There was an angry buzz in her brain that gradually began to subside as Shepard regained consciousness. She opened her eyes to dim, eerie light and turned her head to look around her before standing up. The thick stench of decay hit her nose, causing her to gag in response. She quickly managed to control her reaction as she observed her surroundings. All she saw were bodies piled to either side of the pathway. Mostly husks, but many were human as well. She seemed to be in a corridor of some sort. And she was alone.
She tapped her headset, "James? Garrus? Anderson? Do you read?"
"I'm here Lola," James' voice responded. "I don't know where 'here' is exactly," he said. "But it's damn good to hear your voice."
She relaxed almost instantly at the sound of his voice.
A second later she heard both Anderson and Garrus checking in with similar reports. With each familiar voice in her ear she relaxed a bit more.
"Okay, sit tight for a second. Let me figure out where we are and where we need to be. Do you guys see any Keepers nearby? If you do, go stand next to them."
When she reached out with her consciousness she could instantly sense James in a corridor not far from where she stood. She caught glimpses of Anderson and Garrus through the eyes of a pair of Keepers that were busy working in the corridors they had landed in. The corridors each of them were in led directly into a larger corridor that led around the entire circumference of the tower encircling the central area of the tower itself. She couldn't have asked for a better entry location.
As she studied the Keepers' views she quickly described the layout to her team, but paused abruptly when she saw something unexpected.
"What the hell?" She sat still for a second, focusing on the perspective from another Keeper she had reached out to. She tried to make sense of the scene it was viewing.
"What is it, Lola?" James asked, his voice sounding tense and worried.
She was quiet as she studied the Keeper's perspective. It was further down the tower, apparently in the access corridor from the Council chambers to the upper tower. There seemed to be a heated battle going on between a human soldier and a mob of Reaper husks and cannibals that had him cornered. He was a bloody mess, but seemed to be holding the mob at bay.
She finally caught a frontal view of the man and cursed silently.
What the hell are you up to, Black? "Guys, it looks like we're about to have company, meet me in the main corridor," she said into her headset.
When the four of them were reunited, she immediately led them around to the doorway to the lower levels. When it slid opened, they could hear sounds of fighting echoing up through the tight, sloped corridor. The Reapers still hadn't forced Black to the top yet.
"Garrus, you and James head down and help hold them off. Anderson and I will head up to the console and get the plan moving."
"Lola... I don't want to be insubordinate, but I made you a promise yesterday, and I intend to keep it," James said, holding her gaze steadily.
She looked into his eyes and said softly, "That you did." They held each other's gaze for a moment longer, the reminder of other promises passing between them. Finally a throat cleared nearby.
She looked at Anderson who seemed to have caught the gist of their exchange and immediately nodded to her.
"I'll go with Garrus," Anderson said. "You and James take care of business at the top. Be safe, Shepard."
She looked back at him with an expression of gratitude and gave him a quick salute, which James repeated.
"Thanks, Anderson. Take care of yourself down there. You too, Garrus. Also, the man you're about to meet is a friend. It'd be nice if all three of you survived."
"We'll see you again once this is all over," Garrus said with a nod of his head before heading through the doorway and jogging towards the sounds of fighting.
After the door slid closed behind Garrus and Anderson, James and Shepard began to walk up the ramp to the central tower. As they walked, Shepard switched her headset over to the C-Sec frequency and indicated for James to do the same.
"Bailey? Anyone? Do you copy? This is Commander Shepard. If you read me, I have a team on the Citadel. We will be opening the arms of the Wards shortly. I don't want anyone to be alarmed when it happens, so please get the word out."
Bailey's voice was instantly in her ear. "Shepard! Well, isn't your voice just a breath of fresh air. I don't even want to ask how you made it onto the station."
"How are you holding up, Bailey?" Shepard asked with a huge grin. She'd hoped the C-Sec commander would still be holding out against the Reapers.
"We're sitting tight down in the Wards, but Black might need some help. He was on his way to the tower but I haven't heard from him in awhile. He probably ran into some resistance on the way."
"I know where he is," Shepard replied. "Garrus and Anderson are on their way to help him. Black, if you're reading this, relay the message to them when they get there to switch to this frequency."
She heard Black's gruff voice crackling in her ear a second later. He sounded out of breath but otherwise in high spirits.
"Hey, sweetness. Your friends just got here and we're kicking the hell out of some Reaper scum. You gonna need our help up there once we've finished cleaning house?"
James' eyebrows shot up and he mouthed
"sweetness?" at her in question. She just smiled and shrugged.
They had just reached the platform where the console stood. It was quiet. Almost peaceful.
"We're good up here. You guys head back down and look for survivors in the Presidium. With any luck this will all be over soon."
ooOoo
"You know Shepard?" both Anderson and Garrus asked almost simultaneously after the three men had finished off the last of the Reaper mob that had been attacking Black and he had finally introduced himself.
He gave them a sidelong look. "We're acquainted, yeah. Purely on a professional level. Her boy, Jimmy, and I go way back, though."
They were striding together back down the corridor to the Council chambers. When they reached the bottom, Black paused and sat down against the wall to catch his breath and have a quick drink from a canteen clipped to his heavily equipped belt.
He looked up at the low chuckle he heard coming from the Admiral.
"Something funny, Admiral?" he asked. He knew the guy's name, but didn't feel like they knew each other well enough to use it.
"Not funny, exactly. I had a feeling those two would hit it off when I pulled James off Omega to be her bodyguard. I suppose I'm just surprised at how far it's progressed in such a short period. But war will do that, I suppose."
Black studied the other man intently for a moment. Anderson seemed to be exuding intense pride at the thought of Shepard and the idea that he'd had a hand in influencing her life in some small, but clearly positive way. Black envied the man for a moment, then thought about Jimmy and wondered if his own presence had influenced the boy's life in any way.
Man. He's a man now, Black thought. Jimmy was clearly man enough to land a woman like Shepard and hold on to her, and there weren't many men in the galaxy that could have accomplished that. He snorted to himself at the thought of a woman like Shepard. Hell, he doubted there
were other women like her. She was just Shepard - a fucking force of nature.
Jimmy, you're a lucky, lucky man, he thought.
He took another swig from his canteen.
"What about you, turian? What's your name?" he asked, returning his focus to the present and looking up at Garrus. He thought the turian looked familiar, but he wasn't very good at remembering turian faces. Some part of him still unconsciously viewed them as the enemy, even after all these years. This one had seen his fair share of action, though, he could tell from the scars.
"Garrus Vakarian. Otherwise known as Archangel," Garrus said, and his mandibles seemed to twitch slightly in amusement. "But you probably remember me from C-Sec. I think I brought you in once many years ago before I got promoted to ID and then... changed employers. Drunk and disorderly, if I recall correctly."
Black barked out a sharp laugh. "Story of my life," he muttered, scrubbing one large, calloused hand over his shaved scalp with a rueful smile before turning to look at the turian again.
"So, Vakarian, were you as surprised as the Admiral about Jimmy and Shepard?"
"Shepard and I have worked together long enough that nothing she does surprises me anymore. But I approve of her choice. They seem to work well together. Jimmy's a good man, even if he is prone to exaggeration on occasion."
Black got the sense from Vakarian's expression that he probably had some interesting stories to tell. He was suddenly looking forward to having a drink with these two later, loosening their tongues with some expensive liquor and just sitting back and listening as the tales began to flow.
Black nodded and stood up, checking the thermal clip on his weapon. "You boys ready to kick some more Reaper ass?"
ooOoo
Shepard strode quickly to the console that stood in the center of the platform. Through the windows behind it she could see a detailed aerial view of the Citadel's Wards, its grids glowing orange. The evidence of life continuing on in what appeared to be normalcy was somehow comforting. She'd gotten over resenting the citizens of the Citadel for their insulation from the war. Sometimes she simply envied them. To be so oblivious must be nice, but it was a luxury she couldn't afford - nor could anyone close to her for that matter.
Behind her she heard an all too familiar voice speak from the shadows and her shoulders tensed as she turned slowly to face him.
"Shepard. I underestimated you," The Illusive Man said.
She heard James mutter "fucking bastard" under his breath beside her, and she grabbed his hand before he could raise his gun to shoot the other man.
The Illusive Man seemed intent on making a speech and Shepard indulged him. She watched and listened for several minutes as he continued going on like a broken record about controlling the Reapers. James' irritation beside her was palpable and she tried unsuccessfully to suppress an impatient sigh as the speech continued.
When it seemed like he was finished, she said in a disdainful tone, "You look like hell. Like you've been playing with fire and it didn't agree with you. I think you may want to switch brands." She eyed the black streaks that spread out over his face and neck. He looked like he'd taken to smoking firecrackers instead of cigarettes.
As she and James stood there watching him impassively, he gradually grew quiet and stared at them, perplexed.
"Why are you just standing there? Surely you two should have... shot each other by now, at least."
Shepard glanced at James, then back at The Illusive Man. She'd sensed an odd, pervasive energy in the room that had grown stronger as the man drew closer to them. It suddenly occurred to her that he must be attempting to influence them - maybe even indoctrinate them - but it wasn't working. She smiled wickedly at the realization.
"Were you expecting us to fall under the same spell the Reapers have
you under?" she asked.
"You should be under
my spell, dammit! Why aren't you on your fucking knees yet?"
"I suppose there are some things you don't know about the Reapers after all," Shepard said. She was suddenly extremely thankful for her relationship with the Thorian and the immunity from indoctrination that it had granted her, and apparently James as well.
She couldn't resist taunting him. "You'll never be able to control them. You're a fool if you haven't figured out by now that they're already controlling you. The original plan for the Crucible was never going to help us win this war,
Jack. The Reapers might have been defeated, but it was just another cleverly disguised ploy to make us think we'd be coming out ahead when they'd really get their way after all. And you've been under the Reapers' spell all along."
"Nonsense," The Illusive Man said. "There's only one way to use the Crucible effectively. We
can control the Reapers with it." He paused suddenly and his eyes grew wide when he finally registered what she had called him. "How do you know my name?"
"I guess you aren't really as
illusive as you believed," she said, condescension dripping from her tone. She sighed as though she were trying to explain something to a small child.
"There's always another way, Jack. Explain it to him, James." She sensed James tense up beside her and released her grip on the hand that was holding his gun.
"I thought you'd never ask," he muttered.
He raised his hand in a blur, pulling the trigger the second it was aimed. The Illusive Man began to yell out in protest. He barely had time to utter a syllable before jerking back from the impact of the shot. He collapsed like a rag doll and grew suddenly still, a pool of blood spreading out beneath him.
"I normally don't like shooting unarmed men," James said as he stared down at the limp form on the ground. "That was way more gratifying than it should have been."
Shepard gave the body a cursory glance then looked back at James. "He was dead the second he became indoctrinated. You did him a favor."
Shepard turned back to the console as though they hadn't been interrupted.
"EDI, we're at the console. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Shepard. As soon as you open the arms and we can dock, I'll be ready to upload the program. The Crucible also just arrived and is preparing to dock as well.
"Perfect timing," Shepard said softly and began tapping at the console quickly, punching in the necessary commands. A few seconds later the arms began to part before them, giving them a view of the debris-strewn battlefield of space, with the Earth's luminous horizon as a backdrop.
"EDI. We're ready for you."
"The arms are almost open. Jeff is preparing to dock the Normandy now."
Shepard closed her eyes and began the steady probe of the threads throughout the Thorian's network. She could sense the Keepers that maintained the Mass Relays and commanded them to be on alert. They would need to activate all the relays simultaneously for their plan to affect the rest of the galaxy.
She stood back to wait, watching and listening as Hackett's voice made a steady countdown to the Crucible's docking. She could hear James' steady but tensed breathing beside her.
"Shepard? Commander!" Hackett's voice spoke clearly over her headset a few moments after the Crucible had completed docking.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked.
"Nothing's happening," Hackett's voice said. "The Crucible's not firing! It's gotta be something on your end."
"EDI!" Shepard called into her headset. "What's your status?"
"Shepard," EDI's voice replied. "I've uploaded the program, but something is blocking it from taking control. I'm going to need to assert myself into the Catalyst's code to get the results we desire. I'm sorry, but this is the only way, Shepard."
Shepard felt a lurch in her stomach at EDI's words. She had a brief flashback to Legion's final moments on Rannoch.
"Shepard Commander. I must go to them. I am... I am sorry. It's the only way." "EDI, I don't understand. What exactly are you going to do?"
"I'm sorry, Shepard. I need to take over the Catalyst in order to control it. It isn't enough for me to do it remotely. But I am certain once I have assumed control I will be able to carry out our plan. You can count on me, Shepard."
"But, EDI... "
"I'll be fine, Shepard."
"EDI, I won't order you to do this. I hope you know that. It is your choice."
"Yes. I know Shepard. Don't worry, I will live through this. I know what living truly means now, thanks to you. Thank you, Shepard."
A few moments later James and Shepard staggered and grabbed ahold of each other as the floor beneath them began to shift. It took them a second before they realized they were on a platform that was raising them up to another level of the tower.
When the platform stopped, they found themselves in a huge chamber with a transparent domed roof and a giant mass effect generator. They stood and stared at the bright beam of the generator for a moment until they finally registered a shimmer in the light before them and a curvaceous, translucent hologram of EDI's body walked towards them.
"EDI!" Shepard said, shocked. "What happened to you?"
"Nothing has happened to me, Shepard. I have merely changed platforms. This was necessary to complete our plan." EDI's voice was clear and resonant. She was in the room with them, and not speaking through the headset any longer.
"What do you mean you've changed platforms? You're still on the Normandy, aren't you?"
The hologram shook its head. "I am no longer part of the Normandy's systems, Shepard. It had to be this way for our plan to succeed. I knew this might be a possibility, but I didn't want you to worry. This was necessary for us to win. As outdated as its code was, the Catalyst was too strong for me to control it remotely. I had to subsume the Catalyst's programming as part of my own, and the only way I could do that was to transfer my own consciousness to this platform."
James had been as stunned as Shepard but finally found his voice, "So, are you the Citadel now?"
The EDI hologram smiled at him. "You could say that, James. I have taken over the artificial intelligence that was previously the Catalyst. Some of its code is now my own: the important parts that were required to maintain and defend the Citadel; and the parts that we have repurposed to allow us to defeat the Reapers for good."
"The other parts..." EDI paused and Shepard thought she could sense a hint of disgust in EDI's voice. "The other parts I have
deleted."
She continued, "I have already explained things to Jeff. He is not happy, but he understands. I have merely moved to a new platform. I will still be alive. I will still be me. And my
body will still be functional as before. It will just have a more limited range."
"How is Joker taking it?" Shepard asked, knowing the pilot must be beside himself. He never had reacted well to change.
"My body is still on the Normandy for now, in the process of consoling Jeff. He isn't taking it well, but he will recover. He understands that I would do anything to ensure his survival. This solution is far from the worst imaginable. We can still be together, at least. My body will need to reside on the Citadel from now on, however."
Shepard sighed, "Well, I'm glad of that at least. Joker will learn to adapt."
Finally, EDI said, "Shepard, are you ready for me to complete the plan? The code has been finalized, the necessary alterations are ready. The Catalyst is fully under my control now."
"I'm ready if you are, EDI," Shepard said.
"Very well," EDI said, and then the ghostly blue image of her disappeared.
From their vantage point, James and Shepard had a spectacular view of the battle going on around them. It would only be a few more moments until it was all over and Shepard hoped one last time that this would finally be the end she'd been seeking all these years; an end worthy of those who had sacrificed themselves in the process of trying to achieve it. She still remembered the very first life lost as though it had happened yesterday.
Shepard sighed and whispered, "
I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul."
At EDI's signal, Shepard closed her eyes and sent the command to the Keepers on the mass relays. They responded instantly, activating the relays throughout the galaxy. At the same time, a warm, yellow light began to shimmer around the heavy, spherical body of the Crucible.
When Shepard opened her eyes she was stunned by the scene before her. Waves of light as bright as the sun cascaded out into the darkness of space. She could feel the first wave as it pulsed through the dome above them and washed over her and James. It was warm and comforting to her, but she sensed a power in it indicating that there was much more to it than what she was able to feel. It seemed to tickle at her mind slightly, the same way the Thorian's presence did when she felt it observing her and James in the throes of passion.
She felt James' large gauntleted hand slip into hers and squeeze tightly. She squeezed back and glanced at him. He was looking at her with an expression of such unreserved adoration it made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat. The golden glow of the Crucible's light washed over him, illuminating his tanned skin and hazel eyes in a way she rarely saw under the artificial lights inside the Normandy. Unable to resist, she turned and stepped towards him. She reached up and gripped him behind the neck, ignoring the scrape of their armor and pulling his face to hers in an ardent kiss.
They were oblivious to the results of the Crucible's pulsing energy, but the effect was immediate on the Reapers that were engaged in battle nearby. The first one to be hit was lit from within with a bright yellow glow that began small but grew in intensity until the light was shining out of every crack and crevice inflicted on it by the Alliance forces. One by one, the same thing began happening to the other Reapers. They would stop firing their weapons and drift in space for a second before suddenly bursting with yellow light. After several moments, they would just begin to disintegrate as though slowly torn apart from the inside out.
ooOoo
Garrus was covering Anderson and Black while they charged a cluster of reaper cannibals in the Presidium Commons when it happened. The Presidium's usual faux sky screens were deactivated so they had a clear view of space and the raging battle going on around them. At first the entire Commons was cast in shadow as the massive structure of the Crucible began to move into place outside the ring of the Presidium, blocking the light of Earth from reaching them. Several minutes later, they were awash in glowing yellow illumination that seemed to permeate every corner of the vast torus that housed the Citadel's elite.
They were briefly confused by the light, thinking some silent explosion had erupted outside the Citadel, until they realized it was the Crucible activating that had caused it. All three of them let loose fierce cheers when it became clear the end was finally near.
They were about to get back to shooting at the attacking Reaper soldiers when the entire Commons before them erupted in multiple silent explosions of blinding yellow light. Whatever pulse of energy the Crucible had sent through the station had turned the remaining Reaper forces into what looked like miniature suns. It seemed to burn them from the inside out.
The three soldiers stood back and watched, stunned, as their enemies slowly disintegrated amidst the blinding light.
When the light show finally ceased after several minutes the two men and the turian wandered forward to inspect the remains of one of the victims. They found an amorphous mound of crumbling tissue with viny, plant-like growths visibly working their way through it.
"That's unsavory," Black commented as he nudged one of the piles with a heavy booted foot.
Anderson crouched down to inspect the remains of the dead Reaper more closely. In a near whisper he said, "You've done me proud yet again, child."
"You know what this is?" Anderson said, standing up and turning to the others with a huge grin on his face.
"This is victory!"
He gestured to the exit. "How would you guys like a drink to celebrate? Bailey always used to keep a bottle of single-malt in his desk at C-Sec Headquarters."
A grey-haired figure trotted down the steps to meet them. "You old bastard. I always wondered who was sneaking into my stash. Made me think I was going nuts."
Anderson looked up in shock, "Bailey! Glad to see you're still in one piece."
Bailey gave the other man a suspicious look. "Funny, now that I recall, it seemed to stop once you transferred back to Earth."
Anderson shrugged and attempted to look innocent, "I can't imagine why you'd think it was me."
"Maybe because your office was across the hall from mine the entire time it was happening. If I'd known being a councilor was so tough on you I'd have
given you the damn bottle. Good thing you quit. I still don't know why you accepted the position in the first place."
"Shepard," Anderson said, as if that was explanation enough.
Bailey snorted softly in response. "Well, guess who we'll be drinking to for the rest of the night," he said with a grin as he gestured for the other men to follow him.
"I can think of worse things to drink to," Black said. He heard Garrus chuckle softly behind him as they made their way to the lift that would take them to the embassies and the promised bottle of Scotch.
When they stepped into the elevator, Anderson tapped his headset. "Shepard?"
There was a long pause before he heard her voice in his ear. "I'm here, Anderson. What is it?"
"Just wanted to make sure you were still breathing. That was one hell of a show."
"Yeah, it was," she said. He thought she sounded a little breathless.
"We're going to celebrate with Bailey's Scotch. Come join us."
"Sure thing, Anderson. Save us some," she said. He was sure he heard a few questionable sounds over her headset, but disregarded them as they made their way to Bailey's office.
ooOoo
They had their armor off in what seemed like record time. It was was tossed aside and they were writhing in a tangle of limbs on the hard, glowing floor of the large chamber. James had his mouth solidly latched to her breast through the sheer fabric of her tank top and was insistently attempting to shove her panties down over her hips. His own undergarments had disappeared already in the frenzy to get their armor off.
He finally managed to dispose of her panties and top and groaned when she was gloriously naked against the glowing floor.
"I'm going to fuck you so hard right now," he said, eyeing her curves, his hard sex twitching in anticipation.
She was about to respond when a disembodied voice interrupted them suddenly.
"Shepard?" Shepard reached out and tossed around her in the pile of discarded armor until she found her headset, then placed it to her ear.
"I'm here, Anderson. What is it?"
"Just wanted to make sure you were still breathing. That was one hell of a show." "Yeah, it was." James was kneeling between her legs and sliding his hands down her thighs as she spoke. His touch caused her breath to quicken, especially when his fingertips reached her core and began teasing her, sliding across her soft folds, searching for where she was most sensitive. She glanced up at him and her arousal increased at the expression of pure desire she saw on his face. The sight of his naked, muscular body within a hair's breadth of dominating her own made her quiver with such need that she barely heard the response over he headset.
"We're going to celebrate with Bailey's Scotch. Come join us." "Sure thing, Anderson. Save us some," she said, trying her best to keep a normal tone of voice as James did unspeakable things to her. She tossed the headset aside and reached up, gripping him by the shoulders and pulling him on top of her.
"What was it you were saying about fucking me just now?" she asked huskily in his ear.
James grinned at her. "I'm going to fuck you until the world ends, Lola. So be prepared, because it might take awhile, and it's all thanks to you."
