Need to Know 4/? (Miranda/Ashley)
anonymous
August 29 2014, 00:39:26 UTC
[Note: Although I try to avoid mentioning Shepard’s gender, sometimes it’s not possible. Since the story would hold with both genders, feel free to replace “he” with “she”]
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.
*****
Ashley dragged Miranda Lawson to the next skycab terminal and they waited silently until one arrived. She was surprised that the ex-Cerberus operative could move and stand after that stunt she pulled before. Ashley arrived at the scene less than a minute after the first shots fired, and was just bursting through the door when she saw the two entangled bodies flip over the balcony railing.
She thought that was it, she arrived too late, Lawson was dead. When she reached the railing she could see the bodies land with a dull thud two stories down, after bouncing off the terraced balcony below. Knowing C-Sec would be close behind, she had to move fast before witnesses emerged.
Ashley prepared for the worst, the bodies lying unmoving in the dark. It was a nasty, bone-breaking fall, even she had to be careful when jumping down. It was a relief to see that Lawson at least was alive.
As she helped Lawson stand up and wrapped an arm around her waist, putting Lawson’s arm around her shoulder, she was still amazed how she survived. She felt light and lean in Ashley’s hold, firm but not muscular in her catsuit that was her only protection. She was either sturdier than she looked and felt, or she was damn lucky.
Either way, her painful face was genuine, and she did look pale and shaken up from the experience. Ashley put her in the cab and switched to manual as soon as she hopped in.
“I am taking you to a motel,” Ashley said, when Lawson looked at her suspiciously. “Relax, if I wanted to take you in, I would have waited until C-Sec arrived.”
Lawson seemed to ponder on this, and shot a few suspicious and curious glances at Ashley on the way. They touched down near a large, low-end mass lodging complex. Mostly automated, which was what Ash needed.
She pulled the Cerberus fugitive from the cab and dragged her to the reception. She flashed her Alliance credentials at the scanner, keyed in an override code that C-Sec used in witness protection cases, courtesy of Garrus’s old contacts in the force, and hurried into the elevator. Lawson was slowly drifting away, her face pale and her breathing labored, small painful wheezes. She tried to hold it together, but the pain must have been bad, and she kept her lips pressed thin.
Ashley hit the panel on the door and quickly slipped inside before anybody could see them, and lowered Lawson onto the couch. She quickly looked around the dingy, tiny room and went for the first aid kit in the kitchen section.
When she returned to the couch, Lawson was not moving and Ashley was afraid that she had died of internal bleeding or something, but she could still see her trying to breathe and trying to keep her eyes open. She had to concentrate on every breath, and judging from her expression, that was probably the only thing she could focus on right now. Ashley grimaced - she could have been more gentle, but she neede to get them out of sight.
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.
*****
Ashley dragged Miranda Lawson to the next skycab terminal and they waited silently until one arrived. She was surprised that the ex-Cerberus operative could move and stand after that stunt she pulled before. Ashley arrived at the scene less than a minute after the first shots fired, and was just bursting through the door when she saw the two entangled bodies flip over the balcony railing.
She thought that was it, she arrived too late, Lawson was dead. When she reached the railing she could see the bodies land with a dull thud two stories down, after bouncing off the terraced balcony below. Knowing C-Sec would be close behind, she had to move fast before witnesses emerged.
Ashley prepared for the worst, the bodies lying unmoving in the dark. It was a nasty, bone-breaking fall, even she had to be careful when jumping down. It was a relief to see that Lawson at least was alive.
As she helped Lawson stand up and wrapped an arm around her waist, putting Lawson’s arm around her shoulder, she was still amazed how she survived. She felt light and lean in Ashley’s hold, firm but not muscular in her catsuit that was her only protection. She was either sturdier than she looked and felt, or she was damn lucky.
Either way, her painful face was genuine, and she did look pale and shaken up from the experience. Ashley put her in the cab and switched to manual as soon as she hopped in.
“I am taking you to a motel,” Ashley said, when Lawson looked at her suspiciously. “Relax, if I wanted to take you in, I would have waited until C-Sec arrived.”
Lawson seemed to ponder on this, and shot a few suspicious and curious glances at Ashley on the way. They touched down near a large, low-end mass lodging complex. Mostly automated, which was what Ash needed.
She pulled the Cerberus fugitive from the cab and dragged her to the reception. She flashed her Alliance credentials at the scanner, keyed in an override code that C-Sec used in witness protection cases, courtesy of Garrus’s old contacts in the force, and hurried into the elevator. Lawson was slowly drifting away, her face pale and her breathing labored, small painful wheezes. She tried to hold it together, but the pain must have been bad, and she kept her lips pressed thin.
Ashley hit the panel on the door and quickly slipped inside before anybody could see them, and lowered Lawson onto the couch. She quickly looked around the dingy, tiny room and went for the first aid kit in the kitchen section.
When she returned to the couch, Lawson was not moving and Ashley was afraid that she had died of internal bleeding or something, but she could still see her trying to breathe and trying to keep her eyes open. She had to concentrate on every breath, and judging from her expression, that was probably the only thing she could focus on right now. Ashley grimaced - she could have been more gentle, but she neede to get them out of sight.
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