Mass Effect: Humanity First

(Choice B) Shoot Her

She wasn’t going to live long no matter what he did.  She’d already lost too much blood. And since Hallard’s orders were to kill every escaped asari in and around the compound, there wasn’t anything that Cerberus would do to help her.

She was going to die no matter what.

So against his reservations, Hallard raised his pistol and brought the barrel to her head. She raised her free hand in the air and shielded her face from the weapon.

“I’m sorry.”

It hurt to hear her apologize for something that wasn’t her fault. She didn’t deserve whatever had happened to her. And she deserved better than a bullet to the head.

But it was too late to change anything now. And with all the pain she was going through, it was probably better for her this way.    

Hallard pulled the trigger. Her head jutted back with the shot, and she fell.

Cavanaugh scoffed, “Took you long enough.”

Hallard turned around and saw Cavanaugh shaking his head with a smug look on his face. It took everything in him not to shoot him too. Instead he gave his partner an angry stare.

“What the hell is the matter with you?”

“Me? I’m not the one who chickened out just then.”

“Why the hell does Cerberus have us gunning down innocent civilians?”

“Civilians? Innocent? Are you serious?” He scoffed again, mocking his partner. “You really are a newbie, aren’t you?”

“This isn’t right. Cerberus using aliens like a pack of lab rats.”

“What is the matter with you? We’re at war. It’s us versus them.” He pointed at the dead asari with his pistol. “Humanity’s a speck in the galaxy. If we want to have a glimmer of hope at long term survival we have to do whatever it takes to get ourselves at the top of the food chain.”

Hallard didn’t like it. Not one bit. But he was enough of a pragmatist that he could see his point. In spite of his reservations, he could at least bring himself to acknowledge that humanity would need every available advantage it could get. 

“Now pull your shit together,” said his partner. “We’ve got a mission to complete. Let’s get this over with so we can get back home.”

With his right boot, Cavanaugh shoved the dead asari away from the door. Before they made their way inside, he looked at her, and he wasn’t so sure if he could stomach the things he’d have to do next.

Cavanaugh led the way, sidearm in hand. The facility was quiet. Too quiet, especially for a place that was a complete and utter mess.

“What happened here?” thought Cavanaugh out loud.

“Mess from all the shuffle.”

“Must be.”

Everything had been tossed aside. Office furniture, storage lockers, crates. They were all laid out in a chaotic, haphazard manner. Even crates, things that weren’t meant to be in the lobby, were. Someone had obviously moved them. But that shed new light on all the mess they saw before them.

“Cavanaugh, it’s an ambush.”

“What?”

The asari must have heard him, because that was when they all ducked out of cover, assault weapons drawn.

“Cavanaugh, get down!”

But Cavanaugh hadn’t been able to react fast enough. He flinched when he should have ducked. And that one split second got him shot on the arm.

Hallard had a choice. Either save his partner, or save himself.