Mass Effect: Humanity First, Page 3

  Cavanaugh’s gun was pointed straight at Nadia’s face. Her eyes widened with shock, and all she could do was stare hopelessly. A round went off, but it didn’t take her life. One clean shot went straight into Cavanaugh’s temple. He fell like a stack of bricks, crashing hard against the ground.

  When the asari had time to register what had happened, they were all taken aback by what they’d just witnessed.

  “Go,” said Hallard. “Get out of here.”

  Nadia nodded at Hallard.

  “Thank you.”

  And with that, the prisoners took their leave.

  It was finally over.

  Hallard sat and waited in the empty facility. He’d give it half an hour until he called it in to command. Hopefully by then the prisoners would be far, far away from Feros.

  They wouldn’t find them. Not as long as Hallard could help them, and maybe anyone else that Cerberus might have had their hands on. There were eight kidnapped asari in Station 12. There was no telling how many more innocent people were being kept in Cerberus facilities throughout the galaxy.

  When Hallard joined with Cerberus, he did so out of a wish to protect humanity from the threats of the galaxy. But some ends weren’t worth the price of admission. Enhancing human biotics might have proved crucial in humanity’s continued survival. But if the price of that was torturing innocent people, taking their lives away from them, abandoning all semblance of humanity, then it wasn’t worth it.

  For the human race to be saved, it had to first prove that it was worth saving. It had to prove that even in the face of extinction, it was willing to put its humanity first.

  Mission Completed.