ME: Lost

Dark

They're controlling you! Shepard's voice slurred drunkenly, somewhere up ahead, why can't you see that everything you've done, that cerberus has done, has been a lie! It's all a-

Her voice rose sharply before choking off in pain.

Kaidan lunged forward, ignoring the burning in his side, "Shepard!" The last few feet of the bridge seemed endless.

The circular platform finally came into view and he stared in confusion. Shepard knelt in the center of an empty room, one arm outstretched - gun aimed at the panel, her other hand clawing at her throat as though drowning.

He took a frantic step towards her, but froze as the gun jumped in her hand.

"Anderson!" panic filled her voice, and her hand shook.

"Shepard," Kaidan pitched his voice as low as he could, "are you alright?"

She lurched, jerking around to face him. The gun swung, weaving unsteadily to aim at his chest, and he forced himself to breathe slowly, holding as still as possible, "Shepard, it's me-"

Her voice rang out, harsh and guttural, "you dare to call them sacrifices? You've sacrificed too much!"

Kaidan choked back his horror as he focused on her eyes - glazed, dead, her dilated pupils removing all trace of familiar green.

"You're not yourself anymore," she spat out in disgust, raising the gun slightly, "whatever you thought you were to humanity is gone! They've taken you!"

"Shepard, no!"

<><><>

There was surprisingly little pain, simply a burning in his side - or was it heat? He pondered this anomaly. Definitely warmth, which made sense because blood was warm, but why was it dripping off his side?
Now he remembered. He was lying on the ground. Shepard had shot him.
Laughter bubbled up from his chest, even though he knew it wasn't a sane response. He was dying; she was crazy; the reapers would kill everyone.
Why was he laughing?
As a field medic and soldier, he'd seen his fair share of death. Was this how they'd felt? Jenkins? Ashley? Had they laughed when they knew they were going to die?

Light glinted on the floor next to him and Kaidan struggled to bring his eyes into focus. Something had triggered the outer panels and the large walls surrounding the platform were sliding back, illuminating the room with a beautiful view of earth.

"We did it-"

He shifted his head, straining towards the familiar voice. Shepard sat slumped on the ground, her back pressed against the console, lips moving slightly as she murmured to herself.

"We did it, Anderson-"

This Shepard wasn't his. He didn't want this hollow shell that wore her face to be his last memory. Dragging his chin back around, he focused on the view outside. Earth glittered, beautiful in its destruction, and Kaidan thought of his parents.

Darkness pressed at the edge of his vision until he couldn't hold on any longer.

<><><>

Metal clanged, jarring Jae from her stupor. The floor beneath her was shifting, rising, jerking to a stop. She staggered to her feet, acutely aware of the pain in her lungs. The smell of rotting flesh had disappeared and she could draw a full breath, but the incense still tickled her nose, strong yet sweet. The cloying scent soothed her nerves, but pounded dully at her skull.

Hot, bright light flashed before her, and she squinted to make out the small figure standing next to it. It was the boy from the dream, but he glowed a ghostly white.

"Wake up," his voice echoed across the expanse, high pitched and innocent, yet mixed with another voice. A familiar voice. A woman's voice.

"You must choose."