Mass Effect: Wake Up, and Smell the Ashes...

Prologue, Act 1: The Martyr

Alyx cried. It was all she could do.

In the past few hours, she has been stabbed, injured, ambushed, playing defense against The Combine invading White Forest, and now her Dad was dead.

Hugging the body of Eli Vance, Alyx cried into his shirt, calling out desperately to the corpse, begging him to not leave her...

I couldn't blame her. I wanted to cry too. Gordon and I would've consoled her if we could, but Gordon is passed out, and I... I needed to kill those goddamn Advisors.

Getting myself off the floor, I picked my suit's helmet, brushing off rubble and dust from the visor. Flipping it around, I secured the helmet to the Neck-Protector, sealing my body off from the outside with a pneumatic hiss. With heavy, metallic steps, I walked over to Alyx, placing my hand on her shoulder as I kneeled. Reaching out with my other hand, I closed Eli's eyes... I could hear the rebels storm into the hanger, guns at the ready, only to see a grieving daughter, a angry scientist, and an unconscious savior, with a corpse of a Combine Advisor nearby.

"My god, they got Eli!" "No, no, oh god no..." "This... oh god..."

A Vortigaunt entered the room, taking in the scene, muttering a few curses under its breath.

"Eli... oh no, Eli! Not you!" Cried the voice of Dr. Issac Kleiner, who rushed over as fast his aged legs could carry him. Kneeling down next to Alyx, Issac embraced her. Looking over at the corpse of the only man on this ruined Earth I considered a father... I made my decision.

Standing up, I turned to leave the hanger.

"Where..." Alyx sniffles out. "Where are you going?"

I paused.

"The Advisor that killed Eli... its still out there. From what I can gather, The Advisors need to be close to something to interact with it, otherwise they would have killed us before we got out of City 17. There might be a delay before it can upload the information, I'm going out to kill it."

I resumed my walking, picking up my Crovel from the floor. Giving it a flourish, I brushed past the grieving rebels, who slowly gave me a wide berth, all staring at me with undisguised awe and fear... The Vortigaunt followed me, placing an appendage on my arm to halt my movement.

"The Eli-Vance has fallen, and the future is now uncertain. We know what The Free-Wolf wishes to do, but if you rend the chords of those that caused this tragedy... you shall never be able to return."

"I know that I'm going to die. It's been a certainty since Black Mesa. But those Advisors... if they get the information Eli carried, than The Rebels will all die, and Humanity will be driven to extinction... but I'm gonna go out on my own terms, and once I hit the lights... Humanity will once again bare their fangs. I'll make sure of it."

The Vortigaunt stared at me for a minute, thinking my words over, before nodding. "We understand. May the Vortessence guide you, Free-Wolf. Chalam baugk go'rel a ragm."

I entered the White Forest Garage, pushing away a group of refuges. Taking a look around the room with vengeful rage in my eyes, I spotted my doorless Ford F-150 truck. Hopping in the driver's seat, I hooked the Crovel onto the glovebox, and turned the ignition. With the roar of a V8 Engine, I slowly moved the truck to the door.

"W-where are you going, Dr. Lupin?"

Silence.

"Doc?"