"Admiral, I'm detecting some kind of life form in the vicinity. Permission to check the area out?" Lance Corporal Paul Larsen asked.
"Permission granted," Admiral Hackett replied. "We need to see if that's Shepard."
Paul gave the signal to the rest of his squad to move ahead. The squad's Sergeant was killed during the Final Push and they didn't have time to have a new Sergeant to take over, so Paul was next in line to take charge. He was only in the Marines for two years, but he was beginning to feel confident in his leadership skills, thanks to his fallen superior. He was still insecure and had his doubts, but due to the lessons his Sergeant taught–or well–yelled to him, Paul began to see what makes a good leader.
The corporal never really thought of himself as Alliance material, but his parents were veterans and held high expectations for him. He was more of a hippie type, but not to the point of outright rebelling against his parents, a weakness he considered he had in his adolescence. But because the fear he had of disappointing his family, he begrudgingly joined the Alliance Marines to appease them. A regret he had at first until the Reapers came.
Once They arrived, he had to forsake his previous grievances with war, military, and government. He wasn't sure if his parents were still alive, but he knew he had to fight for them; and for his home. Paul was able to be promoted to Lance Corporal during a dangerous mission involving husks and cannibals invading a colonial planet. It was after that mission that sparked a desire to improve his leadership skills. Even though the mission was a success and it earned him a promotion, a decision he had to make cost the lives of some of his buddies.
"Alright, I am getting close to the subject." Excitement flushed through Paul. The woman that he'd been hearing about for the last two and a half years might be alive. Despite his past issues with the military, he saw Shepard as the ideal hero. Diplomatic and only killed as a last resort. If he had to be like someone in the Marines, it would be her.
Paul was near the subject. The beep emanating from his detector was getting louder and faster. He sometimes wondered why they made the device work like a metal detector, but it wasn't the time to think about that. Dust and concrete surrounded the area and flowed constantly in the air, it almost seemed like he was tuned to a dead analogue channel from a less advanced planet.
"I see something!" Paul shouted. He wasn't sure exactly, but he thought he might have seen a piece of metal shaped like a dog tag glint in the almost non-existent sunlight. His squadron moved forward, albeit a little apprehensively, to see if what they found was a living person. A chunk of concrete was blocking a path, and Paul ordered his sterioid-looking muscular private to move the piece.
"Holy shit. . ." He muttered.
"What?" Hackett said.
"I can't believe it."
"Larsen! Tell me what's going on!" The Admiral demanded. "Did you find her?"
"It's her!" Paul shouted. "Her name is on her tag!"
Shepard had been conscious for some time. She woke up in a pile of rubble, not entirely sure where she was. It was silent and she wasn't sure if she was still in the Citadel or in London. Shepard had a hard time thinking clearly due to the blood loss and exhaustion. The silence was starting to become overwhelming. The sounds of gunfire, explosions, and Reapers were still fresh in her mind. A thought came to her if she ever really went to the Citadel? She didn't think that she would have survived due to the explosion from the pipe that she shot at; still wondering how that managed to destroy the reapers. Shepard came to the conclusion that nothing happened and the whole confrontation was in her head, fearing that it might have been a result of indoctrination. Or maybe she was dead.
A shot of pain spread through her leg and abdomen. Shepard tried to sit up but was too weak to even move.
"Huh, I guess I'm not dead." Shepard thought. "Either that, or I'm in hell." If she was alive, then she wouldn't be for too long. Her wounds were too severe and her N7 armor was charred so badly that her health replenishing system wouldn't work.
Moments later, with what seemed like weeks or months, she heard something. Or someone.
Author's Note: Thanks again! I decided to introduce a new character. It wasn't what I planned, but I think I have a pretty good idea what direction I want him to go as a supporting character. Don't worry, it won't be a love triangle. This isn't Twilight. :P
I'm still trying to work on my technique, but hopefully I'll get the hang of this pretty soon. This might sound funny, but I think this might actually be the best thing I've written so far. I'll need some improvement, practice makes perfect!
Hopefully in the future, my chapters will be longer!
Thank you!
