Come here you bitch...
A clank of metal feet striking metal floor.
Ashley grunted as she swung her rifle around the box she was hiding behind, slamming the butt of it into the eye of the Geth trying to charge at Kaidan, its gnarled static of a language raising in pitch before the lieutenant's pistol clipped the stumbling machine in the leg, felling it.
Trusting the violently gasping lieutenant to finish off the downed Geth, Ashley leapt over it, dropped behind the low wall it so recently had jumped over as another one, standing just a few feet from said wall, opened fire on her, the hissing shots tearing into the wall. She then jumped back up and placed a long round of shots from her new assault rifle into its chest, the close ranged volley tearing its chest apart with droplets of white liquid and pieces of steel flying everywhere.
That's for Josh.
Technically she had already avenged him, not to mention the entire squad, three times over. But with her teeth bared into a near feral snarl and her breath an excited panting Ashley couldn't give a shit about such things, all she knew was that there were more Geth ahead, each and every single one of them about to feel her wrath...dead meat.
Or cogs, whatever.
Behind her she heard the Geth cry out with its odd high pitched sound of dying electronics as Kaidan pumped more shots into it. Somewhere to her left Michael was moving, darting from box to box as they fought their way through the Eden Prime docks.
Fought was perhaps too meek a word, they were tearing their way through.
Sure, Kaidan was slowing down, the biotic often moving his hand up towards his head with a grimace before catching himself. He was still fighting though, his switching between engineering skills and biotic powers having proven a sharp asset to the otherwise blunt instrument of the three marines. Still, the man was obviously in pain, and struggling to keep up with the pace of the other two.
In contrast Ashley was pushing through her shock, leaving it behind like a shed shell, a stifling blanket tossed aside in favour of running free and wild. She fought, harder, faster, than ever before. It was as if a block in her had been lifted, turning her into a storm of motion and killing, only going faster and faster...a berserker sweeping through her foes with fire and steel.
And between them both Michael was. Sturdy, unchanging, as much a machine as the ones they fought. Mechanically working through the movements of ducking and weaving, going from hiding behind cover and appearing out for a precise volley of shots. Nothing but precision, smoothness, calm.
Even now, the beep within their helmets telling them an explosive device had been activated, the man didn't seem in any further hurry. His massive shape nothing but a shadow to Ashley's left as he jumped over a box and disappeared under a couple of pipes, his assault rifle barking from beneath them and tearing the legs off from beneath an advancing Geth.
The dock was clearly in disarray from the sudden attack. In the loading area where the group was advancing forth through the boxes of machinery and equipment for farmers and scientists everything lay haphazardly. many boxes still resting on the trucks whose drivers barely had moved to a stop before jumping out of the machines.
Compared to the chaotic and industrial area of the loading area of the docks the landing pads themselves were still clean and crisp, two octagons, raised platforms ahead upon which a single large and red gas-tank rested. Upon all platforms orderly rows of shuttles mainly used by the scientists for moving between different facilities or to the few orbiting stations around the planet stood parked. Ashley couldn't help but notice one on the rightmost platform was missing...
But it's too small to carry the beacon...Ashley narrowed her eyes, that the beacon might still be around was little comfort. That asshole got away...
A growl and she broke cover, ignoring the shot instantly striking her helmet with a flare of failing shields as she broke out of the loading area.
Crashing her shoulder into a Geth she knocked the machine over and onto the stairs leading up to one of the platforms, crushed its head by smashing her foot into it and using her raised leg to steady her arm...fired right at the rightmost platform's gas-tank.
The light blinded, her, the roar deafened her, the heat seared her...and the shock-wave sent her tumbling onto her back. Son of a...
Ahead, the pillar supporting the platform cracked, making the platform list, the few shuttles not already having been thrown off by the force of the explosion sliding across the floor...sweeping away the charred remains of the Geth snipers that had lain prone there moments before.
Suck it Geth!
Ashley's growl turned into a groan as a powerful beam of red energy smashed into her left shoulder guard, singeing her flesh and tearing the white guard off in an explosion of melted metal and broken ceramics.
Gritting her teeth against the pain Ashley stumbled back and felt anger swell within her, and this time there was no excitement of the battle to focus her, no discipline to temper her, no grief to still her.
Fuck you! The groan was instantly replaced by the growl as Ashley rushed forth, spraying bullets against the covering sniper upon the next platform.
You ugly! It fired again, but missed as Ashley jumped forth, rolling with the impact and coming up at the foot of the stairs leading up to the platform.
Son of a! Another Geth appeared next to the sniper, it's rifle spitting hissing white pulses at her, all but two shots missing, both striking her chest with a hiss of sizzling armour, rocking her back even as she continued her charge.
Bitch! Her rifle swept back and forth as she leapt up the stairs, taking two steps at a time even as the Geth sniper rolled sideways, dropping its rifle and clutching at the cords running between its head and torso, white liquid spraying from them due to a stray shot finding its mark.
An alarm, her rifle overheating...and Ashley couldn't care less as she leapt up on top of the platform, two more shots struck her, this time in the abdomen, stinging her skin beneath as the armour buckled under the hits.
She welcomed the pain, the anger, the hatred.
Her right leg swung round with the momentum of her body, striking the Geth's gun and turning it sideways. Stomping the swinging leg's foot down on the floor she continued with the spin, her left leg pulled back...then kicking out as the momentum brought her around.
A crack and the Geth stumbled back, a visible dent in its chest, a crackle of energy escaping the damaged area even as the machine brought its weapon to bear...
She went limp, body dropping onto her right side as the rifle fired into the space she had occupied, then into the ground behind her as her left foot caught the Geth in the knee, sending it tumbling forward, prone across her.
She kicked herself free from the flailing machine quickly though, moving as much on instinct as by training.
Dropping onto its back with her right knee first she hooked her now cooling rifle over the throat of the machine, one hand on each side of its head...and pulled, hard and fast.
A creaking of protesting metal, an electronic call resembling a cry, flailing hand reaching back towards her...
And a crack.
The Geth went limp.
Breathing heavily Ashley felt her shoulders slump as she wearily removed her rifle from the snapped neck of the machine, one hand coming to rest upon its cool shell as she gasped for breath, her body numb save the tingling where her armour had failed in its protection of her. It'll heal...
Grunting she straightened, glaring down at the prone Geth as she struggled to her feet. You won't.
She spat at it.
Around her silence ruled.
Right, enough of this idiocy, got a job to do. Looking back down the platform she found Michael nodding crouched by a cylindrical pod-like thing, most likely the bomb, though the alarm in Ashley's helmet had already stopped, so he was probably just investigating it. The way he held his helmet while muttering confirming Ashley's suspicion.
Kaidan on the other hand was staring at her, mouth hanging slightly open. Oh. Ashley found herself frowning, hiding her blush, idly wondering if her cursing thoughts had really been shouts...and if it would be against protocol to shoot herself on the spot. God...I know that was my fault but did you have to let him see me? It wasn't at all better when Kaidan noticed she was looking back and instead of gaping raised an eyebrow in silent question, almost looking amused. Ah, I see, being a jerk today are we God? If you weren't all powerful...
Moving down the stairs Ashley casually rested her still smoking rifle on her right shoulder as she moved her left, and damaged, shoulder into a shrug. "What? Never seen a girl marine before?"
"Not like that." Kaidan replied, nodding towards the havoc raised upon the platforms...or rather platform...the first one slowly listing more and more until its support snapped, sending it crashing to the ground. "I don't remember them ever instructing us in anything like that back in boot-camp..."
Ashley smirked, moving her rifle back into both hands before her as she took a step towards the biotic. "What can I say? Don't piss me off."
The man glanced over the destruction once more, then nodded ever so slightly. "Good thing I know how to take instructions..."
Before she could reply Michael's voice broke in, calm and flat, neither impressed nor upset with Ashley's bold assault. "Threat neutralised, move on to main objective, there."
The frown of irritation about to appear on Ashley's forehead never got a chance to develop as she with widening eyes followed Michael's pointing finger, finding the beacon standing in a corner of the docks, as if about to be loaded, only to have been forgotten.
It was glowing.
Taking a step forward Ashley cocked her head to the side, brushing past Michael as she muttered: "Well that's new...I thought it was dead when they brought it up...how...?"
Saren? She only had the name given by that lousy dockworker to go on, a foreign name that tasted bad on her tongue. If he somehow...but how! And why would some Turian care about a glowing stick...green too...looks like glowing puke...
Behind her Michael was already ignoring it, as if it didn't matter any more now that it was discovered. "Normandy, this is shore party, we have recovered the main objective and need extraction, I repeat, we have the main objective." The voice remained cold and uncaring, oddly so given the next question: "Lieutenant, are you injured? Do you need medi-gel?"
"No sir, I'll be fine." The hoarse voice of Kaidan's replied, a distant thing as Ashley took yet another step towards the glowing metal stick, gun half-raised, wary.
I don't get it...what the hell is a beacon? And why would some Turian ass want to ally with the Geth to get it? It's just...sitting there.
Then something struck her.
Blinking she took half a step back, feeling a strange pressure smashing into her body, an ethereal wind.
What...?
The pressure took form, incorporeal it still felt real as it wrapped itself around her shoulders, her waist. She opened her mouth to cry a warning to the others, but nothing came as the air was squeezed out of her lungs by the power closing in around her. God!
Then there was no ground under her feet, her body rising high, as if a giant had picked her up to observe her, crushing her without even knowing it. Help me!
Her back arched, her head snapping backwards as something pushed...into her...digging into her skull like a white-hot needle.
Pain!
Then blood, blood before, her, running down blurry walls, jagged teeth bared in snarls...
She screamed.
Terror, wave after wave of terror!
Trashing, feeling something within her snap.
A scream, begging, hatred...smashing into her, digging into her...
Screamed...
Flames...fire, burning, all gone...grief...
Screamed...
Terror...all about, terror!
Then she fell, her vision swimming as she found herself on the ground before the monstrous thing they had come from, muscled arms like a vice around her waist.
She tried to scream again, but there was no air...black stars dancing before her vision.
Then she was flying through the air, tossed like a broken doll across the floor, slamming into the chest of a grunting man, sending them both sprawling over the floor.
She tried to raise her head, but couldn't quite manage it as she looked back towards the monstrous thing born out of the planet they'd thought a paradise. The snake...
Before it even Shepard looked small, the man rising upwards, a dark spot in Ashley's swimming vision, his arms flung out to his sides, his body going rigid. And for our sins he...
Then all went black.
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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for her vigilant watch over these chapters. :-)