Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

Chapter 14: The Doctor & The Commander

Only one sun remained in the sky now, and even that one was on twilight's descent. The horizon of Naraan faded from a blazing orange sunset, into a lavender blanket, speckled with stars, as the five traversed the desert. Garrus and Mordin followed behind the two Vorcha prisoners, with Shepard leading their way, following their tracks the way they came. The Turian and the Salarian still had their rifles drawn and pointedly positioned at the Vorcha's back. The tracks were becoming a bit difficult to see now, as dusk set in, but the Normandy's tracking beacon proved to be more than an effective alternative.

"Commander." Joker's voice came in over Shepard's radio. "Do you copy?"

"I copy Joker." Shepard replied, pressing two fingers to his helmet's side. "What's the problem?"

"No problems, Commander." Joker answered. "The shuttle's been repaired and loaded back on board, just wondering if everything was alright on your end."

"Everything's fine." Shepard assured Joker. "We're on our way back to the Normandy, we should be there within the next few minutes. And we'll be having guests." Shepard stated sarcastically, as he turned around briefly to face the two Vorcha captives.

Despite their violent nature, they had remained surprisingly compliant on their venture back. Perhaps it was the water that Shepard had graciously decided to share with them. Maybe it was the fact that the Commander decided to bring them on his ship, out of this harsh environment, even as prisoners. Or perhaps it was just the two M-8 Avenger Class Assault Rifles jabbed in their backs.

"ETA, about fifteen minutes, Joker." The Commander informed his helmsman. "Go ahead and make preparations for take-off, and set a course for the Citadel."

"Aye-Aye Commander." Joker's voice replied, before a scratch of static indicated the communication's channel had been closed.

"Fifteen minutes!" Joker exclaimed happily, lifting his cap off his head, running a hand through his own hair, before replacing it. "That's fifteen more minutes of me time." He stated with a smirk, sitting forward in his seat. "EDI set a course to the Citadel, would'ya? I got a few Extranet bookmarks with my name on 'em."

"I believe the Commander specifically instructed YOU to set our destination, Mr. Moreau." EDI flashed from her terminal on the bridge. "And your Extranet navigation is a gross misuse of the Normandy's resources."

"Yeah well, what Shepard doesn't know won't hurt 'em." Joker responded, as he manipulated the controls on his holoterminal. "Hey wait a minute." He said, as he stopped and turned his attention towards EDI. "When did you turn back into Nag-Bot 5000? I thought we were cool."

"Although it would be menial for me to plot our destination." EDI replied as Joker looked on. "I enjoy observing your various agitated conditions..." She informed, causing Joker to raise an eyebrow, as he watched her hologram flash. "That is a joke..."

"Yeah right..." Joker responded with a scoff, shaking his head. "I think you do just like bustin' my chops." He began manipulating his holoterminal controls to set a course for The Citadel. "Some days you're worse than my mom... I swear Cerberus installed you with a nag chip or something."

"Only for you Jeff..." She answered, a bit of robotic cynicism in her voice. "Only for you."

"Well, that wasn't creepy at all..." Joker responded nervously, rolling his eyes, as he continued to manipulate his controls.

---

"Alright, get in there!" Garrus ordered, as he shoved one of the Vorcha up the ramp, into the Normandy, with his rifle. The Vorcha turned, and growled in defiance, only to find himself looking down the barrel of Garrus' assault rifle; the scarred Turian behind it, with his finger primed on the trigger. The belligerent Vorcha turned back around, bowed his head, and marched forward, like a scorned child going to his room.

Crewman Briggs, and Crewman Hawkins were standing guard at the hangar entrance, awaiting Shepard's return. "Hawkins, let Joker know we're on board, and ready for takeoff." The Commander ordered, as the five walked into the cargo hold, the ship's ramp closing behind them. "Aye sir!" Hawkins acknowledged, as he saluted and bolted off to carry out Shepard's orders.

"Briggs, find some restraints for these two and meet me in the Port Cargo Area." He addressed the other crewman, as the five walked into the interior of the hangar bay. "Ay Sir! Right away sir!" Briggs exclaimed as he too, took off in haste, to follow The Commander's instructions.

***

A large Krogan sat at a table, polishing an M-23 Katana Class Shotgun. Upon his table, laid his entire arsenal of ordnance, arranged from smallest, to largest. Along with a few scattered Mark-14 explosive charges. He took great pleasure, as he caressed the shotgun's casing, buffing its exterior to a high sheen. There was just something about the shine of a perfectly calibrated, semi-automatic, hand-held doom bringer, that brought him an almost giddy level of delight.

Unexpectedly, his door slid open as Shepard walked in. "Battlemaster..." Grunt said, acknowledging Shepard's presence, looking up at him momentarily, before returning to his weapon maintenance.

"Alright, bring 'em in." Shepard instructed, as two Vorcha ran into the room, having been pushed in from behind. Shepard nodded at Garrus and Mordin, dismissing them, as Grunt noticed his new Vorcha roommates. Brandishing his Shotgun, he stood up and walked over to the Vorcha, with an evil grin on his face.

"Fellas, I'd like you to say hello to Grunt." Shepard remarked sarcastically, as the two Vorcha cowered before the colossal Krogan. "Grunt, these two will be your roommates for a while. I'm transporting them to C-Sec, I figured you could keep an eye on 'em."

"Heh..." Grunt chuckled as he stared down the Vorcha. "Thank you for the gift, Battlemaster. I'm going to enjoy this." He said, removing the safety from his weapon.

"Easy Grunt, I just want you to keep an eye on them, nothing more." Shepard stated, as he put his hands up, out in front of him, trying to get his point across. "Briggs will be here soon with some restraints for them. So unless they try anything, I just want you to watch 'em until we get to the Citadel.  Understood?"

"You no scare us!" One of the Vorcha yelled out arrogantly, in an outburst. "Yeah! We no fraid of you!"  The second Vorcha added, seeing his partners sudden burst of courage.

"No?" Grunt remarked sternly, bringing his large, hardened head down to the Vorcha's level. "Then try something... anything... Oh please, try something."

The two Vorcha looked at each other nervously, then looked back at Grunt, saying absolutely nothing. After all, as fierce, and ruthless as Vorcha can be, when one has a colossal Krogan, wielding a shotgun standing before them, with an evil look in their eye and a malicious grin on their face... one would be wise to mind their manners.

"Puhh..." Grunt uttered, raising his head back up. "Shoulda known... Cowardice vermin. I'll keep an eye on 'em Shepard." He stated, turning back to face the Commander. "These two don't look to have the backbone to give me a little fun, anyway."

"Thanks, Grunt." Shepard nodded, in appreciation, as he turned to walk out of the room. "Remember, I want 'em in one piece when we get to the Citadel." He yelled as he exited the room.

"Well, that's entirely up to them." He sneered as he glared down at the two Vorcha, huddled together.

---

Two steely eyes, looked out at the fiery red surface of the dwarf star, outside his window as he expelled smoke in droves through his nostrils. Suddenly a flicker of light flashed behind him, as a torrent of static manifested itself into the Commander's visage.

"Shepard." The Illusive man began, still looking out onto the dwarf. "I would have expected you to contact me sooner."

"Things came up." Shepard responded, nonchalantly. He stood, dressed once again in his standard Cerberus uniform, crossing his arms before him.

"Did you find the Aurora?" The Illusive Man questioned, turning around to face Shepard, his cigarette clutched between two fingers. "Were there any survivors?"

"We found it, but no survivors..." Shepard answered, bowing his head, and shaking it mournfully. "It was a trap. Harbinger knew I'd answer the distress call."

"They set another trap for you?" The Illusive Man asked, as he looked off to the side, a contemplative look on his face, as he narrowed his luminous blue eyes.

"Yeah." Shepard continued. "And what's more; Harbinger is using the Vorcha now, to carry out his plans."

"The Vorcha?" The Illusive Man questioned, in shock, as he turned his attention back up towards Shepard. "First the Geth, then the Collectors, and now the Vorcha... They're absolutely relentless."

Shepard nodded. "So am I." He asserted, with resolve. "And I won't stop, until I've rid the galaxy of them once and for all... Even if I have to do it one by one."

The Illusive Man acknowledged with a nod, as he put his cigarette to his lips, and inhaled. The light flame from the cigarette's tip flared up, bathing his face in a dim orange light. "What about Gordon Freeman?" He asked, pulling his cigarette away from his lips, as smoke poured from his mouth. "Is he awake yet?"

"He's awake." The Commander affirmed. "But, after all he's been through, he struggling to cope with the situation. I'm sure he just needs a little time."

"Time is one luxury, we don't exactly have an abundance of Shepard." The Illusive Man remarked, as his cold blue eyes glared at the Commander. "We don't know when or where the Reapers will strike next. You make sure the good Doctor gets over his problems, and is prepared to fight, as soon as possible."

"I gave him a choice!" Shepard exclaimed angrily, uncrossing his arms and pointing a finger at the Illusive Man. "He fights, if he chooses to fight. Cerberus may think they can claim ownership of a person's life, but I don't."

"Shepard..." The Illusive Man's eyes gleamed, as he crushed out his cigarette. "You have the annoying habit of throwing away valuable assets, for something as petty as morality. Don't make the same mistake twice..." He warned.

"He isn't just some asset, he's a human being." Shepard declared, as he waved his hand before him, disregarding The Illusive Man's threat. "And the decision is his. Keep me posted if you hear of any Reaper activity." He finished, as he turned and walked off of the communication platform, causing the Illusive Man's hologram to dissipate.

His steely blue eyes peered into the darkness, where Shepard's hologram stood, as he turned to have a seat. He crossed his legs, as he bowed his head, pressing his fist to his chin. "Idealistic fool..." He uttered, shaking his head, as the red star dwarf outside his window burned furiously.

---

"FTL Drives are devices which allow ship's to travel at faster than light speeds through space." EDI's hologram flashed, as Gordon sat at his desk listening intently. His eyes were wide open, despite the dark circles now evident beneath them. "FTL drive cores work by exposing Element Zero to electric currents, creating mass effect fields. It reduces the mass of an object, such as a starship, to a point where accelerations faster than the speed of light are possible."

"Fascinating..." Gordon uttered, as he took in every last bit of information. "So in essence, starship drive cores, are smaller, more advanced anti-mass spectrometers, converting mass into anti-mass... The same principle my gravity gun worked on." Gordon looked off to the side, not focusing on anything in particular, as his eyes fluttered back and forth rapidly. His labyrinthine mind absorbing every ounce of knowledge in its purest detail. "Massive objects that would have otherwise, been impossible to lift, become as light as a feather, as the mass effect fields are generated around them."

"Correct." EDI responded. "However, Element Zero, by nature, is highly volatile and must be refined before being applied to practical use. Utilization of unrefined Element Zero could result in catastrophic energetic events."

"Tell me about it." Gordon reclined back in his chair, shifting his shoulders back, as he stretched. "If only we hadn't been so ambitious..." He uttered to himself, as he sighed. "We could have been the ones that made these breakthroughs. What a wondrous age of discovery it must have been." He vocalized, with his mouth wide open as he yawned.

His door slid open, and a man walked in, as Gordon swiveled his chair around. "Commander!" he exclaimed, as he stood up and looked around for a moment, before presenting an awkward salute.

Shepard chuckled. "At ease Doctor." He said, putting a hand up. "If anything, I should be the one saluting you." He said with a grin, as Gordon put his hand down, reciprocating a slight smile.

"I hope I didn't give you the idea that you were confined to quarters, or anything like that, Dr. Freeman." Shepard continued, as he leaned against the wall. "You're more than welcome to explore the ship, and I know a lot of the crew is dying to meet you."

"No, I just uh..." Gordon began nervously, as he shrugged his shoulders. "I've just been catching up on... well everything I suppose. So much knowledge and history to take in, it's a bit overwhelming."

"Well, don't try to take it all in, in one day." Shepard said, as he took note of the circles under Gordon's eyes, completely oblivious to the ones beneath his own. "As you said, it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah..." Gordon replied in a hushed voice, nodding slightly, as he kept his eyes to the ground.

There was an awkward silence between them for a moment, as neither one was too sure of what to say to the other.

"You should have left me in stasis, Commander." Gordon eventually said, with a sigh, as he turned to face his window, gazing out at the stars. "I don't belong here."

"You haven't lost everything, Dr. Freeman." Shepard remarked. "Humanity survived, thanks to you. And it needs you now, more than ever."

"That's what I don't understand!" Gordon exclaimed, pressing his forehead to the glass. "I'm no soldier, Commander. I'm a physicist for god's sake. Why could you possibly need me?"

Gordon turned around, and walked towards Shepard, shaking his head. "Everything happened so fast at Black Mesa... I was just a scientist, trying to survive. The aliens... the military... I wasn't trying to make sense of it all, I was just trying to get out alive."

Shepard stood up straight, taking a step towards Gordon, the two now face to face. "What about City 17?" He asked. "The rebellion, was that just a fight for survival too?"

"City 17..." He uttered under his breath, as he looked off to the side. "I don't know what City 17 was. I saw things... people suffering... people dying." Gordon clasped his chin, with his thumb and his index finger as he thought back.

"I remember...  hearing a woman crying for help, as two Combine metro-cops beat her husband to death." He explained, as Shepard listened intently. "Part of me wanted to ignore it, I told myself to just look the other way, but..."

"But you couldn't" Shepard interjected. "You couldn't just stand by, and watch the innocent suffer, could you?"

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he reflected. "No..." he eventually said. "Before they could turn their batons on her, I ran in and..." He chuckled softly under his breath, as he thought about it. "And bashed their skulls in, with a crowbar."

They both chuckled heartily, at the notion of the Combine bludgeoning. "You can bet they weren't expecting that." Shepard said as they both continued to laugh.

"But, don't you see, Dr. Freeman." Shepard stated, as his laughter came to a stop. "That wasn't survival instinct, that was just you doing the right thing." Gordon clenched his lips, and nodded slightly.

"My old captain had a saying." The Commander continued. "He used to say; Heroes are ordinary men, who do extraordinary things, at extraordinary times." Gordon looked up at Shepard, as he continued, a more resolute expression now evident on his face. "You took the stand, that no one else would, in those downtrodden times. And you did it because it was the right thing to do. THAT'S why we need you."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Doctor." Shepard continued. "I never really had any family. Never knew my parents.  I grew up in the slums of Earth. Did a lot of things I'm not proud of. Used to run with a bad crowd."

Gordon listened  intently, understanding the Commander's plight, despite the high contrast of his own childhood.

"At the age of 18, I enlisted with the System's Alliance, to try and get my life together. Do you know why?" Shepard asked rhetorically as he looked at Freeman. "It was because of you Gordon. Growing up, you were always my idol. And eventually I just told myself, that I was going to do everything I could to be like the man in the history books. To be like The One Free Man."

Gordon forced a smile, accompanied by a slight chuckle. "Between the two of us, I think you're the real hero here, Commander. Saving the whole galaxy from those Geth robots, and those human collecting aliens." Shepard raised an eyebrow, as he looked at Gordon with a dumbfounded smile.

"I had a long conversation with Miss Tali." Gordon continued. "She's told me a lot about you Commander, and whatever I may have done seems to pale in comparison."

"Heh..." Shepard chuckled, and shook his head. "Oh Tali, I'm sure she made it sound like I did all that on my own. The fact is, I'm part of a team, a team I'd like you to be a part of."

Gordon turned around, walking back towards his window, clearly sidestepping the issue. "I never had much in the way of family either." He stated, looking out at the cosmos. "Nothing I ever did was good enough for my parents. I left home as soon as I was able to, to pursue an exciting new life as a theoretical physicist." He remarked sarcastically. "Closest thing I had, as far as family goes, was my brother and his family."

"You're talking about John Freeman, right?" Shepard acknowledged, causing Gordon to turn around rapidly.

"You know my brother??" Gordon inquired, perplexed.

"Well, I know of him." The Commander answered. "He was a hero of the rebellion in his own right. When word of the uprising in City 17 spread, cities all over the world began to revolt. In City 23, it was John Freeman, that led it's citizens."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled, with a tinge of disbelief in his voice. "My Little bro... He used to work in an office, as a claims adjuster. Never would have pegged him for a revolutionary."

"I'm sure people say the same thing about a physicist." Shepard added, smiling at Gordon. "I know Henry Freeman, his son, was also a key figure in the rebuilding."

"My little nephew Henry???" Gordon asked, astonished, as he forced himself to sit back down in his chair, facing the Commander. "Unbelievable..."

"I guess those are just the consequences of living up to the Freeman family name." Shepard told Gordon, as Freeman reclined back in his seat, completely flabbergasted.

There was an awkward silence between the two, before Shepard spoke up again. "Uh... This may sound odd..." He said, changing the subject, as Gordon slouched down in his seat. "But I've been dying to ask you a question. Do you have any sort of a military background? Your dossier didn't mention a service record of any sort..."

"No..." Gordon replied, shaking his head, with a puzzled look on his face. "Why do you ask?"

"EDI." Shepard called out, as he walked towards her terminal near Gordon's desk.

"Yes Commander." EDI's blue hologram reappeared, and acknowledged.

"Play back the security feed of the Medical Bay, for March 19th at thirteen thirty-seven hours." Shepard requested, as EDI's hologram was replaced by a three-dimensional holographic view of the med bay interior.

The feed displayed Gordon standing at the far end of the Medical Bay, in an agitated state, as Garrus entered the room. Immediately, upon seeing this, he knew what it was a video of, and prepared for reprimand from the Commander.

"Oh..." Gordon began, as he had almost forgotten about the fracas he had caused a couple of days ago. "I'm so terribly sorry about that, I didn't know wha..."

"Oh, don't apologize." Shepard said, as he looked over at Gordon, interrupting him. "It's completely understandable. And besides, I'm saving this feed forever!" He remarked with a laugh, as he turned his attention back to the feed. "I'll be showing this at Christmas parties. Garrus is one tough SOB, and you managed to knock him right on his ass."

Gordon cracked a smile. "Well, I really should apologize to him, and your crew."

"Don't worry about it." Shepard reassured Gordon, as he continued to watch the video. Seeing Garrus slowly approach Gordon, nonchalantly. Trying to calm him down. "Garrus is a big boy, he'll get over it. But I'd steer clear of him for a while."

"Right there!" Shepard exclaimed, as he watch Gordon snatch Garrus' extended arm, and torque it backwards. Garrus grunted in pain, before clenching his unrestrained fist and taking an unsuccessful swing at Gordon. Gordon ducked, avoiding the shot, then spun Garrus forward, locking his torqued arm behind his back painfully. "EDI, freeze frame." Shepard ordered.

He pointed at the video and turned to Gordon. "That's a military technique, hand to hand combat training. I learned that my first week of basic. Who taught you that?" He questioned.

"Uh..." Gordon stuttered a bit as he looked at the frozen hologram of himself, locking the Turian's arm behind his back, a pained expression on his face. "No one." He answered.

"No one?" Shepard questioned, as he furrowed his brow. "Where'd you learn it?"

Gordon sat silent for a moment, examining the video. Up until now, the whole thing seemed like a blur. He remembered waking up in some strange glowing tank, breaking out, and trying to escape. But now, as he watched himself attack the Turian, he wasn't really sure where he had learned to do such things. He scanned his thoughts for a moment, before speaking once more.

"I was on a catwalk." He began. "Back at Black Mesa. It was suspended high above one of the storage areas. Down below I remember seeing one of the facility's security personnel, and one of the soldiers sent in to silence the facility." He recalled his thoughts, as his eyes fluttered back in forth in their sockets, staring off into space.

"I don't know exactly how it happened, but the security officer had managed to get the advantage over the soldier. He stood pointing his sidearm at the soldier's head, who was completely unarmed." He recalled, before remaining silent for a moment more, then eventually continuing once again.

"Then, out of nowhere, the soldier managed to grab the security officer's armed hand, and disarm it, before he was able to fire. Then with his arm still grasped, he torqued it backwards, locking it behind his back." Gordon tilted his head, towards the video, motioning at Shepard. "Before finally executing him..."

"So you just saw it, and practiced until you learned it?" Shepard asked, astonished.

"No..." Gordon replied dubiously. "I saw it then, and I never even tried it before. I guess it just stuck with me." Shepard looked at Gordon, The Commander's eyes open wide in amazement.

"I've always been a pretty fast learner." Gordon continued. "I could usually see something done once, and that's all it would take. Hell, I had never even fired a weapon before Black Mesa. Not unless you count the butane powered tennis ball cannon I built when I was six." He said, as he chuckled a bit.

"Amazing..." Shepard uttered, as he nodded with a huge grin. "I guess that explains your weapon proficiency."

"I could really use you on my team Doctor." Shepard said, as he looked downward, placing his hands on his hips. "But I'll leave that up to you. At any rate, I have to be going, got some work to do, and some prisoners to che... Hey." He interrupted himself, as a thought crossed his mind, causing Gordon to look up at him.

"How'd you like to see the Beacon of Galactic Civilization?" The Commander asked Gordon, with a slick smile on his face.

"The beacon?" Gordon asked, intrigued.

"The Galactic Citadel." Shepard continued. "Fine dining, quality entertainment, and the best shops in the known galaxy."

"Heh..." Gordon chuckled under his breath. "Sure, sounds great. Especially compared to the Citadel I've seen."

"Good!" Shepard answered happily. "Well then, as I said; you're more than welcome to explore the ship. You should come out and meet the crew, just uh... steer clear of Garrus. And if you need anything, just let EDI know." Shepard nodded as he turned to walk out of the room.

"Commander, wait." Gordon called out, as Shepard stepped through the doorway, causing him to turn around and slowly walk back in. Gordon stood up from his seat, and turned to look out his window once more.

"If I decide, to take you up on that offer, and try and start a new life..." He began, as he stared out into the celestial twilight of the stars and the heavens. "What are your chances of being able to defeat the Combi... uh Reapers?"

"We're facing an enemy, we know very little about." Shepard answered, as he came up to stand behind Gordon. "An enemy capable of  enslaving entire species, simply with the will of mind. A fleet of bio-organic machines bent on harvesting all life in the known galaxy." Gordon watched Shepard's reflection in the glass, as he saw a look of dread overcome his face.

"What are our chances?" Shepard continued. "Slim... No matter what, they're slim. But I'd feel a lot better about our odds, with you on board."

Gordon was silent for a moment, as he looked out into the abyss. He thought about his life before Black Mesa. Then he thought about City 17; the genocide, and the indescribable evils he knew the Combine was capable of. He remembered the sharp spur of hope, that lit up on the peoples faces, when he'd show up. And he recalled the pride he took, in knowing that what he did, he did for them. Not for survival, not for self-gratification, he did it for them. Because it was the right thing to do.

Gordon turned to face the Commander, locking eyes with his. "Commander." He began, with a look of resolve on his face. "It would be my honor, to serve under you." Gordon affirmed, as he extended his hand.

A grin overtook Shepard's expression, as he shook his head. "No, Doctor Freeman." Shepard replied, extending his own hand to shake Gordon's. "It would be MY honor, to serve beside you."

In the blackness of space, and the void of the abyss, two men aboard the SR-2 Normandy, stood face to face, making a pact. Heroes may be but ordinary men, who do extraordinary things, at extraordinary times. But there are heroes, and then there are legends...