Mordin's arms dropped to his sides as his shoulders slumped. "Not working. Samara's blood pressure still dropping." He looked up at Kelly with a defeated expression. Kelly couldn't breathe. Samara was so wise and full of life; she couldn't be simply gone. She just couldn't. Kelly finally felt tears start to well in her eyes. Through blurred vision, she saw Jack stand. The biotic stomped forward and all but shoved Mordin off of Samara. The salarian managed to not fall on his face, and looked at Jack with a hurt expression. Jack ignored him.
She looked down at Samara's body and snorted. "What the fuck is this pussy shit, Blue?" she said. "I thought you were tough. I keep hearing about you Justicars, how you're damn near un-killable." Jack leaned over and stared with fury into the asari's still face. Samara's eyes remained half closed and unseeing.
Jack grabbed the asari's shoulders.
"Fuck you!" Jack yelled. "You don't get off this easy! You made me care! Marcus, you, everybody. You all made me fucking care and I will NOT have this shit, do you hear me bitch?" The biotic was now all but shaking the justicar. Kelly put a hand on Jack's shoulder only to get it batted aside with a snarl.
"You'd better hear me," growled Jack. "I'm going to tell you exactly what I think of you, you bitch! I don't care if you're fucking dead, you can't get away from me!" The young woman took a deep, ragged breath and closed her eyes. She tilted her face towards the ceiling.
Kelly edged around the table towards Mordin. Maybe if she and the doctor worked together, they could get Jack to ease off.
Jack brought her face back down towards Samara's. Her eyes were still closed. Then Kelly saw Jack's eyes open wide. They were featureless and completely black, just like when Samara had done the Joining with Kelly.
The Justicar's body gave out a huge and galvanic convulsion.
----------------------------------------
Harlon Quentin leaned forward in his aircar's seat. He watched the figures on the causeway try to rouse one of their number who had collapsed. "Target the ground just to the left side of them," he commed over the general channel. "I want to drive them away from the ship." He leaned back in satisfaction. He was a firm believer in the notion that, if you wanted something done right, you should do it yourself. Now that he was here on the scene, things should go much more smoothly.
He thought a little more. "Give them a couple of warning volleys. If they don't stop, then just take them out."
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"Crap!" Oriana hated swearing, but it seemed like an appropriate time. Marcus panted in pain, down on his knees and one hand, but he was still trying to push himself back up. The hum of the approaching aircars became louder. She tried tugging at his arm, but Marcus was too big for her to move on her own.
She then heard a loud rattling noise which she didn't recognize; the concrete off to their left side fountained up in little bursts of choking dust. Oriana suddenly realized that the aircars were shooting at them and felt a wave of horror. She could imagine her body getting pulverized by those giant bullets. She almost felt like she was going to lose control of her bladder. The two women with her, however, both seemed to be coolly appraising their onrushing foes.
"Tali," said Kasumi. "Let's distract them. Can your drone reach them from here?"
Tali nodded. "Chikkita knows no limits!" she exclaimed. She touched a few commands into her omni-tool just as both Oriana and Kasumi hauled Marcus back upright. They got under his shoulders again, and now Oriana could really feel his weight on her.
"'m okay," he said, almost mumbling. "Just need to catch my breath."
"Just move it, Marcus!" snapped Kasumi. "Jack is going to kick your ass into next week if you get yourself killed!"
They began a stumbling and painful half-walk, half-run. Oriana was sure that they were all going to trip and tumble into a heap, but somehow they kept up the pace. She heard another rattle, and saw another fountain of concrete spout up in between them and the ship. They all stopped dead, and at that sudden stop Marcus stumbled. He managed to catch himself, though. Oriana's brain decided that this was a perfectly appropriate time to fixate on just how much blood and entrails would come out of her if she got shot by those rounds.
There were times that Oriana really hated her brain.
She heard a screech of colliding metal from behind them. Oriana looked back and saw that two of the aircars had swerved into each other to avoid the small bright blur of Tali's drone. The collision made the other attackers swerve, and their approach was slowed for the moment.
"MOVE!" yelled Tali, and they began their painfully slow run again. Oriana looked ahead of them. Her breath was now sawing painfully in and out of her lungs. The unexpected exercise, not to mention the fear and adrenaline, was really beginning to get to her. The sanctuary of the ship was getting closer. The craft itself was a sleek shape which reminded Oriana of a leaping dolphin. She saw its name emblazoned in huge letters along its side.
"Normandy," she muttered to herself. Her mind worked as they stumbled along. That was a familiar name. Where had she heard that before? Then her eyes widened in shock. That ship's name, in addition to a quarian named Tali, must mean her rescuers were...
"No fucking way!" she said aloud, and blushed furiously in spite of her fear.
"Heh," mumbled Marcus. "We'll make a soldier of ye yet."
He stumbled, slipped off of her shoulder, and pitched forward onto his face.
Oriana looked behind her in desperation. The swarm of approaching aircars was now even closer; Tali's drone didn't appear to have thinned their numbers that much. She could almost feel their guns locking onto their huddled little group. She tensed her shoulders and waited for the inevitable end. She hoped it wouldn't hurt too much.
But before she could get vaporized she heard and felt a titanic smash which deafened her. A huge black shape crashed its way through the concrete wall to their left and skidded to a stop between them and the onrushing attack. Oriana saw a turret on its top swivel around and begin to direct fire at the oncoming swarm. This rattle of fire made the aircars really swerve. Oriana saw several sparks glance off of the black vehicle's shields as some of the aircars returned fire.
The side of the black vehicle slid open, and several lithe forms leaped out with rifles at the ready. It took Oriana a moment to realize that they were armored salarians. "Rentola!" cried Tali in a delighted voice. Several of the salarians began adding their fire to the vehicle's turret while using the big vehicle as cover. Two more of the aliens came over to them and began helping with getting Marcus upright.
Oriana then saw a big man in yellow armor appear in the doorway. He also jumped out, landing gracefully in spite of his bulk. He ran up to Tali and grinned at her. "Hey pretty baby, you wanna ride?" That voice was strangely familiar to Oriana.
Tali put one hand on her hip and cocked her head. "As long as you're not driving. And that armor looks all wrong on you." By now the salarians managed to get Marcus over to the vehicle, and were helping shove him in as he weakly pulled himself up.
The armored man shrugged. "Eh, it works. But yeah, I'll be glad to get it back to Zaeed." He glanced at Oriana and gave her a little nod. "Sorry about taking this liberty, but we're in a hurry."
Before Oriana could form a question, her world spun. The big man plucked her off the ground in a bridal carry as if she weighed nothing and ran back towards the vehicle. There was another spin, and then she was inside. The interior stank of grease and heated metal. The other salarians piled in as Oriana shook her head. She finally got her bearings back just in time to hear one of the salarians yell "All in!"
The vehicle lurched and began accelerating. Oriana managed to grab at something to steady herself, then blushed again as she realized what she'd grabbed was the big man's arm. He gave her a small smile and activated his omni-tool.
"EDI, we're on our way. It's a hot extraction. Do we have room in the hangar?"
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Jack didn't know how she was doing what she was doing. She didn't dare think about it; the biotic somehow knew that, if she stopped to ponder it, then this whole effort would come crashing down. Right now she was floating in a vast, echoing space. That same strange intuition told her that it had once been filled with light. But now it was much darker, almost pitch black. There was still some light in here somewhere, though. Jack knew she had to find that light source. She flew through the expanse as she searched. But there was nothing to see. Somehow there were small patches of light, but no light sources which she could see.
The rage filled her like so many times before; it should have burned through the haze that filled this place. Rage had always made her strong, it had made her able to do anything. But now there was something else, something underneath the rage. It was like a piece of shrapnel in her skin. It itched and poked at her. There was something else she had to do first. There was something that she had to remember. But what was it?
Jack stopped her frantic searching and tried to concentrate. Her past was something she never wanted to deeply reflect on, but now she somehow knew that she had to for Blue's sake. There was a huge, noiseless flash and then...
"I've got all of the info, baby," said Murtock. He leaned one hand against a bulkhead and ran the other through his thick black hair. "It's just a bunch of Batarians. And they're guarding some really juicy weapons. I've lined up someone who will pay top dollar for them. This is an easy score." He gave her that cocky grin, the one that had loosened her thighs in the first place. Jack gave him a smile in return and stroked the stubbled side of his face.
"Let's do it," she said...
Flash
She walked over the frozen ground, surrounded by the bodies of cultists and mercenaries. The cult's faithless, treacherous leader crawled away from her in a frenzy of fear. His shaven scalp was covered with sweat, and his once-pristine robes were torn and streaked with blood. "Jack!" he yelled. "Please, no! I never meant to tell them you were here-"
"Oh, you meant to," she said with leaden finality. "You wanted the bounty more than my loyalty. Or my body." There was a pulse of blue light and a gout of blood and brains...
Flash
"Jack, you have to understand," said Manara. "You're young. We know what's best for you. We'll...invest the money for you." The thief snaked one arm around her boyfriend's neck as she gave Jack a condescending smile. The smile dropped off her face when Jack began to pulse with blue light...
Flash
Jack snapped the neck of a pirate and laughed as the light left his eyes. "I'm the biggest bitch around, baby!" she yelled into his lifeless face...
Flash
"Well done, Subject Zero," said a loud and disembodied voice. Jack stood triumphant over another child's bloodied corpse and screamed her fury into Pragia's sky...
Flash
"I don't want to!" she yelled. She knew that they were watching. The pain of her surgeries had finally started to fade, but then they had dumped her in here. A boy her age stood across from her in a large garden area. Any plants or growth the in the space had long ago been trampled into the mud. The pair were surrounded by tinted windows that stared down blankly at the two children. The sky overhead was cloudy and threatening to rain.
"Subject Zero, Subject Ten, you will fight." said the same loud, disembodied voice from the previous vision. Jack felt a sudden spasm in her guts. It felt like her insides were being torn out. She screamed in pain and dropped to her hands and knees. Across the garden from her she saw the boy do the same. "Fight and the pain will end," continued the voice. She raised her head. The boy locked eyes with her. He had black hair and friendly-looking brown eyes. but Jack saw determination enter those eyes, and they became hard. She stood with difficulty and tried to ignore the searing pain in her belly. She began running at him.
The moment she moved, the pain shut off instantly. She felt a sudden wave of relief which was replaced with a cold determination to never feel that pain again. The boy was running at her as well, and they collided in an inexpert tangle of limbs. Jack just began hitting, and now she felt a warm sensation spread through her stomach from the same place that the pain had come from. The boy's elbow glanced off of her head just as the warmth turned into a very pleasant tingling. Jack laughed in spite of herself and flailed at her opponent. One of her blows struck his ear, and he fell back with a dazed look on his face. Jack felt the tingling course through her, and it was the most wonderful thing she'd ever felt. There was a huge pressure in her mind. Somehow she knew there was another way to hit him, a way that didn't just use her fists or feet. As long as fighting made this feeling continue, she knew that she wanted to hit him, and keep hitting him.
Just as the boy ran at her again, Jack bared her teeth and slapped at his head. She felt the oddest alignment as the blow landed, almost as if she was putting her entire soul into her hand. A blue pulse of light flashed as her strike hit home, and the boy was flung to the side like a discarded rag. He fell to the trampled earth and twitched spasmodically. Just as Jack moved forward to hit him again, the euphoric tingling in her body shut off just as instantly as the pain had. She felt her heart begin to calm again and stood for a moment. She felt a cold fear drop over her as she came back into her right mind and realized what she'd done.
"Subject Zero, cease fighting." said the voice. Jack began hesitantly walking towards the boy. He eyes were open as he lay on his side. Blood poured from his ear and his breathing was ragged. "Subject Zero, cease fighting. Do not approach," said the voice again.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
What had she done? "Get help! He needs help!" she called. She felt a little warning twinge in her guts as she frantically knelt by the boy. "He's hurt! Please!" Tears filled her eyes. She had hurt him. She'd wanted to hurt him. As she knelt over him, she saw the boy's eyes swivel up towards her. But he didn't move his head. Was he paralyzed? She heard a door open, off to one side. Two armored figures walked into the area and stopped.
Jack felt a hand on hers. She looked back down and saw the boy clasping her hand. "It's okay," he said in an almost whispering voice. His face twitched as if he was trying to smile. "I see now. It's...okay. Name's Robert."
"Jacqueline," she said in a daze. "My name's Jacqueline."
"Nice to meet you, Jacquel..Jacq..." He couldn't quite finish her name. His breathing was too spastic.
"Jack is okay, too," she said. "Don't move, I'll make sure they get help for you."
He gave a little shake of his head and glanced at the approaching guards. "They'll...hurt you. Kill you. You have to get...out of here. I see it all now. You will get out...you will fight IT." The last word was said much louder. "IT will come. They...serve it. The robots and the transformed ones. They do not...know that they serve..."
"Don't talk," said Jack. "Please, I'll get help. Just don't die on me. I didn't mean to!"
"I know. Just re...member...me...name's Robert."
"Subject Zero, you will return to your cell," said the voice. Jack felt a huge, horrible rage fill her. She felt strength in the rage, and she glared up at the pair of armored figures as they moved closer to her. She yelled a high, childish scream as she ran at them..
...and flew into the huge and dimly-lit space of Samara's mind. She stopped and took a breath.
"Jacqueline!" she yelled into the void. "My name is Jacqueline! And HIS NAME WAS ROBERT!"
And now she could see where the dim lights came from. There were small, faceted gems which gleamed in the darkness. They were scattered like stars through the expanse. There was one close by to her, and Jack reached out to it. It pulsed as she cupped it in her hands-
Flash
Jack stood in a nursery. It was filled with a soft, rich decor which reminded her of the Hotel T'Loria. Three beautiful little blue-skinned girls played at her feet. Jack felt her heart swell with love as she looked at them. They were her angels. This was everything she'd ever wanted. She moved her gaze up and saw another asari in the nursery door looking at them all and smiling. She felt a sudden pang of grief which filled her and then the vision blew apart.
Jack was left in the void again. There were now fewer of the glowing gems, and even as she watched Jack saw some of them wink out. There was another small glowing gem off in the distance. She didn't even bother flying over to it, she simply willed herself to be there. She gently touched the gem-
Flash
Jack stared with red-rimmed eyes into a vid screen. It showed two young asari, two of her angels all grown up. Both of them glared out of the screen at her. She had just told them the worst thing, the very worst thing. She was leaving, and she could never see them again. They hated her. She tried to explain, she tried to tell them that it had to be done. There were more words, so many hurtful words. Another large pang of grief came which dissolved the vision.
Jack was back in the void. It was now even darker than before. There was one gem left to touch-
Flash
Jack placed items into a box. There were some trophies, a little sculpture, some intimate apparel. A small photo album went in next, and even looking at the photo on the cover gave her a feeling of grief that almost threatened to blow the vision away. She was able to tamp that feeling down, and the vision held together. It held until she put in the last item, a travel mug that showed a picture of her and her laughing children. The words "Happy Birthday, Mom" were printed along the top in asari script. Jack looked at the mug for a moment before a huge swell of sorrow filled her, and kept on coming.
The void was now completely dark. But that grief was still there, and rising. Jack groaned. This was too much sadness to bear. It felt as if it was going to kill her. But then the sorrow tapered off...just as Jack heard a dim, echoing voice.
-Jack?-
"Blue! I'm here! Stop fucking around and come back to us!"
-How did you get in here?-
"Did you hear me? You get your ass in gear, sister!"
-It's all right, Jack. I've fulfilled my duty. My daughter is at peace. I can now rest.-
"Fuck that shit! You've never backed away from a fight in your life, you stone-cold bitch!" Jack wanted to punch out, to blast something into oblivion with a shockwave. But there was nothing to strike out at.
-Please, go. You can't stay here. You might be hurt. I go to join my daughter.-
"I'm staying right here, Blue. I'm not having you die while saving my stupid ass."
-It was my choice.-
"Fuck you! You don't get to-"
The darkness changed and shifted, almost as if it was water being disturbed by the approach of some massive predator.
Jack turned. She saw something huge, something...darker than black, something which looked like an onrushing cloud. It stopped its approach as she looked at it. She began to feel a little prickle of fear along with the grief. The thing then just sat there and pulsed gently. After a moment, it seemed to come to some decision and began to change. The compact cloud shape convulsed and then spread itself out like a gigantic open hand. It began moving towards her, reaching for her. Jack felt puzzlement along with the grief and fear. How could she see anything when it was so dark? Then she realized. This was not a darkness, it was an absence. It...no, IT was utter and complete negation. And Jack knew that it had come for the Justicar herself.
Jack bared her teeth. The fear and sorrow turned off with a snap and was replaced with the familiar rage. Finally, she had something to fight. Jack crouched and then pushed off, throwing herself forward. As she flew at the thing she felt a moment of joy. She could swear that she felt Robert's small warm hand in hers once more. Jack now knew that this was what her rage was truly for. Not for fighting pirates and mercs, not for fighting the Collectors, not even for fighting the Reapers. It was all for this, for facing down this nameless creeping thing which had stolen everything and everyone from her all her life. And that rage promised her this fucking thing was going down.
Laughing maniacally, Jack threw herself at the forces of entropy.
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Kelly caught Jack as she toppled backwards. The biotic's body was a lot heavier than she expected; Jack was slender but it was all muscle. Jack sprawled limp in Kelly's arms; her eyes were closed. "Oh, no," said Kelly frantically. "Come on Jack. Don't do this-"
A huge, sobbing intake of breath from the table filled the sickbay. The heart monitor began beeping again, and Samara's hands twitched. Both Mordin and Kelly stared at the asari in wonder.
"Not possible," murmured the salarian.
Kelly laid Jack on the floor and checked her pulse. "Jack's heartbeat is good, but she's out cold. We need to get her to a bed."
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Garrus shoved the van into reverse and backed it back down the hangar ramp. He slewed it to the side just as the salarian's big vehicle came roaring up to the Normandy. He felt a lurch as the black tank clipped the van's corner. The sniper threw open the van's door and all but tumbled out. He ran back into the hangar as the ramp began to close. The ramp was closing so fast that he suddenly found himself running downhill. In the back of his mind, he hoped that EDI was keeping good track of who was where. He didn't really want to be stuck outside and facing a pissed-off mercenary army.
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Quentin smiled as he saw the ramp hinge up and close. Go ahead, get on board for all the good that will do you. He opened a channel to the attack force. "Listen up. Current intel is that the ship's drive is locked down. The frigate is immobile. Here's the plan. We surround the ship. Team Six, you are on cutting duty. I want a hole into that hull inside of two minutes."
He leaned back in satisfaction. The bastard in charge of Cerberus had told him not to fail, and he was going to make sure that was the case. But then something nagged at the back of his mind. Quentin tried to dismiss the uneasiness. He had a job to do, after all. Suddenly it clicked. Along with the drive being down, the airlocks were supposed to have been sealed. So...how had they gotten on board? He felt a little cold prickle in his gut.
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Joker wanted to fling himself dramatically into the pilot's chair, but he knew that such a maneuver was just asking for trouble. He still eased himself in as quickly as he could. Fucking Vrolik's, always taking away his ability to be a show-off. He looked out the forward windows at the approaching swarm of aircars.
"We don't have a flight plan filed with Nos Astra traffic control, do we?" he asked EDI. Oh well, they were already in deep shit with everybody else on Illium.
"We do now, Jeff," replied the AI. "I work very fast."
Joker grinned. Oh yes, he could get quite used to this. "ETA for Teams Shepard and Oriana?"
"They just got into the hangar. All crewmembers are verified aboard."
Joker hit the ship-wide channel on the comm. "Buckle in, folks. There's gonna be some swerving coming up." He felt the Normandy's drive thrum through his seat as the ship came to life. It felt strong and in tune. And now Cerberus was well and truly out of the picture. For the first time in a long while, Joker felt like his old self.
"How's the drive doing, EDI?" he asked aloud.
"All seems nominal, Jeff. You have full maneuvering power available. Go and do your voodoo."
The aircars in front clumped together, forming something a blocking wall. "Oh, you are in for such a surprise, my friends," said Joker. He touched his hands to the controls and felt the Normandy gather herself under him, like a coiling panther getting ready to spring.
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Quentin, to his horror, saw a blue pulse flash out from the rear of the frigate. That little cold prickle became an icy hand around his stomach as he grabbed for his comm. "All teams, all teams, Normandy is active. Fire all heavy weapons at engines to disable-"
He was cut off as the Normandy began moving. It slewed up and then it launched itself directly at him. He heard his driver scream as his aircar swerved to avoid the onrushing warship. The Normandy twirled like some impossibly huge ballerina right through the space he'd just been occupying. A hideous screech of metal-on-metal filled Quentin's ears as his aircar scraped and bounced along the larger ship's hull. His head spun and he almost vomited.
The Normandy was now past them all, and there followed a brief moment of quiet as his vehicle dropped like a rock. Harlon barely had time to brace himself before the aircar pancaked itself into the causeway with a massive jolt. Quentin blearily picked his head up. The aircar's canopy above was cracked and shattered. His driver had not been as successful at avoiding sickness, and the interior of the vehicle was now streaked and splashed with vomit. Quentin stared down at his hand, which clamped his chair's arm in a death grip.
"Illusive Man is on line six, boss," came a call over his comm. Very carefully, Quentin peeled his hand off of the chair arm.
"We're going home," he said into his comm. "Tell that fucker he can keep his money."
----------------------------------------
Joker glanced back as Shepard came bounding up the aisle. "Hey, Commander," he said. "Going for a fashion change with the armor? I like it. That plain gray number was getting a little boring." His voice was light, but he felt a lump in his throat. Joker had buried Shepard once before, and that was not something he wanted to go through again.
Shepard gripped the back of the pilot's chair. "Status," he snapped. He didn't sound angry, just preoccupied. "Is there any pursuit? Any engine problems? Is everybody on board?"
Joker patted his console. "All green, so far. Nobody's chasing us, and the drive is purring along just great. I've got us on a trajectory to the outer rim of the system. There's a dwarf planet which should make a good place to hole up while we plan our next moves. But we can change that if you like."
Shepard nodded. "That will do for now. And everybody is on board, right?"
EDI's blue avatar blinked on next to them. "Yes, Commander. All crewmembers are physically accounted for. And may I say welcome back. It is a pleasure to finally be a proper crewmember."
The Spectre gave EDI's avatar a puzzled look. "What does that mean? You've been indispensable since day one."
Joker gave a little wince. "Ah, yeah. We've found out a lot of stuff while you've been gone. Let's get you caught up..."
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Shepard woke in the near-darkness of his cabin. A little pool of light spilled around his bed from the side table's lamp, but no lights anywhere else. Chakwas had told him to get to bed before Mordin's stimulant wore off. Initially, Shepard had dismissed such a notion. He had too much to do and too much to get caught up on. But then the stimulants had started to wear off and he'd almost collapsed during the initial debrief. He had meekly agreed to go to his room like a little kid.
He stretched out on his bed. His limbs still felt leaden. He hoped he wouldn't have to fight anybody any time soon. Right now, he figured a kitten could take him. Shepard managed to wriggle himself into a sitting position and then froze.
A silhouette stood near the door. Someone else was in his cabin.
"Hey?" he said, almost as a question.
"Thank you, darling," replied the shadow. He couldn't quite place the voice.
"Um, sure. Thank me for what?"
The shadow tilted its head. "For the new meal, of course. She is so young and innocent. Her flesh will be very tasty."
Shepard began to think very quickly about what sort of nearby implements he could use as weapons. The lamp might do in a pinch. "Who are you?" he asked, in a level voice.
"You know who I am," said the shadow in a teasing tone. It began to walk forward, and from the sway of its hips Shepard knew that it was actually a she. "We've met so many times. And always you give me such wonderful morsels to feed on." The voice became higher in pitch, and Shepard suddenly recognized it. He hadn't heard that voice since Vermire.
"Ash? No, you're dead."
"You should know, Skipper," replied the shadowed form as it stalked towards his bed. "You gave the order, after all." Shepard could just make out Ashley's face in the gloom. His heart began to beat faster.
"I didn't want to, Ash," he said. "Please, don't-"
"Oh, darling," said the half-shadowed shape of Ashley Williams, "I'm not angry. She was a lovely feast. As are all of your companions. You suffer as they do, and that makes them all the sweeter." The shape came closer to the bed. As it walked, its form shifted and flowed. Its face now looked like Samara.
"This isn't real," he said flatly. "I'm dreaming."
"It doesn't change the facts, darling," said Samara's image. "The new girl is just like Miranda. She will be brave and loyal to you. You will make her so, just as you do with everyone else. And sooner or later I will get to feed on her. Just as I will feed on all of your friends."
It wasn't Samara, he suddenly realized. It was Morinth. And now she was dressed in the black leather outfit which she had worn at their final confrontation. She smiled as she reached the foot of his bed.
"You think you're gonna scare me with this shit?" he said with contempt. But inside his guts churned with growing fear. "I beat you once."
"And how did you beat me, darling?" said Morinth. Her smile grew wider, and her eyes grew blacker. "You have no secrets, not from me."
Shepard remembered those final terrible moments with the Ardat-Yakshi, just before Samara had come bursting in to save him. He remembered the horrible and yet irresistible pull of the void behind Morinth's eyes. It was the same feeling as when standing on the lip of some huge chasm, where there was always that little voice telling you to jump. But looking into Morinth's eyes that little voice had become a shouting chorus. The only thing which had made him cling to life was the thought that Tali would be sad that he was dead. And in the end that had been enough.
"Tali," said Morinth's image. Her eyes were now pitch black. Her smile just kept getting wider. "You care for her, most of all. And so she will be the most delicious."
Shepard couldn't move. His body seemed pinned to the mattress. "You don't get her, you bitch!" he snarled. Morinth didn't reply. Her mouth dropped open, revealing rows of needle-like teeth. Her jaw unhinged like a snake as she lunged for Shepard's head-
"NO!"
Shepard's yell woke himself up. He was indeed in his bed, although his cabin was now more brightly lit than in his dream. Tali lay curled up on his sofa, and she stirred upon hearing his shout. She looked up and he could just make out her half-closed eyes behind her visor.
"You okay?" she said in a sleepy voice.
"I...I'm fine. Just some bad dreams. What are you doing here?" He suddenly realized how that question sounded. "Not that I mind," he added hurriedly, "I just didn't expect anyone to be here."
"Chakwas sent me up," replied Tali. "She and Mordin have their hands full making sure all of the wounded are stable. She just wanted to make sure you were sleeping properly." She sat up and looked away from him. "I'm sorry, I guess I was more tired that I thought. I was just planning to stick my head in and make sure you were okay."
"Hey, don't worry about it," he said, and threw in a little laugh. "It's been a really busy day, you know?" He thought more about how she'd looked when the Big Wheel had come smashing out of the storm drain. She'd stood there, with her hand on her hip, looking for all the world like a woman waiting for a tardy beau instead of someone in the middle of a firefight. Shepard had been utterly blindsided by the wave of pleasure he'd felt upon seeing her.
And it wasn't until now, looking at her, that he realized just how much he loved her. He also realized what a colossal idiot he'd been not to realize it earlier. Tali stood up and took a step towards the door.
"Tali." Shepard was glad to see her stop. "I.." he began, then paused. "Thank you. For everything." He wanted to say more, and if he had been the Shepard of old he would have. But he wasn't that man anymore. He wasn't really a man, even. He was more like some weird cybernetic zombie. And Tali deserved better than that. Not to mention the fact that they were all likely to die anyway. His dream was right about that.
Tali looked at the floor. "Anytime, Shepard." Shepard watched in silence as she left his cabin.