Invictus: Martian Explorers (Part II)

“Shepard, take cover!” Liara urgently whispered over the radio a few minutes later as the squad entered the upper level.

The Spectre immediately saw what had prompted the warning as just ahead of them a fleeing scientist was gunned down by a trooper. The group had just slid into cover behind some piping when a Cerberus radio crackled to life.

“This is Tango Squad. We’ve done a sweep of the residence. It’s clear. Go and check on Alpha Squad, they’re not reporting in.”

“We’re on it. Bravo Squad out.”

“We still on clean-up duty?” a second trooper complained as Shepard sidled along his cover until he was level with the first trooper.

“Yeah. Some scientists are putting up a fight over in the vehicle bay.”

“Let’s go get ‘em!” a third Cerberus soldier voiced his opinion.

‘At least three,’ Shepard thought to himself as he signaled Ashley and Liara to move past him. “You two deal with the others. This one’s mine. On my mark.”

“And what mark would that be Skipper?”

“This!”

Bursting out of his cover, Shepard grabbed the unsuspecting trooper by the back of his armour and hauled him back over the pipe, slamming him into the ground near his feet.

“What the hell!” the Cerberus grunt exclaimed as Shepard activated his Omni-Blade and rammed it into the troopers chest - killing him instantly - as beside him Ashley and Liara exploded into action against the remaining enemy forces.

“Who are these guys?”

“The Alliance must’ve sent reinforcements!”

“This is Bravo Squad. We’ve found the-” the trooper’s report was halted when Liara tagged the speaker with Warp and he went down screaming before the combined fire-power from the asari and Shepard finished him off. A final burst of fire-power from Ashley’s Avenger followed by the lieutenant commander’s “All clear!”

“We’ll need to access the pedway to get to the next building. The controls are in the next room.” Liara advised.

“Lead the way,” was Shepard’s response and Liara took point.

“This is a secure station. How did Cerberus get in?” Ashley questioned the former-archaeologist as they moved.

“I’m afraid that I don’t know any more in that regard then you do, Lieutenant,” the asari replied. “We’d only just gotten reports of the invasion on Earth when they hit the facility. After that, chaos erupted. We didn’t even realize it was Cerberus at first.”

“Could they be working with the Reapers?” Ashley queried, her gaze shifting back to her CO

“Doubtful.” Shepard shook his head as they reached their destination and Liara settled in front of one of the monitors. “But I suppose anything is possible. Need any help?” The Spectre asked the asari as he holstered his M-8.

“You should be able to access the pedway controls on the monitor in front of you.”

The two set to work, lapsing into silence as Ashley remained on guard just outside the doorway. After a few more moments, Liara let out a frustrated huff.

Shepard looked up from his own work. “Anything?” he questioned as Ashley glanced back at the two of them.

The asari shook her head. “I can’t unlock the live feeds. You?”

Before Shepard could respond, movement on one of the monitors caught Ashley’s attention. “Hey, did you see that? Who’s that women in the vid?” she queried, referring to the petite woman that had appeared in the recording.

“That’s Dr. Eva Coré. She arrived here about a week ago.” Liara informed her companions as they watched the doctor type something into one of the terminals before darting away. “Anything?” the asari parroted Shepard’s own words back at him, snapping attention away from the recording.

The Spectre shook his head. “The pedway’s been locked down,” he reported. “Is there any other way to get across?”

“They were doing some construction nearby. We can use the maintenance hatch to get out on the roof and find a way round to the cafeteria from there.”

“Let’s move.”

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The winds that met the trio when they stepped out of the airlock buffeted them mercilessly and only their mag boots kept them from being blown away.

“Storm’s getting closer,” Ashley observed.

“Then we need to pick up the pace. Ten minutes have already passed.” Shepard informed his companions as they moved as quickly as they could across the construction.

As they dropped down onto a lower platform, the sight of two trams engaged in a firefight as they crossed the tramway caught the group’s attention.

“What the hell?” Ashley exclaimed as they watched the gunfight play out before their eyes.

“Looks like the remaining Alliance forces are still putting up a fight.” Shepard noted.

“With good reason. That tramway is the only way to access the Archives. If Cerberus gets through, they’ll be at the final security checkpoint.”

“And then they’ll likely bar anyone else from getting across.”

“C-C-Commander? D-Do you c-c-copy?” Cortez voice came over the radio then, cutting into the squad’s conversation.

“I copy, Cortez. Did James bring you up to speed?”

“Affirmative. We’re p-parked… -e-e-entrance, watching it… -ith eagle eyes... -j-j-just lost contact… Nor-Normandy. W-W-What’s your p-” Static suddenly drowned out the shuttle pilot’s voice.

“I didn’t read that, Cortez. Repeat your last.”

“I-I-I-I said: Wha-” Once again the transmission was overcome with static.

“Damnit!” Shepard cussed. “Looks like we’re on our own from here on out,” the Spectre informed his team.

“Cortez? As in Lieutenant Steve Cortez?” Liara queried the two humans as they moved on.

“You know him?” Ashley questioned.

“He’s a survivor from the Collector attacks last year.”

“Outside of the colonists on Horizon and the ones we managed to free when we hit the Collector base I didn’t know there were any other survivors.” Shepard commented, his surprise at the news evident in his tone of voice, as he climbed a ladder that would take them to the upper platform. Liara and Ashley followed suit. “From what colony?”

“Ferris Fields. I was there with a small team the day it was hit, trying to gather some more intel on the Collectors. When we discovered his presence, I led a rescue party to retrieve him – but not before losing two of my squad when the Collector forces learned of our presence as we made our escape. This way.”

Liara took the lead to show her companions where their entry point was. But when they reached it, the asari suddenly paused.

“Liara?” Shepard queried her lack of motion. But as he drew level her, he could see what had cause the abrupt halt.

The door of the airlock was wide open.

“This airlock shouldn’t be open.” Liara stated slowly.

“Doesn’t look like it was forced,” Ashley commented, passing Shepard and Liara to have a look at the door.

“No, someone would have had to override security protocols inside.”

“Our mole maybe?” Shepard questioned.

“We’ll see soon enough, I fear.”

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The sight that greeted them – other than pitch-black darkness, causing the trio to turn on their weapon’s inbuilt flashlights so that they could see – was a gruesome one. Opening the airlock had vented the air from the room, leaving all those inside to asphyxiate to a slow and painful death. Some had even tried to claw their way towards the next room.

“This is brutal, even by Cerberus standards,” Liara stated somberly as they picked their way through the deceased scientists.

“Be grateful that you weren’t with me last year when I investigated Project Overlord, then,” Shepard informed her.

“Bad?”

“Let’s just say my opinions of Cerberus and the Illusive Man are now six feet below rock bottom and leave it at that. Did you know anyone here?”

“Not personally. As the only asari here, I was viewed with a little suspicion. I spent most of my time alone researching and translating.”

“Contact! Twelve o’clock!” Ashley suddenly announced as movement ahead of them caught her eye.

“Switch off your flashlights,” Shepard ordered.

Within seconds they were enveloped by darkness and the Spectre used it to creep forwards to the windows that divided the room, putting him in perfect striking position for another ambush.

“Roger that, Delta Squad out.”

“What’re our orders?”

“There’s Alliance squad incoming. We’ve got to keep them away from the core at all costs. Check the next room.”

“But it’s dark in there.”

“So turn on the lights!”

“Shepard, we can use the open airlock to our advantage.” Liara advised. “Shoot out the windows and we’ll decompress the next room as well, disorientating the troopers and making them easier targets.”

Beneath his helmet, Shepard smiled wickedly. “I like the way you think, T’Soni,” he told her. “Be ready with a Singularity.”

“Aye, aye.”

Readying his Avenger, the Spectre rose from his cover and slammed the butt of the assault rifle into the glass, shattering it completely. The Cerberus troops - one of whom was in the middle of saying there was nothing alive in the next room - shouted in surprise at the action.

And then Liara’s biotic sphere appeared in their midst as Shepard’s squad began firing on them.

Needless to say, things were over quickly.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

“We’ll need to pressurize the room before we can access the labs to get through to the tram station.” Liara informed Shepard as she typed a few commands into the security station’s computer to get the pressurization underway. After a few moments the monitor flashed green, signaling the room was safe and the squad took of their helmets.

“And it looks like there’s a recording of what happened here,” Liara informed her companions after studying the monitor for a few more moments.

“Play it.”

After typing in a few more commands, the recording appeared on screen.

The trio watched as one of the now deceased security officers reported seeing some odd activity only for the pair to be suddenly gunned down by a familiar figure; one Dr. Eva Coré. The doctor then proceeded to open the cafeteria’s airlock and the squad watched in horror as all those inside suffocated and - one by one - dropped like flies.

“Looks like we’ve finally found our mole,” Shepard grimly stated.

“Son of a bitch!” Ashley growled from her place at the door.

Liara remain silent and contemplative, her back still turned away from her comrades.

Shepard approached her. “Liara?”

“I should have seen it before,” she stated lowly whilst shaking her head at herself.

“Seen what?”

“Eva Coré was the name of one of the Illusive Man’s mercenary companions that fought alongside him during the First Contact War,” the asari explained to the human. “She died on Palaven shortly after. But I was too focused on decoding the blueprints, on finding a way to stop the Reapers to remember that. To realize that the Illusive Man’s been following me from the moment that he realized that I was the Shadow Broker. All these people…”

Shepard cut into her speech. “Stopping the Reapers is the only thing that matters right now. What’s happened here? It’s Cerberus’ fault, Liara. Not yours. Period.”

“But what if we’re wrong? What if there is no way to stop them and we end up spending our last days scurrying around trying to solve a problem that we can’t fix?”

“Liara-” Shepard started to speak but Liara cut him off as she turned to face him.

“I know what you going to say. ‘You can’t think that way, Liara. We’ll find a way to stop them. Together.’” The Spectre chuckled at her impersonation of him as she fell silent cocking her head to the side, seemingly studying him. “I don’t know how you do it sometimes,” she spoke after a few moments.

“Do what?”

“Manage to stay focused on the task at hand, even in the worst situations.”

“It’s not easy,” he admitted. “But when there is so much at stake, I just think about my friends and family. What I’d lose if I fail.”

“That’s a terrible burden to carry around.”

“As someone wise once said; ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ I’m not fond of being thrust in to the saviour role, but those are the cards that I’ve been dealt so I have to run with them. And at the risk of sounding terribly clichéd; we will stop them, Liara. Or I’ll die trying if I have to.”

“Perhaps it’s not wise to tempt the fates. We need you alive if this is going to succeed.”

“I’ll try not to inconvenience you, oh wise and mighty Shadow Broker,” Shepard drawled, earning Liara’s laughter. “C’mon, we better keep moving.”

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

The trip through the labs was relatively easy.

At first they only encountered squads of regular troopers, but then two new units made themselves known.

The first - which the group quickly dubbed as Centurions – seemed to be the tacticians of the new Cerberus force, directing and co-ordinating their attacks on Shepard’s squad as well as providing cover and concealment of their positions with smoke bombs. When Shepard – wielding his Katana - darted into one of the smoke clouds to take the opposing squad by surprise, he ran smack-bang into the second; a heavily-armoured and shield-bearing Guardian.

Unable to get a clear shot thanks to the soldier’s heavy shield and his own kinetic barriers quickly being drained by the Guardian’s shotgun-like heavy pistol, the Spectre was forced shoot his foe at point-blank range in order to stagger him so that he could safely retreat back to his team. Taking cover to allow his shields to regenerate, Shepard reported his findings to his companions, advising them that they needed to either take the Guardians out at range with sniper rifles or strip their shields from them to make them easier targets.

Using that advice, Liara created a Singularity in their enemies midst, pulling many of them from cover and ripping the Guardians shields right out of their hands, leaving them wide open to the volley of arm’s fire that was streaking their way.

Realizing that they couldn’t win, the remaining Cerberus forces beat a hasty retreat, locking and sealing their exit behind them to slow down Shepard’s squad.

And then a horrible stench suddenly filtered into the laboratory’s corridors…

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

“Ugh, what’s that smell?” Ashley questioned as she quickly pulled on her helmet, hoping that it would filter out the foul air. Liara and Shepard followed her example.

They found the cause of the odor in the very last room. The troopers had rounded up the last of the scientists and locked them in. And then they had started the room’s decontamination protocols.

“Poor bastards,” Shepard muttered as he surveyed the charred remains of the researchers, hating the Illusive Man just a little bit more for this latest act of inhumanity. “Can you shut it down so that we can get through?” the Spectre questioned Liara.

“Give me a moment,” the asari replied as she set to work.

Once it was opened, the squad were through the room in a matter of moments, locking and sealing it behind them.

Once they were clear of the impromptu torture chamber, Shepard checked his chronometer - ‘Less than ten minutes to go before the storm hits,’ - before questioning Liara. “How far are we from the tramway now?”

“Not far. The security station is at the end of this corridor. If Cerberus has locked it down, we can override it from there.”

Shepard gestured for her to take the lead again.

“We need to wrap this up quickly. The storm’s going to be here soon.”

But when Liara opened the door, they found a nasty surprise waiting for them; a massive ceiling mounted defense turret that their enemy had converted for their own purposes.

‘Aw, hell!!’

“Look out!” came Ashley’s warning as they all dove for cover.

“That’s an understatement,” Shepard muttered as they waited out the storm of fire.

“Is this the only way in?” Ashley asked Liara.

“It’s the only way that I know of.”

Risking exposing himself to the turrets fire, Shepard poked his head out from his cover to assess how they were going to get through their predicament. Upon seeing the various crates and cover strewn about the room, the Spectre began to formulate a plan as he pulled his head out of the turret’s line of fire before it could get a bead on him.

“Anything?” his team questioned him.

“There are crates and covers all over the place. We can use them for cover and skirt around the turret until we’re out of its range.”

Moving as a unit and making sure they were in cover when the turret fired on them, the trio did just that until they were past the gun’s swivel range. After that, dealing with the remaining Cerberus forces inside the security office was child’s play. Once they’d cleared the room, Liara accessed the computer and confirmed what they thought would happen all along.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

On the other side of the tramway, Coré ordered the Centurion that accompanied her to set up a perimeter to stop the incoming Alliance force. She’d need as much time as she could get to extract the blueprints for the Illusive Man

“But we still have teams on the other side!” the Centurion protested.

The Cerberus spy stopped and whirled on her subordinate. “No-one gets across!” she spy repeated forcefully and the Centurion relented.

“Yes, ma’am,” the squad leader acknowledged the order.

“And somebody shut off those damn cameras!” she growled as she took aim with her sidearm and took out the one that was tracking their movements before turning and striding towards the door at the far end of the room

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

“Somebody’s in a bad mood,” Ashley quipped as the screen before them went blank.

Shepard turned to Liara. “Can you override the shutdown from here?”

“No. The Archives are on different network.”

“So we’re stuck here?”

Ashley eyed the body of a slain Centurion that was slumped outside. “Maybe not.”

Shepard turned to see what she was looking at. “What’re you thinking, Ash?”

“They’d have to have a short-range transmitter – helmet to helmet - on them. If we can get his, we can convince them that we’re on their side and that the Alliance squad has been taken care of. Then they might send a tram over.”

“Good thinking, LC. See what you can find.”

Shepard turned back to see Liara watching Ashley as she left. “What?” he questioned

“The Lieutenant Commander has become very capable,” Liara observed.

Shepard chuckled. “That she has.”

Any further conversation was halted by Ashley’s startled “Oh, God!” cry from outside.

Shepard drew his Avenger as he raced out of the room, “What is it?”

“He looks like a husk,” she whispered, her form stock still as she stared at the trooper’s unhelmeted head. And she was right. The soldier’s skin was turning a sickly grey, his eyes replaced by blue glowing implants and the beginnings of machinery tubes were violating his facial tissue.

“Yeah, not quite.” Shepard rumbled as stowed his weapon before crouching down beside the slain man to locate his radio. “But they’ve definitely done something to him.”

“And by ‘they’ you mean Cerberus? They claim to stand for humanity and they do this to their own people?!” There was a pause and then, “Is this what they did to you?”

Shepard sighed as he stood up, transmitter now in hand. This again?

“How can you compare me to that thing? !” His response came out a little harsher then he’d intended but Ashley’s mistrust was really starting to get on his last nerve.

“I don’t know what you are!! Not since Cerberus got their hands on you! I mean, is it really you in there? With all your Cerberus implants, could they be controlling you? Would you even know if they were?”

“You know that’s not fair, Ash.”

“I’m just talking out loud. I doubt there’s anything you could say to convince me anyway…” she trailed off. “I guess I just need time to get to know you again. To find the guy I used to love.”

“Like I said before; I’m the same person that I always was. I wouldn’t have been able to turn on Cerberus – and take some of their most valuable agents and assets with me – like I did otherwise.”

“Not to mention that while we’ve seen Cerberus experiment on husks before, we’ve never seen them use it like this – to control someone. This tech was created after Shepard’s return from the Omega-4 relay,” Liara weighed in on the conversation. “I suspect that Shepard and Miranda turning on him – and getting away with it – shocked the Illusive Man a great deal, forcing him to rethink his strategy and take this course of action. To insure that no more of his agents would betray him like that ever again and remain fanatically devoted to the cause.”

“Makes sense,” Ashley admitted, her voice tempering as she took in the information.

“I understand your doubts Ash.” The Spectre reiterated his earlier statement. “And if time is what you need to convince you that I’m still me, then that’s what you’ll get.”

Ashley smiled appreciatively. “Thanks, X.”

Nodding his head in return, Shepard focused back on the mission. “Let’s see if we can get that tram sent over here. Maybe then we’ll both get some answers.”

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

After making the call, Shepard’s squad took cover behind some creates as the tram made its way over, ambushing the Cerberus squad that had been sent to secure the station. Boarding the tram, they’d sent it on its way. But they’d only gotten halfway across when a charge placed on the track detonated, stopping them in their tracks before the second tram – loaded with a Cerberus squad – was sent out to greet them. This confirmed Ashley’s suspicions that their enemy had known all along that it wasn’t one of their own teams that had made the call. A Singularity from Liara soon stopped the trooper’s suppressing fire and when she followed it up with a Warp, the sphere erupted in a biotic explosion that sent their hapless foes flying.

Crossing over to the working tram, they continued on to the final security check-point. As they expected, the Cerberus presence here was the stiffest they’d encountered as their foe pulled out all stops to stop Shepard and his squad from getting into the Archives.

“Holy shit! That’s Shepard!!” One of them finally recognized Shepard for who he was, earning a slight chuckle from the aforementioned man and his squad.

But in the end, their enemy fell to the Alliance squad before they pressed on and entered the Archives proper. Once they were inside Liara could only smile as she watched Shepard and Ashley’s stunned reactions to this historic place as she removed her helmet and clipped it to her belt. The action snapped Shepard back into reality and he and Ashley followed suit.

“Ash, you take overwatch. Stay sharp. We still haven’t come across Coré yet. Liara, lead the way.”

“Aye, aye, Skipper.” – “Yes, Commander.”

Ashley left to find a secure vantage point as Shepard and Liara approached the Archives interface controls. The asari had barely touched the monitor before they were interrupted from behind. The holographic display that usually showed the Archives status flickered out and was replaced by an immaculately dressed man in an expensive designer suit.

“Shepard.”

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Location: Unknown

An unknown star casted its light into a darkened office. The star burned with a beautiful, yet prophetic glow of an angry red surrounded by a serene blue, each vying for dominance.

The Illusive Man stood inside the office, his chair facing the star. He was surrounding by holographic monitors with varying charts and reports, detailing reports of varying operations, funds, and information to be stored, analyzed, and used when the appropriate time came.

“Shepard.”

On the holographic projector before him, Shepard and Liara, armed with their pistols, whirled to face him. Realizing who they were speaking to, Shepard holstered his pistol before crossing his arms.

“Illusive Man,” the Spectre returned coldly.

“Fascinating race, the Protheans. They left all of this for us to discover, but we've squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for over thirty years, and what have they done with it?”

“What do you want?” Shepard demanded.

The Cerberus CEO looked past them and up at the Archives themselves. Shepard followed his gaze, turning to look at the artifact behind him.

“What I've always wanted,” the Illusive Man after a few moments of silence. “The data in these artifacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat.”

“Your solution?” Shepard repeated. “You mean the one where you’ve turned your own people into murdering monsters?”

“Hardly. They're being improved.”

“Improved?”

“That's what separates us, Shepard.” The Illusive Man responded as he brought up two files – one was a detailed image of Harbinger and the other a scan of the Collector base – that he had managed to get a copy of before EDI had severed Cerberus’ control of the Normandy last year. “Where you see only a means to destroy, I see a way to control, to dominate and harness the Reapers' power. Imagine how strong humanity could be if we controlled them.”

Shepard shook his head in disgust. “Earth is under siege, and you're hatching a scheme to control the Reapers?”

The Illusive Man shook his head and the first human Spectre’s unchanged attitude. “You've always been short-sighted. Hasty. Your destruction of the Collector base proved that.”

“I destroyed that base because I didn’t trust you with the information in it. Not to mention that it was an abomination. Hundreds of thousands of humans were slaughtered there! Or have your forgotten that?”

“And so you threw away any chance we had to make those sacrifices worthwhile.” The Illusive Man took another drag on his cigarette. When his face emerged from behind its veil of smoke, it was hard and determined. “This isn't your fight any more, Shepard. You can't defeat the Reapers, even with the Prothean data.”

“Work with us, then. Bring your resources into the fight, and we'll destroy the Reapers together.”

“You’d do better than most,” the Illusive Man admitted. “But the odds aren't in your favor. And more importantly, I don’t want the Reapers destroyed. We can dominate them. Use their power. Harness their very essence to bring humanity to the apex of evolution.”

"You've gone too far! The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other."

“I don't expect you to understand, Shepard,” the Illusive Man responded as behind him one of his agents, former Alliance N7 marine Kai Leng, entered the room and strode over to him. “And I'm certainly not looking for your approval. You were nothing but a tool. An agent with a singular purpose. And despite our differences, you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in that place, your time is over.”

“Enough talk,” Shepard growled as he signaled Liara back to the console to extract what they were after. The asari did as she was asked. But when she tried to bring up the stored blueprints, she found noting.

“Don't interfere with my plans, Shepard,” the Illusive Man cautioned the Spectre. "I won't warn you again.”

“Yeah? Well I’ve got a pearl of wisdom for you too; Go to hell!”

The Illusive Man gave no response as Shepard turned away to return to Liara’s side.

“Shepard, we have a problem! !” Liara’s panicked voice was heard just before he severed the communication.

“Goodbye, Shepard,” he stated before he sent instructions to Coré.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars / Mars Archives

“Shepard, we have a problem!!”

“What kind of problem?”

“The data! It’s being erased!!”

“How’s he doing it?”

“It’s local. Someone’s uploading the data from within the room.”

“Coré?” Liara nodded and Shepard spoke into his radio. “Ash, be on alert. Coré’s downloading the blueprints, we need to find her ASAP!”

“On i- Hey, what’re you doing? Step away from the console!”

Shepard turned back to Liara. “Ash has found her. Let’s g-”

A sudden shout of pain was heard as Ashley went down in a flurry of blows from the Cerberus infiltrator. Shepard turned to see a white blur dash past them and back out the way that they’d come from.

“She’s got the data!” Ashley alerted the rest of the squad.

Shepard - pausing only briefly to holster his Avenger and pull on his helmet - broke out into a dead sprint, knowing that with his Cerberus upgrades he was only one who could possibly keep up with their fast-moving target. Within moments, he’d left Liara and Ashley behind as he dodged an Incendiary charge meant to slow him down while Coré climbed a ladder that led to a maintenance hatch. Shepard was hot on her heels.

“Cortez, do you copy?” A burst of static was heard with the pilot’s voice in the middle, so Shepard took a chance that his message would get through as he burst out onto the roof. “A Cerberus infiltrator has the data. I’m in pursuit, but need back-up. Track my beacon to find me. I also need you to radio the Normandy and get them down here now!”

Continuing to chase Coré, Shepard found himself ducking and weaving to avoid the infiltrator’s attacks and the obstructions she was constantly dropping in his path. Things only got worse when a Cerberus shuttle showed up to back up the fleeing agent. Throughout it all, the Spectre powered on, keeping Coré in his sights at all times. But he knew that he was running out of time. With the roof in their sights, all Coré needed to do was get clear of him so that she could board the waiting shuttle unhindered.

And then the spy got the break she needed. One of her Incinerate attacks caught him as he was scrambling up a ladder, the force of it causing him to lose his grip. By the time he’d righted himself and hauled himself up onto the platform, Coré was on the other side leaping into the shuttle before it took off into the sky, leaving Shepard to stare at it helplessly as it made its escape.

"Damn it, she's getting away! James? Cortez?! Normandy?!? Anybody?!?!"

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Kodiak shuttle / En route to Shepard’s position

“Cortez… -opy?” Shepard’s voice came over the Kodiak’s comm. channel.

“I read you, Commander,” Cortez responded instantly.

“-erberus infil… -he data. -in pursuit… -eed back-u… -rack b-b-b-beacon… -ind m-m-m-m-me… -adio… N-N-Normandy…”

“Sounds like they need our help,” Vega stated.

Though Vega hadn’t been too happy when he’d arrived back at the landing zone close to half an hour ago, he’d done what Shepard had asked of him and alerted the shuttle pilot of what they’d discovered. They’d moved to their current location shortly after to assume their lookout duties and await any further instructions.

“Get the Kodiak going. I’ll radio Joker.”

“You got it, Esteban.” With a few touches to the holographic controls, the Kodiak roared to life and left the ground. Once it was clear of the landing zone the shuttle sped off, Cortez locking onto their CO’s tracking beacon to locate him as they raced to catch up with him.

“Kodiak to Normandy. Do you copy?”

“Joker here. Go ahead, Cortez.”

“The Commander has just contacted us. He wants the Normandy down here ASAP.”

“We’re on our way. Normandy out.”

They’d just arrived at the Spectre’s location when his voice came over the radio, his tone of voice desperate. "Damn it, she's getting away! James? Cortez?! Normandy?!? Anybody?!?!"

“Better fasten your seatbelt, Esteban!”

“What are you doing?!”

“My job! Hang on, Commander. I got this one!” Vega called into radio as he gunned the shuttles engines and dove towards the fleeing shuttle.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Location: Milky Way / Local Cluster / Sol System / Mars / Mars Archives

“Hang on, Commander. I got this one!”

Eyes widening as his mind registered the lieutenant’s intent, Shepard had barely enough time to bark at his team to move before hauling ass himself as the Cerberus Kodiak was forced roughly back to the platform - bursting into flames upon impact - by its Alliance counterpart.

Scrambling to his feet, Shepard checked that Ashley and Liara were okay before he signaled the circling shuttle to land. Once it had done so, albeit roughly, the door opened and Cortez stumbled out.

“Mother of God! I am never letting you within a ten foot radius of the Normandy’s shuttles ever again!!!</b>”

“Ah, keep your shirt on, Esteban.” Vega responded as he stepped out, but not before grabbing a second Avenger and passing to the pilot. “We got the job done didn’t we?”

“Not before nearly killing us and endangering the Commander and his squad first! !” Cortez retorted as he accepted the firearm.

“You two alright?” Shepard questioned the bickering men as he approached them.

“A little shaken up, but otherwise alright.” Cortez responded.

“Were you able to contact the Normandy?”

The pilot nodded his head. “She’s en route as we speak. Should be here in a minute or two.”

A sudden burst of weapons fire was heard then and the three men raced around the downed shuttle - Shepard drawing his Predator as he moved - to see what had caused it.

They found Ashley struggling to free herself from the clutches of Coré’s true form; a silver-skinned infiltration mech.

“Let. Her. GO!” The Spectre ground out as he trained his sidearm on her – Cortez and James following his example - but the mech ignored him, instead it raised a hand to the side of its head.

“Orders?” she questioned the Illusive Man.

“Finish her,” came his reply over the comm.

Time seemed to slow down then as Coré whirled and slammed Ashley’s head against the hull of the Cerberus shuttle with terrible, bone crushing force. Then again and again and again until the lieutenant commander went limp in its grip.

"No!" Shepard shouted as it discarded Ashley - tossing her away like she was nothing more than a broken toy - then turned and charged at him.

“Light her up!!” Shepard roared and the three men opened fire on the looming threat.

With their combined firepower, the mech only got two paces before it collapsed in a sparking heap.

Breathing heavily, Shepard lowered his pistol as he stared at Ashley’s prone form as around them the Martian storm hit its peak, the dust carrying winds making it difficult to see anything beyond a certain radius.

Ash…

“Commander, do you read me? Shepard!?” Joker’s frantic voice sounded over the radio snapping Shepard out of his trance as the slim shape of the Normandy suddenly loomed over them, the hangar doors opening to allow the group to enter. “We’ve got Reaper signatures in orbit! ETA less than a minute. We've got to get moving!”

“Grab that thing, James. Bring it with us,” the Spectre ordered the younger soldier, holstering his sidearm as he sprinted over to Ashley.

“Aye, aye,” the burley marine responded as he slung the mech’s lifeless shell over his shoulder.

“Ash? Come on, Ash!” Carefully he picked her up, bridal style, before turning and striding towards the waiting frigate as all around the Archives the Reapers began to touch down. “I’m getting you out of here.”

“Need a hand, Dr. T’Soni?”Cortez approached the limping asari – she’d sprained her ankle as she’d leapt out of the way of the crashing Cerberus shuttle - as she hobbled after Shepard and Vega as they boarded the Normandy.

“Much obliged,” Liara thanked him as she put her arm around his shoulders and took the weight off the throbbing limb.

Battered but alive, the group climbed into the Normandy's cargo hold, the access ramp closing behind them.

“We’re in, Joker,” Shepard alerted the pilot. “Get us out of here.”

“Aye, aye, Commander,” the helmsman responded as the frigate rose and fled the planet.

~ o ~ O ~ o ~

Author’s Notes:
Ideas and a few exerts taken from Sharrukin’s Memoirs series. Used with permission.

Ideas and a few exerts taken from LuxDragon’s Fight for the Lost and Legacy of the Shadow Broker. Used with permission.