If It Meant Living: Mass Effect 2

36: Missiles and Missives

54 days since Resurrection    ||    1 months, 11 days until activation of Omega 4 Relay

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The Prothean vision crashed over her –

– Blood.  Death.  Entire planets of nothing but blood and death.  Synthetics everywhere, impossibly vast in size and number.  Warning.  Warning.  Warning.  The Reapers are coming.  Screams, words that were oh so clearly pleas for help.  Devastation.  Ruin.  In every direction, planet after planet, system after system.  More planets; more systems; more synthetics.  Warning.  Warning.  Warning.  The Reapers are coming.  Impossibly more devastation, ruin.  It would surely never end  –

Mercifully, her world went black.

…“Dr. Chakwas, I think she’s waking up.”

She opened her eyes to the Med Lab ceiling.  She blinked a few times to clear her vision.  As she started to sit up, Dr. Chakwas appeared at her side.

“Commander, are you alright?”

She grimaced.  “I feel like I’ve been run over by a transport ship, but…yeah, I think I’m okay.  How long have I been out?”

“About fifteen hours.  You had us worried for a while there.”

Kaidan spoke up.  “You lost consciousness when the beacon exploded.  I had to carry you back to the ship.”

She looked over at him and made a poor effort at a smile.  “Thank you, I appreciate that.”

A smile slowly crept up his lips.  “Anytime, ma’am.  I’m just glad I was there to help you.”  Then he blinked and his face resumed a professional façade.  “I’ll, um, go let the Captain know you’re awake.”

After he left, Chakwas turned back to her.  “He barely left your side while you were out, you know.”

She stared at the recently-closed doors to the Med Lab, a curious expression on her face.  “Is that so…”

She opened her eyes to Garrus’ scarred face hovering over hers.  The concrete floor was hard against her back.  She blinked a few times to clear her vision.

“Shepard, are you alright?” 

She pulled herself to a sitting position and ran a hand roughly down her face, staring up at the Prothean artifact hovering in front of her.  “I wasn’t expecting that, but…yeah, I think I’m okay.  How long have I been out?”

Garrus remained crouched down next to her.  “Only thirty seconds or so.  Prothean?”

She nodded.  “In living color.” 

“Anything…new?”

“No, same old same old.  Innumerable Reapers, streets turned to rivers of blood, planets decimated.  Warning, the Reapers are coming!”  She shifted slightly and moved to stand up, muttering as an aside,  “Thanks, but I did already know that…”

Thane extended a hand to her, which she gratefully accepted.  He was along on this mission to investigate an archaeological dig site so soon after she recruited him because he was…interesting.  She needed a chance to figure him out.  But thanks to the Protheans rampaging through her brain, that was going to have to wait a while longer.

She tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace.  “Thank you.”

She looked around at the dig setup and frowned.  “What would the Blue Suns want with a Prothean artifact?”