The scene that greeted Captain Anderson when he and a squad of C-Sec personnel and Alliance marines arrived at the Council chambers was one of complete devastation.

It had taken over an hour after Sovereign's defeat to mobilize whoever he could to investigate what happened to Shepard and her team. No one had heard anything from any of them since the Commander opened the relay and the Citadel arms so the fleets could attack the Reaper Vanguard.

The once pristine and historic room was in ruins. Large chunks of debris from the tower itself and Sovereign when it was destroyed laid in crumbled heaps everywhere, small fires continued to burn whether from the fighting that took place here or when the parts of the Reaper crashed into it.

But there had been no sign of life.

"Spread out and search!" Anderson ordered, "Shepard and her team could be buried under any of this, we need to move quickly!"

The gathered personnel brought out their omni-tools and immediately started looking for any sign of the Human Spectre and her team. They had just started their search when they heard a soft rumble.

Everyone looked around before they saw a chunk of debris twice the size of a skycar begin to move. A moment later it rose upward to reveal Flynn, his arms flexing like steel cables as he lifted the rubble effortlessly and tossed it aside much to the shock and awe of the rescue crews.

The Slayer reached down and helped Liara and Shepard to their feet, followed by Kaiden while Wrex and Ashley stood up helping Garrus and Tali. All of them looking a bit battered and bruised, but very much alive.

"Shepard!" Anderson called out as he and the crews approached them and began to check them for injuries.

"It's good to see you again, Captain." said Jane as medigel was applied to the wounds on her neck. "How's the fleet?"

"We're still taking stock. Several ships and their crew were lost, but Sovereign is gone along with the Geth fleet." replied the Captain. "Everyone owes you all their lives for what you've done here. Things could have been a lot worse."

Flynn waved off a couple of medics that were trying to scan him with their omni-tools before approaching Liara who had just finished being treated for what injuries she'd sustained. The Asari maiden didn't even have a moment to ask when the Slayer picked her up in an all too familiar fashion and began to carry her toward the entrance.

As much as she wanted to argue, Liara simply sighed and accepted the inevitable. Though that didn't mean she didn't enjoy being carried given how sore her body felt.

"...guess we have to be adorable archeologists to get the special treatment." Garrus quipped, causing Wrex to chuckle and Ashley to roll her eyes.

X

Once everyone had been checked out and treated, Shepard had been asked to meet with the Council to discuss the events that had occurred.

Not wanting to deal with the politicians, Flynn made himself scarce and headed off into the Presidium on his own. Walking past the damaged and empty shops and the signs of battle that had taken place hours prior.

They'd won the battle. The Citadel relay hadn't been opened and the Reaper invasion had been delayed. But at the moment, all of that was the last thing on his mind at the moment.

Sovereign's revelation of the connection between the Maykrs and the Reapers had caught him off guard. Something that hadn't happened for some time. He knew the Khan was an overly ambitious bitch, desperate to hold onto her false throne by any means. Making her deal with Hell was enough to warrant her death, but to learn that she'd also made a similar deal with ancient machines that committed galactic genocide in constent cycles made him want to kill her again.

And much slower this time.

It also created a massive list of questions. If the Khan Maykr meddled with this universe back when the Reapers were first created…then how much was different compared to what he thought he knew? Were the Reapers stronger? Did they possess technology from Urdak like the Icon of Sin did?

What had the Maykrs given to them in exchange for the souls of those they harvested?

Flynn growled in frustration as he stopped at a railing that overlooked the large lake in the center of the presidium. His hand gripping the metal so tightly that it warped easily in his grasp. Throughout most of his journey in this universe, he had believed that it would have only been a short pitstop before going back to what he'd been doing before.

Of course, this was before he and Liara became involved.

But now, he had another reason to stay. If the Maykrs meddled in this universe, and if there was a chance Hell was involved as well, then he needed to figure it out quickly before everything here fell victim to the countless other universes that had fallen to the dark realm.

Of course, this would also mean Shepard and the others would want to get involved as well. The Commander was tenacious and wouldn't back down from any challenge if there were lives at risk. But the Slayer knew full well that none of them would be ready for what they could end up facing.

They only saw what he'd done through the footage he'd shown them. They'd never fought demons themselves, faced their brutality and viciousness. And if he'd have it his way they never would…though given what he knew about Shepard and the crew that wouldn't stop them from trying.

"Flynn?" The Slayer looked over his shoulder to find Liara coming up beside him. "You looked lost in thought. Hope I didn't interrupt anything."

Flynn shook his head, Just trying to make sense of what we learned.

The Asari frowned as she recalled the conversation with Sovereign's avatar. "It is…very troubling. Learning about the Reapers was bad enough, but to learn that the Maykrs were also involved…" She paused, the color in her face draining slightly, "You don't think…you don't think Hell is involved. Do you?"

I don't know. The Slayer signed honestly. But I'm going to find out. If the Khan Maykr gave the Reapers either their power or technology, then things will become far worse than we can believe. And given how deep Hell was rooted with the Khan and her plans, there could be a chance they either already have a foothold here or will gain one.

Liara bit her lip, "Given that the demons tried to destroy my people and take Thessia long ago, it'll be a safe assumption that the evidence speaks for itself. But the real question is what should we do now?"

Flynn leaned away from the railing. As much as I hate it, there's nothing we can do at the moment. This is still a victory, albeit a small one. So I'll let the others enjoy it while it lasts.

The Asari Maiden nodded, her hand slowly reaching out and holding his. The Slayer's larger gauntlet gently wrapping around her smaller one. Feeling a little bolder, Liara leaned over and laid her head on his upper arm. The two of them enjoying the peaceful silence together.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." The couple separated and turned to find Jane approaching them with the others.

Something you need Shepard? Asked Flynn.

The Commander's expression dropped a little, "Yeah…the Council wants to speak with you."

That caused the Slayer to stand up straighter. "A lot of people saw you pretty much hold off the Geth assault single handedly." Garrus added, "And we can pretty much put money on the STG team from Virmire putting in reports about what they've seen."

Flynn took a deep breath and sighed loudly. He really didn't want to deal with the Council. There was a strong chance they would either try to recruit him, or take his weapons and armor. Neither of which would end well for anyone.

At the very least, Tevos was on his side.

He felt Liara take his hand again, looking down to see her smiling at him in encouragement. The Slayer turned back to Shepard and nodded once, the Commander nodded back before she led everyone to where the Council was waiting.

"...by the Spirits." The Council, with the addition of Captain Anderson, who had been elected Humanity's representative, Admiral Hackett and Ambassador Udina, had been in a discussion about future corroboration and the rebuilding efforts after the attack when the Turian Councilor spoke. His mandibles and mouth open slightly in a Turian's equivalent of shock.

They followed his line of sight and, sans Anderson and Tevos, were equally surprised to see Shepard and her crew returning…with the addition of the massive Human in green armor that stood taller than all of them.

"Kirrahe and his team failed to mention his size." Valern muttered to himself. "No wonder he held the Geth here in the Presidium and wiped out Saren's base nearly on his own."

Sparatus turned to the three Human men with them, "Is this the Alliance's work?"

"If it was Councilor, I think the First Contact War would have turned out differently." said Hackett.

"Councilors, Admiral, Ambassador." Shepard stated when her team joined them, "This is Flynn Taggart. Sorry to say, he is mute. But his actions speak for him." she said, introducing the Slayer.

Anderson approached the larger man, looking up into his visor before holding out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, son. It was a hell of a thing you did, a lot of people owe you their lives."

The Slayer took a moment before reaching out and shaking the new Councilor's hand. Being careful not to crush the man's limb.

"We asked Shepard to bring you here because of the many eyewitness accounts, both from Virmire and here on the Presidium, that showed both your prowess and your impressive arsenal." said Valern. "As one would expect, it has us somewhat concerned."

"The Alliance has no knowledge of your existence, or any information regarding your equipment." Udina threw in, "Naturally, we would like to know more to avoid any repercussions."

Shepard turned her attention to Flynn, who seemed to be in thought. Finally, the Slayer began to sign;

We're going to need a room for privacy. One big enough for everyone.

X

Several hours later, in one of the untouched conference rooms of the Citadel tower. Flynn had just finished showing and explaining everything he had revealed to the Commander and the others to the Council along with Admiral Hackett and Ambassador Udina.

By the end of it, the six individuals looked as though they'd just endured pure Hell…which was a very spot on assumption given what had been shown to them.

"It was just as horrible the second time." Tali muttered, the others in the ground team nodding in agreement.

Hackett slowly took off his hat, tossing it on the table in front of him and ran a hand over his scarred, and now very pale, face. "I…have no words…" he said barely above a whisper. The images of Earth, Humanity's homeworld, turned into a literal Hellscape with its people twisted into horrifying monstrosities would forever be burned into the grizzled Admiral's mind to the end of his days. Beside him, Udina had his elbows on the table. Fists clenched and pressed into his forehead as he desperately tried to chase the images from his own mind.

As for the members of the Council, each of them were equally horrified. Sparatus looked as though he had just woken from the worst nightmare in history. The Humanity they had seen in the footage was far different than the Alliance, having far more powerful weapons. But the demons…they bulldozed over everything, slaughtered billions and nearly taken the planet. It had him wondering if his people could have survived such an invasion…Given what he'd seen, it was unlikely.

Valern seemed to be on the verge of vomiting at any moment. The Salarians had always been a people of logic, valuing science and information above many things. He didn't want to believe what he'd seen, his brain trying its best to debunk the footage in any way possible…but there was no way to explain it away. Other realities were real…HELL was real…and so were the nightmares it housed. Monsters that would haunt all of their dreams. And no amount of knowledge would change that…if anything it would only make it worse.

Anderson looked to have aged after seeing what had befallen Humanity in another reality, and how close they had come to extinction. And the fact that many had succumbed to corruption and turned on their fellow man for the sake of power. But he was also proud that many continued to fight, to give everything they had left to save their world no matter the odds. It gave him a glimmer of hope for their own Earth with the threat of the Reapers.

Tevos' once blue complexion was nearly white. The knowledge that these very creatures tried to drive her own people to the abyss long before her time made the stories she and every other Asari had been told seem like doctored fairy tales. The reality was far more terrifying. And the knowledge that what claimed to be 'heaven' had made a deal with these abominations made her want to lose hope.

But they'd all watched as Flynn Taggart, the Doom Slayer himself, tore through the nightmares. Reaching the very heart of the invasion and tearing out its very heart. Slaughtering all those responsible, even the leader of the Maykrs, before taking down a world-eating beast bigger than a skyscraper. The resulting aftermath sending him to their dimension.

All of the reports they'd received were criminally, hilariously, underrated.

Admiral Hackett cleared his throat, his eyes turning to the Slayer who stood off to the side with his arms crossed. "It may not have been our Earth, but on behalf of Humanity itself…thank you." He said with conviction, Udina nodding seriously beside him.

Flynn nodded to them.

Valern swallowed before addressing the Humans, "Did the Alliance discover anything else on Mars, aside from the Prothean archives?"

Knowing what the Salarian Councilor was getting at, Udina shook his head. "There is no city inside of our version of Mars. Though I can't say the same for other planets out there."

Sparatus rubbed his eyes, "I don't know if I should be grateful that these…creatures, haven't come for our worlds. Or fearful that it is a strong possibility."

"They've already tried."

All eyes shot to Tevos who was clenching her fists on the table top. "The Asari were attacked by the demons…long before we reached the stars."

"WHAT?!" Udina shouted in alarm, voicing everyone's thoughts.

The Asari Councilor brought up her omnitool and displayed the same page from her people's holy text. The one that depicted Flynn standing upon the mountain of slayed monsters. "This is a page from one of our oldest texts. And as you can see, we were saved by someone very familiar."

The other political leaders looked from the image to the Slayer who showed no emotion. "Why did you never tell us before?" Sparatus demanded.

Tevos gave him a deadpan stare, "Would you have believed any of it? My people revere the Slayer as an ancient guardian in our holy texts for what he's done for us. Are you saying you would have taken this information as fact?"

The Turian Councilor went to speak, but paused knowing that he would have thrown out such things as religious ramblings instead of actual facts.

Anderson, who had yet to speak, turned his attention to Shepard. "I take it this is the reason you recruited our friend?" he asked.

Jane rubbed the back of her head, "It wasn't so much of a recruitment, but more of him offering help out of boredom given this is kind of a pitstop for him."

Flynn knocked on the wall, regaining their attention. It's no longer a pitstop. He signed, bringing up his own omnitool and playing something else for them.

"Saren failed. His flesh was weak. But in death, his corpse holds purpose."

The possessed Saren raised its clawed hand and made a fist, "Access to the Citadel's systems was needed to regain control. To fix what the Protheans meddled with before their end. Once I have full control, my kind will return. And all you know will end."

"Not if we stop you first!" Shepard shouted in defiance, everyone else prepared to fight.

"You cannot stop the inevitable, Shepard." The puppet's red eyes then locked onto Flynn, "Not even the Slayer can stop this."

"It's no surprise you do not know. Many things were kept from you while you fought your unholy crusade against the dark legions. We heard of your existence, and were warned about your interference. The Maykrs spread their influence to many worlds, deals being made for the sake of their own ambitions."

"At the dawn of my kind's creation, we were approached by what you know as the Khan Maykr. Offering us what we needed to complete our objective. In exchange for the organics we harvest, her kind takes the essence they leave behind for their own purposes." Sovereign explained.

Whatever blood everyone had regained after the first showing quickly drained with this new information. "...oh no." Tevos whispered in horror.

"The Reapers…are in possession of Maykr resources." Valern added, looking ready to faint on the spot.

"Their leader is dead, perhaps-" Flynn cut off Udina with another loud knock.

The Reapers are operating with their own objective. The harvest of all higher organic life in the galaxy. The Maykrs may not get the soul energy from the genocide, but they will still carry out their mission regardless. But with how deep the Maykrs became with Hell and the demons, there's no telling if they might be involved somehow too. The incident on Thessia eons ago is proof of that.

"We lost nearly half a fleet trying to stop one Reaper." said Hackett grimly. "And with the power of these things on their side, there's no telling what type of opposition we would be facing."

Anderson stood up, "Then we need to prepare. Shepard and her team managed to delay the invasion, giving us time that shouldn't be wasted."

"There will be much discussion. We can't just increase the size of our fleets and kickstart war machines without drawing too much unwanted attention." said Sparatus, "We will need to be discreet to avoid possible issues with the Terminus systems."

Everyone else nodded in agreement, "For now, we should focus on the here and now. Many have lost their lives and we need to take stock of the damage caused." said Tevos. "Once that is settled, we will begin planning for the Reapers."

From her spot with her team, Shepard couldn't hide her grin. She'd been so worried about the Council trying to discredit the Reaper's existence now that Sovereign was gone. But, once again, Flynn had pulled off the impossible and not only made them believe in the ancient threat, but get them started on planning for the coming threat.

Speaking of the Slayer, he'd rejoined the rest of the crew. Nodding in her direction as he stood beside Liara.

"Taggart." Hackett spoke, catching Flynn's attention. "What are your plans going forward from here?"

The Slayer cracked his knuckles loudly before signing; Doing what I do best.

X

Lightyears outside the Milky Way Galaxy, in the depths of Dark Space, four large glowing yellow optics became active. Cutting through the darkness easily. Soon, the visage of a Reaper, easily twice the size of Sovereign appeared.

"NAZARA HAS FALLEN." Its deep, mechanical voice boomed loudly, "THE CITADEL RELAY REMAINS SEALED."

All around it, hundreds of other Reapers began to awaken. Their leader bringing them out of stasis. "WE ARE THE HARBINGER OF THEIR PERFECTION. THEY WILL NOT STOP THE HARVEST."

As the rest of the Reaper fleet awoke, a small red portal opened before Harbinger. A pair of humanoid beings wearing crimson armor with a pair of glowing red wings came through, floating side by side one another before the Reaper Leader.

A moment passed before the two unknown entities separated, making a small distance from one another before the darkness between them condensed into a physical shape. Taking the form of a large human made entirely of shadow, a pair of glowing crimson eyes appeared that pierced through Harbinger's gaze.

"Your Vanguard failed." A voice spoke. Darker than the very space around them and so ancient it went beyond any conceivable scope.

"THEY ONLY DELAY THE INEVITABLE. ALL ORGANICS ARE BENEATH US. THOSE THAT ARE NOT HARVESTED WILL BE ANNIHILATED." Harbinger answered in its deep monotone.

The crimson eyes seemed to narrow in sadistic mirth, "Despite your stolen knowledge and your endless calculations, you failed to factor in a certain variable. The Slayer has returned to this realm, and will make things VERY difficult for you and your fellow machines."

The lead Reaper drew closer to the living shadow, "HE IS NOTHING MORE THAN ANOTHER ORGANIC. OLDER. STRONGER. BUT NOTHING COMPARED TO-" Harbinger froze, optics flickering as volts of red energy crackled along its massive frame, hull shuttering and creaking as it felt something it had never felt before.

Pain.

The shadow held out a hand toward the sentient machine, eyes glowing brighter as it forced the Reaper to listen. "You severely underestimate those you wish to assimilate. Each cycle you harvest shows defiance in the face of their end, some of your kind perishing as a result. And this cycle will prove to be your end if you continue to wallow in your arrogance."

"THEY ONLY EXIST AT OUR DISCRETION. WE WILL END THEM WITHOUT YO-" More energy crackled along Harbinger's frame, more pain piercing through its being.

"How easily you forget that you and your kind rose to power due to my guiding hand. You only exist at MY discretion because you are useful. If you fail to provide that usefulness…" The shadow clenched its hand more, Harbinger's metal body groaned loudly from the inside for emphasis. Causing another new emotion to come to the ancient machine.

Fear.

This emotion seemed to spread to the other Reapers as they drifted away from their leader as the entity continued its torture for a few more seconds before releasing them.

"The Slayer, despite once being mortal, is beyond your comprehension. He and I are destined to meet in combat. As it was written, our battle will shake the very foundation of creation itself." said the shadow. "His presence here, albeit unexpected, has purpose before the moment of our meeting. You, and your slaves, will provide that purpose."

Harbinger stared at the being for several long moments. "WHAT IS OUR DIRECTIVE?"

The ancient being's eyes narrowed before laughter colder than space itself echoed through the dark.

X

A/N: Looks like things are going to get even more interesting in the near future.

Given all the knowledge that Flynn has regarding the ME Universe, these was no way I was gonna let that slide without him shaking things up in a big way. Forcing the Council to acknowledge the Reaper threat, as well as his own prowess with what he does being the catalyst for such change.

Mass Effect 1 is pretty much done, the chapter or two will tie up a few things before moving onto the inbetween with Mass Effect 2. And let me tell you, you don't wanna miss it!