FILL: Need to Know (Miranda/Ashley)
anonymous
March 31 2014, 20:10:10 UTC
So this is an attempt to fill this prompt: Miranda/Ashley - Literally anything There is so little love for this pairing (in fact I've found nothing!) and as I love both ladies (and am forever bitter that they don't love ladies) I'm really looking for anything to do with them. Hooking up at the Citadel party? Meeting sometime between ME1 and ME2?
I would love it to have some initial distrust between them too as Ashley expresses her hatred for Cerberus frequently and doesn't like Miranda's involvement with the whole Lazarus Project but yet feels obligated to Miranda for bringing her friend back. Plus, Miranda strikes me as the type who isn't big on faith or religion so I'd like to see their disagreements on that play into the relationship.
So. This is not the story I wanted to write. I was working on something very different, when this idea jumped me, so I might as well get it out of the way. Also, I was curious if there could be any more Ashley/Miranda stories created that would make sense. You’ll be the judge. Title: Need To Know Plot: After Shepard surrenders to the Alliance, Ashley Williams is still looking for answers. She gets them from an unlikely source and along the way, gets more than she bargained for. Tags: fixit, probably femslash, probably angst
Need to Know 1/?
anonymous
March 31 2014, 20:14:30 UTC
Chapter One
Miranda Lawson was in trouble. Again. This time she actually knew she was careless, but she was getting tired of running and the short bursts of ten-minute talks she could have with Oriana. Even though the red light started to blink on her secondary console, she ignored it and let her sister finish her story.
Miranda set up shop in an empty office on the Embassies district on the Citadel, where she could piggyback her signal on the encrypted diplomatic channels and talk to Oriana on Illium. As long as she was not listening in on communications, she was safe from the detection from the authorities. However, she knew that Cerberus agents were after her, and they could trace her back if they eavesdropped on Oriana.
Miranda set up an elaborate workstation, attaching a datapad and an untraceable second omnitool that monitored the call and all the searches and responses. A third display tapped into the security feeds so she could see everything around the office complex, while they talked. Right now, warnings were blinking, informing Miranda that she has been traced, estimating response time at seven minutes. Still, she ignored the signals and the pop-up countdown and let Oriana finish her story.
“That sounds great, Ori,” Miranda nodded, trying to hide the tension and the despair from her voice. It has been months since she was on the run, chased by Cerberus assassins, an Alliance APB out on her, and she was tired. She just didn’t care about the consequences any more. For once, she needed to have a proper conversation with her sister. Up until now. But if she wanted to have a chance of ever speaking to her again, she had to wrap up now. “Listen, uh, I might not be able to call you for a while.”
Oriana nodded solemnly. She knew that Miranda was on the run, but not the details and the severity. “Is it that bad?” “Nothing that I can’t handle. But I’m going to run out of resources if I’m not careful.” “I understand. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” Miranda shrugged. “I admit, it gets lonely, but I’m still a step ahead of them. And I need to keep it that way. So don’t worry, if you don’t hear from me. I will keep in touch.” “I see.” There was no trace left of her earlier enthusiasm, when she talked about school and projects and her plans for life. “Take care of yourself.”
Miranda glanced to the monitors that showed movement on empty corridors, some of the feeds going dark. She really needed to hurry. “I will.” “I love you, sis.” Miranda nodded back with a faint smile and cut the feed before she would get too emotional. She lost a few more seconds, staring at the darkening screens before moving to action, reattaching her omnitool, frying the datapad and the secondary terminal with a tiny pulse that would wipe all info from the memory crystals.
She had just enough time to register the two assassins closing in on her location before the video feeds died. She looked around the dim embassy office, eyeing the balcony as potentially the best escape route she had. Probably the assassins knew this, too, so she couldn’t go for it right away. Miranda left the screen on, set the chair up like somebody was sitting in it and slipped to the wall, crouching down near the door, waiting. She didn’t have to wait long.
There was a quiet chirping and the door started moving silently, pulled away manually by one of the attackers, just wide enough to slip in. Miranda leaped as soon as the shadow stepped inside, grabbing a wrist and pressing it into the assassin’s chest as Miranda went for the tackle, while the dark figure was only one leg inside.
There was a quiet grunt as the assassin lost her balance, Miranda landing on top of her, the gun trapped between their bodies, her phantom’s one leg caught in the door. Miranda lifted a glowing blue fist and slammed it down on her head, cracking helmet, knocking the killer unconscious with barely a sound.
Need to Know 2/?
anonymous
March 31 2014, 20:15:39 UTC
Miranda was already up, trying to close the door before the other one could slip through, but the armored leg of the downed assassin stopped it from closing. Another knee apperead to stop the closing, and Miranda had to jump away from the gap as a thin, long blade stabbed forward. Miranda spun away, grabbing her gun and backpedalled towards the balcony, while firing a couple of shots at the door until she could dive behind the couch. She knew all of her bullets hit, but against Cerberus armor it wasn’t too effective, just enough to slow the second assassin down.
Miranda listened to the noises, keeping an eye on the escape route, the wide balcony, with the walls of glass and sliding door between her and freedom. The phantom probably switched to a gun from that ridiculous sword they were carrying, now that Miranda’s gunfire broke the silence of the sleeping Embassy District. They had no more than ten minutes before C-Sec would arrive. It was a game of nerves from now until then: Miranda was a damn good shot and a powerful biotic, the assassin had to know this, and the odds were even, now that her partner was down. Any wrong move-
Miranda didn’t wait for the phantom to make her first move, firing up a biotic pull that yanked the office desk and chair into the couch, spinning over it and crashing into the window panes, while Miranda crouched down to avoid the shower of tiny glass shards. The noise was deafening in the quiet night cycle.
Shots fired into the couch, ripping up the synthetic fabric, the bullets piercing the back, only inches from Miranda’s shoulders. Based on the sound, Miranda dived out on one side of the couch and sliding on her back a few yards, she peppered the space where she suspected her attacker with a couple of bullets. Almost all of them hit, sending the phantom reeling long enough for Miranda to roll out onto the balcony, through thousands of tiny shards that sank into her suit, piercing tiny holes and cutting her elbows and arms in a dozen places.
There came the biotic blast Miranda was expecting, a bouncing shockwave that threw her against the railing, but she miscalculated, hoping she would get at least one more step and leap, using the momentum of the blast to sail over and down the side of the building.
Instead, she slammed into the metal frame, leaving her breathless and stunned, with barely enough time to spin around before the phantom was on top of her. While she was a good shot and good biotic, melee combat was a specialty for Cerberus assassins. They loved to get up close to their targets and kill them with blades, silently.
The only reason Miranda was still alive was that she practically wrote the playbook, or at least read it thoroughly, so she knew what to expect. She managed to grab the wrist holding the knife and keep it away from her. She knew when the head butt was coming so she leaned away and soaked it with her shoulder. Just the right amount of force to tip her back over the railing.
Miranda hooked her leg around the phantom’s supporting leg, behind her knee that held most of her weight, and the world started to spin. Still tussling for the blade, they went over, Miranda kicking and screaming, trying to flip them over during the short fall. Since she knew what she wanted, she just needed to twist her torso, push their hands down between them and Miranda was above, the phantom below her when they crashed into the terrace under them.
They had more momentum than Miranda hoped and they bounced right over, across the railing to the next level below. She probably heard the phantom’s spine cracking as she took the metal pipes with her back, the knife slipping off on the phantom armor’s thigh piece, just to sink into the inside of the other thigh, just above the knee joint.
Need to Know 3/?
anonymous
March 31 2014, 20:16:57 UTC
The impact forced the remaining air out of Miranda’s lungs and she was gasping for air loudly while they fell, crashing into the concrete tilings of the ground floor terrace with Miranda still miraculously on top. Pain blossomed in her chest and her leg, still tangled with the phantom’s, and she would have screamed, had she been able to make a sound. She tasted blood in her mouth, her head was throbbing as she knocked her forehead on the phantom helmet and she was wheezing for air that just didn’t want to fill her lungs.
Miranda rolled off the probably dead phantom and onto her back, hurting all over, desperate for a gasp of air. The pain from her ribs made her back arch, and the shock was finally enough that she could draw a loud, rasping breath.
It was over, and she was alive, at least for now. She only needed a few minutes to catch her breath, assess her injuries and drag herself to safety, preferably before C-Sec arrived. Drawing another painful breath she realized there was no way she would make it, so she just laid there motionless, staring up at the dark ceiling above the embassies, enjoying the cool night, waiting for her fate.
She might have blacked out for a few seconds, because in the next moment there was movement above her, and a dark, lean shape appeared as she jumped down from the second floor, with the grace and quiet of a prowling feline. A third phantom, maybe? “Miranda Lawson?” the shadow said and stepped forward to stand above her. She was not Cerberus, although the prowess and shape could have been. She was Alliance. Miranda groaned, recognizing the woman.
“Congratulations, Commander Williams,” Miranda croaked. “You got me.” But Ashley Williams just shook her head, lowering her gun that pointed at her. “We need to get you out of here before C-Sec arrives.” Miranda let her head drop back, closing her eyes and letting out a painful sigh. “The Alliance doesn’t like to share?” “I’m not taking you in.”
Miranda opened her eyes, looking up at Williams, squinting. The marine was checking out the Phantom, poking her head with her boot to check if she was out, not even pointing a gun at Miranda. She seemingly lost interest in her and only found the dead Cerberus assassin slightly more worthy of her attention.
“Why?” Ashley Willams scoffed, looking around with a bored expression. “Would you talk if I brought you in?” “No.” “Would Cerberus get to you before we could make you talk?” “Yes.”
Ashley shrugged. “Then I’m not taking you in.” She turned her attention back at Miranda. “I want to talk to you about Shepard. In private.” Miranda closed her eyes and swallowed, taking a ragged breath to hide her surprise. She nodded.
“Okay.” “Can you stand up?” “Not for a while.” A pause. The marine was weighing her options. “How bad is it?” “A sprained ankle. A couple of broken ribs, probably.”
Williams nodded, stepped above her and kneeled down, one knee between her thighs. She looked her over with a blank expression, a marine checking the casualties. She holstered her gun. “I’m gonna lift you up on your feet and I’m gonna need both hands. If you try something tricky, just remember, that I can outrun ya.” Williams offered.
Miranda snorted, which also made her wince. She just nodded silently. “I will put my hands behind your back to keep your spine straight while you stand up, so you don’t puncture your lungs or something. Just pull your legs under you as fast as you can,” Williams explained matter-of-factly, like a paramedic.
“Okay,” Miranda whispered. She really wanted to get out of here. “Ready?” the marine asked and when Miranda nodded, she leaned over her, slipped one palm to the small of her back, to the base of her spine, the other one between her shoulder blades. “Grab my neck,” she said quietly.
Miranda wrapped her arms around the marine’s neck, the closeness and the implied intimacy of the position making her blush with confusion. Fortunately she could hide it by burying her face in Williams’ neck, which just increased the sensation.
Need to Know 4/?
anonymous
March 31 2014, 20:17:59 UTC
Ashley slowly lifted her up, easily like a piece of wood, or a dancer, swinging her partner around. Gasping from the dull pain, Miranda swiftly pulled her legs under her, pushing as soon as she could, favoring her bad ankle. In one smooth move, they were standing, Miranda still clinging to Williams for a few awkward seconds.
The marine was lean but she certainly was stronger than she looked. “Come on,” Williams nodded, patting her back, oblivious to Miranda’s embarrassment. She probably did this a dozen times with injured comrades. Miranda winced, and they both looked up when they heard vehicles approaching. “Time to go.”
They started to make their way through the dark, grassy park, towards the Presidium lakes and were gone before C-Sec noticed the first body.
Re: Need to Know 4/?
anonymous
August 23 2014, 04:24:23 UTC
same as comment above, love how the action seems really believable - would definitely read if a!a will write more, also like the pairing especially with some thought behind their behavior. sounds like it could be one of the outstanding stories... but no pressure, everyone does this here just for fun, so you decide if or when, a!a
Miranda/Ashley - Literally anything
There is so little love for this pairing (in fact I've found nothing!) and as I love both ladies (and am forever bitter that they don't love ladies) I'm really looking for anything to do with them. Hooking up at the Citadel party? Meeting sometime between ME1 and ME2?
I would love it to have some initial distrust between them too as Ashley expresses her hatred for Cerberus frequently and doesn't like Miranda's involvement with the whole Lazarus Project but yet feels obligated to Miranda for bringing her friend back. Plus, Miranda strikes me as the type who isn't big on faith or religion so I'd like to see their disagreements on that play into the relationship.
Can be fluff, angst, sexy-times ANYTHING I'm just DYING for anything for this pairing!
http://masseffectkink.livejournal.com/7415.html?thread=35478775#t35478775
So.
This is not the story I wanted to write. I was working on something very different, when this idea jumped me, so I might as well get it out of the way. Also, I was curious if there could be any more Ashley/Miranda stories created that would make sense.
You’ll be the judge.
Title: Need To Know
Plot: After Shepard surrenders to the Alliance, Ashley Williams is still looking for answers. She gets them from an unlikely source and along the way, gets more than she bargained for.
Tags: fixit, probably femslash, probably angst
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Miranda Lawson was in trouble. Again. This time she actually knew she was careless, but she was getting tired of running and the short bursts of ten-minute talks she could have with Oriana. Even though the red light started to blink on her secondary console, she ignored it and let her sister finish her story.
Miranda set up shop in an empty office on the Embassies district on the Citadel, where she could piggyback her signal on the encrypted diplomatic channels and talk to Oriana on Illium. As long as she was not listening in on communications, she was safe from the detection from the authorities. However, she knew that Cerberus agents were after her, and they could trace her back if they eavesdropped on Oriana.
Miranda set up an elaborate workstation, attaching a datapad and an untraceable second omnitool that monitored the call and all the searches and responses. A third display tapped into the security feeds so she could see everything around the office complex, while they talked. Right now, warnings were blinking, informing Miranda that she has been traced, estimating response time at seven minutes. Still, she ignored the signals and the pop-up countdown and let Oriana finish her story.
“That sounds great, Ori,” Miranda nodded, trying to hide the tension and the despair from her voice. It has been months since she was on the run, chased by Cerberus assassins, an Alliance APB out on her, and she was tired. She just didn’t care about the consequences any more. For once, she needed to have a proper conversation with her sister. Up until now. But if she wanted to have a chance of ever speaking to her again, she had to wrap up now. “Listen, uh, I might not be able to call you for a while.”
Oriana nodded solemnly. She knew that Miranda was on the run, but not the details and the severity.
“Is it that bad?”
“Nothing that I can’t handle. But I’m going to run out of resources if I’m not careful.”
“I understand. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” Miranda shrugged. “I admit, it gets lonely, but I’m still a step ahead of them. And I need to keep it that way. So don’t worry, if you don’t hear from me. I will keep in touch.”
“I see.” There was no trace left of her earlier enthusiasm, when she talked about school and projects and her plans for life. “Take care of yourself.”
Miranda glanced to the monitors that showed movement on empty corridors, some of the feeds going dark. She really needed to hurry.
“I will.”
“I love you, sis.”
Miranda nodded back with a faint smile and cut the feed before she would get too emotional. She lost a few more seconds, staring at the darkening screens before moving to action, reattaching her omnitool, frying the datapad and the secondary terminal with a tiny pulse that would wipe all info from the memory crystals.
She had just enough time to register the two assassins closing in on her location before the video feeds died. She looked around the dim embassy office, eyeing the balcony as potentially the best escape route she had. Probably the assassins knew this, too, so she couldn’t go for it right away.
Miranda left the screen on, set the chair up like somebody was sitting in it and slipped to the wall, crouching down near the door, waiting.
She didn’t have to wait long.
There was a quiet chirping and the door started moving silently, pulled away manually by one of the attackers, just wide enough to slip in. Miranda leaped as soon as the shadow stepped inside, grabbing a wrist and pressing it into the assassin’s chest as Miranda went for the tackle, while the dark figure was only one leg inside.
There was a quiet grunt as the assassin lost her balance, Miranda landing on top of her, the gun trapped between their bodies, her phantom’s one leg caught in the door. Miranda lifted a glowing blue fist and slammed it down on her head, cracking helmet, knocking the killer unconscious with barely a sound.
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Miranda spun away, grabbing her gun and backpedalled towards the balcony, while firing a couple of shots at the door until she could dive behind the couch. She knew all of her bullets hit, but against Cerberus armor it wasn’t too effective, just enough to slow the second assassin down.
Miranda listened to the noises, keeping an eye on the escape route, the wide balcony, with the walls of glass and sliding door between her and freedom. The phantom probably switched to a gun from that ridiculous sword they were carrying, now that Miranda’s gunfire broke the silence of the sleeping Embassy District. They had no more than ten minutes before C-Sec would arrive.
It was a game of nerves from now until then: Miranda was a damn good shot and a powerful biotic, the assassin had to know this, and the odds were even, now that her partner was down. Any wrong move-
Miranda didn’t wait for the phantom to make her first move, firing up a biotic pull that yanked the office desk and chair into the couch, spinning over it and crashing into the window panes, while Miranda crouched down to avoid the shower of tiny glass shards. The noise was deafening in the quiet night cycle.
Shots fired into the couch, ripping up the synthetic fabric, the bullets piercing the back, only inches from Miranda’s shoulders. Based on the sound, Miranda dived out on one side of the couch and sliding on her back a few yards, she peppered the space where she suspected her attacker with a couple of bullets. Almost all of them hit, sending the phantom reeling long enough for Miranda to roll out onto the balcony, through thousands of tiny shards that sank into her suit, piercing tiny holes and cutting her elbows and arms in a dozen places.
There came the biotic blast Miranda was expecting, a bouncing shockwave that threw her against the railing, but she miscalculated, hoping she would get at least one more step and leap, using the momentum of the blast to sail over and down the side of the building.
Instead, she slammed into the metal frame, leaving her breathless and stunned, with barely enough time to spin around before the phantom was on top of her. While she was a good shot and good biotic, melee combat was a specialty for Cerberus assassins. They loved to get up close to their targets and kill them with blades, silently.
The only reason Miranda was still alive was that she practically wrote the playbook, or at least read it thoroughly, so she knew what to expect. She managed to grab the wrist holding the knife and keep it away from her. She knew when the head butt was coming so she leaned away and soaked it with her shoulder. Just the right amount of force to tip her back over the railing.
Miranda hooked her leg around the phantom’s supporting leg, behind her knee that held most of her weight, and the world started to spin. Still tussling for the blade, they went over, Miranda kicking and screaming, trying to flip them over during the short fall. Since she knew what she wanted, she just needed to twist her torso, push their hands down between them and Miranda was above, the phantom below her when they crashed into the terrace under them.
They had more momentum than Miranda hoped and they bounced right over, across the railing to the next level below. She probably heard the phantom’s spine cracking as she took the metal pipes with her back, the knife slipping off on the phantom armor’s thigh piece, just to sink into the inside of the other thigh, just above the knee joint.
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Miranda rolled off the probably dead phantom and onto her back, hurting all over, desperate for a gasp of air. The pain from her ribs made her back arch, and the shock was finally enough that she could draw a loud, rasping breath.
It was over, and she was alive, at least for now. She only needed a few minutes to catch her breath, assess her injuries and drag herself to safety, preferably before C-Sec arrived.
Drawing another painful breath she realized there was no way she would make it, so she just laid there motionless, staring up at the dark ceiling above the embassies, enjoying the cool night, waiting for her fate.
She might have blacked out for a few seconds, because in the next moment there was movement above her, and a dark, lean shape appeared as she jumped down from the second floor, with the grace and quiet of a prowling feline. A third phantom, maybe?
“Miranda Lawson?” the shadow said and stepped forward to stand above her. She was not Cerberus, although the prowess and shape could have been. She was Alliance. Miranda groaned, recognizing the woman.
“Congratulations, Commander Williams,” Miranda croaked. “You got me.”
But Ashley Williams just shook her head, lowering her gun that pointed at her.
“We need to get you out of here before C-Sec arrives.”
Miranda let her head drop back, closing her eyes and letting out a painful sigh.
“The Alliance doesn’t like to share?”
“I’m not taking you in.”
Miranda opened her eyes, looking up at Williams, squinting. The marine was checking out the Phantom, poking her head with her boot to check if she was out, not even pointing a gun at Miranda. She seemingly lost interest in her and only found the dead Cerberus assassin slightly more worthy of her attention.
“Why?”
Ashley Willams scoffed, looking around with a bored expression.
“Would you talk if I brought you in?”
“No.”
“Would Cerberus get to you before we could make you talk?”
“Yes.”
Ashley shrugged. “Then I’m not taking you in.” She turned her attention back at Miranda. “I want to talk to you about Shepard. In private.”
Miranda closed her eyes and swallowed, taking a ragged breath to hide her surprise. She nodded.
“Okay.”
“Can you stand up?”
“Not for a while.”
A pause. The marine was weighing her options.
“How bad is it?”
“A sprained ankle. A couple of broken ribs, probably.”
Williams nodded, stepped above her and kneeled down, one knee between her thighs. She looked her over with a blank expression, a marine checking the casualties. She holstered her gun.
“I’m gonna lift you up on your feet and I’m gonna need both hands. If you try something tricky, just remember, that I can outrun ya.” Williams offered.
Miranda snorted, which also made her wince. She just nodded silently.
“I will put my hands behind your back to keep your spine straight while you stand up, so you don’t puncture your lungs or something. Just pull your legs under you as fast as you can,” Williams explained matter-of-factly, like a paramedic.
“Okay,” Miranda whispered. She really wanted to get out of here.
“Ready?” the marine asked and when Miranda nodded, she leaned over her, slipped one palm to the small of her back, to the base of her spine, the other one between her shoulder blades. “Grab my neck,” she said quietly.
Miranda wrapped her arms around the marine’s neck, the closeness and the implied intimacy of the position making her blush with confusion. Fortunately she could hide it by burying her face in Williams’ neck, which just increased the sensation.
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The marine was lean but she certainly was stronger than she looked.
“Come on,” Williams nodded, patting her back, oblivious to Miranda’s embarrassment. She probably did this a dozen times with injured comrades. Miranda winced, and they both looked up when they heard vehicles approaching. “Time to go.”
They started to make their way through the dark, grassy park, towards the Presidium lakes and were gone before C-Sec noticed the first body.
(to be continued...)
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Look forward to more when you can get around to it.
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but no pressure, everyone does this here just for fun, so you decide if or when, a!a
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