Author's note: I appreciate the reviews, I am glad that people are enjoying the story, here is the second to last chapter. I am not totally satisfied with it, I will probably add some more substance to it, but i still hope you guys enjoy the read. If you haven't reviewed please do so, comments, questions, criticisms as long as they are respectful, i do not mind. BTW I should probably have the last chapter up as early as tonight but most possibly tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again.
Repercussions
Miranda kept her eyes peeled to Shepard's terminal while periodically checking on the other squad's vitals, she wasn't paying attention to Edi who was giving instructions to Shepard on how to exit the ship. Only a few minutes passed before the squad bumped into another round of collectors, the fighting was intense but the collectors were not as determined and were sloppy, Miranda was pleased to see the squad easily to pick the collectors apart in a few seconds.
When the last collector fell, the squad continued through identical corridors walking down a steep ramp which was mired with columns, and more chest high walls, at the bottom of ramp were two separate doors. But before the squad was even half way down the ramp, the door on the left opened suddenly revealing numerous husks that charged the squad.
Thane and Jacob used a combination of their biotics, quickly neutralizing the husk threat before any of them got into any real danger.
Edi continued to relay instructions while Shepard and the rest of the squad went through another door that Edi had been able to hack into.
Shepard and his squad entered the corridor, smoke trailing from the barrels of their rifles and pistols, waiting for them were a swarm of the husks. Zombies glowing blue, they were once alive, before being turned into indoctrinated servants of the reapers. Their only humanity that was left was their bodies, but even those had been tampered with.
"More husks." Grunt cheered before blasting a husk's torso in front of him, the husk was cleanly split in two. Its upper half still groaning, while his arms flailed in the air. Grunt lowered his claymore to the husk's temple, and pulled the trigger.
Shepard grunted as several husks began clawing at his shields and armor. "Get back!" Shepard shot one of the husk's head's clean off, but more enveloped the commander punching and clawing him. Shepard was still struggling to keep these blue demons at bay, punching one husk with the butt of his rifle before spinning his gun around unleashing a deadly spray of bullets into the torsos and chests into the crowd of husks.
Several of the husks groaned as Thane and Jacob combined their biotic prowess causing the remainder of the husks that had been swarming their commander to float harmlessly in the air.
With a gleeful Grunt down below blasting as many as he could, while Garrus picked off the rest with his sniper rifle.
Shepard tripped one of the husks, which fell onto his back, Shepard smashed his boot into the husk's throat with a loud crunch.
A husk grabbed the commander's shoulders, Shepard thrusted his shoulder into its face. The husk stumbled backward, Shepard spun around rifle raised to finish it, but a bullet entered the back of the husk's head, exploding out of it's face splashing the commander with its blue blood, the husk fell down dead.
"Your welcome commander." Garrus yelled with a friendly wave.
"The bullet almost hit me," observed Shepard, wiping the husk blood from his visor.
"It would have just been absorbed by your shields."
Shepard smirked at how Garrus casually addressed an accidentally friendly fire with no worry, or concern.
"Commander watch out, Abominations!" warned Jacob.
Abominations were the evolved form of the husks, glowing red instead of blue, and if you didn't kill them cleanly in a shot or two, they would explode sending burning liquid which would eat through your shields in seconds before burning your flesh.
Shepard turned around to see a handful of them running towards him, "Just what this party needed." Shepard raised his rifle and fired grouping his bullets towards the nearest abomination hitting it squarely in the chest it fell on its knees before exploding, knocking two more into the wall.
Grunt unloaded several rounds of his claymore onto one of the remaining abominations causing it to explode, its burning liquid splattered in all directions.
Grunt and Shepard jumped behind a chest high wall to avoid the liquid. Grunt was chortling, turning to his battle master with a wide grin.
"Next time Grunt, lets not get that close," Shepard suggested.
"But that's half the fun" argued Grunt.
Shepard only shook his head; clearly he and Grunt had different definitions of fun.
"You guys can come out, we got them all" observed a smirking Jacob as he, Thane, and Garrus approached.
"Ha! Shepard and I dealt with most of them, while you guys stayed back" Grunt snorted standing up.
"Did you shoot them all from hiding behind this wall?" teased Garrus.
"You must have been to far away turian with your rifle to actually see any of the fighting." Grunt replied jokingly before patting Garrus on the back.
Shepard stood up, dusting himself off, "no time to argue about kills, we still have to get out of here before this ship is fully operational."
"Lead the way Shepard." Thane said shouldering his sniper rifle.
"Look there is our shuttle. That is the way we came in," observed Garrus.
Miranda breathed a sigh of relief, when she heard Garrus's sighting of the shuttle, it mean that they were almost there, they were close to safety. Miranda wouldn't say it out loud but she was nervous while watching the squad proceed not because of the lack of their skills, but because they were in the middle of a collector's ship, being lured by a trap, and until she saw all of them back onto the Normandy especially Shepard. Miranda's heart leapt into her throat at the following reports.
"Damn it! They are entrenched!" shouted Shepard angrily.
"Strong resistance." Jacob noted.
"Shepard get down!" shouted Garrus angrily.
"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."
Miranda's heart was beating faster and faster as she watched in horror, a collector right in front of Shepard became possessed by Harbinger.
Shepard was out in the open; there was nowhere for him to hide.
"YOUR FORM IS WEAK!" Harbinger unleashed a deadly glowing golden orb at Shepard.
Shepard shouted loudly, and then his monitor went to static.
Miranda had leapt almost out of her seat from the harbinger attack, when she watched his orb go right at Shepard's camera. Miranda quickly realizing that she was in no danger, she composed herself hoping no one noticed her reaction. Miranda turning back to the monitors to her disbelief to see she had lost picture on Shepard's camera, "Shepard?" asked Miranda softly turning her attention to his vitals and to her horror; his heart was barely beating.
"Shepard has been hit." Garrus said.
"Grunt take down that damn harbinger!" shouted Jacob.
"Get Shepard!" Garrus ordered
"This is Miranda Lawson what is going on? Do you copy? What is Shepard's position?" Miranda asked she could feel her heart in her throat, her fingers were trembling at her side. This couldn't be happening, their night in the mess hall felt like an eternity.
For the next few seconds Miranda got no reply as she continued to peer at each one of the other terminals hopeful to find any image of Shepard to comfort her aching heart but all she could see were charging husks and firing collectors.
"What is Shepard's condition?" asked Miranda again hopeful for a response.
"Shepard is down! I repeat Shepard is down," answered Garrus.
Shepard's pale face appeared simultaneously across all of the three remaining monitors, as the squad was huddled around their commander. Shepard's eyes were closed, he looked to be in peace, Miranda without even thinking reached out her hand to the monitor, trying to touch Shepard's face but the image was lowered and what Miranda saw made her want to shriek, feeling her stomach lurch.
Shepard's armor had been completely ripped open exposing flesh and bone as blood was pouring out from his wound.
"Jacob apply some medi-gel, Grunt you going to need to carry him?" Garrus ordered. Taking command of the situation.
"Is he alive?" Miranda asked while peering at his vitals all of them were slowing by the second.
"Barely," answered Garrus.
"Get to the shuttle, I will alert Chakwas and the medical team." Miranda ordered trying her best to find her voice and strength to take command to save the squad from this trap.
Miranda typed fervently on another terminal trying her best to rid the image of Shepard's wounds out of her head, as we well as the emotions she found herself becoming more and more entangled with. "Dr. Chakwas this is the Executive Officer Miranda Lawson, assemble your medical team and head to the cargo hold. The squad's shuttle should be arriving soon, Shepard is severely injured. I repeat commander Shepard is injured."
"Of course we are on our way." Chakwas's voice was not the usual warm or comforting it was confused but obedient at the news that she had just been told.
Miranda lowered her head wanting to cry; she could feel tears swelling in her eyes.
"Miranda I know that this is not a good time but the collector vessel is powering up their guns." Joker interjected.
Miranda wiped the tears with the back of her arm careful not to direct attention to herself. "We have to wait for the squad," snapped Miranda her teary eyes on the terminal in front of her. Miranda could see more husks charging the depleted squad as they fought valiantly trying to push through.
Grunt amazingly was still able to fire his claymore while carrying Shepard. Hurry up, hurry up thought Miranda impatiently watching the screen hoping she could push the fast forward button.
"We are out of time Miranda we need to go now!" Joker said turning on the Normandy's systems.
"Damn it Joker! We are not leaving them," replied an impatient Miranda.
"If we don't go were all going to die." defended Joker
Miranda was about to give Joker a direct order when to her relief she saw the Kodiak shuttle appear on the remaining three monitors.
"We are in the shuttle," reported Garrus.
The lights on the collector's ship light up in a series of flashes. Before directing a barrage of their golden beam towards the Normandy.
The Normandy weaved out of the last shot, missing it by feet.
"I cant dodge them forever Edi get us out of here." Joker said.
"Specify a destination?"
"Anywhere but here!" shouted Joker and Miranda together.
"Shuttle is in."
"We have intercepted Shepard's body, he is being transmitted to the med-bay." Chakwas said her voice echoed in the cockpit.
Miranda didn't have time to be relieved, they still had a collector vessel behind them, and they were sitting ducks out here in open space.
"Very well engaging mass effect core." Edi announced
The stars in the view port began to blur and the Normandy disappeared.
As soon as Miranda knew they were safe, she got out of her seat, walking out of the cockpit and towards the elevator. It took all of Miranda's composure to keep herself from crying in front of the crew, Miranda ignored their whispers and their questions as she passed. She had more pressing matters to attend to, stepping into the elevator, as soon as the doors closed. Miranda slid on the elevator wall, hugging her knees as she could feel tears streaming down her cheeks, in this private moment Miranda wept and mourned for the man that she grew to care for, and possibly even loved.
The elevator beep's signaled that she arrived at deck 3. Miranda jumped to her feet wiping the tears from her face with the back of her sleeve, clasping her hands behind her back. Transfixing her face, to hide all of the pain and hurt she felt, she walked out of the elevator and towards the Med-bay where much of the crew had gathered, conversing nervously to each other, all of them trying to catch a glimpse of their commander and to see his condition for themselves.
At the approaching Miranda, the crew parted to allow the XO to pass, many standing erect and didn't even acknowledge them as the med bay doors opened and she stepped could see footprints in blood leading towards the furthest table, where commander Shepard was laying with both Dr. Chakwas and Mordin attending to him.
Jacob was sitting on one of the beds, while one of the junior medical assistants were tending to his wounds, he grimly nodded at Miranda's appearance.
Garrus was standing with his back turn, his arms crossed, his attention fixed on his commander and friend.
"Garrus step back." Chakwas warned.
"How is he?" demanded Garrus impatiently ignoring the doctor's warning.
"He will require surgery." answered Chakwas her tone just as impatient.
"Ribs broken, organs exposed and bruised, amount of blood loss substantial." Mordin listed out loud.
"He is going to make it right?" asked Garrus.
"We cant operate on him, with you pestering us with questions," snapped Chakwas it was clear she was tense with the situation in trying to heal Shepard but having Garrus standing over asking her questions made her snap.
Garrus waved his hands, clearly frustrated turned around to see Miranda standing in front of him. Her eyes though were on the bloody footprints of a Turian and a krogan. "The Med-gel wore off." Garrus commented.
The turian's words caused Miranda to turn her attention on Garrus who was looking at her closely. Miranda though didn't speak right away, trying her best to catch a glimpse of Shepard's body as it was being worked on.
Garrus's mandibles twitched curiously, noticing that Miranda's eyes were red and puffy, was that because she had been crying? Garrus wasn't sure; he wasn't exactly an expert on human emotions and reactions.
"How is he?" asked Miranda trying her best to keep any personal emotion out of her tone.
Garrus shrugged, "they wont know until after surgery, it looks like you are in charge."
"This is Shepard's ship, not mine." Miranda replied honestly.
"Shepard is tough, you should know you did put him back together, I am sure in the end, he will just get another scar to add to his collection." Garrus commented trying his best to lighten the mood.
Miranda wasn't sure if Garrus truly believed what he said, but she did appreciate his gesture in trying to lighten the mood. "Thank you Garrus."
"Any time, I will be in the battery, maybe some calibrations will be able to distract me until the doctors update us on his condition." Garrus said walking past Miranda, he acknowledged Jacob with a pat on the knee before leaving the Med bay.
Miranda stood where she was, her mind replaying the intimate talk in the mess hall that she shared with Commander just hours ago. Her heart reminded Miranda of the new feelings of warmth that she felt when she was around Shepard. Frustrated Miranda left the Med bay, going into her office, she locked the door before collapsing on her bed, where she cried uncontrollably from all the pain and aches that ravaged her mind, heart and body.