Angel and the Demon
Chapter 6
Bioware owns the rights to all characters other than Samantha.
Shepard woke with a slight headache, surprised it wasn't worse. She vaguely remembered Liara and Garrus helping her into bed, but couldn't remember anything past that point. She started to roll onto her back and couldn't. Someone had an arm wrapped around her bare middle, and they were snuggled up against her. The feeling of bare skin told her that someone wasn't wearing much of anything. She scooted away from them, then turned over.
"Morning, Commander." Specialist Traynor said with a smile. It took a few seconds to work its way through her head. She felt herself, noticing she wasn't wearing much, but she wasn't naked. Her sparse underclothes covered just enough that she wasn't going to turn beet red.
"Specialist Traynor. How did you get here?" She asked, trying to keep shock out of her voice.
"Dr. T'soni told me you needed some company last night." She said brightly. "You were sleeping when I got up here, so I undressed you and made sure you were comfortable. Is there a problem?"
"No..." Shepard grimaced as a spike of pain hit above her eyes.
"Good. I'll come back tonight." She gave another bright smile. "Do you mind if I use your shower? The showers downstairs are awful."
"No, go ahead." Shepard laid on her back, draping her arm over her forehead.
"Thanks." Traynor said. As she threw off the covers, Shepard noticed she was completely nude. Her eyes opened wide.
"Traynor?" She exclaimed, rising up on her elbows.
"Commander?" Traynor asked, turning to give her a full unashamed look at her perfect hourglass figure. She was absolutely beautiful. She was taller than Miranda, and had darker skin, but other than that, they could be twins. Shepard stared at her for a full minute.
"Never mind." Shepard flopped back to the bed shaking her head.
"Don't worry, Commander. I won't occupy your shower for long." With that she turned and walked to the shower.
Shepard started hitting her forehead with her fist. Whether it was to ease her headache or keep her from thinking about the beauty in her shower, she couldn't decide.
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Miranda glanced behind her. She could have sworn she heard something. With the complete lack of doors the Sanctum facility was unbearably drafty. Seeing nothing she turned back towards her console.
She was baffled by her most recent search. The only internal Cerberus scholastic instructor requests were directing her towards a facility on Horizon called Sanctuary. However, the Sanctuary facility was an Alliance refugee center, not a Cerberus facility at all. She made a note to explore the facility records further.
Another noise drew her attention behind her. As she turned pain exploded in her shoulder. She flung herself to the side, only to scream as the pain intensified. A reflection pulled her gaze to her shoulder. A sword! Phantom!
Miranda rolled forward off the blade, landing on her wounded side. She took a sharp breath, then threw a warp at the now uncloaked phantom. The phantom was flung away. She grabbed her pistol from the desk. Her right arm was screaming, so she switched the pistol to her offhand. She peppered the phantom till its shield was gone, then killed it with a warp. She stood slowly. Where's the rest of the squad?
An invisible hand grabbed her arm, ripping the pistol out of her grip. She yanked her arm away only to feel someone else grab her other arm. As the cloak failed on the pair of attackers, one dug its hands into her wounded shoulder. The pain made her drop to her knees. Tears clouded her vision instantly. Her free arm was secured. A man in black uncloaked in front of her.
Even with her hazy vision she recognized him instantly.
"Kai Leng." She muttered. The phantoms on either side pulled her arms straight. They dragged her in front of a huge window, standing her up in a spread eagle pose.
"Lawson." He said with a sneer. "It seems that spending time with Shepard has made you weak."
"Perhaps...let's change roles and I'll take four against your one." She delayed, trying to think of a way to send Sam a message. She tried to block out the pain in her shoulder, concentrating on her omni-tool arm. If she could just wriggle it out of the grip of the phantom, she should be able to send a quick message.
"Get on your knees." Kai Leng commanded. One of the phantoms placed a sword against her neck. It was sharp enough that blood started to trickle from where it touched her neck, even though it was barely leaning against her. Any quick movements and she wouldn't have any need of a doctor. She got down on her knees. "Cross your legs." He told her. She crossed her legs behind her. The classic military subjugation position put her completely under their command. There was no way to escape the hold, much less take out three agents. She closed her eyes and did not hold back the tears. They dripped down her face. Kai Leng sneered.
"Look at how far you have fallen." Kai Leng said.
I'm sorry Sam. I love you. She opened her eyes to peer at the notoriously homophobic Kai Leng. "Tell me what's worse, Leng; that Shepard had me, or that you never did?" She could see the glare through his mask.
Then he kicked her square in the chest, sending her crashing through the window into the abyss outside the base.
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At that moment Samantha Shepard was talking to a group of ex-Cerberus scientists on the opposite side of the galaxy. The planet was a miserable frozen wasteland on the far edge of the galaxy, but Cerberus found them anyway. They arrived to find the facility under siege, and Shepard, EDI, and James laid waste to a dozen Cerberus troops before making their way through the doors. Shepard met an unexpected old friend as she entered the shuttle bay. Jacob Taylor was acting as head of security for the group. He was wounded during the attack, but wouldn't get treated until he checked on the defenses. A lady named Dr. Brynn Cole was running the facility. Jacob gave them the bad news shortly after they arrived, the main defenses for the lab, a pair of anti-aircraft guns, were inoperative. Cerberus troops were dropping everywhere unopposed.
Brynn was leading Shepard through the facility, discussing their plight between giving orders to the scientists. Another doctor approached them.
"Brynn, I can't possibly dismantle the genetic amplification components in time." He said.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Baynar, it's important work, but right now you need to tend to your family." The man left.
"Wait! There are families here? Children?" Shepard exclaimed.
"A dangerous choice, though it does reduce the possibility of security breaches." EDI said.
"We tried so hard to make sure it wouldn't come to this." Brynn said. She shook her head, then walked away to continue the evacuation efforts.
"Where's Jacob! We need to get those guns back online!" Shepard said, searching the large room for her former teammate. He hobbled towards her, still bleeding from the earlier skirmish. "What's our status?" She asked.
"Can't tell. I only know I can't fix it from here. I'm going to the roof." He said.
"You're in no shape to climb to the roof." Shepard said.
"Cerberus landed a shuttle there a few minutes ago." Jacob told her.
"I'll handle it."
"No way. These are my people. I'm going." He proclaimed.
"You're in no shape to fight either. Get yourself patched up. Then help evacuate this place."
"Fine, but I'm going to talk you through it from here. Cerberus is probably jamming the satellite dish." He said.
"Okay." Shepard said. They linked communications. She led James and EDI to the maintenance hatch.
They reached the roof to find the Cerberus agents standing around. Surely they know we wiped out the crew in front of the shuttle doors. What are they thinking?
She threw a shockwave through the bunch, shooting a shield generator as the biotic attack tore through them. A centurion and engineer lived through the initial attack. They were quickly dispatched by James and EDI. The communication array was past some equipment and between some rooftop buildings. Shepard peeked over the equipment to analyze the situation. A dozen or so troops were waiting at the ready. Two engineers and two centurions were the only threats.
EDI started the skirmish by overloading shields on the key players, then it was only a matter of time till Shepard's warps and James' rifle fire took them down.
"Jacob, we're at the console." Shepard announced.
"Enter this code." He told her. She did. The console lit up, reacting to Jacob's commands. "No luck, the guns are still not responding. The problem must be with the guns themselves. You'll have to head back across the roof to them."
"Darn." Shepard uncharacteristically didn't curse. "All right folks, let's get to those guns." They turned to climb up to the roof on the main facility. Cerberus apparently figured out what they were doing. Shuttles were dropping troops all over it.
"Commander..." Joker hesitated through the comm link.
"What is it Joker? I'm kinda busy here." She threw a warp around some ductwork to take out a trooper.
"We got some urgent messages from Miranda." He told her.
"What did she say?" Shepard crouched behind some large pipes.
"'Cerberus.' And 'Hurry.' That's it." Shepard's heart started beating hard.
"That's it? Ask for more details!" She yelled into the receiver with more volume than necessary.
"We've tried. The Sanctum facility is no longer receiving messages." Joker sounded nervous.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Shepard cursed with quite a bit more enthusiasm than before. "All right. All right. Let's move." She told her squad. She leapt over the pipes and laid into the nearest Cerberus troops.
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James was surprised by Lola's focus. Once she found out there were children on site, she was driven to activate the guns. It was unexpected. She didn't seem the 'kid' type. Then he remembered that her parents were killed when she was very young. That probably gave her a soft spot for children.
He'd never seen anyone warp around corners like she did. It almost made him wish he had implants. They plowed through the ten guys between them and the communication console. A short conversation with Jacob and they were moving again. Then she received the disturbing news about her lady on Sanctum. I need to think up a name for Miranda…the Ice Queen. The Commander was moving quickly before, after that she was unleashed. He found it hard to keep up.
Between them and the guns were large sections of flat roof separated by short vertical sections, sort of like several large stairs. Ductwork and large pipes were strewn about the 'stairs'.
"Come on, EDI!" He yelled back to the android.
"Affirmative, Lieutenant Vega. I am coming." He looked back to see EDI pull herself onto the roof behind him. He looked forward to see Lola up against the next step, reaching her arm over the edge to spray SMG fire. A shuttle dropped troops off to her right.
"The Illusive man really wants these guys… EDI, Overload!" James yelled out. He finished the troops off with rifle fire after EDI's explosion of electricity. He looked forward towards Shepard to see her leap onto the next section of roof. Damn it, Lola. He followed her up the wall.
The pair of AA guns were mounted on raised platforms accessible by ladders. They were connected by a bridge. There was a manual assault cannon mounted near them. There were still troops covering the roof, but Shepard didn't wait. James watched in awe as she sprinted past them, rolling and dodging her way to a ladder, somehow evading most of the rifle fire. She bolted up the ladder nearest the cannon. When she reached the top of the platform, she warped the trooper using the big gun, then used it to lay waste to all Cerberus on the roof.
"EDI, James, get up here!" She yelled rushing to the furthest AA gun.
James reached the roof as Shepard activated the gun across the bridge. He ran to the closer one. The manual reset handle malfunctioned.
"No luck, Lola. This one needs to be repaired." Sparks flew from the housing. Shepard cursed as she jogged over.
"EDI, fix it!" She said as the android reached the platform.
"Affirmative, Commander." EDI started to dismantle the unit. Shepard was pacing very quickly. James saw a pair of shuttles dropping troops across the bridge by the other gun.
"Lola! Another wave coming!" James took a position on the edge of the bridge, and started firing. Before his first clip was spent it was over. Shepard remounted the big manual cannon and blasted the troops off the roof in seconds. He even noticed several of the special units with swords. When she finished with the troops, she laid into the few shuttles circling the sky. They left quickly.
"Repairs are complete, Commander." EDI said. The android flipped the switch and the guns instantly came to life. The servo motors engaged, rotating and raising the barrel. Two Cerberus gunships were blown out of the sky while they watched.
Soon afterward they found themselves back in the facility, and James again found himself watching Shepard pace.
"Commander, should we release the first shuttle or give it more time?" Dr. Brynn asked.
"Send them right away! Cerberus will be sending back up!" She said.
"All right." Jacob told her. "The first shuttle is loaded with everyone 16 and younger."
"Good." Shepard said, still pacing.
They watched the video feed as the shuttle lifted, then flew out the shuttle bay doors. It lifted into the stratosphere to a chorus of cheers. A loud boom killed the enthusiasm.
"A suicide pilot knocked out one of the AA guns!" Jacob exclaimed.
Shepard cursed. "Nothing is ever easy, is it?" She said, quietly enough that James barely heard it.
"Cerberus is dropping troops in front of the shuttle bay." Dr. Brynn announced.
"Damnit, Demon. You really are a bastard." Shepard cursed again, quickly grabbing her pistol and heading back towards the bay. James and EDI joined her in the jog downstairs.
The area in front of the shuttle bay had several crates and large pipes to hide behind, and it seemed every one of them had a Cerberus troop of some kind behind it. James was amused to see several more of the phantoms with their ridiculous swords.
Shepard ran up to the first set of crates, reaching over them to grab one of the phantoms. She got a good grip on its uniform before dragging it over the barrier, slamming its face into the ground behind her. She shot her pistol twice into its head.
James had to smile as he ducked below some crates on the opposite side of the platform. He quickly took out a shield generator before pounding away at a centurion.
"Cover me!" Shepard yelled out. James looked over to see her running to a set of crates further up, carrying the phantom's sword at her side. What the hell?
The next thing he knew she reached over the cover, slashing the sword through both Cerberus troops hiding behind it. They collapsed, falling to the ground next to their removed legs, shrieking like maniacs.
"EDI! Help cover the Commander!" James called out. He gave up on wearing down shields and concentrated on keeping the Commander alive.
For the next couple minutes they followed a routine. Shepard would reach a new spot of cover, hack through anyone hiding behind it, then throw warps to kill them. She didn't even have her pistol out any more. Once complete, she would find a new spot of cover to infiltrate. James and EDI were relegated to taking out any troops out of her range. James had to admit it was an interesting change of tactics, and seemed to work for the Cerberus troops. It would be less effective against enemies that didn't hide, like husks or ravagers. The ex-Cerberus scientists saw their opening, and started sending shuttles out over their heads. James didn't know how many shuttles there were, but it seemed like a lot.
They just started to relax as they approached the landing pad well beyond the shuttle bay doors. The few troops left were useless against the shuttles, and the team could dispatch them at their leisure. Shepard just started towards the next group when Cerberus dropped an Atlas. The thing blasted her with a rocket before reaching the ground. The rocket caught her unaware, and instantly knocked out her shields. She dropped the sword and tried rolling away. The Atlas landed with a boom before peppering her with gunfire. James could see the gunfire ricochet off her armor.
"EDI! Overload that thing!" James yelled out as he ran towards the commander. The other troops forgotten, he leapt over some crates to grab her hand. He dragged her around the crates to the sound of EDI's overload. Crouching behind the crates he was happy to see she was unharmed. She pulled her SMG off her back.
"Thanks James." She told him while waiting for her shields to replenish.
"No problem, Lola." He reached over the crates to start the laborious process of wearing down the Atlas. The thing blasted away at the crates when they reloaded. Shepard alternated between warps and gunfire to break through its defenses. The other Cerberus troops seemed to wait rather than assist the mechanical beast. Maybe they didn't know Shepard's tally of Atlas kills.
A minute later it exploded in a rain of metal. James was betting they had some kind of self-destruct system so no one could steal the technology. That was something Cerberus would do.
"Last shuttle!" Jacob called out over their comm link. "We'll pick you up."
The shuttle drifted past them before holding position over the landing pad. As they finished off the last few troops they heard the tell-tale sounds of more shuttles dropping troops behind them. If Cerberus was really desperate they'd crash a shuttle into theirs, like he did on Mars, but either they didn't think of it or didn't want to lose a shuttle.
A huge boom announced the arrival of another Atlas. "Go!" Shepard yelled. James leapt over the last barrier before bounding up the stairs to the landing pad. EDI matched his pace towards the shuttle.
James turned after jumping in. Jacob helped EDI into the shuttle to his left. Shepard had positioned herself off to the side, and was facing the Atlas alone. "Come on Lola!" He yelled.
She backed slowly up the stairs, still keeping off to the side. The Atlas hunkered down for a rocket launch. "She's going to get herself killed." James muttered.
"Shepard knows what she's doing." Jacob said. "She's been fighting Cerberus for a very long time."
The Atlas fired and Shepard moved with lightning speed, flipping herself into the air. The rocket impacted below her. "Go!" She yelled. She sprinted up the stairs, leaping into the shuttle as it lifted off.
"Told you." Jacob said. James looked to see him smirking. "She was just making sure it didn't fire that rocket into the shuttle."
"Ahhh, I should've known that." It seemed the more time you spent with Lola the less you doubted her. He was beginning to think all the unbelievable stories he heard were true.
They entered the Normandy soon after. Joker asked over the intercom. "Sanctum, Commander?"
"Show me the meaning of speed, Joker." She answered.
"I'll see what I can do, Commander." James rushed to stow his gear before the engines kicked in. He knew the trip would normally take two days, but even if it took an hour, it was probably too late to save Miranda. He could tell Shepard was thinking along the same lines.
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Shepard collapsed into her bed. Her arms and legs felt like jello. They were six hours into the journey to Sanctum. She paced in the cockpit until Garrus physically dragged her out. Then she went downstairs and sparred with James until he called for mercy. Still too nervous to sit down, she strapped on some gloves and beat on a bag until her arms wouldn't move any more.
Not that it was helping. She couldn't stop thinking, or rather worrying about Miranda. Her mind was coming up with even more convoluted reasons for the loss of communication that didn't involve her getting hurt. She was having a hard time thinking of any that seemed plausible. Especially in the light of the notes Miranda sent.
She still had 24 hours to wait according to Joker, and she didn't know how to handle it. She grabbed a pillow and wrapped herself around it.
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Oriana was starting to lose hope. It had been several weeks since her abduction. What was keeping Miranda? She was starting to believe her asshole father was even more 'above the law' than she expected.
His visits were more pleasant recently, mostly because she was making an effort with her schoolwork. She had no access to external news reports or information, so reading and solving problems gave her some relief from an overwhelming sense of worry. She still treated everyone as an adversary. Her first chaos theory teacher had been replaced summarily after they started exchanging pleasantries. Creating an adversarial relationship between teacher and student wasn't conducive to learning, but it seemed her father didn't care. Luckily they weren't doing anything outside her previous schooling.
The most frustrating thing, beyond the fact that she was stuck away from friends and family, was that she desperately wanted to do something to assist with the war. None of the instructors would tell her anything about what was going on. One of them told her it was written into their contract. It was especially difficult for her history teacher. Occasionally he stopped in mid analogy before giving something away. Oriana couldn't help but laugh. It served them right for working for an asshole like her father.
She looked down at her outfit for a moment. It reminded her of Miranda's tactical outfit, though obviously lacking shields or armor. She had on leggings and a relatively tight t-shirt. It was tighter and more form fitting than anything she used to wear, but since her abduction she didn't want to wear anything loose. If she had an opportunity to escape she needed clothing that was hard to grab and wouldn't snag on anything. Her father complained once, saying she needed to appear feminine. The next day all similar clothing had been removed from her wardrobe, leaving only dresses. She spent the next day in panties and a sports bra as a protest. The clothes were back in her wardrobe the day after, and her father never brought up the issue again.
Her thoughts drifted back to Miranda. She hoped she was ok. They had grown quite close during the last eight months. It seemed Miranda had no one to confide in before they met. After Shepard was locked up she could feel Miranda pushing her out, going cold. Oriana had forced the issue, and they had a long discussion about Miranda's defense mechanism. The lack of emotional contact forced on her by their biological father made her seal herself off from everyone. Boyfriends and even lovers had been unable to break through.
It took Samantha Shepard to open her up. Miranda said the Commander simply talked, and given enough time anyone would open up. She had a way of understanding where anyone was coming from. A few minutes of talking and she would have you nailed down. A mercenary only out for themselves would be in trouble. A quarian on pilgrimage doing her part for the fleet would be given assistance. A scion raised by a bastard would be shown love and compassion.
Commander Samantha Shepard. Oriana had never met her in person. Soon after meeting Miranda for the first time she'd run a search for data about the Commander. Half the stories didn't seem true. She discussed them with Miranda, and she confirmed the reports, even adding some amazing details that were left out of the official reports for 'believability'. She was such an impressive soldier that Oriana couldn't believe she was personable enough to break Miranda out of her shell. She watched the vids of them together. Shepard was gentle, caring, and obviously adored her sister. Likewise Miranda seemed like a different person around her. Samantha would enter the room and Miranda would transform, instantly becoming more relaxed, softer. It was amazing to behold.
The Savior of the Citadel. Oriana marveled at the concept. Her sister was dating the Savior of the Citadel, and helped her defeat the collectors. What she wouldn't give to be on that ship, to be part of something so important.
She needed to get out of here.
She looked up to glare at the camera for the thousandth time.
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Shepard woke to dim lighting, so she knew it was early. EDI adjusted the lighting on the Normandy to simulate day and night cycles. From the looks of it, she had an hour or so until the crew got active.
She was still clutching a pillow, and she was still wearing the loose shirt and pants she worked out in. The warmth behind her told her Specialist Traynor, or possibly Liara, was with her. She pulled the arm from around her waist, noting it wasn't blue, and scooted off the bed.
"Morning, Commander. How are you doing?" Traynor said from behind her.
Shepard turned to see Traynor pulling herself up to sit against the headboard. Her fabulous breasts came into view. Normally Shepard would find them enticing, or distracting at the very least. Now they reminded her about someone else.
"I'm not sure, Traynor."
"I was sorry to hear the news from Sanctum."
"Yes. Me too." Shepard said.
"I know it doesn't look good, but Miss Lawson is very resourceful. If anyone can find a way to survive, she can." Traynor told her.
"Thank you, Traynor." Shepard headed for the shower.
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Liara entered Shepard's quarters holding a plate of food and a glass of juice. She noticed someone in the shower as she past, but the raven hair showed her it was definitely not Shepard. Her bright red hair was easy to spot. Probably Specialist Traynor. She found Shepard at her desk, flipping through pictures on her photo frame. Most of them were of Miranda.
"Shepard, I've brought you some food." Liara said.
"I'm not hungry." Shepard said, still flipping through images.
"You need your strength." Liara told her, placing the plate in front of her. "What happens if we meet resistance?"
"They will not live long."
"Yes, I realize that. But we still have the war against the Reapers. Surely you have not forgotten."
"No. I have not forgotten." Shepard tossed the frame onto her desk. Liara noticed that Shepard made sure it landed on something soft. "All right. What have we got here?"
"Fruit, eggs, and some bacon." Shepard started munching on a piece of bacon. "Shepard, I can't help but notice the naked woman in the shower."
"Traynor prefers my shower to those downstairs. As to the nudity, she doesn't think much of clothes. She sleeps in the nude, and doesn't seem to mind walking around with nothing on. You'll see, if you hang around a couple minutes." Shepard continued to eat.
"I'm sorry, Shepard." Liara said. Not entirely sure if it was about Miranda, or Traynor, or her own reluctance to get close.
Thankfully Shepard didn't ask. "Thanks, Liara." She continued eating in silence. Liara was not surprised that she cleaned her plate. She heard about her marathon workout the day before.
"Would you like more?" Liara asked.
"No, Liara. Thank you." Shepard looked back towards the photo frame.
The door to the shower opened and Traynor emerged, naked and glistening. She was drying her hair with a towel. With her head leaned to one side, the towel covered nothing. "Oh! Dr. T'soni! I didn't realize you were here." Liara saw what Shepard was talking about when she didn't even attempt to cover up. "I'll be out of your way momentarily."
"It's fine." Liara stammered, unable to keep the shock out of her voice. Traynor turned around and finished drying off. When complete she threw on a bright blue silk robe, tying it loosely around her waist. She walked back to crouch in front of Shepard, taking one of her hands into hers.
"Don't worry, Commander. We're going to find her."
"Thank you, Traynor."
"You're welcome." She smiled brightly. "Kasumi sent you a message, you can read it at your terminal." She rose, then left the cabin.
Liara turned back to Shepard to see her peering at her closely.
"What?" Liara asked.
"Are you going to ask her out?"
"What? Why?" Liara said, eyes widened in surprise.
"Your eyes didn't leave her the entire time she was here." Shepard said with a slight smile.
"I'm not used to such open behavior." Liara told her. "Besides, I think she's more interested in you."
"I'm taken." Shepard grew quiet.
"I know. I'm sorry, Shepard. I'll take your dish. Let me know if you need anything."
"Thank you, Liara."
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Hey Shep!
Sorry to hear about Miranda. Hopefully she learned something from me when we infiltrated that Alliance holding cell, and she's unharmed and hiding somewhere. Your ice queen is pretty smart, after all.
There are two guards at the entrance to my hospital room. I assume they are your doing. The girl seems convinced they're here to make sure I can't escape. The guy keeps telling her I'm a hero that helped defeat the collectors, and they're guarding me from possible attacks(I blame you for this ludicrous notion).
I should be out in a week or so, that phantom did a real number on me. Feel free to visit after you rescue your girl. I'm likely to be bored out of my skull, not to mention the food here is terrible.
Kasumi
P.S. Bring Tequila.
Even her worried state. Shepard couldn't keep a smile from her face.
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Henry Lawson smiled. His project was progressing well. His test subjects converted as expected several weeks ago, instantly coming under Reaper control. The signal barrier came online last week, releasing them from Reaper control, and dropping the subjects into an almost catatonic state. Now, just today, they discovered the proper signal frequency and strength to give commands to the subjects. They currently didn't have the ability to give specific commands, but they would figure that out in time.
Boosting the signal to overcome all the Reapers was just a matter of resources. From his cursory examination of the crucible plans, it might be just what they needed. The Illusive man was keeping close watch on its progress. They did not want anyone but Cerberus in control once it was activated.
Oriana was also starting to come around. The instructors let him know she resumed her studies, and didn't spout off nonsense about being rescued any more. She wasn't being properly challenged yet, but he would allow the instructors to increase the load soon. He was in such a good mood that her boyish lesbian outfit didn't bother him much. He assumed it was some leftover Miranda manipulation. Oriana would revert to normal inclinations without her influence.
Speaking of which, The Illusive Man let him know Miranda was neutralized just this morning. His top agent found her at a low level Cerberus facility. Her elimination took a lot of pressure off him. Without Miranda, there was little chance their operation would be discovered until it was too late. He made a mental note to withhold Miranda's death until Oriana upset him.
"Sir! We lost all of batch 174G!" His assistant, Ricter...Wrictor...he could never remember his name... told him. His mood was high enough that the news about the most recent failed test group couldn't break his mood.
"It's fine, we'll start a new batch tomorrow. Why don't you take the rest of the day off?" He told him.
The assistant stood in shocked silence for a moment, then leapt at the chance. "Ok Sir...thank you." He rushed from the room, obviously not giving him a chance to change his mind. Henry didn't even mind the reaction. His day was going well.
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The shot rang throughout the shuttle bay. Quickly followed by two more. The center of the metal target showed three marks forming a triangle.
"Nice, Shepard." Garrus told her. "Tell me again why you don't carry a sniper rifle."
"Too heavy Garrus. I'd have to wait a second longer to use warp."
Garrus set up the makeshift shooting range in the shuttle bay. He decided he had to do something to keep Shepard from driving Joker crazy, and this was the best he could come up with. James, Cortez, and several other crew members were behind them near the elevator, watching the proceedings.
Garrus reloaded the rifle and handed it back to her.
"Complete the circle." He told her.
"Complete the circle?" She gave him a sideways glance.
"Put a shot between each of those shots."
"Ahh." Shepard lined up again, holding her breathing steady. Three shots broke the silence.
"For someone with so little experience with a rifle, you sure show an aptitude for it." He said. The circle was less than perfect, but it had taken Garrus years of practice to do better.
"Well, drop a few pounds off it, and I'll consider carrying one." She said, handing him back the long gun. He slapped another thermal clip in.
"Sign it." He said, handing her back the weapon.
"Sign it...with the rifle? Now I know you're just trying to burn time."
"First target with six shots through the bullseye is always signed. I've got mine framed at home." He paused. "No guarantee it's still there though." Garrus went quiet.
"Sorry, Garrus. I'll do it."
After a dozen shots she said "At least my name isn't as long as yours, Vakarian." She started on the third letter.
"It's close. The last guy in my squad to get certified was named Pertorthenarius. The entire squad knew he intentionally delayed certification until he could sign his name decently. Most of us suspected he was practicing writing his name during off hours." Garrus smiled.
"I don't blame him." Shepard said after finishing her letter 'a'.
"Me neither. I did spend a few hours working on 'Vakarian'." Shepard finished up, handing Garrus the rifle. It didn't look bad at all.
"Can you throw a warp that far, Commander?" James called out from behind them. Garrus smiled. He couldn't tell if James figured out the current game of 'distract the Commander' or if he was simply interested, but it was a great idea. Garrus noticed Kaiden and Specialist Traynor had joined the spectators by the elevator.
"Sure. Though not that accurately." Shepard looked back at the group, who looked at her expectantly. She sighed. Kaiden joined Garrus by the requisition interface. He took the rifle and put it away. Probably a good idea if biotics were about to be thrown about.
Her first warp hit very close to her cluster of six rifle shots. Her second hit dead center. Her third was about a foot off.
"Damn she's good." Kaiden said quietly from behind him. As a biotic, Kaiden knew what kind of skill it took to accurately place biotic attacks. Garrus knew Kaiden had seen her on Mars, but before that it had been years since he'd seen Shepard in action. He also knew Kaiden had raised a rifle on her at the Presidium. Kaiden grabbed a bottle of juice from storage, taking it to Shepard.
"Good job, Shepard." He handed it to her. "I guess lowering your weapon isn't really much of a threat reduction."
"Same for you buddy." She smiled at him. "I'm surprised you never learned warp."
"Alliance sentinels are trained mostly in defense. You adepts get all the dangerous stuff." Kaiden told her. Still smiling, she downed the juice.
"Commander, how far can you curve your warp?" James said from behind them.
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Shepard woke feeling mentally rested, but physically drained... a common side effect of completely draining your biotic implants. She thought about the biotics show she put on in the shuttle bay. James set up some crates for her to warp around, slowly increasing the distance she warped around. In an attempt to distract herself from what they might find at Sanctum, she pounded on the target until she collapsed. She vaguely remembered Kaiden and Traynor helping her into bed. An arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. If they're both in bed with me I'm going to kill them.
She pulled out from under the arm to find only Traynor in her bed. "Morning, Commander. How are you feeling?" A repeat from the day before.
"Morning, Specialist." Shepard said. "I'll let you know how I am later."
"Right. We reach Sanctum in two and a half hours." Traynor got out of the bed, again completely nude. Shepard looked down at herself, suddenly realizing she wasn't wearing anything but a t-shirt.
"Umm...Traynor..."
"Your clothes were soaked when we got you back to your room. So I undressed you and tucked you in."
"Just you?" Shepard asked. Traynor seeing her naked was something she could deal with. If Kaiden saw her she might die of embarrassment.
"Kaiden left soon after we arrived." She looked down in thought. "I don't think he likes me much." Shepard smiled.
"He's hard to get to know, Traynor. I wouldn't let it bother you." She told her.
"Ok, Commander."
"I'm going to take a shower and get ready for...today. You're welcome to keep sleeping if you want." Shepard told her, turning away.
"Would you like me to wash your back, Commander?" Traynor asked.
"No! Um...thank you, Specialist. I think I'm in enough trouble as is." Shepard opened the shower and slipped in.
"Why would you be in trouble?" Traynor asked. She did not get a response.
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"What do the scans tell you, EDI?" Shepard asked. They were in Sanctum's atmosphere, but still above the clouds.
"Nothing. No electronic signals, feedback, or signs of life. I am sorry, Commander." EDI sounded as sad as a computerized voice could manage. Shepard gritted her teeth.
Garrus was watching Shepard closely. He was afraid she would revert to her personality following Virmire; cold and self-destructive. Ashley's death affected her badly, and she folded in on herself. It was several weeks until she started talking to the crew again, and she didn't really come back into herself until several weeks into the Collector missions. After Miranda started opening up to her...
"To the shuttle." Shepard said.
When they exited the cloud cover it looked very bad. Shepard hissed. "Demon will pay." She said, barely loud enough to hear.
The Sanctum facility was gone. Smoke was billowing from both the main facility and the security platform above it. To Garrus it looked like several gunships lined up in front of the facility and laid into it with everything.
"Shepard." EDI said through their comm link. "Our scans discovered an omni tool signal 100 meters below the laboratory. It is a weak signal, and I am unable to interface with it."
The shuttle started dropping before Shepard gave Cortez the order. The Sanctum Cerberus facility was situated in what looked like a metal cliff face, and had criss crossing framework below the facility for support. It was on one of these meter wide support beams that they found Miranda. Garrus didn't know if this was better than never seeing the body.
Miranda was propped up against the wall by the rafter, so she was alive when she reached the beam. A large pool of dried blood was centered beneath her right side. Her sleeve was ripped off on that side and wrapped around her shoulder, presumably to bind a wound. Her head was bent down to her chest. Bits of debris covered the beam around her.
"No..." Shepard said.
"Sorry, Shepard." Garrus said, putting his hand on her back.
"No!" Shepard leapt from the shuttle a couple meters from the rafter, landing in a crouch. She slowly crept to the body, avoiding blackened debris as she approached Miranda. Garrus dropped to the rafter after her. Kaiden stayed in the shuttle with Cortez.
Shepard looked afraid to touch Miranda. She crawled up to her side, reaching under her chin to raise her head. Her eyes were closed. Almost two days of exposure cracked her lips and noticeably dried her skin. Shepard put her hand to her neck.
"She's still warm!" Shepard held her hand at Miranda's neck. "There's a pulse!"