Shepard stood over the bleeding batarian at her feet, the tip of her assault rifle pressed to his gnarled forehead as he tried to scoot away from her.
"Stop!" she barked, moving forward with him and keeping the pressure. "Tell me what you know!"
"Or what? You've already killed everyone. And you're going to kill me." The batarian's words came out garbled.
"I won't kill you. They attacked me, they forced me to."
A bitter laugh escaped from the batarian's tightly clenched mouth. "You had to. Just like you had to end the entire Bahak System."
Shepard jabbed her gun into flesh. "Bahak? Really? I get it. I'm sorry. But yeah, that had to happen. Now tell me who shot at me and my friend."
"Like the others said, I don't know."
"You don't know?" Shepard was beginning to lose hope that'd they get any answers from this disastrous raid.
"I don't know because we didn't do it."
"What now?" Interest renewed, Shepard pulled up her gun for a second. Didn't need him feeling more reluctant about talking.
"What I said. We didn't try to assassinate you with a sniper. We weren't behind the bombing. We've been making plans for attacks, but we haven't followed through yet. We aim to end you and not be as sloppy as those amateurs have been."
"But all of those threats?"
"Yes, we made threats," he snorted. "But thousands across the galaxy have also cursed your name."
"I gotta agree with you on that one. But what about the gun - your gun? It was at the scene of the crime. Serial number traced back to one Dhethan Kar'sewen."
"Urgh," Dhethan growled. "I sold it to a black market dealer several blocks away. That was months ago."
"You sold your sniper rifle for what?"
"Like I'd tell you."
"Okay, be that way." Shepard lowered the gun back down against his forehead, her finger gently pressing the trigger.
"Explosives! We needed credits to buy explosives," Dhethan shouted, his hands coming up to try and wrestle the gun out of her hands.
"Get off." Annoyed, Shepard abruptly ripped her beloved assault rifle out of his grasp. "Explosives? Like the ones used in the bomb at the coffee shop?"
"No, none like that! We can't afford that shit. Look down in our basement storage, you'll find what we have."
"Uh huh, and how am I supposed to trust you?" Shepard cocked the gun at him again.
"Do what you will. I cannot convince you." Dhenath's four eyes closed, and he held himself perfectly still.
Shepard remained holding her gun, but after a sigh, she dropped it on the ground. Dhenath's eyes popped open and stared at her. She reached for the roll of duct tape in her side pack. Using her omni-blade, she sliced off a portion and tied the batarian's hands firmly behind his back.
"You're not going to kill me? Foo – ''
Shepard slapped on another piece of the festive bright duct tape over his snarling mouth. "Not today, buddy – ''
"Shep, we gotta go." Lieutenant Colby poked his head into the room. She realized she could hear the faint sound of sirens in the background.
"Shit. Well, looks like we're done here, Dhenath. Hope that wound heals nicely. Have a great rest of your evening. Morning. Whatever."
Shepard picked up her gun once more and stepped over a few bodies on the way to the door. She dropped her snarky tone earlier and tried to speak from the heart as much as she could, considering whom she was addressing. "And for what it's worth, I think about everyone who has died because of me every damn day. That's probably not enough for you, but there."
She stepped through the doorframe, and Colby latched onto her arm. "Let's get out of here."
"I'm with you."
Her gaze travelled lower to the obstacle course of bodies and other debris that lay between them and the exit. How had they gotten here?
They met at a park near Colby's apartment. Running early, as always, Shepard waited on a dark park bench. A hoodie hid light military armor underneath it, and loose sweatpants grazed bionic legs covered in leggings and strapped down with extra weapons and ammunition. Her trusty combat boots were tied extra tight with double-knots – gun battles were a bad time to trip over a loose shoelace – and she carried a side pack with any other extra items they might need. The hood of her jacket was over her newly dyed hair so that no one would recognize her on the street.
Shepard saw Colby walk underneath the streetlight at the exact time they had agreed to meet. "Colby!" she whispered as loudly as she could. "Over here!"
He walked in her direction. "Is that you?"
"Yes. I'm glad you could make it." Shepard suddenly felt self-conscious. They hadn't seen each other in forever and had only spoken briefly on the phone. His face had healed from the skin grafts, leaving only thin scars here and there. She unintentionally lifted her fingers, wanting to run them along those unfamiliar lines, but she snapped back her hand when she realized what she almost did. Colby, dressed in a bulky parka despite the mild weather, kept his own hands firmly in his jacket.
"Hey, Shep. Long time, no see."
"Yes," she laughed. "Your doing."
His stoic façade broke a little as a grimace appeared. "Yeah."
"Well, you're here now, and I really need the help. I appreciate it – and you can back out if you want, if shit goes down, your career – ''
"I understand what I'm doing. I'm not letting you go in there by yourself. And I want to take down the assholes who murdered your friend, too. And keep you, you know, safe." He looked away from her, glancing over his shoulder as he spoke, but then his head turned back to her. "Did you… your hair."
Shepard touched her forehead, noticing a tuft of red hair had escaped its knot and had drifted into sight. "Yeah."
Colby merely nodded. "Okay then, let's get things started."
The two walked side by side in the direction of the cell, Shepard breaking down the situation and going over the battle plan.
Shepard's gloved fist thumped on the door leading underneath a closed thrift shop in one of the shadier parts of Vancouver. No response. Colby shrugged his shoulders. Sighing, she knocked even harder. "Hello, anybody home?"
Colby shook his head, his fingers held up to the make the signal that they were going in. Shepard got her assault rifle prepped in her arms as he went to the door and began to kick it in. After a few tries, the door still wouldn't budge, and now there was the sound of furniture moving and panic-stricken voices on the other side.
"Let me." Shepard took Colby's place in front of the doorframe and gave the door a firm kick, a loud slam that managed to open it up, revealing a dark and narrow hallway that went on for twenty feet. The two moved swiftly and silently, their backs pressed up against the wall as they headed toward the source of light at the end. A scene of ten or twelve batarians in one large room greeted them. There were several tables covered with computers, and sleeping bags were strewn about along the sides. All of them must've been living in that space.
"Intruders!" the batarian standing in the front of the room snarled. "What do you want?"
Shepard reached up to the hood of her jacket and let it fall down her back.
"It's Commander Shepard!" another batarian chimed in, his voice dripping with venom.
"Indeed. I wanted to ask you – ''
She was immediately cut off by gunfire. A bullet whizzed past her shoulder before she went retreated into the hallway for cover. Colby ducked under a nearby desk.
"I just wanted to ask a few questions!" She shouted over the bullets ringing across the room.
"Die, bitch!"
Obviously, they weren't going to get anything out of the BRM without a fight. Shepard practiced her breathing exercises before standing up straight and leaping into the room.
A batarian with a pistol to the right, seven feet away. A burst of gunfire, three bullets, hitting their target directly in the forehead. The sound of bullets passing by over her left shoulder. A step to the right, turning around to face another in the opposite corner with an assault rifle. A good one, but not as fast as hers, and with more recoil. Another series of pops, and he went down. Suddenly, she was swept backward, her head slamming onto the bare concrete floor.
No time or breath to waste on an expletive, she quickly checked the back of her skull, her hand coming back clean and with no deformities felt. Shepard rolled up onto her feet again, taking the briefest of moments to glance down at her armor. A dent had been made right above her right breast, but everything was still intact. Shepard turned to where she believed the bullet had come from, but the shooter was already on the ground.
"Got your back!" Colby shouted to her, noticing her looking around.
"Thanks! See our guy?!
"Can't tell, but I saw a guy go underneath the map hanging in the back, there might be an exit!"
"Roger!"
A batarian shot at her leg, but the bullet didn't manage to do much damage. Shepard heard him curse before her aim fell upon him, striking him in the stomach. As carefully as she could, she navigated her way to the map on the wall, dodging fire and eliminating any threats as need be. She ripped the thick canvas map down from its tacks, revealing a jagged hole in the wall that opened out into a cramped room. A cramped room which happened to have an escape ladder ten feet in the air, where a batarian was desperately trying to climb to the top.
"Hey, why don't you come back down here?" Shepard asked. He kept travelling up, and she noticed she probably wouldn't be able to catch him. Shepard squinted before taking a shot at his ankle. Startled and screaming in pain, he fell to the ground right by her feet. The batarian reached for a gun at his belt, but she pressed her boot down on it and picked up the weapon. Pinning him to the floor as he struggled, she patted him down and confiscated another gun and a large knife.
"Alright, sit tight, and I'll be right back." She needed to make sure it was safe in the other room before questioning the guy in front of her, but she brought up a photo on her omni-tool. Prior to the mission, she had found an image of their prime suspect after a little research. Holding up the image to the batarian in front of her, Shepard could tell it was a match. This was Dhethan Kar'sewen, their guy.
She stepped out cautiously into the main room, noting that it was much quieter. "Colby?"
"Still here, ma'am." Colby stepped out from behind a couch. "I think all targets are down."
"Okay," Shepard gulped. She didn't even want to think about the bloodshed, batarian terrorists or not. "Can you be the lookout while I deal with our man?"
"Yes, rodger. Do you need help?"
"No, I'm fine." Well, at least she hoped she was. Time to get some answers.
And now here she was, with even more questions and few answers. Shepard sat with her back pressed against the bedroom door in Colby's apartment. The sparse and neatly organized space definitely belonged to a military man still firmly rooted in his career. Much of the room was bright white, and she felt guilty for leaving red marks and dirt from her boots and gear, but he had offered up his room for her to change and get cleaned up.
Thinking about what had happened at the BRM cell left her shivering. She had seen her fair share of bloodshed over the years, but lately it managed to rattle her more than ever. Shepard began to strip out of her leggings, removing the straps for her pistol, knife, and extra ammunition. With some difficulty, she managed to make it out of her armor by herself. Retying her hair up in a secure knot, she eyed the clothes Colby had laid out for her on the bed: a pair of his jogging pants and a plain T-shirt. It'd have to do, even though the joggers pooled at her feet. Checking herself out in the mirror in the corner, she confirmed that that she did indeed look like hell. Her hair was frizzy and falling out of the elastic, blood and dirt were still smeared on her skin, and dark circles ringed her eyes. Shepard licked her fingers before rubbed at the marks, a futile attempt to make herself presentable.
A knock on the door. "You okay in there?"
"Yeah, yeah." Shepard replied to Colby, hurrying to the door and unlocking it. "I'm fine, though I don't look like it."
Colby gave her a glance from head to toe. "It'll do."
Shepard merely stared at him, caught offguard by how easily he managed to clean up. He was squeaky clean, unlike her, and was dressed in a similar pair of pants and a T-shirt, though his fit him perfectly. Colby must've sensed her discomfort, taking the time to step back a few steps.
"You look better than I do," Shepard grumbled, pulling the loose fabric of the shirt across her torso to emphasize the bagginess, her bottom lip jutting out in a pout. It made Colby laugh, a sound she missed.
"So you going to head on home? Want me to walk back with you?" He was starting to gather his shoes up from the floor.
"Is it okay if I stay here? I mean, only because I don't want to go back there tonight. What happened there with Joker… the assassins… ''
"It's fine." Colby shuffled his feet. "I'll sleep on the couch."
"No, no, I can sleep on the couch." Shepard brushed past him, intending to throw herself on the couch in question, but Colby stopped her.
"Shepard, I got this." He glared at her, though there was no real heat behind it.
Shepard frowned. She was going to insist, saying that he didn't have to be a chivalrous good host, especially since she had dragged him on a failed mission that might destroy his career, but the words died on her tongue. Now they were caught in an awkward position, their bodies in close proximity to each other, Colby's arm touching her waist, nothing being said. As if coming to his senses about their current predicament, Colby hesitantly released her, though he found himself holding her firmly again when she lunged forward. His mouth was open as if he intended to say something when Shepard swept in, taking him by the lips. Her hands grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him even closer. There was no gentleness, she was pure fire. Colby eased into it after a second, joining her fully. As time went on and the kiss became more aggressive, Shepard rubbed her hips against him, slightly embarrassed to find that she'd have to stand on her tiptoes to reach his hips. Before she could even attempt to do so, Colby's hands found her waist, pushing her away from him.
"Shepard, what are you doing?" Winded, Colby let go of her and wiped at his mouth.
"Kissing you." Shepard shrugged.
"Look, I know, you're amped up from what happened tonight, so you're not thinking this through-''
"Excuse me." She interrupted, her voice ice cold. "I'm not thinking this through?''
"You've got a boyfriend, Shepard. I don't feel like getting involved in 's why I backed off-''
"Thanks for that by, the way. Not like I needed one of my few friends around lately." Her face twisted. This wasn't the direction she wanted to go in. "I'm sorry. I can understand why you wouldn't want to. We're not- we're not really together at the moment. Kaidan and I."
"Sorry to hear that." For what it was worth, Colby did sound genuine about it.
Shepard nodded, a smile plastered on. "Taking a break. So I could figure stuff out."
"Hmm."
"Hmm, indeed." Shepard stared at her feet. "Mmpf- ''
Shepard jumped when Colby tilted her chin up to kiss her. He was much more gentle in his approach, though there was still intensity behind it. Shepard began to melt into him, but once again, Colby broke it off.
"What was that for?" She pressed her fingers to her lips.
"I wanted to." He smirked.
Shepard narrowed her eyes at him. "You didn't seem interested a second ago."
"That was before. This is now…. Are you…" Now Colby's sentence was cut short when Shepard threw herself at him again. The two became a tangled, heaving mass of limbs as they kissed, inching their way to the bedroom. Shepard's mind was pleasantly blank, and she felt lit from within.
Colby grabbed the doorframe, stopping their movement into the bedroom. "Shepard."
Breathless and annoyed at the pause, she answered, "Yes?"
"Are you sure about this?" He was dead serious, his gaze focused straight on her. Colby hold her away from him.
"I am." Shepard couldn't help but grin. In the very back of her brain, a small part of herself was telling her that she was being a reckless idiot, but she was living in the now. It'd been so hard to escape the past lately, whether it be the war or the shit that kept happening, and to be in the moment during the raid and in Colby's bedroom, despite how haphazard, felt pretty damn good.
Colby seemed to appreciate her affirmative statement, picking her up from where they were standing.
"Damn, I forgot how heavy you are," he grunted, struggling to hold her.
Shepard giggled. Actually giggled. "Bionic legs will do that to you."
Colby placed her on the edge of the bed, his lips silencing her laugh when he went another for another kiss. "Very funny," he muttered. Colby left her lounging on the bed for just a second, and Shepard glanced at the ceiling. It was a plan white ceiling. Not like the ceiling tiles from the hospital or the rehab center. Not like the hull of the Normandy either, with the window that looked out onto the stars. The window that had caused her to have a panic attack on more than one occasion when she woke up from a nightmare and thought she was actually drifting in space, suffocating. Not the window that she later came to appreciate when she wound up underneath Kaidan, her gaze flickering to it for the briefest of moments, caught up in the beauty of their surroundings, the infinity of space.
The thought made Shepard feel disoriented, and she squeezed her eyes shut, only opening them again after she heard the bedroom door click.
Shepaaaard... what are you doing?!
Hope you guys liked the chapter - was a tough one to write.
Coming up next time: the long-awaited reunion (!)