San Juan
Puerto Rico
Earth
Local clock: 7:45pm
2177
" Still worried, eh ? "
Without even looking at the man beside her, Ashley just knew that he'd be wearing that usual, relaxed , easy grin of his. The one he was always one to sport when he was supremely confident that he didn't have anything to worry about, and that he had the whole thing ( regardless of what that " thing " was ) all under control.
Which was...frankly, pretty dang often. And it didn't even matter if the " thing " at hand was a formal event with a bunch of Alliance flag officers with more metal on their shoulders than an ATLAS mech, a combat drop smack dab onto a pirate firebase, or-
...Or...meeting Ashley's family.
Meeting her mother, specifically. Mrs Williams herself !
Their first meeting...which just added more pressure to what was, for Ashley at least, a pressure cooker that was about to blow its top. She was standing here with the extremely vivid sensation of transmission-tower-strength electricity flowing through every vein and capillary she had, and outright overloading her whole sensory array. It was at peak strength, for sure, now that the hour of doubt was more of a handful of minutes, which was rapidly ticking down..
As soon as their groundcar made its way through the winding streets of San Juan to the William's family bungalow, that is. However long that took, but...it was a Sunday. On an afternoon. There wasn't ever much traffic here on even a Monday at rush hour, let alone now. There wasn't exactly a reputation around here for trips from the main spaceport to any outlying residential areas taking longer than 15 minutes..
Especially when you drove at just under the limit, and took corners on the hair margin, like Vince was wont to do. Which wasn't the worrying aspect of all this to Ashley, whatsoever, but-
" Or...just really tense ? ", guessed the Specter at the wheel, as he sent them around another bend by canting the vehicle like it was a race. " 'Cause with you, sometimes they kind of look the same. "
Despite her worries, and despite the core of polar ice that'd formed where her spine should've been, Ashley couldn't help but have a slight ( just about ) smile form on her face at that remark- or at least, a tug at one corner...along with a much-appreciated wave of amusement. " That sounds like more of a you problem, Vince. We've been an item for a year- you still haven't figured me out yet where expressions are concerned ? "
There was a modest ( ish ) shrug by way of response from the driver. " You're the first woman I've ever been with, Ashley. I don't have much experience with reading the female range of emoting. "
" With your cheekbones ? I should find that kind of hard to believe ", Ashley needled him, though, deep down, she knew he was telling her the truth.
The whole truth...and only the truth. And, the best thing about it ? She didn't even have to rely on only his word, reliable as it might be.
Why ? Well, that was easy. He'd told her everything on that front, and it'd been a definite pillar of the still-progressing bond they shared: How he wasn't the kind of guy who liked to just jump from sheila to sheila, without even considering sticking with one or the other long-term ) . Out of everything from his past...that'd been one of the most prominent that he'd been willing to share. More than willing, actually...he'd been eager, to let her know.
And the kicker was, Ashley reflected, as the shadows of overhanging palm trees played across the front of the car, it wouldn't even have been a deal-smasher if he had been with someone else first. She wasn't that sensitive, to harbor bitterness and resentment at some other woman for having the honor of " the first ". What did matter, though, was if she had been " just another number "...the latest of a " long line of conquests ", so to speak. But, one before her ? Just one ? That wasn't so bad, as long as it'd ended right, and he was all the way past her.
But, he didn't even have that.
It was...a special kind of honor: being the first. First love, and all that. Needless to say, though, as long as he loved her deeply and honestly, then getting 2nd place wouldn't be so bad. Except, she was first...
And, the icing on top was...there were plenty of hallmarks to hint she'd be the only, as well-
" Heh...well, if you didn't know me, then you might be forgiven for thinking that ", Vince admitted, as a shelf of clouds slid over the sun overhead, smothering literally everything under them with dimmed, greyed out light." Honestly, I wasn't sure if I should do the same back at you. "
"...Now, that's equality ", Ashley pointed out, having needed a moment to collect her thoughts after momentarily daydreaming back there.
It was technically a really high school girl thing to do, and shamefully so but, she couldn't help it. All that stuff she'd once said to him about having a sensitive side ? Well, it was all true as well, and it'd just been proven.
Which was ok, though. After all...things were going great between them. They were literally and figuratively cruising along, so was it really a stretch to find that she was having giddy-distracted moments like that ?
She didn't think so, and screw who disagreed.
" Well...good thing we're both novices though- we can, you know...learn as we go ", she added , with a real smile aimed solely for him ( even if they're been anyone else around, which there wasn't ) , as the darkened clouds above began to now drizzle down a light dusting of raindrops.
" And even better...my mom's got years of relationship experience. She and my old man, God bless him, had a good thing going right till the day he finally went to the afterlife. I think you could learn at least something from all that. "
The mere mention of her dad's demise...it still cut deep, and bitter. Worse, she'd done it on purpose, and to herself ! A raw juxtaposition, to her otherwise blooming ( yet also super tense ) mood. But...it still had been done for a reason, and it wasn't as it she could blank it from her whole memory 100 percent. As much as doing it would get rid of the pain...that would be forgetting him as well, so she wouldn't do it. Ever.
Besides, as she'd just reminded herself...her daddy had left a legacy of an example of how to live her life, and though she had stumbled before, and knew she would again, she would keep sticking to it as much as she could.
Even now. Just for a second, she could another kind of shadow sweep over her, leaving a miserable chill behind...as it always had every day since his death. The void couldn't ever be closed, but...she'd known that. Always had. There could only be living with it...
She took a moment-right then and there- to offer a mental prayer for his sake. He could always use one of those..
Always.
" As long as she doesn't shoot me ". Vince drove them though a junction, gliding past a roadside stand that was selling oranges stacked high to form a pyramid...and a table littered with plush toys of Salarians and Asari. " You always did say the Williams women were a decisive bunch, if I remember right ..".
And...just like that, there was Vince doing that thing of his: pulling Ashley away from her demons. He must've sensed that...that momentary dip of her tone when she'd even briefly mentioned her dad, and wanted to do something about it. But, he didn't need to say that was what he was doing, or even hint at it...
He just...did it. And carefully, smoothly,and without forcing things. It was proof he'd actually paid attention during their long talks from the Normandy's hangar bay, and remembered what mattered from it...and was willing to use it when it fit. If there weren't any other reasons for Ashley to have fallen for him, then that was chief among them.
Obviously...she already had.
Otherwise...she wouldn't be about to have him meet her mother-terrifying and exciting, all at once. That, universally, was a huge leap for any budding relationship.
Though...if this meeting went well, that could easily launch what they had out of that territory altogether.
Where exactly that was, though...was somewhere that both terrified and enthralled her tremendously all at once, she had to accept, as they entered the final stretch of road that led to the house- a long, development-empty place lined with only more of those towering, waving palms. It was a mixed force of both cold and warm, going together...but the good kind.
The optimistic , and the hopeful kind...
God willing, it'd be exactly that.
Knkk, knkk, knkk !
Despite advances with home security technology over recent years ( adding to what was already a considerable layer of defenses for any homeowner who could afford it ), Ellise Williams still liked to keep around one distinctly yesteryear feature to festoon the front of her own dwelling: An actual slab of Redwood, placed at the side of the main doors right at knocking level. Sure, there were also the usual presence of a current year alarm button that could be used as well ( or side by side ) but...it was a nice, nostalgic touch regardless.
More than any of that, though...it was a wonderful reminder of the countless childhood nights spent running back and forth though those doors for Ashley while going to ( and back from ) the beach, often still with countless grains of beach sand still sticking all over her. But, now...here she was as a grown adult, about to bring a man she had long begun to fall pretty hard for to meet the closest of what few family members she had left.
Yeah...nothing scary about that. Nothing about it could possibly cause the veritable heard of butterflies that were whipping around the pit of her stomach, or had dried out her mouth to where it was feeling like it was stuffed with cotton...except, it was. She wasn't able to deny it, much as she might've wanted to..
Or, any more than she could deny the endless train of thoughts of how it might go badly from stampeding though the front of her mind, as she watched the aforementioned man she'd brought home with her tapping vigorously away on that well-used-to-nearly-abused panel.
He actually seemed, at long last...cautious, about all this ? Even from just quick glance at his face as they stood here, waiting for a response...Ashley could've sworn she was seeing the first hints of that on visage of Humanity's first Specter. Maybe, that wasn't really much of a stretch after all, though-this was still a " Meet the parents/t " sort of thing, and that definitely counted as one of life's guaranteed tense moments.
It was just a universal standard, and that was something you also had to understand.
That and...the clock had just about run out.
"...We could just...could just walk away real quick and tell her later you got called away on some top secret mission for the Council "
Ashley's suggestion, while plausible on the surface, also had some pretty gaping flaws- and she knew about them right off the bat. Specifically...it didn't make any sense at all to get this close only to pull the plug at the last second ! Plus, she loved her mother too much to deny her this honor, and the right, of meeting someone who'd come to matter so much to her.
Which...just made that random, last ditch suggestion all the more weird, and random. It surprised even her, because...well, she knew she had a nervous side, same as everyone else, but, even so...
Really ?!
Just out of freaking nowhere...
So dumb, as well..
Thankfully, though...even if Vincent agreed with her, true to form for him, he didn't say so out loud.
Rather, he glanced over at her- just as she did at him, which was even more proof that they were operating while synced to one another-
...And, he smiled. Kindly, and gently.
" Ashley, given how awesome you are, I am pretty sure your mom is just the same. Or..."
He shrugged, though still with that grin. " Or, she's utterly awful, and then we can skedaddle off on that " Highly secretive mission " that you were talking about just now. "
" ...You haven't even met her yet, and you're calling her awful !? ", exclaimed the mildly shocked ( faux, though ) Ashley. Her brows rose, and she lightly swatted his shoulder.
Truth be told, though...she was supremely grateful for the moment. Even as it happened, the deeper meaning of it wasn't lost on her:
Putting her at east, and reminding her...that there wasn't much to worry about ! There wasn't. She'd been overthinking this, and worse...she knew that too ! All along, she'd known that it wouldn't go wrong, and it wouldn't end badly, because her mother was way sweeter, kinder, and more of a open soul than she could ever hope to say she was ( Though, Vincent certainly didn't agree with that sentiment, which was just another reason she loved him ), and if anybody would take an intimidate shine to a guy like Vincent, it was Ellise Williams.
Just...sometimes you needed reinforcements. Sometimes, you needed a boost..
Sometimes- actually, wait. A girl always deserved a guy like Vincent.
For a lot reasons, but that was one of them that mattered most.
" ...You're such a bad man ", she softly murmured with a laugh , as fresh affection for him welled through her like a hotpot full of water slowly reaching a boil.
A cool-blessedly cool- ocean breeze, laden with salt, washed over them...which only spiked her sense of spontaneously wanting to kiss him. It'd come from out of the blue..
..Like the wonderful, tropical sun itself that shone overhead- also kind of suddenly, because the sky had been littered with clouds a moment ago. A gap had opened, though, and was now spilling its light onto everything and everyone beneath it.
Especially the both of them...as Ashley, with a grin stretching across her face that she wouldn't dare show to her fellow Alliance Marines , quickly closed the gap ( which wasn't wide to begin with ) between her and Vincent, to gently slip her arms around him..and deeply kiss him on the mouth.
At once...
With 0 delay...
She fell through the moment, so to speak. As every kiss she'd ever shared with Vince did- it caused her to enter a new state of awareness...or, rather , a lack of it. With the raw rush of endorphins that had already begun blasting through her whole network of veins...it was as if she was drifting through space itself.
Her pulse had spiked as well, and her breathing along with it. Overall, it was as if she'd entered another world, and so deeply, that she only had the most basic link to everything around her. Just the bare minimum...as it should be. And, it only became even more so, as she deepened the kiss with all the energy she could muster.
All along, Vince had responded, and beat for beat. He might've been surprised for the first nanosecond or so, but now ? Now he was embracing her back, just as hard, and kissing her back as well, and hard enough so Ashley's knees all but buckled. She held on him still, but now tighter...as if she let go, she'd fall. She wouldn't...but it still was nice to think she would.
It was...the ultimate distraction. The best kind, and one she wished wouldn't end-
klck, klckk !
swshhh..
...And...
...That was the moment when the door's locks ( antiquated mechanical, like the door knock slab ) turned, opened, and swung the door wide.
A voice- familiar so quickly that it was quicker than thought-called out with genuine surprise, tinged with motherly amusement:
" ...Ashley ?! "
" Ashley ?!
"...Hey, Ashley, can you hear me ? "
"...Ash ? "
...What ?!
...That...that didn't make any sense at all. Utterly 0.
Why would Mother be calling her " Ash " ? Literally nobody called her that aside from her brothers and sisters under arms with the Marines...and Vincent, obviously. Even the rest of the Normandy's ground team hadn't called her that...so, if it wasn't any of them, then-
Oh...oh, wait. That wasn't her mother calling her !
But...why hadn't she realized that sooner ? As riveting, and wonderful as the kiss was...surely her situational awareness hadn't collapsed that much, had it ?
Had it ?! Confusion- raw, terribly disorienting, and overtly powerful- surged through her, overcoming nearly everything else aside from a bastion of lingering heat from the searing kiss and embrace.
Ashley's mind fought to comprehend and process it as quickly and thoroughly as it could-
-And that was when the rest of the overall picture began to assert itself...all at once.
Vigorously so, as well .
Soreness. Deep , clawing, and debilitating soreness exploded from a point way down near, and just above, Ashley's waist. It was...crippling, and just stopped all movement around it as if my sheer weight of force it had drained all energy from around like like a black hole of the body. It was as if a bowling ball ( or a cantaloupe ) was embedded through her body...and then had spikes extending out from it going everywhere !
Something...
...Something was wrong here. Something was happening, and it wasn't anything to do with her standing on the front steps of her mother's San Juan house...kissing Vincent Shepard , the man of her dreams.
She...she wasn't there. At this exact second...the pain, and all the befuddlement: it'd proved that to her. All of that- all of it, that she'd just experienced up to right and exactly now, was...
...Was just that. A dream. A dream, which had come from a memory, but a dream nonetheless.
After all...you couldn't feel literal pain during a dream.
And, that pain was tearing through her now like a blowtorch through rice paper, dragging her whole self back to where the real world was.
It trickled and flowed through her, leaving behind the sensation of all 4 limbs and her back- reclined, and pressed against something that was both firm, but kindly soft. Another something, also soft, but much more flexible, was lying on top of her...and there was yet another something that was hard, rigid but also flexible that was covering her face..
beep, beep, beep...
beep, beep, beep...
...Was that...beeping ? Machine-like beeping ?
...Yes. Yes, it was. Couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from, but...it was there. It was there..!
Kind of...like... like a...a Pulse Monitor ?
It was as much as Ashley's head could tell her...as much as she was aware. That realization on its own, though, was the ultimate bucket of cold water to the face, and along with the sucking soreness , was bringing back all the memories that would give her all the answers she would need.
Or...for now, at least most of them.
...The pod...!
The escape pod ! The one we rode down from the Normandy...
Yeah...it fell through the ice ! It fell though ! Juikara was helping me get back to my seat..
She was helping me...and then the whole pod..
It just fell. And we went with it...I...saw her afterwards !
Concern exploded from the aforementioned memories, and it immediately went from 0 to 60.
She'd been...she'd been impaled. She'd been freaking impaled ! And...and I'd been impaled as well !
Both of us ! Oh, God...is she ok...?!
Is...?
" Ashley ? If you can hear me...clench a fist. "
The voice called to her again...the voice that wasn't her mother.
Maybe it was the sheer curiosity of who it was that was talking to her, or perhaps she'd finally regained a modicum of energy, but, either way...
Her eyes...cracked open.
Only a crack-and then they flickered closed. A quick flutter, and it wasn't enough to get anything out of it. Other than, though...that she was alive.
And...had left the pod long behind. Long, long behind..
"..Oh ! Oh, God..! "
" Doc !? Doc ! I think she's waking up..! "
Now outright shouting, the voice called off toward someone else...as Ashley's eyes flickered open again.
A bit wider than earlier...and now, they actually held it long enough for her to actually get even somewhat of a look around her.
Kind of. They were only half-open, but..
...At least now she could tell that...she still had her legs. It was all fuzzy, and she was groggy as could get while actually remaining conscious ( Right on the border of falling asleep again, though ) , but she could still spot a pair of long, low bumps beneath what was clearly a blanket covering her from chest to feet.
She still had them, it seemed.
...Thank you, God.
For that, at least.
Thank you...
Moderately encouraged, she endeavored then to sit up as much as she could...and promptly hit a brick wall as a veritable detonation of pain shredded her midsection. It seemed, then, that the shard of metal that'd been driven through her from the pod's crash was still kicking her around from across planets !
" Huah...aghhh..."
...She didn't even have enough steam to cry out loudly with pain- just a guttural moan, though clenched teeth. The blast of pain did have one positive side effect, though- it cracked her eyes open a tad more.
Enough so, a second later, she clearly watched as a tall, slender woman with bright green eyes and carrot-orange hair hurried through a set of sliding doors on the right, accompanied by broad shouldered man with a dusting of stubble on his jaw and a shiny, bald head. Both were dressed as Hospital staff- white slacks and coats, done up tightly, with red crosses on the shoulders, and red creases on the edges. More red- gloves- decorated their hands, and both carried, via one hand, a hardsided case marked with yet another cross.
They immediately zeroed down on her, without a millisecond to spare, or a nanogram of wasted energy, and came right to her bedside.
" ..Gunnery Sergeant Williams ! ", the female Medic addressed her, with a rich Australian accent. " Gunnery Sergeant...don't move ! Stay still please..."
" Lt. Gojke , stand by...".
Setting her own case down beside the bedridden Marine, the medic brought up her Omni-Tool, and began tapping at it rapidly. Ashley wanted to ask her name...but all she could muster was another weak " Hhhh..."
A lethargic, and raspy " Hhhh " as well...and as if only able to say that wasn't worrying enough ! Which it was.
Worse, more of her mind was opening now, and enough so that Ashley was abruptly flooded with fresh concern: What kind of readings was the doc getting on her vitals ?
Sure, Ashley was a lifelong optimist, but-
"...Hmm...alright. "
" Your vitals are all out of the red, Gunny. A long way to go to restore full status, but considerably better compared to what they were when they brought you here... "
She paused for a moment, as if debating if she should get more specific , but then decided against it. Momentarily, Ashley experienced a moment of gratitude...the first good feeling that'd come her way.
Might be the last one as well...and there was the pessimism ( realism ? ) she'd acquired during her tour with the Normandy.
Screw...you, Ashley berated it, as the Doc turned to her compatriot, and said , " Send an updated report on Gunnery Sergeant Williams. I've sent you her new vitals readouts to attach as well. "
" Aye aye, Commander Vale ", the other medic- Gojke- answered, with a distinct Canadian accent, before swiftly heel-turning and leaving at a brisk walk.
Ashley watched him go...and while turning her head to do it, said head wound up lolling over and landing on a ( blessedly ) soft pillow. It caught her by surprise- both the softness of the pillow, and how exhausted she was just from doing even that.
Dear God...
...How badly get I get shredded down there...?!
Down there...more meanings than one. You knew that, though..
" Gunny ? "
Footsteps sounded, and the newly-named Commander Vale soon appeared where could see her again- well, most of her, anyway. With the angle of the pillow, Ashley was pretty much only seeing her to where the shoulders began...the sheer and picturesque whiteness of her uniform.
White and clean...like the snow of Alchera. The comparison came with a raw kind of automatic, and it just...happened.
It sent a palpable chill through her, and a shiver. The room around her wasn't cold at all...but, she was feeling a moment of chill. Noticeable, and deep, as if...
...As if...
...She were back there, on that horrible and wretched ball of ice and snow.
Pointless to say anything about it though...or as if she could say anything at all, period.
Because she couldn't, frankly.
" Gunny, I am Commander Ameida Vale, and you are aboard the Medical Frigate Abundance. I'll be looking after you during your stay here. ", the medic standing over her continued.
" You've had quite the ordeal , Gunny. For now...you need rest. Get some sleep, and I'll check back with you then. But know this: You have some of the best medical staff and tech of the Alliance on your side. We'll do everything we can, and then some. "
..Well, don't you sound confident..?
Seriously...you do. I appreciate it. The med arm of the Alliance should get more love of the angelic stuff you do...
Blessed...all of ya.
..Well, that's what she would've said, anyway. What she wanted to say.
What could she actually say , though..?
Only a low murmur, as she exhaled deeply...and began to feel a creeping tide of fatigue, drowsiness, and sleep beginning to cover her.
Oh, right...the exhaustion from before. From the moment she'd awakened. It was still here, and now, it was coming out with a vengeance. It was swallowing her, and she was going get consumed by it soon.
She knew this...and she accepted it.
The layers wrapped over her , and the memory-foam mattress beneath her were all soft, warm, and welcoming, as was the pillow supporting her head. They fought that chill from before, and valiantly. If she had to get stuck on her back, for any reason...well, there were worse places to have it.
But...as her mind was about to drop off the cliff toward ( back to, technically ), most of her thoughts turned elsewhere.
Juikara...
Uzek...
Adams...
Yuki...
Chakwas...
Jannes...
A side of her was resentful she hadn't thought of them first. They were her brothers and sisters under arms...they were her own ! They'd been on that pod with her, and they'd experienced the sheer vicious cold of Alchera along with her- and the crushing force of that drop through the ice. She'd already bonded with them all for at least a year, or even longer, before all of that.
They freaking...mattered to her. They mattered.
And, as she finally, belatedly crossed the border back to the land of sleep..though, blessedly, it wasn't anything like before. She wasn't blacking out, or seemingly about to
Those thoughts , of all of them...
Stayed with her.
To the end.
Systems Alliance Medical Frigate Abundance
Orbiting Mars
Local Cluster
Sol System
August 12th
Shipboard Clock: 7:55am
" Gunnery Sergeant Williams ! Good Morning ! How do you feel today ? "
Businesslike, yet also friendly, and most of all: authentic about all of it. That was the only real description of Commander Vale's greeting, as she swept through the doors of Ashley's recovery ward room. As per usual, her scrubs were freshly white, and her dark hair was impeccably tied away, leaving only a few strands loose and dangling."
Speaking of such a thing...
It'd been...pretty much what Ashley had expected, after they'd brought her a tray of food this morning. It'd actually been halfway decent, as much as military food was concerned: a fruit salad of chopped melons, strawberries oranges and grapes, some corned beef , and a bowl of oatmeal. They'd even offered some orange juice.
Consuming it had proven the old adage was true: When you're hungry enough, military food was a banquet. It did leave Ashley missing food from home mightily with every bite, but it got the job done. That, and somewhat upping her mood...from bottom-of-the-barrel from getting stuck at what was basically just a space hospital to...just really ticked off.
Oh-but all of that took a backseat to the status of her fellow survivors...which she still didn't know. That was really where all that simmering rage and frustration was coming from, truth be told..
At first, though, she didn't say a word.
She only shrugged, and continued to stare out the nearby window that looked out onto the endless void of space itself, still deliberately losing herself ( mentally, that is ) among the billions of stars that were out there, and the sheer distances-billions and billions, and then trillions- of miles- that were between them all. It was something, that from the day she'd ever gone on her first trip trough space ever, as a rawhide Alliance Marine fresh out of basic en route to Advanced Ground Training ( AGT ) on Saturn's moon of Titan, had only reinforced her born-and-raised belief toward a higher power, and his boundless power..
It was soothing and relaxing as heck as well, needless to say. Something that could take the edge off of any bad mood she might currently be stuck with, if she gazed out through that kind of view for long enough. Mixed with the faithful side of it, having a good panorama of the endless void that everyone called " Outer Space " was all the luxury she could ask for when things looked bad.
Which...well, she may have been alive, and was more grateful for that she could express, but there were so many things wrong with this.
So many...
But, at last...
" ...Still here, aren't I ? Here. A hospital ship...a hospital ship ! "
She huffed, as that pent-up frustration manifested itself for a second. There wasn't any denying that- she hated getting stuck at a place like this. Hated it, as any sane person would.
Still, though...she could quite come to the level of hating those who kept it running, because after all...
They'd saved her. They'd saved many others as well. That's what they did, and they were heroes for it, all of them. But, this was still a hospital ship, and Ashley was already tired of it.
"...I mean...thanks, though... for everything you and everyone else here did for me. Thanks. I'd be dead otherwise. "
"...You won't ever have to thank us, Gunny. ", Vale assured her, sounding as confident as before, mixed with some bedside manner kindness. " We're following our calling here, same as you. "
" Yeah...suppose so ", murmured the Marine, as the Doc then brought her OmniTool online to get a full readout on all those essential vitals.
" All on the same team " , philosophically remarked the White-coated physician, as she stepped even closer to personally read the actual screens of the machines linked to Ashley, all running lines of text and diagrams on the status of those all-important stats of hers.
" Now, then..."
" Well...good news ! Your vitals have improved. You'll be ready to begin psychical therapy sessions to help recovering from the impalement damage soon...next few days. "
"...Days ?! "
Even as she said it, Ashley knew it was dumb. After all...she'd been impaled, for God's sake. That wasn't the kind of thing you just slapped a band-aid on and walked away.
Still, though...days ?
More days, spent here ?!
" Sadly..yes. ". The doc was a quick reader of a ground-pounder's mood, evidently. " This kind of recovery can only be done gradually- any quicker, and we risk exacerbating what damage there is.
"And, it was extensive, I must say.", she added, with a note of hesitation just beforehand.
Icewater filtered through Ashley's blood, and she knew exactly why. It was coming from 3 places: The hint of how bad exactly was the shredding that hunk of metal had done to her, the mere mention of the word " extensive " when it was linked to wounds...and the ever-present concern of the status of the rest of the pod survivors.
Thoughts of them had always been near to the front of her mind all along for the length of her " stay " here ( more of a sentence, really ), and it was rapidly reaching a crescendo. A boiling point. Soon...it wouldn't be able to stay capped.
But, for the moment...
" Doc ? Long as you're even talking about me going though some workouts to get on my feet again...that's all I need to hear. "
As she finished, Ashley glanced back over at the Doc, half expecting to see an expression of pity, or sadness. Something suffocating like that.
Some of Ashley did, actually, feel bad about harboring such coldness toward those who were charged with keeping the Alliance's fighting men and women alive. It was a vital responsibility, and they deserved respect for it. But...this was still a bleeding hospital, and one that Ashley wasn't allowed to leave from without their permission.
Kind of complicated those grateful emotions, honestly...
" That's a perfectly understandable sentiment, Sergeant, but it also isn't the end of this, by a long shot. The muscle and tissue damage requires that you take your recovery regiment by the letter, exactly as prescribed, or said recovery could be doubled by duration. And/ or lead to complications that could land you right back here. "
Great...for you. Sure you've love to have be back where you can torment me with your tender loving care even longer...
I mean...still grateful as heck, but also hate you.
Also...you're lecturing like a schoolteacher. Anyone ever told you that ?
Well, that what her thought's were saying, anyway. Out loud, though, all Ashley came back with was slight nod, and a tight:
" ...If that's what it takes. "
She exhaled, bit her lower lip, and forced herself to really confront her frustration, realizing ( perhaps belatedly ) that it couldn't be allowed to go on uncontested- just as the Doc's Omnitool emitted a loud ping of a freshly arrived alert !
Finally...something promoted Ashley to pull her gaze away from the void, as the Doc automatically glanced at the OT to read the new message. Something, at last-
" Oh...! "
" ...What ? What is it !? " . Ashley leaned over with a twisting motion toward the standing medic- slowly, though. She'd learned the hard way she wasn't ready for anything quick.
"..Master Gunnery Sergeant Mazik Juikara has requested to see you ! ", Vale reported, with a glimmer of joy seeping through her words.
It couldn't be missed, sure, but...and it was a true Godsend, to have any shred of good news about the fate of the rest of the pod survivors, but...Ashley needed more. She was already on the tipping point when it came to that, and that the Medic here hadn't volunteered anything- or that Ashley hadn't outright asked- both bothered her like the fact of getting stuck at a hospital itself.
There were still reasons behind both, perhaps: Vale's priority was her intimidate patient, and as for Ashley...maybe she'd just been relying just about entirely on what she wanted to know getting told her unprompted despite that.
Well, that was going to end. One way or the other...now. Said " boiling point " had been reached. Ashley had been through too much for too long with everyone overall on that pod to keep on waiting to find out what'd happened to them. She had to know...
She had to. But, God be praised, at least one of them had been graced with survival.
"...Mazik ? Did you say Mazik !? ", demanded the Marine of the room, with audible hope.
I remember her face...
I remember the blood...so much of that burgundy stuff covering her. After she..
..Nearly died, while saving me. Nearly died, for me.
Unbearable if that'd happened for real. Thank you, Lord...
Thank you.
" That's correct: Master Gunnery Sergeant Mazik Juikara, and she wants to pay you a visit here ", confirmed Vale. " She's regained her mobility, albeit assisted.."
...What ? Ashley managed to hide her surprise, but it was strong regardless.
...You are one seriously tough cookie, Mazik !
God, you really are...
You're ok ?! You moving around ?
" Mazik is ok...?! ". Ashley willed herself to sit a bit higher...and actually succeeded. It was a grinding thing that sent tremors of pain blasting out from her core, but she ignored it.
" She's alright...?! "
" As much as you are, yes. ". Vale nodded, with the hint of a smile now beginning to appear. " Should I let her through now, or would you prefer to rest ? "
What...what kind of question is that ?
Why would you even ask that ?!
...Well, that's what the rude side of her- the angry, tense, annoyed side-would've said, had she lacked the discipline to keep it at bay. But, there was just enough of that left to do so. The staff here didn't deserve it.
Even if they were technically running a prison ship...but that was beside the point.
" Yeah ...Let her though. ". Urgency had entered Ashley's voice, and she reinforced it with a nod.
" Let her though...please. "
" Williams ?! "
" Williams- ay ! You are still alive ! "
The tones of that accent practically preceded its owner through the doors- the richest South African one Ashley had ever heard. Regardless of how often she heard it, its sheer power always get her attention, and helped her mood even if by only a tad.
And, even if the voice carrying it was laced with pain and fatigue, which it was. But, undefeated regardless, and still strong.
The same went for the woman now entering the room herself- albeit slower than usual, and with the assistance of a white-coated orderly who was cautiously sticking close by, as the other NCO padded through the doors. She was dressed the same way Ashley was- loose fitting top, and compression shorts...all of which quite amply showed off how athletically thicc she was. Her wheat-colored hair was still tied up and away, with a few strands hanging loose at the back, and though she still looked kind of pale ( less than than from that glimpse of her Ashley had gotten back at the pod ), it wasn't unhealthily so...which definitely counted as " encouraging ".
More than anything else- even the report on Ashley's own condition. Just the sight of her squadmate- on her feet, alive, and talking...!
One...at least one of them was ok. She was here, and she'd survived. A burst of optimism surged through the junior Marine.
It was a much needed pushback against all that anger and concern she'd been grappling with, and she sure as heck wouldn't say anything against.
"...Master Guns..! "
Already sitting at the edge of her bed, waiting , Ashley automatically began to slide off to stand up- which was an awkward thing, given the damage she'd taken that had yet to fully heal. But...she had to . She had to ! A fresh sense of optimism was wrapped around her, and she wasn't going to let it die.
But...that impalement wound was a mean beast, and the best she could manage was a slothful unfolding of herself from sitting to standing- and again, there was another medical staffer hovering beside her, ready to jump forward if anything happened..
Anything bad, that is. But, Ashley went all the way, and thankfully without a hitch.
Mentally expressing thanks toward the heavens, she took a few steps forward. Bone-deep aching resulted, but she powered through, as Juikara finally reached her...
" Ash. Thank God...ya made it..! ",
She hugged the other woman then, hard and sincerely. Enough so it nearly hurt, and even nearly lifted Ashley onto her toes
Good lord...!
Strong as ever...even through all this..
Through all they'd both been though..
"...You made it... ", whispered the Boer while still holding on, sounding both triumphant and grateful, all at once. Both, perfect reflections of what Ashley was feeling , and likely, just as strongly. " You made it ! I did promise I'd kill you though, but if you don't suffocate from getting hugged right now...! "
Wait...it was definitely as strong. Ashley had all the confidence on that front...
For sure.
"...Agghhh...geez ! You look good, Gunny. You look tough. Alchera didn't get you. You beat its arse ! "
" ...So did you, Master Guns...". Ashley hugged back, half because she wanted to, and half because it was keeping her steady. She was borderline relying on the more heavyset woman to keep her standing, as she feared , at the back of her mind, that she couldn't stay steady completely without her. Her legs were like rubber, and her core was throbbing like a ball of magma was trapped beneath her skin. And, at this range, she could feel the same pain and agony from her friend.
Yet...
She was still the stronger here. Still the tougher. And Marines get through battles by relying on each other...
Always.
" They wouldn't tell me- these lab-coats wouldn't tell me a thing 'bout what'd happened ! It was driving me mental...! "
Juikara pulled back, holding Ashley at length. "...At least I don't have to worry about you anymore, though. You're right freaking here..! "
Excitement from her swelled then, and Ashley couldn't resist the strength of it. It was powerful, palpable...and real.
Exactly what she could've wanted. But...
...Alongside it...
There was something else, as well.
Something...well, darker. Exactly what, though, Ashley couldn't tell- but it worried her.
Worried her...but she knew she couldn't press. This wasn't the moment, and if it was truly so bad...it'd get volunteered soon enough.
Still something...yet, she was determined it wouldn't ruin the mood.
You'll tell me when you're ready...or if I just have to.
Whichever happens first..
" We both are, Master Guns...". Ashley's mouth twitched with the briefest of smiles. " If I have to suffer a prison sentence here, then glad its with you.."
Her smile faltered then, though...as she recognized that the roiling urge to find out what'd happened to the others of the pod had finally become too much. It choose that moment, to finally boil over.
But...that's also when more words failed her. She should've just turned to the Docs, and blurted something out along the lines of " Ok...you've kept me waiting long enough- what happened to everyone else on our pod ?! ", but...
...Now that the moment had arrived, she found herself tongue-tied, and all the words she wanted to say caught like logs going down a river. She was at a loss, and all tied up. The severity of it, and the suddenness of it, threw her off balance all but literally, and a sense of helplessness descended on her..
Oh, God...
...Am I just...
Running away ?!
No...no ! They deserve better than that !
Thankfully, though, the Commander Vale offered a way out- though, " thankfully " didn't mean " good " news...but at least, it was still a way.
Just...it wasn't optimal.
" Master Gunnery Sergeant ?! Gunnery Sergeant ?! There'... something you should know..."
A brief pause ensued- and for all kinds of reasons. There was a note, with the voice Vale used right there- the kind doctors use when they have bad news to give.
" I didn't want to say it till you'd cleared the red zone. You as well, Master Guns.."
Ashley could feel her jaw tightening just from the words alone, and a sense of foreboding began to wrap itself around her, like a sinister cloak as she turned to face the doc. She knew, without any doubt, that the same applied to Mazik.
They'd both been there...at that pod. The last thing they both remember about it was falling through that dreadful crevice, with everyone else. Till the present moment, that was all they knew about it, and it was beyond agonizing. Finally getting some answers about it was overdue, for sure.
Painful, though, from all the signs.
But...they would, anyway.
"...Doc...", Ashley breathed deep, drawing on her long-unused reserves of backup energy to add some steel to her words.
" ..'Preciate everything you've done- everything- but with all due respect- '
" ..We're ready for what's coming ", Juikara helpfully filled the gap. " We're ready, Doc. "
" Send it. "
For another moment or so, Vale didn't move, or say a word. There was only the look of...
...Calm ? Calm, but with a sense of sadness behind it, that'd Ashley's noticed earlier, and was now even more clear. Professional sadness, that came from a job that entailed it on a regular basis, but sadness anyway. The blanket of dread wrapping itself around Ashley now became ice-cold, and began to resemble an anaconda with how tight and freezing it was getting.
Couldn't be any more removed...from that old feeling of hope and optimism-
"..Lt. Commander Chakwas, and Lt. Gregory Adams survived the ordeal on Alchera, as did most of the enlisted personnel ", the Naval doctor began slowly.
...That's..
Wait...wait, that's good news !
That's good-
..Oh, God..
...Oh, God, she said most of the enlisted, though..!
Most-
"...However..."
God...God, please...
A Metaphorical frozen dagger stabbed through Ashley's skin , aiming for her chest...
"...Petty Officer Hajan Uzek...is gone. He was...he was already deceased when the pod was breached by the extraction team..."
...And just like that..
The dagger pierced the skin, and drove deep.
The world slowed down...and the dread surrounding her turned immediately to numbness. Memories of the kid- the recent ones , of his suffering and pain, and of everything they'd done to save him- blasted through the front of her mind with a vengeance, as she stood planted on the deck.
It was dizzying. But, they had a mind of their own..
Pure reflex. Just pure reflex, and that was the truth.
...He didn't..
...Of...of all the ways to go...!
Quick and painless ? He didn't. He didn't go that way at all..
It was...Oh, God..
God...!
"...Here wees genadig ( Lord have mercy ) ", breathed Juikara, sounding like Ashley was feeling, but couldn't say. "...We lost him ?! "
Vale nodded, her own sorrow now clear as she went on. " Afraid so. Cause of death was blunt force impact from a deadfall, along with complications caused by extensive deep-skin burns. "
"...And, it gets worse. Your pod was one of several, as I am sure you had guess, that successfully detached from the Normandy before her destruction. Alliance vessels recovered all of them- however...20 additional personnel have been confirmed as deceased. "
"...Spectre Shepard among them. Fragments of his armor were saved from space, and they were laced with blood confirmed as his."
He's "..
Again, the Doc stopped. The sheer enormity of what'd happened- the demise of the first Human Spectre, was clearly hitting her hard, and was something she was herself still grappling with
It was a mercy, truly though...that she didn't have the connection to him that Ashley had.
But...it cut viciously deep anyway.
"We've...we've lost him as well. There's 0 trace of him where the Normandy was destroyed, and he didn't board any of the escape pods ", she at last finished, her vocals trembling just enough to get noticed behind the curtain of a true professional.
" Spectre Vincent Shepard...has been declared dead. "
...
...
The dagger of ice now dived right clean through Ashley's sternum, and out through her back.
As if the new of Uzek's agonizing demise hadn't triggered enough of a reaction.
Then...there was this ?!
This ?!
..That...it...
Her throat, began to narrow. A chill, swept over her whole body, and it seemed as if she was literally living somewhere that wasn't exactly right here, and now.
Aboard this hospital ship, the SSV Abundance, orbiting Mars, surrounded by medical staff clad with their spotless scrubs, and professionally masked expressions on their faces, God bless them for it...
One of the toughest women ( She had survived getting impaled, for God's sake..! ) she'd ever met standing beside her, who she knew for sure had her back on every level..
And, was that something she ever needed.
Because, it absolutely didn't matter , at this moment, that she was still recovering from getting a hunk of solid metal shoved through her..
For all she could feel...
For all she could react to anything..
She was too numbed for any of it.
Any of it at all.