AUTHOR'S NOTE:Greetings, dear readers and welcome to "The Darkness and What Came Before It," an ongoing series of vignettes about what happened to Charlie and Garrus and the rest of the crew before the events of "The Darkness and What Came After It." I figured it'd be a fun little way to fill y'all in on some things that are referenced in the main story. I probably won't be updating these as frequently, but they're still gonna be pretty fun! I hope you enjoy!
Shepard smashed the butt of her gun in the merc's face. The turian howled in pain, staggering backward into a stack of crates. Shepard seized this opportunity to hit him with a biotically charged punch, the energy manifesting in her fist as a flash of crackling blue light. Groaning, he slumped to the floor.
"I think you might have hurt him a little."
Shepard spun around, her heart pounding in her chest. She lowered her weapon when she saw who it was. The distinctive voice should have been a dead giveaway.
"Garrus," she breathed. "You have got to stop doing that. Especially when we're on the job."
"What, making jokes? Sorry, Commander. It's a coping mechanism. Moreau gave me a few pointers." Garrus said playfully, leaning on the barrel of his rifle.
Despite having gotten assaulted by a band of pissed off Blue Suns and nearly taking shrapnel to the leg, Shepard managed a small smile. Not only was Garrus a tactical expert and one of the best shots in the galaxy, he had a habit of making her smile no matter the occasion. It was an amazing ability and Shepard was grateful for it.
She didn't smile often, but when she did, it was almost always because of Garrus. Still, they had a mission to finish. They had to focus.
"That's not what I meant." She said. She scanned the dark warehouse for their third party member. "Where's Jack?"
Garrus shrugged. "I'm sure she's around here somewhere. Probably off disemboweling some poor merc with her bare hands."
"We need to find her—"
"I'm right here!" Jack charged out of the shadows, mouth twisted in an unsurprising scowl. Blood spattered her face like a tattoo. She glared at Garrus. "And, yeah. I was doing exactly what you said. Felt pretty good, actually."
"At least you're doing your job." Shepard muttered, holstering her rifle. She tucked her hair behind her ear. "As long as we're all accounted for, we should move out. Looks like we're done here."
They navigated the warehouse carefully, slowly. Mercs liked to hide in dark places and pop out at any given moment. Which is exactly what one did as soon as Shepard rounded a corner. She barely had time to react. The batarian came out of nowhere, tackling Shepard to the ground. The wind rushed from her lungs and her vision blurred. She flailed and kicked, but the merc seized her by the throat and squeezed, sucking the life out of her with every choking second.
Darkness closed in. A voice in the back of Shepard's head screamed in protest. No, this was not how she was going to go. This was not how she was going to die. She was going to defeat the Collectors and get old and buy a house in the mountains back on Earth. She wasn't going to die. She couldn't. She had too much she needed to—
The shot pierced her blackening thoughts, exploded into her subconsciousness. The pressure around her neck lessened before falling away completely. Shepard gasped as the darkness receded. The warehouse materialized into view, along with Garrus's scarred face. God, what a welcome sight he was.
"Shepard," Garrus urged, hands on either side of her face. His skin was rough. In a good way. "Are you all right?"
Shepard tried nodding, but moving her head resulted in a tsunami of dizziness. "Yeah," she said instead. "I'm—I'm fine. Just—Just help me up. I'm fine."
Garrus did as he was told, hoisting her to her feet. She swayed unsteadily, but he was there to catch her if she needed. He was always there.
"Thanks." She said, voice hoarse. Her gaze fell to the dead batarian. A single bullet wound to the back of the head. Garrus's handiwork.
"No problem." He replied quietly. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't do that again. You really know how to scare a guy, Shepard."
"I can't promise anything." Shepard laughed. She pressed her lips together, realizing that Garrus still hadn't removed his hand from her waist.
"Are you two done?" Jack cut in. She appeared to be angry, but Shepard knew the woman well enough to know when she was faking it. She was just as concerned as Garrus was. "Or should I leave so you can have at it behind the crates?"
Garrus pulled away first. He cleared his throat, turning to face the warehouse entrance. Shepard took a tentative step forward. No dizziness. They were good to go.
"We're fine." She said firmly, sneaking a peek at Garrus out of the corner of her eye. He was embarrassed. "Let's go."
Jack threw her hands up in celebration. "Finally! I'm tired of this fucking place." When she walked past Shepard, she paused to whisper in her ear, a rare, mischievous smile on her face. "Call me when you've set the wedding date."
"What did she say?" Garrus asked once Jack was out of earshot.
"Nothing." Shepard replied, and went to catch up with Jack.