underground (shakarian)

chapter 1

"I'm proud of you child." "Thank you sir."anderson groaned. "Anderson?" His head lolled to the side. He was gone. I started to sob, the unbesrable pain from my body made tge emotional pain worse. I moved my hand away from the wound in my stomach. Blood was pouring out like there was no tomorrow, I knew I was done for. My armor was seering and burning my flesh, the reapers beam made my armour melt to my skin.

Hackett filled me in and told me the catalyst wasn't firing, I attempted to drag myself to the controls but not before I passed out.

I made it to the catalyst but my world felt empty. I just lost my father figure, the one person who never gave up on me and always believed in me, the same person that dragged my was out of fire on Mindour. I had three choices and I chose to destroy the reapers at a large cost. All synthetics will die.

I looked at the catalyst. "Let me say my goodbyes to my team, they deserve it after everything they've done for me." The catalyst nodded his head. I knew I wasn't going to get out of here alive. I rang Garrus on my omnitool.

"Shepard! What's going on?" "Garrus, this is goodbye, I'm not making it out of here alive. I just want you to know I love you, and your the best god damned soldier I have ever met. And an even better friend and boyfriend."

"Shepard don't make this a goodbye. You cant leave me alone again!" He croaked. A tear slipped from my eye and down my cheek. I took a deep shaky breath. "Garrus don't make this harder, please." "Shepard stop! You always come back to me!" My heart broke with each word that parted from his lips and met my ears.

"Please." He beckoned. "I love you Garrus, never forget that. And remember. I'll be up at that bar looking down, you'll never be alone. I don't want you to try and follow me if I don't come back, live your life free of galaxy threats. Move on." I tried to smile but the thought of Garrus moving on made me feel nauseous.

"I know Shepard, but I don't think I can move on. Your the one for me." "And your the one for me Garrus. Goodbye, I love you." "Goodbye Octavia, I love you and I'll miss you more then you'll ever know." I signed off and connected to the whole Normandy crew and Hackett.

"Shepard!" They all yelled. "I'm sorry to say it but, this is goodbye." I sniffled, wiping the tears from my eyes and crossing my arms. "What do you mean Shepard?" Jokers voice trembled, a lump had formed in my throat. "I'm not going to make it back, I'm distroying the reapers but..." I trailed off knowing it would only crush joker. "But?" Hackett asked. "But, all synthetic life will be destroyed." I dropped my head. "EDI, I am so sorry. I wish there was another way." My lip quivered, saying goodbye is the hardest thing anyone could ever do, not to mention to a good friend.

"It is alright commander, I know if there was another way you would have done it." My stomach lurched knowing there were other options. Was I being selfish?

Hacketts eyes welled with tears, I wasn't close to him. But he was also a great friend, mentor, and a reliable person. "Commander, before you go I have something I would like to say." He sniffed trying to hide any emotion. "I'm proud of you, and I know Anderson is too. You done the Shepard name proud." I choked back a sob, pursing my lips together to form a straight line.

"And the last thing I want you to know is this. We will say goodbye now and you will look back one last time and know that wherever you go. We will be with you." I couldn't hold it anymore, as hard as I tried Hackett's statement forced me to lower my head and sob.

"I couldn't have asked for a better crew, better friends but most importantly, a better family. I love you all dearly but it's time for me to end this. This is my final goodbye. Thank you for always believing in me when nobody else would." As everyone started to openly sob and wail their goodbyes I signed off.

I turned around and walked to the red cylinder I had to blow up. As I rounded the corner my mind flooded with memories and images of my closest friends. I started shooting at the cylinder. The last face I saw before my body was hit by a bone shattering explosion was Garrus.

My world went dark again, for the second time. At least this time it was quick and mostly painless.

After a long while I realised my mind was still aware, I was alive! I have a chance to get back to everyone. Maybe that wasn't my final goodbye? They wouldn't give up on me right? They'd keep looking for me even after that goodbye? The sun was a familiar warmth on my skin but was soon cooled by a shadow.

"She's here!" A familiar turians voice yelled. "Shepard! Stay with me, I know your alive!" His voice was ecstatic. "Garrus." My husky voice croaked. "Garrus, where are you?" I panicked. "I'm right here Octavia. We're okay, you did it!" He laughed.

My arm reached for him, he gripped my wrist and guided my hand to his face. "Garrus, I can't see." My mind raced and I started to panic. "Don't worry Octavia, doctor Chakwas is on her way." His mandibles flicked outwardly, reassuring me I was going to be fine.

I heard footsteps. "Shepard! Thank God your alright." It was Doctor Chakwas. "Get her onto the shuttle, Cortez, bring the shuttle around." She ordered. "Garrus how's she doing?" Garrus placed my hand beside me and walked off.

I could hear faint whispers. "She's not good. She's blind. And did you see her arms and legs?" He sighed. "Don't worry Garrus, a couple operations and with Miss lawsons help it shouldn't be a problem." They walked back over to me and I was strapped to the stretcher and put in the shuttle. "Garrus?" "Yeah Shepard?" "What's wrong with my legs and arms?" He exhaled.

"Your legs are twisted the other way around and are broken in several places, your arms are bruised broken and your left arm is hanging on by your artery." I gasped, surely it can't be that bad. "And my eyes?" "Nothing to worry about it's likely just dirt, nothing an operation can't fix if necessary."

I sighed in relief as the pain started to hit me, I groaned. "Morphine?" I heard Cortez ask. "Cortez! Good to hear you." I felt like he was confused, I heard nothing but the sounds of the Kodiak for a while before he spoke again. "I'll take that as a yes." A needle was injected into my vein and my body started to go numb again.

"Hehe Garrus you look like a giant bird cricket thing." I giggled. "What?" "You know. A giant bird cricket thing." "I have no idea what they are but okay." "Garrus a bird and a cricket smooshed together." "Shepard your high. You don't know what your talking about." "I do I was just thinking about your sexy face and how I wanna get all up in you and I realised you look like a bird and a cricket if they procreate with each other." I bit my bottom lip seductively.

"Shepard!" "Yes baby?" "We're in the Kodiak! Where there are other people!" "Since when has that ever stopped us. Remember that time we..." "Shepard! Stop!" He smacked his head. "Shepard. Please." Doctor Chakwas laughed. "Fine then, but later on Garrus. You and I will be discussing some dirty desires of ours." I think I winked, I tried to but I'm not sure if I was successful.

"Shepard!" "Fine fine fine! I'll stop. For now." Cortez cleared his throat. "Ahem, we've arrived at the SSV London. Ready for transport to the secret facility."

"Where's the Normandy?" I started to get panicky. "We can't take the Normandy, it's being repaired. When we had to leave the blast caught up to us and we crash landed on an unknown planet. Dont worry, everyone made it." I relaxed a little knowing Garrus was okay with it.

"We need to get you to Huerta." Doctor Chakwas explained. "Wait how long was I laying there for?" "About a month." "Then how is Huerta already rebuilt?" "The keepers, well what's left of them. They got slaughtered when everything went down, the population was severely decreased." "As if they had a large population in the first place." Garrus chimed in.

"Wait out of the 21 keepers, how many are left?" "5, 5 keepers are all that's left. Hopefully they repopulate and fast, for once Huerta was the first thing repaired. Unlike last couple of times." Garrus answered. I nodded and was carried into the SSV London.