The Decision Chamber

"I…don't know." Abby muttered.

Destroy…Control…Synthesis? Which one makes sense?

"You have to choose, it is the only way to bring order to the chaos and end the cycle forever. What you have been striving for over these many years."

"I guess…destroy…sounds OK."

"If you destroy us organics will just build more synthetics in the future." The Catalyst intoned.

"Fine…it's better than me getting all the power." She continued to limp determined, watching the Catalyst stare at her curiously in the background.

I have to do this.

Shepard heard a sudden wailing, a roar of energy, she felt it was the Catalyst continuing to play mind games with her so she continued on. But it was growing louder, roaring in her ear, even quacking up some wind as her hair began to blow around in her face.

She finally stopped and turned to see what the new threat was, what else can go wrong?

Only to see a blue box appear in front of her… and then disappear…and then slowly reappear. Abby was flabbergasted watching the display, which continued for another minute or so before the blue box…a police box? Fully materialized in front of her.

She and the Catalyst glanced at each other and he looked just as curious as she did at the sudden apparition.

Finally the door opened and out popped a pale skinned man wearing a black suit and a top hat, with a red bow tie affixed to his chest.

"Oh wonderful…another ginger." He said in a decidedly high pitched British accent.

"Who are you?" Abigail asked perplexed.

"I'm the Doctor." The man replied stepping out of the box.

"Doctor Who?" Shepard asked knitting her eyebrows.

"Just the Doctor." He said with a smirk, but quickly frowned. "And what happened to you?" He asked, obviously taking in her cut and beat up appearance, her scorched armor, and her decidedly favoring the hole in her side.

He glanced to the Catalyst and smirked wryly, "did the mean old ghost kid mess you up?"

"No," She blustered.

His smirk widened…as did his eyes suddenly.

"Wait…who are you?"

"Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Commander Shepard." He frowned. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

He began glancing around taking a cylindrical device out of his pocket.

"Let's see…space…space battle…large machines…energy…flux." He bit down on his lower lip.

He took the device out, claws snapped forward and it began to make an electronic whirring sound as he circled around.

"Ah, Dark Energy contained in a matrix. Very few people use that sort of technology. Let's see what else?" He stared at the device for a long time.

"Oh element capable of reducing or increasing mass depending on electrical charge, the so called 'Mass Effect'. Never thought I would be able to visit this place…oh right…you're Commander Shepard!"

He ran over to her and grabbed her hand; she whimpered as her hand was a bit burnt from the Harbinger blast, he kissed her on each cheek.

"Big fan!" He announced with a grin, then stuck his face to where their noses were almost touching. "Mind you not really a fan of the whole gun thing." He said frowning at her.

He looked around suddenly watching the battle, and then looked over to the three sides. "Oh…the battle for Earth. Seems I know how to pick em don't I?"

Abby nodded slowly to her watching the newcomer continue to look around. He turned to her suddenly.

"Oh Abby!" He exclaimed grabbing her by the sides of the head. "You weren't thinking about…listening to him were you? Three impossible options and you were going to what…roll over with your stomach exposed for him to rub it?"

A spike of rage arched through her body but part of her knew it had to be true, it didn't make sense to her that she was just going to play dead and submit to this things…options…this thing that was likely to be in charge of the Reapers. But she hurt so much.

"Now wait just a minute!" The Catalyst snapped. "We only want to preserve organics and save them for future…"

The Doctor pointed to the Catalyst, "Hush you."

"Who do you think you are?!"

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor said turning to the Catalyst. "And who do you think you are. This whole 'preserve' nonsense. Taking them, twisting them into some kind of monsters against their will. And you say you are doing this for their own good? Because synthetics might rise up and conquer their creators? You can't condemn entire species to your solution because of what 'might' happen."

A chill arched up through Abby's back, the Doctor's words mirroring her own to the Salarian Dalatrass not two months ago. How could I have forgotten that? That morale principle?

"What has happened?" The Catalyst intoned smugly. "Every time an organic race has built a synthetic one they have been exterminated…including…"

"Your creators?" The Doctor asked arching an eyebrow.

The Catalyst froze.

"You know let me tell you about my own experiences with 'synthetics'. As with anything they can be good or evil. Hateful or passionless. But I have battled them time and again. And let me tell you, we do not need a solution that requires the mutilation of organic beings. That is an abomination. And there are people who have battled the Synthetics, the Daleks, the Cybermen, whole organizations dedicated to stopping them, and they have done so. I have done so. And it has not required your solution."

"But you have battled them; they have rebelled and destroyed their creators."

"Well technically Davros tried your solution on the Daleks, stuck them into battle suits, and mutated them beyond all recognition, causing them to be hateful and to scream at their sorry state of their existence. Just like you. Raging at the universe, trying to control it…you disgust me."

"Now wait, the cycle, it must,"

"Oh hush…" The Doctor said whipping out a long yellow rod and waving it at the Catalyst, it whirred rhythmically.

"The cycle must…nooooo."

The Catalyst looked as though it dissipated and then it disappeared.

"How'd you do that?" Abby gawked speechless.

"Oh that?" The Doctor grinned. "That is nothing…that" He spun around looking skyward… "Is something else."

Abby followed his eyes and saw the Reapers were now drifting in space.

"Wow…that's…something else," she admitted blustering.

"Consider it a gift…I just keep on giving them even though I do not exactly know why."

"Who are you?" She asked, pressed him.

He grinned, "I told you, I'm the Doctor."

"Yeah."

"You know you are very fortunate. That this place is in such Temporal flux, it's all wibbly and wobbly. Not a fixed point."

"Yeah…whatever."

"I would take you with me…the hair…the attitude…though the guns are a problem. But your people need you, for what is to come."

"Right…how do you know all these things?"

"Come now, don't you want a little mystery after today?"

"I guess." Abby grumbled.

"Well, take care Abigail Shepard." He said leaning on his box and opening the door, he turned back to her. "Oh say hi to Miranda for me."

"But she's dead." Abby furrowed her eyebrows.

"Just tell her hi next time you see her." The Doctor repeated.

He closed the door and the engines roared to life as the vessel began to disappear again, she backed up at the burst of energy and wind hit her.

She grunted, but smiled, as the ship disappeared. And then heard the telltale noise of a Kodiak shuttle coming in for a landing.

She moved to its opening door, limping, a waiting Garrus and James greeting her with expectant, though confused looks.

Will they ever believe me? She wondered.

AC: And like always this is owned by Bioware/ EA.

Well bit hesitant to post this. But it does seem that the ending is still a sore/ funny subject with a lot of people. And well I came up with this idea a while ago, and usually when that happens then I do nothing with it it does not seem to come off quite right to my ear. Yet in going through it it looks fine, kinda do match the Doctor's attitude, and well yeah. That is the reason. So comment, review, read, move on dandy.