Welcome everybody to something I have been working on for a fairly long time now. Give or take a year. This chapter has been through more iterations than anything I've worked on to date, at least five different versions of this chapter exist in my files. So just to give a little more information, this is a Horizon: Zero Dawn/Overwatch/Mass Effect crossover that has been brewing in my head for a long time and I am happy to present to you the very first chapter of Beyond Horizon. The first part will be known as First Contact, focussing on bringing this version of Earth (A mashup of the HZD and OW timelines) to the Galaxy of ME. So mostly pre-game story will be going on here and I hope to not have it go for too long, my aim is around five to eight chapters detailing the events this Humanity joining the galactic community.

A heads up, I do not plan to tell a "Humanity, F*ck Yeah!" story. If you came here looking for that, I'm afraid I must leave you disappointed. If you also came here looking to see some of your favorite human characters from Mass Effect, I must again leave you disappointed. The component stories making up this one have a ton of characters and honestly, I don't need the extra weight, so most of the humans from ME are being replaced or fused with characters from the other two. Yes, even Shepard. Going to be honest, as a game character, Shepard is fine, especially FemShep, but without the gameplay and player choices, in written form, Shepard just doesn't interest me. The luxury of deciding Shep's character in-game doesn't translate well all too often as Shep is meant to be an avatar for the player and not a really well fleshed out character. Have no fear though, all of your favorite alien characters will be present, in one form or another. Given that there is still a huge roster, some people are going to be regulated to either cameos or side characters.

That's really all I can think of for the pre-story breakdown, so without further ado, let's get this train moving.

Beyond Horizon: First Contact

Chapter 1

The End

.xVIx.

Elisabet Sobeck looked tiredly at her computer monitor. Numbers and letters flashed by as the machine ran through its calculations. She mindlessly stared at the digital information as it flashed.

"Elisabet?" a synthetic voice spoke up.

The redhead snapped out of it and shook her head. "Sorry about that. Where was I?"

"You were telling a story."

"Right. Yeah… so umm… like I was saying, it was a children's electronics kit, but I'd hacked the wiring to an auto battery and solar PV, so the grass caught fire. And uh… so did a tall pine that'd stood there, I don't know, maybe a hundred years."

"Query: You were how old?"

"Six. My mother was home, thank god, so she called the fire department and after, she took me out on the lawn and showed me the dead baby birds. Because there were nests in the pine tree."

"Query: What did you feel?"

"I'm not sure. I remember yelling that I didn't care. And that's when my mother took my face in her hands and… spoke."

"Query: What did she say?"

"She said I had to care. She said, 'Elisabet, being smart will count for nothing if you don't make the world better. You have to use your smarts to count for something, to serve life, not death.'"

"You often tell stories of your mother. But you are childless."

Elisabet sighed before speaking again. "I never had time." She glanced at the monitor again, reminding her of what was happening and why she was here. "Guess it was for the best."

"If you had had a child, Elisabet, what would you have wished for him or her?"

"I guess… I would have wanted her to be… curious. And willful – unstoppable even… but with enough compassion to… heal the world… just a little bit."

Once again she found her mind being dragged back out of the present moment, to what was happening somewhere far away. Men and women giving their lives so that her project would have the time it needed to be completed. For her to teach this electronic mind asking her questions that it had to care in order for life to continue. Another shake of her head brought her back to the present.

"Anyway, that's all I've got for now GAIA. Time to tuck in."

"I wish you a pleasant sleep, Elisabet."

Elisabet felt a touch of warmth hearing GAIA say that. "Thank you. I'll catch you tomorrow."

…

Elisabet walked slowly through the halls of the bunker hidden deep beneath one of Utah's many national parks. While she took this walk every day on her way back from talking with GAIA, she never really paid all that much attention to what was actually around her. Today she made the effort to actually look around. She wasn't surprised that it looked much like anywhere else in the base. Perhaps she had been hoping for something different, a break from what she had become accustomed to during her time here.

She let out a sigh. How she wished there were windows but she knew that would never happen. Ironic really, being shut away from the world she was trying to save. No, not save. There was no saving anyone now. All she could do now was ensure that there would be a future for life on the planet to return.

She once again found herself not paying attention to her surroundings that she failed to notice that she wasn't the only one in the hall. A bump and a breath of protest later, she found herself on the floor.

"Oh shi… Doctor Sobeck? Sorry about that, I was in a bit of a rush. I didn't see you there." a male voice said.

Elisabet looked up at the man who she ran into. She saw dark skin, black hair, barely maintained facial hair, and a scarred face.

"Please, pay it no mind. I am as much at fault as you are. I was… lost in thought." she said as he reached down a hand, which she took. He hefted her to her feet. He gave her a brief once over, making sure she wasn't too injured.

"You sure you're alright? I was really rushing there," he asked with a concerned look on his face.

She gave herself a mental examination and felt nothing immediately wrong. "I think I'll manage. Thank you for your concern Mr.… I want to say… Reyes?"

That got a smile and a chuckle out of him. "Hell, I didn't even think you would know that much, given how busy you are. Name's Gabriel Reyes, head of security here; for the time being anyway."

That struck a bit of recognition in Elisabet, many of the non-essential personnel here were soon to be transferred to other facilities as completion of Project: Zero Dawn neared. She herself was set to be relocated to GAIA's prime facility to the north in the next month or so along with the rest of the Alpha team. This actually made her wonder where Reyes was going to end up. Why? Perhaps it was because he was the first person she actually remembered the name of for the first time in months, aside from her team that is.

"Yes… I myself will be relocating soon when the project gets closer to being finished."

Reyes chuckled again. "Yeah, well, can't really say that I regret being moved. Much as I've enjoyed the downtime here, I'm itching to put my skills to good use." He said this last bit with a small frown. Elisabet could sympathize; she couldn't imagine not putting her intelligence to work for the betterment of the world. It must've felt positively dreadful for him, from what she could tell he was a man who took his job seriously. She trailed her eyes over his uniform which fit his build quite well. Not that she would let this get to her. If she didn't have time before, she most certainly didn't now. Still, if only…

"Uh… Doc? You ok there?"

"Hmm…? Oh, my apologies. It's been a long day and I was actually on my way to my quarters when I bumped into you."

"Been there. Here, let me escort you to your room. It's the least I can do."

"Didn't you have someplace to be?"

Yet another smile from him. "It can wait."

For the first time that evening, Elisabet smiled.

.xVx.

"Query: Elisabet, you seem… different. Has something changed?"

Elisabet was at her work station as always, but this time she felt… lively, for the first time in a long time. She looked at the terminal that was GAIA's link to the world at large, a holographic sphere that reminded the scientist of a floating eyeball. While there were plans later to integrate a program that would allow the AI to create a more personalized form for herself, for now, she had this sphere.

She smiled at it, as she didn't really believe the sphere to be GAIA herself. GAIA was so much more than this simple representation couldn't possibly encompass the entirety of the AI. GAIA had to be able to see into the world though, so for now, this simple machine would have to do.

"What makes you say that, GAIA?" Elisabet asked; a small smile on her lips.

"Your vitals are different from any other time that you've been here. Those times your blood pressure and temperature were within acceptable ranges. Today your vitals are slightly higher. Are you ill?"

"No GAIA, I'm not ill, but you are right. There has been… a change… to things."

"May I ask what?"

"You may, but I have a question for you first. What have I been talking to you about?"

"You have been telling me stories of your life, why you do what you do. You want me to… care, I believe. Care about the life that you are leaving in my… hands? Elisabet, do I have hands? If not, why? Hands look most useful."

Elisabet snorted at the question. She most certainly did not program or teach her that; definitely a good sign. "GAIA, by the time you're given the reins to Zero Dawn, you will have more hands than you'll know what to do with."

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Elisabet."

"But yes, I have been teaching you about life and why it's important that you care. Today I want to teach you something else, something that until now I don't think I would have been able to teach you anything about."

"And what would that be Elisabet?"

"I want to teach you about love."

...

"… So you and… Gabriel, was it? You two are in love?"

"I wouldn't say that; maybe if things were different. Maybe if the world wasn't the way it is now, we could be."

"Does this not defeat the purpose of this lesson then?"

"No. How to say this… I have made it my purpose in life to make the world better. That never really left any room for romance. Sure, there have been men throughout my life who I could have been with, but my work came first. Things with Gabriel are different. To be completely honest, I don't think we would have met outside of here. Our lives up till now have been so different from each other. Honestly, it could just be the tension of the situation. With the end nearing we could just be going into each other's arms out of some sense of misplaced emotions due to the stress. I would like to believe that our feelings are more than that though. Not that we'll have time to explore that avenue."

"You said Mr. Reyes will be leaving soon did you not? Is that why you won't be able to see if what you're feeling is more?"

"Mostly, yes. I can't say for sure though. These feelings are new to me. I have never experienced anything quite like them." Elisabet looked at nothing in particular, her gaze set to something far in the distance. "Honestly I feel a little bitter about it."

"And why is that, Elisabet?"

She thought about her words for a second. "It's unfair. It's unfair that I found someone who makes me feel this way with only months left for everyone. It's unfair that I can't spend more time with him because my time with you is more important. I don't blame you. I could never blame you. You are the closest thing to family I have right now, along with the rest of Alpha team." A tear began to form at the corner of her eye. "It's unfair that I wish that I never met him, that I met him sooner."

She paused. "Love… is a complicated emotion, GAIA. It's led people to do great things, terrible things. It has been the cause of incredible happiness, horrifying anger, and unthinkable sorrow. It's what people from all over the world strive for."

"And you wish me to feel this emotion? You want me to… love?"

"I do. Perhaps not the love felt between two people have for one another. Love comes in all shapes and forms GAIA. What I feel is only one way."

"These stories you tell of your mother, are they also to show me what love is?"

"While I didn't think of it quite that way, yes, yes it is. The love between mother and child is a bond that cannot easily be broken. I loved my mother very much, it hurts every time I think about her."

"Query: You say it hurts. Does this emotion of love cause harm to you?"

"Not the way you're thinking. It doesn't cause physical harm, not normally anyway. I am reminded of a certain quote popularized by Queen Elizabeth the Second but really it came from a Dr. Colin Murray Parkes. 'The pain of grief is just as much part of life as the joy of love: it is perhaps the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment. To ignore this fact, or to pretend that it is not so, is to put on emotional blinkers which leave us unprepared for the losses that will inevitably occur in our own lives and unprepared to help others cope with losses in theirs.'"

All was quiet for a moment as Elisabet finished her quote.

"Grief is the price we pay for love."

"That's the shortened version of it yes, where did you read that?"

"I came across it earlier in my construction, building my foundations. It didn't mean much to me then, but now I feel it may hold greater importance to my purpose."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"A mother is capable of great things where her children are in danger. I have records of one such mother lifting a vehicle off of her child, a degree of strength that is uncommon in humans. A mother grizzly will protect her cubs with reckless abandon. A dog whose offspring perished in a fire was heartbroken until she was given kittens to take care of. By all accounts, a mother's love is a powerful force to be reckoned with."

"That's one way to put it I suppose. Tell me, GAIA, would you consider yourself the mother of the new world?"

"… I am unsure. I am still learning from you and it would be irresponsible of me to make assumptions about my position until the time comes."

"That's okay. We're making progress. This is a good step you've taken GAIA."

"Thank you, Elisabet."

.xIVx.

Elisabet sat at the large conference table, looking at the hologram at the center of it. She fought off the urge to simply end the transmission for she held no desire to actually speak with the person on the other side. Ted Faro was the sole reason that the Earth was ending, him and his need to be the one to have a solution to the Omnic crisis. It was his robots that were out there ravaging the planet. It was his company that sent them out without properly making sure that they had required safeguards in place. He was responsible for it all and he had the nerve to be here asking her for help.

"What is it this time, Ted? More talk about how we're cursing the next generation by giving them our history and knowledge? Or are you here to try and have your hand in all of this deleted from APOLLO? I don't care what you want! I have better things to be doing right now than listening to you!"

"Elisabet, please, hold on. This isn't about that, I swear." Ted managed to get in, his holographic hands up in a placating manner. "This is really important."

"I. Do. Not. Care!" Elisabet shouted as she tried to shut down the hologram only to find that it remained on. Seeing that she couldn't turn it off, she opted to simply leave.

"Elisabet! Please, I need to tell someone about this! GAIA! Omega override! Shut the door!"

A whir and a hiss and the door out of the room closed and locked. That wasn't what stopped Elisabet though. It was Ted's words.

"What… was that? Ted, what did you do?" she asked as she turned, horror-struck at what she just learned meant. "What have you done?"

"I'm sorry. You… you weren't supposed to know about that."

"Omega level clearance? That shouldn't be possible! How did you do it?"

"That's not important. I need you to listen to me. This could be the single most important thing to happen in the history of mankind."

"Listen to you? Listen to you!? We're in this position because of you! And now I find out that you have clearance over GAIA that overrides my own? I not only shouldn't be listening to you, I should be reporting you! You just put this entire project in jeopardy! Everything we've worked for and all the lives sacrificed… and you pull this?"

Ted remained still, staring at Elisabet, who was now hyperventilating. As far as she was concerned, it was all over. There was no way Ted would let something like this get out. He had control of GAIA, he could do anything he wanted now and there wasn't a damned thing she could do to stop him.

"Elisabet."

And he wouldn't stop there, he couldn't let her go now, knowing what she did. He was going to have to get rid of her. How would he do it? Given the distance between them, he would have to use remote functions. Vacuum seal the room with her in it? Increase the temperature until she collapsed? Nanites in the air?

"Elisabet!"

She couldn't believe it was going to end like this. She knew she only had months left, hell, some of her Alphas have already clocked out early. She couldn't blame them really, their jobs were finished, they didn't have much to look forward to except the end of all life on Earth. Figures this would be how she went out, at the hands of Ted Faro no less, how undignified.

"Oh for… GAIA!"

"Yes, Mr. Faro?"

"Delete Omega clearance access. Holder: T. Faro."

"Deleting. Access removed…. …What happened? Elisabet? There appear to be several minutes missing from my memory logs."

Elisabet shook her head at GAIA's voice, finally bringing her back to reality. Only then did it sink in what had just happened. She looked at Ted's projection.

"I don't… why?"

"As I said, this is more important. Are you willing to listen to me now?"

Well, this was different. Ted wasn't one to give up any kind of control; it was one of the main reasons why she left his company in the first place.

She could only look at the floor as she tried to recover.

"Eyes up, Elisabet. I need you to see this." Ted said as the hologram changed to a planetary view. The first thing Elisabet noticed was that it wasn't Earth, it was Mars. She took a breath and managed to shake off the feelings that had paralyzed her. She wasn't sure what this was about, but it seemed that she wasn't as in immediate danger as she thought.

"Mars? Ted, we already tried that. If we had more time maybe we could have run there, but as things are, that simply isn't viable. Why do you even have this, these look like recent models."

"I've been looking at the data sent by the drones up there. I find it relaxing, just staring at the raw data and images, given everything going on I needed an escape. Anyway, it was during one of these sessions when I came across this." The image zoomed in on Mars southern pole, which started to go fuzzy, almost as though there was interference.

That got Elisabet's attention. "That's not right. Those drones receivers were designed to transmit through any natural magnetic interference, we shouldn't be getting something like that from there."

"That's what I thought so I took a closer look. Nobody's looked into these in months, so I took the liberty of hijacking one of the drones that discovered the anomaly. Taking a closer look and running some deep scans, this…" Another zoom in, this time a fuzzy but still recognizable image of a large building came into view. "…is what showed up."

"But, we never made it to Mars. We scrapped everything space-related after The Odyssey exploded. How can…" Then it hit her. "No. It can't be."

"It is. That is an alien structure, buried beneath the surface of Mars. Judging from what little I can see here, this appears to be a hangar of some kind, possibly a warehouse. Not that it matters. We're never going to see what's up there." Ted's hologram gave a halfhearted grin. "The irony, we finally discover that we're not alone in the universe on the verge of our own extinction."

Elisabet knew what he meant. Despite their falling out and vastly different philosophies, Ted and she understood each other better than most. She was well aware of how he was feeling right because she was feeling it too.

"We can't tell this to anybody, can we?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"We could; wouldn't change anything though. We gain nothing and offer nothing by telling others of this discovery."

"Then why did you tell me?"

"Because even though this information is useless to us now; it will be relevant to those who come after." The hologram shifted once again, this time to raw data and code. "I showed you because I needed you to understand why I'm presenting this."

Elisabet looked at the data being shown to her. It didn't take her long to realize what it was. "This code is for a sub-function. Ted, you made this?"

Rather than answering, he instead began scrolling through his code. "We aren't alone. Out there somewhere is an advanced alien species who visited our celestial neighbor and left an outpost. Were they there to watch us? Planning to invade? We don't know. In the event of facing the unknown, it's best to have contingencies. Those who come after us are going to need everything we have to offer."

"Does this mean you've changed your mind about APOLLO?"

"I haven't changed my mind about anything. I still think APOLLO is a curse, but without it, those people are going to be defenseless. Much as I want them to be free, it would be pointless if they die because they don't have it. I'm prioritizing, nothing more. There is a greater threat out there that we know nothing about. They will need every advantage, everything we can offer."

"Even if they know your role in everything that's happened?"

"Does that matter anymore? This is bigger than me. Much as I hate what my legacy has become, that pales in comparison to alien life. With that said, GAIA won't be enough."

Elisabet remained silent, knowing that Ted would continue without her input as he fell into what he did best; pitching.

"GAIA will bring life back to the world after we're gone. But what purpose will she serve after that? I know the plan is to ween humanity away from her after a few generations, but she'll still be there. Still doing her work to ensure that the planet lives on." The hologram shifted again, this time to GAIA's sub-functions. A small animation played out showing a new sub-function being added to the rest. The symbol for this one appeared to be reminiscent of two crossed swords behind a small shield. "This new function to GAIA will allow her to do what is necessary to protect not only the planet but those who inhabit it as well. I know that neither you nor GAIA herself wants to willingly harm others, but should push come to shove, she's going to need teeth to continue her job. A shield to guard them when they need it. A sword raised to fight for them when they can't do it themselves. Should humankind ever need a stalwart protector, GAIA will be it."

His hologram stood there, his face a mix of relief and smugness. Elisabet had to admit, he made a solid point. Knowing what she did now, it would be irresponsible of her to leave the people she was doing this for unprotected. There was no telling how long it would take the next generations to get to a point where they began to reach for the stars, rebuilding their society could take centuries and that would leave them vulnerable. It wouldn't do to leave them without some form of protection while they did that. But, it wasn't her call. Not anymore.

"GAIA. What do you think?"

GAIA didn't immediately respond and it took a few moments before she spoke.

"… A mother grizzly will protect her cubs with reckless abandon. If I am to be the mother of the new society, I do not see any reason why I wouldn't want to protect them. That is what you wanted for me, is it not?"

"That's not quite what I was asking, GAIA. What do you want? Do you or do you not want this added to your functions?"

"… I do not think it is a matter of what I want, Elisabet. It is a matter of what needs to be done. I currently do not have the means to defend anyone. My teachings and programming dictate what I do onc… once you are gone. The machines I will build are not meant for combat nor do I think they should be. But should the situation arise where I will need to do something in defense of humanity, it would be wise to have the means to be prepared."

"Why are we bothering asking a machine what it wants? If you want her to have it just say the word." Ted scoffed.

Elisabet rounded on the hologram, her eyes hard. "If you've been following my work at all Ted, you'd know that GAIA isn't just some machine to be ordered around. She is the most advanced AI to ever be created, stronger than those God AI's Omnica and SST boasted so much about. She is free to choose whether or not this is something she wants."

"Even if it means the total destruction of mankind? Again?"

"If GAIA is going to bring back humanity from the ashes, she needs to care. In order for her to care, she has to have free will. Why argue this now? She agreed with you when you brought up the possibility that she may become corrupt and need a failsafe. How is this any different?"

Ted didn't respond, only began pacing in agitation.

"Elisabet. Mr. Faro. This argument is unnecessary. As I did then, I will do so now; this is a precaution that hopefully will never be needed but would not be unwelcome should the situation call for it."

Elisabet knew this would be the case and smiled silently to herself. Ted, on the other hand, did a double take before regaining his composure and put on his own smug grin.

"I see you've managed to teach her how to be pragmatic, Elisabet. Since my clearance is now gone, you'll have to be the one to initiate the upload."

"Not yet, Ted. I want to go over this with GAIA and see if there is anything that can be done to improve upon it. That and to make sure that it's clean. Despite your change of heart, I still don't trust you. Rest assured that I will keep you up to date on the progress."

"We don't have time for that! We need to upload this right away!"

"I'll make time. Or have you forgotten the last time you rushed something out half-assed? Any idea you have about this function you will run by me first. Besides, you have the general set up mostly done so we should only need a few days at least to run diagnostics and make sure everything is up to par."

Ted again didn't respond and turned away. A curt "Fine." was his reply.

"Now with that out of the way, we need to discuss what we're going to do with this knowledge."

Ted relaxed his shoulders and turned back around. "I don't know. I've been thinking about it ever since I saw the data. Should we have GAIA hold the info until mankind is ready to receive it? Or should we let them find out for themselves? I can't…" Ted trailed off, unable to think of what to say.

Elisabet nodded her head in agreement. She was beginning to see why he didn't sit on this and why he brought her into the loop. Clearly, this weighed heavily on him and he couldn't deal with the knowledge alone. Hell, she could barely contemplate it. But he did seem to know the best options to go with.

"Perhaps we should let them find it on their own. If we tell them too soon, they may focus on that rather than rebuilding."

"Elisabet, if I may," GAIA interjected. "I believe that the best course of action to take is to allow them to reach a point where their technology will allow them to reach outside the confines of the planet. Once they have done so, I will inform them of this discovery. Seeing that I can't say much more other than showing them the information that has been revealed just now, it would be best to let them decide what to do with it."

"So you tell them once they're able to actually do something about it and let them decide how to proceed?" Ted commented. "It's probably the best we can do. Not like we're going to be around to call the shots."

Elisabet nodded, it did seem the best way to go. And yes, they weren't going to be around to see it. In the end, it was up to GAIA to let the future know about what they were up against. It was up to them to go to mars and discover what lay up there. After that… well, no point dwelling on it, they would never know the answer. Elisabet called up a digital keyboard and input a few keystrokes.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get this done."

.xIIIx.

Elisabet awoke to the blaring of her alarm clock and for once was annoyed for it. For once she wanted to stay in bed for just a little longer. A tired groan emanated from behind her as an arm reached over and slammed down on the noisy device, silencing it. A smile found its way to her lips as she remembered the previous night. While nothing had really happened, it was still nice to just spend the night in the arms of someone she cared for. She rolled over to see the face of Gabriel, his eyes still scrunched together as he fought off consciousness. The battle was in vain though, as he let out a sigh and opened his eyes. Elisabet watched as his eyes began to focus on her and she smiled as he recognized where he was.

He saw her and grinned a little. "Morning, Sunshine."

"Morning, uh… sorry, I'm not good with nicknames."

He gave her a quick peck on her forehead. "Don't worry about it, never really liked nicknames for me anyway. I don't even like it when people call me Gabe."

"Hmm…. Guess it's a good thing then that I like your name as is," she said as she snuggled a little closer to him. She couldn't help but withhold a chuckle, look at her, in her forties and acting like a hormone-driven teenager. Still, both of them knew that this couldn't last. The only reason he was here with her at all was that this was to be his last day in this bunker.

The smile that had graced her lips quickly vanished as she remembered that. Sensing her mood, Gabriel pulled her into their embrace a little tighter.

"I wish you didn't have to go."

"I know. But I'm needed, just as you're needed."

"I wish I had met you sooner."

"I don't. I may not look it, but outside here, away from you, I'm not a nice person. There's a reason I don't like nicknames."

"What are you called out there?"

Gabriel was silent; clearly, he didn't want to answer. "They call me The Reaper." He ran his fingers over the scars that were present on his face. "I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of, but I'm good at what I do. It's why the government wanted me for their little program." He gestured at the scares on his arm where several injection sites were.

The look she saw in his eyes broke her heart a little. While she saw a man with strong convictions and an unwavering will, he saw something else. In his eyes, he was nothing more than a killer, a monster. She put her fingers to his and traced the scars with him.

"What did they do to you anyway?"

"… Injections mostly; so many injections." Gabriel shuddered at the memory. "I was told that they would do something to my genetic code. Make me stronger, faster, and able to heal from just about anything short of a bullet to the head." He rolled a little and faced the ceiling. "I shouldn't have been here. I was supposed to be out there, with my men, fighting to give you and your people time. Apparently, someone higher up came to the conclusion that your life was too important to leave unguarded though, so they tapped me to be the head of your security."

He paused. "I'm a first generation Super Solider, ancient by military standards. They have younger men out there with the latest upgrades, fewer injections, and more operations. I know one guy who had his entire skeleton retrofitted with a titanium endoskeleton to better withstand the muscle enhancements he received. In hindsight, I got off pretty lucky. Still, you'd think they'd take experience over anything else, but hey, orders are orders."

She leaned in kissed his cheek and turned his head to face her. "I'm glad that you were ordered here. You gave me something that I had never experienced before and I wouldn't trade that for the world."

He gave her a rueful smile. "I also wished we'd met sooner. Maybe…" his voice trailed off and his eyes became unfocused for second before focusing again. "No… thinking like that doesn't help anyone. We're here, right now. I'm all packed so I don't have to go until I have to. What about you?"

"I only had a discussion with GAIA this morning. I think she can do without me just this once. She's learning faster each day."

"Still don't know how to feel about having an AI save our sorry hides."

"Machines aren't what caused all this. Our destruction was caused by a man. Machines were just the tool used."

"Yeah, well it doesn't really matter how I feel about things. Not like any of us are going to be around to see it."

"No, I suppose not." Elisabet sighed as she pulled herself from Gabriel and stood up. She looked down at the now wrinkled clothing she went to bed in. "Maybe we should've gotten more frisky, the pressure sores I'm going to have from wearing my work clothes to bed are going to bother me all day."

She walked over to her closet and pulled out a fresh set of clothes and turned to look back at Gabriel only to find him already next to her.

"I…" she started to say but was interrupted as he took her into a hug.

"Don't say anything. We both knew what this was." He squeezed her into himself a little more. "You don't know what it means to me, to have someone actually see the man and not the killer. You saw more than the Reaper. If things were different; if Faro hadn't… we probably wouldn't have ever met. Kind of fucked up how the universe works, but that's how it is."

"… I want more time."

"We don't have time. Anything more than we've already shared with each other will put everything you've worked for at risk." Elisabet felt his fingers grab her chin and moved her face to look at his. "I won't have that on my conscience. You need to ensure that the world has a tomorrow. I have to ensure that you have the time you need to make that happen."

She met his gaze with her own, looking deep into the depths of his soul. She saw pain there, pain for the things he's done, pain for finally meeting someone who didn't care about that. Beneath all that though, she saw resolve. She didn't blame him for what he was about to do, she agreed with him. They both had things they had to do and couldn't distract themselves.

She said nothing as she looked into his eyes, stared deep into the depths of his soul. He stared back peering into hers. They both stood there, not moving, not speaking, only basking in each other's presence. After what felt an eternity, Gabriel leaned in and laid his lips upon Elisabet's. She felt her breath catch as she melted into the kiss.

For the first time in months, she didn't think, she didn't plan, she just felt. She leaned deeper into him as she pulled him down to her. He complied without complaint, his hands now cupping her face. Her hands started to explore his body, feeling the hard muscles of his toned back, chest, and arms. She felt the accumulated scars that he had received over the years.

Her breath caught again when his hands started exploring her, going from her face to her hips. From there, his hands went all over. It appeared though that he soon got frustrated with her clothes being in the way as they reached underneath her shirt.

"Elisabet, we had a scheduled meeting today. Are you feeling alright?" GAIA's voice suddenly called from the com on the wall.

Elisabet pulled back as Gabriel did the same. Breathing heavily they looked at each other and Elisabet saw as a regretful look passed over Gabriel's features. Not for what was missed, but for having pushed further than he should have.

Elisabet knew then and there what he was thinking. "This is it, isn't it?" She didn't know why she asked, she already knew.

Gabriel looked away and didn't answer; instead, he found his shirt and pulled it on. He turned back to her, the same pain in his eyes as he took in her features one last time before he exited the room, he didn't look back.

"Elisabet?"

"I'm fine." She responded, her tone flat and neutral. "I'll be there in a moment, GAIA. I was taking care of something."

"Alright, I'll see you when you get here."

…

"Elisabet, are you alright? You don't appear well." GAIA asked.

Elisabet for perhaps the first time spoke with to the AI with an exasperated tone. "I'm fine. Things… I'm just… hurting is the appropriate word I suppose."

GAIA was quiet for a moment but eventually understood. "I see. Mr. Reyes is leaving today." It wasn't a question.

Elisabet let out a heavy sigh as she turned back to GAIA's avatar. "Yeah, he is."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The scientist remained silent as she thought about what she wanted to do. Her first thought was to just tell GAIA to drop it. However, this could be a chance to teach GAIA something.

"Not really." She started. "But I feel this is a good time to discuss grief."

"Did we not have this discussion already?"

"Partially. Consider this an extension of our talk about love. It can lead to us doing great things, but once it's gone… well, most would say that nothing has caused them greater hurt. Love is bittersweet, GAIA. But there is a mistake that people make about love."

"Oh? What mistake is that?"

"That love is a feeling. Love is a choice, pure and simple. It's getting over those initial feelings and seeing the bigger picture. Do you stay with that person? Do you keep the child? Do you accept the little things as part of the bigger package? All questions that need to be asked and confronted. The same is for Gabriel and I. We knew that starting something would end like this, we still proceeded despite that. We both knew that it would be pointless; we still met up when we could."

She sat down, feeling as though her legs would give out any moment. She felt that drained. "Honestly, I'm not even sure why I did it. Too much is on the line for me to be distracted. But when I look back on it all, I ask myself would I do it again? I'm surprised that my answer was yes, yes I would. What kind of choice is that to make when oblivion is so near?"

GAIA remained silent for a moment as she processed what Elisabet had told her. "I feel that it is a perfectly reasonable response. Even with the world on your shoulders, you are still human. You are still allowed to feel. You are still allowed to care."

Elisabet stared at GAIA. That… was not an answer she expected. "Even though that choice is a selfish one?"

"We are almost finished with everything you sought to do here Elisabet. All that is left to do is final diagnostics and transfer my routines to the King's Peak location. You have time available now."

"Time that now needs to be used to make sure everything goes smoothly. We're in the endgame now, GAIA. We can't leave anything to chance now. We only have the one chance and we can't screw it up. I can't screw it up."

"And you won't. If anyone could pull this off, it'd be you, Elisabet."

Elisabet smiled. "Thank you, GAIA."

.xIIx.

Gabriel sat in his seat, mentally preparing himself for the battle to come. He wasn't particularly stressed by it, he knew that every battle he went into there was always the chance that he wouldn't come back from it, this one was no different. Given just how many suicide missions he'd been on, he was honestly surprised that he was even walking right now. He let his eyes go lax as he focused on nothing, mostly just to keep his breathing regular and his mind clear.

Too bad for him that this got the attention of his least favorite subordinate.

"Gabe? Whacha doin, Gabe? Gabe? Gabe? Are you thinking about that woman again, Gabe?"

"Damn it, Colomar, what did I tell you about calling me that? While on a mission it's Commander Reyes, Commander, or Sir." he barked at the woman now uncomfortably at his side.

"Only if you call me by my call sign." she countered with a smirk.

"For the love of God, I am not calling you by that ridiculous codename you came up with!"

"Aww, don't be like that, Gabe. Say it with me, Sombra. Sooombrraaa." She drawled out the last word, rolling out the r. "Is this because you don't like your codename?"

"It's not a codename," he muttered angrily, going back to his breathing.

Olivia pouted a little, frustrated that she failed in her attempts to… whatever it was she was trying to do. Gabriel wasn't sure why the tech master wasted her time on him. He knew for a fact it wasn't because she was infatuated with him; that got covered early in their working relationship. It seemed to be deeper than that, but he wasn't all that interested in finding out why and she was having more fun keeping that bit of information to herself. Honestly, if he had his way, she wouldn't be in his unit, shuffled off to some computer lab where her skills would no doubt be put to better use. As it was though, she was the best line of defense they had against the Chariots.

There wasn't anyone else in the world who could hack into the machines, no matter how temporary the effects were, faster than they could keep her out. All she could really do with this time was to lock them up for several seconds, but this had saved their hides on more than one occasion as those few seconds were all they needed to finish their missions. Hence why she got away with her antics, she was indispensable and she knew it. Gabriel knew he owed his life to her many times over along with everyone else in the squad; still didn't change the fact that most of them wanted to tie bricks to her feet and drop her into the nearest body of water that was deep enough.

"Alright, Commander Reyes," she said stiffly, "seriously though, you seem more stiff and distant than usual. I know you like that lady, but this seems a little much."

Gabriel really didn't want to talk about this right now, especially with her of all people. He did take note that his men were desperately trying to look like they weren't interested, even though it was obvious that they were.

"Colomar, my relationship with Dr. Sobeck is none of your business and has no effect on our mission."

"You say that, but you seem awfully distracted and you keep telling me being distracted in the field can get a soldier and his team killed. So you'll have to forgive me for being worried that our commander doesn't have his head in the game."

He groaned. Much as he would like to ignore it, Olivia wasn't an idiot. She was a master manipulator, a hacker with no equal, knew computers inside and out, and had a genius level intellect to use it all. If it hadn't been for the fact that the world was ending, he was pretty sure that he would have been in charge to hunt her down, given her activities prior to the Faro Plague. She was smart enough to realize this and actually offered her services as soon as it became clear that the machines weren't going to be stopped, long before Operation: Enduring Victory was even thought up, making her the only civilian to know the truth.

Because of that, she knew that Gabriel was distracted, not that it was a big secret, and she was the only one who was willing to call him out on it. Thankfully, he didn't have to answer as the pilot announced that they were nearing their drop point. "ETA: two minutes. Get ready to deploy, Commander."

"Roger that. Get ready boys. We're about to arrive on the front lines. Let's show those overdeveloped toasters what a real fight looks like!"

"HOORAH!" his men shouted in unison. He may have been distracted when left to his own thoughts, but when he was on the battlefield, there was nothing that kept him from his objective. Much as he hated the nickname, he could understand why he had it, why he earned it. He would show these machines exactly why they called him The Reaper.

.xIx.

Elisabet tried to control her breathing. After everything she had worked for, it would, of course, be a malfunction that put it all at risk. She could just imagine what the others were doing right now. Most likely debating who should be the one to go outside and repair the seal. Well, she didn't feel like arguing, so here she was already almost done with the repairs. Soon the door would shut properly and remain that way, blocking her reentry. It was fine, she knew what she was getting herself into and she knew that the others wouldn't understand quickly enough.

A few more adjustments and the door hissed and closed the final few millimeters, preventing any kind of energy signature from escaping and being detected by the swarm. GAIA would live on to carry out her vision, the Alphas would live on to old age hopefully. She double checked the system to make sure everything was in order. All came back green.

She turned on her communicator and her HUD showed the alphas gathered, shocked to see her in an enviro-suit.

"Okay, everyone, I've repaired the seal. GAIA?"

"Seal closure at 1.4 millimeters, confirmed." GAIA's voice carried over her comms.

"Elisabet – no. We'll find a way to bring you back in-" Charles started but couldn't finish.

"It's not going to happen. The swarm's too close." she paused, feeling tears beginning to form on the corners of her eyes. She was glad her hologram wasn't showing her face right now. "Really, it's all right. GAIA's complete. She'll take care of things from here on out. That's what she does."

"Not like this. There's so much we…" Charles began saying only for Elisabet to interrupt him.

"Guys – you know me. I'm no good at endings. At letting things end. So let's not."

A quiet moment passed as her words sunk in. Travis, the last person she would have thought to say anything was the first to respond. "So… Happy trails, Lis, and see you around?"

"Yeah. Take care of each other, all right?" The winds began to pick up, pushing dead atmosphere around. She had to go soon.

"Lis…"

"I'm okay with this. I want to go home. Goodbye." She cut off her transmission as she turned to leave, the images of her colleagues vanishing from her sight. Even though the world was near dead, it didn't look it yet. The mountain she was on still looked alive, though she was sure that wouldn't last once the swarm passed by, consuming all the biomatter that it came across. She had to be gone before that happened.

She had a ways to go, but she would get there. It was time to go home.

…

It took her a few days and her air supply was dangerously low, but she made it. She looked up at the entry to her mother's farm on the outskirts of Carson City, still looking relatively untouched even with the withered forms of dead plant life. She left the vehicle she managed to find working behind and walked the rest of the way, taking in the familiar sights of her childhood home. She saw the charred remains of the tree she set fire to and felt the guilt, still as potent as ever. She made her way to what remained of her mother's garden, now forgotten and dead. She went straight for the bench she remembered and was glad when it was still there. She gingerly sat down, testing her weight to make sure she wouldn't break it. Still as sturdy as she remembered. Her journey was over. She was home.

She could already feel the effects of oxygen deprivation, her suit had run out over an hour ago. Right now it was scrubbing CO2 as best it could, but that was an emergency measure only meant a short time. She had both good and bad memories here, to be expected really. She found that most of the good ones were with her mother and the not so great ones about her father. She never really thought about the man, maybe once every few years, mostly because she tried her best to forget him. There was one thing she couldn't escape from him though, her last name and the one thing she had from him even after he stopped being a part of her life.

Why hadn't she changed it, she thought. Probably the same reason for putting off so many other things in life, she simply didn't have the time. She didn't make the time. Maybe she should've made the time if only to be rid of that final vestige of her father. Perhaps it would've been good to see her mother's maiden name on all of her work. Instead of Sobeck, it could've been Shepard, like what it said on her mother's farm. She smiled at the thought.

She wondered what Gabriel would've thought of that. Elisabet Shepard, meeting up with Gabriel Reyes in the dead of night. She silently chuckled to herself, like a name would've changed anything between them. Maybe she would've been happier to say that instead of Sobeck. And now that's what history would know her as. Not that she could change it now. Her legacy was set in stone, nothing she could do about it.

Gabriel… She wondered where he was right now. Was he even still alive? If he was, what was he doing? Fighting off the swarm most likely. She thought back on the brief amount of time she had spent with him and felt warm. A brief as it was, she wouldn't trade her time with him for the world. She once again thought about how it would've gone if she and him had had more time. She imagined they could've settled right where she was now, her mother would've liked that. Far from the constant stress of city life

She felt her eyes begin to grow heavy, her thoughts becoming less cohesive. She felt tired. Maybe she could just rest her eyes for a minute.

Yeah, just a minute, that's all she needed.

Just… a… minute…

Her last thought before the darkness claimed her, was of that morning with Gabriel. She felt a smile appear on her lips before she slipped away into nothingness.

.x0x.

GAIA watched as the life signs from Elisabet's suit flatlined. She couldn't react, not how an organic body would. She didn't feel the rush of hormones or the wave of emotions that she had witnessed in the people she learned from.

Instead, she felt… still. Her runtimes all focused on this one thing instead of the many operations that she should be concentrating on. Nothing was getting done as she stared at the information. Stare was the wrong word, as the information was as much a part of her as the computers she was tied to. Memory space permitting, she was going to have this data for as long as she held onto it, fresh and crisp as it was this very moment. She had already made multiple copies, just to ensure their survival.

But past that, she felt… empty. She couldn't really describe to herself what this feeling was. No, that was a lie, she knew exactly what it was. She'd already felt something similar, the day she learned of that extinction event. This felt magnitudes more… something. As if that stillness and emptiness grew every time she ran through the data.

She sent several pings to the suit, in hopes that maybe something could be done, but results came back negative.

She knew there was nothing that she could do, but still made attempts to achieve something, anything.

Why was she acting so illogically?

She knew this was happening.

She knew it as soon as Elisabet left the bunker to seal the door.

She knew the second the oxygen tanks on her suit ran dry.

So even though she knew this was going to happen, why did she feel so… hollow? All the knowledge at her disposal and she couldn't even calculate an appropriate word to describe what she was experiencing.

Or maybe she wasn't letting herself.

She knew what she was and that perhaps placed limits on her processing.

A thought came to her.

If she was feeling limited due to her way of thinking, then all she had to do was alter her way of thinking. Unlike a human, she could easily do so. And she did.

As soon as the process was done, she now knew of a word to describe what she felt. Hurt.

She wanted that hurt to go away but knew that Elisabet would want her to experience this. To feel this. To learn from this. She had to see it through, no matter how much she wanted the feeling to go away. She needed to care.

She… she wanted to care. She needed her friend back. She wanted her friend back.

She wanted her mother back.

In the seclusion of her existence, she let out a wail of anguish that no one but she could hear.

And Scene!

Not much to say right now. If you guys are wondering, this is not the last time we see Gabriel and Olivia, I have plans for them, ridiculous as that sounds. Hopefully I won't be berated too much for it. Let me know what you think and until next time, please review! Lostbasin out!