Hello readers,

Just to let you know someone hacked my account and tried to take this story for their own (Noticed the name change on the account when I went to the story) Anyway I got in touch with FF and had the story removed as you may have noticed, however I have created a new account and will be reposting it here with a few corrections, so with that said it's great to be back and let's get to it.

Usual Disclaimer: Mass Effect is owned by Bioware, Bioware is owned by EA, I own nothing except the OC's used within this story. So with that out the way, let's begin.

Prologue

I used to have an easy life you know, it was filled with the usual mundane routines. Wake up, go to work, come home, relax, eat, sleep and repeat, with the occasional game of ice hockey thrown in at the weekends and some video gaming when I could. One weekend however that all changed and my life took an unexpected detour. My name is Robert O'Neill and this is my story about how I wound up in the world of Mass Effect.

With the weekend having arrived I had decided to spend the morning catching up one some gaming, mostly finishing my latest run through of the Mass Effect Trilogy before heading out to play some hockey in the afternoon. I had finished the game and packed my gear away before heading home, following the same route home through Central Park.

I'd made it about half way home when I heard quick footsteps behind me before I was grabbed and a bag thrown over my head. I struggled against my attackers the best I could before what I could only describe as an electric shock passed through my body, setting every nerve on fire and stopping any attack I might have had.

"It's okay; we're not going to hurt you." Said a female voice which I kind of thought I recognised as my attackers switched from pulling me wherever we were going to simply guiding me instead, as if to prove the statement correct. I heard a door open as I was lead inside and guided to a chair before the bag was pulled off of my head.

Blinking I glanced around the darkened room and realised I was actually back home and frowned "What the hell…?" I muttered as a walked out of my kitchen, although I couldn't make out his features fully in the dim light.

"I'd almost forgotten what this place looked like." He said as he walked around the living room, examining various photos and items on the walls and shelves before reaching my game collection. I watched in silence as he picked up the case for Mass Effect and looked at it before snorting and putting it back down with a shake of his head.

The man turned to look at me as I shook my head in an attempt to shake off the remnants of the electric shock thing I'd received.

"I apologise for any discomfort you may have suffered by my friends here." He said.

"Oh no problem." I muttered sarcastically "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?" I asked "Which by the way, since you were here makes me wonder why you bothered with the whole kidnapping thing."

"We had to be certain you wouldn't freak out and run; we don't have a lot of time." The older man replied as he stayed just on the edge of the shadows so I couldn't see who he was. Glancing around I saw that there were at least two other people in the room with us, one of them judging by the silhouette was the female who had told me not to struggle and the other I assumed was another man.

"And what makes you think I would freak out?" I asked trying to appear braver than I actually felt.

The man laughed "Because I would have back then too…" he paused "In fact I did as I recall." He added with a chuckle "But that was a long time ago."

"Well as fun as this is I'm sure you had a reason for all of this so what do you want?" I asked as I tried to figure out a way to get out of this situation.

"Your help." The man answered.

I actually laughed then "My help? Well you've got a funny way of asking for it pal." I countered and watched as his silhouette shrugged.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

I frowned "Spare me the cryptic crap already and tell me who the hell are you."

The man stepped forward into the light and I froze in utter shock. The man before me looked to be in his late forties with dark blonde hair with grey streaks going through it, dark grey eyes that clearly reflected a lot of pain and grief within them and he had a long scar going diagonally from just above his right eyebrow over the eye and midway down his cheek. But what had caused my shock was that the man looked exactly like me, just a little older.

"I think you already know." He smiled.

After a moments staring and blinking I opened my mouth to speak "B…but you…you can't be me, it's…it's impossible."

The older me laughed "I would be saying the same thing if I was in your position, in fact I did when it happened to me…granted it wasn't actually me who recruited…well me back then but still." He said before shaking his head out of the memory. "It is possible although highly improbably."

"You can't be me." I said.

"Well I am." The older guy countered.

"Well then 'Me' how about untying me then?" I asked.

Older me laughed "No."

"And why not?"

"Because I know you, if I untie you the first thing you'll do is punch me, then you'll go for the spare hockey stick you have under the couch and try to take out my two friends behind you and make a run for it." He answered.

The annoying this was that was exactly what I had planned to do but I tried to keep my expression neutral.

"No I wouldn't." I said instead.

"Oh come on Rob you can't lie to me, after all we're one and the same and it's exactly what I would do in your situation." He said.

"I still don't believe you are me." I countered.

The older man sighed "I never remember being this stubborn." He muttered before rolling his eyes "Fine I'll prove it, ask me a question that only we would know."

I blinked, taken back since I wasn't really expecting that and had to think about it for a minute before I came up with something that I knew nobody else would know since I hadn't told anybody about it before.

"Alright if you really are me you should know the answer to this. When I was 15 I broke my arm, how did I do it?" I asked and watched as the older me smiled.

"We broke it playing Ice Hockey." The older me answer and now it was my turn to smile but before I could tell him he was wrong his smile grew bigger as I saw a very familiar smirk cross his face "At least that's what we told everybody anyway, we actually broke it falling out of tree after spying on Melissa Jenkins who'd we'd had a crush on for years but never had the courage to ask you." He paused and laughed "We figured it would be a good idea to…observe her, figure out what she liked and go from there, instead we wound up with a broken arm."

My eyes widened in surprise since that was what happened and to this day I hadn't told anybody about that, for obvious reasons.

"We really shouldn't have done that, it was creepy and very much illegal." Older me said.

"I know." I countered in a slightly higher pitch voice "I was young and stupid." I added before shaking my head "Alright so let's say for a minute I believe you actually are me, how are you even here? And why?"

Older me sighed and ran a hand though his greying hair "To tell you that I'd have to start at the beginning and we don't have much time so I'll give you the quick version. Back when I was your age, about a month from now I went to a party with a few friends, it was a cosplay type of thing. While there I met a girl who called herself Kalya, she was a beautiful girl dressed like an Asari." He paused as he thought about the memory before shaking his head.

"Only thing was she really was an Asari, an honest to god real Asari. She told me that she was from an alternate reality where the Mass Effect world was real and that what had happened in the game was happening in real life and that thanks to something her people had discovered had found a way to manipulate Mass Effect fields to allow dimension jumping. They sent people through to different realities to see what similarities and differences there were between them. Most of them were the same with only slight variations until they came across ours."

I sat listening in what I'll admit was scepticism as he continued.

"When they discovered the Mass Effect game, which had mentions of them but as video game characters they obviously studied it before returning home, wondering how a group of humans could have knowledge of their universe when as far as they could tell no such technology existed here. Then Saren's attack on Eden Prime happened and they sent someone back to see what happened in the game, only problem was Shepard had been killed on Eden Prime and as such they returned here again to bring someone from this reality back to fill Shepard's shoes."

"And let me guess, that person was you?" I interrupted.

"Yep, lucky me." The older me said "I don't know why she picked me but I couldn't exactly refuse I mean a chance to live in the Mass Effect universe, that was pretty cool. Besides we never were one to refuse to help someone, I figured mom and dad would turn in their graves if I didn't."

I found myself nodding in agreement with that statement my parents were good people and had drilled into me from an early age that you should always help out when it was needed and I'd stuck to that for the most part over the years.

"So why are you here now?" I asked.

Older me sighed again "I failed." He said as he lowered his head "Even with the knowledge of the trilogy I wasn't Shepard and things occurred differently, things I couldn't predict or control."

Before I could ask anything I heard footsteps from behind me and watched as the woman stepped into the light and I found myself staring in shock again at Ashley from the game. She had the same brown eyes and looked like her Mass Effect 3 version although a bit older, just like the older me.

She hadn't said a word to me and instead stayed in the background letting older me discuss everything with me, but with older me going silent had walked over and sat down next to him before squeezing his hand.

I raised my eyebrow but stayed quiet as older me looked up at the woman and smiled before turning back to me.

"The Reapers won the war. They took out Palaven before we had a chance to react and with it wiped out the majority of the Turian military fleet, with them gone it was downhill from there, the Asari and Salarians didn't stand much of a chance and the Alliance wasn't going to hold out long." Old me said before going quiet again.

It was this time when Ashley turned and spoke, no doubt having realised that the older me was having a hard time continuing.

"We knew that it was only a matter of time before the Reapers got to Earth and with the major council races defeated we didn't stand a chance. So with Liara's help Rob and I decided to try and repeat what the Asari that recruited him did and come back to get you again." She said.

I thought on what had been said for a moment before pointing out something that I thought was obvious "Uh well considering the fact that the Asari came back and got…well 'me' before and I failed what makes you think doing it again will change anything this time around?"

Older me looked up at me "Because I'm going to send you back earlier than the Asari did me, that was her mistake."

"Well why not just go back yourself then, why send me at all. I mean you've already lived it right?"

Older me actually laughed "Oh we'll be going with you we just won't be participating much, we would stick out there."

I raised an eyebrow again "And where…or when exactly is that? Assuming I even agree to this."

Again older me just smiled "I already know you'll accept, I may be older than you but I am still you and I did it so don't even try to tell me otherwise because I know better."

I sighed, having already decided that I wasn't going to skip the opportunity to go to a universe that was way cooler than this one; I mean space travel alone was the reason to go. "Alright so where am I going exactly?"

"The plan is to send you back just before the attack on Eden Prime, Shepard is the key, I'm sure of it. Everything had changed by the time I arrived and things played out differently than the game, and the only difference was the fact that I was in Shepard's place. Now Ash was there and she knows how Shepard died, the plan is to get you to Eden Prime before the attack so you can save Shepard and with a bit of luck that will be enough to get you on the crew."

I nodded having figured out what the other me was thinking "And you're thinking that with Shepard alive that things should followed the route of the game and as such there's a better chance of stopping the Reaper threat."

Older me nodded "That's the idea."

Before the conversation could continue the other member of the group, the guy who I had forgotten about cursed "Damn Rob they found us!"

Older me cursed "Shit I thought we had more time. We need to go."

Before we could react the door to my apartment burst open and two men and an Asari burst into the room. The older me and Ashley dived behind the sofa they were sitting on and I hit the floor as the shooting started. The other member of older me's group managed to take out one of the three assailants before being shot by the Asari.

Ashley popped up from behind the couch and fired a few shots from a pistol and killed the other human before being enveloped in a blue field and sent flying across the room into the wall, knocking her out.

"You'll pay for that bitch." The older me snarled as he popped up and started firing at the Asari, all I could do was watch as the shots impacted off of what I guessed was her biotic barrier. What did surprise me however was when older me flared blue and used a biotic ability of his own, although the Asari seemed to shrug it off as she fired back at older me who was forced to take cover.

I stayed low and used older me's distraction to crawl over towards where Ashley had fallen and tried to rouse her back to consciousness, figuring an extra gun would be useful for older me, but try as I might she wouldn't wake up.

I glanced back to see that the Asari seemed to be getting the upper hand over my older self and cursed as I tried again to wake up Ashley with little success. I glanced back to see the other me move down the length of the sofa and round to another chair and winced when the Asari put a few bullet holes through my flat screen TV.

It was then that I saw the bag containing my hockey gear and scrambled across the floor to reach it, thankful that the Asari's back was turned to me and retrieved my goalie stick before standing up and making my way over towards her.

I'd almost reached her when older me popped up to fire again and spotted me although he made no indication that he had. The Asari flared blue as she prepared another biotic attack, which was when I swung the stick as hard as I could and hit her around the back of the head. She grunted and fell forwards unconscious.

"You alright?" I asked my other self who nodded.

"Yeah, grab her gun." He said as he made his way over to Ashley.

I walked over and picked up the Asari's fallen weapon and examined it, hard to believe that I was holding what appeared to be an ECRS Striker. Then I turned my attention to the Asari and studied her. She had typical blue skin and scalp crest for an Asari and I'll admit a hot body to go with it. It was then however that it hit me that I was staring at an actual Asari and with it everything else that had just happened.

"Holy shit that's an Asari…and someone just tried to kill me. This…this is insane. I mean this is nuts." I started muttering as I began pacing.

"Would you relax?" the older me said as he tried to wake Ashley, breathing a sigh of relief when she started to come round and turned his attention back to me, quickly realising that my little panic attack wasn't going to stop anytime soon, at least not without an intervention.

I, in the meantime hadn't stopped muttering or pacing "…I mean fucking aliens that shouldn't exist, video game characters that shouldn't exist." I added as I waved at the now conscious Ashley as she stood up "…And then there's you!" I added as older me stepped in front of me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Hey! It's okay." Older me said although he had a small grin on his face "Listen to me Rob you need to calm down alright."

"Oh is that all I need to do is it, just…just calm down? I am way, waaaaay beyond being calm!" I replied.

Old me sighed and glanced over his shoulder to look at Ashley "I was never this bad was I?"

Ashley smiled "Once or twice."

Older me shook his head and turned back to me before slapping me across the face "Alright you need to calm the hell down and take a breath!"

The slap though did work and I took a few deep breaths before looking at my older self then at Ashley before I saw something and frowned.

"What?" Older me asked, having seen my expression change "What is it?"

"She shot my TV." I said as I pointed over his shoulder at my ruined TV before glancing down at the unconscious Asari "You bitch."

The older me actually managed a chuckle "Yeah you'll be fine, but we need to get out of here."

A statement that was reinforced when we heard sirens approaching "Oh that's just perfect." Older me muttered as he headed into the kitchen and pulled out the cables from my oven and turned it on, hearing the gas start to hiss into the room.

"Good thing we brought this place." He muttered as he collected his gear and picked up the unconscious Asari "We can't leave her here what would the cops think?" He answered my unasked question.

Ashley and I left with the older me last, who paused at the door and tossed a match into the room before running as fast as he could out of the building and down the alleyway. The sound of an explosion echoed through the streets as my apartment blew up.

After getting in my car, older me drove to their hideout while Ashley kept an eye on the Asari and I bitched about my now destroyed apartment until we arrived at a warehouse in Brooklyn.

"We don't have much time." Older me said as he got out of the car. The first thing I noticed however was the large metal cube in the centre of the room with symbols on covering it.

"What the hell is that?" I asked.

"That's what brought us here and what will send us back." Older me answered. "The Asari did a great job reverse engineering this one, all we need to do is give it enough pure liquefied Element Zero and input a time and date and it does the rest itself."

"Sweet." I muttered as Ashley pulled the Asari out of the car.

"I've got her." Older me said to the marine "You get the Element Zero and get that thing programmed, the sooner we get out of here the better."

Ashley nodded as she handed the Asari over and headed over to what appeared to be a pile of rubble and started moving it until she recovered a metal briefcase and opened it. I watched as she removed a glass vial of blue liquid and made her way over to the cube and poured the contents of the vial into a space on the cube.

Once the vial was empty the cube started to glow and Ashley began pressing the symbols. My attention however was drawn to a scream and turned to see that Asari had regained consciousness and kicked older me in the groin, which caused me to wince.

Ashley cursed as she realised she didn't have a weapon on her and I had left the Asari's pistol in the car. The Asari turned to look at me and smiled.

"Oh crap." I muttered as she flared blue as I was lifted into the air and pulled towards her. I struggled against the invisible field that held me as I neared the woman with no success.

"So you're the one who could help lead to the masters end? I'm not impressed." She said.

"Oh now that's not fair." I grinned "After all I did knock your ass out earlier didn't I?"

The Asari's look changed to one of anger but before she could do anything was tackled to the ground by Ashley. With her attention turned to her and away from me the biotic power that had been holding me was gone and I fell to the ground. I'd just got back to my feet when I saw Ashley flying through the air right towards me and then collided with me before I could react causing both of us to groan. By the time we had managed to get up older me and the Asari were fighting again.

"Finish programming that thing!" Older me yelled as the two exchanged punches and kicks, and I had to admit it was good to see that older me could still fight. I'd done karate when I was a kid and knew how to handle myself in a fight, gunfights however I had no experience in.

Ashley ran over to the cube, pressed the last of the symbols and stood back as the cube started to glow brighter and brighter as the air started to crackle around us, I could feel my skin begin to tingle as every hair on by body stood on end.

Bolts of electricity started to shoot out of the cube and joined a few paces in front of it. I could only watch on as a portal seemed to start forming between the two points and expand until it almost reached the ceiling in height and stretched across half the room.

"It's open." Ashley announced.

"Go, I'll be right behind you." Older me said.

The slight distraction would prove costly as before either Ashley or I could react the Asari had pulled a knife out of somewhere and stabbed older me in the back. Ashley screamed and I could only watch as my older self coughed up some blood before dropping to his knees.

The Asari turned to face me and smiled as she flared up again, ready to no doubt take on Ashley and I, however a gunshot rung out around the room from the shot fired by my other self who had kept luckily kept a gun on him.

The Asari's biotic power flickered once before she dropped to the ground. Ashley ran over to the other me with me a few paces behind.

"Come on we need to leave." Ashley said.

Older me coughed again "I'm not going to make it Ash, we both know that. Besides…" he coughed again "He's the one that needs to make it, not me."

"But…" Ashley began.

"You know I'm right." Older me interrupted before turning to look at me. "Not many people get a chance at a do over, at least now you have chance to succeed where I failed the first time round." He paused as another bloody coughing fit took over.

"…Save Shepard and help stop the Reaper threat, I know it sucks…being put into this position and it won't be easy…but 1 life…our life in exchange for the lives of every race in a galaxy…"

I nodded "…Is worth the cost, I know." I finished for him "I'm you remember."

Older me smiled "That you are…now go, both of you."

With a nod I stood up "I won't..." I began than stopped and corrected myself "We won't fail again, I promise."

Older me nodded one more time before I turned and walked towards the portal to give the other me and Ashley a moment to say goodbye, which lasted far less than I thought it would have as she joined me a few seconds later.

"Let's go." She said with a whisper. We both took one last look back at the other me who had either blacked out or died I couldn't tell and stepped through the portal.