Shots were firing everywhere.

Ashley grunted and fired back, picking off one, then two Cerberus commandos. She dashed forward to another cover point and ducked down. A twisting ball of bluish light shot over her towards a charging Wrex. He shot back his own warp and only trampled faster, knocking down his assailant with a crunch. Ashley panted. There were so many of them. Kaidan and Liara were keeping them covered, the worst of the biotic attacks held off by barriers and stasis fields. Shepard and Garrus were making their way around the perimeter, sniping out the meanest looking targets with precision shots. She was left the grunts – the tenacious little fighters that made it past their outer lines and ran for her and Wrex, shouting the usual threats of destruction. Their enemy was single-minded, fearless - they were throwing their lives away.

The soldier peeked around her cover and let out a quick blast. The Cerberus troopers were dwindling, and they had almost made it to the center of the base. Tali blasted a biotic in the gut and ran for a terminal quickly, the quarian so small she was easily overlooked when a bellowing krogan was in their midst. Ashley grinned as the small woman opened another door. She really was a whiz with any tech they encountered. Shepard appeared suddenly - Ashley realizing just then she had lost track of him, he was seriously too good at the whole infiltration thing - and ran through the opened door, waving for the squad to follow. The few remaining Cerberus soldiers were shot down and the team complied.

"Anyone hit?" Shepard called as they all stood in a hall. There was a series of headshakes and the Spectre grinned and turned around, heading towards a nearby door. He still had that determined look on his face, like nothing mattered except taking these people out. He was moving faster than usual, rushing them through the facility. It was wearing on the team. Ashley frowned. They were doing well, but if they kept at this pace… "Alright, weapons ready. I don't think they're done just yet." He sounded a little hopeful, like he was counting on them still being there, enjoying his hunt too much to give it up just yet.

When they first left the Mako, he had practically jumped out, gunning down the few Cerberus soldiers left with a deadly expression. It was beyond the usual efficiency he usually displayed in combat. There was hatred in his eyes – cool and calculating and far too satisfied when he saw his enemies fall. Ashley knew he wanted revenge. She understood why, after hearing what they did on Akuze. But this… She couldn't help but think that he was treating every one of them like he was having a second chance with that Cerberus doctor. The soldier lifted her assault rifle, preparing herself as the door swished open. And the room was empty.

Ashley followed the rest of them in, walking in with a constant eye on their six. Something was up. From the grimace on the commander's face, it was clear he thought so too.

"Garrus, Kaidan, Wrex, keep an eye on the hall while we look around." The three nodded and headed back out, covering their entrance. Shepard mulled around the room, glancing over this console and that, occasionally kicking open a locker to see if there was anything worth taking. "It looks like they cleared this place out already. Tali, anything there?"

"I'm trying to hack it. It was definitely wiped, but I may be able to find some trace files of what was here." The quarian warbled, fingers flying over the holographic keyboard. Ashley shifted, both Liara's and her eyes following the commander as he paced the room, his face holding a grimace that was beginning to deepen. The soldier sighed, watching him worriedly. His hand came up and ran through his hair, disturbing its already wayward appearance. He always did that when he was stressing about something. One of his many nervous ticks. Why do I know that about him?

"Think they knew we were coming?" Ashley mused, knowing the answer but not liking where her train of thought was going. It was all too much then. Before, it had been easy with Shepard, just a little harmless flirting. She knew she was obviously attracted to him. It was hard not to be, with those broad, muscular shoulders and that chiseled jawline. But then he went and said what he said in the elevator, sounding like one of her Dad's sappy poets… Oh, you're in it now, Williams. The soldier frowned.

"Yes." Shepard growled, fists balling up. "They cleared everything out. The force they left behind must have just been to get rid of us." His voice was grinding. "Damn bastards got away. Again." The soldier glanced over at Liara, who shifted nervously and watched the commander with an apprehensive expression

Ashley frowned and walked up beside him. "And we'll find them. Again. We're closer than we were and we've got them scared. Don't worry, Shepard. They're not getting away." She murmured. His green eyes met hers, burning with frustration and rage. It was clear he wasn't so sure, but he offered her a placating, appreciative nod, then looked up quickly as there was a shuffle in the hall.

"Shepard." The call came from down the hall, and the krogan came into view, dragging a Cerberus soldier by his neck.

"Wrex?"

"Found this pyjak trying to hide in a weapons locker." The soldier whimpered as the krogan tossed him at Shepard's feet. "Figured you might have some questions, so I didn't introduce him to my shotgun."

"Appreciated, Wrex." Shepard growled, looking down at the Cerberus man with a wrinkled nose that conveyed his growing disgust. The commander watched the man for a moment, looking around at the team nervously. He looked young. "Who are you?" Shepard asked, voice deadly quiet. The Cerberus soldier didn't answer, trembling and avoiding his gaze. The Spectre knelt down and grabbed the man's face a little roughly. "Who the fuck are you?!"

"Mortensen. My name is Mortensen." He struggled out, fighting to move his mouth with the commander's armored glove clenching down on him. The young man's eyes were wide.

"What were you doing here?"

"I'm just a guard. I don't know what they were working on." Mortensen's voice was high. His eyes were darting to each of Shepard's crew, assessing his risk. They found Ashley's, and the woman frowned. This boy was terrified. "Please," He begged, looking back to a still furious Shepard, "Please, I just joined up. I'm just a guard." He repeated, his voice pleading.

"What did you see?" The Spectres voice was menacing. The young man flushed.

"Nothing! I told you, I'm just a guar- "A foot impacted with Mortensen's stomach. He coughed and whimpered.

"You don't guard a door and see nothing. What were they doing here?" Shepard hissed. Ashley watched him uneasily. She had witnessed him begin to lose control before, but this… He hoisted Mortensen up from his crumpled over state. Ashley took a step closer, trying to get a better look at the Spectre's face. His neck was taut with tension.

"I don't know." The kid spluttered. "I guess they brought in these spike things once, then some people. They were civilians, I think. I didn't see them again." Shepard's face screwed up into a silent snarl. "But I heard some shouts and some moaning from one of the back rooms… A couple of the other guys were called back there. When they hauled them out, it looked like they had been mauled."

"Husks?" Liara supplied, her eyes wide and voice shocked. "Why would they do that?"

Mortensen's voice was gasping. "Please, I swear. They kept everything really quiet, secret. We weren't allowed near the scientists. I don't know what they were doing, I just came here for the money." He was thrown roughly to the floor. Shepard paced for a moment. The Cerberus soldier followed his every movement anxiously, his jaw working nervously, as if chewing on his cheek.

"Where did they go?" The Spectre asked finally, turning to face the young man again.

"I don't know. They don't tell – " Shepard hoisted him up by the collar of his armor. Mortensen panicked. "I swear, I don't know, I don't know!"

"Like fuck you don't. You let them leave you here to die without asking any questions? If you were that ready to die, you wouldn't have hightailed it into that locker." The Spectre snarled. Ashley couldn't see the usual bright green around his eyes. They looked black, his pupils dilated in rage. A fist crashed into the kid's face and the young soldier was on the floor again, a tooth shot from his mouth.

"Shepard!" Ashley gasped, taking another step forward. This was going too far. He didn't look at her.

"You're going to tell me where the fuck your little buddies went, or I'm going to bash your face in." His voice was low and quiet. The Cerberus soldier lifted his hand, wiping away some blood from his lips.

"Please, I don't know. I didn't think we were going to die, they said it was just a small squad coming. We thought it would be easy." He inched backwards, but the Spectre loomed over him. "Please, I can't! If they find me -"

"You can, you little shit. What they're going to do is nothing compared to what I will if you don't tell me where the fuck they went." Shepard hissed, reaching down again for the man.

"Commander, stop!" Ashley shouted quickly. She wasn't about to stand by and watch torture, no matter what Cerberus had done. They weren't like them. That's not what the Alliance stood for. "Back off. We need to bring him in for formal questioning."

"Back off?" The Spectre snarled, dropping the boy again. "Do you really fucking think they backed off with Toombs? With Kahoku? These bastards deserve anything I throw at them." His gaze was fiery, but Ashley made sure to meet it with equal intensity. This wasn't right. He couldn't let his need for revenge drive him to this kind of treatment. "You heard him. They're taking civilians, turning them into husks for fuck knows what reason. I'm not going to let them get away with this!"

Ashley glared back at him. "We don't know if he was involved in that. You don't get to be the judge in this." She hissed back, her tone strong and even. "We need to bring him to the Alliance for trial."

The commander's eyes blazed, but his retort was cut off by a gasp from Liara. "Commander, he grabbed something!" The asari ran forward towards the young soldier and Shepard spun around. Mortensen had grabbed his lost tooth and tossed it back in his mouth, his expression full of terror. Ashley's eyes widened.

"Fuck!" Shepard jerked open the kid's jaws, but he was already beginning to convulse. His eyes rolled back and his mouth foamed. "Fuck!" The Spectre dropped him with a snarl. Mortensen twitched a few times, then went limp.

Ashley felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh God…" She murmured, eyes wide. She stared at the now dead young man. He had been so scared. He had run. He didn't want to fight them. He hadn't wanted to die. But for some reason he was more terrified to talk, more terrified of Shepard and the consequences of telling him what he wanted to know than he was to die. What the hell is going on with this organization? Who hands out suicide pills to their guards?

Shepard slammed his hand into a wall and Ashley watched him, her mouth set in a grim line. He was out of control. The mission was a failure, and he knew it. They had talked about some baggage, but the way he handled this, the way he treated that kid like he was solely responsible for his unit… Baggage seemed to be a serious understatement. "This is just fucking fantastic." The commander growled, apparently unfazed by the dent he left as he spun around and walked back towards Mortensen. The look he gave the dead man was eerily blank.

"…Commander?" Tali's voice was almost a whisper as she walked towards them, hands twisting around each other nervously. "I'm done hacking their system. I was able to extract some data. The server had some last-defense measures and it purged itself, but I was able to upload almost everything I uncovered to my suit." Shepard was watching her evenly. She shifted from foot to foot. "I can begin decoding it back on the Normandy. Maybe we can find out more from there?" Her warbling voice was hopeful, the bright young woman trying as usual to remain optimistic.

Ashley watched the Spectre as he stared for a moment at the quarian, took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright." He murmured. Tali slumped in relief. "Alright, good job, Tali. Let's move out." His voice was stronger, but everyone seemed to hesitate, eyeing the commander as if he were to explode again. Only Wrex, still leaning in the door frame, had appeared uninterested in the events and headed back down the hall at Shepard's order. The commander met Ashley's gaze, giving her a stern, calculating look. She stared back evenly.

Shepard turned away and walked out. Ashley let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Was this who he was? He had looked vicious, ruthless with Mortensen. Now, he was back to being cold, rippling with unnerving tension. He had none of the usual warmth present that she was now used to from him. This is who you want, Williams? Really? She frowned, then started walking after the Spectre. They met up with Kaidan and Garrus in the main room, the two assessing the grim looking group curiously. Shepard simply waved them forward, his stride not slowing.

"What happened?" Kaidan whispered as they approached the entrance. Ashley shook her head and walked farther forward, coming up directly behind the commander. She wasn't in the mood to rehash the details to the lieutenant. Shepard hit the door control and moved outside immediately, not bothering to check they were behind him.

A shot fired.

Ashley's gun was up instantly. Shepard stumbled back. He grunted a little, brows furrowing in surprise. There was a second shot. He stumbled again and clutched his stomach. His omnitool lit up as he released medigel through his suit, his face now registering his situation. Ashley ran forward and pulled him back into the building, but he shrugged her off and peeked around the corner. The Spectre was hoisting up his sniper rifle, following the track of the bullet. A shot hit the side of the building near his head.

"Shepard, get down!" She shouted, but he just kept looking in his scope. His gun stopped searching, and he drew in a breath.

"Got you now, fucker." He murmured and exhaled. His finger squeezed the trigger. Ashley looked for a hint of his target, unable to see if it was a hit. Garrus had come up beside them, his rifle out as well.

"Nice." The turian answered her question and she glared at him. This was hardly the time for ego stroking. Garrus ignored her. "I don't see any more. Must have been a straggler." The commander nodded a little weakly as he lowered his rifle, but stumbled back again. Ashley moved forward to catch him. He spluttered out a cough into his fist, a bit of blood coming out onto his gauntlet.

"Jesus, Shepard!" Her heart raced and she glanced down in horror at the two holes piercing his stomach. Garrus had followed her gaze, his mandibles twitching nervously. He moved forward to help her with him.

"It's fine. That's what medigel's for." Shepard grumbled, but he slumped forward, the adrenaline draining from him.

"That is not what medigel is for, you idiot! We need to get you to Chakwas now." She started forward towards the Mako, Garrus carrying him with her, one of the commander's arms over each of them. Shepard frowned.

"It's not nice to insult your commanding officer, you know." Shepard muttered weakly, stumbling along with them. Color was leaving his face.

"I can think of a lot worse things to call you, Shepard." Ashley searched his face. His eyes were fluttering. The soldier frowned and quickened her pace. He wasn't registering pain, and if he was in shock and he blacked out… "Come on, don't you pass out on us. You're too heavy to carry."

There was a weak chuckle. "Are you calling me fat again?"

"God, you're impossible. Come on, we need to get you in this truck." She and Garrus struggled trying to hoist the heavy, armored man into the Mako. Wrex moved forward and lifted him effortlessly. Shepard coughed again, trying to sit up and glare at them. Ashley leaped in the back with him, kneeling and putting his head in her lap. Kaidan hovered over his wounds, patching what he could with medigel. The commander frowned, trying again to sit up and causing more blood to flow out onto the floor. "Damn it, Skipper. Sit still." She pushed his head back down and he glared up at her petulantly, but stopped as she stroked her fingers through his dark hair. His expression softened and she felt something in her twist as his green eyes captured hers.

Oh no. You don't get away with this that easily.

The soldier tried to steel herself to him, to stay wary. This was the man that had just beaten a prisoner in interrogation. He was ruthless, so full of rage and hate it made her nervous at times. But now, and last night… He was lighter. It made him appear younger, the shadows under his eyes not seeming so dark, the scars on his face not in such stark contrast to his tanned skin. She swallowed nervously, pulling away from his gaze to catch Kaidan giving her a scolding look. She knew he disapproved, but he wouldn't say anything. He was too good of a friend. And what would he even say? She knew Shepard had some kind of feelings for her, but how could she care about a man who was so at odds with what she believed? So at odds with himself, even?

"Kaidan, call Joker for a pick-up, would you?" Shepard muttered. He choked out a cough again. Ashley's eyes instantly darted back to him, full of worry. She cursed herself as Shepard smirked. He was looking a little too self-satisfied. The rest of the team had piled in, all of their eyes on the commander. His smirk faded and he winced as Kaidan applied pressure to his gunshots, having finished applying medigel. He sighed. "I guess someone else can drive."