Chapter Text
Ash and dust choked the air as Shepard sprinted across the barren no-man’s land between him and the beam until the AFV in front of him went up in a burst of flames. Stopped short by reaper ordinance, it flipped back towards him, forcing the marine to drop to one hip and slide to avoid being struck.
For all it hindered his forward progress, the ruined vehicle afforded Shepard enough cover to let him look back for his team, just in time to watch helplessly as a second AFV was sent soaring through the air to land tail-first in the mud before toppling towards Kaidan and Garrus. It exploded on impact and without breaking momentum the commander rolled to his feet then raced across the vehicle’s belly on the shortest path towards his people, springing off the nose to join Kaidan and Garrus in its shadow.
System flooded with adrenaline, the world seemed like it was moving at a snail’s pace as Shepard found Garrus first and reached for him, only to be waved away, reassurance that he was alright half-drowned by the retort of nearby gunfire. Taking his word for it, the commander spun towards Kaidan and felt the world slow further at the sight of all the blood staining his lover’s blue armor; but then the biotic moved, shifting to his knees and lifting his head. When their eyes met the pain on Kaidan’s face was enough to send the commander’s perception of time slamming from first gear up to fifth, and before he registered what he was doing, Shepard had already hauled the major’s arm over his shoulders and dragged him into cover of the AFV.
“You alright?” Shepard shouted over the noise of the battle as Kaidan dropped back against the nose of the vehicle, chest heaving beneath his armor as he nodded. He was lying, of course, and crouched on the biotic’s other side, Garrus knew it too. Turian and human shared a look as Shepard came to a decision. Reaching for his com, he made a call. “Normandy! Do you copy? I need an evac, right now!”
It said something about the state Kaidan was in that he didn’t immediately object but focused on catching his breath, leaning forward when Garrus shifted him to get a better look at his wound.
“We’re taking heavy losses up here,” Joker called back, interference making his voice crackle in Shepard’s ear as a nearby explosion rocked all three of them. The commander gripped Kaidan’s shoulder to steady him, then twisted to look around them for help, though he couldn’t have said what sort he expected to find until the familiar hum of the Normandy’s engines finally overcame the cacophony of the battle field and returned his sense of hope. “On our way, Commander,” Joker said as the ship came in for a landing with more grace than a frigate her size had any business having in Earth’s atmosphere.
As she settled into place, Shepard looked at Garrus, who rolled his eyes and shouted, “I’ve got me, you get him ,” as he jerked his head towards Kaidan. The fact that the turian was clutching his side didn’t go unnoticed by the commander, but he could only carry one of them, so he decided to take his friend’s word for it and grabbed up Kaidan’s arm then dragged the biotic to his feet. “Come on,” he called, clutching the other man close, heart hammering in his chest as he told himself the blood wasn’t all Kaidan’s- couldn’t be- and focused on getting his people back to the relative safety of the Normandy.
The ramp dropped and several soldiers rushed out to provide cover fire as the trio and several other survivors hobbled towards safety. Seeing them up the ramp, Shepard pulled free of Kaidan’s grasp and urged him into Garrus’. “Here, take him,” he ordered the turian.
That was enough to shake Kaidan from whatever shock his injury had put him in as he twisted and called, “Shepard!”
“You gotta get out of here,” the commander insisted, his lover’s look of betrayal cutting him to the quick. Worth it, though, if it meant he managed to make it out of all this alive…
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” the biotic insisted as he struggled in Garrus’ grip, rain-soaked and covered in his own blood, but determined as he’d ever been to follow Shepard into the jaws of hell itself if he asked.
But he wouldn’t ask, not this time. “Don’t argue with me, Kaidan,” the commander ordered as he took a step backwards down the ramp before he could change his mind, but the pained expression that contorted the major’s face kept him from taking another.
“Don’t leave me behind,” Kaidan pleaded, voice rough and desperate. “Take me with you; I can still fight!”
“We both can,” Garrus said, brow set and determined as he shifted his grip on Kaidan before adding, “What happened to ‘no Shepard without Vakarian’, hm?”
He should keep moving. Shepard knew he should keep moving, but their determination brought him up short, like a tether they’d slipped around him while he wasn’t looking. He couldn’t bring himself to resent it, however, not when it so clearly came from a place of love.
Still, he’d cut it happily if it meant keeping them safe; even if ‘safe’ was in short supply these days…
Kaidan pulled free of Garrus’ grasp and strode towards Shepard, but didn’t make it far before one of his legs gave out and he dropped to his knees on the rain-slicked ramp beneath them. Abandoning his chance to leave, the commander sprang forward to catch the biotic before he could fall any further. Kaidan’s hands landed on his shoulders and grasped at the ridges of his armor as Shepard’s arms found their way around his waist to steady the man, bringing them so close their noses brushed.
“I promised, John,” Kaidan said, voice low and fervent as he leaned forward to rest his brow against Shepard’s. “I promised you’d never have to find out what you’d do without me, and I keep my promises.”
Unable to meet the other man’s gaze, Shepard squeezed his eyes shut tight against the pain, the unfairness of it all. “You’re hurt,” he murmured quietly, just for the two of them. “ Please , Denny,” he begged helplessly, voice tight with emotion.
Somewhere behind him, Kaidan heard Chakwas rush down the ramp towards Garrus to begin seeing to the turian’s wounds, but the biotic was too busy thinking what a low blow it was for Shepard to use his nickname against him like that now of all times to greet her. The commander knew how weak it made him.
The whole thing had started out as a joke not long after Kaidan rejoined the Normandy crew, and mere days after the biotic finally gathered his nerves and confessed his feelings for Shepard over dinner at the cafe on the Presidium (he’d woken up in the same bed with the other man every morning since and somehow that outcome still surprised him some days). They’d been undercover planet-side looking for some leads on Cerberus when someone had asked his name and Kaidan had completely blanked on his alias. Luckily, Shepard had been quicker on the uptake, even if his answer had earned him a baffled look from the biotic when he said, “This is my boyfriend, Denny.”
“Denny?” Kaidan had asked incredulously once they had moved along.
“Well, Cay seemed too obvious, so that just left Den,” Shepard had explained as though this were the most obvious thing in the world, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips when he’d added, “I thought it sounded very Canadian.”
That had earned him a laugh and a shove from Kaidan as he’d demanded the other man explain what that was even supposed to mean , though he never had learned the answer. It’d become an inside joke between the two of them when they were alone, then quickly morphed into a term of affection.
Shepard called him Denny with the same air most lovers said ‘honey’ or ‘sweetheart’, and silly though it was, it made Kaidan’s heart give a little flutter every time.
The fact that the commander was trying to use it against him now was something he’d lecture Shepard about later, but it could wait until the war had been won.
Kaidan leaned in and brushed his lips briefly over Shepard’s, then pulled back and said, “Long as I’ve still got breath in me, there’s no way I’m sending you into that thing alone.” The commander finally opened his eyes and met the biotic’s gaze, which Kaidan held for a moment, determined to get his message across. Chakwas finished with Garrus then, and moved to the major’s side to take stock of his injury. “Patch me up as best you can, Doctor. We’ve got a mission to complete,” he told her.
Karin looked at him for a moment, seemed to recognize what Shepard was trying so hard to deny, and nodded. “Right you are, Major.”
The biotic gently, but firmly, pushed the other man away and settled back so the doctor could see what she was doing and instructed him, “Better call in the team, they’re not going to want to miss this.”
“I can’t,” Shepard tried to object again, staring transfixed at the wound in Kaidan’s side. He’d been hit by shrapnel of some sort and Chakwas was quietly informing the biotic that she was going to leave it for the time being in favor of getting him back on his feet in the short term.
How many more times, the commander wondered; how many more times would the man he loved, or the rest of their strange little family, get hurt following him into the jaws of death? How many more times until they didn’t get back up again? Ashley, Thane, Mordin, Legion… how many more?
“It won’t stop until we finish it, Shepard,” Garrus said quietly from his side, though the marine couldn’t have guessed when he’d gotten there. “So let’s finish it.”
Shepard looked at the turian, one of his oldest friends, his most faithful ally. Garrus had been there at the start of it all, he’d been the first to return to the commander’s side after Cerberus brought him back from the dead, and here he was at the end of it all, ready and waiting to follow where Shepard lead.
The commander took a breath and felt the fear, if not disappear, then at least fade as he decided to take comfort in his team’s presence rather than fret over them like they were helpless innocents to be protected at all costs. They had as much at stake here and now as he did, as every sentient being did, trying to refuse them an opportunity to do their part wasn’t kindness- it was cruelty.
“You’re right,” Shepard agreed at last and earned himself an approving look from Garrus and a relieved smile from Kaidan, whom the commander offered a hand up as Chakwas finished treating him. Kaidan gained his feet and held them, swaying only briefly as Shepard steadied him before squaring his shoulders and giving the commander a nod.
“All of you be careful ,” Chakwas insisted as she looked over them all one last time, and Shepard did her the kindness of not drawing attention to the tears threatening at the corners of her eyes.
“Yes, ma’am,” Shepard said and saluted the doctor, with Kaidan, and even Garrus, following suit. “We’ve still got that bottle of brandy to finish off, after all,” he added and Karin smiled weakly, then nodded and retreated back up the ramp to see to her other patients.
“Listen, whatever you’re going to do, better make it fast, we’ve got enemy incoming,” Cortez said over the ship’s com-line. No wonder the Normandy had arrived so quickly for evac, Shepard thought, relieved that his shuttle pilot had made it out alright after all. They’d already been making a stop for Steve.
Before he could say as much, Joker cut in. “Yeah, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’re kind of a huge sitting duck out here,” in a strained voice. The Normandy’s shields had managed to protect them from the few blasts Harbinger had aimed in their direction between finishing off the rest of Hammer squadron, but those wouldn’t hold out long once the reaper got serious.
Shepard glanced at Garrus, who was speaking low and fervent into his com, no doubt mustering the troops, but before the commander could respond, a new voice on Normandy’s communications channel cut in.
“We’ve got you covered, Normandy, sit tight,” Miranda said in her typically cool and collected tone as a small, mixed squadron of fighters soared overhead on an intercept course with Harbinger and the ground forces gathering around it.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Miranda,” Shepard said as he tracked her squad’s progress through the ash choked sky. They wouldn’t have the weapons needed to take down a reaper, but they’d be able to buy the ground team few minutes at least.
A soft laugh echoed over the com. “Please, Shepard, your boyfriend is right there.”
Kaidan rolled his eyes but quirked a smile at Shepard who snorted and ignored the woman’s teasing in favor of saying, “Be careful up there, Lawson; all we need is a little wiggle room, don’t try and be a hero.”
“I brought you back from the dead specifically so I don’t have to do just that, so hurry along, will you? Lawson out.”
Heavy weapons fire echoed across the no-man’s land as Miranda’s squadron engaged Harbinger, and Shepard watched them for a moment before giving himself a mental shake to focus on his own task while trusting his friend to do hers. The commander looked at Garrus as the turian finished his call and said, “Team’s on their way. Most of them were already close, started heading this way when they saw the Normandy land.”
Shepard nodded then considered for a moment before deciding, “They’ve got three minutes, we can’t wait longer than that and expect Miranda to hold the enemy off while we get organized.”
“Three whole minutes? Looks like we’re early,” Wrex said as he arrived with Javik in tow, both of them looking rough around the edges, but mostly unharmed as they stopped at the bottom of the ramp.
Brushing some mud from one of his pauldrons, the prothean said, “With so much time we could have stopped to handle that last banshee.”
“Glad you didn’t, the sooner we get moving, the better,” Shepard remarked as he moved to join them. “Thanks for coming.”
“Where else would we be?” Javik asked, fixing him with a typically hard to read look. Shepard had gotten pretty good, but he still wasn’t quite a master of reading expressions that involved four eyes yet.
Wrex snorted his agreement and turned to regard the distant beam. “Right. This is where the party is, after all.”
“Nah, party is right here ,” James declared as he trotted up with a wicked grin that flashed bright white through the ash and dirt that stained his face. “Loco, see you’re living up to your nickname again,” the other marine mused as he slung his gun back into its holster between his shoulders and caught his breath.
Shepard reached over and clapped the man on the shoulder, relieved to see him in one piece. “End of life as we know it seemed like a poor time to stop.”
Vega barked a laugh and glanced back behind him at the beam that would take them to the citadel. “Yeah, we could use a healthy dose of loco at times like this, I guess,” he agreed, then turned and looked over Shepard’s shoulder as Kaidan descended the ramp to stand at the commander’s shoulder. “Alright, Major?” Vega asked, brow furrowed.
Kaidan looked better than he had, but between all the blood and mud, the biotic was still a startling sight to behold. The glimmer of his biotic barrier lit his eyes and flickered over his skin, turning Kaidan into a veritable battlefield specter as he arched a brow at James and said, “Just fine, Lieutenant. You?”
Vega clearly didn’t buy the major’s collected air, but he knew better than to argue, so he answered, “Ready to kick some ass, sir.”
A small smile pulled at the corner of Kaidan’s mouth and he nodded. A Mako rolled to a stop a stones throw from the Normandy then and they all turned to glance in its direction before the hatch open to reveal Liara, Tali, and EDI within.
“Ey chicas, about time!” James called and went to check on their female teammates, Garrus in tow. Shepard raised a hand in greeting, but when he noticed Kaidan about to follow after the others, the commander shifted subtly to block his path, making the biotic draw up short with a blink.
“Shepard-” Kaidan began, eyes narrowing fractionally, no doubt suspecting his partner was about to try and convince him to stay behind again.
Instead, the commander dragged off one of his gloves and gently brushed his thumb over the other man’s cheek to remove the worst of the blood splattered across his uncharacteristically pale skin. “Things are scary enough without you looking like a ghost,” Shepard said in a poor attempt at humor as he worked, the skin of his palm buzzing pleasantly as the biotic allowed his touch to pass through his protective barrier.
Shepard tried not to think about the fact that Kaidan was no doubt using his power to stabilize his injuries.
A soft huff escaped the biotic at the bad joke but he smiled anyways and leaned briefly into Shepard’s touch, then allowed the commander to cup his jaw with both hands and draw him in for a kiss. They didn’t linger, no matter how much they wanted to, but they didn’t rush either, not even when James catcalled them from down by the Mako. They’d said their goodbyes once before, and neither man had the strength to say them again, so when they broke apart, the pair simply shared a quiet breath, then turned back to the task at hand.
Shepard moved down the ramp, boots hitting the rough, wet earth with purpose as he strode towards his team where they gathered around the Mako, Kaidan two steps behind. When he reached them, the commander looked his people over- his strange and motley crew. The most loyal friends he’d ever known.
His family.
Not everyone was here, of course; some had been lost along the way, and others were fighting on different fronts, but looking at the people arrayed before him, the commander was overcome by an intense sense of nostalgia… and of gratitude.
“If you’re going to try and give some big, noble speech and insist you go on alone again, save your breath,” Garrus drawled as he leaned against the side of the Mako, Tali perched on the wheel well beside him.
“Did he really try and do that?” the quarian asked, tone disbelieving as she looked down at Garrus.
Still lingering inside the Mako’s hatch, Liara drawled, “Of course he did.” However, her expression softened and her lips quirked up as she added, “But he wouldn’t be Shepard if he didn’t.”
“The Commander has shown a concerning trend of self-sacrifice over the course of his military career,” EDI said.
“As any good commander would,” Javik interrupted, causing a general outcry of disapproval from the rest of the team who had no desire to see anyone encourage the tendency in their particular commander.
A soft laugh escaped Shepard in spite of himself and, heart lightening in the face of their easy banter, asked, “So, it’s mutiny, is it?”
“Sir, yes sir!” James said and snapped off a sharp salute.
“Only if you insist on giving us a stupid order,” Wrex added.
A hand lighted on Shepard’s shoulder and the commander glanced at Kaidan as the biotic stepped up beside him with a smile, head cocked in silent challenge. “Better make it a good one, Commander.”
“Alright then,” Shepard said and opened his coms so the rest of the crew still on the Normandy would be able to hear as well. “Here’s the plan, people. We don’t have a lot of time for grace or tactics, so everyone here on the ground is getting on the Mako for a rush to the beam. Miranda, I want your squadron to disengage from the reaper to give us support on the approach.”
“Excellent. I was getting rather bored dodging all the giant death lasers.”
“Joker, you and the Normandy are going to take over for them. Hit that reaper with everything we’ve got until we’re through the beam then get out of atmo and into range of the Citadel.” Shepard glanced around at his team and said, “Hopefully we’re going to need a pickup at the end of all this.”
“Got it,” Joker said, and Shepard could practically see the pilot waving his hands over the flight console as he prepared to take off again. “With all the battery upgrades we should be able to at least make the bastard flinch. Just-” the pilot hesitated a moment, then continued, “Be careful up there.”
“Love you too, Jeffrey,” James interrupted with a shit-eating grin.
“Shut up, Vega, nobody loves you.”
James objected loudly and the others laughed or rolled their eyes until someone interrupted a moment later.
“I thought we were fighting a war, but here you all are acting like we’re out for a Sunday picnic in the park,” Anderson complained as he approached, looking exhausted and battered, but more-or-less in one piece, and accompanied by a handful of soldiers in a similar state.
They’d been separated in the previous rush for the beam, and Shepard’s relief at finding the other man alive after all made the commander’s knees threaten to give out. They didn’t though, so he stepped forward and grasped the admiral’s forearm tightly and said, “Anderson, glad you made it.”
“By the skin of our teeth,” the older man admitted with a grimace, then frowned outright as he glanced back at the men he’d managed to pull out of the massacre with him. “-and not enough of us, but we’re here to help. Tell me what you need, Shepard.”
The commander cast an expert eye over the newcomers and knew immediately that he couldn’t possibly bring them with him, and with the air support they’d managed to muster, having them cover their approach on the ground would be a waste of lives.
“I want you to take command of the Normandy,” Shepard said firmly. The admiral looked ready to protest, much like the rest of the team had, but this time the commander had a better reason than simply wanting to keep people safe. “Anderson, please. Joker’s the best pilot the Alliance has-”
“That the galaxy has,” the pilot in question interrupted.
“That the galaxy has,” Shepard corrected with a roll of his eyes. “But the Alliance forces need you. You’ll be better able to coordinate them from the air than down here on the ground.” The commander cast his gaze out across the no-man’s land before them, then said, “The fight down here is done, there’s no point in wasting more lives trying to hold one strip of land once we’re through the beam, and we’ll get to it faster if I can fit the entire team on the Mako.”
Anderson sighed, but Shepard knew at a glance that he’d won the argument. “Alright,” he relented, then motioned to his people and said, “You heard the Commander, everyone aboard.” The admiral turned and looked at Shepard one more time, offered a salute, which the commander, Kaidan, and James immediately returned, then said, “See you on the other side, Shepard.”
“Yes sir.”
It was the work of a moment for Anderson and his people to hustle up the ramp into the safety of the Normandy, though it took at least two for Shepard and his team to figure out just how they were going to fit nine people onto one AFV. Big though the Mako class vehicles were, they weren’t actually made to hold a large crew- just a pilot, co-pilot, and gunner- but there was, technically speaking, several places that could pass for handholds on its exterior .
“This is a terrible idea,” Garrus said with a sigh as he climbed up onto the side-skirt that shielded the over-sized tires and found a place to hold on. Shepard ignored the complaint, knowing full well the turian recognized the lack of other options, and climbed up beside him before giving Kaidan a hand up.
Opposite them, Wrex, James, and EDI did the same, though the krogan seemed far less perturbed by the plan. “You worry too much, Vakarian, it’ll be great. Way less stuffy than being crammed inside like a bunch of pyjak.”
“It also happens to be way less protected.”
From her place in the co-pilot’s seat, Tali said over the coms, “If you’re worried, Garrus, we can swap places.”
“What? No, that’s not what I-” Kaidan glanced sidelong at Shepard and they both shared a barely suppressed smile at the turian’s awkward fumbling before Garrus finally managed to say, “No, I’m fine; you stay inside.”
“If you’re sure.”
“Positive,” Garrus insisted and shot James an ugly look as the lieutenant failed to muffle a laugh.
“If everyone is quite finished,” Liara interrupted, tone sharp and prim. “Javik, what’s the status of our main gun?”
“Minimal functionality. I can shoot-” the main turret twitched slightly, but only by a degree or two in either direction. “Straight.”
“Don’t worry about it, Mako, we’ve got you,” Miranda called over the coms as she and her squadron came back into view, down a ship or two, but only a little worse for wear besides that after their engagement with the reaper.
Shepard glanced skyward and watched as the fighters made a wide turn that would shortly bring them into alignment with the Mako’s path towards the beam. “Alright. Normandy?”
“Taking off now,” Joker responded and a hard gust of hot air washed over them all as the frigate’s engines kicked in and the Normandy lifted into the air, her prow’s shadow briefly passing over them all as she turned to face the enemy.
“Now or never, Liara, let’s go!” Shepard commanded and banged a fist on the Mako’s hatch for the go-ahead, then immediately grabbed for his handhold when the AFV surged forward under them.
James let out a loud whoop as the engines roared and everyone on the outside of the Mako hung on for dear life, the blasted, rain soaked no-man’s land stretching out before them. Their sudden movement onto open ground immediately attracted Harbinger’s attention now that Miranda’s squadron had withdrawn to escort them, but before it had a chance to charge its main cannon, the Normandy came about and howled across the battlefield like an avenging angel, the ground-force of her passing overhead pressing them all down against the Mako and stealing the breath from their lungs.
The sensation didn’t last long, but the boom of her main cannon so close at hand was enough to make Shepard’s bones shake and his eyesight blur as a golden light bright enough to wash out the cold, blue radiance of the beam ahead erupted from the ship’s prow to strike the reaper. It was a direct hit, and when the commander’s vision cleared, it was to see Harbinger, not fall, but stumble noticeably as it struggled to reorient itself on this new attacker.
Across from him, James let out another cheer that was quickly absorbed by Wrex’s triumphant battle cry that only grew louder at the sight of enemies surging forward to mass between them and their destination.
The krogan banged a fist on the roof of the Mako and bellowed, “Straight ahead, Prothean! Fire! Fire!”
Kaidan grimaced at the boom of the gun as it went off mere feet from his head, but before he could point out that it wasn’t going to do much, not when Miranda’s squad had already swept in low to mow the opposing ground troops with heavy fire, they hit a trench hidden by the upturned terrain, and lurched alarmingly. The biotic yelped and hung on for dear life, heart pounding harder than ever when he felt his feet briefly leave their perch on the Mako’s side skirt before hitting again and nearly jolting his hands free of their grip.
He managed, but when he glanced back at his teammates, it was to see Shepard wobbling precariously, one hand reaching in vain for its previous hold while the rest of him slid backwards and he began to lose his balance. Watching with horror, Garrus reached for the commander despite being too far away to help, but Kaidan lunged towards his partner reflexively and caught him by the arm, then dragged him back in to safety.
“Thanks,” Shepard gasped, and, feeling on the verge of a heart attack after the scare the man had just given him, Kaidan could only nod.
“Watch yourself, Shepard; broken neck is a stupid way for a hero to go!” Garrus shouted over the noise of the engines and gunfire.
Kaidan couldn’t make out Shepard’s expression through his helmet visor at this angle, but he could practically feel him roll his eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind,” he drawled, then glanced down at his arm where the biotic still gripped him tight and said, “You can let go, Kaidan, I’m alright.”
“If it’s all the same to you, I don’t think I will,” Kaidan replied tersely and a soft huff of amusement escaped the other man, but he didn’t object.
“Everyone alright out there? We didn’t lose anyone, did we?” Liara asked over coms. “That trench came out of nowhere.”
“We are still here,” EDI replied. “Though I would advice against further such maneuvers.”
“Seconded!” James and Garrus chimed in simultaneously.
“We might not have much of a choice,” Tali replied. “The ground directly in front of the beam is rough, hold on tight!”
“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Kaidan grumbled as he turned his attention back towards the beam.
They were close now, and Tali was right about the rough terrain, but the biotic stubbornly kept a grip on Shepard with one hand while he used the other to anchor himself to the Mako as they took it without slowing. A force of husks, cannibals, and marauders pressed forward, cutting them off from their destination, but a second pass from Miranda’s squadron turned them into a greasy mass of shattered limbs and burnt flesh. The smell of it was awful, but Kaidan barely had time to register the scent as one of Harbinger’s massive limbs dove into his line of sight on a direct impact course with the Mako.
There was nothing at all to be done about it, all any of them could do was watch it come… then take a single, unified breath of relief as the Normandy cut across the sky and launched a second barrage that sent the strike askew.
The force of the impact so near at hand was enough to launch the Mako several feet into the air just shy of their destination, making all of them lose their grip on its frame as it arced towards the beam.
Kaidan swept his gaze across his companions, all of whom appeared to be falling freely through the air, himself included. Wrex and EDI had latched onto James, and Garrus was hovering several feet behind Shepard, swearing up a blue streak; the last thing the biotic heard before he hit the beam and everything went white.
He wasn’t sure if the world had gone silent or if the noise was simply so much his senses had shut down in self defense. Whatever the case, Kaidan was overcome by a terrifying sense of upward momentum, as if he had been plucked up and cast into the sky like a child’s toy. The biotic tried to yell, but nothing came out, so deaf, mute, and blind, he tumbled through a void of white, the only thing anchoring him to reality the sensation of something held tight in his left hand.
Shepard , he realized, and relief cut through his terrified panic like a knife as he felt his lover twist to return his grip. Acting on pure reflex, Kaidan reached out with his right hand and was met with another after a moment’s blind groping. He grasped it tight, and their chaotic ascent seemed to stabilize until everything suddenly went dark and agony erupted from the wound in Kaidan’s side.