A/N: This is for tlcinbflo who's in love with Stokes, she threatened never to talk to me again if I killed him off ;p If you haven't read her fics you should. Stokes is an OC from my fic Careful What You Wish For.

The water went from a full flow to a trickle as the building shook around him. Sergeant Matt Stokes struggled to stay upright as his feet slipped on the wet tiles. Of course, whatever was going on had to happen now. He was naked in the shower. He supposed he was lucky he'd washed the shampoo out of his hair.

His first thought was earthquake and he tried to recall the procedure for staying safe. He sighed and reached for his towel, the first thing he had to do was get dressed. The building shook again. He gripped the shower screen as his feet slid out from under him.

'Fuck!' He landed on the floor with a slap as his buttocks hit the tiles and the towel landed in the still wet shower cubicle. 'What the hell is going on? And what is that noise?'

He picked up the now mostly wet towel and hurriedly dried off what he could before donning his uniform. Rubbing his backside, still smarting from hitting the floor, he stepped out of the bathroom. He stared, open mouthed, at what used to be the wall of the barracks. The entire side of the building was gone.

The end of his floor hung out over open space, reinforcing bars protruding like fingertips in fingerless gloves. Bits of rubble fell from the floors above, some catching the edge of his floor and tossing bits of concrete and dust across the room. Further out the building opposite had suffered the same fate, parts of the wall were missing yet strangely enough some sections were still intact.

When his mind caught up with what his eyes were seeing he hurriedly grabbed his boots that he'd left by the bathroom door and put them on. The building shook again as a shadow passed over him and a deafening sound made his ears vibrate. Everything went red and the building opposite was cut in two by a scorching beam that made the air around him sizzle. He watched as glass melted and the two halves fell apart in slow motion. People were jumping as the building toppled but they had little chance of survival as the red beam cut down everything in its path. The Reapers. It was the only thing it could be. As a gigantic black leg came down between him and the remains of the building across the street he knew for certain. If that was a leg just how big where these things. He leaned out to look just as the Reaper horn sounded and the building shook again.

It forced him into action. Adrenaline sent his system into overdrive and a kaleidoscope of butterflies suddenly started a freedom flight in his stomach, he fought down the urge to retch. Grabbing his pistol he rushed for the door, hoping the stairs were intact so he could get out. He came to a scrambling halt as he opened the door and almost tripped over a package. Mail. Really. He picked up the box and opened it, shaking his head at the surreal sense of it all. What he found inside made his pause worth it and he grinned at the note inside:

Use it wisely. Shepard

He lifted the omnitool from the box and slipped it onto his wrist, he'd have time later to figure it out. Right now he needed to get out, find his team and worry about surviving.

'Stokes, you in here?'

He looked up to see Buckner dashing up the stairs and he hurried to meet him. 'Yeah, what the hell is going on?'

'Reapers. Haven't you noticed?'

'Well I guess the new vista from my room gave me some idea, that and the huge leg that blocked my view,' he rolled his eyes and Buckner chuckled. 'Do we know where Vega and Shepard are?' He followed Buckner as he worked his way along the corridor, checking rooms as they went.

'Probably on the Normandy,' Buckner closed the last door before heading down the stairs. 'Saw her take off a short time ago so I'm assuming they made it.'

'So, what's the plan?' Stokes grimaced as they opened a door to find two female soldiers buried under rubble, their bloody, vacant eyes staring towards the door, begging to be saved.

'Find someone in charge and get orders,' Buckner knelt down and closed the eyes before gently shutting the door as they left.

'Any word on Zahedi?'

'No, last I saw he was heading to the cafeteria,' Buckner led the way down to street level and they stepped outside.

Stokes gagged on the smell of burnt flesh as they stepped over bodies. There were so many. They lined the street: their dry skin flaked away in the wind, black snowflakes that landed on his arms. He brushed them off hurriedly, the hair on his neck standing at attention as he shivered in distaste. The silence was eerie; the noise he heard earlier was gone, replaced by the occasional sound of falling rubble. It was suddenly broken by a sound they'd both come to hate in the simulator.

'Husks,' Buckner whispered and drew his assault rifle.

'Fuck!' Stokes cursed softly as they crept to the corner of the building. He raised his pistol and his omnitool, he was ready for anything.

They stepped around the corner and stopped. He wasn't ready for that. Buckner simply shook his head and walked forward.

'You are alive I see,' Zahedi grinned at them as the husks he was holding in stasis dropped, stunned and unable to stand.

Two marines behind him made sure they were dead, guts and gore splashing to the ground as the husks disintegrated under their fire. Buckner scraped the goo off his boots on a piece of rubble, Stokes couldn't see the point.

'Glad you made it,' Buckner climbed the mound of debris Zahedi was standing on.

'I am happy to see you too,' the biotic looked from one to the other. 'We were coming to find you.' He introduced his companions, 'Private Walker and Corporal Smith offered to accompany me.' Stokes and Buckner nodded in greeting.

'Do we know where command is being set up?' Buckner stood atop the mound and scanned the area around them.

'Yes, Admiral Anderson is in the operations centre under Alliance HQ.' Zahedi turned and led them along the ruined street.

'He didn't make it to the Normandy?' Stokes frowned at him.

'He did,' Zahedi stopped and listened, peering into the shadows where two buildings had collapsed against each other, their frames creaking as they settled like interlocked fingers. 'He sent Shepard to the Citadel but remained to make sure there was someone to take control. Many of the high ranking officers were inside HQ when it was destroyed.'

He walked towards the shadows, his hand glowing a soft blue as he squinted into the dark. Behind him Buckner and Stokes raised their weapons, knowing that if Zahedi was sensing something they should be ready too. Walker and Smith followed their lead. The biotic slowed his pace but the others could hear something now.

Suddenly Zahedi dashed forward, the blue glow vanishing from his hand as he crouched beneath a warped beam. They could all hear a child's sobs.

'Walker, Smith, we're eyes and ears. Stokes, help Zahedi,' Buckner turned to face the street his rifle raised and his eyes alert.

Stokes quickly moved beside Zahedi who was removing rubble to get at a small boy tucked between two large slabs of concrete. When they had a clear path Zahedi motioned Stokes forward. Stokes didn't know whether to be pleased or not that he was the smaller of the two men so would be able to manoeuvre more easily amid the debris. He crept forward, he reached out to the boy who looked up at him in panic. Stoked guessed he was about seven years old, it was hard to tell under the dust and dirt that caked his face, the only clean spot was a trail left by his tears.

'It's okay,' Stokes spoke softly, 'I'm not going to hurt you.' He shuffled closer and the boy appeared to relax. 'Let's get you out of here.'

'My mum,' the boy pointed to the slab of concrete behind him.

Stokes looked to where the slab had fallen, there was no way anyone could survive under that but he reached for the boy's hand, 'let me get you out and I'll have a look.'

The boy nodded and took his hand. Stokes was relieved the boy hadn't put up a fight as he squeezed past and Zahedi helped him get clear. Turning back to search for his mother was depressing because he was sure of what he would find. He crawled further into the cavity, moving debris carefully as he inched his way forward. What he should have done was followed the boy out, found someone who was more familiar with working in disaster zones. But he couldn't crawl out, he couldn't let the boy down.

Above him the building creaked and dust fell inside his shirt. So much for his shower. He grimaced as it made him itch but he kept moving forward. He found a spot where he could lay down and peer into a gap that the falling debris had created. It was as black as a moonless night and he had no hope of seeing anything inside.

'Hello, is anyone in here?' He waited but no response came.

He moved a few small pieces of debris, trying to let in some light. A larger piece took some effort but eventually it shifted.

'Fuck!' A hand fell and slapped him on the arm.

His heart pounded in his ears as he fought the urge to run. It took him a moment but eventually he was able to reach out and feel for a pulse. There was none. There was a bracelet though and he gently removed it, if it was the boy's mother he might recognise it and if nothing else it would be a keepsake. He carefully worked his way out and gulped in fresh air as he finally stood in daylight. Zahedi handed him a bottle of water, which he drank eagerly.

'Did you find her,' the boy looked up at him with eyes that pleaded for a positive answer.

Stokes crouched down to meet his eyes, 'is this hers?' He held up the bracelet and the boy nodded, his bottom lip trembled as tears built.

'She's dead, isn't she?'

Stokes wanted to cry too, he simply nodded and the boy wrapped his arms around his neck. Warm tears wet his collar as Stokes held the boy while he cried. He glanced up at Zahedi who nodded, Buckner was watching and Stokes could see that even he wasn't unaffected.

'We need to move,' Buckner said softly.

Stokes gently pulled the boy back. 'What's your name?'

'Simon,' he took a deep breath and wiped his tears away. It left a clean swipe across his cheeks where the dust smudged and Stokes resisted the urge to try to clean away more.

'Simon, I'm Stokes.' He introduced the others and was in awe of the boy's composure as he nodded at the rest of the group. 'We're going to take you someplace safe, okay.'

Simon nodded again. Stokes stood and Simon took his hand, he was trembling but he stepped forward bravely and Stokes found it hard to fight back tears at the boy's nerve. They moved out, Buckner and Zahedi taking point, Stokes and Simon following, Walker and Smith bringing up the rear.

It took them almost six hours to travel seven blocks. Bodies littered the streets, lying where they fell, burnt, crushed, dismembered and flyblown. It seemed mother nature was carrying on as usual. He tried to protect Simon from most of it but it was impossible. He heard the boy gasp as they tripped over arms or legs with no body attached, it was a nightmare made real. When they came across Reaper troops they could only call cannibals they shuddered in horror but made each shot count as they interrupted their feasting.

Where streets were blocked they wormed their way through or around ruined buildings, constantly on edge as debris tumbled or the ground shook as a Reaper came closer and it's deafening foghorn made them cringe. Anxiety made them jump as the shuffling of rats or other unknown animals made them fear attack from Reaper troops. Once or twice they came across dogs making the most of free meat, their threatening growls and snarls a warning to stay away. It turned Stokes' stomach and from the grimaces on the faces of his team theirs too. It was amazing how fast things had fallen apart. It was only a matter of hours since the Reapers hit but already nature was taking its course, there was no-one around to take stock, to collect the dead and identify the remains. The number of people who would never be found was incomprehensible.

They found pockets of resistance, Alliance soldiers protecting civilians, some of whom had taken up weapons to assist. There was no hesitation on their part as they helped take down husks and other horrible creatures that fell from the sky. Their group got bigger around almost every corner as they approached HQ. Joining up and working with others to ensure survival. Stokes was a little surprised that there were very few officers among them, Buckner ended up conferring with the only other lieutenant who seemed to have any combat experience. Between them they saw to the safety of their group. Eventually they walked into the command centre.

'Well, if you aren't a welcome sight,' Anderson looked up as they entered and Stokes got the impression he was genuinely happy to see them. 'Grab a drink, some food and then you can give me a sit-rep.'

Stokes made sure Simon was settled, the boy was reluctant to let go but a woman convinced him to go with her so she could get his details in case someone was looking for him. Stokes grabbed a few energy bars and water before joining Zahedi on a crate. They watched as civilians and soldiers alike collapsed to the floor. Some simply sat and stared, others buried their heads in their hands, the more experienced soldiers grabbed sleep while they could.

The sound of people crying echoed around the large underground field hospital. It seemed the brass had been preparing even though they hadn't acknowledged the truth of Shepard's words. There was hope here, these people had survived so far, and yet there was also defeat. It was in the eyes of those who looked up every time someone came through the door, the sadness that came with it not being the one they expected.

'There are not many people here,' Stokes was thinking aloud as he chewed absently on a tasteless energy bar, but Zahedi nodded in agreement.

'We can only hope they have made it to other shelters or out of the city.'

'Where do you think Shepard is, and Vega, did he make it out?' Stokes drank his water and its coldness running down his throat was nice, normal. But what was normal now.

'Perhaps we should ask Admiral Anderson.' Zahedi slid off the crate and Stokes followed.

They passed a small alcove where chaotic communication networks spewed out updates. The numbers were large, unimaginable. Could the human race come back from this? Anderson looked up as they stepped into the area set aside for command. Buckner was already there. There were a few other officers gathered around the holographic map of the city as Anderson gave them orders and sent them on their way.

'Zahedi, Stokes,' Anderson acknowledged their salute. 'I'm glad to see you made it.' He pointed to a spot on a map and Buckner nodded. 'Shepard and Vega will be relieved, if we can ever contact them.' The frustration in his voice was crystal clear.

'So they made it off Earth then?' Stokes was smiling. They were in an underground bunker and the world above was going to hell but he finally had a reason to smile.

'Yes, she's out there gathering help as we speak,' Anderson's face relaxed and for a moment he seemed at peace.

'Zahedi, want more action?' Buckner checked his rifle and grinned at the biotic.

'If that is where the Admiral feels I am most useful.' Zahedi looked to Anderson who nodded. 'Very well, I will restock my ammunition and medical supplies.' He and Buckner went to leave the room.

'Need another gun?' Stokes went to follow, he was part of their team and being left behind didn't feel right.

'Not you, Stokes,' Anderson held up his hand. 'You're my tech expert, I need you here.'

'You guys had better come back or Shepard and Vega will have your asses.' Stokes grinned as they waved at him. He turned back to Anderson, 'where do you need me, sir?'

'We're having problems with the QEC. No-one here has had experience with the system and I know you probably haven't either but you're a genius with this stuff.' He brought up a system diagnostic and network profile, Stokes leaned in close for a better look. 'With Arcturus gone the network collapsed and we have to find a way round it. Communication buoys are destroyed so organising our defence relies on this.'

'So no pressure then,' Stokes smirked.

The system became an image in his mind. It was something he'd always done without realising it, he had a natural ability to translate code or diagrams into three dimensional images. He could follow their lines, see how information travelled the system. It made him good, and fast, at what he did.

'Think you can work with it?'

'Yes sir,' he nodded but his eyes were already moving from one point to another, tracking what needed to be adjusted, discarded or added.

'Good,' Anderson let out the breath he'd been holding as he sent the information to Stokes' omnitool. 'We need this up and running ASAP so we can contact Hackett and the Normandy. It also needs to be portable and quick to set up and dismantle. We will be on the move before long.'

'Roger that sir,' he stepped back. 'Point me in the direction.'

It felt good to be useful. It took almost two days and a lot of cursing before Stokes was happy to test the QEC. The people Anderson had tasked with getting it working were good but he was better. It wasn't ego, it was simply the truth. They realised it and followed his lead.

'Okay, let's do this.' He activated the system, sending Anderson a message to let him know they were about to ping Hackett.

On the third attempt there was a subdued cheer when the ping was returned. Anderson walked in just as Stokes fired up the full communication array and Hackett appeared. It was fuzzy and broken but he was there. Stokes and his crew immediately went to work cleaning it up.

'David?' Hackett's frown could be heard if not seen.

'Steven,' Anderson stepped up to the console. 'Damn it's good to hear your voice.'

'What the hell were you thinking? Staying on Earth instead of leaving on the Normandy?'

'Someone had to,' Anderson shrugged. 'Command was in tatters, the Reapers took out HQ and most of the officers with it. I've got a few coming in who weren't at HQ or were on leave but we don't have a complete command structure yet.'

'How bad is it?' Hackett's image cleared, he looked tired and haggard.

'Bad. Thousands, probably millions dead so far and it's only the beginning.' Anderson was shaking his head but he sucked in a breath and focused his gaze on the wavering image of Hackett. 'Have you heard from Shepard?'

'Yes, she's on her way to Palaven to rescue the Primarch for a summit so the Council can decide what to do.'

'I bet she hates that,' Anderson chuckled and beside him Stokes laughed softly.

'She's doing what she has to, it's the only way we'll get help for Earth, hell, for the galaxy.' Hackett's sigh was loud through the com. 'Alenko was injured on Mars, it's not good. But Liara found something, a possible weapon. It's only a blueprint but I've set up a project team to see if we can build it.'

Stokes' head popped up and Anderson laughed. 'Any chance you can send it through, I've got a couple of techies here that would love to get their hands on it. Might help.'

'Will do,' Hackett glanced at something off screen. 'I'm relieved you've got the QEC up and running, after Arcturus going down … let's just say its good news amid the bad.'

'We haven't reached the Normandy yet but we'll keep trying.'

'I'm sure Shepard would be glad to hear from you,' Hackett chuckled and Stokes got the feeling she was bombarding him every time they spoke. 'Take care David, we'll talk soon. Hackett out.'

Anderson dropped his head onto his chest and closed his eyes. Stokes could only imagine the pressure he was under. He was pretty much the highest ranking officer left so everything fell on his shoulders. His decision to stay was their best chance of survival. There was no way to truly thank anyone for that other than to be there when they needed help.

Stokes was well aware of the personal link Anderson had with Shepard and Vega so if he could ease some of that pressure by getting the link to work he would do his absolute best to succeed. Anderson took a deep breath and pulled himself erect before stepping back from the console.

'Good job, Stokes,' he placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

'We will keep trying to reach the Normandy, sir,' Stokes nodded.

'I'm sure you'll succeed.'

The room shook around them and they both looked up in concern. The bunker was reinforced to withstand heavy bombardment but could it outlast a Reaper: time would tell.

'We may need to move sooner rather than later,' Anderson commented before patting Stokes' shoulder and leaving the room.

It took longer than expected but finally they received a ping back from the Normandy. But that was all they got. Stokes growled in frustration, it had to be something on the Normandy end. He studied the diagnostics for a while, worked out where things might be going wrong and figured out how to piggyback a message on the ping he sent out. His only fear was that the tech on the other end wasn't smart enough to find it.

There was nothing they could do but wait. Stokes paced silently, his crew disappeared randomly and they even brought him something that passed for coffee. While he waited he investigated the omnitool Shepard had bought for him, his grin plastered to his face as he checked out the features.

'Yes!' He activated the omniblade function, his crew jumped back in surprise but he ignored them.

He waved the blade around in the air, getting a feel for it. He realised his crew were staring at him open mouthed and he laughed.

'A gift from Shepard,' he shrugged as if that explained everything. From the questioning looks he got he guessed it hadn't.

He was about to continue when the QEC pinged and an image flashed up. It didn't last but he quickly moved back to the console. He tweaked his own settings, using what extra power he could to pull in the signal. Once again it crackled to life and his smile almost split his face in two. He sent a quick message to Anderson as the connection stabilised.

'We have you now, Normandy. Great job.'

'Stokes?' A fuzzy image appeared but that shape could only belong to one person.

'Vega, that you?' If Stokes could smile any wider he would, there was a huge sense of relief in finally hearing the voice that had become important to him. Not just as his commanding officer but as a friend. Knowing he was alive brightened his world considerably.

'Stokes, you're alive.' James' voice broke and Stokes realised that Vega wouldn't have news from Earth, wouldn't know whether they'd survived or not. 'What about the rest of the team?'

'Alive and kicking Reaper ass,' Stokes was laughing as he cleared the image, 'glad to hear you made it to the Normandy.' He felt a trembling hand on his shoulder and didn't need to turn to see who it was. 'Is Shepard around, there's someone here who wants to speak with her.'

'Anderson,' James grinned as the admiral stepped into view. 'Damn it's good to see you sir.'

Stokes stepped back but didn't leave the room, just in case he needed to fix something. He could see the emotion on Anderson's face and it made him realise that he might be the man in charge, might have the weight of a planet on his shoulders but he was only human. Shepard's voice was music to his ears and the obvious emotion in her voice made him tear up. He was partly responsible for easing the burden on two people who had the most important jobs in the galaxy right now, making sure they survived. He would never forget this moment.

Eventually, reluctantly Anderson had to step back and close the connection but Stokes could see the relief in his eyes. He took a moment to collect himself before turning to Stokes and smiling.

'Thank you, Stokes,' the admiral's smile turned into the widest grin he'd ever seen on the man's face. It seemed out of place on the face of an admiral but on the face of the man beneath it was wonderful. 'You have no idea how much this means.'

'I think I do, sir,' he smiled and his hand unconsciously rested on the omnitool Shepard had given him.

Anderson studied him for a moment, 'Yes, you probably do,' he squared his shoulders and his face became serious, 'time to get back to work. Are you ready to move if we have to?'

'Yes, sir, we've got everything ready to go. So far we're at five minutes but we're working on it.' He grinned as the admiral nodded, 'now we've locked the signal we can contact them immediately once we're stopped again.'

'That's good to know,' Anderson nodded and continued, 'we need regular updates to and from Hackett and the Normandy. That's your job now Stokes, are you ready for that.'

'Yes sir,' he snapped to attention and saluted. 'It's an honour sir,' he relaxed and grinned at the admiral who was shaking his head, 'I won't let you down, sir.'

'No Stokes, I don't think you will.' With a final nod Anderson was gone.

Stokes allowed himself a moment of self-satisfaction for a job well done before turning and calling his crew back. Five minutes was too long, they had to do better. With renewed energy he and his crew set about doing just that.