Brake Fluid problems of the 2005 Saturn ION

I was driving my 2005 Saturn Ion2 and the brakes totally failed when I depressed the clutch on my 5 speed transmission. After taking it in for service the mechanic told me that the slave cylinder was leaking and allowed air into the brake system because the brakes and clutch have a shared hydraulic fluid reservoir. I couldn't downshift because the clutch failed and I couldn't brake because the brakes failed. The warning system failed because there was still some fluid in the shared reservoir. The warning light goes on when the system is out of fluid not when it is running low. Scary stuff. . . I could have been killed or killed others. Lucky for me I was not going highway speeds and/or on a busy street. I was able to use the emergency brake to stop. . .