Slip-up--Miranda, Mass Effect (F)

[normandy]

Sooo Mass Effect 2 is probably my favorite video game of all time, and Miranda Lawson is probably one of my favorite characters from the game. She's so rigid on the exterior, but deep down, she's loyal and kind to those she cares about. I thought I'd write a fic about her. Here goes!
 

Slip-up

Miranda clicked and swiped through the numerous holographic screens up on her office computer. She sent requisition order after requisition order, and touched base with new sources of intel. As top Cerberus officer aboard the Normandy SR-2, it was her job to keep the ship (and its crew) outfitted with the latest weaponry and tech available. And in the Cerberus group’s fight against the vicious Collectors, it was her version of downtime. Ever since Cerberus (at Miranda’s direction) rescued and revived the hero of the Alliance, Commander John Shepard, the group worked to counter the Collectors’ frenetic abduction of human colonists. Just a day prior, Miranda teamed up with Shepard and Samara, an Asari justicar, to raid the headquarters of the Noveria Development Corporation. The team braved the freezing Noverian cold in search of data on the Protheans, an ancient alien race from which the Collectors descended.

Miranda hit ‘Send’ on her last order, then felt a sudden itch run through her nose.

“HuhEtsch!”

Miranda lurched forward, sneezing into her elbow. She couldn’t believe it. Miranda couldn’t remember the last time she sneezed, or coughed, or even had a headache. She was genetically engineered by her father to have heightened biotic abilities, which extended to her immune system. She had never been sick once in her life.
Shuddering at the thought of her psychotic father, Miranda logged off the computer and climbed into her bed. It was getting late, and she needed to be at her best for a mission briefing tomorrow.
***
Shepard checked his watch yet again. Could Miranda have actually missed a briefing? She was normally the ship’s stickler, getting noticeably ticked off at Garrus’s “fashionably late” entrances. He began to worry. He had certain feelings for his colleague, and this anomaly made him feel that something was definitely wrong.

Jack, another powerful biotic on the ship, chuckled to herself. Labeled “Subject Zero” by Cerberus after being tested and held captive for most of her life, she didn’t hold an officer like Miranda in high esteem.

“What happened to Little Miss Perfect, Shepard? Did she trip and fall out of the airlock? If so, I won’t be coming to the funeral.”

Just then, the briefing room’s door opened to reveal a sight no one could have expected. Miranda, the ship’s immaculate administrator, looked to be in the throes of a horrible cold. Her jet-black hair was disheveled, and her nose was almost glowing red. Instead of her spotless uniform, Miranda wore a Cerberus hoodie, sweatpants, and…fuzzy slippers?

Before anyone had time to react, Miranda sneezed haplessly into her elbow.

“HuhEtSchOO! EtscHOOoo! Hah…HaScHOOO!”

Jack laughed out loud.

“This is too good to be true! Has the Ice Queen herself caught a cold?”

Miranda glared at Jack. She shuffled towards a seat next to Tali, the ship’s Quarian engineer. As Quarians are highly susceptible to foreign germs and infections, Tali scooted herself away from the germ bomb that was Miranda.

“Look, Miranda, you don’t have to sit through a briefing in this condition,” Shepard said. “Go back to your quarters, and I’ll update you later.”

Miranda nodded. Shepard couldn’t help but gawk at her. She had a vulnerable look in her eye he had never seen before. Miranda unceremoniously wiped her nose with her sleeve, and slinked back towards her office.

Shepard cleared his throat.

“Let’s begin, shall we?”
***
Miranda pulled her head up from her pillow upon hearing a knock on her metallic door. She had the covers up to her chin in bed, struggling to fall asleep with a stuffy and sneezy nose.

“Miranda? It’s me,” Shepard called.

“Cub in,” Miranda muttered in a congested voice.

Shepard walked into Miranda’s quarters, still not quite believing what he saw. He sat on the edge of her bed.

“Miranda, what happened? Are you…sick?”

Miranda glanced at the Commander.

“I don’t know what this could be. Never been ill in my luh…life…”

Shepard winced as Miranda pulled her blanket up to her face and sneezed into it.
 

“Hureshooo!”

Miranda set the cover down.

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s comfortable.”

Shepard scooted closer to her.

“Look, can I take you down to Medbay to get checked out? This obviously isn’t normal for you.”

With a groan, Miranda got up from bed, and with Shepard’s aid, walked down to Medbay.
***
Karin Chakwas, the ship’s resident physician, couldn’t figure it out. Miranda Lawson, with her immaculate physical shape and record, was sick? She had Miranda, sniffly and miserable, sitting on a treatment table. She noticed Miranda’s shivering, and gave her a blanket to wrap around her shoulders. Commander Shepard was also there, looking concerned.

“Look, Miranda, your symptoms are all consistent with the common col-“

Before Chakwas could finish, Miranda sneezed towards the ground below her.

“HatChOOO!”

Dr. Chakwas wheeled her chair over to a supply closet, grabbing a box of tissues. She wheeled back over to Miranda, handing over the box.

“Please direct your sneezes into these. And blowing your nose might do you some good.”

Miranda looked down at the tissues, which were alien objects to her. She looked back at Chakwas, puzzled.

The doctor sighed.

“Hold one up to your nose, and breathe out to clear the congestion.”

Miranda plucked a tissue and tried to blow. She groaned. The feeble attempt did nothing to clear the stuffiness that went up to her sinuses. Shepard brought over a nearby trashcan, and Miranda lobbed the wet ball into it.

Chakwas looked towards the Commander.

“Shepard, I’m going to call Mordin in. He might help us figure out what’s going on.”

Minutes later, Dr. Mordin Solus entered the Medbay. The Salarian doctor was renowned across the galaxy for his work in medicine and genetics. With his expertise, he was a valued member of the crew.
Mordin eyed Miranda up and down. Chakwas handed the Salarian Miranda’s physical file, and Mordin tapped through the datapad.

“Ms. Lawson. Your genetic engineering covers your immune system, correct?”

Behind a tissue, Miranda nodded, then sneezed forcefully.
“AhtCHuh!”

Mordin laid out a medical kit of sorts, and took out a small needle.

“Ms. Lawson, I need blood sample.” Mordin was never the loquacious sort.

Miranda rolled up her sleeve, and Mordin pricked her arm, drawing blood. Miranda, the tough-as-nails Cerberus officer, yelped from pain, and Shepard put a hand on her shoulder. She felt comforted instantly. She didn’t want Shepard out of her sights.

Mordin cleaned the puncture and inserted the needle into an odd-looking thumb drive. He then plugged the drive into a Medbay computer. The device whirred to life, and brought up a plethora of charts and numbers.

Mordin hummed to himself, deciphering the information on the screen.

“Ms. Lawson, you were on the mission to Noveria. Correct?”

Miranda nodded.

“But what does that have to with any…anythIH-!”

Miranda, eyes fluttering and mouth agape, pulled out another tissue and let the sneezes tumble out of her.

“IhTchiew! Ishooo! Ih…ITCHOOO!”

 Miranda blew her nose, still trying to alleviate the congestion.

“Ms. Lawson, extreme cold on Noveria caused your illness.”

“Mordin, I’m no doctor, and even I know that cold weather doesn’t make you sick,” Shepard said.

Mordin nodded.

“Yes. In most cases, true. But not here,” Mordin started. “See, Ms. Lawson’s cells have extra membrane. Prevents bacteriophages and other viruses from hijacking cell. Source of immunity.”

Miranda clasped the blanket back around her shoulders.

“But I still don’t get how I got a cold.”

Mordin inhaled deeply, preparing his answer.

“In extremely low body temperatures, membrane wears thin. Becomes ineffective. Ms. Lawson’s immune system not conditioned to work independently, leading to common rhinovirus infection.”

Miranda rolled her eyes, then felt a massive itch tear through her nose.

“Hih…hih…”

Stopped in her tracks, Miranda motioned to Shepard for the tissue box. Not taking his eyes off Miranda, Shepard read the cue and held the box up for her. She took a tissue with one hand, keeping the blanket to her body with the other.

“IsHoOOOO!”

Miranda lurched forward, sneezing into the soft cloth. She wiped her nose and looked back up at Mordin.

“What does that mean? Is my immune system shot?”

Mordin glanced back at the monitor.

“According to data, cell density has stopped decline. Should build up strength again in a few days.”

Miranda’s eyes widened.

“DAYS? What am I supposed to with myself?”

“Miranda, we’ve come far, but we don’t have a cure for the common cold,” Chakwas chimed in. “Your best bet would be to hunker down in your quarters and let your immune system recuperate.”

“You could still work from your computer,” Shepard offered.

Miranda sighed.

“Okay. Thanks Dr. Chakwas. You too, Mordin.”

The Salarian smiled.

“Feel better, Ms. Lawson.”
***
Shepard walked Miranda back to her quarters. Chakwas sent the pair back with the blanket, extra boxes of tissues and a pack of decongestants for Miranda. As Miranda slid back into bed, Shepard laid the extra blanket over the covers.

“Still can’t get over those slippers,” Shepard remarked.

Miranda tried to laugh, but it came out as a cough. Once she caught her breath, she looked back at Shepard.

“Those were a gag gift from Ori. She even had them shipped in a ballistics container, with a card for me and everything. I threatened that poor cargo worker with his job so he wouldn’t spread word. Guess I couldn’t think that far ahead this morning.”

Shepard chuckled. Miranda’s sister, Oriana, was her only close confidant. Born a few years apart, Miranda did everything she could to protect Oriana from her father’s wrath. Once they were older, Miranda managed to escape with Oriana. She set Ori up with an adoptive family and a new identity, preventing her father from ever finding her location.

“I bet you’ll be relieved in a few days when you’re back in fighting shape,” Shepard said. “You won’t have to worry about catching another cold.”

Miranda leaned back, looking up at the ceiling.

“Actually, now that I think about it, being sick isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

Shepard raised a brow.

“You almost strangled Chakwas when she told you to rest up,” Shepard rebutted.

Another laugh-cough from Miranda.

“My father genetically engineered me from birth to make no mistakes,” Miranda started. “So, I’m expected to be perfect. To others, and to myself, my mistakes are what define me.”

Tears welled up in Miranda’s eyes.

“This is finally a slip-up I don’t have to tear myself apart over.”

Shepard sat down on the covers.

“You’re so much more than that, to everybody on this ship. Especially to me.”

Shepard gulped. How would she react?

Miranda smiled at Shepard, but then a weird expression came over her face. Her breath was hitching and she squinted her eyes.

“Sneeze?”

Miranda nodded emphatically.

Shepard grabbed the tissue box behind him on the bed and passed it over to Miranda. She took out a wad of tissues for the incoming sneezes.
 

“EhSchuh! EhSHIOooo!”

Miranda loudly blew her nose, then gave Shepard a warm look.

“Shepard, I’m so happy you said thah…oh I huh…hate thih…this part-“

Shepard couldn’t help but watch the fearless Cerberus operative: runny nose, messy hair and all, struggling with her first-ever head cold.

She was still cute.

“HurEshOoooo!”

“Bless you,” Shepard offered.

Miranda held a tissue between her thumb and index finger, blowing her nose with one hand. She deposited the used tissue on her nightstand, and placed a hand on Shepard’s bicep.

“Could you stay? At least until I nod off?”

“Whatever you need, Miri.”

The pair watched the emptiness of space whip past them, cherishing each other’s presence.
***

 

[NoV]

On 1/14/2019 at 2:57 PM, normandy said:

Miranda, eyes fluttering and mouth agape, pulled out another tissue and let the sneezes tumble out of her.

“IhTchiew! Ishooo! Ih…ITCHOOO!”

^Awesome sentence  

Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I have ever played and it was great to read this fic. I always imagined Miranda as having a large sneeze, and yet despite her confidence, being embarrassed about sneezing around others. Thanks for posting this