MASS EFFECT: ENTANGLED
CHAPTER 20
Bray lifted an eye ridge as he observed T'Loak making a beeline straight to him inside Purgatory when he entered for his assigned shift. "This way," She hastily told him as she strode by in a silent manner. Obediently, he took behind her and remained quiet as they left the club.
She reached the sky cab console, and he finally broke his silence, "Where are we going?"
"For a little bit of fun," She coyly stated. Minutes later, their selected skycar arrived at its dock and they got inside. Bray took to the driver's position while she grabbed the passenger seat. "Set course for Silversun Strip near the Armax Arena." The course made him pause somewhat before he set the nav point. She noticed his tension. "Ease up. I said fun," She rolled her eyes with a grumble.
"What's at the arena?" Bray queried eagerly. Sometimes he hated how vague his boss could be about her plans.
"I have been at his hellhole for far too long. I'm itching for some real combat. I'm sure you are too," She didn't bother looking at him as she spoke. "With my plans in place and the assault nearing to take back my station, I need to make sure you are ready."
"Heh, so a combat sim?"
T'Loak said nothing as she exited the cab once their vehicle landed near the Armax Arena entrance. The Silversun Strip was just as brightly lit as the outside of Purgatory and way too illuminated for Bray's liking. He missed the darkness that Omega brought. Aria grimaced as she slowed her pace to allow Bray to take her side. Her blue eyes made brief contact with those lounging around in idle chatter outside the arena, and casino. A few elegant clothed asari noted T'Loak's presence and gossiped to one another, while others simply ignored her. "I miss the fanfare of Omega," She muttered to him.
Two vorcha swindlers were standing outside the arena entrance soliciting players for a holo game that they were running. One of them gasped loudly with large drool sounds as he noted the former ruler of Omega before him and his companion. "Aria?! That you..?!"
The other cackled beside him. "And I thought this place was boring! Game?"
Aria crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the trap they had. "No, thank you." She motioned Bray up the stairs. "This way."
The vorcha fervently hailed her visit. "She's here! She's here!"
An overly large monitor displayed the top scores from the combat sim at the center of the open lobby at the top of the stairs. "You have to be fucking kidding me," T'Loak mocked in amusement at the list of the top three contenders. "A volus? At the top? Is this a sick joke?" Bray read the name "Barla Von" and recognized him as an agent for the Shadow Broker. They dealt with him some in the past on transactions.
"Probably paid for that title," Bray snorted.
Irritated even more, Aria moved over to the game token machine. "I am going to wreck that little bastard's title for sure."
A young male in his late twenties in Scorpion medium body armor approached them from another area of the upper lobby. "Hey, you newbs? I'm Jordan from the CU Engineering Club. Are you going in? About time, we see an asari light up the place." He then warily eyed Bray behind her. "First time I saw a batarian here. You need help setting up the game?"
"No," Aria abruptly cut him off as she rushed her steps down with Bray in tow to swipe the access token and set up their preferences. The club member didn't take the hint and followed along as he watched excitedly. T'Loak disregarded that he was there and set the controls: Cerberus, Gold, and Wingman." She then smirked at Bray. "I can't wait to fucking blast Cerberus." He grunted his agreement.
"Um," Jordan piped in. "If you are brand new to this, then you don't want Gold. My friends and I are now on level Silver, but we have a group of three and have been playing right when this came out a few weeks ago."
"Bray," Aria became irked at the geeky contender.
The batarian then turned to face Jordan with an aggressive glare. "Suggest you back off, nerd boy. We have faced the real thing."
Jordan took a few steps quickly back to put further distance between himself and them as he shuddered in fear. "O-Okay."
"Next match set. Please proceed through the light-up entrance," The Armax VI announced over the comm. Aria simpered as she held a stolen Blood Pack submachine gun then looked over at her bodyguard who unholstered an M-6 sidearm. Moments later after they entered, the entire dome area lit up. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen to this exciting match against Cerberus enemies on Level Gold."
Bray noted a gathering of onlookers at the viewing platform above where they were. He groaned, "Didn't think we have fans."
"Afraid you will look bad?" she taunted.
"Three…two…one…Round One starts now!" The VI continued and then seconds later, Cerberus Centurions appeared with Engineers.
Aria raced ahead to take them on, unleashing a reave attack to drain their energy before firing at them relentlessly. Bray skirted to the right to take on the two engineers that moved away to set up turrets. One of them was already placing one down. Aiming at the closed device, Bray pulled the trigger and pounded it persistently until it exploded into the engineer's face. The operative screamed in immense pain as he collapsed to the ground, then disappeared from the playing field. Bray's shields then pinged as rounds from the second engineer caught him off guard as it shot at him with its weapon. Gritting his teeth in aggravation from the sloppiness, he returned fire and switched on his modified cryo rounds. The Cerberus operative froze instantly before shattering and vanishing as well. He looked around to see Aria looking quite bored. "You finally finished?" she asked in an unpleased tone.
"Round Two! Three…two…one," The VI declared.
This time, three spawning points appeared. One was close to them, while one was further ahead and the other near their back. From the nearest portal, Cerberus soldiers appeared followed by more engineers in the back and then a pair of Nemesis and a phantom in the rear. "Bray, go ahead. I'll handle the fun in the back," Aria ordered as she pivoted and moved to take on the most formidable of foes.
Bray dove behind cover as the soldiers opened fire upon where he once stood. "Target acquired!" One of them barked at the others.
Switching to incendiary ammo, Bray maneuvered out of cover to hit one soldier dead with several modified rounds. The feigned enemy erupted in flames before it disappeared. The remaining two soldiers pressed on while the engineers used their time to set up two turrets. Bray recognized the danger ahead and swore in his native tongue. He looked towards where Aria went but there was no sign of her, only a purple flashing display of a strong biotic attack. Standing up, he fired several rounds at the nearest soldier before seconds later it vanished. He didn't duck back into cover and heard his shields taking a beat from the turret fire. An alarm chimed to signal that his shields were down to zero and would take time to recharge. Hearing footsteps approach, he realized that the last soldier was rushing to flank him out of cover or even ambush him while he was pinned! Stashing his weapon only briefly, he seized the fortuitous opportunity and grabbed the unsuspecting soldier by the neck, yanking his head over heels and onto his back. He then branded his sidearm and opened fire at the soldier's helmet at point blank. Several grunts escaped the operative's mouth as his body contorted until it disappeared. Bray dove back into cover just in time as the turrets opened fire. Seconds later, sounds of an explosion came from where they were. He gaped up to see both were gone and then looked to see Aria running to him. Gritting his teeth, he charged at one engineer, catching the artificial simulation in complete surprise. He squeezed the trigger and hit his query until it was gone, then moved on to the last enemy. Ignoring the onslaught to his shields once more by opposition fire, he shot. Seconds later, round two ended. This time, Aria only gave him a look but said nothing. She didn't have to. He was off; what was holding him back? "Round Three," The VI continued the program. "Three…two…one."
Out of the spawning portals, came a barrage of Cerberus soldiers, centurions, phantoms, and two Atlas mechs. Both towering mechs were at the front of the map while the majority of the other Cerberus fighters stemmed from the upper rear level and to the left. "Up and away from the mechs!" Aria ordered as she took the lead to storm up the ramp to engage their opponents. Bray followed and scrunched as he heard a too-close-for-comfort impact near his right by the mech's rocket. For a second, he lost sight of Aria as she dodged sharply around a perfectly placed protective barrier. Stopping in his tracks to locate her, he heard the chilling chattering of an invisible being right up on him. The phantom uncloaked just as she swung at the center of his torso with its sharp katana blade. Reacting, he held his abdomen inward as he jumped a foot back. The cloaking adversary maintained its attack with killing lashes at him. He was too close to open fire on it; all he could do was continue to evade. He felt his shields taking a beating from incoming centurion fire. Becoming highly discouraged by the pertinacious sword swipes, he did something that the mechanized being did not anticipate. He allowed the phantom to lunge even closer and sidestepped promptly to put her to his right. He then rotated and delivered a strong uppercut to its chin with his left fist, then did a cross strike with his right. The blows were impeccable, and the phantom stumbled backwards. The distance was what he needed, and he seized the opportunity to open fire rapidly on it. The well-placed incendiary shots ignited the phantom and then it vanished.
When he finally located T'Loak, she already handled the other phantom and most of the Cerberus soldiers. All that was remaining were two more Cerberus centurions and the two mechs. Aria kept her head down as one of the Atlas struck near where they were sending bits of shrapnel in all directions. Bray saw one Cerberus centurion with his back turned towards him as it focused on where Aria was. Stalking his prey, Bray stayed out of sight and then used a carnage blast to hit the unsuspecting foe straight in the back. Digital pixelation erupted as the centurion vanished. Using a lash attack, T'Loak dragged the remaining centurion towards her and then opened fire upon him. His body shook violently from the impacting rounds before he vanished.
Bray glanced towards their right to see that the two mechs broke apart and were now separated on opposite sides of the lower platform. Taking on each solo could be dicey, though Aria would be the one to risk it. "How'd you want to play this?"
"The right has more cover. Target him first," She darted over a crate before her trademark black heels stormed down the ramp. They had to be careful. Hitting one would place their backsides vulnerable. They could leave nothing to chance. Using a staggard approach, Aria motioned Bray over to the side to regroup. "I'll move in. Nail that bastard in the cockpit."
"Got it."
He watched as she moved ahead and then looked over at the other mech. It was slowly approaching them, but for now, he was out of its range; any open fire would just nail surrounding structures. Aria picked the best spot. However, with her out of cover, it would leave her the prime target. He waited until their query followed Aria turning its body to the right and away from him. A few rounds from her submachine gun only clipped its shields slightly. Her bodyguard popped in a fresh clip and fired on the yellow cockpit side. At first, the pilot ignored it, but as the rounds pummeled the fragile glass enclosure, he directed the mech towards Bray again. The batarian didn't let up. He kept the trigger squeezed and unloaded the entire mag on it. The glass encasement shattered, and it left the pilot fully exposed. Aria leaped towards the cockpit and threw the Cerberus operative out onto the hard floor. The pilot groaned as he hit the ground with a roll. A few well-placed taps to his body by Bray's fresh clip and the driver vanished.
Aria directed her new toy toward their final opponent. "Eat this, you bastard," She growled as she launched a missile attack. The projectile impacted and caused serious damage to the opposing mech's shields. Bray joined in and fired away as well with his sidearm. A loud dangerous chime erupted before the mech's power core went critical and exploded. Just as it did, it vanished.
Celebratory music filled the arena as artificial fireworks exploded above. The VI hovered down to where they were. "The match goes to Aria T'Loak. This event was sponsored by Elkoss Combine. When you want the best, come to Elkoss Combine." Bray noted his final score and compared it to hers. She was more than a thousand points ahead and he had no idea in the ranking of where he fell. Despite the combat being a simulation, it was more grueling than the sims during his training in the military. His body felt so hot and sweaty under his armor. He felt his heart rate finally being able to slow down as the adrenaline dissipated. When they exited the chamber, he glanced over at the smaller scoreboard monitor. Aria T' Loak now achieved the highest ranking with a score of five thousand nine hundred and four, while he placed third with an amount of four thousand three hundred and twelve. His placement was almost a hundred points shy of Barla Von's second ranking. His jaw dropped and he grumbled in failure.
T'Loak turned on him. "That was pathetic," She spat coldly. "You let a volus beat you."
He rubbed the back of his neck and murmured, "The round asshole probably paid for his slot or someone to fight for him."
"You're not ready to take Omega back," She hissed. "You're too distracted. Maybe, I should just leave you here."
"Aria, you know I can't stand this place," He argued lightly. "I can do better."
"I want you to help lead the ground assault. Get your ass back in there. Come back once you beat Barla Von," She scoffed once more in disgust at the name. "I'll see you at Purgatory."
He grimaced at the order but nodded his head. "Will do."
"And Bray," Her voice lingered as she looked back his way "Just don't beat my score."
"Lola, do you ever rest?" James strolled along at Shepard's side in his military uniform on the Silversun strip. She was sporting her normal body armor.
"I'll rest when I'm dead, James. I need to give the Primarch time to get his fighters in position on Tuchanka before we proceed. Ash is released and I need to vent," Her brown eyes stared straight ahead as she made a beeline to the newly opened Armax Arena. With her Spectre status, she was given one free trial token to use. She was becoming tense with each moment deeper in the war. Mordin was ready to disperse the cure, but reapers were spotted in the Krogan DMZ. Harbinger was determined to cease their hope. There was so much at stake to correct the genophage.
"So, Ash is the next human Spectre…mmm," The brassy broadly built marine hummed as he changed topics. "Two hotties for sure. The Council knows how to pick 'em."
Krysta rolled her eyes at his remark and snickered. "Lieutenant, I wouldn't let Ash hear you say that. She may hit you," She teased and secretly hoped for the spectacle.
The marine grew quiet as he spied the expensive clothed variety of species conversing about on the strip. Luxury was the draw to this place. "These people have no idea what kind of hell lurks beyond this station, do they?"
Krysta sighed, "No, they do not, James." She picked up on a group forming in front of the arena's large scoreboard display on the strip and muttering amongst themselves. "Looks like I may have an audience," She spat under her breath. She was hoping to de-stress and make not make a show out of it.
"Heh, I heard Barla Von had the reigning top spot," Vega chortled. "Can you believe it? That tiny little guy is numero uno. Talk about loco."
"What the hell?" Krysta gasped when she was close enough to read the rankings. "Aria is now number one?!" She didn't peg the asari to be the type to showboat her skills as a former biotic commando.
James humorously nudged her with his left elbow. "Looks like your batarian friend is number three. He plays too?"
Shepard's mouth gawked slightly open as her eyes lowered down the list: Aria was number one, Barla still held the second position and Bray was listed as three. A few others fell below them. "Bray…" She whispered his name as her brown eyes sadly scurried towards the stairs that led to the arena's lobby. She tapped the male salarian in front of her. "Um, excuse me. When does this list update?"
The jade-pigmented amphibious alien blinked several times with his obsidian glossy eyes. "Shepard? Commander Shepard?" A wide grin spread on his face. "Commander Shepard is here to do a match!" The gatherers turned her way in a synchronized motion with thrilled expressions.
"Commander Shepard!" A krogan chortled in amusement. "Finally, some entertainment!"
"You think she can beat Aria's score?" An eloquently attired batarian questioned.
"She can! I know it! I have been watching all the stories about her on the extranet!" A human female excitedly exclaimed. "Commander Shepard! Before you go in, will you give me an autograph?" Several others piped in with the same requests.
Krysta groaned and rubbed the center of her forehead in frustration. This is not what she came down here for. Picking up on his commanding officer's agitation, James stepped around to put himself between them and her. "Hold up. No autographs today. The commander is looking for a little R and R. Comprende?"
The first salarian frowned. "Oh, okay. Going back to your earlier question, Commander, the board updates in real-time."
Disregarding any further dialogue, Shepard maneuvered around and bolted towards the stairs. Her heart raced in her chest as she tried her best to move fast but did not make a scene. There was a chance that they were still in there. Then again, there was a strong possibility that recent combatants didn't even make the list. She noticed James picking up her rear and stopped to hand him her card for the free round. "James, get my token. I'll see if the arena is free." She moved to the center of the complex where a small crowd was gathering near a rail to overlook below. A sign flashed to indicate there was a match in progress.
"Freaky shit," A turian commented nearby as he looked on.
"Goddess, I'm sure this simulation overdid the details. They don't truly look this way, do they?" An asari quivered at his side.
"Not bad," A krogan nodded his head at the fighter's progress.
"Doesn't look too bad. What level is that? Silver?" A salarian fellow combatant questioned his friend.
"Gold," The krogan gleamed. The salarian gaped and his expression became more alarmed.
Krysta walked to a free spot on the rail and looked on. Down below was Bray doing a solo match against reaper ground troops. She glanced up at the progress board: He was on round three and his score so far surpassed his last score. He looked fatigued but determined to finish the match. The remaining foes were a few husks, two cannibals, and a marauder. She had never seen him fight before and always wondered just how good he was. He took a well-defensible position and was not foolishly rushing in like a rookie. Vega caught up to where she was and noticed Bray below, "He has guts for sure."
Bray had no problem taking down the remaining husks with his cryo rounds. He could hear the twisted beastly roars of the approaching cannibals. Taking the opportunity to reload, he dove back into the cover to switch out the thermal clips. He didn't get a visual yet of whatever was coming for him. The first round incorporated husks and marauders: The reaperfied versions of humans and turians. The mechanized whirring of the marauder made it easier to realize how more machine these creatures were. He had no idea what to expect when he picked the reapers as an enemy to go against. He was curious. Secretively, he wanted to know what Shepard was facing outside Citadel Space. In the first round, he learned that marauders increased the husks' viability so taking them out first was a priority.
When he cleared the cover, both sets of his eyes widened in shock as the outcome of his race peered right back at him from across the playing field. Their bloated bodies contained artillery cannons on their upper limbs where their normal arms and hands would be. Their heads were comprised of several batarian faces smashed into a bulbous mass with one squarely looking at him with a large gaping open mouth. The physically bizarre appearance stunned Bray in his steps. "What the fuck….," He struggled to talk. Was this his fate staring right back at him?
Above, Krysta watched on with the others. She noticed that Bray froze and presumed it was his first-time coming face to face with the mutilated version of his kind. He was isolated from it so far on Omega and the Citadel. The reapers had a disgusting tactic that Javik pointed out to her. They would capture those close to those fighting against their ascension and turn them into petrifying forms of their once-normal selves. The opposing forces would often hesitate on killing their own family or kind and that pause in their fighting would be all that the reapers needed to kill them and proclaim victory. Krysta saw firsthand the treachery of this on Eden Prime when she believed at first it was Saren or the Geth behind the desecrations. Instead, it was the reapers. It took a while for the shock to wear off and fortunately for her, no one close to her had such a fate. Though, that could easily change now, and something that even Garrus brought up to her. What if the reapers captured one of her squadmates or Anderson on Earth? What then? Could she pull the trigger against them? On one hand, it would be their salvation from such torment, then again, her subconscious would decree that she was murdering them. She told him firmly that she would not hesitate to pull the trigger, even though she doubted what she was even saying. Verbal affirming was one thing but physical was something else entirely different. "Bray, fight...," She gritted her teeth in a soft voice as her eyes remained on him. The initial shock was hard to wear off.
Bray gritted his teeth tightly as he snarled to mentally block what he was facing and moved behind cover momentarily. He then rose and blasted the first one with a carnage power. The cannibal roared ferociously at him seconds before the strike, then exploded into particles. He was now down to a single enemy. The cannibal fired upon him causing him to duck back into cover. He kept his head low as rounds pummeled where he was. Raising back up, he opened fire relentlessly at the cannibal. The beast howled in pain before vanishing moments later.
The arena's victorious fanfare erupted across the speakers as the VI hovered down to reveal his score. It was much higher than his past one. He smirked. "Finally." Wiping the sweat from his brow, he moved to exit the chamber.
"Damn, that dude can fight. You sure we can't have him on our team, Krysta?" Vega commented but then blinked to realize that she was no longer standing beside him and was already moving down the steps toward the match setup.
The salarian also noticed her absence and looked over at him enthusiastically. "Is she going to fight, too?!"
Activating her Sentry Interface, Shepard heard her armored boots impacting the steps down to the fighter's area. Her heart pounded in her chest as she anxiously hoped to catch him as he was leaving. She had no idea why she was feeling this way, but the feeling was overpowering. She managed to reach the lower level before he came out. Darting her eyes around, she moved over to the setup controls. She would appear to be interested in that and would be in direct view of him when he came out. Hearing the doors to the chamber opening and his panting, she swallowed hard and glanced away.
"Shepard..." Bray softly spoke out in astonishment in between breaths.
Taking a breath to compose herself, she looked in his direction. "Bray?" She motioned to the scoreboard. He was now several hundred points ahead of Barla Von and still behind Aria. "I see that you are staying active."
He wiped the dripping sweat from his forehead once more. "Yeah, well, trying to stay ready for the assault."
"You mean on Omega?" Krysta suspected. "Aria is ready?"
He remembered how they ended at their last encounter at the station. His voice soured, "She has what she needs. Will be heading out soon."
Shepard remained hushed by this. She wasn't aware that Aria bolstered her troops that immediately to retake the station. Going up against Cerberus was not going to be as easy as she predicted, but Krysta couldn't divert from their current mission. She hated the war so much. There was no room for her personal feelings. "I see...," She bit her lip as she tried her best to suppress the small pocket of anxiety and fear for his safety that crept into the back of her mind. He held his own in the arena, but that was only a simulation. Aria's war ahead would be on a level at least ten times harder. There was no reset or extra lives; death was death.
"You going in?" Did his voice quiver some? Shepard couldn't tell if her roller coaster of emotions was toying with her or not.
"I have a break before I head off to Tuchanka. I figured one match won't hurt. I can't rest anyway." She motioned forward with her head. "Care to join me, batarian?" A mischievous smile spread across her dark lips.
He picked up on this and he leered right back at her. "Fine, human. Let's see how great you truly are."
Shepard went back to the game setup and quickly selected the appointed foe before he was able to see what it was. She grinned. "This should be amusing."
He went over to refresh his stock of thermal clips. "I have faced Cerberus and Reaper forces." He shrugged indifferently. "Easy enough," He lied.
"Well, this may not be as difficult as the reapers, but should be rather fun," She waited for him to join her side before activating the chamber. "You should get out more."
"Heh," He chuckled as they walked inside the Spin Zone level.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Spin Zone! This match is brought to you by Aegohr Munitions," The VI announced.
Above, James laughed as he shook his head seeing her entering below with Bray at her side. "Whoa...I can't believe this shit." The others around him erupted in cheers and excitement as they spoke fondly of Shepard's name.
"Three…two…one…round one!" The VI continued before it disappeared.
A few portals opened nearby releasing a rush of Thorian Creepers. Their twisted slender forms were more haunting than the husks and raced toward where Krysta and Bray stood. "This is new!" Bray lifted his arm to open fire on their opponents.
"Saw these years ago on Feros!" Shepard explained loudly over the gunfire as she aimed her Avenger assault rifle. "A pain in the ass! Don't let them get too close!"
"What happens if they do?!" He asked back as he picked off a few more with his rounds.
"You want to know?" She joked as she harnessed dark energy and unleashed a biotic shockwave to handle the remaining ones for round one.
"Round 2…three…two...one," The VI said.
More spawn locations opened, surrounding them, and out poured more creepers. They seemed to be coming towards them like waves on a shoreline. Breaking apart, Shepard moved to the left while Bray darted to the right. Bray blasted a group with two well-placed carnage shots. He grinned at his victory, then looked over at Shepard. A few were racing toward her from behind and it looked like she didn't notice them yet. "Shepard! Watch your ass!" He skirted over a barrier in her direction. He took out two with ammo, but two more were now upon her. She was getting rushed!
Krysta noticed them and used a biotic shockwave to take out the ones to the left she was facing. She moved to take on her new set of foes, but Bray knew she would be too late. Holstering his weapon, he punched one and then pushed her away far enough to place his body between hers and theirs. One of the creepers vomited an acidic green bile all over his back as he used his body as a shield to protect her. He cried out as the vile substance swiftly depleted his shields. Realizing his self-sacrifice, Shepard motionlessly looked at him. "Get off him, fuckers!" She yelled as she maneuvered around him to use a biotic slam attack, crushing the remaining adversaries.
Since it was a simulated fight, the substance that spewed all over Bray faded as round two ended. His shields were charging back up. She looked his way with deep concern. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting that shit," He grumbled.
She softly smiled at him. "Trust me. It's smellier in reality." Krysta popped in a fresh clip. "You have some skills for sure, Bray."
"You kick ass with biotics," He returned the compliment. "Aria really could use you," He reminded strongly.
She narrowed her eyes at this. "Aria's not here." Then she sneered. "I'm going to beat her score."
"Round three…three…two…one," The VI clicked on.
There were now more portals from their rear and only two to their front and sides. "We will be quickly ambushed," Krysta spied the openings. "Let's stick together this round."
"At your side."
"These assholes will rush us, so let's give it to them before they get close. Distance is key." She raced ahead and opened fire just as the thorian creepers were released. Using cryo ammo, a multitude of the creepers began to freeze in their tracks, keeping them at bay. With them in a frozen state, she moved to more while Bray took the kill shots on those she hit already; ice shattered everywhere. Krysta utilized another slam attack to dispose of three more creepers while Bray threw a frag grenade to make quick work of two more.
To their left on another set of stairs, another portal opened to unleash the remaining thorian creepers for the round. Shepard clenched her jaw and eyed their surroundings. She and him were in the middle of the combat area. "Bray, pincer maneuver!"
"Understood!" He nodded before darting down the steps to the lower floor then to the other set of steps up to flank them on the left. She went the opposite direction to block their route. The unhuman abominations spotted Bray first and moved to rush him. This allowed Shepard to catch them off-guard from the back. She quickly fired her M-5 Phalanx to pick off a few then switched to her biotics.
"Get to cover!" She yelled at the batarian before she rushed out a strong biotic shockwave to pummel many of the creepers and send them careening off the battlefield like bowling pins. The sheer magnitude of the attack brought out strong exertion and she felt instant fatigue. Her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground partially, and she used the nearest barrier to her left for support. The few surviving creepers noted her weakened state and turned on her to take advantage.
Realizing the danger she was in, Bray gritted his teeth and opened relentless fire on the creepers. "Stay away from her!" The creepers howled in rage at the rounds pounding their synthetic forms before vanishing.
Regaining her stance, Shepard panted to catch her breath as she holstered her pistol. She looked at Bray in awe; her lips trembled as she watched him approach with deep worry. "You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," She gave a tired wink. "Overdid it with the implant. Wanted to make sure that a batarian didn't beat me."
The VI appeared once more as the music kicked in to end the match. It displayed their scores. "The match goes to Shepard."
"Two thousand points more?" Krysta beamed. "What's the matter, Bray?"
"I'm not a damn biotic," He chuckled. "Not bad for a human, Shepard.
She pouted with her arms crossed. "That it?" She was still touched by how fiercely he fought to protect her. The gesture broke many walls she had put up before. How could he do this to her? She felt so weak before him.
He shrugged as he walked out first with her in tow. His body ached enormously from the exertion, but he hid the uncomfortableness. "I expected better with a Spectre. Everyone makes a big deal about you."
"That so?" She chased after him teasingly with hands on her hips. "I know your background, Bray. I brought you along thinking that you had some proficiency."
He sharply turned around to face her. Their bodies were close, and his almond eyes gazed right into hers. "I'm lying," His voice became soft. "Besides Aria, I've never seen anyone fight like you before..." He reached out and his gloved fingertips gently stroke the locks of blonde hair that fell into her face, then moved them away.
Krysta felt her hesitant position diminishing by his touch and her body shuddered. "How do you do this…?"
"Do what?" He swallowed as he retracted his hand away in embarrassment.
She felt the words stop inside her head. "You put yourself in harm's way for me back there," She switched topics. "Why?"
"I," He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. There was a block formed in his thoughts. He struggled so hard to tell her how he felt. He glanced over her shoulder to see the mini scoreboard. He placed third now. Shepard was first, followed by Aria and then him. He beat Barla Von and had a good lead on the placement. "I needed to use you to help me place higher."
Disheartened by his response, Krysta faltered and glanced over at the board. "Looks like I'm on top," She smiled weakly.
"At least that round asshole, Barla, is knocked own," He muttered. "I better head back. Good match, Shepard."
"Bray," She called to him as he walked by. As he stopped, she moved up to him quickly and kissed him deeply. Her gloved fingertips pressed gently up against his chest plate as she felt him return it and embrace her closer.
"Hey, Shep! You kicked a-," Vega's comment to her quickly terminated when the marine spotted the two in their passionate moment. "Uh, oops."
Pulling away after hearing his voice, Shepard flushed and cleared her throat. "James."
Bray gave her one more look before he moved to head up the stairs to exit the arena. "Glad to have you back, Shepard," He muttered tensely as he deflected his eyes away from the stunned Vega.
Once he was gone, a devilish smirk spread on the brash marine's face. "So, you and he- "
"Not a word, Lieutenant," She warned him and became flustered by the entire ordeal. What did it mean? "I don't even know what the hell that was."
Before she was able to contemplate it further, a crowd of fans rushed down the steps to find her since she hadn't returned upstairs yet. Behind them were several media reps. "Commander Shepard!" A salarian eagerly called to her above the noise. "What do you think of Armax Arena? Do you plan on returning here?"
"You have the highest score! How do you feel about beating Aria T'Loak?" An asari broke in.
"After Torfan, how does it feel to fight alongside a batarian?" A male reporter chimed in as well.
James bowed slightly to her with a smirk. "All yours. I'm out," He maneuvered around the crowd to escape before she could drag him along with her.
She glared after him and then returned to the swarming crowd. "Thanks, everyone. Though, I need to return to my ship. Please send all inquiries through the appropriate channels." With a few groans of disappointment, the mob broke apart to allow her passage. She laughed under her breath. She had no idea how they would reach her, and she didn't have time to answer any questions. Krysta privately noted to reprimand Vega later, though he now had dirt on her. She grimaced as her mind became a whirlwind as she reached the strip once more. Her body shook. What happened back there? Bray was long gone. He had to be. She felt so out of control with him. Did she truly want him? Holding her head, she avoided direct eye contact with anyone and made a beeline to the skycab kiosk.
On the upper level of the strip pedway, Bray watched Krysta walk on to head back to the Normandy. She seemed deeply troubled. His eyes remained transfixed upon her as she mixed in with the crowd and moved further and further away. Inhaling the smoke from his cigarette, he slowly exhaled through his nostrils. He had no idea what was going on between them. She dug under his skin more than when she first blessed Omega with her presence. Realizing that he needed to head back, he scowled. When would he see her again?