the Reapers, our fleets kept apart and indefensible. Our entire people was decimated systematically in a course of decades. We could only wait while planets fell around us."
"Wait? You didn't try to fight?"
"There was no fighting it, we had no way. The Reapers had all of our records. Our maps, our census data, all of it was theirs once they acquired the Citadel. Planets which weren't destroyed were enslaved, and those indoctrinated were sent as sleeper agents to betray us. There was no hope. The Reapers have a single goal: the total extinction of all advanced organic life. They are relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough. They have always succeeded."
No.
"But why? What do they want from us?" Ashley stepped forward, her face hard. It made no sense, there was no reason behind any of this. What could a bunch of huge, advanced murder machines want from them? Resources? Slaves? They were damn robots. They shouldn't want anything.
"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. It is likely they are driven by motives incomprehensible to organics." Very helpful. Ashley rolled her eyes. "In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not understanding them." She glared openly at Vigil. Was she seriously just told off by a VI?
"Now you're talking. Tell me what we need to do." Shepard growled, uncrossing his arms.
"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers came, we were on the cusp of understanding mass relay technology. The Conduit is a miniaturized version of a mass relay, one which connects directly to the Citadel – the hub of the relay network."
Finally. I've been wondering what that damn thing is.
"All records of Ilos were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. Though our empire crumbled, Ilos was spared – and so was the Conduit. We cut off all communication to ensure we remained a secret. All personnel were contained to cryogenic stasis to conserve energy. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake them once the danger had passed. Years passed, however, and the Reapers were still present. My energy reserves dwindled."
Shepard's fists clenched again. "What did you do?"
"The life support of all non-essential personnel was disabled first, to conserve energy. By the time the Reapers retreated, only the pods of our top scientists remained, though their energy was dwindling as well."
"You killed them." Shepard's voice was laced with disgust.
"Yes. But this outcome was not an unknown. My actions were a result of contingency programming put in place upon my creation, and they are the only reason any hope remains." Vigil's voice was oddly defiant for a machine. Ashley's eyes narrowed. "The scientists I saved were able to manipulate the keepers."
"I thought you said they were under the Reapers control?"
"They are under the control of the Citadel. It is a signal the Reapers send through the station which compels them to activate it at the time of an invasion. However, the scientists were able to alter this signal, and this time when the one called Sovereign sent it, the keepers were not compelled. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."
"Until Saren goes through the Conduit and gains access to the Citadel's controls."
"Yes. Once he has bypassed the stations external defenses, he will be able to transfer control of the station to Sovereign, and the Reapers will be able to begin their invasion. You must stop them, before the cycle of extinction continues. There is a data file on my console. You must take it and upload it to the master control unit. It contains a program which will override the Citadel's security systems and allow you temporary control of the station. It may help you in your fight against Sovereign."
"Tali, get that file." The quarian nodded and ran forward quickly at Shepard's command.
Garrus' mandibles fluttered in confusion. "I've never heard of a master control unit, where…?"
"Follow the one you call Saren. He will lead you to your goal. You must go quickly, he approaches the Conduit."
Shepard didn't need to be told twice, he turned his back to Vigil and headed straight for the elevator. The soldier followed him in an instant, the rest of the team on their heels. All except Liara.
"Liara, get in here! We don't have time to stand around!"
"But, this chance… Vigil is already wavering. Who knows how long it will remain active? We have to find out more about the Protheans. I've waited my whole life –"
"Liara, were you not listening to any of that? We will all die if we don't get a fucking move on. Get your ass in here before I make Wrex carry you." She didn't move, and Shepard stepped towards her. "You said you were in this, Liara. We need your help."
Ashley bristled, making no effort to disguise the glare she gave the blue woman.
The asari blinked, then frowned. "Yes, yes of course… I'm sorry." She scuttled quickly after him, and his hand pounded the control and the elevator moved.
"We are not stopping. Garrus, you blast anything that even looks like it might be in our way. We need to get through that Conduit."
"Will do." The turian's mandibles twitched a little. Maybe nervously? She still didn't completely get turian expressions. Garrus glanced at her, his eyes meeting hers with a mildly confused, definitely worried look. Ashley was silent a moment, processing Shepard's words, before coming to the same conclusion the turian probably had. The soldier's eyes widened with comprehension.
"Skipper…" Her voice was careful, and his green eyes found hers instantly. The commander said nothing, instead simply arching a brow. "Please tell me we're not going through a mini mass relay in the Mako." He was silent again, but then she saw it. That damn spark he got in his eye when he was about to do something playful, or devious, or incredibly stupid. On one hand, it was a relief to see something in them other than the empty rage. But on the other… "Oh, no. Shepard, no."
"Shepard, the Mako really isn't built for that." Garrus warned. Shepard walked out of the hall towards the vehicle. He opened the door and climbed in without a word.
"We're going to die because of that asshole." Ashley sighed.
"Yes, we are." Garrus' mandibles drooped.
"At least he's got a quad. Come on, stop whining and get in. There are more things to kill." Wrex lumbered by them, and Ashley rolled her eyes, but she was unable to suppress the inexplicable grin that spread across her face as Tali shrugged and followed, Liara still pouting at her heels. She couldn't imagine any other human gaining the respect and trust of such a bizarre group.
Only Shepard.
xxxxxxx
"How can you even see?!" Ash cried out again as more mud splattered onto the windshield. Shepard pressed down harder on the gas, barreling over a few geth before veering around another corner and down a slope. The place was a maze. But at least they were moving forward, at least they had some tiny semblance of hope. He wasn't trapped. They had a chance.
It was all that was holding him together.
"That's what radar is for." He muttered back, rolling his eyes at her usual lack of faith in his driving. Everything he did wrong, and this was the thing she chose to criticize?
"That is not what radar is for!" Garrus shouted from above them, before another shot sounded from the cannon. He could make out a faint outline of an armature as it fizzled and fell.
"Nice shot." He murmured appreciatively. Ashley snorted beside him.
"Not the time! Focus on the road!" She snapped. Shepard smirked as her hands braced against the dash. Seeing her like this, so panicked by a car ride, and yet able to keep her cool in front of dozens of shooting geth - it really made no sense. "This is not funny!"
"It's a little funny." The Mako jumped as they ran over an encroaching root that had managed to burrow through the complex's stone walls. The vehicle wobbled and righted itself, but he didn't bother slowing. He stole a glance at her face, the fury on it plain. "Come on, it is not that bad."
"No, Shepard. It is that bad." Ashley hissed, glaring at him with those brandy eyes. "Now you choose to lighten up? It's the silent treatment for an hour, then the minute you get to do something stupid in the Mako, you're Commander Dandy again?"
He arched a brow. "Commander Dandy? Really?" Garrus blasted a few more armatures, and Shepard swerved around another corner. Almost there. They had to be almost there. Ashley simply rolled her eyes at him, until the Mako went over a drop off and she was thrown off her seat, bumping her head on the ceiling of the tank before being pulled back down by her straps. There were groans of protests from the back.
"So help me, Shepard, I will get you back for that." The soldier growled.
"I'll hold you to it, Ash." Shepard grinned, then risked a wink at her. Ashley just rolled her eyes, but their expressions faded as they rounded another corner and a steep descent greeted them. Geth littered the hill, armatures, primes, and hundreds of troopers turning their attention to the Mako as it rolled over the top.
Well, fuck.
And at the bottom, primed and ready, was the Conduit.
"This might be a bad idea, Shepard." Garrus drawled above him. Shepard eased his foot back down on the gas, and they rolled forward.
"Just try to keep them out of our way." He slammed his foot down. The Mako jerked forward. "Tali, is this possible?"
"Kind of late to ask that, Skipper. Don't you think?" Ashley muttered as they barreled forward. Bullets pounded the vehicle's hull. Inexplicably, a smirk teased at his lips. Adrenaline flooded his veins.
"Well, theoretically, it should be… if we hit it at the right speed, while it's still active. From the looks of it, that won't be much longer. But the landing is what will be tricky…"
That's not a no. It was good enough for him.
"Tricky?" Garrus sighed, the cannon firing shot after shot at the surrounding geth. Shepard just kept pressing them forward, any geth that got caught in their way getting crushed under the tank. "There goes another tire, Shepard. This is really not a good idea." The whir of the relay became louder as they approached. They were so close. Shepard's eyes squinted as an explosion blasted on the hood of the tank. The controls screamed in protest, beeping wildly as smoke poured out in front of them.
Almost there.
"Oh, Goddess!"
Liara's voice was drowned out as the Conduit's sound became deafening. The Mako climbed towards it. Arcs of light reached out to meet them, to draw them forward. Everything shuddered, the sensation an overwhelming tremor. His breathing quickened, his hands clenching on to the steering wheel.
Almost there.
Warm brown eyes found his. She still had something to tell him, and he was sure as fuck going to hear it. They were suspended, and for a moment, he felt weightless.
Then everything crashed around them.