July 1st 2170

Amber stared at the plates left on her desk beside her holo-piano; hot steam rising from each, the smells of freshly cooked chicken wafting toward her. She stepped barefoot from the bathroom to the desk and sat down, taking in all the smells of the food in front of her. Chicken, potatoes, fresh bread…and my favourite salad! Two plates of each…well, I will need the energy tonight. Kind of wild that they're giving me the ability to fight back…

Amber reached behind her wet locks of curls and rubbed her index finger on the small circular device she'd had inserted in the back of her skull just days prior. Well, Cerberus wasn't the only one to give me the ability, I guess. This will be my first time really using it…let's hope these implants are all they're cracked up to be.

The Alliance had brought her in on a day off to get the surgery done, and quickly realized Cerberus had, at some point in the past, installed a monitor into her to measure a variety of activity and hormone levels. Amber wasn't certain how they managed to fix Cerberus snooping on them, but they needed her cover to hold, so they kept the tracer in her, modifying it to provide false readings. This seemed like Viola's work…should I really leave her behind like Faridah asked? Faridah…

Amber got off the bench and grabbed another towel from the bathroom for her hair, so it wouldn't' drip on her food, blushing as she passed the shower. I…probably don't have time for another shower tonight. They'll need me out there soon. Then I'll have all my life…well, not like showers are a good stand-in for…ah fuck. Get your head out of the gutter, Amber. This is more important than feeling…whatever it is you want to feel. She cleared her thoughts as she wrapped her hair up and returned to her food, picking up a fork.

Anderson had better make sure tonight goes well, or…well, I might not be here to yell at him… she thought, taking a bite of the salad. Should be an easy mission. Go in on the drop job, bait the Reds with what I've 'defected with' as per Viola's reports and draw their attention while our hackers do whatever they need to do to ensure the Reds go away for a long time, and to track down Cerberus and Fiske. Keep their attention long enough so Anderson can grab Fiske, and we all live happily ever after. The end. Amber mused, mowing down on the mashed potatoes. Alright, maybe not happily ever after for everyone, and maybe not the end…and maybe it's not THAT easy, but it's doable. We can do this. We…

The beep of her omni-tool brought her focus away from her thoughts to a new message. I really should get a better omni, one with video capability, and some other cool tricks… she thought, as she opened it up and found a new message from Katie.

Hey Amber! Me and the girls are gonna see a vid tonite, you should come! Seriously, you need to get out of that cave you live in every once in a while. PS: Is something up between you and Faridah? You two have been weeeeiiiird lately. PSPS: Seriously. At Heather's party I thought you were totally going to…Amber shut down her omni as she read the final words and mulled over the possibility of meeting up with them again.

If I got out unscathed, and if I finished in time, I could have a few hours before I had to turn myself over to Anderson…but…that doesn't seem likely. It's amazing that it's come down to this…I have these new friends that I probably won't see often, or ever, and they don't even know what I'm walking into, that I'm walking away…how do I just leave without saying goodbye? I'm going to miss them… she thought, eating the rest of her meal while thinking up a good way to send her farewells, unsure if there ever was one.

As she stacked her two empty plates, she reopened the messaging system on her omni-tool and began typing. Katie. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it tonight, I've got something really important that I need to deal with. Tell the rest of the girls that I'll miss them, and to have fun tonight. This thing might drag me somewhere for…well, I'm not sure how long, but I could be gone for a while. I'll get in touch as soon as I can afterward, but until then, know that your friendship's meant a lot to me. I know we haven't been around each other long, but it seems like every time I'm around you, you're helping everyone smile and have a good time. You helped me realize happiness is worth fighting for, so fight the good fight! Keep smiling, keep dancing!

Amber sent off the message and started another one, her fingers typing furiously as she stared at her chrono. Heather, if I don't see you sometime this week, the next time we'll meet will probably be in space. Not how I really wanted to end this summer, but sometimes you have to roll with what life gives you. Promise you'll look after Faridah for me, and promise you'll take care of yourself. Please. I can't believe we've only known each other a few months and you've taught me so much. Before you, I thought we were so different, that you girls were close to aliens than me, but I know now that we're more alike than we are different, that we face the same shit. Pardon my language. Thanks for that, anyway. I hope I see you again soon…in blues, apparently. Never really cared for the colour. Anyway, take care, say hi to your mom and dad for me. I'll try to get in contact as soon as I can.

This is exhausting…Amber thought as she fired off Heather's message and opened another one. Joel, words can't describe how good of a mentor you've been for me. How patient you've been, how when me and Mel came into the library, you thought we were worthy to come in, unlike seemingly everyone else. Without you, I wouldn't be as well spoken, I wouldn't be as comfortable around people, and I definitely wouldn't be able to play the piano at all. By the way, I've been spending a lot more time at home learning full compositions and songs and hopefully in a year or two I'll be able to play something without the music in front of me. Maybe. Anyway, I won't be around for a while. Don't send that note off, the people you'd be sending it to already have their hooks in me, so no worries there. Not that I'm happy about it, because I'm not, but I'll make the best of it. I'll prove that you were right. I don't know the next time I'll be able to get a hold of you, but for now, thank you. You've changed my life.

Amber pressed send on her omni and started up one last message. Faridah…she started, her mind stalling, unable to find any words. She looked at the chrono and rushed off her seat. Sorry, I'll have to finish you later. Time's ticking…

Her predator pistol fired wide as she sprinted into the abandoned car park, hopping over the old rusty security rail and moving her feet toward the nearest stairwell. She'd scouted her path out well beforehand, choosing a few select buildings as bunkers to withstand whatever offense the reds put forth. The car park hadn't been her first choice; that was an abandoned department store a few blocks down, but she hadn't had the time to get there. Reds were converging on her location quickly, and she even spotted a figure in white and black chasing her a few blocks back, meaning Cerberus was shifting resources to her. Good, bring them all here, she thought, racing up the stairwell to the second floor from the top. The Alliance will be here with reinforcements in five. No time for you to be cautious, and you're dead if you're feeling reckless. She heard footsteps tromping up the old cement stairwell a few stories beneath her, and she knew they'd soon be sending skycars to bring their members to the top. Of course, if the Alliance doesn't come in five, then I'm fucked, but …nah, that won't happen. Stick to the plan.

Amber burst through the doorway and made a beeline for the designated vantage point the Alliance had set up for her, sliding over one of the reinforced skycars into cover and resting her pistol on it for stability. There were three ways the Reds could approach her; from the stairwell, from the ramp at the far end of the car park leading to the floor beneath her, and the ramp at the side of the car park leading to the top floor. She narrowed the options to the stairwell and the ramp leading to the top, as the far ramp would leave them wide open and was useless considering vehicles were useless in the narrow confines of this level. Top or bottom? Top or bottom? She asked herself, moving her pistol slightly to accommodate either option. She saw half a torso pass through the doorframe of the stairwell and kept her aim set there, letting off two rounds. Bottom it is!

The tall man staggered back into another Red behind him; loudly cursing and too focused on the new wound on his arm to realize the greater peril at hand, as a biotic throw crashed against the two, propelling them violently back into the cement room.

"That felt good." She muttered aloud, placing her pistol back on top of the skycar. "Exactly how I wanted it, and it took only about a second to charge. I could get used to this…"

The loud bursts of assault rifles sounded off behind her, bullets ricocheting off her armoured hidey-hole. The fuck? She wondered, spinning around for a second, seeing members of the Reds shooting out of skycars circling around the carpark. Well that's awesome. Hopefully it won't last because I'm not sure I can duck for the next five or ten and not have reds in punching distance. Spinning back around, she was met with the view of three gang members rushing down the ramp from the top level and two staggering through the stairwell. She fired off a few shots, but between the burst fire from all around her, and the cover fire from both the stairwell and the roof, she was forced to give up ground.

Amber quickly clipped her pistol to her side and pulled the shotgun slung across her back into her arms, cradling it for a moment before unlocking the safety. She put a little more focus on holding her barriers as she swung up and fired off a blast at a Red heading toward a pillar. Their strategy was simple; surround her and leave her with little usable cover. Three more had come down from the roof and one more had emerged from the stairwell; Amber cursed her luck as her shot caught the man in the head. He won't be dead, but I'm pretty sure he'll be too busy bleeding to get up for a bit.

Amber launched a biotic throw at two nearby reds circling around her, catching one dead in the chest and sending him hard into an old cement pillar; the other red was fortunate enough to dive, but was at the mercy of Amber's shotgun. She wasn't feeling particularly merciful as she pulled the trigger, bullets impacting on her barrier, one or two grazing against her shoulder as they broke through. Amber winced and dropped back into cover. Three down, two left in the first wave, four in the next wave. Come on Alliance, help me out here! You've got two minutes, or I'll probably start shooting you when you get here!

Waiting for her shotgun to cool down entirely, she shifted around her small triangular space of cover, avoiding the cautious fire from the Reds and focused her breathing. One on each side of you, four coming from the front. Should I…hrm. Heavy risk…but the… she mused before her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of heavier gunfire above her and a shuddering crash, sending bits of concrete and dust spewing down on her from above. Distraction!

Amber concentrated on her palm for a moment and rose, her arm arcing out as the tossed a singularity in the direction of the momentarily stunned quartet of Reds. Without looking to see if she was successful, she pivoted to face the gang member to her right firing off a single stray burst against her. A girl Red pointing an assault rifle at me? Well how about that! She thought, the Red's gunfire peppering an area off to her right as Amber's shotgun blast had put the women off balance. She let off another round into the bleeding woman's torso and pivoted in time to have a shotgun round break through her own barriers, catapulting her over the hood of one of her armoured skycars and away from her cover.

She scrambled to her feet, thankful that her barriers took most of the impact and that she'd mostly came out of it with a tweaked knee, but a second burst of her assailant's shotgun quickly sent her scrambling back behind the car, on the wrong side. Amber checked her left as she heard some loud thuds, noticing four reds gingerly getting back to their feet. Bought me some time, at least…

A tinny clink sound brought her attention in front of her, where a small flashing canister had been rolled. FUCK

Amber dove toward it and shovel-tossed it toward the four, taking a round in her back for her troubles; sprawled out on the ground, she did her best to roll back toward whatever angle of cover she could find as her aggressor turned the corner. She wasn't sure which muscles reacted first, but she fired off her shotgun until it couldn't fire, and spent as much energy as she could on her barrier, eyes closed from the pain racing down her shoulder blades. A sharp pain from her leg elicited a short cry from her, but it also let her know she was alive, despite the storm of noise and hailing gunfire from both sides.

As she opened her eyes she saw the smoking corpse of the Red, fallen to his knees with a head sized gaping wound in his chest. Amber moaned from the pain coursing through her, crawling over the nearest skycar back into cover, hoping to hole up there until reinforcements came by. A shot from a pistol sent her slumping the final few inches from the bullet's momentum colliding with her shoulder.

Fuck. This could have turned out better. No vid night for me, then. Amber dropped her shotgun, her right arm feeling too numb and unresponsive to feasibly hold it, and took her pistol in her off hand, sidling up against one of the cars and slowly peeking her head up. A pile of three corpses lay a few metres away, where four had once been. One left. Then I can call it a night. She thought, hoping the adrenaline would keep her going for a while yet as she sat back down and scanned her surroundings. From the corner of her eye, she spotted her last target, moving from cover to cover. Skycar to skycar, in fact…let's try this amp out. May as well give it a fair go…in case this doesn't end well for me.

Amber summoned as much biotic energy as she could focus on, calming her mind, placing her thoughts on the currents running through her, on each finger and palm movement. Deep breaths, just…deep breaths and…her breath caught, disrupting her focus for a bit from the exhaustion she was feeling. The well's deeper than that, girl. Come on, a bit more! She brought her focus back, felt the air across her palms and the electric blue aura of the mass effect fields on both hands and pushed forward as fast and hard as she could.

In an instant, the skycar went from five feet in front of her to sailing through the air, down the street, with what looked to be a flailing torso alongside it. Well…that was…kind of cool. I think I want to sleep now.

She heard footsteps off in the distance and drowned them out; her guns laid at her side and she was feeling too exhausted to move any substantial amount. If this is it…get it done Anderson.

"Shepard?" a voice called out behind her. She wasn't sure how many times it was repeated before she realized it was addressing her.

"No one's called me that in years." she muttered grumpily, an Alliance soldier hurdling over one of the skycars surrounding her.

"You're looking pretty…beat up." He said, looking at the mess of a girl in front of him. "I've got a civilian down here! Get the med team!"

"Did…did you guys get Cerberus?" Amber asked, her throat feeling a little too dry for comfort.

"I'm not sure, but you bought us some time. We can hope." He said, leaning her forward slightly to look at her wounds. "Jesus. Did you…uh…clear this floor?" He craned his neck, trying to get better looks at the bodies strewn around.

"Unless you guys got some on the way in. Wasn't paying much attention after I threw the skycar. I figured…I figured that nine was enough. Maybe ten, I'm not sure. Do you have an energy bar?" Amber asked as a group of three other officers arrived with a stretcher. One of the three arrivals quickly pulled a small package from his case and tossed it to her.

"Eat up, you look tired." The newcomer stated, his voice gravelly and his advanced age showing. "I'm gonna need you to take off some of your clothes so I can bandage and gel you up properly."

Amber made her best attempt at rolling her eyes. "You'll need to cut them off me, I can barely feel my right arm. Can anyone not old enough to have kids just turn around for it, though? I think I've earned that much."

Faridah's omni-tool had been beeping for the past half hour, its constant shrill whine invading the silence of her room. She sat on the edge of her bed, trying to read a textbook on VIs, and patiently waiting for her friends to arrive to watch some horror vid about some King in Yellow. She didn't know any of the stars, but its reviews had been positive, and it had been a while since they'd had a good scream.

But I swear, if someone doesn't stop messaging me, I'm going to scream! Faridah thought angrily, recalling her aunt's instructions not to answer her omni-tool tonight, before the woman had left on business. 'Just in case' she said. What the hell could anyone do from me answering my mail? Still…this past week's been really busy for her and if something might be happening…Amber… She looked back at the head of her bed, recalling the afternoon Amber had woken in her bed. Recalling what had put her there in the first place.

God, I hope she's safe…

A loud knock echoed down the hall into her room. The front door? Must be Katie… Faridah thought as she bounded off her bed and down the hallway. I'd better not have to pick Heather up, seeing as I don't have the car tonight. As soon as she opened the door, Katie and Heather burst through.

"Why haven't you been answering my messages? I tried to vidcom you and you always answer! Why didn't you answer?" Heather demanded, pacing in the small foyer. Faridah looked at them, baffled. Heather looks a little too agitated and Katie looks like a wreck.

"What's going on?" Faridah asked, moving out into the living room.

"Why haven't you…" Heather started, before Katie pushed forward.

"Amber's not coming tonight and she said she might not see me again all summer, and she told Heather they'll probably see each other in space, and that doesn't make any sense, and she was writing like she was saying like, that she wouldn't see us again, and I didn't think it was too weird, but Heather got one too and you two are close so what's going on?" Katie rambled, slumping down onto the nearby couch.

Faridah's mind raced as she stared at Katie for a long moment before turning to Heather. "You two got messages?"

"You might have too, if you'd check your bloody mail!" Heather yelled before facepalming at her own reaction. "Shit, Faridah, you two have been fucking weird all summer and I'm worried as hell."

"Look…" Faridah started, opening her omni-tool's mail function and scrolling through her inbox. "I haven't gotten any mail from her so I don't know what's going on, alright?" She stated firmly, but couldn't hide her reaction as she slowly came to realize that with Amber and Viola gone, things might be in progress.

"Faridah, what are you not…" Heather started before a loud knock at the door interrupted her.

Anderson was pleased; the intel he'd received led them to a warehouse Cerberus had been using to store the vast quantities of red sand they'd been exporting off world. With the building entirely surrounded by a perimeter of Alliance soldiers and shuttles, he led his fire-team silently up the outer stairwell to what he imagined was the third floor. Their arrival had been aided by the gunfire inside the building, allowing them to seal off any exits during the chaos, reports ensuring them there were no civilians inside. Must be the Reds and Cerberus at each other's throats over this.

Anderson signaled a countdown to his team before bursting through the doors. The warehouse was a catastrophic mess. Dust and smoke billowed through the air as fire overwhelmed the crates of drugs and other supplies on the main floor. Reds and Cerberus troops alike lay strewn out on the floor and over railings, their bloodied corpses mangled by flames and bullets. Anderson cautiously led his team toward the remaining bursts of gunfire, avoiding tripping on the bodies beneath them as they crept their way down the walkway to an office overlooking the warehouse. The firing ended abruptly and he could see some figures pacing and gesturing wildly at each other through the windows. Hopefully they don't spot us before we get to them…we'd be sitting ducks out here.

Clear of the view from the office, he readied a flash-bang and slowly snuck toward the door, creeping it open slightly and tossing the device inside with a one second delay. The room erupted in light and the confused yelling of those inside, urging Anderson and his team to barge in, immediately disarming the two Cerberus troops inside. As one of his team administered a sedative, another two restraining the fallen foes, Anderson took a look around the room. Three reds lay dead, seemingly dragged off to the corner and smelling of gasoline. He continued through the room and made his way toward a nearby door, gun drawn, opening it and immediately recoiling at the stench. What in the blazes…

He took a moment to calm his nausea, and covered his nose and mouth, pushing the door open once more. Half melted onto the steel chair she was sitting on lay the smoking, swollen, burnt corpse of Viola. Anderson shut the door and marched back over to his team. "I have bad news…"

Amber was enjoying the shuttle ride on route to one of the 'Alliance-approved' hospitals. The medic had bandaged her up well, popped her dislocated shoulder back in place, and filled all the necessary holes with medigel. The painkillers weren't a bad idea, either. Neither were the six energy bars they gave me. I'm feeling pretty alright.

"Hey kid, we got a comms for you." The alliance man who'd found her handed her an earpiece, which she slipped on her head. "Just tell me when you're good to go, miss."

Amber nodded her head and soon heard a little bit of background noise. "Anderson? Tell me you did it."

"Amber. Good to hear you, are you holding up?" Anderson asked, his tone pretty clear that he was redirecting.

"I've got enough medigel in me to keep me standing for a long time. Did you get them?" She repeated more firmly, a bead of sweat trailing down her forehead.

"Amber, we…I got tricked into taking a bait. We killed and captured a number of Cerberus agents, but we missed the main ones. The mole…that Viola woman…she's dead. They got to her. We're still tracing them, but they're likely on the run by now. I'm sorry."

Amber sat, stunned at the outcome. We needed to get Fiske…if he's still alive, then…

"Anderson, meet me at the facility. The residential building nearby, sixteenth floor, suite 2. Get there now." Amber demanded in haste, before turning to yell toward the cockpit. "Hey! Change of plans buddy, Anderson needs us to head back. New lead!"

"Shepard…" Anderson grumbled, sounding confused.

"Copy that. Over!" Amber yelled, hoping she was convincing enough as the ended the call. "Take me to the Reinhart sports facility. Anderson will meet us there."

"He didn't tell me anything about that, what did he say?" the man asked, Amber feeling the course of the shuttle shifting.

"Cerberus will be there."

The ride felt too long, but she knew time didn't really measure up properly in times like those. If she's dead, I'll kill him. I'll kill both him and Fiske.

Amber hopped off the shuttle wincing at the dull pain in her legs as she grabbed her pistol and holstered it. The area was quiet and on any other day, she'd appreciate that. Tonight, not so much.

"Hey kid, look, we've got two medics, a pilot, and me on this shuttle. All the others are halfway back to base or out with Anderson. If Cerberus is in there, we should wait." The soldier said, walking up to her and keeping pace as she headed toward the apartment building. "I'm just saying, we're no match if there are two trained guys in there."

"Then watch the door and make sure no one gets in or out. If someone's here already, they want two people dead. One of them is up there, and the other's me, but every second I waste is one that the person up there might not have." Amber stated calmly, chomping on another energy bar as she got up to the doors. "When Anderson comes, have him find me."

Faridah huddled in the condo's safe room with Heather and Katie around her. It was a cramped space, but it was secure, and safe from most forms of detection. Including sound, thankfully, Faridah thought, Katie spewing her worries into the small square room. The girls had protested the decision, but luckily she had quickly gotten Heather onto her side, vetoing Katie's confused and fearful refusals. Faridah was doing her best to stop from trembling, but she feared she wasn't doing a good job of it.

"So we're in here…why?" Heather asked, sounding annoyed, but it was clear on the screens in front of them that three people were tearing the apartment up looking for something. Or someone.

"Long story or short story?" Faridah mumbled reluctantly, not feeling she had much choice in the matter.

"Short." Heather responded stiffly, her intense gaze forcing Faridah to shrink back slightly.

"My aunt's a terrible person and her bosses are terrible people and they might want me dead because I know what they did." Faridah blurted out, turning away from her friends. "Well, not Viola, but these people do."

"And…that's what's had you on edge for a while?" Heather asked, her voice much softer than before.

"You think?" Faridah's words burst out of her, immediately regretting the sarcastic tone. "Look, if someone's basically promised they're going to kill you, and you don't know when, you get really nervous and anxious and terrified and…and…" Faridah's stumbling words cut off as Heather pulled her into a tight hug.

"I had no idea…I…" Heather started as Katie jumped up and went up to the screens. All three girls watched as a figure came through the foyer into the kitchen.

"Why is Amber here?" Katie asked, the horror uncensored from her voice as she watched two of the three intruders moved toward her, pistols drawn.

"I…have no idea."

Amber limped through the doorway as quietly as she could, doing her best to sneak into the kitchen. It wasn't good enough, certainly; she saw a laser sight remain firmly on the wall opposite her as she leaned against the doorframe separating the kitchen from the living room. She pulled her knife into one hand and readied her pistol, hoping she'd be the faster draw.

A noise from behind her threw her attention in that direction, sliding out of the way of pistol fire, sending two rounds into the offending agent's chest. He tumbled back, but two strong arms wrapped around her chest tightly before she had a chance to pursue. Amber used what leverage she had to rock her body slightly enough to get her knife arm extended, letting her rake the knife across the second agent's thigh. One of his arms loosened, letting her slip out of his grasp and launch him across the room with a biotic throw, his body crashing through the drywall. She spun on her heel clumsily and fired another round in the other agent's direction, only to get tackled to the ground, her pistol falling from her grasp.

Amber used the momentum to her advantage as well as she could, rolling with the tackle and half pushing the man off of her as she spun and swung down with her knife. He used his arms to block her downward motion and kicked out at her, his boot cracking against her jaw. The man worked to his feet and reached for her gun which had fallen during the tackle. Amber sprang at him, one hand surging for the barrel of the pistol and the other lashing out with her knife. His pistol was able to fire once before the knife impaled through his ribs again and again, blood sputtering out of his body with each strike. The man went limp and Amber took her gun back, finishing her work on the unconscious man half stuck in the wall.

As she turned to the living room entrance her pistol began to scream at her, the heatsink overloaded.

"Where are your manners, Miss Shepard?" she heard Fiske ask calmly. It wasn't often that he would speak to her, but she remembered his taunts and his words from her 'acclimation' training with the whip. Just hearing his voice again incensed her. He stood a few feet inside the living room wearing some form of light armor. "You come into this abode with guns and knives rather than words. What am I to make of this?"

"That I'm kind of pissed you came here to kill a teenager on your way out of town. That you're a sick twisted pile of filth that's going to try and hurt more innocent children." Amber growled, turning to fully face him.

"I'm merely working to advance the human race. Your sacrifices will help humanity take its rightful place in the galaxy. But you would try to undo that. So I am not here to kill a single teenager, Miss Shepard. I am here for two of them. Now where is she?" Fiske asked, backing up a few steps. "Is she in their safe room? Shall I open it and kill her first, or would you rather I kill you instead, to spare you the sight?"

Amber prowled forward into the room, checking her angles and noticing he was alone. She would have smiled if she wasn't so weary, and if he wasn't wearing armor. Amber tossed a weak throw at him as a test, which vanished a few inches from his body.

"Fucking shields." Amber muttered. "Take off your cage and let's see who comes out on top." She spread out her stance and readied her knife, her other hand beckoning him forward. Fiske just laughed.

"Miss Shepard! Do you think I am so dense as to give up my advantage for pride? I have pride in my causes, my abilities, and my successes. I am not blind to my pride, however. Now, shall I kill you first? I…" Fiske started, Amber's biotically charged body crashing into him and interrupting his monologue, sending him tumbling violently down the hall. Amber stalked toward him, barely limping due to the adrenaline coursing through her body.

She swung down at him with her knife, slicing open a small weak point in the armor at his shoulder as his hand pulled her down, his leg kicking hers out from under her as she fell awkwardly to the floor. He flipped over on top of her, straddling her waist and landed a hard metal punch against her cheek, the crack of steel knuckle on bone echoing through the condo.

"Miss Shepard. You should not have come here. But I am glad you did. It is more efficient this way." He said, as he threw punch after punch at her. Amber did a good job avoiding or blocking the shots, but her forearms and face were hurting too much to keep enduring the punishment. As Fiske reeled up for a slightly heavier punch, she saw an opportunity. You just broke your own rules, Fiske. Don't leave the enemy an opportunity to escape… she thought as she braced her foot against his, trapped the arm holding her down and swept him over with all the strength she could muster, using the momentum of the roll to hop to her feet.

Fiske scrambled to his knees but soon felt his body start to float midair. Amber stood a few feet away, arms shaking from the fractures and how painful her biotic gestures were becoming. The adrenalin wearing off, Amber couldn't react quick enough to Fiske sliding his knife off his hip and tossing it at her; even with the disorienting position of floating freely, his knife sliced through the air and sharply embedded itself in Amber's already wounded right shoulder.

Not letting him earn any time to recover she pressed forth and gathered the last remnants of her energy and biotically charged at him, hurtling him down the remainder of the hallway into the wall, his body slumping somewhat at the impact, his armor cracked and falling off in places. Amber trudged the last few meters up to the Cerberus agent, glowering at the bloody mess he claimed for a body.

"I won't kill you kindly. Hopefully I won't kill you at all. But coming here and threatening my family?" she choked out, blood and saliva making it harder to breathe and form words. "You'll pay for that."

The man groaned from his hole in the wall as he slowly righted himself and faced her. His eyes opened to a figure wreathed in blue, and then she was on him, pain searing through his body as his skeleton began to splinter from the hips outward, her knee having crushed that real estate horrifically.

Amber ignored the hoarse screams, at least for the short duration that they lasted before the man fell unconscious, and staggered back down the hall, her blood-soaked legs giving out as she reached the living room. She could hear footsteps from far off behind her and felt déjà vu again. It was a comforting feeling.

Faridah saw the carnage that had turned her hallway into a disaster site. She saw the puddles of blood pooling across the floors she was so familiar with. She'd never seen a place so honestly red in her life, and that shock was only dulled by the crumpled figure at the end of it. She briskly made her way over and examined the fallen brunette; turning her over, hoping that she wasn't hurt too badly.

Watching the attacks on a screen was difficult enough; even with the bad camera angles and poor lighting, she had been shocked at the sheer violence of it all. Katie had hid her face in Heather's chest as the brunette stared on in what had looked to be reverence and fear. Heather had gone to get Faridah something to clean Amber up with, but looking at her, there didn't seem to be much she could do.

Blood leaked thickly from her nose and mouth, making gruesome trails down the side of her face, and causing large smear marks from where it had pooled around her chin. A minor gash split her forehead above her right eyebrow, one of her brown curls unable to free itself from the sticky mess. Her face was red and swollen, her lip split almost comically down the middle, her eyelids fluttering as she dreamed. Faridah hoped her dreams were more pleasant than reality.

Heather arrived soon with a bowl of warm water, a facecloth and some medigel, kneeling beside her younger friends as Faridah got to work at cleaning the blood off. Her heart ached as Amber's body would tense and twitch as she cleaned around each open wound. She didn't hear the front door open, only shooed away the shadows nonchalantly as they stood over Amber's body.

She felt Heather's hand hold her arm still as she reached to dab at Amber's forehead, her friend's other hand stripping her of the facecloth as she watched the younger brunette be gently lifted onto a stretcher. Seeing Amber's left hand open up from the fist it had been, she reached forward and softly clutched it, smiling when she felt her friend's fingers return the grasp.

Amber awoke from her dreams to an overwhelming numbness. Everything felt heavy and distinct, each movement labored and made blatantly obvious, feeling every muscle. She went to clench and unclench her hands slowly, and found herself incapable with her left. Making the effort to open her eyes, she found herself in the back of a shuttle, yet again bandaged up and attached to some flat surface. To her right, Faridah sat, holding her hand and staring off out the window blankly. Amber coughed twice, clearing her throat enough to speak, dragging the girl's attention to her.

"I take it that vid night didn't happen?"Amber asked, her voice straining at the effort. "I feel weird." Faridah shifted closer, her eyes scanning over Amber's face intently.

"You're on painkillers. You were hurt…" Faridah said, stumbling on her words as her breathing turned ragged, tears pooling in her eyes. "They hurt you really badly. I'm so sorry!"

"Shhh." Amber started, turning her head fully to face her friend. "This wasn't your fault. You're safe. I just wanted to keep my promise."

Faridah animatedly shook her head, a stray tear flying onto Amber's cheek. "No, that was…I would never ask you to do that, ever. Ever. Please…"

"Faridah, I don't have much in my life that's good. I'd ask that of myself even if you wouldn't. You're free now but…" Amber paused and closed her eyes, feeling more exhausted with each word. "Viola…"

"Good riddance." Faridah spat, pausing when Amber shook her head slightly.

"Fuck…Faridah, she was …horrible. She did bad things…" Amber said, pausing to cough up some blood, Faridah quickly wiping it from the brunette's face. "But she was your aunt. Wasn't always like that. Just don't…don't lose track of those good memories just because of what she did. What she did…wasn't all that she was. Even if she forgot how…she loved you. She was a good woman once."

Faridah sat still and exhaled loudly."I won't forgive her."

"I sure as fuck won't. She deserved it. But she was human. No one's fully evil, Faridah. Besides…she helped me meet you." Amber's voice was weakening as the numbness started to fade, unable to concentrate on talking and ignoring the pain at the same time.

Faridah looked back at the shuttle's pilot, and then to Amber. "You know, we'll be at the hospital soon. You'll be fine. It will just…"

"I didn't send you a message." Amber gritted out, opening tearful eyes at Faridah. "I'm sorry."

The raven-haired girl leaned forward and stroked Amber's cheek gently. "Hey, it's alright. I understand."

"No. I…fuck, this hurts. I can't even hug you goodbye." Amber cried, wincing at the pain shooting through her with each breath.

"Amber if you want, I can…" Faridah started, before looking back to the window.

She knew it was selfish, that it was wrong, but she desperately wanted Faridah to tell her she'd take her someplace safe. That she'll pass through the four years with the Alliance like a bad dream and wake up in her arms and a pile of comfortable sheets. That if she wanted, they could find a life together. Faridah just turned back to her and smiled sadly, remaining silent, and Amber felt both devastated and proud of the simple gesture.

Amber felt the shuttle slow for landing and blinked away her tears.

"I promise I'll write." She whispered. Faridah laughed and went to lightly jab Amber's shoulder, but fortunately thought twice about it.

"You'd better get a good omni-tool for once and vidmail me!" She laughed, giving Amber's hand another squeeze. "Are you sure you can't get away from this?"

Amber shook her head slowly. "I can't, it's official. Everything's been taken care of, and I'm on my way to an Alliance hospital before they ship me off wherever their academy thing is. But I'll let you know when I get my place on a colony, I'll even pay your way."

"Well, look at you, charming me off to some strange majestic planet." Faridah noted playfully as the shuttle came to a stop.

"God, I'll miss you." Amber choked out, wanting to inject some humour, but she just couldn't grasp any. "I wish I could take a holo of you right now." She finished, sheepishly. This is it…and it's already gone.

"Then remember me." Faridah said simply, bending over and kissing Amber gently on the lips. The touch was invigorating and calming, setting her heart at ease for the first time all night. Faridah pulled away and smiled. "I…could have loved you, you know."

Amber smiled at the confession and nodded. "I know. I might have even proved worthy of it, eventually. You're my best friend…you'll find someone better than beat up lil' Amber Shepard."

The shuttle doors opened and two Alliance medics moved over to her side, propping her stretcher onto a hover pallet. Amber squeezed her friend's hand one last time. "Take care of yourself, Faridah."

"You too…" Faridah mouthed as Amber's hand fell from her grasp, the pallet moving quickly away from her, taking the brunette away.

Amber laid back on the stretcher and imagined all the possible lives she'd abandoned, all the things she'd never have, never experience, thanks to her own decisions. Flashes of lives spent with Faridah filled her mind; swimming in Lake Louise together the summer Faridah would graduate, cuddling on a couch together on their second anniversary, going on a trip with Heather and Matt to some amazing place like Croatia, fixing Faridah's skycar so she could get to work safely and on time, falling asleep next to her warm body every night and never allowing that small fact of life to become boring. She allowed these thoughts to swirl through her mind as fingers prodded her and began patching her up properly.

She closed her eyes, comforted in the idea that even if those couldn't happen, that her future was a blank slate. The galaxy was full of people for both her and Faridah, and they could both find some peace somewhere out there in the vast reaches of space. She could find whatever it was she was looking for out there, and could accomplish whatever she needed to. Reveling in the excitement and mystery of it all, she let the sedatives take her into the soothing embrace of her dreams, where a lush green meadow and a tall red oak awaited her.

A/N: And that's Flotsam! Hooray! Twenty whole chapters, and over 130k words! WOW. I did not expect this when I started back in May, and I certainly didn't expect this kind of response. Especially in the last week, my fic's been getting serious traffic, so thank you to everyone who's jumped in on my story (apologies for there being so much to catch up on). You're all pretty awesome individuals!

So yeah. It's over. I had this envisioned about a week ago, and I strayed from it a bunch while writing, but eventually came back to what I had. In the end, I'm satisfied with it. It's hard to end a story. I know that now.

Still, I have a new story, "Feathers", continuing this Shepard's experiences, starting just before the events of ME1 and leading through it (as I write, of course). If you liked this story, mayhaps you will like this next one! No pressure though :)

Anywho, I just want to thank everyone again. Honestly, it's been a pretty wild ride and the motivation I've gotten from the reviews and PMs and alerts/favourites, forum discussions at BSN…you made this more worthwhile than I could have imagined. I hope you enjoyed my little story, and I bid you adieu.

Safe travels! Have a great weekend!