[SOLO] Insomnia

2184, Garvug.

Flashlights click to life, illuminating a rusted room. A Cerberus strike team moves into position, with the pointman stopping and raising a closed fist, his colleagues freezing in place. The pointman listens carefully, his M-22 shouldered- The man's blue eyes going over his Assault Armor's HUD, particularly over an audio level tracker. "Quiet. Move." He points his hand forward, making a waving motion. The other soldiers move up- The last tapping him on the arm.

"Check the terminal- Acolyte wants anything relating to the potential genophage cure." The Fireteam Leader spoke quietly, turning his attention to the others. His opaque visor becomes transparent. "Thompson- Keep an eye on the bay door-" He pointed to the far end of the room, a large grey door taking up the majority of the wall's space.

"Kassan, cover her." Another soldier nods, moving into place. "Schmalstig- The terminal." He took a deep breath, readying his rifle to sights- And activating a motion tracker. The man's brow twitches. This can't be right- There are seven blips, not the team's s-

Oh crap.

The half-ton bay door is toppled with a biotic shockwave, crushing Kassan instantly, a crude lump left in the metal door where the man once stood. Burke is temporarily dumbstruck- And hit with a biotic charge, which results in her slamming through a barricaded window. The woman falls down a steep hill, tumbling and smashing on the hard ground on the way.

A krogan steps out of the light and into the ancient lab, a Graal spike thrower held in a one hand, directed at Schmalstig. The team opens fire, thermal rounds smashing into biotic barricade, each plinking helplessly against the field and dropping to the floor. Realizing they've run out of ammo, the fireteam retreats to cover. The alien offers a smirk. "Shoulda' brought more guns."

Sarah wakes up with a strained breath, blood smearing the inside of her visor. She coughs- And it hurts. Pressing her arm against the dirty ground, she rolls onto her back, screaming out in pain when the impact jolts a pain across her torso. A red light flickers in her HUD- Multiple fractures. Internal bleeding.

The woman's mind races and tears of pain well in her eyes. Oh god- I'm dying. I'm going to die here and nobody will know. I'm never going to see my family again. I'm never going to see Chris. The woman's world began to darken, the energy to stay awake slipping through her fingers. The woman raised a hand, flexing her arm.

Her omnitool sprang to life. With an agonizing strain, she moves her arm, activating a panel on the orange device. A sharp hiss heralds more pain. The bleeding muscles around her shattered ribs tightens, the blood vessels sealing off. Her collapsed lung seals, and the woman loses consciousness, unable to do anything about the distant screams from above. A voice calls into her ear. The woman slowly returns to consciousness. "Thompson- Thompson! Report!" The Fireteam leader, his voice clearly indicative of stress. "Your life signs are critical- And .. It looks like we're the only ones alive. Where are you?"

"I can.. can't move. I'm hurt bad, Lockwood." She speaks quietly, clenching a fist. "What happened to the others?" She looks up, the orange skies of Garvug her only comfort. Getting a good look of her surroundings, she takes note of the various bits of rebar and scrap metal piles that surround her.

"Dead. Krogan's dead too. He took a chunk out of Schmalstig-" A burst of static. "-and shot me through the shoulder with that goddamn spike thrower of his. "I- I can't reach the others. I don't know. I'm coming to get you, Sarah. You're .. the only one I can."

A brief couple of minutes felt like an hour. A Kodiak shuttle darts across the sky, reflecting off of Sarah's visor. The ship drifts across the scrapyard, coming to a slow stop. The door opens- And Lockwood steps out, holding a bloody wound on his shoulder. "The others-" Sarah groans, being pulled to her feet despite her protests, her arm slung across the back of the commander's neck. Lockwood shakes his head, turning his attention to the Kodiak, practically dragging the woman to the shuttle door.

"We can't- There's nothing we can do for them. We- We can't." He sets the woman down, climbing aboard. His helmet's earpeice roars to life, with another voice calling out for evac. Over three hundred feet away, Bryant Kassan is alive, pinned under a heavy door. Lockwood's expression shifts, from despair to stone-hearted resolve. The man removes his helmet, throwing it out the door as it closed. Sarah begins to drift out of consciousness again as the shuttle's engines roar to life. The shuttle jumps out of the atmosphere, heading through space towards a waiting Cerberus corvette.

PRESENT DAY- CITADEL

Thompson sat alone, the only light in the room the dim glow of her optical terminal. Another board post. Another distraction from the memories that keep her awake. She lazily leans against the armrest of her chair, hand pressed against her temple. The faint memory of Kassan's voice, screaming in Lockwood's helmet. The woman pressed her face into her palm, a shudder passing through her shoulders.

A hot mug of tea was set before her. "It's three in the morning. Come to bed after you drink that. We'll talk about it tommorow, okay?" Chris spoke quietly, her hands on her hips. Sarah gave a nod in response, turning to stare at the woman with bloodshot eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too."