There it was. Kaidan hadn't wanted to admit it but, it was definitely there.
A few hours ago he had been refusing to accept that he was starting to get one of those blasted migraines. Mainly because he had a job to do and so as he, Shepard and Garrus stepped into the Mako ready for the drop, he pushed the niggling pain to the back of his mind and focused on the task ahead.
That had been four hours ago. Four hours of being thrown here and there as the durable Mako negotiated the desolate and unforgiving terrain of the alien world. Each jolt and bump reminded Kaidan of his discomfort and by the time they had found Admiral Kahoku's men the niggling pain had evolved into a full blown, skull splitting tremor.
But Kaidan had learned a long time ago how to mask the pain, how to feign the 'I'm fine' look. He didn't flinch nor did he complain. He simply got the job done.
He had to admit though that when the Thresher Maw finally dropped, and despite the earth shattering thud it made as it collapsed, it was a relief. Now all he had to do was endure the ride back to the pick up point.
Shepard was a great Commander but she had something of an issue when things stood in her way, rocks and uneven terrain were no exception...
Now they were back on the Normandy, with bumps and bruises and a hell of a lot of bad news.
"Garrus! Think you can get the Mako patched up before our next drop?" Shepard had called out to the Turian sharp-shooter as they exited the vehicle, using the all purpose ramp at the rear. Kaidan had been gathering up their gear as she passed and couldn't disguise the way his body flinched as the sound of her voice reverberated through his head. Luckily though, no one had noticed.
"It'll take while," Garrus replied, his voice softer, "the crap that thing spewed all over the hull is the problem. It's corrosive and it's eating through the armour. The whole left side needs refitting."
"Do what you can," Shepard nodded respectfully to Garrus before turning to Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams who was just entering the hold to help with the repairs.
Kaidan Could tell Shepard was pissed as hell at what they'd found down there. A whole squad had been wiped out by a bogus distress signal. Lured into the Thresher nest, killed light-years away from home and for what?
Kaidan shared her frustration, was angered by the senselessness of it all. He'd never regretted joining the Alliance, despite the chequered history he had with them. The 'accidental' element zero exposure, being taken away from his family to be 'trained' at Jump Zero... well, he'd put it all behind him. Right now all Kaidan cared about was the ideal of the Alliance. To prove to the rest of the galaxy, Humanity had a lot to offer. It was times like this though, he was starting to question it all.
His thought's were interrupted when one of the techs fired up the engine and once again Kaidan's head felt like it was about to pop open.
"Lieutenant," Garrus' voice sounded behind him and Kaidan quickly removed his hand from his brow and stood straight once again, or as straight as he could stopped in the confines of the Mako. "Do you need a hand with that?" The Turian indicated the bag's Kaidan had hold of, one over his shoulder the other at his feet, since he had dropped it when his head started to pound painfully.
"I got this," He replied, "but thanks."
"No problem," Garrus nodded but didn't leave right away, seeming to study Kaidan a little longer before he was finally called away by Tali'zorah.
Kaidan picked up the bag again and finally stumbled down the ramp, glad when his feet hit the solid ground of the Normandy. Sure it technically wasn't ground, but it was a hell of a lot more stable than the Mako.
The vehicle bay was busy, as was always the case when they returned from another world. The Mako needed repairing and decontaminating, the consequences of transmitting alien bacteria or fauna to another world, even the Normandy itself were to vast and severe to be ignored. Armour and weaponry had to be treated with the same caution and so after every other-worldly encounter, the equipment was sealed in air-tight containers and bags like the one he was carrying now.
By now Ashley had finished seeing to whatever Shepard had wanted her for and was once again at her station. She already had some of the teams equipment and was busy placing each one in the decontamination lock.
Kaidan approached her workstation wearily and set the two bags down. He didn't even realise he had made any noise until she spoke.
"That's a weary sigh, L.T," Ashley said as she turned from her task, a white mask and a pair of protective gloves adorning her as she worked with the field equipment, "you okay?"
"I'm fine, just glad that's over."
"The Commander told me what happened. Don't ask me why but I didn't think the Geth had that in them."
"I know you told me not to ask..." Kaidan smiled at the look she gave him, her brown eyes narrowing and her nose wrinkling making the mask move slightly.
"Well, they're machines," She explained as she turned back to her task, "I just thought being calculating was a organic thing."
"Really?" Kaidan couldn't hide the smile, even suffering as he was, Ash still managed to cheer him up. "Last I checked a calculator was a machine..."
"Damn it L.T, you know what I mean!"
"Yeah," Kaidan chuckled softly, "But then who's to say Saren or one of the Krogan working for him didn't give the Geth the order to lay the trap?"
"You have a point. I guess I'm still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that the Geth are actually working with organics."
Kaidan missed her remark for just as Ash started to speak one of the lights on the control panel lit up, hitting his eyes with just the right amount of strength to make him physically shy away. He shut his eyes, but still he saw the bright spots behind his lids. It was like an old-school disco, with varying degrees of light and colour all moving around without symmetry. It was almost beautiful...
"Sir?" Ashley's voice came drifting to him as he slowly corrected his posture and opened his eyes again. When he could finally see right again, Ashley was frantically removing her gloves. She might have reached for him if she hadn't been handling potential contaminants.
"I'm okay, Chief."
"No way, sir. You very very nearly hit the deck-"
"The light just, caught me by surprise is all."
"You should get checked over..." Kaidan just shook his head, slowly though, the last thing he needed now was to trigger another jolt like the last one. What he couldn't control though was the environment he was in, the vehicle bay was always noisy, techs shouting, lights moving, heavy equipment, footfalls as someone jogged by. Jokes, laughter and banter from the crew as they struggled to bring their own brand of light into a strict military operation. Grunts from the Krogan as he lifted, threw and other wise demolished anything he was aimed at. Garrus and the welding gun, Tali and her constant talking, explaining and tinkering of anything she could get her hands on. Shepard...behind it all...
"Alenko!" Kaidan jumped as now a hand landed on his shoulder.
The sounds that had been so clear and loud a moment ago, became regular back-ground noise once again. He blinked down, confused into the deep blue eyes of his Commander. She stared up at him for a moment, seeming to realise she had caught him completely unawares. He had to squint as the light shinning just behind her made her features indistinguishable for a moment, but eventually he focused on her kind, concerned gaze. Blue eyes, pale skin and the darkest black hair. She reminded him of an fairy-tale princess...
...she would probably hit him hard if he ever admitted that.
"Commander," he quickly shook himself out of his daze and tried to adopt a more professional posture, "I'm sorry ma'am. I-I didn't quite catch what you said."
"Forget it, it wasn't important," Shepard's hand fell from his shoulder back to her side. No sooner had she relaxed than Kaidan felt himself sway a little, not realising just how much of a steadying force she had been for him. "Are you alright, Kaidan?"
"I'm fine-"
"Don't believe him, ma'am."
"Chief-" Kaidan started to protest but Ash wasn't that easy to silence.
"The lieutenant very nearly ended up on his butt."
"Thanks Chief," Kaidan didn't bother to hide the sarcasm from his tone and he turned back to Shepard with an apologetic look as she studied him some what skeptically.
"Is there something I should know, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked, her voice soft and low, seeming to understand he was embarrassed by what ever was bothering him. He might have explained but the place was still to loud and the lights...moving here and there as equipment was moved, tools banged, clattered and buzzed... "Lieutenant?" He'd zoned again and once more Shepard's hand was on his shoulder. He turned slowly, the motion almost lazy. The tension in his neck was immense, one sudden move and it would feel ten times worse. "Kaidan? Can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah..."
"What is it?"
"I-it's too loud in here," Kaidan took a step away, heading for the elevator. He hadn't been dismissed but if he spent one more second there he was going to loose it.
"Williams, keep me posted on the repairs." Kaidan was now in the elevator car as he heard Shepard speak. He lent heavily against the wall, taking the weight off his weary legs before he dared look out into the bay at Shepard as she jogged calmly towards him. The doors had almost closed by the time she reached him, but she slipped through gracefully and stood before him, trying to gauge his condition. "You gonna tell me what's going on?" She asked, her stance official but her eyes, soft and full of compassion.
"It's just a headache ma'am." He mustered a smile but the illusion was shattered as the light above him seemed to beat down harder, as if his feigned bravado was actually defiance and it was determined to crush this rebelliousness. Its efforts were not in vein and it continued its assault with renewed strength.
"'Just a headache'," If her repeating his words wasn't a clear enough indication that she didn't believe him, her tone made it crystal. "You told me you got migraines, bad ones. Is that what this is?"
"Yeah. I didn't want to cause a fuss." He managed a crooked smile in her general direction as by now he had closed his eyes to minimise the irritation caused by the light. Doctors called it photo-sensitivity, and it went hand in hand with these attacks.
"Needing a time-out isn't causing a fuss, you face planting the deck is." Kaidan tensed briefly as he felt her hand slip under his left arm and around his back, before he knew it she was taking some of his weight. "Let's get you to medical."
"That's not really necessary, ma'am. I just need to take my meds and find a dark, quiet corner..."
"I'd rather you get checked over."
"There's really nothing anyone can do, ma'am. Short of doping me up and letting me sleep and I can do that myself." Kaidan felt a little stupid as he was all but carried from the elevator by his Commanding Officer, he imagined the looks he was getting as he didn't dare lift his gaze higher than knee level, and even then he had to squint. "No sense in...wasting the doc's time."
"If it makes you feel better, Kaidan it's hardly a waste of time. Come on."
"You're just as bad as Williams," Kaidan said with a sigh, a momentarily lapse in sanity caused by the pain. He felt her gaze upon him, but for some reason he didn't flinch or feel like he was being scolded like some silly child who'd scraped a knee. But still he added, "...ma'am."
"I'm glad to hear the Chief wouldn't put up with your stubborn male pride either, as far as I'm concerned, I'll take that as a recommendation to have her promoted."
Kaidan chuckled softly at that, but the increase in the pain that came with it changed his gentle chortle to a groan of anguished self-pity.
"Oh please, don't make me laugh." He complained quietly, his free hand going to his forehead in a feeble attempt to knead away the agony.
"Almost there, Kaidan," Shepard's voice was calm, soothing. Just like the touch of her left hand on his chest. It found its way there when he stooped forward. "Are they always this bad?"
"I-I...no, not always. Just, sometimes..." Kaidan dared to lift his head a little just as they passed the threshold of the medical bay. Thankfully the lights in here weren't as bright as a number of crew members were in there sleeping off some injury or sickness.
"Dr Chakwas," Shepard called out softly, but as quiet as her tone was, it was still loud enough to send another thump of pain shooting from his left ear into the centre of his brain. "Sorry." Shepard added in a whisper this time and Kaidan muttered his thanks before he felt and heard Dr Chakwas.
It was the usual barrage of questions, her voice grating on his nerves with every uttered word. He silently berated himself for thinking in such a negative way, especially since they were both just trying to help.
"Let's get you on a cot, Lieutenant," Chakwas moved off and Kaidan sighed. He really didn't want to be here, all he wanted was to pop his meds and curl up and sleep. Now he had to endure questions, a medical and drugs strong enough to knock him on his ass. The only good thing he guessed was the fact the doc knew the triggers for the pain. The lights were turned down about as low as they could be without being out all together and both were now whispering.
Kaidan sat himself down, reluctant to lie down despite the advice of the medical professional, but Chakwas had been the Normandy's chief of medical longer than Kaidan had been part of the crew. She knew him just as well as she knew the L2 complications.
"It's been a while since you've had a migraine this bad, Lieutenant."
"Yeah..."
"Did you take the Isopro when you felt it coming on?"
"Yeah, one capsule, just like you said." Kaidan slowly lifted his head when Chakwas gently pulled his chin in an upwards direction.
"What's 'Isopro'?" Shepard asked much to Kaidan's surprise, he expected her to have left as soon as his sorry ass was down.
"It's a drug, specifically designed to block the pain of a migraine. Regular med's can't touch these types of headaches, no one really knows why."
"So why hasn't the drug worked?"
"Sometimes, it just doesn't, ma'am..." Kaidan answered this time, he felt he should at least do something. He felt like he was being enough of a burden to both of them, the least he could do was explain his own condition. "It's not very often, the last time was before my transfer to the Normandy, about three years ago."
"Try to open your eyes for me, Lieutenant," Kaidan done as he was asked and slowly the lids peeled back from warm, sore eyes. Chakwas was stood before him, a pen light in her hand and he was dreading her use of it. He braced himself for the flash across his eyes as she gauged his responses but he still managed to flinch and turn away. "Sorry Kaidan, just a few more tests and I can give you something for the pain."
Chakwas moved aside leaving him alone with the Commander who was stood leaning against an unoccupied cot, arms folded. She stood straight and took a step closer while Kaidan blinked the light imprint from his vision.
"I'm really sorry about this ma'am."
"Don't be, it's not like you can help any of this."
"Doesn't make me feel any less a fool," He sighed, "I was hoping I could have just slipped away after the mission..."
"Well I'm glad you didn't. I don't like the thought of you hiding away some where in this much pain." Kaidan dared to lift his gaze a little higher, if only to meet her eyes. It seemed like such a personal thing to say but then he could have been reading it all wrong, she was his CO, chances were she would feel the same for any other member of the crew. But still, it was a warm feeling inside when he imagined that sort of care was for him alone and strangely the warmth over-shadowed the selfishness he felt at the same time. "So what causes these attacks?" Shepard asked, changing the subject before Kaidan could stare at her some more.
"I'm an L2," at her confused expression, Kaidan continued, "most biotics now are fitted with the L3 implants because the L2 caused too many complications."
"Like what?"
"Tumours, loss of brain and motor function, crippling physical pain and memory loss," Chakwas answered for him, for which he was actually grateful, "Kaidan's lucky, he just gets migraines."
"Lucky..." Shepard shook her head and Kaidan just shot her a small smile before closing his eyes once more in a feeble attempt to ease the throbbing still going on behind his eyes.
"Believe it or not, I'm thankful that's all I have to endure. I've seen some good friends end up in bad situations because they had it much worse." Kaidan felt his brow furrow as memories of one particular friend entered his mind.
"Lieutenant, I really must insist you lay back now." Chakwas placed a hand on his right shoulder and guided him down towards the head rest. Even in the dim light he could see she had the promised medication and he sighed softly. "I know you don't like this, Kaidan," Chakwas smiled down at him as he made himself as comfortable as possible, "but you'll be feeling right as rain when you wake up."
"I know."
"I should go," Shepard was already moving to leave, hovering just out of his ability to focus.
"You're welcome to stay for a while, Commander. The medication can take a few minutes to take effect."
"I don't want to get in the way..."
"If you were in the way, Commander, I would have thrown you out long ago."
"I'll let Kaidan decide," Shepard now looked to him and Kaidan, squinting in the dim light, shook his head slightly.
"I don't mind, ma'am. But if you have some where you need to be..."
"I don't." She smiled and Kaidan found himself returning it, stunned by just how beautiful she looked, but then Chakwas had already slipped the needle into the exposed vein of his hand...and everything was starting to look a little brighter.
"He won't be awake very long..." He heard Chakwas whisper as she taped a cotton bud against the puncture. He knew what she said was true but he was going to make a decided effort to stay conscious as long as possible, if only to spend a little more time with Shepard. At least that was the plan anyway...
…
After a few days of relaxing, Kaidan felt a lot better. He had insisted that he didn't need any longer than a day to get over the worst the Migraine had to offer, but Shepard had insisted going so far as to take on his regular duties to insure he had nothing to do but rest. He was honoured she thought so much of him but then quickly reined those thoughts in. Shepard thought a lot of every one of the crew, not just him. Though he wished...
He shook his head and focused on the task before him, checking the supplies that had been loaded onto the Normandy by the Citadel dock workers. As far as he could tell it was all there but it never hurt to check as sometimes small mistakes were made which could result in a large bill being sent back to the Alliance. Usually spent on the fuel to return and pick up the missing cargo, and if they happened to be en-route to a possibly volatile situation any delay could cost a lot more than credits. It could cost lives...
Kaidan nodded to the dock worker and handed back the signed manifest once he was happy everything was in order before heading back to the mess-hall and crew quarters to ensure all personnel who were on shore leave while they were stationed at the Citadel had returned. Everyone was back except for Shepard and her team, who had set off earlier that morning to speak to Admiral Kahoku no doubt to deliver the terrible news about his men. It was sensitive information, the likes of which Shepard wanted to deliver in person and once again Kaidan found his thoughts wandering.
Shepard was like no one he had ever met before. It was hard to picture someone who was so deeply caring and compassionate about those around her and yet, could kill a man twice her size in a hundred different ways. She had been through a lot, having lost her entire family when the slavers raided Mindoir and then later, being the only survivor on Akuze, loosing her entire squad to a Thresher-Maw attack. It was just so refreshing to see someone come out of all that and not be jaded or tainted by her experiences, but rather use each one to better herself.
Kaidan found himself admiring her more and more each day, more so with the concern she had shown him in the last few days. She never once looked at him like he was weak or deserving of pity. Every glance and smile was only ever meant to reassure him, confirm what he suspected. That...maybe she liked him a little more than she should. Or was that just wishful thinking? Seeing more than was actually there?
"Lieutenant Alenko," Kaidan turned from the crew manifest to face one of the younger members of the Normandy, one fresh out of the academy, "you asked to be informed when the shore party had arrived."
"Thank you, private." Kaidan nodded his thanks and dismissed the younger man who quickly left to attend to his duties. Putting the manifest down, Kaidan made his way up the stairs to the command centre, passing the galaxy interface and Shepard's station. The area was always bustling with busy crew, all working as one to ensure the ship ran as smoothly as possible. He followed the symmetric curve of the hull to the long corridor leading to the cockpit and hatch, just as the external decontamination program had finished.
The hatch opened and there she was. Kaidan smiled and suddenly he didn't know why he had even rushed to meet her. He stood, slightly out of breath from his haste with nothing to say.
Shepard met his gaze and raised her brow as if expecting him to say something, possibly important and now he felt like a fool.
"Urm, welcome back ma'am."
"Thanks Lieutenant." Her brow creased slightly, but she wore a smile which meant he had sort of gotten away with it.
"Thanks L.T." Ashley Williams stated some what sarcastically, drawing attention to his tunnel vision having only greeted the commander and no one else. Garrus picked up on it right away and his scaly lips curved in what could only be described as a devilish grin. "Good to see you too." Ashley smiled and winked as she passed Kaidan by and he stood there trying to fumble around his words to no avail.
"I don't think he is very interested in 'our' arrival, Chief," The Turian stated as he glided past Kaidan.
"Okay, that's enough of that," Shepard stated stepping beyond the threshold of the hatch before shaking her head with a smile at Kaidan who silently wished he could kick his own ass. "Are all crew members back on board and accounted for?"
"Yes ma'am," Kaidan responded with some degree of relief in his tone as Shepard threw him a proverbial bone, "we also received a full quota of rations, parts, fuel and energy cells for the main battery."
"Good, because we're going to need them." Shepard lead the way to the command centre and beyond, aiming for the changing rooms.
"How did the admiral take the news, ma'am?"
"As well as could be expected. It's not easy loosing men..."
"You would know." Kaidan offered her a warm smile, hoping she took his words as he meant them to be. Understanding and an open invitation to talk about if, should she need too.
"Yeah..." Shepard turned to look at him as she spoke and their eyes locked on each other briefly before she turned back to look were she walked. "Kaidan," First name basis wasn't unusual when Shepard wanted to talk frankly, the fact that she slowed in their march to the crew quarters letting Garrus, Ashley and few of the crew pass by made him a little nervous. He swallowed thickly, scared he was about to get a little talk about 'fraternization' and the regs that made it a very bad idea.
"Shepard, I'm sorry I-"
"You don't even know what I'm going to say." She smiled wistfully leaving him thoroughly confused.
"I thought-" He cleared his throat and shuffled from foot to foot. "Well I guess I thought you picked up on..." He met her eyes seeing that her smile had turned into a grin.
"I've picked up on it yes, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh. Now I feel a little stupid." He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his short dark hair, a nervous gesture which he hoped hid the slight redness from his cheeks. "What was it you wanted to discuss ma'am?"
"Admiral Hackett got in touch with me just before we arrived at the Citadel. Have you ever heard of Chairman Burns?"
"Yeah, member of the Parliamentary Subcommittee for Transhuman Studies. He's been all over the extra-net lately. He voted against awarding reparations to L2's." They started walking again, now they were back to talking shop, it felt a little less awkward. For him at least since Shepard seemed to take it all in her stride.
"I guessed you'd be clued up on him."
"Every L2 and their families would have been waiting for the results of that vote. There's a lot of angry biotics out there struggling to come to terms with the fact their call for some kind of apology has been stone-walled."
"How do you feel about it?" Shepard fixed him with that look, as if she was gauging his response and he smiled.
"I admit it makes me a little unhappy. Personally I don't think I've suffered enough to be deserving of an apology or reparations, but I am a little angry that there people out there who can barely move because of the pain, others who don't even know who they are, relying on family and friends to perform the most basic of tasks. They deserve something, they deserve to be heard at the very least. The recent vote is basically telling the whole galaxy that that's not the case."
"You don't think you're entitled to something for the suffering you've endured?"
"I get migraines, Shepard. Fair enough they're caused by my implants but...people who don't have implants get migraines too. Does that mean the Alliance have to pay out to those people too?"
"The Alliance didn't caused their pain."
"The Alliance gave me purpose. I've spent the last three years of my life going to places I never even dreamed of. I've made some of the best friends I've ever had. They've even offered to 'fix' their mistake."
"What do you mean, 'fix'?"
"There's a procedure to remove the L2 implants and replace them with the more stable L3, but it's a risky procedure. It can cause permanent brain damage. I consider myself lucky, my problems are minor compared to some of side-effects the L2 implants can cause. I'd rather not push my luck."
"That's one way to look at it." Shepard smiled and nodded, their walk pausing once more as they neared their destination.
"I get the feeling there was more to your question than simply getting my feedback on it, ma'am."
"You're right. Chairman Burns was abducted by a extremist group of L2 Biotics. Like you said, a lot of L2's were angered by the vote, looks like some were angry enough to do something about it."
"It's hardly a surprise, ma'am."
"I agree. I guess all I wanted to know was-"
"You don't need to worry about where my loyalties lie, ma'am."
"I can see that." Shepard's smile grew. "I'd like you on the team when we face these people."
"Is there anything in particular you need me to do?"
"Just do what you do best, Kaidan." Kaidan nodded with a smile as Shepard headed into the female locker room.
…
Kaidan readied his weapon and loaded it into its holster as he waited for orders. Shepard and Garrus were with him for this and they waited silently for the all clear.
Joker was busy approaching the vessel that had been hijacked by the terrorists when they had snatched Chairman Burns. With the Normandy's stealth system active, they were able to run along side the freighter and dock without ever appearing on the ships scanners. One successful hack into the ships systems opened the hatch and they were stepping inside.
Shepard as always took point, waving Garrus into the secondary hatch that led into the heart of the ship. A huge sprawling cargo area met them, with crates stacked high and haphazardly making any scouting ahead impossible without stepping out of cover.
Garrus eased his way along the wall of cargo silently and Kaidan was once again surprised by his grace. For such a large, hard looking species, the Turians could sneak up on a mouse if they wanted too. Well, Garrus could at least.
The same went for Shepard. A hardened Infiltrator, she moved and every the air about them didn't shift. She often moved so quickly and silently that she was able to approach an enemy from behind, take them out and vacate the area before the body had even hit the ground.
With two stealthy and dangerous squad members, Kaidan was there to provide any help he could and he had to admit, next to their skill and prowess, he felt a little inferior. He was dangerous...in his own kind of way. Biotic ability like his wasn't anything to sniffed at but...he did envy the style they carried.
Pushing all that to the side, Kaidan followed Shepard until she ordered him to hold back. He could tell she had found a target and she lifted the barrel of the powerful rifle up to peer through its scope. Three shots rang out and Kaidan knew without looking that three of the terrorists were now dead. Garrus shot from cover and fired twice, killing two more while Kaidan hurried forward into the area they had just cleared and lifted one of the massive cargo crates and sent it hurtling into a group of five as they came running from a side room.
Two were instantly crushed while the remaining three took cover.
Kaidan quickly ducked and took a calming breath, the localised mass effect field he had created slowly dwindling down into nothing once again. He had to relax between each use, something else that frustrated him about his Biotics. If he wasn't careful, he could do more harm to himself than his targets.
With Garrus and Shepard behind him laying down cover fire, Kaidan stood and focused on the task at hand. It had become easy over the years, to trigger the implants in his mind like he was merely accessing a natural thought pattern. Now creating a singularity out of the Element Zero within his body was no more difficult than aiming a gun and pulling the trigger.
Kaidan used the mass effect field around his body to push the bright blue swirling orb into the centre of the cargo hold and hold it there. He ducked behind cover and blew out the breath before dragging in a second, composing himself as he heard the shrieks of surprise as the singularity pulled the targets from cover, sending them floating up into the air like feathers drifting on a summer breeze. He saw Shepard wink in his direction before she and Garrus picked the helpless fools off and it was a quick sprint to the crew quarters...
"Freeze!" Shepard demanded, her voice ringing loud so it was heard by all. Kaidan slipped in behind her, while Garrus mostly stayed out of sight, his weapon ready.
Chairman Burns was held here, six L2's at various points in the mess hall. Two were by the doors they had just stormed in, two more were in cover further back while the remaining two stood beside one other.
A tall thin man with thinning blond hair stood above the chairman with a weapon primed at Burns' skull. What struck Kaidan first was how steady the weapon was... This wasn't a man who was backed into a corner. This was a man in control.
Kaidan shot Shepard a slight glance, but her sights were firmly on the terrorist leader.
"Put the weapon down and no one gets hurt!" Shepard sounded out once more, and while three of the Biotics seemed to consider it, when their leader didn't budge or even lift his gaze from Burns, their resolve seemed to strengthen.
"No, you put your weapons down, or I will blow his brains into his feet," The L2 leader now looked up, his pale green, bloodshot eyes hard, "and I do not mean with the gun."
Kaidan shook his head but kept his eyes on the target. He knew what the guy meant, he'd seen it done before...it wasn't pretty.
"You don't have to do this," Kaidan said, his voice loud but calm. "There are other ways..."
"We've tried them all. We've rallied and protested. We've petitioned and screamed. No body listened. For years no one bothered to give us the time of day and yet, when they finally do...we're swept under the carpet!"
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know L2's were this desperate!" Burns spoke up, his voice quivering as much as his hands as the gun was pressed harder into the back of his skull.
"Well now you do! Now you want to help us! Not because its the right thing to do, but because its the only way you think it will help you!"
"Stand down!" Shepard demanded, sensing like Kaidan that the situation was becoming more volatile. There was no way they could save Burns, the second they made a move the trigger would be pressed and Burns could say hello to his grey-matter. "What's your name?" Shepard asked, her voice calmer. The Biotic holding the gun suddenly looked a little off balance, like he never expected to be asked.
"What do you care?"
"I care plenty. My name is Shepard, I'm Commander of the Normandy. I'm here to try and save lives but I'm gonna need your help to do this. So, what's your name?"
"Bailey. Marc Bailey."
"Marc, I can't imagine how angry you're feeling, I would be too. But look at him! If you kill him now, you're going to loose all support for your cause. The people won't see people who are suffering, they'll see killers and terrorists. Is that what you want?"
"Of course not but-"
"Then let him go."
"But we'll have accomplished nothing! L2's will still be suffering because of what bastards like this done to us!"
"Bailey calm down-"
"No! I won't just stop here and now, with nothing to show for any of this."
"Bailey..." Shepard raised her weapon a little higher, looking through the sights. "Don't let this happen..."
"Marc," Kaidan couldn't just stand by any more and do nothing. He lowered his weapon and took a slow careful step forward.
"Kaidan..." Shepard's voice sounded tense as she tried to call him back but he continued. Bailey fixed him with a glare, his trigger finger tensing and Kaidan held out his hands in a 'relax' gesture.
"I'm an L2."
"Bull-"
"I am, now I've been lucky. I suffer anything half as bad as most L2's, but the recent vote, yeah it made me pissed off too. Cos I've got some good friends who've suffered who've died. And their families have had to watch and suffer with them." Bailey seemed to relax, his eyes turning once more to look at Burns who trembled in fear at his feet. "You're angry and for good reason but if you pull that trigger, if you kill him you're condemning every L2 out there to a hard and miserable future. Do you really wanna do that?"
"No, I-"
"Then put the gun down and let Burns go."
"But he-"
"Please!" Burns tried again. "I promise I will look at the reparations request again, please I didn't know how desperate you were. I didn't know how bad it was-"
"Well you should have!" Bailey pushed the gun harder against Burns skull again, his eyes full of anger that slowly died a second later and his arm relaxed. "B-but I'm not like you..." Bailey lowered the weapon and took a step back. "I won't let my ignorance hurt anyone..."
Kaidan shot Shepard a look before walking forward and took the gun from Baileys hand.
"You're doing the right thing," Kaidan said softly seeing Garrus and Shepard lower their weapons as the rest of the L2's dropped their arms.
"Time will tell," Bailey shook his head, looking to Burns as the chairman scurried away, "who's to say he won't just ignore us again, now that he's safe?"
"He won't," Shepard spoke up, the assault rifle in her hands lowered but still enough of a presence to stop anyone from getting any ideas. "I'll see that he follows through."
"You can trust Shepard, you have my word on that." Kaidan added, sensing Baileys next question. It seemed to be enough for him.