The firs thing James noticed when he woke up was the sharp headache that seemed to pulsate everytime he took a breath. And as he sat up in his military grade cot wincing, the memories of last night came back to him in a flash almost making him want to lie down again and never get up.
He didn't know how he was going to face Shepard.
The crew quarters was empty of other people but he could hear them loudly talking in the dining area as they ate breakfast. James let out a sigh and then winced at the stabbing pain that shot through his temples as he did so.
It was a little petty of him to think so, but now that he thought about it, he had no qualms about being with Shepard, she could fill out a uniform like nobody's business, she was an amazing soldier, and an even better person. It's just that...James closed his eyes and rubbed his temples as he threw his legs out over the side of the cot.
It was all about the chain of command. Yeah, it wasn't a big deal to other people but he took this seriously. He was just another soldier under Shepard's command, nobody important to the world. Irrelevant.
It wasn't just that part that stopped him, it was also the fact that he wanted nothing to hold him back from joining the N7 program once the damn war was over...assuming that they won.
The doors hissed open and Cortez walked in, "You better get out there fast Mr. Vega." the shuttle pilot glanced at the hungover lieutenant and rummaged around in his footlocker for something, "The food is going to be gone fast and you know how the latecomers get the oatmeal." he withdrew his hand from the locker holding a small silver packet without a label and tossed it to James where it landed in his lap.
"A cure." Cortez said as he walked back out without another glance. The doors clinked shut with another hiss leaving James alone once again.
The lieutenant fumbled with the packet and tore it open tossing the clear liquid back and swallowing with a grimace. In a few seconds, his headache disappeared and he felt fit for duty. He would have to thank Esteban later.
And it wasn't just James himself that thought about this whole thing with Shepard that way, Joker surprisingly had the same thoughts as well. To people who weren't exactly on par with Shepard, she was someone untouchable. Hell, the Normandy was basically a ship full of legends. There had been Grunt, Wrex who was now clan leader and formidable in his own way, there was Mordin, Garrus Vakarian who was also another 'legend' in his own right, Tali, even Liara who was now the Shadow Broker, and now of course they had the last living Prothean from 50,000 years ago aboard the ship. They were all the best of the best. One ragtag crew of misfits but well known and talented. Geniuses of the field, if you will.
And then there was James Vega. Failed soldier who for some reason, had gotten selected to join the N7 program. Just a regular soldier who had gotten his whole squad killed in action and was the only survivor to tell the tale. No major accomplishments in his career, no outstanding talent, not even a weird quirk.
"Gotta get up." he muttered and stood up with a stretch before rummaging around his locker for a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel. And you were telling him that commander Shepard just kissed him last night under the influence of alcohol. He felt like a joke.
...
"Nice of you to join us lieutenant." Shepard grinned at him as he sat down at a seat in the war room. He had just gotten out of the shower when EDI alerted him of the meeting that was about to happen and he had barely enough time to put clothes on, grab a packet of water and a breakfast bar before sprinting his way down.
James settled into the only open seat next to Shepard and shrugged, "It ain't a party without me." he flashed her a grin and ripped open his breakfast bar.
Now this was awkward. Acting like nothing happened after he had thought about it so much.
"Anyway, as I was saying." Shepard turned back to the whole crew gathered, "Our objective this time is only information retrieval at a Cerberus base. Hackett already sent us the information we need, I need the ground team going with me to review all of the information before gearing up."
"He makes it seem like we don't have other important things to do." someone from engineering grumbled as they passed by the meeting on the way out.
Shepard grinned and looked at the crew who seemed to be of the same mind but didn't say anything, "I know I know, but if the admiral says it's important, then we gotta do it." she pressed a button on her datapad to turn it on, "I mean come on guys, if it's Shepard's crew that has to do it, you know that they can't afford a failure." she was joking of course, but everyone knew it to be the truth.
James crumpled up the wrapper in the palm of his hand and inconspicuously glanced around at everyone else. They seemed to be getting on board with what Shepard was saying, "So who's going with you?" he asked.
"Hmm..." Shepard scrolled through her datapad, "Lieutenant James and Vakarian." she said without looking up, "We leave in two hours, review the information I'm sending you and gear up. We'll meet in the shuttle as usual." that signified the ending of the meeting and people started to get up to leave.
"Oh yeah." Shepard looked up from her datapad. People paused in their footsteps and looked at her, "And once this is over, how about we go get some well deserved shore leave?" she smiled at the cheers it got, "Then it's settled." she turned away from everyone else and walked into the communication room leaving everyone else behind.
James watched her leave from his seat. It really was like nothing had happened. He felt like a dumbass.
...
It had been grueling work just to reach the main room where the information packet was supposed to be kept and it was a little annoying to James how it took so long to get there and then barely retrieve anything useful off the console that Shepard was hacking, but then again this was the real deal, not some RPG.
"Got it." Shepard finished tapping away at the buttons and downloaded the package onto her omni-tool before backing away,"Let's move." she reached up to her earpiece,"Cortez, we're on our way to the LZ. Ten minutes tops maybe fifteen if we meet up with resistance."
"Roger that commander. I'll be there." Cortez replied immediately.
"Alright, time to get out of here." James grinned, he couldn't wait to hop into the shower and eat. Ground missions made him hungry as hell and he could use a good meal right about now.
Shepard grinned at him as they made their way out of the room and across the hallway through a different route to the landing zone. She hacked the large hangar gates open and the three of them ducked behind barriers just in time to avoid the shower of bullets being directed at them. Turrets had been set up on both sides of the entrance and Cerberus ground troops were already there behind barriers and cover.
"Hope they didn't bring us another atl-" James opened his mouth when the ground beneath them shook violently,"Christ." he grumbled,"Another atlas." they all watched as the giant mech dropped in and began to unfold from itself mechanically.
Garrus's voice rumbled,"Can't ever seem to get away easy when we're with you Shepard." he laughed and fired off a shot instantly killing a soldier hidden behind a full body shield.
Shepard let loose a shockwave knocking out a couple of soldiers in the way and used her shotgun to take out the turret on her left,"What can I say." she grinned as she ducked back into cover before the remaining turret could spray her with bullets, "I didn't want to make it too easy for you guys."
"I guess everyone wants a piece of you Lola." James laughed as he took out an advancing soldier. He ducked a missile that was headed straight for his head and watched it explode into the doors behind him with a burst of light and smoke, blackening the spot where it hit. Almost a goner, he thought to himself grimly as he reloaded his assault rifle but this was no time to go cold. He had a fight to win.
But before he could prepare himself, the atlas fired its canon at them with a deafening sound knocking James and Shepard from cover making them completely vulnerable targets.
Garrus hurriedly knocked out the other turret before it could fire on them giving James enough time to get back into cover and open fire on the soldiers forcing them to hide. Shepard who had gotten the brunt of the force of impact was blown back a few meters and flat on her back.
"Lola watch out!" James yelled from his spot behind his newly found cover when he saw the atlas rotate towards her and aim its cannon at her.
She stood up in a slight daze trying to clear her head but stumbled a bit as she looked around trying to find a new form of cover. Everything had gotten scattered from the previous blow that had knocked her and James out of hiding. Her head ached, her vision was almost gone but slowly coming back to her, and her arms and legs felt like they were being sit on by four different krogan and the screeching ringing in her ears made her wince. Shepard tried to move but found that her body didn't react as quickly as she'd hoped it would.
Time didn't slow down as it seemed to in other situations, everything happened in a split second. The slight recoil of the atlas's arm as it fired its canon, the rain of bullets being directed at them, Shepard trying to stumble to cover behind a barrier still standing up a few feet away from her that she just managed to spot.
Would I make it?
James exchanged what seemed to be a long look with Shepard as he deliberated what to do and then dropped his weapons, she needed help and she needed it now. There was no time for anything else. If Shepard's life was in danger, someone had to protect her.
He could vaguely hear Shepard yelling at him to get back into cover when she realized what he was planning to do. He scrambled out into the open and sprinted towards her. Adrenaline shot through his body and for the moment, the only sounds he could hear now was his heartbeat and his breathing as everything else seemed to fade away. Please make it, he thought to himself desperately, please make it. His legs burned and felt leaden with the sudden exertion and his lungs protested at the lack of air they were receiving.
He reached her almost too quickly, and it was kind of scary in a way. Time seemed to pass instantaneously in moments that were vital.
James could feel unexplainable relief as he wrapped his arms around Shepard just as the rocket sheared away at his shields and slammed into his back in a burst of light and flames. He felt searing hot pain but it quickly faded into numbness. Safe, he thought to himself and then blackness hit.