I'm alone in the trees now. At least, there's no one I can see. The ash is still falling, but it's white now. I lift a hand, reach out for it. It's soft. Warm. I look up to the rest, the white-out sky, and the trees are different, too. Green and whole, rustling faintly in a breeze I can't feel. No more whispers. No more faceless bodies. No more armour. Just my bare palm and the clean ashes.
I wish he was here with me. My hand curls around a flake and it brightens for a moment, and I close my eyes. A pleasant weight on my shoulder, three fingers gripping gently. The soft, deep sound of his breath.
"So... where's the bar?" His voice is the only clear thing in my head. It cuts through me. It makes me want to fall to my knees. "I guess that bullet was a little bigger than we thought, huh."
I smile.
"Can't dodge 'em all, Vakarian."
He leans close, his nose brushing against my cheek.
"I gave you an order, Shepard. Tell me you're not gonna go insubordinate on me now."
The words make my chest hurt. And not in the way it usually does when I think of not being with him. It really does hurt. My breath hits a catch.
"I might have to risk a court martial on that one."
"Don't you dare." Both his hands turn me by the shoulders. When I finally muster the will to look up, his eyes are smiling. I reach up and touch his... cheek? I've never known what to call it. The scars are rough. They feel so real. But this can't be real- he's not wearing his visor. His voice gets lower. Makes me hurt again. My eyes start to sting.
"Don't you dare beat me to the finish line, Shepard."
He touches his forehead to mine, and there's a flash of agony through my head, like it's cracking open. Light. I can see it. Getting brighter. Nearer. Coming at me like a guided missile. Faster than we can turn away from it.
"Garrus..."
Pain everywhere now. His hand's gone. No more comfort. Just the ache and the burning. Mechanical whirring right in my ear. The trees go dark when the light hits. Then there's the deafening sound of someone dragging in a breath. This is it.
Oh, god.