MASS EFECT WINTER EYES: CHAPTER 23
FAMILIAR
A cool chill coursed her body from the room's vents as the temperature was regulated by the facility's VI. Holding the towel closer to her for warmth, Macha felt the goosebumps popping up as her bare feet walked across the tile floor towards the gift that Liara left for her while she was taking a shower. The hot shower was tranquil and almost brought peace from the turmoil that was recently placed at her feet. "One war after another…." She mused gently. A soldier's life never ended. Not until death it seemed…and for her, the afterlife brought even more. It seemed like she was given the opportunity for death. Someone always tended to bring her back…and it was the wrong parties. With cleaning agents, she managed to scrub out the hair dye to allow her natural red hair to come through once more. The purple contacts removed from her irises to reveal her more familiar emerald green. The facility was not equipped with a corrosive acid wash to remove the tat. For now, it remained. A haunting image of her former self. One that she couldn't wait to hide until the removal could occur.
The download she received from the remnants of her team was not one she could process easily. Lost individuals…their deaths blamed against the same group she was part of: Charon. It all seemed like a bad dream; one that she wanted to wake up from desperately. Her team could only disclose what they knew. What if there was more? What if she was responsible for some unfortunates' untimely death? Civilians? Scientists? She had no idea. She didn't want to think about it. Erinyes was a mystery to her. All that Macha knew was that the woman was very dangerous. More dangerous than the Illusive Man. The former leader of Cerberus had Macha one time in his possession. He could have easily transformed the human Spectre to his own minion. Instead, he chose to preserve her just the way she was to help humanity against the attacks from the Collectors.
Displayed like a collector's item in a preservation case was her N7 armor or one manufactured to resemble the same. The wine-colored armor brought back memories: good and bad. She donned the famed attire since her hunt for Saren. A few upgrades here and there. Reaching out with her bare fingertips, she allowed her flesh to barely touch the exterior protective layer around the breastplate inching closer to the N7 emblem. A proud accomplishment of hers before taking over the Normandy from Anderson. She missed him. Another reminder of her past. "I couldn't wait for you to see this…it's been stored for so long…" Liara's soft and welcoming voice approached her back from the room's doorway. Just how long was she standing there?
"No privacy?" Macha teased as she turned to fetch her clothes. In her eyes, the asari was female just like her. Her body had the same dominant features except for the skin pigmentation and the lack of hair. Even though the asari were non-gender.
The blue asari blushed and turned to give Macha a few minutes to change into her clothes. "Do I even have to ask…. where'd you get it, Liara?" Macha called to her as she pulled her shirt over her torso.
"Not the original I'm afraid." Her friend admitted. "Though with a little persuasion, I was able to get the Alliance to issue a new one."
Macha giggled as she zipped up her pants. "First, I thought it was a knock-off like Conrad Verner purchased. Probably would have been a lot cheaper for you," A playful grin moved across her lips.
Liara pouted her blue lips and crossed her arms. "Please. Remember who you are talking to."
"Not sure…Shadow Broker." Macha smirked. "I like the details," Pointing to the armor once more. "You sure knew a lot about me."
T'Soni giggled. "You always did fascinate me, Shepard."
Macha nodded. "That I did. I remember our talk after Therum."
Liara's eyes widened and Macha could almost depict the predominantly blue skin turning to a shade of red on her cheeks. "Some memories I wished you didn't recover," Her voice shook with embarrassment as she thought back to how she admitted to being attracted to Macha. Shepard then questioned if her attraction was truly physical or because of her obsession with the Protheans.
Kaidan entered the room and stopped in mid-step when he saw the two conversing in a private conversation. "Oh, hey. I didn't know you already had company, Shepard."
"It's okay. I was just leaving to check on Wrex." Liara moved, flashing another smile to her old Commander, before removing herself from the room.
"I can't wait to see him." Macha smiled. "I need to smack some sense into him."
Her statement aroused a chuckle from Alenko. "That I would pay to see."
Macha crossed her arms as her green eyes stared at him. "Something on your mind, Spectre?"
Her question was not pointed and her voice flowed with playful tone. Seeing her standing there almost brought back memories to Kaidan. Painful ones. After Virmire and the lost of Ash, Kaidan divulged his developing feelings towards Macha. He was afraid with the battle against Saren hitting too close to the chest, he needed to get it out into the open. Rejection was a high probability, but he would regret it if he never got the chance again. At that time, Macha returned his affections and the two spent a passionate night in her quarters prior their arrival on Ilos. Following her death from the Collector attack, Kaidan tried to move on. He even dated a woman off the Citadel. Briefly. Nothing serious. He couldn't get his mind off Macha. Reports came in that she was alive and working with Cerberus. The enemy. He denied these until his run-in with her on Horizon.
The same warm expression on the woman's face brought mixed feelings once again. Familiar ones. He tried to move on once again after she admitted to him that she had something with Garrus during their separation. He fought along side her during the last phase of the Reaper War even as a squad mate to her new love interest. With his fierce mental training at Jump Zero, he was able to remain focused on the mission and never allowed jealousy cloud his judgments. He was holding it together or so he showed. Deep down, he wanted her. Privately yearning for the days he had with her during their run-in with Saren Arterius. "Kahlee wanted to know if she needed to get the students evacuated," He lied, shunning away from his true motive of his visit.
Macha sighed. She was up to speed about the predicament they were in. A choice she wasn't too sure on how to make. Then again, her whole career was making tough calls. Started off at Akuze when her whole squad was killed and down the line, she lost squadmates one by one: Ashley, Thane, Mordin and Legion. Pain was not foreign to her. Her psych profile red flagged her with emotional scars and PTSD. Labels that she tossed aside. She wouldn't let them describe the woman she became. More friends died after Charon took her away. This time, it wasn't her choice. She had no control over their fates. She was damn sure not to let it happen again. If they evacuate the students, they would risk detection further by Charon. A sudden emergency evacuation of Grissom Academy would reach the news net and then the notification would spread like a wildfire across the galaxy. The cause would remain classified, but it would spark Charon's interest. If they planned accordingly, they could have the children completely off the station prior to any imminent attack. No evacuation would give them more time to prepare and catch Charon off-guard if they were led on already. However, the entire student body would be at risk. Most of the older students did have combat training as they led support roles against the Reapers on Earth. However, there were still younger ones who lacked any basic military training. A few biotic displays were not enough against a well-trained assault team. The fact was that there was no evidence to support that Charon tracked them. All they knew was that the Shadow Broker was going against them and the Broker's identity remained secret. "One hell of a call to make," She flatly admitted to the man in front of her. "What would you do?"
"The students were dragged into a war they didn't want before. We lost many already. No child should be placed into that dilemma." He shook his head knowingly. "Hunkering here without any exits is not good either."
"A good observation," Macha nodded her head. "If we can pull an evacuation off without alerting the press…"
"Don't notify the parents." Alenko tactfully pointed out.
"That's against the school's protocol."
"Shepard, you have always taught me that sometimes you need to bend the rules in order to save lives. I have followed you for so long..." Pain came out of his mouth as he felt himself choking.
Hearing his voice cracking, Macha reached out and gently clasped his hands with hers. "Kaidan…don't do this. Not now," Her voice softly urged him. She could feel the tears filling up her eyes as he spoke. A fragment of their relationship still remained.
"You know I would go to hell and back for you." Alenko pressed on, squeezing her hand. "Just say the word."
Macha could feel her heart pounding in her chest like a shot of pure adrenaline. "Kaidan…" His name escaped her lips as she felt herself uncontrollably leaning closer to him. Her soft lips brushing against his. Her breath warm and inviting. Feeling her touch, Alenko hungrily accepted her lips and captured them. Their tongues entwined inside their mouths as their arms embraced tightly against one another. Her fingers clutched his casual wear black tight-fitting shirt. The fabric brushing up against her skin. Her long red hair caressed his own hands at the small of her back. Kaidan lowered his hands and cupped her buttocks as he lifted her up allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. He walked her closer to the wall nearby for support, his mouth never leaving hers. The sound of their breathing becoming louder as her fingers reached under his shirt to caress his skin. His body shivered at her familiar touch.
Without warning, they heard Garrus loudly clearing his throat. Breaking away quickly, Kaidan released Macha and inched his body away from hers. His mouth panting to catch his breath. He fumbled to quickly fix his shirt in a pre-tussled state. Macha stared in guilt at her turian lover. No explanation could be given to him. The alien's avian eyes almost seemed to glow red as if he was indoctrinated. "Garrus…"