A/N: So sorry for the long delay. But I'm now the proud owner of a graduate degree so yeah had to take some time off for all that jazz!
Location: Outskirts of Endeavor colony— Decimated Slums district apartment block—Ontarom.
"How's it look to you, Shepard?" Ellie's voice came through his comm.
"Not so great." Liam held onto the overhead rails as they circled the blast zone. The open door of the Kodiak allowed the blinding light of heaven to obscure his view of pure hell below.
Both buildings looked like a nuke was dropped on them. Everything from pipeworks to human remains and destroyed furniture lay half charred, half buried in the sand. People wearing fire-engine red armor crawled around the wreckage like bugs, poking and prodding at what little was left. While all the light blues of Ontarom PD kept watch over the steadily growing field of black body bags.
It didn't matter what anyone believed at this point, that Banes guy caused this destruction. There was no denying it.
An agglomeration of news trucks and camera drones already congested the perimeter like a bunch of vultures. Liam scowled and hollered back over the wind. "Can we land away from the news crews?"
"Sure thing," came her reply as she banked sharply to the right and Liam tightened his grip to keep from flying out the door. At least someone was having fun. He knew Ellie was itching to touch flight controls ever since their arrival on Ontarom but underestimated her penchant for trident-like aerials. When the solid feel of terra firma hit his feet he left the power down procedures to Ellie and ran out looking for the Captain.
Casey and Hunter were fielding questions while helping a sizable squad of marines separate the reporters from the salvage crew and local police officers.
"There he is!" A reporter shouted. "Shepard could we get a quote?"
"War hero, over here!" a photographer heckled while controlling his drone.
Liam ducked the cameras and tuned out the requests. He only had eyes for Flores who was crouched beside some bloodstained rubble as the salvage crew worked around her. Their tools cut through the support beams which workers dragged away piece by piece until they revealed a tiny arm.
The captain removed her gauntlet and felt for a helmet obscured her expression but the rise and fall of her shoulders told them everything. One of the bigger guys wearing the red armor with the local fire department logo crouched down beside her and tugged.
The arm came loose, nothing but a bloody stump without a body. The crew recoiled in horror.
Flores stood and looked to Liam who was rooted to the spot. His gaze never leaving the tiny arm as bile started to rise in his throat. A week ago, if he had the stones to act earlier this kid would still be alive,so would his father, so would everyone else. Liam managed to get behind a freestanding pillar before puking out everything he had ever eaten in the past two years.
~O~
"Hey mister, you're going to get us out of here, right?" The tiny little girl tugged on his shirtsleeves.
Liam was down on his knees unable to process what just happened. A growing pool of blood seeped around the scientists and pirates face down on the floor around them.
A little boy no older than 10 handed him his rifle. "I think this is yours," the kid said.
The other children started smearing the blood of Elanos Haliat, first out of curiosity before taking great pleasure in the act.
"Mister I—?" The little girl tensed when he suddenly clutched both children into a tight hug.
They had never known kindness, there was no way they could have, not in this place. "You're going to be okay," Liam whispered into their hair as he fought the sting in his eyes. "I'm getting you out of here. All of you. I promise."
~O~
The cool wind dried the perspiration on his face but also puffed the sour stench of his stomach contents right back at him.
Shepard knew whose footsteps were behind him without turning around. He wanted to move but it was like trying to swim through quicksand. Thankfully his armor kept him from falling face first into the dirt.
A canteen appeared under his chin followed by a simple order from the external speakers. "Drink."
He quickly complied and chugged the water down greedily. His stomach churned at the sudden intake but kept it down.
"I thought I confined you to the ship?" Flores said, coolly as he stared up at her tinted visor.
Liam stood tall and braced himself against the wind. Guilt was useless here, all he could do was vow to find the guy responsible and tear his head off before any Alliance big-wig told him otherwise. "I needed to see it."
"You didn't." She took off her helmet and held it alongside her glove in one hand. Flores' gaze swept over him, she was almost like Chakwas, silently taking everything in without betraying a single emotion.
Liam handed the canteen back to her and flexed his gloved fingers, wondering if he would be able to even handle a gun today. "This was caused by biotics, ma'am. I don't know how but I know what I saw."
Liam wasn't prepared for what happened next. After clipping the canteen back to her belt, Flores closed the distance between them and felt his forehead. It was only a second but Liam committed every detail of being this close to memory. The way her breath tickled his lips as she exhaled, the soft way her lashes rose when heat jumped from his skin onto her palms.
But it was over as soon as she raised her omni-tool between them. "Hunter, grab a paramedic and—"
Liam snagged her wrist as his brain came back on-line from its momentary short-circuit. "I'm fine Captain." It was a lie, his head still hurt like hell and the smallest footsteps caused migraines, but that was the last thing she needed to worry about. Instead, his eyes drifted to the clear fatigue under her eyes as well her overall dejected state. How long has she been up? "I just wanted to see how you're doing. I've been told you've been here every day for the past week."
A charged moment passed between them, Liam felt her pulse quicken where he lightly held her wrist. Some insane force inside him wanted to close that distance fast, to take that flicker of hopelessness away from her, but Hunter's questioning voice through her omni-tool ended the moment.
Reluctantly Liam let her go and she stepped a pace back. "Cancel that," she spoke into her omni-tool and started for the perimeter of more wreckage without glancing back to him. "There's nothing here."
Flores kept talking and Liam kept walking, not leaving her side. He understood the need to forget and push through all too well, but simply brushing things aside wasn't going to make them easier in the future. So he made it his duty to bring up Elena.
"Elena cleared out pretty well. She didn't leave any personal belongings otherwise I would've brought them to you," Liam said, watching as she scanned the charred remains of personal items. "Have you ever been inside?"
Flores shook her head and searched him for answers. It seemed to be working, the heaviness that was in her eyes earlier was replaced with curiosity. Liam focused on making the best mental picture of Elena's apartment to somewhat comfort her. "It was a really nice place." That sounded boring and phoney even to his ears, but he didn't want to say that it screamed loneliness so he gave another explanation. "I don't think she used it much. It was likely a safehouse, nothing more."
"Nothing is right," Flores spoke, as she stopped to let two medics pass them with a black bag. She didn't look at him when she spoke. "This morning Caplus Stark disappeared from the hospital. ExoGeni is searching really hard for him but no one's talking."
The switch in topic caught him off guard, but the implications were big. That Stark kid was their only clue to what appeared to be a xenophobic uprising that's been brewing here for years. "Any family?"
"They were transferred off-world a few days ago," she relayed, still not looking at him. Instead he could see her mind processing everything around them: the damage, the carnage, what those people must have felt as life was crushed out of them.
Liam stepped into her line of sight, forcing her eyes to his own. Sure all of this other stuff was important, but the Captain was seemingly masking her pain by focusing on another investigation. He knew the powerful draw of wanting to forget. "How are you doing?"
It took her a moment to process what he meant, but when she did that faraway look disappeared. "I'm kind of glad I didn't send her that housewarming gift," she replied with the ghost of a smile tugging the corners of her lips.
Liam smiled back but couldn't shake his growing concern. There was no way she could be this calm right now. And yet here she was not only coordinating a rescue effort but keeping tabs on another investigation. At this rate even the best leaders burned out.
Flores was about to leave when he spoke up, "we'll find her. It's not over yet."
He was relieved to see something akin to belief in her eyes, but that moment was quickly shattered when he saw an angry mob of citizens approaching the area. They were armed with torches, rocks and sticks and used bandanas to obscure their faces. The news folks got out of the way and quickly focused on the new arrivals as they hurled rocks at the marines and tried to push through. Flores already had her helmet on and yelled orders as she ran ahead. Casey's biotics deflected the weak first wave but Liam knew it was only a matter of time before tensions boiled over.
o~O~o
Location: Undisclosed safehouse/residence—New Thebes, Capitol Colony of planet Anhur.
Hackers weren't known for their social skills or aptitude for interior design, but Gus was different. Elena expected the 200 pound conspiracy theorist or at least the teenage girl who had more patience for screens than she did for people, but not Gus. When they showed up on his doorstep late last night she was sure the sharp dressed man looked like he stepped out of a Kassa Fabrication catalogue. With short brown hair and a warm smile he took them in without question.
Mark was out like a light, still feeling shitty after the long trip. Elena was starting to worry but it was Gus who actually did something. When he found traces of polonium rounds in his friend, Elena wanted to kick herself. She had been so focused on sealing the wounds shut she didn't think to fish out the toxic metal.
When Gus patched him up he tried to console her but Elena wasn't having any of it. If it weren't for him, Mark would be dead because of her oversight and they both knew it.
Now that Mark was fast asleep with his head in her lap, Elena flicked on the 90'' holo-screen which dominated the entire wall. She flipped through a few Krogan cooking shows and some asari bounty hunter flick before landing on GNN's coverage of Ontarom.
Not wanting to wake Mark she bypassed the sound to the comm implant in her ear.
"Today on Ontarom the Alliance is investigating a bombing that killed forty-five tenants on the outskirts of Endeavor colony." Live footage of rescue personnel digging through the carnage stilled her hand in Mark's hair. Pictures of people she called friends and neighbours were among the dead.
Timmy, the little boy who lived with his father down the hall was listed among the dead. Her thoughts drifted to those first days out of the academy. Even though Cerberus scouted her right from day one, she fought to enter the battlefield and kick ass, despite the Alliance's tendency to keep most biotics garrisoned. But after a handful of front-line engagements, she remembered losing her stomach on more than one occasion. At least with espionage there were no dismembered bodies to step over, no dead kids splashing across her screen. Actually that was a lie... Jeremy's citizen ID photo splashed across the screen and Elena remembered that horrible time he decided to share that tidbit of his research.
She remembered his smile and how it was always overshadowed by those deep bags of regret. The way he drank himself into an alcohol dependency. The way he tried to seek penance and didn't look like he got any in the end. Still here she was living another day when her friend was now six feet under.
"Hey, are you okay?" Mark asked, startling her when he bolted to a sitting position. "What's wrong?"
Elena wiped her burning eyes as the reporters continued and shook her head. "It's nothing. You should get some sle—"
Mark only framed her face with his hands and caressed the tears from her cheeks. "Elena?"
When she didn't say anything he pulled her into his embrace. Elena clung to him and let her tears fall for the fallen. Never again would she be greeted to Jeremy's drunken pep-talks when she was having a bad day or hear the roar of his laughter when they enjoyed each other's company.
From the crook of Mark's neck she watched the drone footage of on-site Alliance personnel through blurry eyes.
The tension left her body as he rubbed circles on her back and whispered sweet bullshit against her hair. Elena wanted to believe everything would be okay, but images like this made her question everything. What if this entire plan would just end up with all of them dead? What if their research fell into the wrong hands? What if those hands were Alliance? There was no guarantee they weren't capable of doing the same thing.
"Jeremy's dead," she managed to mumble into his chest.
"I know." She felt his cool lips at her temple and closed her eyes. "We'll be okay," he whispered, "I promise."
Elena laughed dryly. "You can't promise me that."
"Watch me." Something in his tone almost convinced her, but then the cold weight of reality burst that bubble. She pushed lightly at his chest, mindful of the recently healed portions.
"How are you feeling?" Her hands roamed over his shoulders and chest. He didn't look to be in any pain, but the man was a good liar when his manliness was at stake.
Mark shrugged and his eyes closed briefly when she patted on a ticklish part at his side. Elena bit down a playful smile and pulled him as gently as possible into a sweet kiss. He still tasted like a tangy mix of cinnamon and chocolate. The same flavor of branded candies they had at the hotel lobby which only served to remind her that they skipped dinner. She shivered when the coarse stubble of his jaw meshed against her skin, but forced herself to pull away from his dazed expression.
"We're working closely with the Endeavor Police Department. I can't reveal any details at the moment, but we need space if we're going to catch the people responsible." Elena's head whipped back to the screen where Dana was being interviewed. Her sister was the epitome of calm under fire, she didn't even flinch at the questions reporter fired at her. Leave it to Dana to be unfazed in the middle of ground zero.
Mark followed her gaze and registered a connection when Dana's full name and rank flashed across the screen. "So that's what she looks like," he said, cocking his head to the side.
Elena only nodded absently as she watched Dana's eyes. They moved rapidly, digesting every word the reporter threw her way before answering in full. To the regular observer she was solid, but Elena could feel the underlying panic hidden to the general public. Perhaps it was a stretch, but maybe something about standing in the rubble of her sister's apartment had finally struck a chord in Dana. The swell of happiness for being missed was choked under more guilt.
She felt Mark's kiss on her head before he mumbled something about the washroom and left. Alone in the living room, Elena listened with rapt attention to the many things her sister could not say.
"There were multiple casualties and we're still ID'ing the bodies. So far the victims seem to be civilians who were at the wrong place at the wrong time."
Another reporter barreled through the crowd and hijacked the interview by thrusting a microphone near Dana's right. "Captain Flores, Khalisah al-Jilani of Westerlund news. Is it true that your sister Elena Flores was a tenant here?"
Elena felt her throat constrict. Who did this bitch think she was to ask such stupid questions? Especially on galactic television.
Dana froze momentarily and Elena could see the symphony of hurt, worry and anger play across her features. However it quickly faded into a mask of stoic indifference before anyone could follow up.
Yet having home field advantage over the universal public still hadn't prepared Elena for her sister's next words. "My sister is dead."
Elena felt her mouth go slack at the four simple words, they were uttered with such certainty, such clarity that it was impossible not to feel their sting.
The dumbass reporter and everyone around her grew quiet for a moment, then two, before suddenly they all spoke at once. Dana herself seemed to have enough and turned to leave. "That's all I have for now," Dana finished.
But they hounded after her. "How long have you known of your sister's involvement with—"
"Surprise, surprise it's my favorite reporter." A cute guy practically materialized at Dana's side, slung an arm over Khalisah's shoulders and steered her away from Dana.
"Heh...yes well..." Khalisah al-Jilani looked like a deer caught in a bear trap, but for the sake of drone cams tried to maneuver the situation her way. "And now we're live with war hero Commander Shepard—"
"—this was a senseless tragedy and many good people lost their lives. But this holiday season I don't want any man, woman or child to worry. We'll find whoever's responsible. With great minds like Colonel Brock in charge, there's no way we can fail."
Elena gave a crooked smile, reveling in just how flustered Jilani looked in his grip. Dana was now safely off-camera and let this handsome green-eyed war hero top the ratings of Westerlund news. It would have been romantic had the circumstances not been so somber. For a moment Elena wondered what relationship this man had with her sister to basically sacrifice himself to the dogs like this.
"And there you have it, Commander Shepard with some wise-words of the holiday spirit to uplift the tragedy here on Ontarom," the GNN reporter whose drone Elena was watching announced to the camera. "Stay with us and we'll bring you live footage of further developments. This is Diana Allers from GNN."
o~O~o
Location: Captain's office—Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross'.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Petrovsky proclaimed, trying his best not to seem distracted as he watched the news from Ontarom. When the drones honed in on Shepard, he felt the color drain from his all the soldiers that could possibly cross his path, it had to be Shepard. Now Petrovsky had to manage this disaster on topof family obligations. He had the date at the back of his mind, but with everything going on it simply fell off the radar. Now his wife took it upon herself to personally remind him of all family functions and for that he was grateful.
"I thought as much," Galena deadpanned, her vibrant brown eyes not believing him one bit. And why should she? It was not as if he missed the birth of his grandson, arrived late for his own daughter's wedding and was now on the verge of forgetting his grandson's birthday. "Oleg, I know you do important work, my love. But family always comes first. You taught her that."
A tired sigh escaped him at the mention of his daughter. She grew up so fast that sometimes he forgot that the little girl he read stories to was now the citadel's most coveted architect. "How is she doing?"
Sveta hesitated at his office door, but Oleg beckoned her over anyways. Her eyes narrowed just as Shepard finished up his speech.
She swiped a strand of raven hair from her eyes and smiled. "Perhaps you should stop by and ask her yourself. Say hello to Svetlana for me. I have to go now."
Sveta blushed in mild embarrassment at being caught. Petrovsky chuckled for the first time in what seemed like too long before wishing his wife a good night and signing off.
"How does she always know?" Sveta inquired as she reclined in one of the tub chairs before his desk.
"I used to believe she was a real psychic," Petrovsky explained, while forming a steeple with his hands and leaning over them. "I still do actually."
"Space magic. Just what this universe needs." Sveta rolled her eyes, always the skeptic. "The technologists are decrypting the failsafe we recovered. Another two hours before all of Major Flores' field logs are decoded."
Petrovsky about the speed of the decryption didn't sit right with him. Tier Six archives were encrypted by the best cryptologists money could buy. They were practically unbreakable and programmed to self-destruct if anyone attempted to crack the vault which stored back-ups for an operative's greybox. But it wasn't just the speed, it was the fact that it was left there at all which surprised Petrovsky. He taught them better than to leave trails like this, no matter how well disguised they were.
This particular vault was hidden in the circuits of a 20th century flat-screen television. Something that would pass as a decoration to the average person, was actually a repository for sensitive Cerberus documents. While it was good to put them in something so frail, since the television's bulk would stop most burglars, it also seemed very reckless. And if there's one thing Elena Flores was not— reckless.
"General, are you listening?" Sveta inquired mid-way between offering him holo-pad. Petrovsky slowly pulled out of his musings and reached out for Sveta's holo-pad. She continued the brief albeit with a little more concern.
"What am I looking at Sveta?" Petrovsky asked, staring at the random string of sentences.
After two hundred hours we discovered...serum—rachnii
Radiation seems...—affects.
Medical staff on-site...casualties—in proximity...—Queen
Evacuations—Sigma...—23
Destroy specimen—reintegrate...close
"We are in the process of figuring that out. This was all we were able to transcribe and...Is everything okay?" Sveta's question hovered in the air as Petrovsky scanned the information once again. Something caught his eye, the first letter of each sentence had him smiling.
"Where are the technologists?" He asked, nearly knocking his chair over.
Sveta looked after him, flustered by his quick departure. "In the lab—"
"Tell them to stop immediately," he barked over his shoulder. "Anyone who does not drop their work right now will be put in the brig.
As Sveta promptly relayed the orders Petrovsky strode from his office with a smile. Well played Elena, Well played.
o~O~o
Location: Training sub-deck/testing floor—Cerberus Frigate 'Albatross'.
Miranda took cover behind the newest prototype of Cerberus branded portable shielding. The standard issue cobra pistol felt natural in her grip, but she wouldn't dare let it slacken. Somewhere in the wide underbelly of the dark expanse was Armistan Banes, watching, waiting for her to do just that so he could strike.
Miranda lowered her weapon and listened for any sounds that would give away his position. He said there was something remarkable he had to show her. He spent hours locked in that lab of his, researching and pouring over her recovery notes. Now that he was in a sharing mood there was no way she would pass on the opportunity to figure out the source of his power.
"Still cautious, Lawson?" His voice boomed near her ear.
She whipped around to face him but there was no one there. Not ready to admit herself into a mental institution, Miranda answered the darkness evenly instead. "Always."
Movement from the far side of the platform caught her eye. Miranda's biotics flared in response as she crouched at the ready. Not one to be baited, she hurled a warp towards the blue tendrils and dashed behind the adjacent cover station. The new vantage point didn't give confirmation of a hit but sticking to the outer perimeter allowed Miranda to minimize his attack options.
"Why do you reject your gifts?" Banes' voice sounded from all directions making it impossible to discern its origin. "History shows us that continued rejection breeds contempt."
She considered her answer carefully. Each time she spoke she was giving away her position. But Miranda had the benefit of a well-fortified perimeter and Banes couldn't get up here without alerting her to his location. "If you want to discuss philosophy let's turn on the lights."
When she slid behind the next station of cover, the one she previously occupied exploded. The biotically charged shards shimmered as they floated to the ground. The brief light illuminated Bane's shadow on the walls south of her position.
When the energy dissolved by evanescence, Miranda side-stepped into the perfect shooting angle. Banes, or rather his shadow, was now directly in her line of sight. Taking a deep breath she stood from cover and caught Banes square in her sights. "Don't move."
Banes face contorted into a cold smile. His blue aura pulsed in a steady rhythm under his control. "A simple gun? How disappointing. I thought the perfect woman would use the perfect weapon."
It got the job done so she wasn't about to debate her choice of weapon with a mad-man. Miranda tapped the laser sight to get her point across. "I thought you had something to show me?"
"Oh but I do." His smile fell, something in those eyes turned feral as his lip curled in disgust. Miranda barely slipped into cover as the inferno of biotic energy grazed her cheek. She sidled left and the deployable shields burst into smithereens, she tried to backtrack and move right but a warp bubble splashed the area.
There was no time to panic, the situation called for precision. Miranda deployed a tech overload to the portable shields above Banes. When the crackling static sounded, she used the momentary distraction to dash from cover and embed herself behind another set of shields.
A sucking motion followed by a pop carried the energy-engulfed Armistan Banes to stand directly before her.
She readied her biotics but it was too late as coldness pierced through her armor, wrapping itself around her skin. Miranda felt powerless as she was levitated her into the air. She struggled against the energy yet it was unlike anything she had ever felt. Sure there were the trials her father put her through, the many opponents who were ordered to use biotics against her until she got a feel for its effects. But nothing like this, nothing this intense, this paralyzing and cold.
It spread through her limbs like a virus, slowly condemning each portion to a numbness that she had never experienced. Banes waved his hands closer and pulled her to him until she was face-to-face with familiar blue irises. But there was something different about them, faint black veins were encroaching on his face, as if reaching for his eyes.
"What have you done?" Miranda demanded, relieved to hear that her voice sounded strong and commanding even under the circumstances.
"Let me show you." Miranda felt her body follow his retreating arm before he launched her at the opposite wall. The biotic influence left her body mid-flight; she was in control again and quickly spun so that her back would take the impact.
The sound of a thumb being pulled from a glass bottle sounded below. Next thing she knew, the coldness returned and suspended her at least 10 feet above the highest platform. While her movements were restricted the first time, she now found herself retaining a full range of motion. She moved her hands, reveling at the strange feeling of being in control without control as she was lowered.
Banes gently caught her in his arms and she grabbed his shoulders quickly when his biotic influence stopped. That's when she noticed how he was on the upper platform now. It was damn near impossible, even if he ran through the entirety of her trajectory he still couldn't be here in time to intercept her.
His arms felt solid under her knees and she didn't squirm or otherwise step down. At least with his arms occupied and hers free, there was a tactical advantage for her to exploit.
"What the bloody hell was that?" she asked, unabashedly allowing her curiosity to run free as she traced the tendrils of darkness at the sides of his face. It was unlike anything she had ever seen. This power didn't just boost his biotics, the man practically defied physics now. "Is this Jeremy's work?"
Banes didn't say anything and his expression remained pensive despite the mention of Jeremy. Miranda thought it would garner some reaction, but he continued his easy gait towards the platform's railing and sat her down before him. It was two floors down to the bottom but Miranda felt right at home before danger.
"Or perhaps this is Elena Flores' legacy?" She tried and still got nothing. He wasn't talking and only stood before her with that challenge in his eye.
Miranda buried her hand in his hair. He didn't protest one bit as she turned his head this way and that, analyzing the faint matrix from all angles. She even resorted to somewhat massaging his scalp in an effort to get any kind of reaction from him. But his patient cleaver gaze didn't give anything away.
It unsettled her in a way she dared not risk exposing. Back when they first met he was like any other man in a long-line of genius types Cerberus employed. Always eager to push the boundries, always demanding progress but unlike so many he was actually devoted to his work, a fact Miranda admired.
Most scientists had to be seduced, coerced or just plain teased before they sent anything her way, but not Banes. He enjoyed challenging her and she would be lying to herself if she didn't look forward to their intellectual sparring. This however, was a whole other level.
While their relationship never graduated into anything intimate there was an underlying sense of familiarity mixed with warning signs of danger. She couldn't articulate it but Banes always made her feel like a treasured best friend while at the same time never hesitating to completely disregard the majority of her orders and jeopardizing all of her missions. Despite that, Miranda felt like she was the only one capable of working with Banes, since other operatives usually found themselves without a vital organ shortly after meeting him.
Now Banes was staring at her with open admiration. But unlike so many who were distracted by her beauty his eyes burned directly into her soul. She could feel it. "What is it?" she asked evenly, sweeping tufts of his hair from his ears as she followed the matrix to its origin.
"Why do you continue to suppress your gift?" He barely blinked when she accidentally brushed a fresh cut where the glass dug into him.
She had no clue of what he was talking about, but since it was the only way to keep him engaged Miranda played along. "Some gifts aren't meant to be opened. Just like Pandora's box."
"I managed to acquire mine. It took years to perfect, yet here I am now, a biotic god among men." Banes unleashed his blue aura. Miranda stilled for a moment, but nothing happened. It's as if his biotics had commands to ignore her touch and the earlier coldness was nowhere to be found now. "But what you have...it's innate."
"Is this rachnii tech?" Miranda asked, trailing her index finger over the most prominent black vein at his throat.
His hands gripped the railing at either side of her. But the iron fury dissipated as soon as it arrived. "The rachnii were weak. I am not."
"Neither am I," Miranda replied, holding his chin to keep his eyes in line with hers. "That's why I want to know what you've done."
Banes bowed his head and laughed before looking up to her again. "Show me. Use your gift and show me you're not afraid to take the first step."
Miranda was stumped when Banes suddenly stepped away and clamped a hand dead-center of his new Cerberus inscribed sleeveless shirt. She quirked a brow and hopped off the railing. "You expect me to destroy you?"
Banes stopped being cryptic and now looked taken aback. "You can't destroy me, Lawson." His mouth morphed into a smirk as he chuckled. "But I want you to try."
Something about the way he said that held challenge and genuine desire in his voice. A feeling of dread washed over her. Not because he was asking her to kill him, but because of the hidden plea underneath the mask of a god-complex. Something wasn't right.
But before she could refuse Banes unleashed his power her way. Miranda rolled out of the way and countered with a warp.
Banes only smiled as her cloud dissipated rather pathetically and left him unharmed. The metal of her gun glistened from inside the pit below. She vaulted over the railing and felt the biotic powers whizz by overhead.
Miranda broke her fall by suspending herself with biotic energy. She leapt for her gun and rolled just in time to evade Banes' next strike that scorched the floor beside her.
She squeezed behind an artificial incline made of concrete, it was fixed in place since it acted like a jumping point for the obstacle course down here. Her mind tried to make sense of his biotics as she waited. Why would the ground char if it felt so cold to be in his biotic field? How much influence did he have over dark energy? As she mused, Miranda heard that plunger-pop sound and peeked up to see Banes approach.
With a sweep of his hand, her concrete cover was tossed aside like matchsticks. Miranda leveled her gun at him but didn't shoot. She spoke but couldn't find the words as something started choking her neck. Using his biotics he brought her out and gave her full control of her unarmed hand, while the dark energy around her throat kept its death grip. "Show me, Lawson. Show me true power!"
It was one thing to manipulate mass effect fields, but directly wielding dark energy and taking control of an object was one of the most complex maneuvers a biotic could learn. Her father had all but given up when she nearly killed herself trying to levitate the dog, nothing bad could happen to his dynasty. Banes stopped, waiting in anticipation as her aura grew.
Miranda closed her fist and Banes was successfully under her influence. Yet instead of panicking the man cackled with glee.
But just as she was starting to get comfortable her energy dipped dangerously low. In one swift move she hurled Banes across the room. The sound of his body hitting the steel wall reverberated through the facility, as if someone was doing renovations.
Miranda collapsed on all fours as her life's energy ebbed through her fingers. Exhaustion lulled her to sleep but every cell in her body ached as if she walked through an inferno. Her throat burned with thirst, but she pushed that aside as she struggled to get up on shaky legs.
Steadying herself with one hand on a portable shield, Miranda swept her sights across the field for any sign of Banes. She nearly jumped when a strong hand enclosed her gun-bearing one and slowly moved it aside. Armistan Banes was at her side looking like he had just won the lottery. His smile was infectious but she swallowed hers down as fury rose to the surface. This mad man nearly killed her and what's worse is that she almost let him.
"Easy, Lawson. You did it." He pulled her into a light hug but Miranda wouldn't let herself relax. Her grip tightened on the pistol she still held at her side. When Banes pulled away his eyes darkened in approval. "You're a goddess."
Tired of his sick games, Miranda jammed the gun's muzzle to his chest and fired two shots.