At the Edge of Heaven

“Damn it.” She took cover as Shepard vaulted over the barrier and a plume of flame sizzled over her head and a spray of bullets pelted the barrier and Shepard’s barrier. One of the vorchas give a brief yelp before an explosion rocked the floor. The flame thrower was out of commission. Miranda shot to her feet, her gun quickly jolting out before her. She didn’t have to worry. Shepard snapped the vorcha’s neck with a vicious back hand as pieces of the other vorcha rained around him. The vorcha crumpled to the ground. Before she could say or do anything else, Shepard tore around the corner and out of her sight. She swore again and tried to follow.

Another squeal erupted as Miranda vaulted over the barrier and around the corner. The squealing vorcha dropped lifeless over a barricade and she tried to quicken her pace. Shepard was nearly to the shutter control already. But so were quite a few vorcha. Shepard fired several rounds as he ran to the final few metres, each shot dropping a pitiful vorcha. But there were more right behind them. Miranda grunted as she cleared another barricade then threw her hand out, the energy rippling down her arm until it shot from her fingers into the narrow hall. Several vorcha screamed and the faint sound of snapping bones filled the air as her warp tore into the main group. Shepard never even noticed. He slammed his hand into the control panel and fired four more shots into the screaming vorcha, dropping the closest group to the door. It slammed shut.

But Shepard didn’t even stop for a second. He had already turned and vaulted back over the first barricade and making for the second before Miranda spun around herself and followed as closely as she could. She was supposed to be fast and nimble, but Shepard was easily outpacing her and by the time she cleared the final barrier he had already sprinted out the door and across the room.

“Shepard!” she screamed at his back as he slammed into cover briefly. She spurred her legs on faster, desperate to catch up, but he quickly switched out his pistol and readied his shotgun. Just as she reached the doorway, he bolted from cover and fired directly into a vorcha’s chest. It didn’t even screech as it flew backwards with the force of the shot. Shepard ran forward, straight into a Krogan. She could hear him grunt as the Krogan snapped a quick jab into his chest and Shepard tumbled to the ground. She sprinted forward but a horde of vorcha suddenly poured into the room and opened fire. “Damn it!”

She dove behind cover as gunfire rang out over the huge room. She holstered her pistol and drew her sub-machine gun, ran a quick weapons check and focused her mind, her body beginning to hum with biotic energy. With a quick snap of her head, she glanced over her cover and surveyed the room before ducking back down. Roughly a dozen vorcha on the left and another half dozen on the right, not to mention the Krogan hovering over a recovering Shepard. She took a few calming breaths then leapt from behind cover, pulling the trigger immediately. Four vorcha fell screaming within the first few seconds as Miranda swept the left side of the room.

She fired in controlled bursts for a few moments, thinning the vorcha horde before she noticed the Krogan levelling his shotgun at Shepard. She ignored the vorcha and quickly turned towards Shepard and flung out her hand towards the Krogan and unleashed her power.

“Yes!” the word exploded from her lips as the armour buckled and the Krogan stumbled briefly, his shotgun flailing away from Shepard. Several rounds bounced off her shields. Miranda stumbled slightly from the force and grunted in surprise before ducking back behind cover. She cursed yet again and glanced out over the room. The Krogan had regained his composure, but Shepard was up one leg. It looked like she had done enough. She hoped she had done enough.

She darted out of cover and fired three controlled bursts into the nearby vorchas. Screams of pain greeted her as five vorcha quickly died. She rushed the remaining two, bowling into one with her shoulder and knocking it over before spinning and viciously slamming the metallic end of her gun into the other vorchas skull. It slunk to the ground without a noise as she continued spinning in a complete three hundred and sixty degrees. She aimed her gun and pulled the trigger. The vorcha she had knocked down hadn’t even gotten to its knees before it died.

Miranda didn’t stop to admire her handiwork. One ringing shotgun blast rang out and her heart lurched in her chest. She sprinted forward, darting around the various piles of junk and raised her weapon, prepared for an angry Krogan. She almost let an audible sigh escape her lips when she rounded the last corner to find Shepard pushing the still smoking barrels against the wounded but still struggling Krogan’s chest. He pulled the trigger and the Krogan stopped struggling.

Without any hesitation, he quickly ran over and slammed the remaining shutter panel. It closed without incident. Miranda could only stare at Shepard as he calmly turned and walked away. His eyes told a different story. She blanched at the wild ferocity shining within, tempered only by a dark shadow. Shepard was losing control.