The Vampire from Nazareth

"And just remember, I'm not wearing any armor. If you two go down you're kinda on your own." Athena says, probably laying on a crew bed in the Valkyrie.

"Yeah no, we got this." I reply and look over to Tali who is nervousy gripping her P4 rifle. "You okay over there?"

Her head snaps up and looks at me, fear in her eyes. "I uh. Yeah. Yeah! Yeah I'm good! Just uh...um...we got this!"

My rifle is attached to my backpack, Coda on my right hip and helmet dangling from the other as we descend the elevator for a rescue.

Athena had been functioning as the primary lead on all ops as Callie slowly settled into her quiet life behind a desk with her wife. I had been out on a few ops on my own with Tali at my side serving as emotional support.

Well, at my side as in sitting on a ship writing a report.

The elevator hits the bottom and there's a "new guy" in the corner relieving himself like a proper civilized gentleman.

I call them new guys because they have shit for armor, just clothes and gun, balaclava over the head and asking to be relocated to the spiritual plane.

He looks over his shoulder and in a panic catches himself in his zipper with a blood-curdling screech.

"There goes the stealth option." I blurt out before whipping the Coda like an old western movie to expand his mind everywhere while Tali screams in fear.

"HOLY HELLS YOU MOVE SO FAST!" She screeches and I hear heavy boots start sprinting around the far-off corner. I put my finger to my lips while looking her in the eyes and then slide my helmet over my head.

And the footsteps keep coming. Two pairs now, heavy brought a friend in light armor to be his bullet sponge and hunting dog. With a quick peek I see the ugly teal colored Aril armor trotting towards us with his C54 raised when he takes a couple of quick shots at me.

M: Don't move.

T: WHAT?!

M: DO. NOT. MOVE.

I pull a grenade and pop the latch on top and standing inches in front of the light guy.

"SURPRISE, BITCH!" I yell and he screams when he sees the clicker in my hand and dives out of the way.

The grenade gets a solid chuck at the heavy as light guy hits the deck and I pin him down with a foot on the back. Heavy screams and brings the FS-9 in his hand to level.

I did not anticipate him standing his ground and I fucked up. He takes a quick step backwards then kicks the grenade back at us that rolls between the light guy's legs and right where the sun doesn't conventionally shine.

I dive over and shield Tali with my body by holding her tightly while the grenade goes off. The blast punches my entire body and I feel her wince as our light-armored friend becomes pink mist.

My ears are ringing, body tingling and I can't breathe but I feel the heavy boots making their way towards me through the floor. He rounds the corner and grabs my shoulder to pull me back then flings me across the bloody mess in the floor to the opposite side. He kneels down and puts a yubarev to my forehead.

"This is Ninetails territory, bitch. I'm gonna enjoy torturing your little girlfri-"

I am now covered in his deepest thoughts and most cherished memories as a hole blows out the front of his helmet and all his desires and aspirations spew through, his corpse lurching towards me in a slump.

Both of my arms come up and divert his momentum to the side when I see Tali with my Coda in her hands, shaking as it dawns on her that she took a life to save one.

"Hey, nice shot sweetie. You just saved my life!" I say happily as I stand up to step over Sir Dumb and Lord Jackass, then extend a hand to Tali.

Her arms are still frozen at full extension and shaking like a small dog in the snow.

"C'mon. Let's get up, we're not done here." I say as I lower her arms and her head slowly turns towards me.

"I...I killed that guy!" She says in shock. "Moira I killed somebody!"

I take the hand canon from her and holster it to my hip. "C'mon, this is just one of many. We still have to-"

"Moira I can't do this. There's no way in hell I can...I can't just kill people like you do..."

My helmet comes off and I kneel next to her then take hers off, and make eye contact.

"You saved my life, Ophelia." I say lovingly. "Had you not pulled the trigger I would be dead. WE would be dead. You saved our lives from somebody who was going to revel in our demise. You're a hero!"

She takes my hand and I gently help her up, then she stands dead still and looks at the aftermath.

"Are they always like this?" She says with her voice flat as hell.

"No, never. These are rare instances and even then Callie is probably the worst offender of viscera distribution." I say trying to calm her.

She looks at me with bewilderment in her eyes.

"C...Callie? CALLIE?! SHE'S THE WORST?!"

"She uh. She painted the inside of a distribution center red. In uh...yeah."

A: Your target has minutes left, MOVE IT!

"SHIT!" I yelp and pulse the personnel scanner. Tali, me, the rest of the bunker is clear. Whoever this person is they did a FABULOUS job of clearing it out, they're over in the material storage area and hanging over the railing.

We're on the bottom floor and the station is on the second, we hustle as fast as possible to get up there and catch this person before their life support goes offline forever.

This regen crisis is great for business, but the fear of losing people goes up exponentially.

"Moira, what if we don't get there? Like in time I mean?" Tali asks and she sounds terrified.

We shoot around corners as fast as our feet can carry us, up the double-flight of stairs, around the corner, then another. Straight shot and on the left we see the all white light armor slumped over the railing and without hesitation grab them with the multi-tool tractor beam to set them on the ground.

"aaaaAAAAAAA!!!!!" Tali screams as she sprints ahead with a hemo pen in her hand and slams it into the patient's torso which shocks them awake.

I'm standing wth my arms slack at what I just saw. This woman just brought the wrath of hell to save this person and did it without hesitation.

"Did I do good?!" She blurts in a panic.

"Ow...ow yeah...damn you really just uh....that's gonna *cough* bruise." The patient says and sits up.

"Do you need a med bed? We have a Nursa topside!" Tali sounds like a puppy who just discovered her tail.

The patient looks up at them like they're crazy.

"My legs are both T1, I can't walk."

M: Double footy, they need a hospital.

Ath: Aye aye!

"Hey, where's your ship?" I ask and take off my helmet again.

"Some jerk-ass in a Mustang took a few swipes at me on the way in, had to eject and got double-T2'd but I'm going to need a ride more or less."

M: Get all that?

A: Yup, I'll throw on an undersuit and meet you at the door.

"Athena is on her way over, let's get this one up and out." I say to Tali. "What's your name, honey?"

The patient looks at me with utter bewilderment. "Athena? Like the SPACEMOMS Athena?!"

"Uh...yeah?" Tali responds.

"Holy shit I'm a nobody! Why are Spacemoms picking me up?! Wait are you Minerva?" They say and I nod my head before putting my helmet on.

They take theirs off. SHE takes hers off and her hair is a frazzled mess. "Friends call me Kayna, but you can call me Cupcake!"

"Kayna is fine." I say and she smiles when we help her up to her feet. Well, what's left of them.

A: There's a Mustang circling us, we need to get going like, earlier today.

We have never moved a disabled patient so fast in our lives. Back down the walk, down the stairs, corners, I swear we're getting back faster than we got down here.

We set Kayna down in a corner and hit the lift to take us up when halfway there we hear shots pinging off shields and hull.

"Moi-Minerva?" Tali catches herself.

"Yup." I respond instantly. "Get on a remote behind the pilot's seat and we're gonna melt the bastard down."

The elevator gets to the top and we sprint out the door, leaving the rescue behind.

"Just wait, we'll be right back!" I yell over my shoulder while I sprint down the ramp, up the Valk's ramp and barely touch the ladder on my way up.

That poor bastard thought they were picking an easy fight with a nobody. All Attritions turned the mustang into a pile of slag and molten steel in just a few seconds flat.

"Hey uh. C-can I join the Spacemoms?" Our new recruit radioes to us from the bunker.

C: Not to ruin your victory, but you murdered one of the Murder Muffins.

M: Eva's group?

C: Yeah, no crimestat for you but they just called me upset about it.

Ath: Skill issue.