Whole, Part 2 (a Mass Effect fanfiction)

That Was for Thane

No sooner had the Prothean VI shimmered out of existence than the person Shepard had been waiting for materialized. Where Kai Leng had been hiding all this time, she didn't know. But now he was here, and now she could kill him.

"You're too late, Shepard," he told her.

"Too late for what?" She raised her gun and fired off a shot, which he dodged easily.

"Everything. The Reapers are on their way to Earth, with all their forces. By the time you get there, the human homeworld will have ceased to exist."

Shepard shot him again, the bullet bouncing off his shields.

"You're human!" Kaidan shouted, taking his own shot. "Don't you care?"

"Not especially. Once the Illusive Man controls the Reapers, humanity and Reapers will be one and the same."

Shepard didn't like the sound of that at all. "You'll never get the Catalyst. Leviathan will never work with you."

Kai Leng sneered at her. "We don't need the Catalyst. We know the Reapers' secrets. We can control them without it."

In her head, she could hear Javik's voice, and she echoed it now. "People of many previous cycles have thought as you do. They're all dead now."

"Are they? Or are they one with the Reapers? Either way, your journey ends here."

"Don't count me out yet. I've come this far, and I will finish this. And you."

EDI's quiet voice broke into their standoff. "I have informed Admiral Hackett of the danger to Earth, and that we know what the Catalyst is and are on our way to get it."

That was overstating the case a bit, in Shepard's opinion, but it was as good a thing to tell Hackett as any.

"You'll die before you leave here!" Kai Leng shouted, and the fight began in earnest. One man against the three of them shouldn't have been a challenge, but Kai Leng had both skills and equipment that enhanced his abilities. How Shepard wished Thane could be here, as he had been in his prime.

At last they wore him down. All of them were winged and breathing heavily, but they had managed to box Kai Leng in and use up his shield strength. Shepard shot him herself, watching him fall. She stood over him for a moment, wishing she felt more triumphant, in this moment she had waited for so long, then went to the Illusive Man's computer to compose a brief message to Hackett, expanding on what EDI had told him. Kaidan and EDI were both watching the battle outside, which was winding down as the fleet withdrew. The Cerberus forces had been decimated, which was a start, at least.

Behind her, Shepard heard a small movement. She turned, just in time. Kai Leng was, somehow, still alive, and he had his sword raised above her head. There was no time to reach for a weapon. She lifted her arm just as the sword came down. A sharp sound echoed all through the room as the blade snapped on contact with her hard suit. Kai Leng stood open-mouthed, staring at his broken sword.

Juniper activated the blade of her omni-tool. She would do this up close and personal, in keeping with what he had cost her. "That was for Thane, you son of a bitch," she said into his ear as the blade sliced through his suit and sank deep into his flesh. She twisted it before pulling it out, to do maximum damage. He wouldn't be getting up again from this wound. Kai Leng was dead.

This time, looking at his body, she felt she had succeeded. She had gained her vengeance.

"Come on," she said to the others. "We need to get back to the Normandy." Over her comm, she contacted Joker. "Get ready. We're on our way back, and we need to be at the Citadel yesterday."

"I'm good, Commander, but I'm not 'bending space and time' good."

"You sell yourself short, Jeff," EDI said.

"Thanks, EDI."

"Just be ready to take off, Joker. There's no time to lose."

"Got it, Commander. See you soon."

Without a backward glance, she left the Illusive Man's celestial lair behind her, and with it, his henchman.

Once they were back on the Normandy, she leaped from the shuttle. "Get to the cockpit, and get us out of here. Right now," she said to EDI, who hurried for the elevator.

Shepard and Kaidan took a moment to get their gear off and slap some medi-gel on their wounds, which were fortunately minor, then they, too, headed up. Shepard had meant to go to her quarters, get a shower, maybe a nap, on the way back to the Citadel, but when the elevator doors opened at the CIC level Traynor was standing there. "Admiral Anderson for you, Commander."

"Anderson? I'll be right there." She reached for Kaidan's hand, squeezing it briefly, then hurried to the commuication room. Anderson might not have an open channel for long, she didn't want to make him wait.

"Shepard. Do we know what's going on? Reapers are rolling in full force."

"Yes. The Illusive Man is working with them somehow. He's convinced he can control them, or merge with them, or something like that, and he's helping them attack Earth."

Anderson snorted. "So much for Cerberus as a human organization."

"Exactly. But I know what the Catalyst is, and I'm on my way to get it. Hang in there, okay? We're coming."

"I don't know how much longer we have, Shepard."

She wanted to weep. If, after all this time, she was finally able to find the Catalyst, to convince Leviathan to work with her, and they lost Earth anyway because of all the detours and distractions she'd had to endure along the way ... "I'll be as fast as I can," she promised.

"I look forward to seeing you."

"Me, too, sir. Me, too. Be careful."

He smiled, acknowledging the emptiness of that advice, and his hologram was gone.