#altverse || history written by the victors ( shepard )

[anderwhohn]

@smokedanced asked: Send me a scene that happened in canon and I’ll write in detail how my muse felt in it + izzy, death scene ME2 prologue, hierarchy verse (if it happens like that there; if not, canon verse)

"I need more power for the shields!" Isabela yells as she rushes from one control panel to the next, frantically typing in override commands to bypass safety and security protocols to put everything they've got into keeping the Normandy together without taking away from her offensive capabilities as well.

"Sir, we don't have--"

"I don't care if we have to fucking drain life support to do it! Get me that damn power!" she snaps, interrupting the other engineer as she pulls up the shipwide comms. "All hands! Emergency power adjustments imminent! All crew prepare for emergency evac! Non-essential crew proceed to immediate evac! Get your damn helmets and mag boots on, people! It's gonna be a rough ride!"

Dammit, she wishes Nihlus or Garrus were here, rather than chasing Saren's sorry ass on the the fucking Citadel. At least the crew had learned to trust her - even those with little cause to, being Alliance themselves, while she served within the Hierarchy - so her orders were followed as she was the next in the chain of command.

"Joker, status report!" she calls out over closed comms to the pilot, checking the readings as reports of ejected life pods started flooding in on her displays.

"She's holding together for now, Shep," Joker returns, before a string of curses escapes him as the ship manoeuvres sharply to avoid more weapons fire.

Isabela grabs onto her console, pressing down to activate her mag boots while frantically clipping the tether to her armour. "Good enough. You're on the next evac, Joker. I'm coming up to take the helm until all other crew are in the evac pods."

"What?! No way! You're good, Iz, but there's no way--"

"That's an order, Flight Lieutenant!" Isabela growls into the comms. "We're going to lose the Normandy, but that doesn't mean we have to lose the crew with her! So you're getting yourself in that damn pod even if I have to drag your stubborn ass into it myself!"

If only she had known just how true that statement would prove to be, when after another several minutes of desperate struggle, with nearly all the ship's power diverted to shields, weapons, and propulsion, she's left hauling Joker into the nearest escape pod to get them off what remains of the ship.

It's just as she's managed to get him inside that another blast cuts through the hull nearby, disrupting her mag boots' connection to the floor plating and throwing her into a free fall in zero gravity. Emerald eyes widening in shock, she does the only thing she can as her fingers barely catch onto the bulkhead as she's pushed past the emergency controls, reaching out to punch the launch button for the pod... without her in it...

She watches sadly as Joker clearly tries to reach her still, even as the pod seals itself and launches far away from the wreckage of the Normandy, leaving her behind as she starts to float free from the torn hull. Being within the arms of the Citadel, she knows she has a chance, albeit only a small one, considering the battle still waging around her. If another ship can detect her and pull her out of the vacuum, so long as her suit integrity holds, she'll be fine...

That is, until she sees the red beam from that dreaded Reaper rip through the remains of the Normandy, striking the drive core and the resulting explosion...

...

'Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now! This facility is under attack!'