All the foresight in the galaxy couldn't have prepared Shepard for what came next.
Just as D'mones, Miller, and the rest of the squad vaulted over the cover, they were suddenly and forcibly batted away by an invisible force. D'mones slammed into a wall, Miller landed on his neck and shoulders, Clyde smashed back-first into the blockade, and the other two (presumably Morris and James from earlier on) collided midair, sending them both spiraling.
Shepard shouted in disbelief, firing his assault rifle where he thought the intruder might be. His bullets impacted on the unseen adversary's shields, forcing its cloak to switch off. It was space-black, standing just a head taller than the geth infantry units. It looked straight at Shepard, showing no signs of fear, hesitation, or remorse. It armed itself calmly with a pulse rifle as Shepard continued to shower it with bullets. It kicked him back, clearing its line of fire. Giving a low hum, the Hunter took aim.
A pulsating, blue aura surrounded its rifle, crunching it into a wad of unusable metal. Shepard looked past the mech as D'mones slumped over, having expended all of her energy. Before slipping into unconsciousness, she whispered three simple words.
"Give it hell…"
Shepard felt pure adrenaline surge through his body, and time nearly stood still to him. He stood, personally challenging the machine before him, giving it the universal "bring it on" gesture. The Hunter charged at him at full speed, but Shepard's state of awareness made it seem as though it were at a crawling pace. He kicked it in the knee as it ran, busting its leg and knocking it to the floor. Although he had many firearms at his disposal, he chose to instead climb on top if it and punch the thing repeatedly in the face. He brought down hit after hit upon the robot's head, nearly stripping his own knuckles of skin in the process.
He stood, and began to crush the Hunter's head under his boot, stomping repeatedly on the jet-black casing. Even though it could no longer fight back, Shepard decided that the fight wasn't over until the thing was dead. After a chip in its armor appeared, he pulled out Matthias's tac-sniper, jabbing the muzzle squarely into the newfound break. He pulled the trigger twice, and the Hunter let out a single dying whir.
Shepard returned to reality, panting. He dropped his gun and went to check the condition of everyone else. Limping, he walked over to D'mones first as she seemed the most injured (second to Sgt. Miller, who now lay dead in a crumpled heap on the right). He knelt, still exhausted. "D'mones," he said in a low voice. "D'mones, are you still here?"
She stirred, and coughed up a small amount of blood, but did not open her eyes. Shepard checked her pulse, making sure she was going to be alive until medics got to them. He rose, moving to check on James and Morris. "Are you two still alive?" he asked. One of them groaned, giving a feeble thumbs-up. When he was certain the two of them were fine, he moved swiftly to check Clyde's status. He was breathing heavily, so he wasn't dead at least. "Clyde, are you okay?"
Clyde winced, but changed to a weak grin. "These sons of bitches haven't killed me yet, Shep… That last one got me good, though…"
"Take it easy for now. I'm going to call for some medics so they can come get us."
"How're the others?"
"James and Morris are okay. D'mones is unconscious, but alive… Miller's dead."
"I see…" Clyde coughed. "Go ahead and call us those medics, Shepard. I'll be fine until they arrive. You should keep D'mones company 'til then, though."
Shepard nodded, making the call.
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When medical personnel arrived, they took all that was left of the collective Echo and Bravo squads. James and Morris, having landed roughly the same way, were in the ballpark of five fractured ribs and a cracked ulna between them. Miller's neck had broken on impact, severing his spinal column and rendering him KIA. Clyde, insisting that he was fine, was carried off on a gurney alongside the still unconscious body of Melin D'mones. Shepard himself got off with stripped knuckles and a crushed ankle. Everyone from the proclaimed 'Assault on the Armory' was in the Britannia's medical bay. "You're lucky, Private," commended the medic wrapping his hands in gauze. "Most people that go toe-to-toe with the geth don't live to fight a prime and a hunter in the same day."
"That makes me lucky?" Shepard replied. "My hands are wrapped in bandages and my foot's busted."
"At least you're not dead. The last guy to do what you did passed away after almost four months of intensive care. Like I said, you're lucky."
"Well, anyway, I can't take all of the credit for the prime. D'mones and Clyde helped me out on that one."
"And thanks for not being a dick about it," Clyde said, entering Shepard's room in a wheelchair.
"Clyde..?"
He shooed away the medic. "Turns out I'm, ah… not alright. The hit got a couple of my vertebrae to pinch my nerves… Long story short, I can't walk anymore. Period."
Shepard almost wanted to cry. Clyde had been nothing short of a friend to him, and he'd gotten the guy paralyzed for it. He hung his head, but Clyde gave him a reassuring pat. "It's not your fault, Shepard; nobody could have known that thing was there. Don't beat yourself up over it."
He sniffed, climbing off the med bay cot. "So, what happens to you now?"
"They haven't told me. Chances are they're gonna send me home, though. I'll get to see my little sis again…" He chuckled. "I can't imagine how she'd react to seeing me like this."
Shepard smiled, happy with having a friend like Clyde around. He cleared his throat. "How's D'mones?"
"Still alive, still out; you know same old."
The medic from before returned. "If you'd like to see her, Shepard, she's just over there," he said, pointing behind him.
D'mones was lying quietly on the cot, hooked up to an IV. Shepard walked over, and felt a wave of déjà vu wash over him. As she lay silently, cataleptically, she reminded him of the quarian girl who had crashed her way into his life a long time ago on Mindoir. He sat, and began to talk to her. "D'mones, I hope you can hear me in there. You helped more than you know today, and nobody could deserve the rest more than you, but if you could just… sigh or something let me know you're not gone, please, do…"
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Dear Tali,
You wouldn't believe the time I've had so far. I made a few comrades, had some inedible oatmeal, and fended off a geth raid… It's been a hell of a day, honestly.
Don't think I've forgotten about you, though. You're the whole reason I signed my life away. I had almost forgotten that until I saw one of my new friends lying comatose after the attack. She's not awake, but she's still alive. I don't know what I'd do if any of these soldiers died while I was here…
I would like nothing less than to see you again, Tali. I mean that. Write back if this finds you.
Love,
John
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Note: Sorry this took so long everyone. I had it done, but there was a small problem with actually posting it. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Now that that's all squared away, there are more chapters to be written. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll just be going.