Hello everyone! I want to apologize for the delay. As I had posted before, I thought this might happen. I visited family then came back to roommates who had moved in to my house, but we do all get along. I have also been training a new person at work so things have just been a little crazy.
Now, back to the story, I know there were a few concerns about me leaving some things out of the main plot line and I have heard from a quite a few of you concerning why I didn't include the previous conversation with Sovereign. As I posted in the first chapter, I don't want this to be a novelization of the game. However, in this chapter, I did add in the conversation with Vigil (though it is shortened because I felt like it might be a little boring to read through all of that). I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I will do my best to work on the next one quickly. Again, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to review or PM and I will do my best to get back to you! Thank you to everyone reading/following/favoriting and reviewing!
(P.S. Apologies for any mistakes! Kind of rushed to get it out today.)
Chapter 15
"Drop us in the Mako," Jane said decisively.
Garrus and John stood just outside the cockpit, listening and observing everyone. They both knew that Jane could handle this but everyone was on edge and wanted to add their opinion.
Pressly looked over his shoulder at Shepard, "You need at least a hundred meters to pull off a drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is twenty."
"Twenty meters? We'll never get in close enough for a drop!" Kaidan practically yelled.
Garrus saw Jane roll her shoulders after Kaidan spoke. It was his best guess that the lieutenant had done something to really piss Jane off earlier, but she hadn't mentioned anything.
"We have to try!" Liara yelled back at him.
He ignored Liara and turned to Pressly, "Find another landing zone!"
"There is no other landing zone!"
Tali piped up, "The decent angle is too steep!"
"It's our only option," Liara turned to the quarian.
Kaidan was still on edge from his earlier run-in with Shepard and snapped at the asari, "It's not an option! It's a suicide run! We don't –"
"I can do it," Joker interrupted calmly.
"Joker?" Jane leaned down to him.
"I can do it," he nodded.
Jane allowed herself a small smile just before turning back to her squad, "Head down to the Mako! Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard!"
John and Tali jogged down the pathway but Garrus hung back for Jane. When he heard her footsteps stop, he turned to look at her.
"Ja – Shepard, please… be careful," Kaidan said grabbing her elbow.
She glared back at him and yanked her arm out of his grasp. Her eyes met Garrus's but she quickly looked away and moved past him. The turian looked up at Alenko who glowered back before turning away. In a few strides, Garrus had caught up to Jane.
"Don't ask," she snapped.
"Wasn't going to."
"We have to find a way inside!" John yelled as he ducked behind cover as a geth sniper fired a shot at him.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Jane yelled back.
"You're welcome, Sergeant Sarcasm!"
Garrus saw Jane smirk from behind her cover. She looked down at her combat sensor then leaned around the corner to get a better view. Crouching down, she rolled out of cover and unleashed a biotic throw into the chest of geth hopper, causing it to fly off course and crash into a pillar. Leaning out from his own cover, Garrus took out the geth sniper that had Jane in his sights. She nodded to him, never having to say a word to know that he had her covered.
"Charging in!" she announced and John and Tali were quickly behind her with Garrus bringing up the rear, taking out those who attempted to hide behind cover. They moved around the corner in perfect formation and Jane called the elevator.
"Shepard," Tali said approaching the console, "I think this is part of the gate controls."
"Pull it up."
The quarian typed away on the console before turning back to the team, "That should do it."
Static began to play and they only glanced at it for a moment before turning away, but Jane stayed rooted to the spot.
"Jane?" John asked putting a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't hear that?"
"It is just static," Tali shrugged.
"No… it's about the Reapers."
Jane stared up at the barrier before them. She heard the murmurs around her but ignored them. Looking around, she saw a small tunnel to their right. "Everyone, out of the Mako."
"What?" John huffed out. "It is probably a trap!" But Jane was already jumping out the driver's side door.
Her team fell in behind her, no one saying a word to argue. Taking a quick glance up at a glow of a cylinder jutting out from a wall, Jane felt a chill go down her spine. Heading into the small area, they tensed as the elevator began to move.
"If there were simply an automated trap, Saren would have triggered it," Tali said quietly.
"Whatever it is, we should be careful," Garrus watched Jane's reaction but she didn't move.
The doors opened to a small walkway lit by the sunlight filtering through the roof. A lone pedestal sat at the end of the path. Jane waved them forward but paused in her tracks as a light sprung to life around the console. The flickering orange lines and dots seemed to be staring at them, beckoning them towards it.
"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."
Garrus tilted his head to the side, inspecting the light that didn't seem to be making any particular shape, "Looks like some kind of VI program. Pretty badly damaged."
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope…"
"Wait a minute, how come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?" Tali said.
"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."
Jane looked into the struggling image, "Why did you bring me here?"
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap, it is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel really is activated, the Reapers will pour through and all you know will be destroyed."
Jane rubbed her brow and took a peek at the rest of her crew, "The Reapers can wipe out the Council and entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack."
"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others, easy prey for the reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."
"Some of you must have managed to survive."
"Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough."
John studied his sister; he could tell that her mind was moving a mile a minute.
"You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do."
"The Conduit is the key. Before the reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the heart of the relay network."
Garrus shook his head and spoke up, "The Conduit's not a weapon. It's a backdoor onto the Citadel!"
Jane's eyes connected with Garrus's, her mind in the same place. Turning back to Vigil, she asked, "What happened next?"
"We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling."
John piped up from the back, "You should have fought."
"We were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet. Our only hope was to remain undetected. I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay."
They all felt the shock go through their minds, but Tali was the first to say something, "There were hundreds of stasis pods out there. You just shut them down? You killed them?"
"You were programmed to protect them! Not kill them!" John added.
"This outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation."
"I bet you didn't tell the 'non-essential' staff about his contingency," Garrus muttered.
"I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left. Far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key."
Jane thought back to when she had been scanning the keepers for Chorban, Maybe we could have had more insight if he could have started his work earlier. "Aren't they under the influence of the Reapers?"
"The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station, compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."
Jane shook her head, everything was making more sense now. She thought back to her first conversation with Sovereign and how confident he had seemed that all advanced organic life would be wiped out. "Saren can use the Conduit to bypass all the Citadel's external defenses."
"Correct. And once inside, he can transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin again."
"Is there any way we can stop them?"
"There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."
"Wait," Garrus said and all heads turned to him, "Where is the Citadel's master control unit? I've never heard of anything like that."
"Through the Conduit. Follow Saren, he will lead you to your destination."
Jane's mind was running in overdrive, "Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file and let's go."
"The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet. There is still hope if you hurry."
After retrieving the data file, Jane waved at her crew for them to follow as she ran for the elevator again. They would stop Sovereign. They would stop the cycle, save organic life, even if she had to sacrifice herself.
"We have to try to get through that?" John said leaning forward in his seat.
"The Conduit is closing, hold on tight," Jane said and pushed the thrusters of the Mako.
"Oh, spirits…" Garrus groaned. "Please tell me you aren't about to do what I think you are…"
"If you already know what I am going to do, why do you even act surprised?" Jane smiled over at him.
"Oh, Jesus…" John leaned back in the chair, gripping the sides. They could already begin to feel the vibration of the shields being riddled with bullets and explosions. He squeezed his eyes shut but quickly opened them to look down when he felt a three-fingered hand search for his. Turning his head, he saw Tali with her head raised and staring at the ceiling, her body tense. He held her hand and gave her a gentle squeeze; her head turned towards him and he smiled at her giving a small nod of assurance.
Garrus looked over at Jane; her eyes were fixed ahead, locked onto the portal. He saw her give an imperceptible flinch as a rocket blew up on her side of the Mako, causing the vehicle to kick up for a moment. He had to give this to her, she may have some poor decisions while driving planet-side, but she was an expert with the machine; though he may never admit it to her.
The light of the Conduit was within reach, just a few more seconds. Garrus heard another rocket and turned just in time to see it heading towards the front of the Mako. Out of instinct, he threw his arm over his face as it hit his side of the Mako pushing them sideways just as they went through the portal.
Jane sucked in a breath as they went through only seconds before it was to collapse. It wasn't a comfortable feeling, being teleported from one portion of space to another; it was different from the mass relays, but she knew that she had to keep her wits about her. She gripped the wheel tightly as they surfaced on the other side, crashing down onto two geth and flipping onto the side of the Mako.
Wincing as she moved, Jane looked around herself and reached one hand up to brace it on the roof as her other hand unclasped her restraints. She twisted around, falling onto her side with an audible thump. "Everyone alright?" she called out.
"We're okay back here," John answered while taking care of his own buckles. He braced his legs on the grooves in the roof and began to help Tali. "Ready when you are, Tali. Don't worry, I'll catch you." She nodded back to him and unclasped the belts, and true to his word, John caught her. "Any suit ruptures?" John asked checking over her.
"No, I think I am good." Tali thought that she felt a set of eyes on them but when she looked towards Jane, the commander was fussing over Garrus.
"Garrus?" Jane said, moving closer to him. He seemed to be hanging loosely in his seat, his eyes closed and mandibles slack. "Garrus! Come on, wake up!" Leaning a little closer, she placed her face next to his and felt his breath on her cheek, At least he is still breathing… she sighed. Turning back to the rest of her team she waved at her brother, "John, help me get him out of this."
"Remind me to drive next time," Garrus groaned with his mandibles flaring in a grin.
"You damned turian," Jane sighed. "Need some help?"
"Thanks, but I think I am good."
"Alright let's get out of here," Jane looked at her crew and made her way over to the door. Pushing on it a few times, she found it jammed.
"Need the men to take care of it?" John nudged Jane on the arm to push her out of the way.
Jane narrowed her eyes at him and allowed her biotics to flow around her just before kicking the door causing it to swing back on its hinges. "Thanks," she looked at John then back at Garrus, "but I think I am good."
"You are so damn stubborn," John rolled his eyes.
They had to crawl out from under the wreckage, but thankfully the only enemies were a pile of scrap under the Mako. As they approached Avina, the asari based VI, husks began to detach themselves, charging headfirst into the fight but a few well-placed shots took them out.
"Come on! We need to stop Saren before it's too late," Jane said after they got the update from Avina.
They entered the elevator, their guns ready in their hands and watched the floors tick by.
"Isn't there some rule about using elevators in emergency situations?" John asked. "Aren't we supposed to be using stairs?" Just as he finished his question, the elevator came to an abrupt halt, jostling everyone. Once they regained their footing, everyone turned and glared at John. "What?"
"You just had to say something… didn't you?" Jane narrowed her eyes at him as she raised her pistol.
"Oh, come on! That wasn't my fault! You know that would have happened even if I wasn't here."
"Alright," Jane looked at everyone, ignoring John's comment, "Saren's locked the elevator, suit up, we're going outside." Once her helmet was in place, she looked around to make sure Garrus and John were ready. "Let's do this," she raised the pistol and fired a shot. They all paused as the glass drifted away from them in the zero gravity.
John's voice came over the radio, "This would be cool if we weren't fighting for galactic survival… or you know, that sort of thing."
"They've got us pinned down! We need to get out of this funnel!" Jane said over the radio.
"These krogan are too tough! By the time we take one down, another takes his place!" Tali replied while unloading her shotgun.
Jane ducked behind cover to let her gun cool down. "Garrus, give me an opening. Tali, follow me in on my right flank. John and Garrus, give us covering fire."
"Goddammit, Jane! You two are not going to take on genetically engineered krogan soldiers!" John yelled at her while unloading his assault rifle at the krogan that had just come around the corner. "It is way too dangerous!"
"Just watch us!" Jane snapped back. "Garrus?"
Lining up the shot, he squeezed the trigger causing the shot to burst through the last of the krogan's shields and through his head, "Clear for another few seconds."
Jane moved out from cover and pressed forward. She heard Tali a few steps behind her with John streaming curses under his breath, his radio picking up every syllable. It wasn't an ideal situation, they were in a tight channel, her movement was slowed from the artificial gravity generated by her boots, and she knew that John and Garrus had to be careful with their shots, not to mention just the basic fact that they were about to go toe to toe with a krogan any second.
"Ah, fuck me…" Jane mumbled when the next enemies came into view; not just one, but two krogans.
They all focused on the one closing in on Jane. There was no cover and they were getting closer. Finally, the krogan collapsed, practically at Jane's feet. The commander swung her gun up to focus on the next krogan only to find him charging her. Taking a few steps back, Jane reached out and shoved Tali behind one of the small wall outcroppings. Jane could almost hear the krogan roar as he swung his head at her. She dodged as best she could to the side but he still managed to clip her shoulder, pushing her to the ground. He towered over her as she charged her biotics, throwing a ball of energy into his chest. The force was so strong that it disconnected his feet from the side of the Citadel and he flipped lazily into the air, the artificial gravity in his boots unable to connect to anything.
Struggling to her feet, Jane waved for her team to follow as they stationed themselves at the next corner. "I have to admit, that was pretty amusing."
"Who knew your biotics could disengage them from the metal," Garrus said as he took a shot, obliterating the head of a geth.
"Yeah, why don't you just do that all the time?" John chuckled.
"As much as I would like to carry the team, I don't want to hog all the kills." She waved them forward as they moved into a small trough for cover. "Besides, I would prefer to keep it a lot of it for Saren."
"I know, I know," John replied, "but it was fun to watch."
Jane charged a lift and sent two geth flying off the side, "You're right. I hate to admit that it is a little fun. Cover me. Moving forward," she threw her leg up onto the ledge and just as she began hoisting herself up, her eyes met with something she wanted no part in. "Jesus!" she yelled pushing backwards, she let herself fall ungracefully on her back and rolled closer to the wall just as a large explosion shook their position.
Garrus helped her up and took a quick glance over the wall before pushing down on her shoulder and shouting, "Two incoming!" After the two explosions, they all leaned onto the wall again to begin firing at the closest turret.
It took a little time, but they managed to dodge each incoming shot and take out the first one. Jane counted the seconds between rockets and judged the distance to the next culvert. "Alright, there is enough time for us to – " Jane was interrupted as another rocket exploded from the right. "What the hell?" she looked over and saw a few geth coming in to flank them. "We have two geth moving in on the right. Focus on those turrets!"
"On it, Shepard!" Tali confirmed as another set of explosions sounded above their cover.
"You got it," John confirmed then shared a quick look with Garrus, "Wait, what are you planning?"
"Just focus on the damn turret!" Jane ordered as rockets shook their position, only this time, the heat licked at her suit, the geth were getting closer. She threw her leg over the wall and ran towards the right while firing at the turrets.
"Spirits! She is drawing all the fire on her!" Garrus exclaimed and fired as fast as he could into the turret as it targeted her. His eyes darted in her direction as the turrets fired another set of missiles. He held his breath as they closed in on her. The first landed short and to her left, but the second blocked his vision of her just as he saw her fall forward. "Jane!" he yelled and leapt over the wall.
He heard John and Tali over his headset but he couldn't make out what they were saying; the heavy pounding of his heart blocking out everything but the battle and reaching Jane. In practiced motion, he raised his sniper rifle to take out one of the geth closing in on her position. Reaching the human, Garrus managed to find a grip on her armor to pull her behind cover; his eyes never leaving the spot where the geth had disappeared to behind the pillar.
He felt a faint vibration coming from their left then heard John come over his radio, "Turret is down, moving in on your location. Is Jane alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Jane groaned and moved onto her knees.
Garrus took a short second to sight the head of the geth in his crosshairs and just as it leaned out to fire at them, he placed a bullet through its head. Gripping Jane's arm, he helped her to her feet. "What were you thinking?!" he demanded.
"I needed to give you guys a better window," she said as she began moving forward again. "There was too much delay and the shields were recharging each time we took cover from the rockets. Not to mention the geth that were closing in. I knew what I was doing!"
"I just don't think you should be trying to make friends with rockets," Garrus retorted.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind."
We made it… We're finally here, Jane thought as they approached. She would never vocalize it, but there were a few moments where she had her doubts. Fires licked up the walls and rubble piled up in the pathways. She could see Saren, but geth blocked their way. After dispatching the few forces, they made their way up the stairs.
Saren peeked over his shoulder at Shepard and her team. His mandibles flared in a smirk and he hopped off the edge of the platform.
Jane paused on the stairs, her pistol in her hands holding it steady, waiting for Saren to come back into view. She saw Garrus come up on her right out of the corner of her eye.
Just as quickly as he disappeared, Saren came back into sight and threw a proximity mine at them. Jane quickly turned to her left as the rest of her team went right, hiding behind the broken wall.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren sneered.
"In time for what?" Jane looked to her side to see Garrus, John and Tali looking right at her, their view of Saren, blocked.
"The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this. You've lost… you know that don't you?" it sounded as if he might chuckle, "In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relays will open and the Reapers will return."
Jane peeked around her cover then over to her team. John motioned to himself and Garrus and made a motion with his hand for them to go around the side; Jane shook her head. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve," she replied to Saren.
"You survived our encounter on Virmire, but I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has… upgraded me."
"You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?"
He ignored her question, "I suppose I should thank you Shepard. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, about Sovereign manipulating me… about indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation." He flexed his hand, admiring the new strength he felt in it, "I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you too!"
"Sovereign is controlling you through your implants! Don't you see that?"
John looked at Garrus and made a motion with his hand as if to say "What the hell is she waiting for?"
Garrus shrugged a shoulder in reply and shook his head, looking back to Jane.
"The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined. The union of flesh and steel. The strength of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future Shepard. The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth."
"Sovereign hasn't won yet! I can stop it from taking control of the station. Step aside and the invasion will never happen."
"We can't stop it! Not forever! You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans! The Reapers are too powerful."
"Some part of you must still realize this is wrong! You can fight this!"
Garrus shook his head at her, of course she would give him, this terrible turian, a chance at dying with honor.
"Maybe you're right," Sared raised a talon to his head. "Maybe there is still a chance for – unh! Gah! Argh!" He roared through his pain and took a series of sharp breaths, "The implants… Sovereign is too strong."
Jane could hear that his voice had changed. It was less metallic. It had begun to flange like a regular turian; it was more… alive.
"I am sorry. It is too late for me."
Jane rolled out from cover to stand, her gun at her side a determined expression on her face. She could almost feel the panic of her crew to her side. "It's not over yet! You can still redeem yourself!"
"Goodbye Shepard. Thank you," Saren raised his gun and placed the muzzle just under his mandible. Humans… he thought, so much more complicated and formidable. He closed his eyes in the same motion that he pulled the trigger.
Garrus jumped up when he heard the sound of a gun but never saw Jane move. Oh Spirits! He shot her, that bastard shot her! He ran over to her, just as she rushed forward.
Jane watched as the bullet tore through Saren's skull, blue blood blowing out the top of his head as his neck snapped back from the blast. His body went limp as he began to fall sideways. She rushed forward, faintly hearing the footfalls of a long stride behind her. She watched her former adversary crash through the glass into the atrium below. His body landed with a sickening crack and his limbs twisted in awkward directions.
Garrus reached her just in time to witness Saren crashing to the hard ground below. He looked away from the disgraced turian Spectre and gave a quick once over of Jane to find that she was unharmed. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he gave her a small nod when her eyes met his.
Nodding back to Garrus, she pulled up her omni-tool and uploaded the data file, "Vigil's data file worked, I've got control of all systems.
"Quick! Open the station's arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down!" John shouted as he and Tali came up on the pair.
"See if you can open a communications channel," Tali added.
She had already started working on the two tasks before her team had said anything. Suddenly, the first voice came through, "– estiny Ascension… main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down 40%. The Council is on board, I repeat, the Council is on board!"
"Normandy to the Citadel, Normandy to the Citadel! Please tell me that's you, Commander."
Jane let out a sigh of relief when she heard her friend's voice, "I'm here Joker."
"We caught that distress call Commander. I am sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension! Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in."
Tali took a half step forward, "Are you sure about this, Shepard? Human casualties will be very high if you send your fleet in now."
"This is bigger than humanity," John said abruptly, "Sovereign is a threat to every organic species in the galaxy."
The quarian seemed to look solemnly between the two Shepards, "True, that's why you can't waste reinforcements trying to save the Council. You must hold them back until the Citadel arms open up and the human fleet can go after Sovereign."
"What's the order, Commander? Come in now to save the Acension? Or hold back?"
"It's your choice, Commander," Garrus said quietly.
"Opening the relays now, Joker. We need to save the Acension."
Tali bit her lip and shifted in place, "I hope the council appreciates this."
They stood at the edge of the platform, looking down on Saren, his lifeless body lying in a jumbled mess. "Make sure he's dead," Jane said looking at the members of her team.
Garrus nodded to her and lead the way with John and Tali flanking him. Pulling out his pistol, he placed a single bullet between Saren's eyes; the action felt more satisfying than it probably should have.
"He's dead," Tali radioed up.
Jane nodded and went to take a step away from the edge but stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of sparks. Rushing back to the edge of the platform, she saw red sparks and lightning fill the chamber, flaring from the walls and reaching towards her team. The ground began to shake and they all hunkered down. Garrus looked up to see Jane struggling to keep her balance on the platform; there were no railings and she was too close to the edge.
The red flashes hit Saren's body sinking into him. The light show continued but now originated from him. Sickly sounds of groaning and roaring came from his corpse as if he were in pain. A loud boom sounded as a red pulse generated from the dead turian, knocking Garrus, Tali, and John back. John and Garrus each smacked into a wall, and Tali was placed flat on her back in the open. Blinking back the pain, Garrus managed to look up hoping to find Jane still safe, but the platform was shaking more violently and chunks of material began to fall. Jane ran towards the stairs but she was too slow, the entire platform began to break away and out from under Jane's feet. It tipped downward, knocking Jane off her feet and onto her stomach; she began to slide backwards, grasping at flat metal.
Jane hit the ground, wincing at the pain in her side as she tried to stand. Looking up, she saw her squad moving towards her just as Saren's lifeless shell stood. His robotic screams echoed in the chamber as red light continued to flow from his body. Saren's body began to deform, quickly twisting into a new, more robotic, creature, like a skeleton infused with steel.
"I am Sovereign and this station is mine!" a voice that was not Saren's sounded.
"Fall back to cover!" Jane called as she ran over to Tali to help her up.
As soon as Tali was on her feet, she waved a thanks to Jane and they rushed back to the only decent cover in the room, a wide pillar. They leaned out from cover trying to keep Saren in their sights but he kept leaping back and forth across the room.
He paused on the wall his head tilting to the side taking in his targets. His sensors locked onto the human female and his heavy weapons switched to ready. He would disintegrate that organic. That ill-formed sack of meat had given the Reapers enough trouble and Sovereign would not allow this falsity of hope to continue to exist.
"Take cover!" Jane yelled and yanked John behind the pillar just as the first rocket hit. She could feel the heat from the explosions at her back as her squad tried to flatten themselves behind the metal. There was a longer gap after a rocket and she leaned out to fire a few shots into the creature's head causing it to shriek and tumble off the wall. "It's down! Open fire!" No sooner had she said that, the Saren shell began to twist its limbs underneath itself and began to scramble away as their bullets pelted the machine hybrid.
The battle raged on as they continued to whittle away at his strength. Bullets, biotics, and tech programs fired away, bringing Shepard and her squad closer to victory. They had no idea what the battle was like outside but they couldn't focus on that right now.
As the last rocket in another string of heavy weapon attacks shook their cover, Jane looked over at John and Tali then up at Garrus. They brought the machine back in their sights, blowing more holes in the creature. It was moving more frantically, they had to be close to destroying it.
Leaping from wall to wall, it finally found an opening to close in on its targets. It could now see around their cover, the human male and quarian were closer, but its real target, the human female was farther away, partially hidden by the turian. They would all die soon enough. Lining up the next string of rockets, it began to fire.
Jane and Garrus saw the switch in its weapons and their hearts seemed to slow and quicken at the same time. Using her biotics, Jane gave a gentle push to John and Tali, getting them out of the blast radius. She felt Garrus grab her arm as he tried to get them out of the line of fire. They had only made it two steps when they felt the heat and force of the first rocket hit a few feet behind them. It knocked them to the ground and their eyes met for a split second before they looked at the Sovereign puppet.
She was barely aware of her movements, but she felt her hand move grip something for strength and thrust her other hand up to throw a barrier between them and certain death. They could see the explosions through the blue field, angrily fighting to get through.
Garrus stared at the biotic field, impressed by its strength to hold up. He looked over to see Jane with a determined expression mixed with a little pain. It began to slip into one of agony as she struggled to hold up the barrier. He felt a pressure on his hand and looked down to see Jane's five fingers entwined in his three.
The barrier began to flicker just as they heard other gunfire. John and Tali unloaded their weapons, close to overheating, and the machine fell from the wall and spun away trying to escape. They followed it never letting up their assault.
In a last struggle, it reared up on its legs, attempting to square off with them. The head snapped to the side just as a bullet tore through it, sending it to the ground. It went still and the light faded from the metal creature. John and Tali looked over to see Jane and Garrus approaching their position. They all looked down at the Saren husk. It lay motionless as bright red flames ignited, causing it to dissolve into floating ash and sparks.
They could hear the radio chatter as the ships closed in on Sovereign. He was going down. It was all coming to an end.
Jane leaned over placing her hands on her knees in an attempt to catch her breath, while the ache of her biotics were wreaking havoc on her body.
"You doing alright, Jane?" John asked placing a hand on her back.
"Yeah," she sighed. "Let's get out of here." She waved her hand at her team for them to start moving.
John reached down to help Jane up but she brushed him off again. "Jane, you need help?"
"I'm fine," she took a deep breath. "Go."
John looked up at Garrus who stood beside her. The turian nodded to him and gestured for him to tend to Tali. John nodded and returned to Tali, "Any suit tears?"
"Not sure. There might be a few, but minor."
"We'll get you checked out by Chakwas."
Garrus watched them walk away and kneeled next to Jane.
"Just give me a minute."
"I am. Was. But I don't think we have that luxury right now."
"Alright," she sighed and winced as she straightened. She looked over at him as he held his arm out to her. She wanted to accept it, she really did… "Thank, but I'll be fine… I think. Let's go."
"You're bleeding," he said concerned. "Your nose."
Jane wiped her upper lip with her glove and saw the blood. Soon, she felt the incredible migraine come to the forefront of her mind and her nose began to bleed again. "Damn biotics," she muttered, "Come on."
They stood together at the top of the steps, watching the battle rage outside and Sovereign fall into view. A chill went through them as they saw the Reaper get swarmed by ships of all kinds. The final series of explosions shook the chamber and they saw pieces of the ancient machine separate. Jane's mouth dropped open as she saw one of the legs flying towards them.
"Go!" she screamed.