Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 33

The pair reached a dead end. Searching for a way through, there was a garage door but no mechanism to open it. Not even a terminal she could possibly hack into. Shepard the suggested they use a nearby armoured vehicle. She was thinking along the lines of climbing in and driving away. That's not what he was planning as he got into the turret seat, aimed, and fired, blasting an enormous hole in the wall, killing a trio of mercenaries who happened to be waiting on the other side.

"What the hell are you people doing down there?" Hock screamed over the comm system.

"Well, I think blowing up his mansion might be a little extreme. I am thinking about it though," Shepard muttered.

The pair moved on, Shepard now switching to his rifle, now covering and firing alongside her.

"Kill Solomon Gunn! Bring the girl to me!"

"When will they ever learn, Miss Goto?"

"We do seem to end up fighting a lower class of criminal, Shepard."

Mowing down a couple of mercenaries here and there, she felt confident they were reaching the exit, though could only hope there was something waiting for them to escape, otherwise life was going to get difficult. She had the plans in her omni-tool, but from memory, there were not many exit points from the landing pad. Circling around the mansion was out, no doubt the shuttle she'd piloted full of holes and in flames by now to prevent their escape.

Another enormous mech definitely grabbed their attention. This time, there was no messing around from Shepard, taking the heavy weapon from his back, aiming and firing, the mech exploding into tiny flaming fragments. Watching him place the weapon on his back, he looked at her and it was obvious he was now getting pissed off.

"Don't fight me, Kasumi. You know what happened to your boy toy when he fought back."

He reached across to grab her shoulder. "He dies, Kasumi," he growled.

She popped a new heat sink into her SMG and nodded, not feeling confident in her voice at that moment. There were very few guards remaining, the pair killing four more before they burst through a set of doors out onto the landing pad. And it was as she feared. No shuttles waiting. No anything they could use. Shepard immediately walked out into the middle of the landing pad. "I could call in a shuttle?"

"Hock will have defences, Shepard. No chance it'll get here without behind fired upon."

"I could just call in the Normandy."

"I'm sure that'll just spark some sort of diplomatic incident." She opened her omni-tool. "Just give me a sec, I'll check our options. Going back the way we came is out. Maybe there's a trail or something..."

Before she'd really had a chance to investigate, something flew over their heads. She heard Shepard shout 'Gunship!' before she felt herself picked up too easily and carried behind cover. He set her down gently, his eyes immediately peering over cover. "Thanks," she said, taking out her SMG, "You carried me far too easily then."

"No problem. Now, gunship. Ideas?"

"I'm not sure, you?"

Shepard stood up and simply fired a burst into the gunship. He crouched down as it returned fire. She could hear its engines as it moved from side to side. They were well protected from all sides for the moment. "You're good at tech, right? It's well shielded. All I need you to do is disable them. Once you do that, heavy weapon time, and I blow the fucker out of the sky."

"I'll need him closer for it to work."

"Okay, I can play chicken. Give me a minute."

He stored his rifle, took a couple of deep breaths, before standing up and walking a couple of paces. She watched him actually wave and called Hock to come closer. The idiot should have just fired at Shepard and be done with it, but he couldn't just do that. He needed to boast about what he was about to do. While he was pre-occupied, Kasumi got to work. Finding an access to his gunship was easy. She didn't do the shields right away. First, she disabled his guns. Then she fiddled with his engines. Then she disabled his shields. She didn't have to tell Shepard anything as she stood up net to him, giving him a wave as she saw him move, trying to open fire.

Then she keyed a final command, watching as the canopy of the cockpit flew open. Together, she and Shepard took out their weapons and opened fire, riddling his body with bullets. Thankfully, he slumped forward onto the controls, causing the gunship to veer away and over the side of the landing pad, hearing it crash far below them.

She stood next to him, barely believing it was all over, the only sounds being her controlled breathing, noticing him place the weapon on his back. Next thing she knew, he had his arms wrapped around her, just bringing her a little comfort. "Better?" he asked quietly.

"No. It won't bring him back, but at least it's over."

Still holding her with one arm, he called the Normandy, asking for a shuttle to be brought to their location. If those who worked for Hock knew he was dead, she assumed many would now simply go on the run, their pay-master dead. Shepard suggested they go back and take a few things, but she didn't need anything else. She had what she'd come for.

The shuttle arrived ten minutes later and together they stepped on board. He sat down and she sat next to him. She'd felt safe the entire time near him and, with what she was about to do, she might need his comfort yet again.

"You want to do it now?" he asked, sounding slightly surprised.

"I've waited long enough, Shepard."

Sliding the graybox into a slot, she opened the holographic interface that came with it. The shuttle disappeared and she soon found herself in virtual reality, and in front of her stood Keiji. It wasn't really him. It was only a recording. But seeing him, hearing his voice again, was almost too much. Shepard heard her sniffle immediately, wrapping an arm around her. She could still feel that.

"Kasumi. If you're seeing this, it's because I'm dead. The information we found is all here. It's big, Kasumi. If the Council ever got wind of this, the Alliance could be implicated. Kasumi, I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your graybox, so no one could get the whole package. But if I'm dead, and if anyone know about this... then I've made you a target, my love. I'm so, so sorry."

"Keiji," she whispered, seeing other memories of their time together. Brief snippets. Moments they'd stolen together.

"I know you, Kasumi. You'll want to keep these memories forever. But you don't need some neural implant to know I'll always be with you. Please, Kasumi. Destroy these files. There's nothing more I can do to protect you. Goodbye, Kasumi, I love you."

He faded away as she removed the interface from around her eyes. Drying her eyes behind the hood, Shepard simply tightened his arm around her, not saying a word otherwise. He would have heard everything but not seen it. Not seen him. "That man had a lot of love in his heart, it seems."

"He did."

"Memories?"

"Everything."

"Is there any way we can just destroy the information, not the memories?"

"No, he is... was a master at encrypting files. He laced the information into his memories. You can't get one without experiencing the other." She sighed with bitterness. She knew he was right, of course. If the information got out, it could get ugly for humanity in general.

"What will you do?"

"I don't want to, but I'll do what he wants. His last wish, it seems. He's not just protecting me by asking this, he's protecting everyone. But by doing that, he also... breaks my heart a final time. It's like watching him die all over again."

"I've heard you speak about him before, Kasumi. You won't forget him. Some people have one great love in their lives. Some have more. Cherish the time you had together, and never forget it. But by doing this, perhaps it is also his way of saying that you should also move on."

"Sometimes easier said than done."

"I know. I've been there myself."

"Annie?" He nodded. She knew he had gone through exactly the same thing. In many ways, he still hadn't moved on. He may have expressed love for one or two women since, but he still wasn't willing to settle with just one, not willing to make that commitment again, likely fearful of losing her just as quickly again. "Guess we're both unlucky in love, Shepard." She couldn't help sigh as she opened the commands for the graybox. Passing through the sub-menus, she found the one needed. She held out her hand, Shepard immediately grabbing it, holding it tight, before she pushed the button required. A few seconds later, the graybox was empty. Everything was gone.

Arriving back on the Normandy, Shepard immediately called out to Joker that they should leave the system they were in, heading in the direction of Omega for now, though not to actually land there should they arrive anytime soon. He escorted her to her lounge, sitting her down on one of the couches that looked out upon the stars as he walked to the bar. He returned a couple of minutes later with a pair of glasses, handing her something that she immediately took a gulp of. It was strong, very strong, and she couldn't help cough, hearing him chuckle beside her. "Easy. Drinking and grief are not a good combination, but I can understand..."

"Let's invite some people, Shepard. Add some life."

She leaned into his side as he called out to EDI to announce a ship wide broadcast for everyone to head the port observation deck for drinks. Everyone came, even people like Miranda. All of them were aware the two of them had been down for a mission, though none of them knew much more than that. Shepard hadn't told them, nor had she. She didn't think she'd ever share everything with anyone except him now.

He provided comfort all night, gently rubbing her back or her side, as she simply curled her legs underneath her body, snuggling into his side. She didn't say all that much, people like Garrus definitely providing plenty of amusement with some of the stories he shared. Shepard made them laugh as he told them of some of the people he met at Hock's party, with a little teasing from Kelly about the redheaded bombshell that had taken his attention.

It was good night. Everyone had a story to share. Many of them made her laugh. After a few hours, only Shepard and Kelly remained with her, though Kelly whispered something into his ear, kissed his cheek, and she disappeared. Once they were alone, she asked, "What did she say?"

"She thought I should stay with you tonight."

"Oh..."

"Not like that."

"But..."

"Well, she seems to think you find me comforting."

"I do. You've been nothing but... hmm... I'm not sure how to put it. Understanding? Kind? Um... Thoughtful?"

"Grief works in funny ways, Kasumi. The night we lost Kaidan, Ashley came into my room. I was going to send her away, as I didn't think it was the right time, but we ended up making love for the first time. People react to grief differently. She needed to feel alive by being intimate with someone. How do I deal with grief? I generally get steaming drunk then pass out, because then I don't think or dream."

"So after Annie?"

"Bender of epic proportions. I'm fairly sure my liver still hates me for it. So you've been grieving since that day, and now you will deal with that final piece of grief. So you deal with it how you want, Kasumi."

She didn't want to be alone that night, that much she knew, so she asked him to stay. She didn't want intimacy or sex, she certainly wasn't ready for that, but just being around him was enough. Keiji was gone, and he could no longer protect her. Shepard... Shepard was someone who would protect her from now on. He was a good man, cared for his friends, and would go through hell for those alongside him, ensuring they survived.

So that's how she ended up in bed with Shepard that night. She wore underwear and a thin shirt to cover herself. He just wore underwear, and she couldn't help but marvel at his body again. If you looked in a dictionary for a word such as 'adonis', there'd be a picture of him. She cuddled into his side as he felt one of his strong arms wrap around her. Resting against his body, she admitted that he already made her feel safe. That made him smile, a kiss on the top of her forehead as much intimate contact they needed.

It was the best night's sleep she'd had in months, waking up surprisingly late to find him still there next to her, though he'd likely been awake for a while. Maybe he'd been watching her sleep. "Good morning," he whispered, "Sleep well?"

"Best in months, Shepard. You're very warm."

"I get that compliment often."

Running a hand up and down his chest, even when relaxed, she could feel the muscles everywhere. Moving to his arm, there was a strength and power she rarely felt in anyone, yet they were also arms that clearly provided much more. He simply watched her, a slight grin on his face, before she finally met his eyes. Then she leaned up and kissed him. She couldn't help herself. Despite everything, she was still attracted.

"Well, one would soon get ideas with a kiss like that, Miss Goto," he whispered.

"That was quite the kiss you gave me yesterday, Shepard. I just wanted to try again."

"And?"

"Well, let's just say I've enjoyed it both times."

"Don't rush things, Kasumi. Heal your heart first, then when you feel ready, and you really want this, and more importantly, you can accept my life how it is, then by all means, I'm not going to say no."

"You won't?"

"God no." He said it with such passion, she couldn't help kissing him again, eventually moving so she was straddling his body, her shirt quickly disappearing as she felt his hands on her bare skin. She could also feel his erection through their underwear. All that did was make her remember how long it had been since she'd been intimate with anyone. But she could sense his hesitation for anything more than a kiss. "Kasumi..."

"I know. But it's nice to feel wanted. Nice to be like this with someone who obviously likes me in return."

She rested her head of his chest, his arms wrapping around her once again, feeling fingers trail up and down her spine. She could hear his heartbeat, and could tell he was at least a little bit excited by her. Okay, from what she could feel pressing against her, he was more than a little excited. But she felt safe and comfortable with him, and couldn't help lay there with a smile as she gazed upon the twinkling stars in space.

Maybe moving on wouldn't be so hard to do after all.