Thanks, Michael.
You too.
Michael turned without hesitation, found his footing, and charged, warping straight into the creature before most men could have even processed what it was. He had taken in every readily-apparent detail during the short time it took his biotics to flare up and propel him into the Adjutant.
He slammed into it, a biotic shockwave dispelling and redirecting the kinetic energy that could have shattered every bone in his body. All 1200 Newtons of force went straight forward, staggering the Adjutant and pushing it off of Shae. Michael’s barriers sprang up around him, and his gun was firing, all within the blink of an eye.
There was an enormous crack, the din of the sound barrier being broken, and suddenly air rushed painfully back into her lungs. Shae immediately rolled to her side, hacking and coughing and scrambling for her pistol. Through her darkening sight she could see the other two had their firearms drawn and pointed, waiting for a clear shot.
Michael advanced like a force of nature, glowing and powerful. Shae had never seen what the Alliance called Vanguards in action before and found that it was terrifying and amazing at the same time.
She felt someone pulling her elbow—talons indicated it was Hadys—and she staggered before finding purchase. Her arm ached when she lifted her pistol and she absently noted how painful it was to inhale before taking a shot at the adjutant’s side.
Michael stepped in front of her as soon as he heard the noise. Maybe it was just magnified by the station’s metallic walls, but he was afraid that it could have been something big. “Stay behind me,” Michael whispered, advancing slowly, his gun cocked and ready.
Shae nodded once, moving toward the noise. Her skin went cold and damp, palms clammy and slipping on her pistol’s grip. She swallowed down her fears. She used to work for the scariest woman in the Omega nebula; what was she so afraid of? A vorcha?
“Your left!”
Shae turned just in time to have the floor knocked from under her feet, a blue, glowing giant pinning her to the ground. Immediately her pistol skittered across the tiles, her lungs bereft of air. She tried to scream but found she couldn’t. A hot, veiny arm pressed against her windpipe as fireworks exploded in her eyes.
She dug blunted fingernails into the adjutant’s arm but it didn’t budge, only roared and reared back its other hand.
Michael nodded. Simple. Right. Vorcha were easy enough, but Cerberus could have left behind some nasty things. Best to be on his guard. “After you.”
Shae’s eyes widened, her brows shooting upwards. “Me? You’re the soldier here, aren’t you?”
“Scared?” Hadys rumbled behind her. She could practically hear the turian equivalent of a sardonic smile in his voice.
She shot him a wary look. “Uh, yeah. You should be too.”
There was a great clanging noise, reminiscent of the sound of a wrench being thrown into the proverbial gears.
