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Waking up was absolute agony.
When he first became aware, the first thing he noticed was the smell of burning in the air. He could hear the flames crackling, something sparking in the distance. Opening his eyes, it took a moment for his vision to clear.
What had used to be the Crucible was now a mess of broken and misshapen circuits and metal. And a lot of it seemed to be on top of him. What had used to be the centre of the great machine, the source of its power, was now consumed by flames, creating a wall of intense heat that he could feel even from where he lay. The heat of the fire made the burns already littering his body from the initial explosion ache fiercely.
He hadn't expected to wake up when he'd shot the Crucible's power source. He'd known he'd been walking towards his death. He'd known that he wouldn't see the people he loved again. But they would be safe . The Reapers would be gone and the universe would be safe. And so he hadn't been scared. He'd been at peace.
Waking up now, he was scared. He was absolutely terrified.
A piece of rubble fell from the top of the wreckage, landing in the flames and sending them gushing even higher. He couldn't stay here. He had to move.
He tried to move his right arm and a hoarse scream of pain escaped his lungs. Looking to his arm, he almost heaved as he saw it. Trapped underneath the rubble, he couldn't see much of it, but something about it just looked wrong . The panic gradually overtook him until he finally lost consciousness once more.
They had been stunned into silence for some time after the end of the battle.
It had been chaos. Buildings burning and falling around them, the dead sprawled across the streets, swarms of Reaper Drones overwhelming them to the extent that they couldn't fight off those traitorous thoughts. Is this it? Is this the end?
And then with a flash of red light, it had stopped. The Reaper Drones had dropped where they stood, turning to ash, the Reapers themselves tumbling to the ground like an old crumbling Skyscraper.
They'd done it.
They'd won.
After the moment of silence, the rush began anew. Except instead of fighting for their lives, it was a race to save the lives of those injured in battle. And there were a lot of them.
Armies turned into rescue crews. Buildings were cleared and turned into refuges for the injured. Those with any semblance of medical training were rushed off their feet trying to treat everyone.
And in the middle of all of this, there was one person on many of their minds.
Commander Shepard.
Many of them had heard what had happened during the final rush for the Beacon. How Reapers had descended and turned it into a bloodbath. Armoured vehicles, ships, hundreds of soldiers. All of it had been destroyed in a matter of minutes. But just when they thought hope had been lost, word had arrived that Shepard had made it. That he was somehow inside the Crucible.
The flash of red light that had wiped out the Reapers, it could only have come from the Crucible. It could only have come from Shepard.
Shepard, who was yet to be seen.
"This is bullshit!" Jack slammed her fists onto the table, the dark energy encircling them leaving cracks in it's surface. "What the fuck are we waiting for?!"
Major Coats visibly took a breath to collect himself. "Rescue operations are underway, we just have to be patien-"
"The Crucible was the epicenter of the blast that took out the Reapers. We know from reports from those who've gone out to examine what's left that the Citadel and the Crucible are still mostly intact, but it may not stay that way." Miranda said. "If we remain patient, we may lose any chance we have of finding Shepard."
"Shepard would do the same for any of us and you know it! We can't just leave him!" Jack spat, even as Miranda gave her a look that screamed for her to calm down.
"We don't even know if he's alive." Samara said quietly.
Silence fell over the room. Logically, they knew. They knew that the chances that Shepard had survived were slim. They had to acknowledge that. But even so, the idea that their friend had died up there, all alone, for them ? That, they just couldn't accept.
"Then we bring him back anyway." Steve said determinedly. "He saved us. He saved the Universe . The least we can do is give him the respect he deserves."
Stepping into the wreckage of the Crucible, not one of them made a sound. The great feat of engineering, something so many species had come together to build, was left in ruins. It was almost sad to see it like this, but they took comfort in the fact that it had done what it had been made for.
They glanced towards the mess of flames that used to be the centre of the massive machine, eying it nervously. It was clear that the fire had been steadily spreading outwards, and with time it would likely consume the entire wreckage. They would have to be quick.
Spreading out, they began their search. Jack, Miranda, Jacob and Samara began lifting rubble with their biotics, while Grunt and Zaeed resorted to using their bare hands to dig through.
They searched for what felt like hours, and with every passing minute their hopes of finding their dear friend were crushed even further.
Wrex growled, throwing a piece of rubble down in frustration. The large slab of metal hit the ground with a crash, destabilising some of the surrounding debris and sending it sliding down. Sighing, rubbing a hand down his face, he stared hopelessly at the mess.
And stopped.
In the middle of all the debris, uncovered by the minor collapse, he could just about see something glinting in the light of the flames. Something shiny, with hints of white and red.
It was N7 armour.
It was Shepard.
"GET YOUR QUADS OVER HERE NOW!" Wrex bellowed, clambering over the rubble to get closer to his friend. He could hear the pounding footsteps of the others as they made their way over, but he only had eyes for Shepard.
Peering down into the rubble, he tried to get a better look at his friend. And what he could see, looked terrible.
What skin he could see was covered in blood. Even his face hadn't escaped the onslaught, left bruised and bloodied. His armour was practically shredded in some places, melted in others. Searching desperately for any signs of life, he finally noticed that Shepard was breathing, his chest just barely rising and falling.
They had to get him out, and fast.
"Wrex, stand back." Samara said, stepping forward, already wreathed in dark energy.
Climbing back down, the Krogan backed away just enough to be necessary, activating his own biotics in order to help. Between him, Samara, and the other biotics on their team, they were managing to lift the large majority of the metal up and away. Grunt and Steve did their best to move whatever lingering pieces they could and before long, Shepard was mostly uncovered.
Miranda carefully made her way over to his side and stopped when she caught sight of his right arm. Or what remained of it. Clearly having been crushed beneath some of the rubble, his arm had been reduced to a mangled, bloody mess that made her stomach turn. Ignoring her instinctive reaction to the horrific wound, she moved in closer to inspect him.
"He's still alive." She choked out, the relief almost crushing her. Broken apart as he was, he was still hanging on. A survivor through and through. "He needs medical attention, quickly."
"Wait a second." Jacob hurried over, his Omni-tool glowing as he began to scan Shepard. "We don't even know if it's safe to move him."
"That fire is getting closer." Zaeed said, staring at the uncomfortably close flames. "What's left of the Crucible could explode any minute. We can't stay here much longer."
"I know, but… Okay, he's fine." Jacob deactivated his Omni-tool, stepping back with a nod. "You can move him."
Not wasting any time, Wrex slid his arms beneath Shepard, preparing to lift him. He didn't even get him an inch off the ground when he suddenly stirred with a groan. Looking down, he saw the human's eyes flick open, unseeing.
"Hey, Shepard. You're okay." The Krogan said, uncharacteristically soft. "We've got your back."
"We're right here, Shepard." Miranda called from where she stood. "You're going to be alright. Just rest."
Lifting him fully, the Krogan almost flinched at the wail of pain that escaped the Spectre. In all the time they'd known him, they'd never heard him make a sound like that. He'd always been strong. Larger than life, almost. A listening ear, a helping hand. The one constant they could always rely on.
Seeing him brought down like this, it was more terrifying than even the Reapers.
His arm dangled strangely from where he was held in Wrex's arms. Grunt darted forward and tentatively lifted it to rest it on Shepard's chest, trying to protect it from any further damage. He cringed at the human's cry, jumping back as if afraid he was going to break him.
Hurrying out of the remains of the Crucible, they piled back into the Kodiak, Steve taking off almost immediately. With the size of their rescue team, there was very little space left in the tiny ship. Definitely not enough to lie Shepard down anywhere comfortably. Wrex kept holding him in his arms, not complaining once.
"Do we have anything we can give him?" Jack asked, staring at Shepard with a wild look in her eyes. The Commander was clearly in agony, but no matter how much pain he was in, he wasn't falling back under.
When she'd first met Shepard, she'd thought he was just another straight-laced military boy, working for the people who'd made her. She'd been prepared for him to try and control her. To keep information from her.
Instead he'd helped her find closure. He'd been a steady presence at her side as she'd dealt with her past, and with time, he'd become a friend. He'd helped her make a life for herself. One she could actually be proud of. One full of people she cared for. And if there was one thing she'd learned lately, is that she'd tear anything apart to protect those people.
But this? The fight was over. The Reapers were gone. She couldn't fight this. Her friend was in pain and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Noticing that she was on the edge, Miranda placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as she moved past her to get to Shepard. Jack tried to relax, knowing that despite their differences, Miranda cared about Shepard too. She'd take care of him.
"Shepard?" Miranda asked, peering down at him, trying to see if he was still awake. Pained blue eyes stared up at her from Wrex's arms and she rummaged through the ship's bag of supplies to find what she needed. "I'm going to give you something to help with the pain, alright?"
The Spectre gave a small nod of assent, barely even wincing as the needle entered his arm. It was nothing compared to the hell he was already going through. The drugs took effect quickly enough and he gradually relaxed as he slowly slid back under. They all breathed a little easier, knowing that for now at least, he wasn't in pain.
The Kodiak touched down with a small bounce, and Jack was sliding the door open before the engines had even shut off. Shoving his way through the group, Wrex dropped down to the ground and made his way into the makeshift medical facility. It didn't take long for members of their group to be noticed, and eventually, Shepard to be recognised.
In a matter of seconds, a gurney was being rushed over to them. Even as he gently placed him on the gurney, Wrex felt reluctant to let him go. Like the instant he did, he would be gone. But Shepard had survived this long, and he knew in his hearts that he wouldn't give up without a fight.
Miranda jogged past him, joining the medical crew in their dizzying rush to save their Saviour, and soon enough they were left behind. Staring after their friend, and hoping with everything they had that they would see him again.