Chapter 21: Back in the Saddle.
Ashley made her way through the Cerberus bunker that she found searching around the area of the Cerberus complex. Feldmen told her this was where Shepard would be. The turians scans showed that this mountain was hollow and had a bunker and a ship docked in it. Luckily for the back door was open and she got in there undetected. She'd lost contact with her turian escort to Caleston but it might have been volcanic interference coming from the planet. It was dark in this bunker and so far she hadn't ran into any Cerberus operatives.
Suddenly every light in the bunker went on, nearly blinded she heard the elevator door open and stumbled into cover behind a set of nearby crates. She grabbed for her mantis sniper rifle and took aim at the person walking out. Locking through her scope, her finger on the trigger she lined up a clear shot. It was defiantly Shepard she was wearing black and red colossus medium armor like she did when they hunted Saren.
Ashley found it difficult to take the shot. There she was the first human spectre, savior of the Citadel and the terror of the Terminus in her sights. "Come on Williams!" She whispered to her self. "She left you to die at Omega and threatens a galactic war. She has to be stopped."
Shepard behind those crates! A voice over the loud speaker barked.
Ashley fired a panicked shot that missed Shepard. Almost instantly Shepard raised her hand that held a predator heavy pistol and fired several shots in the direction of Ashley's missed shot. Ashley smiled thinking Shepard was getting rusty. A hissing noise was going into her ear, as she turned around her face met an explosion that dropped her shields and forced her out of cover.
Shepard popped out of cover, vaulting over the railing to the level below. She walked to the shooter aiming her pistol with the intent to kill. When she saw it was Ashley struggling to get back to her feet she holstered her weapon. "Ash is that you?" She asked, not believing her eyes.
Ashley let out an exaggerated exhale. "In the flesh!" She grunted, charging at her former commander. Shepard leaned back giving Williams a swift boot to the gut, sending her falling on her back. Shepard backed off of Ashley and circled her.
"You might be pissed at me but I'm just glad your alive." Shepard said a cheerfulness coating her voice.
"You left me to die!" Ashley grunted, her hand over her stomach.
Shepard smiled a wide toothy grin. "You got better obviously." She laughed. "And nice scars by the way, I had some like those a long time ago." She said quietly but loud enough for Ashley to hear.
"Guess me and you are a pair of modern day Lazarus's." Ashley exhaled.
Shepard smiled at the soldier and shrugged. "Sure." she said moving in on Ashley trying to land a right hook on her friend. Ashley weaved out of the way and caught Shepard with a round house kick to the side of her face. Shepard stumbled, Ashley drove her knee into Shepard's side and slammed her fist into Shepard's left eye. Ashley took out her shot gun and blasted Shepard with a concussive round that sent her flying.
Shepard spat up blood and was seeing double of Ashley as she she put her slammed her boot into her chest pinning her to the floor. Ashley held her shot gun above Shepard's head. "Hands were I can see'em!" She ordered.
"Shepard smiled. "If you insist." Shepard's omni tool flashed and before Ashley could react she lost control of her legs and was on the floor. Shepard picked herself back up and kicked Ashley's gun away from her. "Neural shock." She rasped. "Just enough for you to lose control of your limbs."
"Why not kill me?" Ashley growled. "You seem to not mind leaving me to die, why not finish me yourself."
Shepard shook her head. "One you are my friend." Shepard said pulling Ashley up to her feet, then dragging her to the entrance of the ship that was parked in the bunker. "Two I need you to help me stop the Reapers and take out Feldmen's dictatorship on the Citadel." She grunted.
"Why not use that fleet you've made up to do both?" Ashley grunted, her body still not listening to her. Shepard shook her head again.
"Getting the two largest fleets in the galaxy amassed was hard enough." Shepard grunted, struggling to get Ashley on board. "I had to instigate a war for that to happen."
Either Ashley wasn't hearing right because of the neural shock or it sounded to her like Shepard did all this on purpose. "What are you saying?"
"You really think I took over the Terminus systems, formed an alliance with the tail heads of all people because I want to take over the galaxy?" Shepard laughed. "I mean there where so certain unforeseeable events that turned every thing into a mess, but what do ya do with lemons?"
Ashley chuckled a bit. "You make lemonade." She replied weakly.
The ships doors opened and a familiar blue hologram popped up in the cock pit. "Hello commander it is good to see you again." It was E.D.I.
Shepard smiled in surprise." Nice to see you to but... " Shepard stopped her self when she noticed that there were no controls or even a pilots seat. "What the hell!"
"Oh don't worry Shepard, I got it." Another familiar and welcoming voice to both Ashley and Shepard announced. "Is that you Joker?" they both exclaimed.
"In the flesh." Joker proclaimed.
"You no longer have flesh Jeff." E.D.I added. "We are the Ship. We both use records and and the voice patterns of the original E.D.I and Joker." She carried on with her lecture. "We technically aren't even ..."
"As wonderful as it is to have you both bicker." Shepard interrupted irritably. "Shut the hell up and get us out of here!" Shepard yelled, gently putting Ashley against the wall.
"Aye-Aye and give us a destination why don't ya!" Joker asked.
"Lusia. It's an asari colony get there as fast as we can." Shepard ordered.
"Of course commander." E.D.I replied. "And welcome to the Normandy SR3."
AN/ After a long wait and many many changes to this story I give you the newest chapter to Dark Avenger.
The story has now gotten about a chapter shorter because I now deleted a new character I was going to introduce last chapter, I have Ashley and Shepard's fight in this chapter instead of on Lusia and the next chapter is mix of what was going to be chapters 22/23. The invasion of the Citadel is coming faster than I expected, but I have this out standing issue.
I have way too many endings to this fic! (I'm sure I'll figure it out) Thank you all for reading this story and be sure to look at Mass Effect: 2187 my newest story and the sequel to my first.