Bang.
The sound jolted her back to reality.
The prothean data, Cerberus, Eva Coré–it had all been a blur to Shepard. Just part of the job. But the door of the flaming Kodiak skidded across the landing pad towards Liara and Kaidan, and finally, Shepard blinked.
"Kaidan!"
The android had grabbed him by the throat, his limbs flailing uselessly as she raised him higher–higher–higher off the ground, the same ground which refused Shepard's feet purchase as she scrambled to get to him.
She hadn't missed the way her heart pounded in her chest when he was in danger, or the way nausea churned in her stomach whenever a bullet, just two inches to the left–
Focus.
Her legs refused to cooperate fast enough, as if she were wadding through thigh-deep mud in some far off world with Kaidan's poorly-timed jokes about dirt crackling in her ear.
Or, Kaidan's breath tickling down her neck as he trailed kisses from her ear to her shoulder, peppering her skin with tiny goosebumpes. His gentle fingers caressing her cheek, holding her, like he had done before Illos–
She raised her gun, overbalanced, and barely stopped herself from falling flat on her face. Her legs were like jelly. But yet, Eva Coré did not even look at her.
"Let him go!" Shepard tried, her voice bleeding with desperation.
Instead, the android turned to the flaming ruin of the Kodiak.
"No–" Bang. She slammed him into the ruined vehicle, hard. His head lolled forward lifelessly.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Shepard was awake now.