"Never fucking fails," Shepard muttered as she jogged down the corridor. There was little enough time for shore leave, especially when there was a war to fight. Of course Cerberus had to show up during this one. Was a little R&R (and maybe some canoodling) too much to ask?
Up ahead, a flash of white disappeared into a doorway. "Garrus," she murmured, jerking her head to direct his attention. He nodded, and they picked up the pace.
She charged through the door and stopped short, just before crashing into a cabinet full of delicate china. The unassuming storefront had been hiding a shop the size of a small warehouse. The walls were lined with shelves, and the floor was full of clutter that would provide cover for the enemy. That was bad. On the other hand, the Cerberus uniforms would stand out like beacons against the dingy interior. That was good.
A burst of gunfire sounded to the left, and a line of bullets chased them as they dove behind the counter, shattering the cabinet and filling the air with a spray of glass.
Out of the corner of her eye, Shepard spotted an engineer fiddling with a metallic disk. "Turret at our ten," she shouted.
Garrus's fingers flew over his omni-tool. The engineer's shields fizzled and went out, and he fumbled the still-folded turret in surprise. Shepard poked her head above the counter and dropped him with a neat triple tap.
They crouched out of sight as shots pinged over their heads. "Just a couple more," Shepard said. "Stay low."
Garrus's mandibles flared, baring his teeth: the turian version of a shit-eating grin. "This is...classy," he said.
"You wanted me to take you someplace nice." She leaned out and loosed a drone. It beeped cheerfully as it zapped several troopers and set another on fire.
"Maybe someday we can have a date where nobody gets shot."
She rolled her eyes. "You like it."
He fired a shot over the top and looked down at her fondly. "Yeah," he said. "I do."
Smiling, Shepard peered around the side. "Clear this way." She vaulted over the counter. "Come on. Maybe we'll get to blow something up."
He laughed. Funny how that could make her insides flutter, even in the middle of a combat zone. "Right behind you," he said.