Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or any of the characters. Bioware and EA are the amazing creators of this wonderful franchise. I am just taking them out of their box and playin' with them.
"If you're going through hell, keep going."-Winston Churchill.
Hell; Shepard had never been there and hopefully never would, but if she had to liken the Collector's base to a tangible thing, that word would about sum it up. The entire atmosphere was eerie and her companions were all tensed and ready for a fight. The stalwart commander had wanted to continue gathering resources just in case they were needed to ensure victory over the Collectors but, when she had heard about her crew's abduction at their "hands," she had made the tough decision to head straight for the Omega 4 Relay. Her specialists had finished all their personal missions, receiving closure just in case the worst case scenario came to be. They were all loyal to the heroic soldier, pledging their very lives for her cause.
She remembered the entire flight to the Omega 4 Relay, feel the phantom cold sweat that had generously coated her entire body. A nervous energy had taken over her limbs and she had hastily departed to her personal quarters, hoping to steady her nerves while inside under the guise of suiting up. As soon as the door had closed, she had clutched her dark hair in frustration, teal eyes sliding closed tightly as she tried to keep away unpleasant images fighting to the forefront of her mind. She looked over to the aquarium built along the left section of her wall, watching listlessly as the little fish zipped around happily, well-fed and cared for and blissfully unaware of imminent death if this mission blew up in her face. Her crew had labeled the fated mission as the 'suicide mission.' An apt description and one she hoped would prove false.
While she was distracted by her inner turmoil, her door slid open admitting her beautiful XO in all her glory. Miranda Lawson had been an enigma to her at first, but never let it be said that Axis Shepard never went down without a fight. She purposely started barging into Miranda's office, talking to the woman even when Miranda obviously just wanted to be left alone. Axis got that she was not most of the soldier women that flocked towards her. But Axis was determined to at least be on good speaking terms. After all, despite her feelings on Cerberus, to be a good, effective commander she needed to know her crew like Joker knew the Normandy.
As time went on, the icy blues turned warm and the laughs became real and full. That smile that could warm even the sun started flashing more and more and Shepard had fallen so very hard it was laughable. It had been a weird process; two years before meeting Miranda, Axis had loved Ashley Williams, the woman she had grown enormously close to on the original Normandy. Because of their respective ranks, Ashley and she had never really delved into a relationship, but that wonderful, beautiful culmination before Ilos had forever been imprinted onto her mind. But Ashley's dismissal of her on Horizon had cut Axis deeply and she had not responded to the message the soldier had later sent apologizing for her harsh words. After all, Williams had been right about one thing. Two years had been a long time, and they were both different people.
Miranda started encroaching on the territory formerly held by her ex gunnery chief, but Axis had been hesitant to act on those feelings. The wound from Ashley was not fully healed, and Miranda had stated before that she did not deal well with attachments. But oh how Shepard wanted to be attached. Saving Oriana from Henry Lawson's cronies had cinched the deal though. Axis had not hesitated once during the entire course of the operation, siding with Miranda without thought when Niket had thrown accusations and reprisals at her. Axis was even going to let Niket walk away unharmed if he cooperated because she knew Miranda still cared for him despite his shocking betrayal. But Niket had been shot in the back cruelly, body slumping to the ground as his partner slew him, a cruel smirk hovering over wicked lips. Axis had relished shooting the asari, the bullets shredding her constructed barriers. Miranda had slammed the murderer with a powerful flash of biotics at the exact same time, pulverizing the smug bitch quite easily. Axis had comforted Miranda over her friend's death and persuaded her to get in touch with her younger sister.
That had been the turning point for the two, leading to accidental brushes of soft hands and lingering glances that skittered quickly away when caught. Axis had fallen again, and she no longer felt afraid of it. They had not acknowledged the feelings yet though, waiting for an unspoken command or signal. Now, seeing those kind eyes passionately staring into her own, Axis had felt such a conflicting array of emotions, hope leading the forefront. "Axis…" that sensuous voice had whispered so lovingly, the accent softer than normal. Miranda had crossed the room in two enormous strides, grasping her chin and pulling the dazed commander into the most passionate, amazing kiss she had ever experienced. Fireworks went off inside her mind, eclipsing all other feeling. When those dexterous hands slowly slid down the zipper of that tight catsuit, Axis was powerless to resist. The defiling of her bed had been the single best moment of her young life, even beating out her rendezvous with Ashley. Miss Lawson was truly an extraordinary specimen.
The magic did not last long however. The Omega 4 Relay came faster than the remaining fighters wished. As Axis clad herself in her N7 armor, she had stolen what might have been her last glance of the woman that had stolen her heart. The slightly mussed dark locks that cascaded over the new inky black Cerberus uniform that the woman had donned in honor of Shepard and her cause. The others had also changed outfits accordingly as a symbol of loyalty. The cloth slid over pale curves, hiding the slightly red marks from Axis's nails. "I love you…" the words seemingly formed without her thoughts, rushing out as she desperately tried to burn this image into her mind to get her through the hardship ahead. Miranda had paused, turning her head and staring intently at the suddenly shy commander. Her eyes softened impossibly, a tender smile gracing her classically gorgeous features. She had slowly walked over, kissing Axis gently on the lips. The XO pulled away, a little grin playing along those kissable lips. "I love you too, Commander."
The moment had been glorious, but now that warm and fuzzy feeling had been dissipated into dredges of fear and dread. Axis had this nagging feeling pounding on her skull, warning her that something terrible was fixing to happen. The base was surprisingly devoid of life right now, deadly quiet. Joker had remained on the Normandy, ready to pull away at a moment's notice. Shepard had made damn sure he had a gun and plenty of ammunition by his side, just in case. With the Collectors, anything could happen. The rest of her team had followed her into the belly of the beast, armed and tense and ready to throw their life on the line for the shared cause. Axis clutched her heavy pistol tightly in her hand, holding it in front of her in case of an attack. Teal landed on Miranda's back, watching as the firm muscles rippled in the dark-haired Aussie's back. A protective heat burned in her stomach, causing her to tighten her already firm grip. Miranda would not die, not unless they got through her first. She had already lost Ashley; like hell would she lose another love to a more permanent end.
"Does anyone else feel like something terrible is fixing to happen?" Garrus piped up from her immediate right. Jacob nodded, the handsome soldier's face creased into a frown, dark eyes roving to and fro quickly in an effort to spot the anomaly. "Yeah, I feel it too. Something feels wrong in the air. I don't like this." Shepard agreed silently with the man. Nodding to her team, Shepard walked forward a few steps, eyes scanning around. They landed on one of the pods she had first witnessed inside the Collector ship. The obsidian-headed woman strode forward, gun held at the ready. Wait…she thought she saw something. Something…different about this particular pod than the countless others. Cautious now, her legs carried her forward. Muscles screaming with her flight instinct, Axis leaned forward, staring hard at the glass. Brunette hair….eyes closed…it was a human body! Axis leaned back in shock, mouth forming an O. The woman inside the pod twitched, turning her head slowly to the left side, mouth opening in what looked to be a groan. Her startling green eyes slowly opened a disoriented look on her face. She looked straight at Axis, realization striking her as if struck by biotics. Her mouth opened as if in a plea, but the pod she was encased in made a loud noise as if being activated.
Axis watched in horror as the woman, who she suspected was one of the Horizon colonists, was covered with a sheen. "Damn it, she is alive! Get those other pods open! Quick!" Shepard did not spare a glance at her squad members, knowing they would obey without preamble. Though she was worried about her crew, this woman was in immediate danger. Axis listened as the woman screamed, an inhuman sound that made Axis want to crawl into a ball and die. The nanomachines broke the woman up, steam rolling off her melting skin. Those green orbs were locked on her own, filled with a pain Axis had never known, even with all she had been through. "No!" Frantically, the woman lifted her pistol up and slammed the butt against the glass hard. It did not even crack. Again and again she beat on the glass to no avail. The woman was slowly shrinking, her body melting into a gelatinous, dark goo. The pale skin of her face was melting, eyes finally obscure. One final gurgling scream filled with the lost souls of the galaxy burst out of the woman before she completely succumbed to her tragic fate.
"NO! Damn it!" Axis lost it. She swung her fist hard at the glass, the angry movement garnering attention from her squad. They somberly looked on as the normally composed soldier battled with her emotions, body vibrating with anguish at the nameless woman's fate. Her eyes clenched shut, fingers squeezed to death in her palms. "Commander?" Miranda softly spoke to the distraught woman, placing a hand on her shoulder. The touch of her lover calmed Axis down somewhat, drawing her face towards those fathomless blue orbs. The sympathy and dull pain there struck Axis in the chest. "What of the crew?" Miranda flashed a brief, albeit weak, smile. "All accounted for, ma'am. None of them died." A sigh of relief slipped noisily from her lips, a fervent prayer on her lips. She was not an overly religious person, but this miracle was too good to be true without the help of God's hand. Her gaze landed on Yeoman Kelly Chambers standing woozily beside Jacob; she leaned heavily on his muscled arm. Her normally intelligent forest green eyes were glazed and full of nightmarish recollections. Donnelly and Gabby were in a similar position, as was the rest of the crew in varying shades of coping.
Doctor Chakwas stood shakily to her feet, a slight groan falling from parched lips. "Shepard….thank goodness you came when you did. I-I thought us all dead. The Collectors….they are unspeakable." Her voice shuddered as a terrible memory crossed her mind. Axis controlled the overwhelming urge to smooth the crease between the older woman's brows. The doctor took a couple shaky steps before losing her balance. Axis quickly caught the woman in her strong arms, holding the exhausted and drained woman in her arms for a moment. She quickly scanned her crew, mentally going over the best person to escort the crew members back with. The battlefield was no place for the mostly untrained people, and Axis would be damned if they endured more on top of that harrowing ordeal. They landed on Mordin, standing off to the side with Miss Carlson, tending to her efficiently. She nodded to herself, projecting her voice just enough so that he could hear her. "Mordin, could you escort the crew back to the Normandy? The have been through enough today, or any day. Plus it could help Doctor Chakwas out; she does not need to do a lot right now considering what she endured as well." The salarian doctor nodded in affirmative, gathering the crew with him. Kelly turned to Shepard. She rushed into the commander's arms, hugging the woman tightly while burying her face in the crook of the tanned woman's neck. "Thank you for saving our lives, Shepard. Thank you…" The red-haired woman let go, haunted eyes full of gratitude. The other members all parroted the woman, thanking their saviors and wishing them luck.
Axis watched the small group depart, the rescuees unsteady on their feet and Mordin marching confidently in front, assault rifle held firmly in his grip. She felt a familiar presence coming up beside her. The soldier's relief and happiness at saving all her crewmates was tainted by a crushing guilt by the death of the unknown woman. "If we had only been a little faster…we could have saved her. We could have saved a life." Axis had instinctively known that it was Miranda who had sidled up beside her. The Australian shook her head firmly, blue eyes full of differing emotions reminiscent of her own. "No, Shepard. Do not blame yourself. What happened to her, to countless others…it is horrible. No doubt our crew will suffer greatly in the coming days; I know I will certainly have more than my share of sleepless nights after this. But, only so much can be done. We could not have gotten here sooner, no matter how fast Joker flew. Sometimes, fate has a shitty way of showing itself." Axis shook her head in agreeance, leaning slightly on the other woman, comforted by the feel of a solid body against hers, the warmth emanating off. The ache inside her heart subsided slowly, replaced by a steely determination that she was so renowned for. She grasped one of Miranda's gloved hands, bringing it to her lips slowly and laying a gentle kiss against the palm. Axis pulled back, leveling the rest of the group with her signature Shepard pep speech look.
"I know everyone is scared right now, and daunted by this huge task set before us. The galaxy has thrust us into an unenviable position. I cannot promise every one of you will make it back alive. Hell, I cannot guarantee my own safety. But, we are as prepared as we could be right now. You have all proven that you are the best of the best; the cream of the crop. We will succeed this mission, no matter what. The death toll will be great during this war, but the sacrifices made here today will help start a new future." She saw every head, no matter the size or shape, nod as one. "That was a helluva speech, Shepard. Hopefully we will all live long enough for another one." Jack's near bald head gleamed in the alien-esque light. The brilliant tattoos littering her lean frame were even more apparent in the light. Axis could not keep a fond smile from appearing on her face. No matter how crass and crude Jack could be, she had wormed her way into the soft-hearted commander's heart. If she could only get Miranda and Jack to tolerate each other…
"Alright team, let's finish this once and for all!" Shepard's boisterous voice boomed around and the team headed forth into the unknown, confident that they would prove victorious. The Collectors would not know what hit them.