A/N: I am so so so so sorry for the delay! I got commissioned to do a Javik fic and I got caught up in it. The good news is that it's done and will be posted shortly, if anyone wants to check it out. Thank you to everyone that voted in the poll. I know it seemed far off from where the story is now, but it'll make sense soon. Promise. And thank you so much for sticking with this! Assuming anyone is still reading it. You lot are scary quiet...I love everything I hear! Bioware owns the ME universe.
Shepard woke with a start, tears streaming down her face. She glanced at Thane. He appeared to still be sleeping. Choking back a sob, she threw the blankets back and slammed her fist into the wall. It buckled under the force and she felt the bones in her hand snap. Just as quickly, she felt the tell-tale buzz of machinery come to life to fix the damage. It would still be a few days before it was healed, but that was drastically shortened.
"Siha!" Clearly he was not as asleep as she thought.
She responded with a strangled cry and shaking shoulders. Thane gently took her into his arms and stroked her back. He hated seeing her like this. She was a proud, strong, wonderful woman reduced to a shuddering mess was heartbreaking. He was sure if it was entirely her reaction to the nightmare or if it was her condition flaring again. She shifted so she was in his lap and he hummed softly, trying to calm her. Shepard fisted her hands in his vest and coughed violently. He fell silent with worry as her body shook with the force of it. She pulled away and wiped her mouth. On his shoulder was a red splatter which she scowled darkly at.
"You are getting worse."
"It's fine." She swiped the blood and spittle off his shoulder.
Thane sighed. She would not admit anything was wrong until she was bed ridden and bleeding out of her eyes. Shepard made her way to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth out with water. She leaned against the counter and rubbed her face.
"Before you say anything, I don't want to talk about the nightmare and I'll talk to the doctor in the morning. I still feel alright."
He rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, "Are you sure you are well enough to continue this mission?"
"I don't have a choice. They brought me back to finish this and I will do just that. The Reapers aren't going to wait for us to figure this out, so I can't either. We're almost done and then we can try for a breather."
"As you wish, Siha."
She gave him a tired smile, "I wish the galaxy could save itself. But if it could do that, I would be out of a job." Her smile faltered as she looked up at him. She blinked rapidly, a look of confusion crossing her face.
"Is there something wrong, Siha?"
"I…I can't see."
Thane quickly took her hand in his and drew her close, "I will summon the doctor."
"No, stay. EDI can do it. It's not that bad, really. Things are just a little fuzzy. It surprised me, that's all. Besides, the good doctor needs sleep, even if I don't." Shepard was rambling and she knew it. The last thing she wanted was to be poked and prodded yet again.
"Professor Solus is awake, Commander. Would you like me to call him up?" EDI asked.
She was about to protest when Thane spoke up, "If he is willing."
"Understood."
"Thane, it's nothing."
"As is your blood on my shoulder. Let me assuage my worry, Siha."
She sighed and hung her head. He knew she hated when he expressed his concern, and despite the guilt, he often used it against her to get medical help when she needed it. She hadn't protested yet, and he knew he would stop if she did. The door chimed and Mordin entered. Shepard led Thane out of the bathroom and motioned them to the sitting area. Without a word, Mordin began scanning her.
With a sniff he looked from the scanner to her, "Need to reconfigure implant. Will remove amplifier on chest, then implant from the base of your skull. Will be painful."
"I would expect nothing less," she answered wryly.
Mordin took her bruising hand and gave it a shot of medi-gel before fixing her with a disproving glance. "Have time to do it now, if you wish."
"Go for it. Where are we going? Your lab or the med bay?"
"Stay here. Will be easier to keep crew in the dark. Will take approximately sixty two minutes. I will return to the lab."
"I can handle that."
Nodding once, Mordin waited for her to remove her shirt before deftly prying the small device off her chest. Blood welled up instantly and Shepard pressed her hand to her chest, even as she bent over to allow the salarian access to her implant. He removed it with practiced ease and left muttering to himself. Thane had been careful to stay out of the way, resigning himself to the human's stubborn nature.
"Thane?"
"Yes, Siha?"
"I'm gonna blow Cerberus up."
"I am aware. Though I believe it would be wise to wait until we are no longer affiliated with them."
"That ruins half the fun." She gave him a smirk and flopped onto her bed, "Son of a bitch!"
"Are you hurt?" He was next to her so fast, she didn't see him move.
"Ah, no, not really. Just my back. I forgot about it."
"It is my understanding this will get worse before it gets better."
"Hey, thanks for reminding me." She stuck her tongue out at him.
"That is not appropriate behavior for a siha."
"And you would know?"
"I believe I have more experience than you."
She threw a pillow at him, "But if I am a siha, then I should know more than you how we are supposed to behave. Unless you've met more of us than you originally said."
He caught the pillow off handed and returned it to her with a flick of his wrist, "As usual, your logic is sound. I concede the point."
Shepard gave a whoop of victory and grinned up at him. The purple hue to her eyes was quickly over taken by a wicked red glow and he felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach. He knew the gleam behind her eyes was an outward sign that her cybernetics had found damage and were straining to fix it. Thane thought back to the first time he had seen it. It was no less unsettling now as it had been then.
Haestrom is hot, the sun frying our shields. The commander seems to take it as some sort of challenge to see how many shots she can get it before her shields drop. Is she always this reckless? Going off the turian's reaction, it is safe to assume that it is typical. I find it unnerving. She kept both of us out of the sun when we landed, yet she has little regard for herself. Is it a human tendency, or did they train her to be like this? This is only my second ground mission with her and I am finding she does not have a consistent fighting style to conform to. I watch as she sights in and snipes three drones out the sky and then charges forward to incinerate a trooper.
By some miracle we have made it to a Colossus without being harmed. The commander has told the quarian to stay down in an effort to keep him alive, before changing off again. She has given us insane orders to take down the self-repairing geth. I have no choice but to follow them.
Her plan is working better than I thought it would. I must give her credit. It seems as if we will best the Colossus soon. What is that? Another squadron of geth. They are targeting the commander. She will not survive the onslaught. Without thinking, I rush to her aid, only to find the last trooper felled before I am half way there. My position has left me vulnerable to the Colossus and it wastes no time firing at me. Quick as a flash, she is there, knocking me to the side and taking the rocket herself. I watch in horror as an explosion engulfs her. When it clears, she is huddled on the ground, holding her own rocket launcher. She fires it twice and the giant geth falls. With a sigh, she sits heavily on the ground. I approach her again and she gives me a playful half smile. I am unsure how to take the expression, so I choose not to speak.
"Having Shepard take a hit for you. Welcome to the team, Krios." Garrus drawls over the comm.
"Don't worry about it. I like it this way." She says. I offer her a hand up and she takes it. When she looks at me again, her eyes are glowing red. I involuntarily pull back.
She scowls, "The eyes, right? It happens when I take bad hits. It just means I managed to strain all the fancy tech, no big deal. Creepy as hell though."
"I see." Is all I can manage. Glowing red eyes in pale skin and wind-blown hair is a memory I know will haunt me. Who is this woman who has crossed the sea and returned? What purpose does she have to fulfill? I follow when she leads, as I know I will do for months to come. Perhaps she will be the angle of death to finally grant me my own.
