ME: Lost

Catalyst

The room glowed orange as they entered, a large console and single chair its sole occupants. The distant fiery planet, visible through a massive observation window, reflected fiercely against an obsidian floor.

Shepard twisted slowly, sweeping the area. "Check that console," she commanded softly, "quickly."

Liara settled into the seat, fingers flying over the keys as glowing words cycled rapidly across the translucent vertical screen.

"Did you find it?"

"A little longer, Shepard."

"Hurry, this place gives me the creeps."

"Shepard," a derisive voice purred, "get that asari filth out of my chair."

They spun in unison, three pistols aimed directly at the blue glow emanating from the center of the room.

"Illusive Man, couldn't face us in person?" Shepard glared at the hologram, shaking her head in disgust. "You're still a coward after all this time."

He chuckled, pinching a cigarette between two fingers as he exhaled a plume of smoke, "I prefer cautious. I've been called many things in my life, even coward a few times, but words don't inflict pain unless one chooses to believe them. You can taunt me all you like, I know what I've done for our people."

"What you've done?" she choked on the words, swallowing back the rage that boiled up inside. "Our people are dying by the thousands while we play foolish games. I come here, you show up first. I go over there, your people do too and we waste time fighting each other. How many lives could we have saved if we'd worked together from the beginning?" Her palms itched against the smooth surface of the pistol, fingers clenching in an innate desire to destroy something.

A warm hand gripped her shoulder, squeezing gently. Stay calm, the touch said, I've got your back.

The glowing figure cocked his head, brow furrowed in mock confusion, "I tried to help you, Shepard. I brought you back to life, gave you a team, gave you a mission. I believed your story when no one else would. Then you turned on me. Stole my ship, took those most loyal to me, and returned to the Alliance. You ran back to those pretentious archaic admirals with their heads so far up their asses they couldn't see the dire threat on their doorstep." The handsome face sneered in derision, "what did they do when you returned? Pin a medal on you? Roll out the red carpet and shake your hand? Did they even believe you? No! Even some of your own crew turned on you," he glanced pointedly towards the figure at her side, and the hand on her shoulder tightened.

"That doesn't matter anymore, none of it matters," Shepard's voice lowered menacingly, "your past assistance won't influence my decision. Right now you're doing everything in your power to help the reapers."

"I'm not helping the reapers! I simply want to control them, to harness their power, to make a better world. Imagine what that would mean for humanity. We would be lifted up, taking our rightful place above those races who scheme to keep us underfoot. The haughty asari, with their lavish temples and superior biotics; the hot-tempered tur-"

The glowing image blinked out, leaving a harsh silence in its absence.

Shepard glanced about in confusion, her gaze shifting past Kaidan towards Liara, who had silently returned to the console during the exchange. The asari shrugged, fingers dancing across the keys once more. "I grew tired of listening. He is, as I believe Joker would say, an ass-hat."

Shepard chuckled in relief, resisting the urge to remove her helmet and run a shaky hand across her sweaty brow. She stepped towards the screen, squinting to decipher the countless words and images splashed across the flickering surface.

"You find anything? Where's the prothean VI?"

"The unit itself has been destroyed, dismantled for study, but I was able to access the data they pulled from it."

Several familiar images appeared to one side and Kaidan leaned forward in confusion, "the Citadel?"

"According to the VI, it appears the Citadel is the catalyst."

"Of course!" Shepard breathed, "those sneaky bastards. The Citadel is reaper-made, it's the only thing powerful enough!"

"The information is here. We must take the crucible to the Citadel and the rest should be simple. I can put all-"

Liara trailed off as a scrolling alert caught her eye, "we have a problem, commander."

Shepard leaned over her shoulder to read the small lines of text, "what is it?"

"An outgoing transmission from this console activated right before we arrived. Goddess, they have the Catalyst!"

"Cerberus?"

"The reapers, he sent them everything."

"Damn him!"

"Uh, commander?" a concerned voice sounded in her ear.

"Go ahead, Joker."

"We just received an urgent message from Admiral Hackett. It's the Citadel, it, uh, it moved?"

Two pairs of eyes turned to her, burning with frustration.

"It's too late," Liara breathed.

"No!" Shepard growled, the words echoing harshly in the empty room, "it's never too late. Joker, where exactly is the Citadel right now?"

"It just exited the relay to Sol. Hackett thinks it's heading towards earth."

"Get ready for extraction, we're done here."

"Yes, ma'am."