A/N: Hey guys, I finally found some time to sit down and get this out. I'll admit I am insanely nervous to post this because I feel like it might turn some people off… I played around with making it lighter, but I dunno, this is what I always intended happening. But then I started writing it and I was like woah, this is a wee bit dark. Uh well, I dunno. I hope it's enjoyable. We'll have a chance for some chuckles again soon.
Ahhh, I'm nervous. Sorry.
She tried her hardest to bury the feeling, as she wasn't even quite certain where it had come from. Either way, her endeavors proved fruitless as she found herself glowering at Shepard while they moved through the long halls of the estate.
Shepard was so calm with the children. She spoke to them with such fluid ease and grace, quick to earn a smile or laugh. Already the smaller one clearly adored her, and she had been with the woman for less than an hour. It was perplexing, which made it irritating.
Miranda wasn't quite sure how to act around the children. They were a foreign concept to her. She wasn't sure what to do or say in their presence, and opted for silence as they traveled together, nervously anticipating the moment when she would be alone with both the one called Brianna and the baby.
For Shepard, it came naturally, and she couldn't help but deem that unfair. She was startled out of her thoughts as Shepard slowed up a bit, falling back from the children up ahead to join Miranda's side.
"They don't seem very worldly," she mumbled under her breath. "I thought he spent thousands cramming every bit of information he could into your mind."
Miranda considered the rushed explanation Shepard had offered to her when they had first reunited. She hadn't had time to properly take in all that Shepard had discovered during their separation, but she felt as though she had the gist of the situation down.
"Because I was going to be the final product, Shepard," she informed the woman quietly, mindful of the children walking just a few paces ahead. "Why would you waste resources on trial data? There is no point in grooming something you're just going to destroy."
"Someone," Shepard corrected her quickly, tone dark and warning.
"Yes," Miranda allowed stiffly after a moment. "Someone."
Henry Lawson moved with smooth and confident steps, not bothering to waste his energy by rushing. His eldest living creation was trapped, even if she didn't yet know it. There was no reason for haste. He had had the entire transport back to the estate to calm his thoughts and steady his nerves after receiving word of the infiltration.
Taking the seat at his desk, he leaned back in the comfortable chair to study the monitors before him. Just behind his chair, the three eldest of his still loyal designs lined up obediently, awaiting orders.
The screen betrayed the location of their intruders, passing steadily through his home. Henry's eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. His security team was trailing them silently at his command, stealthily and out of sight until the moment he issued the order to attack, so he didn't fear their escape. What he did fear however was their motivations.
"What are you up to?" he mused aloud as he studied the intruder who once called him father. "Why don't you run?"
She was too smart to not be actively searching for means of escape, he had designed her that way. He had programmed her to value her own self preservation above all else. There was something she must be after, and he found himself curious as to what.
His eyes trailed to the woman beside her, glinting with interest. "Commander Shepard." She was a remarkable woman to say the least. If not for her tenacity and strength in battle, then certainly for her influence.
He had had trouble believing the reports when the Illusive Man had sent them in. The news of the rapidly growing bond between his creation and her commanding officer left him puzzled. Miranda had been allowed emotions by his own hand, but she certainly was far from having the capacity to truly love. Infatuation perhaps, maybe even lust, but nothing so sentimental as love. And yet here they were before him, moving side by side.
Yet another miscalculation on his part it seemed.
And then there was the issue of his other projects, apparently keen to betray him and help these outsiders without a second thought. It was of little consequence, though anger still coursed through him as he studied the young beings. They would need to be dealt with accordingly.
Their use had all but expired anyhow, as his final project was mere weeks away from completion. They had merely pushed forward the date of their own disposal. He would keep his two eldest as they made for efficient, emotionless, and practical bodyguards that came free of charge, but the rest would be discarded promptly.
Suddenly, his chest tightened and his skin grew hot. It was impossible, it couldn't be. His knuckles turned white with the ferocity of which he gripped the armrests of his chair, sneering at the screen.
They had it, his future, his dynasty. Wrapped in a neat bundle, trapped against a traitor's chest it slept soundly. It was impossible, and yet there it was, moving further and further away from him.
Henry was up in an instant, whipping around to face the three girls standing behind him. "They went into the basement." His voice was ragged and raw, painful to listen to. He knew then what was going on. They were collecting them, Shepard and Miranda, they were collecting his creations. "I was never told they went into the basement."
Dawn and Piper stood straight and silent, unflinching even in the face of his wrath. They were unbothered by his anger, never having had the capacity or use for fear. Gwen however was a different story. She had always been smaller than the other two. Weaker, more feeling.
She flinched away from his rage, having to swallow back her nerves as she replied. "We didn't know, sir. The surveillance systems were hacked and unusable until we were able to get them up and running once more."
He sneered at her, too caught up in his own head to truly process the words. "I want them taken out," he growled, "now. Dawn, regroup with the security team and at my word lead them in an assault. I want the intruders taken out, but ensure that the child Brianna carries is not harmed." He offered up a menacing look. "Above all else, ensure that child's safety." He glanced at the screen. "What becomes of Lana is no matter."
The girl nodded obediently, turning to leave the room with dedicated purpose, intent on completing her assignment. He considered his other two children. Piper would have to stay by his side. Miranda was an older model, but she certainly should not be taken lightly. He may need the protection for himself.
That left Gwen to complete the final task. "Go to the safe room," he ordered the girl.
Now that he knew their intentions, he also knew Shepard and Miranda's destination. If by some small chance they succeeded in their task and managed to escape the estate his whole enterprise could come crashing down. If it spread around to the authorities, his partners, and investors, that he had been illegally cloning unregistered children for years he would lose everything.
"You'll find Abigail and Elizabeth there. They need to be taken care of. Eliminate them."
She would need to be as well as he didn't want too many loose ends running around, but she was from the emotionless and more obedient stock. There was still a purpose for her, as he needed followers who would obey his orders without question.
Gwen stood before him, eyes wide and vacant, as though she was unsure of who was speaking to her.
"Well?" He snapped, losing what little patience he possessed. His main priority was to get downstairs and retrieve the child that had been stolen from him. There was no time for incompetence.
She blinked before responding in an unusually quiet voice. "Yes, father." And then she was gone.
Henry took a deep breath after she departed to complete her task, turning to his final remaining daughter. "Take me to the intruders," he ordered, a smirk gracing his features despite the situation.
It was surprising, but he was actually keen on the prospect of being face to face with his runaway 'daughter' again. He was curious if she would shiver in the same way as he approached, if her gaze would still hold that same fear as she took him in.
And he would relish in the act of watching those fierce blue eyes lose all hope as the life drained from her body.
"We're almost there," Lana called back cheerfully over her shoulder.
Shepard winced at the volume of her cry, raising a finger to her lips and shushing her good-naturedly. "We're on a secret mission," she whispered up to the girl. "Remember?"
Lana flashed her a sheepish smile. "Right," she replied quietly in a knowing tone. "I meant, we have almost reached our appointed destination, Commander." She had completely missed the point.
Shepard couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her as they pressed onwards, though that didn't mean she missed Miranda's irritated scowl.
"Oh come on," Shepard mumbled softly, offering a pointed look. "She's cute."
"Until she gets us all killed," Miranda hissed back.
Shepard let out a heavy sigh, knowing it was pointless for her to try and get any sort of levity in a situation such as this. Frankly it was unfair of her to even expect any. "Honestly," she returned softly, "I'm getting a bit worried we've yet to run into any trouble. I mean-"
The shot was deafening, and as soon as the sound of gunfire echoed through the halls the air was pierced with Lilly's shrill screams. The baby had awakened, and she was not happy about it.
"Shepard," Miranda cried out in alarm as the woman stumbled forward suddenly at the force of impact. Immediately she was reaching out to her, supporting the woman against her own small frame.
Lana screamed while Brianna stared down the hall at the source of the bullet in horror. They had been discovered.
"I," Shepard gasped out, trying to recover from the shock more than the pain, "I'm fine." She straightened a bit, leaning on Miranda gratefully as the woman knelt down beside her to lend a supportive shoulder. "They just," she paused, wincing at the sudden jolt of pain that shot through her abdomen, "they just clipped my side. I'm fine, I'm okay."
They glanced behind them at the team that approached from the far end of the hall. A pack of well armed gun-for-hires, Dawn diligently leading the charge.
Shepard and Miranda shared a knowing look, neither needing to speak to the other to know what was being said. Ideally they would make a stand, let the children find safety and regroup with them after the threat was dismantled and the other two had been rescued. In their current condition however, such a stance was impossible to take.
They couldn't, wouldn't, survive. There was no choice but to flee.
Shepard grunted as she struggled to her feet, Miranda helping her along wordlessly.
"Change of plans, Brianna," Shepard spluttered quickly as Miranda towed her along. "Get us out of here now."
Gwen heard the commotion of the battle taking place not far from where she moved, ignoring it as she approached her target. The safe room had a thick metal door that was near impassible, but she paid it little heed, moving instead to the keypad mounted beside it. Her fingers trembled as she imputed the code she had long since learned by heart, and she fumbled once, having to start the sequence over.
Father was her life, her purpose, her reason to be. She had to follow his orders, she must, no matter what they were. It was the way of things, it always had been, it always would be.
The door hissed open, and she raised her pistol through the entryway. Inside, Abigail and Elizabeth sat side by side in their pajamas, patiently waiting for their family to inform them that it was once again safe to return to bed.
At her arrival, Abigail tilted her head to the side curiously, her beautiful blonde curls sliding along her shoulders.
"Sister?" she questioned inquisitively.
Gwen pulled the trigger.
"This way," Brianna shouted as she sprinted through the halls, struggling to maintain her grip on the wailing baby in her arms. Lilly thrashed in the girl's inexperienced hold, screaming in her distress as she was so roughly jostled about.
"How much further?" Miranda questioned harshly as she struggled to keep up the pace with Shepard's arm draped heavily across her shoulders.
"It's just through here," Brianna panted out, turning a sudden bend.
Suddenly she skidded to a halt, Lana bumping into her from behind, Miranda almost doing the same. Miranda followed the girl's line of vision and her blood ran cold at the two figures barring their way. One was a clone, someone they had yet to run into, and the other was Henry Lawson. Tall and stoic and rapidly approaching.
Miranda couldn't fight the shiver that tore through her spine, quickly overtaking her entire being. She was curling in upon herself, so small and utterly helpless. Her breathing was labored, almost ragged, her eyes wide.
"Miranda?" Shepard questioned weakly in alarm as she felt the woman supporting her begin to tremble. It was enough to get her moving, and Miranda stumbled over her own feet as she frantically backed away.
"Back," she ordered the children in a voice that wavered and cracked. "Back. Back. Back."
They obeyed and soon were off once more, rushing back and retracing their steps. Still facing their larger group of pursuers however, they were left with just one direction to flee, as Henry Lawson had effectively cut off their planned escaped route.
Only a couple steps down the latest hall, they bumped into yet another obstacle.
"It's you," Shepard exclaimed at the girl who stood before them, recognizing her from their first encounter.
Gwen stood in the middle of the hall, keeping her pistol trained steadily on Miranda. Her eyes narrowed, her face set in a tight expression. "Don't move," she said, though her voice held little authority as it wavered.
Brianna gazed up at her older sister, her face scrunched up and distorted in her anxiety. "Gwen," she pleaded breathlessly, "please."
Gwen stared down at the girl, the one who she had watched grow from the sidelines. The one she had seen develop into the person that now stood before her, begging for her freedom, for her life.
And then she saw Abigail, gazing up at her with wide eyes.
Sister?
"Oh god," she said suddenly, her arm trembling, her pistol falling uselessly to the ground. Her face went white, her hand rising to her mouth. "I-" she faltered, letting out a choked sob. And then she doubled over, retching violently and emptying the contents of her stomach all over the carpeted floor.
Brianna took a step away in her shock, but Shepard staggered forward, inadvertently dragging Miranda along with her.
"What's wrong with her?" She questioned loudly in alarm, attempting to reach out and help the child.
Miranda didn't hold the same concerns. She had already gathered that the oldest children were different, and far from innocent. They could never be trusted, even if removed from her father's grasp.
"Move," she growled out, tugging Shepard along with her as she pushed forward relentlessly. "All of you," she directed at the children as their pursuers rapidly closed in, "just keep moving."
Brianna slowed as they traveled down the final hall, wincing as Lilly continued to screech in her ear.
"Keep moving," Miranda shouted from behind her. "Don't stop."
The girl didn't stop completely, but she shook her head sadly as they reached the end of the hall. It stopped in front of a blank wall, branching off to both the left and right for a short time before leading to simple doors. Brianna knew neither way spelled escape for them.
"Either way is a dead end," she said sadly. "He wanted to force us this way."
"No," Miranda shot back. She dragged Shepard around the corner to the left, slumping her against the wall where she would have some cover. Shepard slid to the ground with a soft grunt, pressing both hands against her side tightly. There wasn't too much blood to stop, but the action did help ease the pain some.
Lana wandered over to Shepard curiously, looking timid. "Does it hurt?" she questioned softly.
Shepard tried her best to flash an arrogant grin for the child's sake. "Nah," she panted out cockily, trying her hardest not to wince in pain, "I can hardly feel it."
Meanwhile, Miranda moved towards the doorway that capped the end of the short hall, wrenching it open forcefully. It opened into a miniscule, windowless storage room. A simple closet, most likely used by her father's staff. She cursed and slammed it shut once more, panic rising in her as she heard their enemies approaching.
She made for the door that stood at the right side, crossing over the divide of the adjoining hall quickly so as not to draw fire, Brianna following her closely.
"They're both closets," she said, even as Miranda pulled the door open to discover the fact for herself.
The sound of approaching footsteps halted, and she sensed that her father and his forces were gathering in the adjoining hall, regrouping and awaiting orders. Miranda gritted her teeth. She knew her father, he wouldn't merely tell them to strike. He would take his time, he would enjoy it.
She moved back towards Shepard, pausing at the edge of the gap, knowing it was far too risky to cross back over to join her and Lana. She would be gunned down in a second. Lamely, she flashed Shepard a defeated expression and Shepard offered a grimace in return.
It was over.
"Lana, come here," Shepard said softly. It was a struggle to hear her weak voice over Lilly's incessant bawling.
"I'm so sorry, Shepard," Miranda murmured suddenly, unable to help herself. Shepard never should have been there. She had been weak and selfish and had let the woman come and now they were trapped, about to be shot down like animals.
At her words Lana glanced across the divide towards her idol, but Shepard needed the girl's focus. "Lana, hey. Hey. Look at me," she said quietly. "Look at me."
The girl did as she was bid, a solemn expression gracing her features.
"You tell him that we took you, okay?" Shepard continued breathlessly. "No matter what. You say that we went into your room and said that if you didn't take us downstairs we were going to shoot you. Okay? No matter what he tries to say, you keep telling him that. We made you do it." She glanced up to look at the older girl across the gap. "You too, Brianna."
To her dismay, Brianna defiantly shook her head.
"Miranda."
The voice that echoed from the adjoining hall was velvety and filled with a sort of genuine charm. Shepard snorted. What an ass.
"You have nowhere else to run," Henry Lawson informed her sweetly as his men and two eldest daughters shifted around him, lining up their shots.
Gwen slumped against the wall behind them, watching with confusion. Her head pounded relentlessly and her legs began to shake as though she would collapse any minute. She didn't know what to do, who to be. Her entire world had crumbled around her, and she had nothing to grasp onto.
Miranda leaned against the wall, tilting her head back, eyes tightly shut. They were finished, she knew. They could go out guns blazing, take a few down with them, but they would never survive a fight. It really was over, after all those years of running. She had willingly waltzed back into his arms, into her death.
Her eyes snapped open. She wouldn't step out and take the bait, she'd wait. He would have to come to her, and if she could only get one good shot in, she'd make sure it was right between his eyes.
And suddenly she felt a small weight being pressed into her arms. She glanced down to find Brianna handing the still crying Lilly over to her. She shook her head, trying to reject the offering, but it was too late. Brianna had relinquished the child and was moving towards the gap.
"Father," she called out loudly, holding her hands into the air, "I'm coming out." She hated her life here, despised it. But her freedom wasn't worth the lives of Shepard and Miranda. If she could get her father to see reason, get them to give up Lilly, he may just let them walk. Right?
"What are you doing?" Shepard hissed from her position on the ground. Panic exploded within her. The girl wasn't safe. He wouldn't care about her. All he wanted was Lilly. She was useless to him, a mere nuisance. She didn't feel Lana peer around the corner as she was so focused on the idiotic stunt Brianna was pulling. "Get back," she screamed.
Brianna ignored her, stepping into the open. "Please father," she started, "let me-"
He simply nodded, and his workers obeyed.
"Father, no," Gwen screeched, realizing far too late what was happening, attempting to rush the group from behind. It didn't matter.
"Bri," Lana shrieked out in alarm, stumbling into the hall.
Shepard dove, and later that night she would lay awake knowing that had she pushed just a bit farther, had her arm been just a bit longer, she wouldn't have merely tickled the hem of Lana's shirt with the very tips of her fingers. She would have saved the girl's life.
The shots rang out, and the child began to cry.
Shepard pulled back against the wall, choking back a sob, her sorrow and rage swirling up within her and combining into something unbearable. Hands trembling, she reached for the gun at her hip, gripping it so tightly her knuckles were white. A blind furry settled within her, and she ignored her throbbing side to lean towards the hall.
"I'm going to slaughter you, you bastard," she called out.
There was venom in her voice Miranda had never experienced before, and she scrutinized Shepard with a careful gaze, evaluating the woman's mindset. There was too much at stake, she couldn't afford to let Shepard's emotions run rampant no matter how much she agreed with the sentiment. She needed to stay calm, to fix this before any more lives were lost.
There was only one way she could figure.
Miranda shifted the fussing Lilly to one side, gripping her tightly with one arm so she was free to grasp her pistol with the other. Boldly she stepped out into the open, raising the gun and pressing it to the temple of the squirming child.
"One move and I pull the trigger," she managed rather calmly.
From paces away he sneered at her. "Hiding behind a baby?" he taunted. "As you've seen I have no problem cutting through my creations to get to you. A poor strategy, Miranda."
She hardly flinched at his clear bluff, trying her hardest to not let her eyes trail down to the floor where she could still hear Lana's pained and heavy breaths. "If you had more research to fall back on you would have shot us down already. So it would seem to me that you've realized we destroyed what had to be over thirty four years of hard work."
Tutting as though she truly pitied the man, she couldn't pass up for the chance to take a petty jab. "My, my, to go through the entire process all over again…how old would you be then, father?"
His face darkened, there would be no bluffing out of the situation, but he refused to let his own creation get the better of him. "What do you want?" he snarled.
"Get rid of them," Miranda returned curtly, nodding towards his ample security.
His eyes narrowed, but he did as he was told and waved them away. As his forces departed Shepard used the distraction to drag herself out into the hall. She caught sight of Brianna and quickly glanced away. The girl was already gone; there was no way she had survived. Instead, she made for Lana's still quivering body.
Shepard sat up beside her, pulling the tiny girl close, supporting Lana's head with her arm and using her free hand to grasp the younger girl's gently. It was too much, her body was being sent into shock. There was so much blood, too much blood. It was nothing that could be healed or reversed. It was over.
"Hey, Hey," Shepard soothed quietly, "look at me."
Lana's frightened eyes darted to the older woman's, her breaths coming in short shallow gasps as pain wracked her body. She tried to speak, but only managed a spluttering cough, hacking blood out to coat her chin.
"Don't talk," Shepard chided gently, swallowing back her emotion for the sake of the child in her arms. "It's going to be okay."
Miranda did her best to tune them out. The armed men were slowly retreating, clearly reluctant to leave the action. Her father still stood before her, armed with a gun of his own, and the two clones had not left his side. Gwen remained as well, though she was against the wall once more, clearly unable to pose as any sort of threat. Miranda weighed her options carefully.
"Now what?" her father pressed.
She knew him, knew he was merely biding his time, waiting for the moment when he could safely dispose of her and reclaim the thrashing child in her grasp.
"I want them gone too," she insisted, nodding towards the clones.
He snickered. "What do you take me for?"
Miranda stood firm. "They walk away, you get the baby, we go free."
Shepard glanced up worriedly. She trusted Miranda enough to know she would never be capable of pulling the trigger, and she had enough faith in the woman to believe she had a plan, but things had already gotten so incredibly out of control. She just prayed Miranda knew what she was doing.
Henry smirked at Miranda's demands before nodding curtly and waving the girl's away. She watched them turn and depart, disgusted by their robotic nature. It wasn't human beings he had created. They were an empty shell of life, a pale imitation. No better than the husks Shepard had lead her in gunning down on a daily basis all those months ago.
Miranda knew he would never let them walk. They had seen too much, they knew too much. That, coupled with the resentment he so clearly held for her all but ensured they wouldn't be walking out of this mansion alive. He would likely rather risk injury to Lilly than let Miranda slip through his grasp once more. She knew that.
And that was why she was prepared.
Miranda was already throwing herself to the ground, Lilly instinctively tucked protectively to her chest, before he had even raised the weapon fully to take his shot. The rounds sailed clear over her head, and Miranda wasted no time in aiming her own gun as soon as she hit the floor, landing a lucky shot in his left thigh.
Lilly's screaming seemed to take on a whole new pitch at the gunfire taking place so close to her. Shepard, who had instinctively huddled over Lana to shield her from further injury, was sitting up once more, placing a shot of her own into his shoulder.
The clones whipped around as their father staggered back a few paces. Dawn was apparently the faster of the two and raised her weapon immediately, but Miranda was on her in a second. They were good, fantastic even, but Miranda had years of experience on them. Dawn had a hole between the eyes before she could even register the shot had been fired.
"Back you idiot," Henry screamed as he clung to Piper wildly, using her as support as his injuries left him weakened. "Get me out of here." She wrapped an arm around her father and lugged him off, the pair stumbling away into the distance.
Gwen stared at Shepard and Miranda, mouth hanging open, eyes wide, before slowly backing away. In moments she had turned and raced after her father.
Miranda glanced from Lilly to Shepard and finally towards the retreating figure of her father.
Shepard attempted weakly to protest. "Miranda, you can't just lea-" she started, but it was too late.
Lilly was thrust into the crook of the arm that wasn't currently wrapped around Lana, and Miranda was off like a shot, disappearing out of sight.
She wasn't suffering through this any longer. It was ending here.
Shepard cursed where she sat, shifting to try and follow, but Lana's loose grip on her hand held her back. She jostled Lilly in her awkward hold on the baby, attempting fruitlessly to soothe her.
"I-" Again Lana coughed, regaining Shepard's full attention. Her eyes were glossy, unfocused, welling over with potential tears. "I don't want to die."
Shepard bit back a sob, staring down in the eyes that were so very quickly losing their light. The girl looked so lost, so frightened.
She could share the sentiment, Shepard realized. Nobody really talked about how terrifying it was, drifting off into the unknown, but she knew firsthand.
It was in that moment, watching a child fading, that she let herself really remember what had happened on the day the Normandy was destroyed. The isolation she had felt as she drifted through open space, the loneliness. And then Shepard realized that she could spare Lana from that now.
That alone was worth coming back from the dead for.
"I died once you know," she informed the girl quietly, wearing a small smile. "I gotta say, it wasn't so bad."
Lana started up at her in confusion. She didn't know the story of Commander Shepard. The things the woman was saying, they were impossible, weren't they?
"It's everything," Shepard lied, finding it easier than she initially would have though. "Wide as you like, going on for miles and miles until the edge of infinity. And everyone's there, Lana. Everyone you ever loved."
"…Bri?" She was fading fast, almost gone.
"Yeah, Brianna will be there," Shepard assured her softly. Lilly was beginning to quiet, her flailing lessened, her now raw voice calmed. "She'll take care of you, just like always. And when she needs it, you'll take care of her."
Lana breathed out softly, each one becoming more shallow and superficial. Shepard was thankful for the more relaxed expression she now wore.
"All of the planets will be there, Lana," she found herself supplying, unable to stop. "Every single one. You'll get to see them all, just like you've always wanted. In an instant you can visit any one of them."
Her smile widened. "The entirety of the universe will be your backyard. You'll never be hungry or scared or tired. You'll just be happy. You'll feel all of the good feelings you've ever felt, all at once. Every second of every day. That's it, Lana. That's dying. It's being happy."
She disentangled her hand from the girl's, raising it gently to reassuringly comb through the child's hair in as loving a manner as she could manage. "That doesn't sound so bad, does it?"
"No," Lana sighed out tiredly, vision beginning to dim.
Shepard stayed with her. She stayed until all the blood had run dry and the light had gone from the eyes and the very last breath had been taken.
It wasn't long before Miranda returned for her. She arrived to find Shepard surrounded by the bodies of her clones, Lilly snuggled safely into her side, once more sleeping soundly.
Shepard glanced up at her wearily, all joy drained from her features. She looked older, more worn, and she took in Miranda's now bloodstained figure with reluctance.
"What happened?" she mumbled out absently. Shepard wasn't even sure if she cared anymore. Everything had gone wrong. They had failed. What was the point?
"Later," Miranda returned, looking everywhere but at the bodies of the children littered around them.
It was then that Shepard caught sight of the girl standing nervously behind Miranda, and her face darkened. "You," she started venomously, but Miranda protectively moved in front of the girl that had followed her.
"She's fine," Miranda assured Shepard quickly. "It's safe," she explained, holding out a hand to help Shepard rise shakily to her feet with Lilly in tow, "we can leave."
Gwen took a step forward as though to help Shepard steady herself, but quickly thought better of it and drew back. Miranda turned towards her.
"Take her," Miranda ordered, nodding towards Lilly. Though she hesitated for a time, Gwen eventually did as she was told, nervously accepting the baby from Shepard's grasp.
As she shifted the baby into a comfortable position, Miranda once again pulled Shepard against her, letting the woman drape an arm over her shoulders for support. "We need to get out of here and then contact Liara for," she cleared her throat, hesitant to say the word, "cleanup."
Shepard staggered alongside her as they began to move steadily forward. "Wait," she protested weakly, "the others."
Miranda and Gwen shared a meaningful look, and then Miranda shook her head. "We're the only ones left, Shepard."
The lack of reaction from the woman scared her more than anything as they limped together through the halls. Gwen followed listlessly behind them, arms trembling as she clung to Lilly.
"I have an idea," Miranda informed no one in particular. "We'll be out of here soon."
Shepard snorted as they pressed on. "It doesn't matter. What's the point?"
Miranda didn't answer, choosing instead to press blankly on. She really wasn't sure.
"It never gets any easier, does it?"
"No," Miranda agreed quietly. "It doesn't."
A/N: Miranda's section will get explained later. Bewoop, see ya.