A/N There are quite a few perspective changes in this one, so be prepared for that
Shepard's Apartment
A few hours later
Commander Jane Shepard sat quietly at her desk inside her apartment, idly surfing the extranet. Most of the search history consisted of reviews for local hangout spots on the Strip, or elsewhere on the Citadel, what various news outlets were saying about her or the Normandy, or shopping for weapon and biotic mods. Some even earlier ones were from her, rather curiously, looking up a 21st century music group Abby had told her about. After sampling a few songs, Shepard decided, while not exactly favoring the genre, she could understand why her Assassin friend liked it.
One tab had her email inbox open, which contained an ongoing conversation with her mother, Rear Admiral Hannah Shepard. She was still aboard the SSV Orizaba, helping protect the top secret Crucible Project. Some of the back and forth made mention of a sudden spike in shootings on the Citadel, which Hannah had chalked up to terrorists taking advantage of the Galactic chaos, or panicked refugees. The commander had decided to agree, opting to wait for a later time to fill her mother in on what had really happened.
The terminal suddenly beeped, announcing the arrival of a new email. Opening it, Shepard found it to be from Abby.
From: Abby (AWilliams61 at INCOG dot ex)
Subject: Got some free time?
Hey, boss.
Thanks again for coming to that Memorial Wall thing. It meant a lot, especially to Ashley. Giving Sarah a distraction seemed to work perfectly.
Ash is taking her home now. She has her own apartment. Zakera Ward, I think?
Anyway, I'm scoping out that Armax Arena place. I keep getting email invites from them, thanks to being friends with the Woman Of The Century.
Being on your crew has some positive side effects after all.
Want to come by? Maybe participate, or watch? After all that emotional stuff and lazing around for the last few days, I need to kill something. Even if it is just a hologram.
If you come by, I'll probably still be here trying to set up a match. I'm trying to make the enemies melee only. You'd think that'd be an option. Eh, I'll figure it out.
-Abby
Pondering the message for a moment, Shepard nodded to herself, quickly tapping out a reply. She was about to rise from her seat, then an idea crossed her mind. Shepard sat back down, sending a short message to another contact, asking to meet up at the Arena, before leaving the apartment.
A short walk later, Commander Shepard passed into the Armax Arsenal Arena. She descended the stairs and into the locker room, where sure enough, she found Abby talking to the VI assistant with an annoyed tone.
"What do you mean that isn't an option?" She asked. "What if I want to do hand-to-hand only?"
"Hand-to-hand matches are an option, miss." The VI answered. "However, no weapons are allowed for them. This includes, but is not limited to: Batons, clubs, concealed firearms, or knives of any kind."
Abby looked down at her wrists, where her Hidden Blades were concealed beneath her hoodie sleeves. "Ugh. Fine." She began tapping in match customization options, making the VI hologram disappear. "Hi, Shepard. Thanks for coming." Abby added, knowing the commander had walked in despite not turning around.
"How did you…?"
"Lucky guess." The Assassin turned around and grinned at her friend before returning her attention to the screens. Shepard approached her, looking over her choices curiously.
"Foot soldiers… non-armored targets… PDWs… against Cerberus… no placed ammo and enemy damage boost… on Pain Train?"
"Yeah. The map looks fun. Plus, there's lots of high vantage points. Want to join in?"
"Nah. I'll be spectating for today. I've been through plenty of times, so I'd like to see it from the other side."
"You clearly have, if that score board outside is any indication." Abby gestured towards the exit, where the high scores were listed. Shepard was in second, behind Aria T'Loak by only a few hundred points.
"Well, smile for the cameras, and don't miss." Shepard said, patting Abby's shoulder. "Me, and...an important friend will be watching." She winked at the Assassin before leaving the locker room, walking away too fast for Abby to ask what she meant. Shrugging, Abby decided on the last few options and boarded the elevator. There was still a few minutes before the ongoing match ended, so she had time.
For some reason, the Assassin felt nervous. Adrenaline shot through her body as she thought about performing in front of what was likely going to be a sizable audience. Anytime Shepard or any of her crewmates went anywhere, people tended to notice. Most would likely be hoping for the commander to participate, and hopefully wouldn't be too disappointed to see Abby walk in by herself.
"Your match is about to start!" An automated voice on the elevator announced. "Make last minute checks now! The lift will leave in...thirty...seconds!"
Abby took a deep breath, slowly letting it out and performing a quick stretch and flex.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" An announcer addressed the crowd up above. "We have a newcomer to the Arena today! Fresh off of the SSV...Normandy! You heard right! We've got a teammate of Commander Shepard in the house!"
"Please don't." Abby said to herself as the lift began to climb. "This is already enough pressure. Like the Hunger Games or something!"
"Let's give our new friend an Armax Arena welcome! Give it up for...Abigail WILLIAMS!" Her last name echoed into the Arena just as the lift stopped. Abby looked around at the massive glass windows up above where dozens, if not hundreds of people began cheering. She gave a small, hesitant wave before looking to the empty Arena floor.
"So...how does this work? Does the environment just-woah!" Her question is answered by the map suddenly forming out of thin air. She wasn't in an Arena anymore. Now it was a large train station that had clearly seen better days.
"Huh. Cool. So...where's Cerberus coming from?"
The question is answered once again by the announcer's voice.
"The match starts in three...two...ONE! Good luck, Abby!"
At the sound of a loud horn, a number of Cerberus troopers filed into the station from the opposite platform on the far side of the station. Abby nodded, cracking her neck, donning her hood and bringing up some music on her Omni-Tool.
"Alright then...show time."
XX
As the announcer spoke, Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor entered the Arena viewing her surprise, she spotted Shepard in the crowd already gathered at the windows. She elbowed her way forward, giving the commander a puzzled expression when she waved.
"Commander? The match is starting. What are you doing up here?"
"It's not me we're watching." Jane grinned, pointing to the window. Samantha approached to see none other than Abby on the Arena floor, nervously waving to the now lively crowd.
"What...why...who…?"
"Abby invited me, and I invited you." Shepard explained as the map below took shape and Cerberus soldiers began entering. "It was meant to be a surprise...for her."
"I can appreciate the gesture, Commander. But...why?"
"Mmmh...two reasons." She began. "One, she just had a pretty bad day, and I think seeing you might help. Two...which ties into the first...don't think I haven't noticed."
"Noticed what?"
"How you look at her. And how she looks at you. As Skipper, it's part of my job to notice this stuff, and you'd be surprised how often I see it on board." The commander finds herself thinking about this entire situation for a moment. "I...hope this doesn't come off as weird or anything."
Traynor crossed her arms, eyeing her commander. "I can see why it might...but I'd like to know why you did it."
"I asked Liara to do more digging on the Assassin Brotherhood. Its members tend to be short lived, and don't have much time for personal relationships. I'm sure Abby knows this, if her rearing to head to Omega and the Cerberus HQ are any indication. I wanted her to enjoy her likely short time with our crew. Make some friends. I wanted to help."
Traynor's eyes wander towards the Arena, where Abby has moved from the start point up to the very top of the map. She appears to be watching the Cerberus soldiers, waiting for the right moment. Samantha finds herself completely mesmerized by the Assassin's movements, watching her move effortlessly around, like back on the ship during her workout routines.
"You...might be onto something...Commander."
XX
"The target is here somewhere. Remain on alert!"
"You two. Take the right."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Perfect. They're splitting up."
"Sniper! Get up to that spot and cover us."
Abby slid down out of view just as a Nemesis climbed up onto the canopy she was on. The Cerberus sniper cautiously looked around, before turning her attention to the team on the opposite platform. The music started up in Abby's ears as she moved in.
I know you think you know me
But you don't have a clue what I'm gon' do
My favorite song is playing
And I'm about to break the rules for you
The Assassin silently approached the sniper, making a quick swipe at the back of her leg with a blade. Completely stunned, the Nemesis wordlessly fell to her knees, before Abby finished her off with a stab through the back of the neck.
I know you think you know me
But you aint ever seen the way I move
Abby lept from her spot, grabbing hold of the scoreboard. Shimmying along, she was able to see the time remaining and her score. She went around the board 180 degrees, before flipping herself around and swinging to the opposite canopy, directly above the Cerberus squad. The audience seemed to take interest in her style of movement and use of stealth. The Assassin dropped from the canopy, landing on the back of one of the Troopers. Before he could react, Abby swiftly broke his neck and threw one of her blades at another who was about to round the corner. The knife struck the man in the chest, making him cry out as he fell.
"What the hell?!" Someone shouted.
"Target presence confirmed. Shoot to kill."
You'll never, you'll never, you'll never leave my bed
Now that I, now that I got you strung up in my web
It's the most amazing show, don't turn your head
As the chorus began, Abby leapt into action, running directly at one of the Troopers and stabbing him mid tackle.
"Target spotted!"
The Assassin quickly dove out of sight again, finding one soldier by himself.
"Where? Where is she?!"
She answered this question by knocking the Hornet out of his hands and pulling his Phalanx out of its holster. Abby shot the Trooper in the foot, knee, chest and face in one fluid motion, before throwing the gun at one of the other men. This distracted him long enough for her to close the distance, slicing across his stomach and chest, then skewering him in the neck.
You and me, we can explode like Cirque Du Soleil
From the ceiling to the floor like Cirque Du Soleil
Watch my body hang all tied up and laced
A cabaret, Cirque Du Soleil
Before Abby knew it, all of her foes laid dead and the audience above cheered.
"Round one complete! Nice work!"
XX
"Wow." Shepard said with a nod. "Uhm...are you okay, Traynor?"
Samantha found herself unable to form any words, simply busying herself by trying to make the redness on her face go away. Her eyes were glued to Abby, her breaths were shaky, and she had absent mindedly unfastened the top button of her blouse.
XX
Unbeknownst to Abby or the spectators, someone had entered the locker room below the Arena. Despite the few cameras in the area detecting movement, the room was empty.
The match settings console suddenly activated, bringing up the preferences Abby had set. The person suddenly reveals themselves as the screen lights up. Pages turn, buttons activate, and the difficulty goes up.
Way up.
XX
"Get ready for round two, folks! Hope you all brought some extra ammo!"
The Assassin found a vantage point and got set up, only to see large plumes of smoke erupt from where she was expecting the next wave to come from.
"The Hell? Light infantry don't use smoke...is this part of the map design?"
Abby knew the answer once the first enemy came into view. A hulking man with large armored plates and a rifle in place of the usual sub guns the regular Troopers use. Flanking this Centurion are a number of Guardians and even more Assault Troopers, some of which are unarmored like she had originally planned.
"Hey...Hey wait a second!" She started to say, hoping to get the attention of a match official, if there even were any. "I think somethings wro-"
"Round two! Three, two, ONE!"
"Oh, whatever. Eh. What's the harm in a curveball?"
As before, Abby watched the precession of soldiers pass below and waited for them to separate.
It's like swingin on a swing, yeah
Push it back and forth, that's how we go
It's just like we're dreaming
It's better than a ride in the rodeo
The hologram bodies of her previous foes interestingly had yet to vanish, so these new men found them and put themselves on even higher alert.
"Okay...weak spots on Centurions are in the base of the helmet… small of the back…"
The Assassin silently hops down and behind one of the unarmored Troopers. She unsheaths a blade, grabbing his jacket collar and stabbing him in the back a few times. Before he could react, she twirled the blade around and buried it in his neck, silencing him. She rounds a corner, finding another Trooper and opts to trail her. The Assassin quickly closes in when they reach a high traffic spot, skewering the Trooper in her back as she overtakes her. The Cerberus soldier stands still for a moment, stunned, before collapsing.
By the time anyone notices what's happening, more than half of the wave is dead, including the Guardians. Abby had corralled them inside of the abandoned train car before disconnecting it from its magnetic track. The drop was rather short, but the car falling was simulated on the display screens below the floor. This of course drew the attention of the Centurion, which Abby was prepared for.
Turn off the lights, boy, turn off the light
I'ma mess with your mind, boy, mess with your mind
It's like swingin on a swing when you do it
Once you know just what to do
The pair squared off, with the Cerberus soldier trying to distance himself to get a clear shot at her. At the same time, the last surviving Trooper arrived to help his commander. The Assassin was knocked off balance after an attack and found herself facing away from the Centurion, who promptly grabbed her in a chokehold. The Trooper leveled his gun against her, but Williams was already one step ahead.
Using her small, lightweight body to her advantage, Abby kicked herself off the floor, using one foot to knock the gun out of the Trooper's hands and the other to strike him in the chest. He stumbled backwards and off of the platform, which counted towards Abby's rising kill streak.
Turn me upside down like Cirque Du Soleil
I want that wild, no I'm not afraid
I know it's dangerous, but with you I feel safe
Let's go crazy, Cirque Du Soleil
This gave her momentum just enough boost to pole vault over the Centurion's head and pull him down to the floor, where she was able to finish him off.
XX
"Hey! That's the move she showed us!" Shepard shouted excitedly to Traynor, which was barely audible over the roaring crowd.
XX
"Round two comes to a thrilling close! Very well done!"
Abby found herself panting as she looked around and up at the scoreboard. So far, she had accumulated 4800 points, and there were two and a half minutes left of the match.
"It's time for the final round! I hope you brought a flak jacket, Abigail!"
"...what?"
As she asked this, the horn sounded, and a colossal Cerberus Atlas Mech entered the Arena. The pilot raised the gun arm towards her, powering up the MAC cannon. Abby was left in terror and confusion, only being brought back by the next song starting.
Woman!
You know you're a woman!
You gotta be a woman!
I've got the feeling of love!
XX
"Hold on." Shepard said as she watched the display. "Something's not right." She stepped past Traynor and towards the lobby. "Watch her."
"Gladly." Samantha mumbled before coming to her senses. "Wait...what?"
XX
Abby dove out of the way just as a MAC round hit the floor near her feet. She scrambled up onto a stack of crates and gazed up at the observation windows, waving frantically.
"Hey! Stop the match! Something's wrong-WOAH!" A rocket suddenly impacted the bottom of the stack, sending the Assassin flying through the air and across to the other platform.
XX
Descending the stairs to the locker room, Shepard found it to be empty, except for a single person standing at the computer console, unaware of her presence.
"Hey!" The commander shouted. The mystery person whipped around, cursing under their breath, before seemingly vanishing into thin air. Shepard looked at where they once were with confusion, but was thrown off her feet by what felt like a push. As she scrambles back up, the person uncloaks and looks back at the commander, before quickly ascending the stairs. Shepard considers giving chase, but then remembers what's going on just upstairs. Explosions and mechanical stomping shook the ceiling as she scrolled through the terminal, desperately trying to find an emergency shut off.
XX
Abby had finally found a break in all the shooting, as the Atlas had seemingly lost her. Cowering on top of the station canopy, panting heavily, the Assassin looked herself over. Her clothes were dirty, with small tears on her jeans and hoodie. Her hands and face had cuts and bruises all over, and she felt as though her earlier rough landing had cost her at least a sprain in her wrist. Her favorite pair of sneakers had also seen better days, as one was unlaced and both had burns and scuff marks.
As the shooting pains in her wrist suddenly became worse, the Assassin looked down at it. While both of her arms were straight, her right hand was slightly more twisted than the left, and she couldn't move it very well. Lacing her fingers together, she sharply tweaked her hand in the opposite direction, trying not to cry out at the loud *crack* that came out.
The song that had started the round was still playing, though Abby had turned the volume down to give herself a chance to think. Time no longer mattered, especially if the simulator truly was malfunctioning. She had to destroy this Atlas, out of fear that it could actually kill her. She needed a plan.
Catching her breath while her song's guitar solo began, Abby cautiously peeked over the canopy. The Atlas was wandering around on the far end of the platform, scouring the area it had last seen her. Looking directly down, she saw the body of a Cerberus Assault Trooper, who had a belt of grenades around his waist. Abby eyed the grenades, then the Atlas, then the grenades again, and it clicked.
She had her plan.
She dropped onto the platform as silently as she could, now sore all over from doing battle with this armored behemoth. The Assassin knelt down and picked up a grenade, synching it to her Omni-Tool as she attempted to sneak up on the unsuspecting Atlas. She climbed onto the remaining rail car as the machine walked past, prized grenade in hand. As soon as the opportunity arrived, Abby pounced on it, dropping onto the Atlas' back and stuffing the grenade into its exhaust port. She jumped away and pressed the detonation button, nearly throwing the Atlas off its feet with the explosion.
"Haha! It worked!" Abby shouted excitedly.
Unfortunately, this action only succeeded in angering the Atlas pilot. The machine spun around at the sound of her voice, claw arm raised.
"Ah, shit." As the words left her mouth, the arm connected, sending her crashing through one end of the train car and out the other. Hitting the floor, every ounce of air was forced out of Abby's lungs, and she could only helplessly gasp for breath as the Atlas rounded the corner. The injured Assassin tried to scramble away, only for the claw to come down again, pinning her to the floor.
When you're...you're talkin to me
You see right through me!
I got the feeling of love
Thinking quickly, Abby deployed a blade and swung it at some exposed cables in the Atlas' elbow area. One swipe connected, showering her with sparks, but it didn't stop the MAC cannon from charging up and taking aim. Abby could only stare down the barrel in sheer terror, hoping against hope that this wasn't the end.
She's a woman, you know what I mean
You better listen
Listen to me, yeah
She's gonna set you freeeeee!
OH, OH YEAH!
XX
Up above in the viewing area, many onlookers were genuinely worried that a contestant was about to experience what would truly be a gruesome death. Some called for the match to end, others shielded their eyes. Samantha Traynor did neither, as her hands landed sharply on the glass window.
"ABBY! HURRY, SHEPARD!"
XX
Squeezing her eye's shut, Abby suddenly felt an immense weight be lifted away, accompanied by the sound of a rather large hologram despawning. One eye opened, and instead of a Cerberus Atlas bearing down on her, she only saw the empty, cavernous Armax Arsenal Arena from earlier. The Assassin opened both of her eyes and slowly pushed herself up. She was indeed still alive, and the Atlas was gone. Completely out of breath, her arms slid out from under her and she collapsed onto the floor, overflowing with relief. A chuckle escaped her as the Arena fell completely silent.
"...woah…"
"...sorry about that, folks. We appear to be experiencing some… technical difficulties." The announcer tried to relieve the tension in the air. "Can we have a medical team dispatched to the Arena floor, please? Miss Williams isn't looking so good."
Within seconds, Abby found herself surrounded by a group of medics, each one asking which areas hurt the most. Once it was established that nothing important was broken and the Assassin had been given a few minutes to catch her breath, the Turian medic helped her to her feet. It was slow going, given the throbbing pains in her wrist, ankles and chest, but the goal of standing up was eventually accomplished. This received a modest ovation from the audience, who had been on edge since the battle with the Atlas had started. At the Human medic's suggestion, Abby raised her uninjured hand and gave a small wave, finishing it with a thumbs up as the medics escorted the limping Assassin to the infirmary.
"Incredible to see Abigail walking away from that fight. Hopefully, everything checks out for her with the doctors. The Arena here at Armax Arsenal will be closing for the day, until this...issue can be resolved. We thank you all for coming to today's event, and we wish Miss Williams a quick recovery."
XX
Just outside the Arena, Commander Shepard eventually found the one person she was looking for.
"Kasumi Goto." She said with a frustrated tone. The young Thief attempted to jog away, but turned around upon hearing her name.
"Well, hey Shep!" She replied. "Fancy seeing you here. I didn't know you frequented the Arena." Kasumi said this despite being right next to the scoreboard with the Commander's name right on it. Shepard herself made note of Abby's placement in third.
HIGH SCORES
5404 - ARIA TLOAK
5100 - J SHEPARD
4990 - ABBY WILLIAMS
4910 - BARLA VON
"Well, I do. And I just so happened to spot you in the locker room making changes to an ongoing match." Shepard slowly became angrier as she spoke. "Changes that may have gotten a friend of mine killed." She pointed at the name on the board one space below her own.
"I...I…" Kasumi stammered. "I thought...you were in the match. I wanted to mess with you, have a little fun. Maybe even drop in and make some dramatic save." Shepard shook her head in disbelief. "Hey, I do it all the time! You have no idea how easy that terminal is to get into. I always undo my changes if things get out of hand, so nobody gets too badly messed up, but you chased me off before I could."
Kasumi was stumbling over herself trying to explain her actions, but at least she knew she had been caught.
"I would never put an innocent Arena-goer's life in danger...unless it was you, of course. I must've...made a mistake this time. I heard the announcer say 'Normandy', 'Shepard' and 'Williams', and must've misread what was happening."
"Yes, you did, Kasumi. Big time." Before Shepard could get any further, someone from the Armax staff came out and informed her that Abby had been brought to the infirmary.
"You're coming with me." The commander growled at her former squadmate. "If Abby's conscious, you will explain yourself, and apologize. Then, I might consider not cancelling your party invitation."
The Thief looked down at the floor. "Yes, mother- wait...there's a party? When? Where?"
Shepard looked past Kasumi for a moment, replaying her previous statement.
"...dammit."
XX
By the time the pair reached the infirmary, they found Abby seated on an exam table being hugged tightly by someone Kasumi didn't recognise. The Assassin protested, citing general pain all over her body, but her friend ignored her. Once Williams spotted Shepard, she whispered something and the friend immediately let go, spinning around to see the commander herself.
With Traynor out of the way, Shepard was able to see Abby better. She looked like the Commander had after the fall from the sushi bar, only with a medical brace on her wrist and small bandages covering the cuts on her face.
"Abby." The commander said, relief in her voice. "Thank God you're okay...at least, it looks like you are."
"Eh." The Assassin shrugged and held up her injured hand. "I've had worse. I got stabbed once, remember?" Her eyes wandered to the cloaked woman at the Commander's side. "Who's your...angsty friend? There a funeral happening that I need to know about?"
Shepard's companion cocked her head in confusion as the Commander explained.
"Abby, this is… this is Kasumi Goto. The one you've heard about? She's the one who...made your match go all crazy like that."
"Is that right?"
Kasumi nodded. "Yes it is, Williams-san. I'm deeply sorry about this. I thought Shepard was in the Arena and wanted to mess with her. If I had known she was merely spectating, I wouldn't have made the match so difficult."
Abby nodded, a neutral expression on her face. "Some friends you have, eh Shepard? Well, if that is the case…" Her face lightens into a wide grin. "Then...thanks for the match. I mean...wow. What a ride!"
The three other women in the room are taken aback at this reaction.
"Are you serious, Abby?" Traynor asked in disbelief. "This lady almost got you killed."
"I know. I was there. And...holy shit, man. That was intense."
Kasumi eyed Shepard after a few moments.
"You think this is the concussion talking?"
"Hard to tell. To quote her sister, 'She always was a little weird.'."
"No, no. I'm serious, Kasumi." Abby spoke up again. "I haven't had that much fun since I had to fight through that rogue Biotic cell." At everyone's looks of slight confusion, she elaborated. "The Asari government hired me to wipe out this rogue cell. They built a base on Niacal, but didn't take into account what oxygen toxicity could do to supercharged biotics."
"Regardless, I'm just glad you're alright." Traynor said.
"Agreed. So...you aren't mad?" Kasumi asked Abby.
"Mad? Hell no! When that Atlas pinned me...despite how terrifying it was...holy shit, that was so much fun." She looked down at the floor. "Damn… now I've gotten my ass kicked by a robot." The Assassin looked sheepishly up at Traynor and Shepard. "Maybe don't tell Ash about this?"
Samantha eyed her friend for a time, shaking her head.
"She's so...forgiving. And very easy going. And I think that's why I love her."
A/N Wow that was long.
This chapter currently holds the record for the longest in the story, at just under 5000 words. (Not including my authors notes) Hooray!
I guess you could chalk it up to a sudden rekindling of interest.
Abby gets to show off more of her combat prowess and her love of everything 21st century. The two songs she listens to are 'Circus Minimus' by JVZEL (Often mistaken for Rihanna), and 'Woman' by Wolfmother. As well as endure something similar to Ashley back on Mars, and finally meets the infamous Kasumi Goto.
TL;DR Abby takes a trip to the Arena, nearly gets killed by Kasumi
Next there will be a bit of downtime as the crew prepares for the Party, and we'll get a peek into the chemistry between the Assassin and our lovely Communication Specialist. Will they come to the party as friends? Something more? Or nothing at all?
Thanks for reading and enjoy this out of character rapid fire posting from me.
See you next time!
