Lightning (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
heralding) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenacelogs2014-07-06 09:00 pm
heralding) wrote in maskormenacelogs2014-07-06 09:00 pm
(no subject)
WHO: Lightning, Commander Shepherd, Kaidan Alenko
WHERE: Starting in Cape Canaveral, heading out
WHEN: July 6th-8thish
WHAT: Going after Mikhail! If you would like to be in on this log, go ahead and hit us up here and we'll work it out!
WARNINGS: Violence.
[When it comes to things like space and technology, Lightning's at a loss. While she had gone to the launching event with the hope that it would turn out as uneventful as the swearing in two days prior, she finds herself in a different position. Numerous people are suddenly rushing around left and right, and none of them are saying anything that seems to be something she's competent at helping out with—that is, until she catches wind of the cause for this problem: spies. Someone had sabotaged it, and to the knowledge of the individuals present, those spies were still present.
Or on their way out, at least.
Lightning sees a few individuals sift through the crowd quickly, and while she is no expert on imPorts, she's certain that they don't belong to that category of people. Her belief is that she should be acting fast, but she doesn't know which one to choose. After a moment, she sees a man who's definitely an imPort head off after the largest of them. Logic tells her to join him. If these spies came into a room full of people with powers and sabotaged the shuttle, something tells her that they'd prepared for opposition. No one should be headed off alone (even if Lightning is battling her own instincts when factoring in that logic).
It takes her a moment, but she manages to reach the man as he's clearly trying to figure out where to go.]
I'll help.
[It's more of a declaration than an offer.]
WHERE: Starting in Cape Canaveral, heading out
WHEN: July 6th-8thish
WHAT: Going after Mikhail! If you would like to be in on this log, go ahead and hit us up here and we'll work it out!
WARNINGS: Violence.
[When it comes to things like space and technology, Lightning's at a loss. While she had gone to the launching event with the hope that it would turn out as uneventful as the swearing in two days prior, she finds herself in a different position. Numerous people are suddenly rushing around left and right, and none of them are saying anything that seems to be something she's competent at helping out with—that is, until she catches wind of the cause for this problem: spies. Someone had sabotaged it, and to the knowledge of the individuals present, those spies were still present.
Or on their way out, at least.
Lightning sees a few individuals sift through the crowd quickly, and while she is no expert on imPorts, she's certain that they don't belong to that category of people. Her belief is that she should be acting fast, but she doesn't know which one to choose. After a moment, she sees a man who's definitely an imPort head off after the largest of them. Logic tells her to join him. If these spies came into a room full of people with powers and sabotaged the shuttle, something tells her that they'd prepared for opposition. No one should be headed off alone (even if Lightning is battling her own instincts when factoring in that logic).
It takes her a moment, but she manages to reach the man as he's clearly trying to figure out where to go.]
I'll help.
[It's more of a declaration than an offer.]
no subject
So he watches the crowd, instead, looking for anyone who isn't reacting the way they should, people acting out of place, listening with only half an ear to the announcements being made -- and there. Even across the room, it's hard to miss the man cutting through the crowd, nudging aside civilians still in shock to make his exit.
He doesn't move fast enough, and though he picks up his pace, the last he sees of the man is him disappearing around a corridor. By the time he jogs up to try and make up the distance, he finds himself confronted with an intersection of hallways, with maintenance catwalks overhead, and no clear sign of where the man's gone. Before he can so much as grunt in frustration, though, someone's speaking up behind him.
The communicator's don't distort sound so much that he has trouble placing her voice, but it's not the time or place for introductions. It's enough that she's an imPort, and from what they've spoken about on the Network, someone who knows how to defend herself in a fight. ]
He came through here. I'm not sure if he's armed, but we should probably assume he is.
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But this isn't the time for a fight yet, and the last thing Lightning wants is to alarm anyone else. A woman walking around with a sword in this world will do precisely that, and she's well-aware that the media here is controlled enough that aspects of this may not even make it out.
That's something else she's learned, after all: this world is just as careful as the Sanctum had once been back home.]
I'm prepared for it. But a weapon can't keep us from striking. He needs to be found. [And from there, they'll figure out the next step. Death isn't something she's interested in, especially since they need answers.
She hopes this man, this Commander, feels the same way.]
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The idea of someone being able to shut those powers down hasn't occurred to him yet. ]
We aren't going to find him just standing around here. [ He glances up to the catwalks, and frowns. They'd provide a better vantage point, but closing the distance would be a problem -- especially if the man has ranged weapons and they don't. One thing on their side is that the man isn't exactly hard to miss, and can't slip away through something like a ventilation shaft --
There's a shout of alarm, further down one of the corridors, and Shepard's head swings up, alert. Giving Lightning a quick, sharp nod, he starts off at a sprint, keeping his head low and staying close to the wall in case he needs to duck and roll. ]
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That would be a difficult thing to consider ... but not yet.
For now, she's taking off after Shepherd, and there's very little that keeps her from keeping pace with him (and even pulling ahead a little). She doesn't lower her head in the same way, though her body is bent forward a little, making her momentum focused on moving toward her goal.
The moment they draw closer to where the sounds came from, a spray of bullets head in their direction. Lightning skids forward after a moment, and then drops off to the side and presses against the wall.
The bullets continue, even if the main target (Lightning herself) has dropped out of sight.]
He's reckless. [It's her first observation. She checks over herself quickly for injuries, finding that she was lucky to make off with none.]
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Hostages. Great. Shepard raises his brows at Lightning, across the gap between them, presuming that she's also realized they have another complication to deal with on top of an already volatile situation. As unobtrusively as he can, he risks a peek around the corner of the clump of machinery he'd ducked behind, and he spots the man from the crowd earlier, guns in his hands and actively scanning his surroundings. Clearly threatening what looks like one of the base's personnel, who must have just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, into opening some kind of side-door.
Clearly, impatience has made him decide that he doesn't have much use for trying to keep himself hidden. Shepard drops back down into cover, grumbling when he realizes he doesn't have anything on him more intimidating than the fork he'd absently tucked into his pocket. ]
Reckless is good. [ They could work with reckless. ] We just need a distraction.
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On the other hand, a man like that, especially one who's so willing to harm others, might kill them once he's done with them.
No, it would be better for them to hold off. Their lives are worth nothing otherwise.
The look on her faces her concern a given. She's focused on the pair (a man and a woman) as they stand there, trying to maintain their composure with a large man and large guns in front of them. Lightning's honestly admiring the fact that they've held out this long. But she doesn't smile yet, instead focusing on his guns.]
We need to disarm him somehow, but one of us might work better as a decoy to secure them. [It's an obvious concern.] Once we do that, we can handle him easily. [A decoy would also make it hard for him to focus on both. She studies her companion, wondering what he would make of that ... and hoping that he would understand her desire to protect the civilians, even over taking him captive.
But she still doesn't want to dismiss that possibility—not at all.]
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He swallowed, letting them go on ahead. After talking to Shepard about -- well -- his Spectre status, it was probably best that he keep back. At least to start with. Vital, even, if just because he had a feeling that he wasn't exactly welcome. Not that it stopped him from following along, but he wasn't quite as hasty.
After all, Shepard was capable enough, and he had a feeling that Lightning was just as capable. She seemed the sort that was dangerous, and wouldn't hesitate, if need be.
He made his way up to the catwalks, the very ones that they'd stopped at, but hadn't gotten up into. It was easy enough, and walking carefully along, he managed to sneak up overhead, but caught the same sight, and even caught their conversation, but he didn't say anything. Let them figure it out, or go for it, and if need be, he'd have his biotics ready to go to help the hostages.
He wasn't about to give himself away quite yet. Hopefully they wouldn't need him but...
Better safe than sorry. ]
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But if it's a decoy they need, the solution seems obvious enough to him. ]
I can distract him. Watch my six. [ Taking point has always come naturally to him, trusting someone else to cover his back, letting him focus on what's ahead of him instead of what's behind. Without waiting for Lightning to agree, he's already pushing himself to his feet, out from behind cover, to put himself squarely in the line of fire. He's never been a good actor, but he feigns surprise when the gun gets pointed squarely at him. ]
Whoa, hey! What's going on here? [ He raises both his hands to show he's unarmed -- which he is -- but all it does is bring his tattoo into view, and the man's eyes flick to it sharply. Crap. Well, the jig was up, anyway. Instead of firing, though, the man reaches for something in a bag he's carrying, and Shepard's eyes dart towards it, already stepping forward, feet beginning to light with a blue glow as he starts to run forward --
Halfway through the charge, the man finds whatever he was looking for, and Shepard's biotics shut off abruptly. His momentum still carries him forward, knocking him into the Russian man with enough force to knock him over, but he can't help cursing in surprise, even if he tries to roll to his feet.
What the hell was that? ]
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He can turn off our powers! It was in a video they showed us last month! [It's a sharp and sudden statement, and it's one that is said while she rushes in, well-aware that the power-negator isn't working on her—not yet. She would be able to feel it in every inch of her body as every part of her would no longer have the same strength that she had become accustomed to for over a thousand years.
The fact that it's not working on her works to her favor, as she manages to grab the hostages and pull them quickly toward the door, drawing a large (huge) sword out after promptly switching to a purely offensive schemata so she can block their exit. Lightning knows this sword will be a burden if the man switches gears in a second, making it so she's lost her strength, but this is the best plan, and she has to act quickly.]
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He remembered the video too, and he grimaced, looking down at Shepard, and then Lightning, and then back to the guy, who'd been bowled over by the vanguard. Of course he'd been.
He waited, for a long moment, deciding not to act, not yet. He wasn't going to just give up the extra advantage, until they absolutely needed him. Especially if he was going to negate powers, he didn't want to be affected by it too early, before he could actually help.
He was high up enough that a small movement, a pulse of biotic power over his skin was enough to confirm he hadn't lost his power yet, and it was on, and then off, before he crept a little closer, peering down, and wishing he had a damn gun on him right about now.
He needed a lot of things to be more effective, honestly. It was a reminder that he needed to push harder, to get everything he needed, or else he wasn't going to be enough help in the long run to do anyone any good. ]
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Eyes over here! [ Meaningless trash talk, but he rolls into a crouch long enough to lash out at the man's feet to make him stumble, crashing heavily to an armored knew while he turns to glare at Shepard. He returns it with a shit-eating grin -- and the man reaches for a gun. Aw, crap. Shepard rolls to the side before he can be shot at point blank range, another flex of his fingers confirming that his powers aren't back yet, and he swears under his breath as he dances away, keeping the man's attention on him.
That's right, just keep looking this way... He couldn't tell if Light ing had gotten the hostages out, but if she did, he hoped that she'd let him know so he can stop baiting this guy to shoot a hole in him. He's swearing at Shepard, and Shepard doesn't need a translator for the invective. ]
Easy, you're not going to get hurt, I just want to ask some-- [ The question was cut off by another hail of bullets. He really needs to figure out how to disarm the man, and he thinks wistfully how much easier this would be if he could just hurt him. ]
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The good thing is that they're gone, though, and thus the civilians are handled. It's for the best.
After ensuring their safety and confirming it visually, she turns back abruptly, changing from the large and combative schemata to one that's quicker to move in, complete with a spear in hand. If she loses her abilities, at least she will be holding something that she can move with in an agile way.
Since the change itself is quick—instantaneous—she's able to call out quickly:]
Now it's both of us.
[On the one hand, Mikhail seems suitably distracted from shooting everything to take a break. On the other hand, it's not long until he reaches down and activates the power nullifier, and the weakness spreads through Lightning's body.
The good thing is that she's a trained soldier, and she hasn't lost any of that. She had always been a prodigy.
The bad thing is that she hasn't fought that way for a long time. But still, that focus bought them time, and she's prepared to do whatever it takes. Shepard is still a soldier himself, so she suspects both of them are capable of fighting even with the odds against them.
Or she hopes so, anyway.]
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Messy. Not good in the slightest. He stood, carefully, so as not to arouse any suspicion, and frowned down at the situation, like he was calculating everything.
Lightning was on him, or getting close, and she had that weapon. Shepard, of course, is too busy dodging bullets, and with no biotics, it's not likely that he could do more than punch him -- that's dangerous. Without barriers? It's practically suicidal.
The first sign that there's someone else there was a sound , like energy and magnetic fields warping and hitting each other, a vortex of sound, and then there's the blue, and he doesn't even have his damn barrier on, at the very least, to see if he can get a couple good shots off, without having to take so long in between them.
The real danger is that he could get shot at next, but Lightning is kind of in his face, and he doesn't exactly know if the guy will be able to dodge a spear like that -- she looks like she can handle it. He thought through the possibilities, before he hit him once, twice, two gobs of energy sailed through the air toward him, but the lift and then the push, didn't hit until after he got more shots off. ]
nine million years later
What's even harder to miss, though, is the sound that tears through the air, distinct and impossible to mistake for anything else, and Shepard grins even before the biotics manifest, sprays that look like electricity but which he knows are mass effect fields, manufactured by mnemonics, willpower, and nodules of eezo under skin. And while Jacob's perfectly capable of using his biotics to good effect, he hasn't forgotten who has that kind of control --
Except Shepard should have probably been paying closer attention to the frustrated Russian in front of him, instead of his biotic backup. Because while he'd thought the man was occupied with Lightning, he was already taking aim, and he hears the shots and sees the biotics fling the man off his feet before he finds himself stumbling from the force of a sudden impact, reeling backwards.
And then the burning registers, and he looks down, almost clinically cataloging the injuries. The first bullet's clipped his upper left thigh, just enough to tear through cloth and leave a deep nick in the flesh, but the second -- from the shot that must have been aiming for center mass, then abruptly redirected -- has turned his upper arm into a bleeding mess, though the sluggish bleeding from both sides helpfully tells him that the bullet's passed through the muscle.
That's good, he thinks, vaguely remembering lectures about the transference of kinetic force and the likeliness of sustaining maximum damage from a direct hit. Trouble is, he's also pretty sure he remembers that coming up in a lecture about how nobody fought with weapons that primitive anymore. Of all the goddamn careless things to do, his first real piece of action ending up like this wasn't what he'd hoped for. Like he's watching it happen to someone else, he finds himself dropping down heavily to one knee, grabbing his upper arm with his other hand to compress the wounds, but he lifts his gaze in time to see the man recover from the spill he's taken, getting to his feet and preparing to bolt. ]
Take him down! [ He barks out -- not sure if he's talking to Kaidan or Lightning anymore, but the message, he hopes, is clear enough. ]
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[Leaving a man behind isn't something that Lightning would ever do. While she hasn't left her stance, she's inwardly cursing herself for her own carelessness. She should have acted quickly. She should have put the spear into play instead of trying to figure out a way to use it, instead of calculating the situation. Of the three people here, she should be the fastest, the strongest—she should be able to do just about anything.
But in her worries of having feedback from her own magic, someone's been injured, and he's been taken out of the fight. While he doesn't have a fatal injury, she knows that those wounds are ones that could potentially be a lot more trouble, especially if he's left wounded on the floor.
Her lips twist as guilt surges through her, and her uncertainty almost cripples here. Damnit, damnit.
The good thing, though, is that Lightning isn't completely crippled by that feeling. She pants an annoyed sigh, shifts the spear in her hand, and lunges for the spy. It's only after her spear makes contact with his gun hand and looses that gun that she looks up toward Kaidan.
Hopefully, he can help. It's a thought that occurs to her when Mikhail reaches for another gun with his other hand that isn't dripping blood now and points it in her face.
She'll do as Shepard asks. She'll keep fighting. In fact, she's determined to do so, reminded of a fight not long ago on a train when she sought out her sister. A smirk crosses her lips. She might be weakened, but she has the experience of a warrior who's been fighting for over a thousand years (or more).
It's with a careful calculation that she drops her spear, and acts quickly to knock her shield into Mikhail's gun. This fight will go on, and she has to focus. She has to.]
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He could feel it, the slight edges of a headache, and he winced, before looking down at Shepard and Lightning on the ground, before he leaned over the railing, watching Shepard with no lack of both annoyance and worry. Of course he'd be reckless enough and get shot. He was a vanguard, after all, and that was just trouble. ]
Don't worry about him!
[ He managed, before he jumped over the side of the railing. It wasn't a long fall, something he could manage, but he grunted when he landed, feeling the strain on his ankles and knees even when he started to roll -- to make sure he didn't break anything while he fell.
When he landed, he managed to get off another lob of his biotics, after he felt the threat of a headache and muscle-exhaustion subside enough that he could slide in next to Shepard, but it was only enough time to get the one shot off, aiming to hit him, and drain him, make his motions sluggish and exhausted.
But Kaidan didn't escape the threat of the power nullifier, and he could feel it, when that electric tingle that surged up and down his spine, from his head to his toes was suddenly gone, and he grimaced. ]
You alright?
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The look of someone about to do something either stupid, murderous, or both, and Shepard grimaced, gripping at the wound on his arm. What he wouldn't give for a packet of medigel right about now, if only so he could keep his eyes on the fight, instead of constantly being distracted.
Not that he really seems to need to worry. Lightning has it in hand, and Kaidan's biotics just added that extra advantage. Even with just a shield against firearms, she seems to be holding her own ably enough, which just makes Shepard even more irritable about getting injured in the first place.
Then again, he's never run into anything that's been capable of shutting his biotics down. That's humbling -- and an experience he doesn't care to repeat. ]
Call for backup. [ Giving orders, at least, is second nature -- and Kaidan has an omnitool and two functional hands. Still, it's something he probably should have done earlier. ] Tell them we've cornered one of the Russians.
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Lightning recognizes that look all too well. While none of the monsters she's fought have after looked like that, many of the soldiers she's encountered in her life have done that. They're reckless and willing to do anything possible to win a fight, even if it means they hurt themselves in the process.
She's alarmed and aware that she has to be careful.
After panting for a moment, and with the understanding that it's mostly one-on-one, Mikhail lowers his body and rushes her, both hands forward to try and knock her back. He still has a gun left, after all, and if he can knock her down and hit her with a couple bullets, he can win.
But she's prepared, and she plants her feet carefully so that when his head bowls into her torso, she's able to twist her leg out and trip him, dragging him forward so he lands on his stomach while she spins away. She sees him already reaching for a gun held in his back pocket, and she moves to step on it, foot landing squarely on his wrist for a sick crunch, a sign of broken bones.]
You still want back up? [It's the first sign that she's bothered to recognize Shepard's words. Waiting for backup would've been a bad idea with the condition that Mikhail was in, as she has a feeling that Kaidan's call wouldn't have helped matters very much.
She keeps her foot planted, and she knows she might not hold him for long.]
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Thankfully, Mikhail was distracted with Lightning, and after a moment of watching her, he looked down to Shepard, a grimace on his face. ]
Come on, Commander --
[ He reached out to hold his hand down on the worst of the injuries, to try and stop the bloodflow. Basic, emergency first aid without medigels had been a part of his training at Jump Zero (of course it had) since they never knew where they were going to end up. They'd made sure the biotics were pretty well-rounded, despite everything.
When Lightning caught him, he looked down at his omnitool, fingers poised over the key to start the link, illumination lighting the two of them up. ]
Wow --
[ Was all he managed, although he looked between her and Shepard, waiting for his word on whether to call for backup. ]
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I figured he'd need medical attention. [ ... Never mind himself, apparently. Mikhail still doesn't seem to intend to go down easy, though, face setting into deep lines of pain while he tried to extract himself from Lightning's foot, swearing in earnest in a language Shepard can't understand: Russian, he assumes, but hell if he really knows. His lips twisted. ]
And I'm sure our bosses will be interested in what he has to say. [ His voice dropped into something harsher, for just a moment, eyes hard. ] You can understand us, can't you?
[ The Russian didn't answer, just bared his teeth and spat at them before he wrenched his hand free -- not to attack, this time, but to bolt away. ]
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A part of her is aware that it's unfair, but it's not like she's punching with the strength of a god. She doesn't have that strength right now. This is simply years (and years and years) of training. This isn't training someone gains in a normal lifespan. That's still unfair, but perhaps not as unfair. Besides, Mikhail would have killed them otherwise, and she has no intention of killing him.
Her hand reaches down for the nullifier and she yanks it off and looks it over.]
Should I destroy it, or do you know how to use it? [The question is meant for either Shepard or Kaidan. Maybe they'd like a look at what made this fight much harder than it had to be.
While she asks the question, Mikhail tries to stand up, but he stumbles back into a kneeling position and looks like he's trying to gather his bearings before a final counter attack.]
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[ He couldn't pick it up, unfortunately, with the commander's bleeding leg under his hands, still, trying to stop the blood. Rudimentary field medicine, but he needed something to make a tourniquette out of, and that wasn't really going to happen, if he didn't find something handy to stop it.
His other hand, was already working his omnitool one-handed, twisting the handpiece before looking between the two of them. ]
Alright, message sent. Now we, what, wait? Shepard, is there anything you can do to...I don't know make this easier for me to stop the bleeding?
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Well, his uniform was a lost cause, anyway. Might as well make it useful for something. ]
Help me get my shirt off. [ He grated out, before he caught sight of Mikhail getting to his feet, or trying to. Sharply: ] Stand down, or we'll make sure you stay down.
[ He glances at Lightning, like he's counting on another punch to put Mikhail back in his place -- which wouldn't be the worst idea anyone's had, really. Though maybe that's just the pain making him vindictive. ]
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Still, since Mikhail's trying for a move, she doesn't hesitate. She kicks over the nullifier to keep it out of his reach, and instead of punching him, she decides for something more humiliating. The moment he rises up, she reaches out and slams her hand into his shoulder, knocking him back down.
Not everything needs to be a punch, after all. Though she's a fan of them herself.]
If you need any help, let me know. [Though given Mikhail's stubbornness, and the fact that he probably shouldn't be knocked out, her hands might be full.]
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I think I can get this part. You have him, right?
[ His voice was just low enough to be a joke, and the twist on his lips said enough, that he figured she had this well covered. ]
Don't move so much Shepard -- [ He protested, trying to get his ex-CO to actually let him do what he knew what to do. ]
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It was a clumsy sort of compress, but it would have to do. Some might consider it a bit sad to have to damage what might be the only reminders he has of home, but that's what Shepard gets for wearing it out of a misplaced sense of pride.
He can't possibly do all of it on his own, though, so he eventually gave up and left Kaidan to it, glaring at Mikhail instead. It's kind of hard to play the bad cop bleeding out on the floor, and he's pretty sure the bastard's smirking. ]
Who sent you? [ The question came with as much authority as he could muster, given the light-headedness that came with the adrenaline bleeding off ... or maybe that was just the bleeding. ]
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[The words come out in a thick Russian accent as he tries to struggle once again underneath Lightning's grip. She shifts her hand, digging her nails into his neck. She refuses to torture for her information, but she does want to remind him who has the upper hand right now. He may not be injured, but Kaidan can still fight if it's necessary. Lightning has a feeling that Mikhail knows that.]
Tell us. [The order from Lightning is crisp and easy.]
[Mikhail follows with a panted laugh, as if he had a feeling it might end in this. Had he, though? That's a guess that Lightning can only ascertain, and it makes her wonder if they got the wrong guy.
It's possible that they did.]
I am no one, [he says after a moment.] And I am no one to the individual who hired me. Do you think a man with my skill set would know much? Amur only hoped for me to do what was necessary.
[Sabotage, Lightning guesses, is what was necessary.
She looks to Shepard to see if he has any other questions.]