Female Renegade Shepard. Beware the rating is for a reason, character death is possible. Just to be clear, not exactly following cannon.
Joanna Shepard awoke with a groan, struggling up to a sitting position. She reached out and grabbed her assault rifle which had luckily somehow landed beside her, and scanned the area for any threats. Luckily it was clear.
After all, they'd already wiped out what seemed like half the collector base. And the human reaper… it was gone. She looked around, seeing Jack lying nearby.
"You damn well better be alive, Jack. I didn't slide down that platform to save your ass just to have you die," she groaned out. She pulled herself to her feet, slowly moving over to the unmoving Jack. No one had died from her team as of yet, and she didn't want Jack to be the first.
But before she got there, Joanna snapped around quickly at a groan from her other companion. Miranda was trapped under a piece of wreckage. Joanna quickly moved over to her; it was time to finish one of the last strings.
Miranda groggily mumbled thanks as Joanna pulled the wreckage off of her. She looked up into the well scarred face of Shepard, her scars having gotten remarkably worse since she awoke. But she had done the impossible, she had stopped the collectors. And they were still alive. Miranda's work had paid off.
"Still among the living," Joanna said neutrally as she carefully lifted Miranda from the front, one arm supporting her, the other somewhere else.
"Barely," Miranda replied softly. Everything hurt, and that was just from before the battle with the reaper. It was worse now.
"Well it's time for this to end." Miranda frowned; she thought it already was finished.
She felt something poke her in the abdomen, and then a moment later heard 2 gunshots. A strange warm feeling started to come from her stomach, and then pain flared up.
She glanced down. Shepard had her pistol there, inside where her kinetic barriers formed their field. The barrel was smoking, and 2 holes were in her thin armour, blood starting to leak out of them.
"What..." she asked, confused. She was already feeling weak limbed, and started to collapse. Shepard gently guided her down, capturing her in her arms softly, lying at an angle on a piece of wreckage. Shepard just sort of supported Miranda's lolling head and body on her own.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Don't fight it, it's over."
Miranda was confused. What was happening? All the pain was gone now, just a comfortable numbness setting in. "Why?" was all she asked; she didn't know what else to ask.
"It's complicated," Joanna answered, genuine confusion in her voice, like she didn't understand it herself. "But just know that this is a good death. You will be known as a hero who went in and fought the good fight. You will be remembered as a good person. Not as a Cerberus lackey." Joanna's voice was filled with legitimate regret, and Miranda understood.
"Jacob?" she asked, her strength fading rapidly. But she still turned her head to look at Shepard, seeing she had tears in her eyes.
"I won't hurt him Miranda." Shepard smiled at her. "None of this is his fault. I know you knew about the atrocities Cerberus was committing, but he was just a soldier. A grunt. He didn't bring me back, he didn't condone their actions. His only crime was loving you, who wouldn't admit her love for him back."
Miranda shivered involuntarily and closed her eyes. It was too late for regrets. She felt Shepard wrap her arms tighter around her. "Ok," was all Miranda said. She was drifting away fast now. Her vision was going dark. But she was at peace. She believed that Shepard wouldn't cast her name out. Shepard always followed through.
A smile tugged at her face, as the darkness claimed her.
Joanna felt the life leave Miranda, and let go of her, standing up. She wiped away the tears from her eyes; there could be no regrets. Miranda had died stopping the collectors, fighting the Reapers. That was how she would be remembered, not as the monster responsible for Akuze. Not as the woman who had brought her back, ruining the only happiness and peace she had ever known; but as a hero.
She went back to Jack, checking her pulse. She was alive, thank god, just unconscious. Joanna was ready to carry her body to get out if needed be. No one else on her team would die. It was almost finished.
The last loose string for Cerberus was the Illusive Man. And then she would deal with the Reapers.
Thanks for reading. Hopefully the next one isn't so sad :(
