Hey guys, I am not dead, I have just had a sickness called final year exams...which are still going on by the way for the next month and a half anyway! So here is the next chapter, I know it took a while but I have been super, super busy with productions and essays. SO MUCH WRITING!
Hope you like the chapter, I am pretty happy with it. The next one shall be up sooner than this one was I promise. :)
Please leave me a review and tell me what you think, good or bad I could always use feedback.
Miranda rubbed her tired eyes, sighing as she felt a throbbing pain form in her temples. Placing the data pad on the desk, she moved her chair from under the table and stretched her weary legs, eyeing the now cold hot chocolate that sat beside the computer.
"You should get some rest Miss Lawson." A sweet elderly voice said from behind her, Miranda turned to watch as Dr Chakwas moved to stand beside her, a glowing data pad beeping in her hand as she typed information into it. Miranda yawned, stretching her back.
"I will sleep when I am sure I didn't give Shepard permanent brain damage." Miranda answered, drinking her cold hot chocolate and making a face.
"She is in a state, but for now she seems to be healing quite well. There might be some lasting effects of the serum but nothing major. We will know when she wakes up." Karen assured. Miranda shrugged slightly.
"A few hours of sleep might not be a bad idea. But maybe you should be having this conversation with Liara. "
Miranda inclined her head to the occupied hospital bed. The doctor followed the woman's gaze, her eyes resting on the hunched over figure of Liara. She turned her head back toward Miranda.
"I have had that conversation more than enough times to know I would be wasting my breath." Karen said. Miranda nodded in agreement.
"No argument there."
Standing from her chair, Miranda stretched one last time, her now empty cup hanging by her index finger.
"I will see you in a few hours Doctor. Please inform me if anything changes" She said then moved towards the door. She glanced at Shepard sadly as she passed, scowling at her friends pale face and dark, almost black eyes. She felt a pang of guilt surge through her, before leaving through the door.
"Would you like a cup of tea dear?"
Liara looked up at the voice that just spoke to her, Karen's kind face looking down at her with a tired smile.
"That would be lovely doctor." The Asari said, forcing a tired smile of her own.
As Karen left through the door, the young maiden could still feel eyes on her back. She heard a timid shuffling behind her as the door swished open once again.
Liara turned her head, her eyes narrowing as she glared at the woman that stood in the doorway. Alex cleared her throat, nervously rubbing her forearm.
"I… uh…" the human women licked her lips and looked down at the floor as Liara turned wordlessly back to Shepard, her light blue hands covering Selena's lifeless ones. "I just wanted to check in. See how Sele- I mean, the Commander is doing." Alex said softly. Liara was silent.
"I…I just…" Liara heard the woman sigh. "I'll come back another time..."
"Don't go." Liara finally spoke. Turning her head slightly. "You can sit with her. You owe her that much."
Alex entered wordlessly, sitting in the empty chair opposite Liara. Her eyes fell upon the face of her former lover and she bit her lip. If it weren't for the heart monitor beeping at a steady pace, she would of though the red headed woman was dead. Her skin was as white as she the sheets she lay under, her normal exotic tan non-existent. She had dark bruising under her eyes and her lips were pale and cracked. Alex could faintly see the white burn marks from the electricity, already starting to heal on Shepard neck and arms, the wounds forming strange raised welts on her skin. The young doctor looked away, fiddling with something in her lap. It was the only way she could resist the urge of taking Selena's hand in her own. She was certain the Asari sitting opposite her would turn her in to paste if she did.
For a moment, the two women just sat there. Alex stared at her hands in her lap, while Liara caressed her lover's hand, her big blue eyes never leaving the pale face of her bondmates.
"So…how is she. What has the doctor said?" Alex finally spoke. Liara narrowed her eyes at the rude interruption of silence.
"Her physical injury will heal. It is her mental state that Doctor Chakwas is worried about. We have no idea what that awful man made her do or if she will remember it. We have no idea of the long term effects of the serum. I only pray to the goddess she does not blame herself for everything that happened. " Liara answered.
Alex nodded.
"I saw Miss Williams on my way here. She seems fine. A bit sore…but fine. I don't think she blames Selena…I mean the Commander for what happened. "
"Of course she doesn't!" Liara said. "It's just…with everything that's happened…I just hope she's going to be okay."
Liara squeezed Shepard's hand tightly an action that did not go unnoticed by Alex. The human doctor sighed, moving her eyes up towards Shepard's face. She frowned, noticing the rapid eye movement of her former partner.
"She's dreaming." She said, smiling slightly. Liara followed the woman's gaze, her lips thinning as she moved her hand to push a few stray bits of hair out of the redheads face.
"Not quite dreaming."
She struggled against the monster that straddled her. Strong armoured thighs squeezing her hips as a stronger hand held her wrists tight above her head. She saw the armour clad figure smile behind his helmet as he pulled out a long glinting knife, the blade hovering dangerously close to her eye.
"Scream all you want human. No one will help you."
The Baterian laughed as he drew blood from her cheek, three deep slices down the side of her face as Selena tried in vain to turn her face away. She could already feel a warm sticky substance coat the right side of her face.
She could feel her anger intensify as she continued to struggle, her attacker's nails digging into the soft flesh of her wrist. She felt a familiar tingling feeling of her biotics as they engulfed her body, suddenly unleashing in a back breaking eruption of rage. The Baterian that straddled her flew in to the air, his large body being forced backwards before he fell to the floor with a heavy bone cracking thud. For a moment, Selena just stared at him…open mouths as she held her hand to her bleeding cheek. He lay still, his body bent at an unnatural angle.
Rising shakily to her feet, Selena moved passed him slowly, before breaking out into a run. Heading towards home. When she reached the entrance to her home, her heart skipped a beat as she spotted smoke billowing from her the top floor windows.
She reached out a hand and opened the door, falling inside.
"Selena thank the gods you're okay!"
Her mother's tone was fearful and frantic as Shepard closed the door behind her, blocking out the screams and gunfire from outside. Selena tried to catch her breath, the adrenaline and fear causing her entire body to shake.
"Where have you been?" Her Mother asked, her bright eyes narrowing in anger and fear. Tender hands moving to her cheek to inspect the wound.
"I was with Alex, we were in the woods... What's happening?" Selena asked, fear evident in her own voice. She felt her younger brother pull on her sleeve, fat tears running down his dirty face. Selena took the boy into her arms, holding him close.
"They are slavers darling. Don't worry, you will be okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Just keep your brother safe."
Selena nodded wordlessly, holding the boy tighter.
"Where the hell have you been Selena. We've been worried sick!" Her father's booming voice came from the corridor. The young girl turned towards it, ready to answer when a loud bang shook the house. Her father made his way to the door, his rifle pointed protectively in front of him.
"Follow me out when I tell you it's safe."
"But it's not safe out there. Those men are everywhere."
"Just listen to me for once Selena. You come out with your mother and your brother when I tell you it is safe. We will run for the tree-line…to the old communication tower. We will call for help."
Selena wanted to stop him, something inside her told her they shouldn't go out the front door, but as her father's hand touched the door, another large explosion shook the house, an inferno of fire erupting though the door where her father stood. She watched as he fell to the floor, one side of his face, an un-recognizable mess of black charred meat. She heard her mother scream behind her, shouting her husband's name with a strangled cry. Selena hid her younger brother's face from the ghastly sight, staring open mouthed at her father's un-moving body. She felt tears well in her eyes.
"Out the back, quickly!" Selena said, turning to her mother and pushing her towards the back of the house. The woman screamed in protest and Selena persisted. She reached out to grab the rifle her father had dropped before following her mother, unable to tear her eyes away from his lifeless body.
As they stepped outside, Selena could feel the heat of the flames around her, she held her brother closer, unable to hear the sobs that racked his body. She watched as her mother scanned the area, fear evident in her large green eyes.
"Mom, we need to get to the communication tower." Selena shouted, tightening her grip on the rifle in her other hand. Her mother turned to her, then nodded, putting on a brave face. "Stay low and out of sight."
"How far is it-" Before her mother could finish her sentence, a long blade pieced her chest, the bloody tip glinting manically in the glow of the firelight. Her brother screamed and buried his face deeper in to her shoulder as her mother's body fell lifelessly to the floor. Selena stared open mouthed at the beast that now stood in front of her. Four cold eyes glaring at her with malicious intent. She lifted the rifle, her finger twitching on the trigger.
"Stay back!" She screamed over the roaring of gunfire and explosions. The beast in front of her gave her a toothy grin, stepping over her mother's body. Selena stepped back, her arm already aching from the weapon she held in front of her.
"I said, stay back! I will shoot you!"
The beast took yet another step, his hand twitching at his side. Selena closed her eyes, squeezing the trigger. The force of the kickback knocked her off her feet, her little brother falling to the floor and rolling away from her. She hit the floor with a hard painful thud, the back of her head connecting hard with a jagged rock that stuck from the ground. She heard her attacker laugh, a deep, unkind, throaty sound that made her blood run cold. Selena shook her head, her vision blurry. She moved her head in the direction of her little brother. Her eyes widening as she watched the tall, heavily clad man approach him and before she knew it, she was reaching out. Her short aching arms grabbing at the man's feet and pulling him down to the ground.
"Luke, run. Go now!" She screamed, struggling to keep the man from reaching her brother. However, Luke made no movement to run, instead, he just sat there, his eyes closed and face wet from tears.
"Luke, get out of here. Run!" Selena screamed, finally managing to pull herself towards the Baterian. She turned him on to his back, brought her fist up and with more strength then she knew she had, let her fist fall hard against the Baterian's jaw, once, twice three times, until the invader lay still. His face, an unrecognisable pulp of red. Rolling to the side, Selena now cradled her broken hand, gritting her teeth against the sudden surge of pain. It only took a moment to compose herself before she looked in the direction of her brother.
"Luke?" She yelled, her voice barely a whisper over the roaring of gunfire and explosions. She looked around, seeing nothing but destruction around her. The spot where her brother say crying moments ago now empty.
"Luke!" She screamed again, jumping to her feet and trying to squint through the smoke. "LUKE!"
She tried again, tears now streaming down her bleeding, dirty face. It was then she heard it. A gunshot rang out, and suddenly, all she felt was pain. A sharp burning sensation in the small of her back, gradually moving through her side and towards her left hip. She looked down at her tattered clothes, her hands moving to the blood that currently seeped through her top. Suddenly her legs felt weak and as she fell to her knees, her vision began to blur, before she knew it she was laying on her side, her gaze moving towards the sky.
She briefly heard the hum of engines. Saw lights slowly ascend into the air, only to rise towards the clouds and disappear almost instantly. It was quiet then. No screams. No gunfire. Just the crackle of flames and fire.
She took one final deep breath. Than saw no more.
Next chapter up soon...sooner than this was put up anyway. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I hope you are kind enough to leave me a review and tell me what you think. Feedback would be most welcome!
See you next time!