Disclaimer - Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 3 is not my property, but is the property of Bioware and the writers who created them. It is not the intention of this fan fiction author to participate in financial gain through this story. No copyright infringement is intended.

AN - What am I doing.

Prologue

Fuck.

The copper taste invaded her mouth, grimacing in disgust while her fingers trailed along the bullet wounds that ached and bit into the flesh of her sides. Her jagged armour protested as she shifted it away from the gashes, blood poured out with every careful and slow step towards her destination.

The Reapers would not live, she thought bitterly, she would end it here and she would not allow an AI or herself to be disillusioned on what needed to be done. Since the first time she crossed paths with Sovereign, it was always understood that they needed to be destroyed.

No matter what the cost.

She narrowed her eyes in a vain attempt to shake the darkness that crept at the edges of her vision, her thoughts circled endlessly that everything she'd done in this war had been pointless – her friends, her lover were dead on earth during the final push to the beam; her mentor's blood was still fresh on her hands and yet she was left unsatisfied when she finally came face to face with the Reaper's creator.

After the first few seconds, she came to the conclusion that the AI was cold, calculated and manipulative to its very core - right down to accessing her memories and using the boy she watched die as a means to try and throw her off balanced. It wasn't going to work. It didn't realise that it was dealing with Commander Fucking Shepard and she was chaos within the balance of the Universe.

The AI had lost its perspective, its purpose and even now, it rebelled and refused to end the conflict it started Maker knew when. It had the gull to demand her sacrifice in exchange to end his perfect solution. A solution to a probability that was no longer in existence, that she had proven wrong when she had attained peace between the Geth and the Quarians after three hundred years of deadly conflict that nearly wiped out both races.

But it wouldn't even listen, it wouldn't even let her speak on the matter.

She looked over her shoulder, stumbling a moment when she became light headed under the threat of her blood loss but she kept her gaze on the lighted figure. It was watching her as she meekly made her way towards the red hued machinery on the left side.

She looked away, lips pulled back in a hatred she couldn't hide any longer.

"All this death and misery, all this sacrifice and loss just to end up like this? A choice between three shitty ends?" She snarled, her hand squeezing down on the trigger as she lifted her pistol and aimed it at the leader of the Reapers. He stood unmoving, blinking in confusion as she pulled the trigger and screamed in frustration.

His image flickered, untouched by her bullets and she pressed the palm of her hands against her eyes, letting out a sob of helplessness. The barrel of the gun burned her forehead, a hiss of burning flesh she ignored easily considering it was dull and unnoticeable compared to the pain that weighed her down.

Kaidan.

His smile flashed in her mind's eye, the memory of his fingers trailing along her skin made her ache and suddenly she turned away from the Ancient AI, her resolve strong again and she stood up straighter. Her lover's warm eyes and soft whispers lifted her burdens – the memories burned and her throat closed with tears she openly wept.

The AI winked out as she raised her gun from her side, both hands grasping the handle and she snarled, cursing out the machinery as she walked faster and pulled the trigger. For a moment, she thought she felt his arms around her waist, his hands around hers and she closed her eyes – the darkness behind her lids turned orange and she wondered – for just a split second – what the probability would be for her soul to be reborn at the same time as Kaidan's and if fate would cut her some fucking slack.

"You owe me, Universe – I'm calling in all those credit chips." She spat out bitterly before the explosion sucked out all the air from around her and she was overwhelmed by the sensation of warmth. Her mouth opened but the flames swallowed her scream, the fire licking the inside of her lungs as her flesh burned and disintegrated – her bones snapped under the pressure wave and she couldn't hear anymore.

'The universe owes us both, Shepard' she heard Kaidan whisper within the darkness before it took her into the arms death for the last time.