Okay, this is my first fanfic, so I'm not expecting too much. This story largely came about as I was trying to sleep then just wouldn't go away. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: Beast
She is back, and it was almost as if she has never left. She still gives orders with that same barking tone. She still spends hours a day speaking with every person on the crew. She still walks with that same damn sway in her hips. She still smiles without the emotion carried in that twist of the lips ever reaching her eyes.
She is still a bloody bitch.
Garrus Vakarian groans as he slumps against the metal of the ship's hull. What had he done to deserve this? He had spent months, months, of watching over her, unable to prevent himself from tracking her every move.
Watch her smile.
Watch her lie.
Watch her manipulate every poor idiot she crossed paths with.
She had shattered his faith in a true, pure hero. She had taken his every foolish hope about humanity, his every dream for a better tomorrow and ground them into the dirt beneath her dainty, well-mannered heel. And the worst part was, no one else seemed to see it. No one realized that her slight smiles and demurely downcast eyes hid the cold, ruthless calculating mind that could care less whether her toys lived or died.
Shepard was toxic. A poison that crept beneath his skin and through his blood, wrapping its skeletal hands around his heart. He had tried to convince himself that he hated her, that he only stayed aboard the turian-human ship that had once seemed so wonderfully prophetic to stop Saren, but he had always been too intelligent to hide behind lies, even those of his own manufacturing. He had loved every piece her. That soft skin, those bright eyes and sinfully curving body. The gentle reassurances and harsh battle-cries as a gloved finger pulled the trigger with fierce determination. The delicate smiles and indestructible lies. Every. Damn. Piece.
Oh, he had known it was stupid, and hypocritical besides. How could hatred and love stem from the same person? He hadn't been able to figure it out, hadn't even tried. Just accepted it, even as fractures began to run through his soul.
When she had died, floated off into the dark, he had finally shattered. She had been the light illuminating his purpose: stop evil, save the galaxy. Then she was gone, and it had all just… finished. No big crescendo, no glorious battle. Everyone simply left, went their own separate ways. Eventually Garrus's wanderings had brought him to Omega, and that was where he had forcefully cemented his heart back together with the tears of victims in need of help and the blood of mercs. He had demanded a purpose from the universe, and there, on that vile little station, he had found it.
Archangel, the human locals called him. He avoided the label until he had gotten his hands on some human lore and discovered its meaning. Archangel. Protectors, fierce warriors of light and all that was good. He liked it then. But suddenly, everything had fallen apart. His men died beneath flickering lights and against grime-streaked walls. But he was still Archangel, protecting the people even as the mercenaries crept towards his nest.
Then she came. Running down the bridge, pistol in hand, the ghost bore a smile as her bullets danced their ways through the spines and skulls of the mercs before her. He fired a concussive shot at her, knowing it wouldn't kill her, but hoping in some back-corner of his mind that it would either prove her to truly be a phantom, or push her off the edge and bring her to a proper death.
It hadn't worked.
He remained focused, keeping his eyes watching through the scope, refusing to turn around even as he heard the soft footsteps creeping up the stairs, behind him…
"Archangel?"
As the name crawled from her twisted mouth, she seized it. Stole it from him. His identity vanished, and he became her creature again. Her beast.
And now he was here, on the false replica of the ship he had loved. Hiding in the main battery, refusing to face the smiles of the crew and the glowing adoration in their eyes as Shepard sauntered past.
He will stay here, he thinks. Pretending to do endless calibrations, just as he had done with the Mako on the SR-1, while lying to everyone else. Yes, I'm alright, just a little tired. Can this wait? I in the middle of some calibrations.
Yes, he will lie. Lie and watch, lie and watch. Relive the events two years past. Grit teeth through the daily trials that make impending extinction seem benign. Perhaps, he'll even be able to preserve this last shred of Archangel that clings to his ribs in place of a heart. Perhaps, he can watch, wait for the manipulations to end up focused on him. And when that time comes, he'll know the truth. Perhaps he can even save the crew along the way. Perhaps he can free someone before Shepard sinks her talons into them.
Garrus scoffs as he pulls up the orange screens covered with scrolling numbers. As if he ever could manage that. The crew is already falling under her thrall. Jacob's eyes follow her every swaying step and a grudging respect is swiftly growing behind Miranda's eyes. It would be impossible to change that.
He hesitates as he enters in a line of code. The torment of that word swirls around his mind. Impossible. His eyes harden with renewed purpose. Impossible, yes, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't at least try.
But for now, he'll wait.
Thanks for reading! Reviews would be greatly appreciated, since I want to improve more than anything. I have no idea how long the story will end up being, but I'm planning on going through the views of every crew member and possibly a few other NPCs if people seem to like this. Garrus is kinda whiny, but I'm planning on changing that in later chapters. Once again, thanks for reading, please review! Critisism, even if harsh, would be greatly appreciated!