A/N: Okay so i figured i should of stuck this in chapter one, so ill just pretend its a mini chapter or something. I also realised i spelt Kaidan and Sheperds names wrong in the previous chapter. My bad.

Chapter Two

Sheperd tapped the toe of her boot against the tall metal panel. It made a dull clanging sound as her foot came into contact with it but did not shift or budge from its position. She nodded and moved to another part of the panel. These make-shift walls provided essential cover and being at least 7' tall meant you didn't have to sit in the mud to protect yourself. The soft ground meant some of them started to lean, but most were lodged quite deeply and firmly to the ground. Reaching the end of the row of panels she unshouldered her rifle and slowly leant around the side. The night was made darker by the dense fog that had descended, and she couldn't even make out the dots of fires like she could on clearer nights. She drew back and leaned against the metal wall. Her parka collar was pulled up close around her neck, the thick padding and lining keeping the chill away from her neck and cheeks. Her breath hung around her mouth as she exhaled. The stillness and quiet of the night was broken when Kaidan leaned up next to her and spoke.

"It's dark tonight." He noted quietly, speaking low so he didn't disturb the other soldiers sleeping and slumped up against crates and make shift walls. He wanted so much to sleep too, as well as a longing to be dry and warm and full.

"I have a bad feeling," Shepherd muttered. Frowning, she glanced back round the wall again for a moment "It's this quiet, it makes me uneasy."

They had been patrolling the perimeter for about four hours now, slogging through the wet and thick ground that only made their progress slower and both knew they were in for a long night. Kaidan was exhausted, Shepherd could tell. His back slowly slid down the panel until he was sat on the ground. He unshouldered his rifle and moved it to rest in his lap as he pushed his head back against the wall, breathing in long slow breaths of night air that were followed by clouds of breath. He closed his eyes and sighed happily when the burning sensation of keeping them open began to ease.

"Just let me take five minutes…" He muttered. Shepherd huffed but made no move to stop him. She could spare him a moment to relax. It had been weeks since any attempt was made to breach their lines by the Turians, the inevitability of a final push hung heavy on everyone's shoulders, but the sheer wait and anticipation had begun to take its toll as exhaustion began to set in. She could only figure that the opposition were having similar problems hence the delay.

She decided to continue alone, doing her fourth loop of the camp by now. She would wake Kaidan up when she eventually got back round to him. Roughly a hundred yards down the line she began to check another perimeter wall that looked slightly dodgy. Tapping it with her foot it budged slightly and she frowned. It was dark so she used a torch on the end of her rifle to check out the base of the panel, seeing if the mud had washed or worn away in order for the decreased stability. The inside seemed okay so she determined the problem had to be on the other side. She carefully leaned around, making sure to not point her torch out into the fog in case she gave away her position. The Turians had some damned good snipers, a fact she hated to admit.

As she slowly scanned the ground with her torch, she could see how the earth had been pulled away. Huge gashes and claw marks could be seen in the ground that sliced through the clay, like a huge dog had been digging against the panel. Sheperd quickly pulled back behind the cover and swore under her breath. Her feeling of dread returned as she spoke into the com as calmly as she could. She had checked every perimeter on her previous sweep a little than an hour ago, surely she would have noticed this?

"This is Cpl Sheperd. I have evidence of a potential Turian push located at the seventh point along the front line wall, possible sabotage over." The com crackled into life as a voice on the other end responded.

"Copy that Cpl. What is your visual over?"

"Some of the perimeter walls have been dislodged, signs of digging. Not sure what it means…" She let her sentence trail off as she shot her eyes over to the gloom almost on instinct. "I see movement." She lifted her rifle and pressed the butt against her shoulder, pointing the weapon into the gloom as she carefully made her way behind a large metal crate. Resting her rifle on the top, she stared into the darkness, and she saw it again. Just a smudge of movement was enough to confirm her suspicions. It was time.

"Cpl what is your situation over?" The com urged.

Before she could respond, a piercing shriek erupted from the skies, lighting up the fog and clouds with a great blue burst. Tendrils of electricity snaked into the air as the flare illuminated the human camp for all but a few moments. A few soldiers were alert on their feet, scrambling around for their rifles, slipping over in the mud and clay in desperate attempts to ready themselves. Loud mortar rounds were fired in quick succession, arching into the sky as they came hurtling down toward the camp. Sheperd could do nothing but cover her head and brace for the impact, booms making the ground beneath her shudder as they hit the ground with force.

Luckily she was unscathed as she launched to her feet, sprinting as fast as she could back the way she came. More rounds were falling around her as shouts and screams could be heard from the human party. Rifles sputtered into life as they unloaded their rounds, feeding the shots into the darkness in blind panic.

She stumbled slightly as the suction from the wet earth pulled on her boot. Crying out she tried to brace her fall, but the soft ground cushioned her and heaving herself to her feet she picked up her rifle and pushed on. She could see the small fire she had left Alenko at, and sighed in relief when she saw him crouched behind some cover, flinching as a round came a bit too close for comfort.

"Sheperd!" He screamed, but the sound was cut short as a large explosion pushed her from her feet.

For a moment, she was sailing through the air, sheer blinding heat pushing at her back as she was launched forwards from an explosion. The last things she remembered was Kaidans wide eyes, the colour of fire, and her own single heartbeat.