It's not very encouraging…...I'd like it if I got a few more reviews. Motivation to write.

Chapter 4: Husk

Things have been going smoothly ever since we headed out, and we were going at a good pace. The only thing I wished would change was the semi-awkward silence from, there was no conversation whatsoever. Now that I think about it, what was so embarrassing anyway? I have a chest of 12 ye- Ahem. I mean I haven't reached my growth spurt yet...maybe that's why . With my height and small... endowments l really do look like a child don't I?

"Kristen?"

"Yes ?" I questioned.

"I'm…sorry about today…." She sounded upset.

"If this is about the shirt thing, I'm over it. I know you didn't mean any disrespect."

"No, it's not just that. In general, I'm sorry for all that's happened, as a soldier I was supposed to protect you. I didn't do a good job kid, just look at me," Her voice was getting louder as she continued. "Although I haven't got a single scratch and you're all battered and shot," Ashley was now trying to do her best to keep from shouting as her voice shook. "Everyone else, they're dead! My team is dead because m-ah!" I couldn't take it anymore.

Rushing to her side I embraced her, and felt her quivering as she kept from breaking down. When a sob slipped past her lips I pulled her closer until she was resting against me. Slowly her crying increased and she shook harder.

I leant towards her ear and whispered "Just let it out ."

Letting out a shuddering cry she faced me and retuned my embrace strongly, her tears now freely flowing with her head buried in the crook of my neck. Leading her over to a boulder I eased down to my knees and brought her down with me. Together we sat there, letting her tears for the fallen drop into the soil below.

Ashley Pov

I fell into her warm arms as she caught me, and we both fell to our knees as I saw the faces of my team- no, my friend's faces flash by me as I recalled their deaths. I should've called for a retreat. There must've been something I could have done! Sasha, Robert, Erich, Maria, Peter, Paul... I'm so sorry everyone. Ashley stayed like that until her tears finally slowed to a stop. A pair of warm hands on her face made aware of Kristen still holding on to her. Kristen used her thumbs and wiped away her tears and she opened her eyes and was greeted with Kristen searching her eyes with her own and softly spoke.

"Are you alright now?" Her expression was filled with concern and something else she couldn't identify.

"Yeah, I'm…..fine now." Taking Kristen's hands off her face she stood up and regretted it as she instantly missed their warmth. Straightening up she took the familiar weight of her assault rifle in her hands and adjusted her grip. Ashley then extended her hand out to Kristen who hadn't moved, and was watching her with a strangely blank expression.

"Come on, we've wasted enough time already." Seeing Kristen's expression harden she silently cursed to herself, knowing she'd said something wrong. Kristen seemed to think for a moment before accepting the outstretched hand and then let go when she stood. I'll have to figure out what that meant later. Wait, what was that sound? Two machines then flew into sight and headed straight towards them. Recon Drones! Getting her Kessler I out she tossed to Kristen who fumbled before she got a proper hold on it. With no large cover in the area, there was only one option.

"RUN!"

Shepard Pov

"Area clear."

"Alright Alenko, but keep your eyes open. We don't want a repeat of what happened with Jenkins." Jane Shepard kept her Lancer ready as she scanned the path ahead.

Walking farther along the path and they heard the sound of gunfire and shouting and broke into a run. At the top of the path they could see two feminine figures being chased by a type of Recon Drones, with bullets pelting the ground almost hitting them. The smaller of the two blindly shot at one and took it down, the attempt falling in vain when more drones entered the chase. Now the larger of the two took the smaller one's arm and pulled her to the in front just in time when a spray of bullets shots impacted her shields. With a misplaced foot she fell down but quickly recovered with a roll and shot one in the process. What they all saw next shocked them to the core. Two synthetics had placed a barely conscious man on a strange device that all of a sudden pierced him through the chest and lifted him the air with a shower of blood. As the synthetics looked their way, the two ran for cover and the taller woman covering them with shots from her assault rifle, the other stood with her pistol ready as the synthetics stalked closer.

"Alenko take cover!" Shepard did the same as she shot off one their heads while Alenko destroyed his with a singularity and a few rounds to the chest. Over by the boulder Ashley and Kristen had already finished off the last drone.

"Kaidan?"

"Zero contact Shepard."

Approaching the pink and white armored woman and her partner, the former spoke up.

"Thanks for your help, Commander. I didn't think that we were going to make it," then she introduced herself. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. You're the one in charge here, sir?"

Shepard took this time to speak "Are you wounded, Williams?"

"A few scrapes and burns. Nothing serious, though I hope you can take a look at my friend here. The others of my team... weren't so lucky." Ashley face turned downcast. "Oh, man…we were patrolling the perimeter when the attack hit. We tried to get off a distress call, but they cut off our communications. I found Kristen here a little while later and we've been fighting for our lives ever since."

"Any idea what kind of enemy we're facing?"

"...I think they're geth."

That was when Kaidan cut in. "The geth haven't been seen outside the veil in nearly 200 years. Why are they here now?"

Ashley glanced to Kristen and stepped closer speaking in a low voice. "They must have come for the beacon," Then returned back to normal "the dig site is close. Just over that rise. It might still be there."

"We could use your help, Williams. Why is there a civilian with you?" Shepard cast a look over Kristen's fairly small form. Take off two feet maybe a foot and a half away from the girl and she could be short as a volus and they're damn short… heh...how cute. Taking a small step back towards Ashley the small girl introduced herself.

"My name is Kristen Anderson, Commander. I have a have…..little experience with firearms but I know the way around the dig site….I could be of help if you take me along."

Shepard quirked an eyebrow. She looks like she could be knocked over by a varren pup, but appearances are always deceiving and- wait. Did she say her last name was Anderson? I'll have to ask later. That thought aside she took in the girl's appearance. She wasn't looking too good with her blood stained shirt and, are those denim jeans? I thought the production for those type of clothing stopped a good 87 years ago, and a one-strap bag slung over her shoulder. She doesn't have any armor, a colonist maybe, hmm we may have some armor that we salvaged from earlier…but it might be too big.

"How old are you Anderson?"

"I just turned 18 years old Commander Shepard."

"..." Barely an adult. She shook her head.

"You don't have any armor at the moment so I advise to stay behind us and remain under cover and out of any further conflicts, only engage when left with no other option, understood?"

"Understood Commander." Kristen nodded. Ashley checked her gun over as she stood beside Kaidan.

"Good. Close formation everyone, we don't want any surprises."

"Aye, aye, sir. It's time for payback." Ashley's voice was tight as she looked over the rise.

"Move out."

"This is the dig site." The beacon wasn't there. "The beacon was right here. It must have been moved." Yet Ashley didn't see a single sign of it as she looked at the area where it had been.

"By who? Our side? Or the geth?" Kaidan looked around for anything suspicious.

"Hard to say. Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp."

While they were talking Shepard had walked around the perimeter of the site and found signs of struggle, but no bodies were found. Something's up around here, and I have a feeling that I'm going to find out pretty soon.

Walking back to the group she asked "You think anyone got out of here alive?"

"I don't think so, if they were lucky maybe they're hiding up in the camp. It's just on the top of this ridge. Up on the ramps." She said with a point.

Walking up the ramps Nihlus contacted them. "Change of plans, Shepard. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there." That was vague. They came to a halt at the top of the ramps taking in the damage of the camp. Most of it had ended up in fire and a wreckage of metal and some bodies here and there.

"Looks like they hit camp pretty hard." She took out her rife. Something didn't feel right to her.

Kaidan and the others mimicked her action and brought out their fire arms.

"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." To the side were bodies that were impaled on spikes like they had seen earlier with Ashley and Kristen, but these bodies looked...wrong. Then they started to twitch as the spikes lowered them to the ground.

"Oh, god,"Kaidan shouted in horror. "They're still alive!"The bodies tore themselves off the spikes and charged at them.

'What did the geth do to them?" The site nauseated Ashley.

Omniscient Pov

The husk ran at the group releasing electric pulses as they went. Their formation split up as the team ran for cover. Shepard forgot in that moment, that there was a civilian accompanying them until she heard Kristen shriek in fear. Shepard's eyes widened in realization as her stomach dropped. Shit! She turned back only to be met with a horrifying site that would be burned into her memory for years to come.

After the formation split the husk chose their individual targets, one broke from the group and rushed at Kristen. She exclaimed in fear and shot at the twisted human form the best she could, one shot hit it's leg, it fell over but then started crawling its way to the girl. She couldn't back away far enough as it raised on its arms and lunged at her knocking the gun out of her hands in the process. Thrust her arms out as it landed on top of her the husk tried to claw and bite at Kristen's face. The husks soulless eyes stared into hers.

"Kristen!"

"Ms. Williams! HELP ME-"

*Creshk*

…..

Time seemed to slow down as the husk batted one of Kristen's arms away and lowered its head down to her neck and bit down hard, its teeth cutting past skin and into flesh. She stretched her mouth open in a soundless scream, her body thrashing side to side. Her nails tore deep gorges around the cybernetics in its face as she tried to push away in vain. In her attempt to escape the husk only bit down harder and worked its tongue on the side of her neck, lapping up the blood that flowed around the husks rugged fang like teeth.

I was finally able to scream.

"ASHLEY!"

BANG BANG

The mouth around her neck went slack and the husk lay prone atop her. In a haze of tears and blood Kristen weakly pushed against the corpse, her eyes still panicked. The rush of heavy footfalls arrived and a shadow loomed above her. She ceased her pushing and brought her gaze to the figure above her. Piercing green eyes.

"A-Ashley…..?" Everything was starting to get blurry. Kristen strained her eyes to focus.

"No Anderson, don't talk. Don't try to move- don't fall asleep, do you hear me?" Kristen could see auburn colored hair and tanned skin.

"I-" A glove covered hand was gently placed over her mouth.

"Shhh." Turning Kristen's head to the side she could tell the full extent of the damage done to her neck.

"Alenko! Give me some medi-gel, Ashley keep your guard up, there could still be more of those things around." Kaidan immediately snapped to when he heard Shepard's orders and gave her the medi-gel. Ashley's expression was strained as she saw Kristen's body from where she stood, and then her expression turned thunderous as she looked at a dead husk in front of her feet. Lips curling into a snarl she brought her foot down on its head with a loud crunch, then she made her way around the area making sure that all of them were dead.

Back with Shepard and and Kaidan. They had managed to clear away some of the blood and applied medi-gel the best they could and wrapped wrapped gauze around her neck to insure the wound wouldn't be exposed. The Commander looked it over over her shoulder to see Ashley had finished up the area sweep and was making her way to them.

"How does it look Williams?" Ashley looked past Shepard to the girl on the ground who was nearly unconscious.

"The area's all clear Shepard. There are no more of them in this area…..how is she Commander?"

"Anderson's not looking good," Shepard sighed.

"We're going to have to find that beacon fast, it would take too long for the Normandy to re-enter Eden Prime's orbit to transport her to our medbay. We have to take her with us."

"What? Are you sure that's a good idea Commander, isn't there another option?" Ashley wanted to make sure Kristen would make it off this planet alive, if not her ground team, but they were dead.

"There are other options Willams, but this is preferable. Right now our number one priority is finding the beacon. Anderson will get medical attention faster after we find the beacon."

"But Commander-"

"This isn't up for debate Williams. Kaidan, carry Anderson and be sure not to bend her neck. We can't have the medi-gel tear. Ashley, to my left." Ashley almost commented but kept her mouth shut.

Don't question someone with a higher authority.

Just follow orders.