This is it, Garrus thought as his feet hit the ruined and charred ground. He barely had enough time to absorb the sheer and overwhelming devastation before Shepard took off running. She sprinted with unsurpassable determination towards the Citadel Beam. Without another thought, Garrus took off after her, Vega keeping pace beside him. Harbinger blared loudly, as if sensing Shepard's presence. Harbinger fired a Reaper beam at Shepard. She dodged it and Garrus watched in disbelief as the soldier that had been in front of her was vaporized. Shepard dropped her head, but kept running. Another shot rang out and both he and Vega were pelted with sharp debris. Vega grunted and Garrus could see fresh blood spring to the surface of his cheek. Garrus' skin was tougher than Vega's and had resisted the torrent of sharp metal and rocks. The agonizing screams of dying soldiers seemed to materialize from the very air. The only thing to penetrate the wretched sounds of torment were the shrill cry of Reaper horns and sporadic gun fire. Garrus clenched his mandibles and focused on Shepard.
Garrus felt his breath catch in his throat as a Reaper beam hit beside Shepard, throwing her off balance. She leaned as if she were going to fall, her hands skimming the surface of the ground. Somehow, she regained her balance and kept charging forward, faster than before. He was amazed at how she never faltered, keeping her goal within sight.
He looked over to see Vega wearing a smirk of admiration as they ran. Garrus found himself mirroring the smirk. Nothing, not even the threat of death, would stop Shepard. Garrus was proud of her. He could think of no greater honor than to have served with her in the final moments that would determine the fate of the galaxy.
The Reaper horn blared loudly again. Garrus grimaced against the noise and saw a vehicle flip into the air as the beam struck the ground in front of it. Fear crushed against his chest, hard and sharp as the vehicle careened towards Shepard. Without missing a beat, she dropped to her knee and back, sliding to the ground as the vehicle shot towards her. The vehicle struck the ground hard, throwing dust and smoke everywhere. Garrus lost sight of Shepard. His breath harshened as he began to run faster towards the wreckage. Fear and panic pricked at all his senses. He could see nothing except the smoking wreckage that lay before him.
Harbinger fired again, hitting a group of vehicles. Garrus barely heard the shot, he had been so focused on getting to Shepard. Before he could react, the M35 Mako that had been displaced by the Reaper beam landed in his path. The world around Garrus began to slow down. He saw Vega, who had kept up with him the entire time, put an arm in front of Garrus. They stopped as the Mako sat precariously on its end. The instance only lasted a moment, but to Garrus it felt much longer. Garrus heard the grind and groan of the metal as the Mako began to topple towards them.
Garrus and Vega leapt in separate directions as the Mako crashed to the ground. Garrus landed roughly on his side. He began to push himself up when the Mako exploded in a bright fury of smoke and fire. The heat wave of the explosion hit him first and then the fire. He wrapped his arms defensively over his head, hearing the disconcerting sizzle of his armor as the fire enveloped him. A moment later, he felt something strike him in the abdomen. He growled sharply at the pain, instantly realizing that his armor had been penetrated by a sharp shard of metal. He felt his blood begin to seep freely from the wound. Futilely, he began to crawl from the wreckage, his blurred vision scanning the havoc for Shepard and Vega.
She appeared suddenly over a toppled Mako, like an apparition, jumping from the top of it and almost floating to the ground beneath her. She moved with a grace and agility only she could master. She was heading for Garrus. Her eyes swept over to Vega and she put a hand out for him. Vega managed to his knees, waving Shepard on with his hand. Shepard's arms circled around Garrus' torso and she yanked him to his feet. Garrus hissed in pain, but managed to push himself against her. She half carried, half dragged him to the overturned Mako she had just jumped from. Vega had finally made it to his feet and stumbled over to the Mako to rejoin Shepard and Garrus. She set Garrus down beside the vehicle and that is where their eyes met. Garrus saw her features changed immediately as she assessed his condition. The hardened determination that had once embodied her face melted and became stricken with concern.
Garrus knew it was bad. He could feel the punctures in his armor and smell the burning metal. The wound in his abdomen throbbed horribly and he felt himself convulse in pain, even as he struggled against it. Vega put a hand on his shoulder and assessed the damage. He heard him hiss through his teeth.
Another explosion sounded from behind the cover of the overturned vehicle. Garrus could hear the ringing of the explosion echo in his ears, his senses painfully heightened. Shepard's voice cut through the chaos.
"Normandy, do you copy? I need an evac right now!" She shouted, looking grimly at Garrus.
Joker's voice came in garbled and unclear. "We're taking heavy loses..." Static blocked out the rest of his transmission.
Garrus felt his side and winced in pain. The blood loss had not slowed and he worried that there was more damage than just the jagged piece of metal jammed between his body and his armor.
He heard the sound of a ship overhead and Joker's voice through the static. The Normandy came down and Garrus could see Joker wrestle for control of the ship as he tried to land it amidst the chaos. Shepard put Garrus' arm around her shoulders and gently coaxed him to stand.
"Come on!" She urged, pulling him to his feet. The pain in his side wrenched him, but he pushed past it, forcing himself to keep step with her. Vega flanked them, a hand clutching his ribs and a pained expression on his grime streaked face. As they approached the Normandy, they were met by soldiers laying down suppressing fire. Vega ran up the ramp leading into the Normandy. He turned to face Shepard and Garrus.
"Here, take him," Shepard said, the strain from carrying Garrus evident in her voice. She pushed him towards Vega's extended arm.
"Shepard!" Garrus protested weakly as Vega wrapped his arm around Garrus' waist, supporting his weight.
Shepard took a few steps back from Garrus, her face set with determination. "You gotta get out of here!"
Garrus felt himself fluster, despite the pain that cascaded through his entire body. "And you've gotta be kidding me!" He argued incredulously.
Shepard did not flinch. "Don't argue, Garrus."
Garrus pushed against Vega, trying to reach Shepard. Vega tightened his grip around Garrus' waist, yanking him back. Garrus grunted, pain entering his voice, causing it to strain. "We're in this to the end!" He watched her for a moment, her features were softening. "There's no Shepard without Vakarian…" He said softly, echoing what she had said to him before their assault on the Citadel beam.
Her eyes glazed over briefly with tears and he could see her swallow hard. She began to advance towards him, fighting to keep her voice steady. "No matter what happens here, you know I love you." Her hand reached out and caressed the scarred flesh of his face. Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper as she strove to control her emotions. "I always will."
Garrus felt his heart begin to shatter, a longing so deep and a sorrow so sharp pierced him. She had said those words to him before and they had been beautiful. Now those same words which had brought him so much happiness threatened to rip out his very soul.
"Shepard...I…" He brought his hand up to hers which still held his face and pressed his mandible into her palm. He looked into her lovely eyes. His voice caught in his throat and the terror that came next flooded through him not because of the words he was about to say to her, but because of the raw truth of them.
"…Love you, too," he finished softly, wishing he had said the words sooner.
The desolation and carnage of the world behind her disappeared as a slow smile spread across her lips. It was a moment that Garrus wished he could remain in forever. She stepped away from him, his hand still wrapped over hers.
The shrill cry of Harbinger shook their shared reverie and Shepard released Garrus' hand to look to Harbinger. When she looked back at him, he could see that the coveted moment had passed. Once again, her features were hard set with determination.
"Go!" She ordered, waving to Vega, who still held tightly to Garrus. Unwilling to let it end, Garrus continued to reach for her, hoping to once again reclaim that lost moment. Shepard allowed her gaze to linger on Garrus, backing away slowly, before turning with effort and running back towards the Citadel Beam and Harbinger.
Devastated, Garrus reluctantly dropped his arm to his side and watched the woman he loved slip further and further away from him. He could feel the crushing despair overtake him. He was sure he would never see her again.
"Come on," Vega urged gently, pulling on Garrus firmly. Garrus met Vega's gaze and he could see the pain of his and Shepard's goodbye painted on Vega's face.
Vega opened his mouth to say something and Garrus shook his head. He dropped his eyes to the ground and hugged his burning side with his arm. He allowed Vega to pull him into the Normandy.
As the ship began to rise in the air, Garrus could only wonder what terrors Shepard faced on the surface alone. Tali came to help Vega with Garrus and he collapsed against them, his strength exhausted. He had already begun to mourn the loss of Shepard and wanted nothing more than to slip away into oblivion with her.
He swallowed hard, delirious with the pain of his wounds and the pain in his heart. "Meet you at the bar…" He muttered before allowing himself to be taken to the med bay.