[Fill] That Jazz (8/9)
anonymous
January 10 2013, 09:40:35 UTC
The abduction of the crew and the race to save them left the Normandy almost ghost-like in its silence. Shepard’s fury and worry about the missing crew members made the ship seem even quieter than usual; she usually only sang when she was in a good mood. Garrus was a little surprised by how unsettling it was to have a quiet ship again. He had gotten used to the singing, and actually found it a little comforting. A musical Normandy was a secure one.
As soon as they passed through the Omega 4 Relay in a burst of red light, they were thrown into chaos. The upgrades thankfully held fast, and they crashed on the Collector base more or less as planned. Their team moved into the base, fighting and working together like cogs in a clock. When they finally found their missing crew, the relief on Shepard’s face was palpable.
They pressed onward, ever onward, through buzzing seeker swarms and more Collectors. And as they stared up at the Human Reaper, an almost reverent horror left them bereft of any words to adequately express such a feeling. When they sent it crashing into the abyss below, Garrus couldn’t help feeling a little surprised at their continued survival.
As they set the charges, the Illusive Man appeared. “Shepard, you’ve done the impossible.”
“I still have to destroy the base,” she replied absently.
“Not necessarily,” he asserted. The lunatic argued with Shepard as she prepared the bomb, trying to convince her to save the Collector technology.
Shepard dismissed the Illusive Man outright. “No matter what technology we might find, it’s not worth it.”
“Shepard, you died fighting for what you believed. I brought you back so you could keep fighting.” He pontificated on and on. “Don’t be so quick to discard this facility. Think of the potential!”
“We’ll fight and win without it.” She turned away from him, signaling Thane to cut off the feed. “I won’t let fear compromise who I am.” As she finished preparing the charges, she smiled. “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game,” she said in a melodious whisper.
“Shepard?” Thane looked at her curiously.
“Nothing,” she told him. “Let’s move. We got ten minutes until the reactor overloads and blows this whole station apart.”
They heard a loud, mechanical groan behind them. The Human Reaper suddenly burst up from below, and all hell broke loose. First dodging enormous energy blasts from the Reaper, then nearly sliding to their deaths as it broke into pieces and shattered the platforms. As soon as they woke in the rubble, they ran a mad dash - away from seekers, from Collectors, from the ominous voice of Harbinger that chased them. The Normandy rose like a bird before them, Joker coming out and taking up arms to defend them.
Thane and Garrus jumped onto the airlock platform beside Joker, while Shepard trailed behind. As she ran toward them, he heard her shout, “It’s time to trust my instincts! Close my eyes… and leap!”
And leap she did. She hung, suspended in the air for several moments, before catching the edge of the platform.
“Really, Shepard?!” Garrus shouted back incredulously, as he ran to help her up. “You’re singing now?”
He pulled her to her feet. She gave him a grin before closing the hatch and running after Joker into the cockpit.
[Fill] That Jazz (9/9)
anonymous
January 10 2013, 09:50:48 UTC
The Normandy raced back to the Relay, a wall of fire and light in their wake. The ship shuddered as Joker pushed it even faster, until it caught the red tendril of energy from the Relay, shooting them beyond the explosion’s reach.
Garrus let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. There was only a moment’s pause before Shepard stalked past him toward the briefing room. After a short hesitation, Garrus followed.
Shepard shoved past the fallen debris and called up the Illusive Man’s image from the holographic comm system. Electricity crackled in the wires above her. Garrus hung back to watch.
“Shepard,” the Illusive Man said in a dangerous tone. “You’re making a habit of costing me more than time and money.”
He berated her, accusing her of destroying humanity’s chance for dominance in the galaxy, of choking under pressure when it mattered most. She watched him with almost bored apathy, his words flowing past her like so much hot air.
“I know what you are, and the price of dealing with you,” Shepard replied coolly. “We do things my way from now on. You can fall in line or step aside, but don’t get in my way.”
The Illusive Man approached her, taking a threatening position, made less threatening by virtue of his being a hologram. “You’re sure that’s what you want? You’re taking a hell of a risk, Shepard!”
“I don’t think so.” She smirked. “And I’ve just got one last thing to say to you.”
“What’s that?” The Illusive Man grunted.
Her smirk turned into a challenging grin as she spread her arms wide and took a deep breath. “So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!” she belted out. “As someone told me lately, ‘everyone deserves the chance to fly’!”
Garrus cringed but did not look away. It was worth it to see the stunned and bewildered expression on the Illusive Man’s face at this super soldier singing at him at the top of her lungs.
“And if I’m flying solo,” Shepard continued, “at least I’m flying free! To those who’d ground me, take a message back from me!”
“What in the…” the Illusive Man muttered, still staring at her with utter confusion.
“Tell them how I am defying gravity! I’m flying high, defying gravity! And soon I’ll match them in renown!”
“Shepard, what…”
She pointed right at the Illusive Man’s image. “And nobody in all of Oz… no Wizard that there is or was… is ever gonna BRING… ME… DOWN!”
The Illusive Man seemed to be finally coming to his senses. Anger blossomed on his countenance as he took in the words she was singing. “This is a huge mistake, making an enemy out of me.”
“BRING ME DOWN!”
“Are you listening to me? I will ruin you!”
“Ahhh!” she sang, her voice nearly straining. The note cut off. “That’s what you spent billions bringing back from the dead, you asshole,” she spat, and cut off the feed.
Garrus clapped, genuinely impressed. She turned, winking at him as she marched off towards the armory.
He wasn’t so worried about her reputation as a badass after that.
Re: [Fill] That Jazz (9/9) - OP again
anonymous
January 10 2013, 14:28:37 UTC
a!a, i cannot even tell you how much i love you for this prompt. the rocky horror scene was AMAZING (...and also may have had, uh, more of an effect on me than i care to admit), and ending it with wicked is the best thing you could have done. thank you so much for filling this!! you have made me a very, very happy anon.
Re: [Fill] That Jazz (9/9)
anonymous
January 14 2013, 02:20:05 UTC
As an avid ME fan AND an active musical theater performer, this made my night. Like, BIG TIME. Brilliant :D The scene with Shepard and TIM made me want to cry laughing. I can just see her going Elphaba on him and TIM being like, "WTF?"
As soon as they passed through the Omega 4 Relay in a burst of red light, they were thrown into chaos. The upgrades thankfully held fast, and they crashed on the Collector base more or less as planned. Their team moved into the base, fighting and working together like cogs in a clock. When they finally found their missing crew, the relief on Shepard’s face was palpable.
They pressed onward, ever onward, through buzzing seeker swarms and more Collectors. And as they stared up at the Human Reaper, an almost reverent horror left them bereft of any words to adequately express such a feeling. When they sent it crashing into the abyss below, Garrus couldn’t help feeling a little surprised at their continued survival.
As they set the charges, the Illusive Man appeared. “Shepard, you’ve done the impossible.”
“I still have to destroy the base,” she replied absently.
“Not necessarily,” he asserted. The lunatic argued with Shepard as she prepared the bomb, trying to convince her to save the Collector technology.
Shepard dismissed the Illusive Man outright. “No matter what technology we might find, it’s not worth it.”
“Shepard, you died fighting for what you believed. I brought you back so you could keep fighting.” He pontificated on and on. “Don’t be so quick to discard this facility. Think of the potential!”
“We’ll fight and win without it.” She turned away from him, signaling Thane to cut off the feed. “I won’t let fear compromise who I am.” As she finished preparing the charges, she smiled. “I’m through with playing by the rules of someone else’s game,” she said in a melodious whisper.
“Shepard?” Thane looked at her curiously.
“Nothing,” she told him. “Let’s move. We got ten minutes until the reactor overloads and blows this whole station apart.”
They heard a loud, mechanical groan behind them. The Human Reaper suddenly burst up from below, and all hell broke loose. First dodging enormous energy blasts from the Reaper, then nearly sliding to their deaths as it broke into pieces and shattered the platforms. As soon as they woke in the rubble, they ran a mad dash - away from seekers, from Collectors, from the ominous voice of Harbinger that chased them. The Normandy rose like a bird before them, Joker coming out and taking up arms to defend them.
Thane and Garrus jumped onto the airlock platform beside Joker, while Shepard trailed behind. As she ran toward them, he heard her shout, “It’s time to trust my instincts! Close my eyes… and leap!”
And leap she did. She hung, suspended in the air for several moments, before catching the edge of the platform.
“Really, Shepard?!” Garrus shouted back incredulously, as he ran to help her up. “You’re singing now?”
He pulled her to her feet. She gave him a grin before closing the hatch and running after Joker into the cockpit.
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Garrus let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. There was only a moment’s pause before Shepard stalked past him toward the briefing room. After a short hesitation, Garrus followed.
Shepard shoved past the fallen debris and called up the Illusive Man’s image from the holographic comm system. Electricity crackled in the wires above her. Garrus hung back to watch.
“Shepard,” the Illusive Man said in a dangerous tone. “You’re making a habit of costing me more than time and money.”
He berated her, accusing her of destroying humanity’s chance for dominance in the galaxy, of choking under pressure when it mattered most. She watched him with almost bored apathy, his words flowing past her like so much hot air.
“I know what you are, and the price of dealing with you,” Shepard replied coolly. “We do things my way from now on. You can fall in line or step aside, but don’t get in my way.”
The Illusive Man approached her, taking a threatening position, made less threatening by virtue of his being a hologram. “You’re sure that’s what you want? You’re taking a hell of a risk, Shepard!”
“I don’t think so.” She smirked. “And I’ve just got one last thing to say to you.”
“What’s that?” The Illusive Man grunted.
Her smirk turned into a challenging grin as she spread her arms wide and took a deep breath. “So if you care to find me, look to the western sky!” she belted out. “As someone told me lately, ‘everyone deserves the chance to fly’!”
Garrus cringed but did not look away. It was worth it to see the stunned and bewildered expression on the Illusive Man’s face at this super soldier singing at him at the top of her lungs.
“And if I’m flying solo,” Shepard continued, “at least I’m flying free! To those who’d ground me, take a message back from me!”
“What in the…” the Illusive Man muttered, still staring at her with utter confusion.
“Tell them how I am defying gravity! I’m flying high, defying gravity! And soon I’ll match them in renown!”
“Shepard, what…”
She pointed right at the Illusive Man’s image. “And nobody in all of Oz… no Wizard that there is or was… is ever gonna BRING… ME… DOWN!”
The Illusive Man seemed to be finally coming to his senses. Anger blossomed on his countenance as he took in the words she was singing. “This is a huge mistake, making an enemy out of me.”
“BRING ME DOWN!”
“Are you listening to me? I will ruin you!”
“Ahhh!” she sang, her voice nearly straining. The note cut off. “That’s what you spent billions bringing back from the dead, you asshole,” she spat, and cut off the feed.
Garrus clapped, genuinely impressed. She turned, winking at him as she marched off towards the armory.
He wasn’t so worried about her reputation as a badass after that.
~end~
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~Chicago!OP
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So in short, so good. So, so good.
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