Effecting Fate

Citadel Arrival

The Normandy - Storage

*Click* *Click-Clack* *Schtic*

The sound of a gun being disassembled and reassembled rapidly drifted through the air of the cargo bay, echoing through the large area filled with vehicles and tools.

At a work table, Ashely Williams sat while focusing on the gun in front of her, trying to distract her mind from the depressing thoughts that plagued her.

*Clickety-Clack*

In the corner of the cargo bay was the remains of the Prothean Beacon, the stupid artifact that brought such a large change to her life.

The deaths of her friends and coworkers, the many civilians who didn't even know the device existed, and for putting Commander Pendragon in a coma.

*Chuchack!*

She slammed the final piece in position with more force than necessary, an undercurrent of guilt running through her.

She couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for that last one.

Logically, she knew that it wasn't her fault...

It wasn't.

They had cleared the area of those drones methodically and quickly and had been holding the area down as they listened to the other Commander (And that still confused her - why have two commanders on a mission? Would that not just breed confusion?) give updates on disarming the bombs while the other two - The Corporal and Lieutenant - continued to clear the area.

She had been morbidly curious about the delicate looking Beacon. It was active, which it had most assuredly NOT been when she had last seen it, so the drones and that Turian must have done something to it.

That should have been her first indication that something was off.

She had been tense and on guard - the others were still taking out drones after all, and there was the matter of the bombs - but as she walked closer to observe the Beacon she hadn't expected to be yanked towards it.

She had fought spars against biotics, and this felt just like that. She hated it then, and she hated it even more now. The feeling of panic and helplessness, knowing there was nothing she could do no matter how much she struggled... she couldn't even scream.

It had startled her when something suddenly yanked on her arm, sending her flying in the opposite direction. Looking up, she saw the Commander levitating in the air in front of the Beacon, clearly having taken her place.

She didn't know what to do for the first freakin' time in her career. Years of training, of proving that she WAS good enough, and she couldn't figure out what to do! There was nothing obvious to shoot, she didn't have any biotics to attempt, and if she got closer than both of them might be trapped.

And yet she couldn't just do nothing!

She was so focused on Commander Pendragon that she completely missed when the other Commander arrived, had barely even seen the blur of the arrow he shot when the Beacon had exploded. Before she could move he was suddenly there, catching the Pendragon before she hit the ground.

Thinking of both the Commanders had her wincing once more, and she put her gun down and kneaded her temples with her fingers.

It hadn't been her fault - they had no way of knowing that the Beacon would react in such a way after all. And yet that did nothing to assuage the guilt within her. Especially since, well...

Ashley felt her cheeks heat up slightly.

She hadn't realized that Pendragon and Emiya were together.