Mass Effect: Manipulation/The Fall of a Matriarch

The Fall of the Matriarch
It took Emmanuelle Sharon several seconds to re-orient herself. All around her, the air was shimmering, and her skin was tingling in an uncomfortable fashion.

"Having trouble?" the Matriarch asked. She stood calmly on the other end of the platform, her entire body enveloped in a blue glow.

Sharon fell for the taunt and tried to rush the Matriarch, but realized that she was moving much faster than normal. She barely managed to stop herself before she went over the edge. "Shit!"

"Careful, girl," the Matriarch said, now standing where Sharon had been, "the mass effect field that is holding this platform up has affected your weight." She smiled. "Still think you can beat me?"

In her head, Sharon estimated how much force she would need to close the distance between her and the Matriarch and charged forward and tried to throw a punch, but just before her fist could connect, the Matriarch ceased to be where she had been. Sharon turned around and saw that the old woman had moved to the other end of the platform again.

"Tch. Your kind are alway so undisciplined. You think you can become a soldier in just a few months? An asari huntress trains for nearly half a century!"

"Shut up and fight me."

"As you wish..." The Matriarch shimmered for a second, then disappeared.

Only a few milliseconds later, something struck Emmanuelle hard on the jaw and sent her reeling. A second blow struck her in the stomach, causing her to double over and leaving her helpless to stop the uppercut that came a second later. It was all she could do to keep herself from being knocked from the platform.

She scrambled to her feet, and saw something flying down towards her from outside the field.

Oh, shit. Sharon wasn't a scientific genius, but she knew enough about physics to understand what was about to happen. The Matriarch had built up momentum by flying outside the mass effect field. Once she re-entered﻿ the field, her momentum would increase exponentially.

She hurriedly got to her feet, just as the Matriarch re-entered the field. She managed to avoid being hit directly, but the impact created a shockwave that sent her flying. For one horrible, gut-wrenching moment, Sharon realized she wouldn't be able to stop herself from going over the edge.