CHAPTER 4: Dead or Alive?

Drugged.

Shepard stared numbly at the datapad in her hands, a cold anger settling deep within her gut. Thane had been drugged. Her hands clenched down on the pad, her body shaking with fury. Thane had even been targeted. The simpler and safer delivery system for the drug would have been the wine, but no. The substance had been smeared on the drell's glass instead and directly given to him. God, no wonder he had been acting so loopy. And the worst part was she hadn't even noticed. Hell, she'd insisted they were safe. And look where that got them. He was gone and too little of the drug remained on the glass for the Dr. Chakwas to analyze. Shepard didn't even know if Thane was still be alive or if the drug, not to mention his kidnappers, had killed him. And it was all her fault.

The woman shuddered, remembering the hot, wet feel of the drell's blood on her fingers. She wasn't squeamish when it came to blood and guts. She couldn't be in her position, but this had not been just any old blood. This had been her lover's blood. Thane's blood. The thought made Shepard feel sick to her stomach and she crossed her arms defensively over her chest, unconsciously tucking her hand under her other arm as her mind continued to torture her with those memories. Thane's blood was naturally darker and thicker than a humans; the color of dark wine rather than the startlingly bright red of a human's and the consistency of a hot syrup. It could easily be mistaken for half-dried human blood if no one looked too closely at it and when it dried it turned black and sticky and thick. But his had been so fresh and warm against her skin. She wished she just knew how badly injured he had been. Where he had been injured. If he was still alive...

"Goddammit!" Shepard's emotions boiled over in a violent instant and she flung the datapad across the room in frustration, watching with grim satisfaction as it burst into pieces against the wall.

Garrus glanced up from his console in the Communications Room, startled, and straighten. "Shepard calm down," the turian said in a firm, but understanding tone. When she said nothing and just stared at the broken datapad on the floor, he took a cautious step closer and clasped her arm companionably. "You're emotions-"

The commander whirled on her tactical officer, swatting his hand away, her face twisted with anger and fear. "How the hell can I calm down Garrus!? Thane is-"

Garrus rumbled deep in his chest, the disgruntled sound cutting off her rant as he took another sudden step, closing the distance between them and resting his hands on her shoulders. "We'll find him Jane," he whispered the assurance, holding her gaze with his own. "But you are no good to him like this. You need to calm yourself," he said, gently rubbing his hand over her shoulder, his eyes searching hers for the strength she knew she had. The turian hated seeing his Commander in this state. Her confidence had been shaken and she was desperate in a way he had never seen before. It was the desperation of a lover- of a civilian not a Commander. And it worried him. She hadn't even taken the time to change out of her torn and stained dress before calling the meeting to order and sending the others out for intel. If they really lost Thane would she... could Shepard break? After everything - beating the reapers, coming back from the dead - could something like this really break her? He just didn't know... but then love did funny thing to people. He knew from personal, if recent, experience that such words were very true.

"I should be out there..." the woman said hollowly, her eyes pulling away from Garrus's gaze, turning back to the consoles beside them.

"Shepard, there's no way we can go door to door," the turian said, trying to reason with her. "The citadel is huge-"

Her green eyes flashed back to his. "I need to find him, Garrus!" she insisted, the tears she had refused to shed shining bright in her eyes. She didn't know if Thane's wound had been lethal and she didn't know if his kidnappers wanted him dead, but if they did, why would they go to all the trouble of drugging him in the first place? The substance didn't seem to be lethal in itself. At least, she had been kissing Thane and the drug hadn't killed her, but what if it acted differently with drell physiology? God, there were so many unknowns... Overwhelmed, the woman groaned and closed her eyes, leaning forward to lightly rest her forehead against the turian's armored chest. "I need him back. Safe..."

"I know," Garrus said, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around her and instead just continuing to rest his hands on her shoulders. "But we have to do this smart."

Shepard took a deep breath then let it our slowly, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she reasserted control over herself. "I know," she said in a much calmer tone that relieved Garrus immensely. "Thanks," she added as she pulled back from him, a tight smile quirking the corner of her mouth. "I needed that."

"Anytime," he said, letting her move off to glower down at the console he had been working at.

She grimaced as she read the scant details they had off the screen and sighed. "If only we had more intel," she said, rubbing a knuckle between her eyebrows at the headache that had stated there. "We don't even know what species took him..."

"Miranda's on it. If anyone can track down a witness it is her. And Tali's already combing through all the C-Sec footage of the area-"

"I know. I know," Sheppard said, cutting the turian off. "Everything that can be done, is being done."

"Exactly," Garrus nodded, his face blank as he studied his Commander, trying to gauge what he could do to make her more comfortable. Or at least less... tense...

"And so we wait." Shepard sighed, letting herself fall into a chair and running a hand through her mussy red hair. "God I hate waiting."

A smile flickered over the tactical officer's face. Waiting was always the worse part of any engagement, military or otherwise. There could be gunfire and bullets, heck there could even be reapers, but the waiting for it all to start was always hell. "I know," he said with a barely repressed chuckle, earning him a sour glare from the Commander, but then she then closed her eyes and sighed again, flatly refusing to let herself take her anger out on her friend.

"This sucks," Shepard huffed, lifting a hand to tuck back a lock of hair that had fallen across her eyes, but something was weighing her limb down. Her brow furrowed before she realized her purse was still dangling from her arm. She had simply forgotten to take it off. With a disgusted snort she shook it off and threw it onto the table before leaning back in the chair to glare at it. The contents of the little bag scattered across the surface as it landed with a thump beside the Riesling. Yah, the stupid wine bottle had survived the attack, but she'd lost Thane... Shepard closed her eyes with a sigh, rubbing her brow.

"Yah it does," Garrus agreed quietly, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes studying the woman with concern.

Shepard's eyes flicked open at his words and she gave him a strained smile, but then, out of the corner of an eye, something caught her attention. Something out of place. She turned her head and her eyes widening as she saw... on the table... that...

"Shepard?" the turian asked worriedly, noticing the change in his Commander.

"What is that?" Shepard said, leaning forward, her eyes glued to the items that had spilled from her purse.

"What's, what?" Garrus said, confused by the sudden attention she seemed to be giving her purse. Nothing seemed out of place.

That!" She snatched the compact datapad up in one hand as she stared at it. Automatically, she snapped it open - much like the flip-phones of old - her fingers stroking over the screen. It responded to her touch by powering up, it's screen flickering to life.

Shepard's eyes glanced up at Garrus as the cool light of the screen lit her face. "This isn't mine."

He stepped closer, looking at the little device from over her shoulder. "Do you think it's from the kidnappers?"

"I don't know..." she murmured, her attention focused on the screen as she deftly flicked through the information it displayed. "It looks like a locator."

"Mmmm," the turian said noncommittally as he studied the datapad. "Or a tracker."

"Yah..." Shepard said, settling on the main screen that seemed to be showing some sort of gridded map in blue and two pulsing dots, one red and one green. "But if it was from the kidnappers why would they give it to me," she added after a second.

"Location for a money drop maybe?" Garrus shrugged a shoulder, his eyes scanning over the screen looking for clues.

"But there's two dots and no instructions," she pointed out, then squinted and cocked her head to the side. After a moment she turned the pad 45 degrees and, suddenly recognizing the map, added; "and one of the dots is on our ship."

The turian stiffened. "Bomb?"

"I don't- Here hold this," Shepard said, suddenly shoving the mysterious datapad at Garrus before whirling and starting across the room.

"Shepard what?" The tactical officer fumbled with the device, caught totally off-guard and trying desperately not to stare at the sway of his Commanders hips as she walked away in heels.

"I have a hunch," she said without looking back as she continued towards the far side of the conference table. "Watch the screen."

"Um, wha-?" Garrus blinked, unsure he had heard her right and more than a little conflicted over Shepard's current, quite revealing attire and possibly fragile emotional state. Had she finally lost it? And why couldn't he stop staring at her butt?! He didn't even like human butts! They were so... fleshy. So why...?

"Just watch the screen," she said over her shoulder, completely oblivious to the turian's distraction.

"Uhhh, I'm not sure what I should be looking for-oh..." Garrus blinked as movement on the screen caught his eyes. "Shit," he said under his breath, turning his full attention to the device. It wasn't just him imagination. The red dot was moving... Then it stopped. Garrus glanced up to see Shepard had stopped as well and turned back to him. Could it really...?

"Did it?" The woman left the question open, but it was obvious they were both thinking the same thing.

"Go over there," Garrus demanded, pointed a claw to the opposite side of the room from where Shepard currently stood. They had to be sure.

The Commander complied without a word and Garrus staring at the screen as again the red dot moved just as Shepard moved. Then it stopped... just as she stopped.

"Oh spirits," Garrus breathed, setting the compact datapad down and leaning his hands on the table so he was staring down at the little screen. Shepard waited quietly as he quickly flicked through the displays again before he glanced up her with a grim look on his face.

"It's me, isn't it?" she said softly, feeling oddly calm now, but maybe that was just because she was actually doing something now instead of just sitting on her butt and waiting for something to happen.

He just looked at her, face serious and nodded.

"So," Shepard mused, thinking quickly. "Somehow I'm transmitting a signal."

"Yes." Garrus dipped his head in another nod.

She look up at him. "How?"

The turian let out a tight breath and crossed his arms over his chest. "I think the more pertinent question is 'why," he said leaning his weight over to one leg as he considered the problem.

"No." Shepard shook her head, dismissing the tactical officer's words. "Why is messy," she added as explanation, her hands already smoothing down her dress, trying to feel for any sort of device or irregularity in the fabric. "Relevant, but messy. 'How,' on the other hand, is easier," she said, straightening to run her hand through her hair and tousling the locks to see if anything fell out. "And depending on the device, it might tell us something about who put it there. But where the hell...?" She muttered, running out of places to check. She paused for just a second before slipping off her high heels and picking them up. Before Garrus could say a word she had already ripped the soles out of both the shoes and was in the process of snapping off the heels, but to no avail.

"Dammit not there. Where is it?" She frowned, thinking. Unless the transmitter was internal or sewn into her clothing or some kind of chemical tag... "I need to get these scanned," she said, dumping the destroyed shoes on the table in front of Garrus before immediately starting to unzip her dress.

"Whoa Shepard!" The turian whirled, turning his back on the freakin' object of his desire who was currently undressing herself right behind him. Spirits, was this some kind of twisted dream? No it couldn't be, could it? Still he refrained from sneaking a peek. "I know you're in a rush, but really?" he added, just a bit hoarsely.

"Oh man up," she scoffed, struggling with uncooperative zipper that seemed to be caught on something. She could barely get it to budge an inch. "This is important," she said through gritted teeth, trying to muscle the zipper into compliance.

'Manning up' is not the issue here, Garrus thought ruefully, feeling his internal temperature rise with the beginnings of arousal. Spirits, this is not good.

"God dammit!" The commander let out a disgruntled snarl, giving up on the stupid zipper in frustration and turning her back to him. "Garrus can you unzip me?" she said, pulling her hair away from the back of her neck. "I can't get it to work."

Garrus swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry and continued to look away, despite the invitation. "Um no," he said slowly, forcing himself to maintain control. "I don't think I'm going to-"

But she wasn't listening. Her fingers had found what had been obstructing her actions. The necklace... The one Thane had given her... The delicate golden chain hand snagged in the fabric around zipper, but dangled free now that she had stopped trying to force the zipper over it. The woman paused, letting her fingers ghost over the finely wrought metal for a moment before coming to a decision and deftly unclasping the treasured gift. She didn't want to take it off, but this was more important.

"Garrus, catch."

The turian's hand shot out automatically and grabbed the locket out of the air before he realized what was going on. Sometimes reflexes could be such a bother. It took him a moment longer to realize he was now holding the necklace Thane had given the commander earlier that day. Confused, he almost looked at the woman before remembering she could be naked by now and swiftly turning his head back to stare at the wall. "What do you want me to do with this exactly?" he said, unable to keep a touch of bitterness from leaking into his tone as he held the chain dangling between his claws..

"Is that it?" she said, so completely focused on the task at hand that she did not notice her tactical officer's discomfort.

Garrus was even more confused. "Is it what?"

She sighed in frustration, but also knew her friend wasn't telepathic so it wasn't his fault if they weren't on exactly the same page all the time. "Did the dot on the screen move?" she said, spelling it out for him.

"Oh," the turian blinked and looked down, feeling embarrassed with his distraction. Usually he could follow the commander's train of thought better than this. "Um..." he swallowed hard again and forced himself to focused on the compact datapad's screen. "Yah. The dot moved," he said, reflexively looking back over his shoulder at her before he could stop himself. However, he was relieved to find she was still mostly covered, even as a small subconscious part of him was disappointed not to find her naked. Nope. Not a dream. "You can finish putting your clothes back on," he said, trying to cover his slip.

Shepard let out an unladylike snort. "Thanks," she said sarcastically, re-zipping her dress. She considered her torn-apart shoes for a moment. They had been comfortably for heels, but she found she didn't really care if all this helped her find Thane. Whatever the case the shoes might as well be trash now so she left them and sidled closer to the turian.

The two of them stared down at the locket resting in the turian's hand, but Garrus was having more than a little trouble with keeping his attention from straying towards the soft, warm and scantily clad human body standing so close beside him. Spirits man, get it together, he thought, shifting uncomfortable where he stood and mentally forcing himself to ignore the distraction of the woman he so admired and maybe even loved. He needed to focus. SHE needed him to focus. To be his best. They might not be as intimate as he would have liked, but that was his fault not hers. He owed it to her to be the best damned tactical officer out there. And so he would be.

"Do you think the kidnappers-" Garrus started to say, breaking the silence, but Shepard cut him off.

"No," she said softly, adoration shining in her eyes as the gently took the locket from the turian's claws. "Thane gave it to me," she added with a soft smile before looking up at Garrus. "He must have set the tracker up."

"You're sure?" he asked cautiously, feeling a flicker of jealousy flare to life within him at the sight of her blatant affection, but he quickly quashed it, knowing there was a time and place for such feelings and this wasn't it.

"Yah." The ghost of the smile still lingered on Shepard's lips as she delicately stroked one finger over the locket's engraved, golden surface. "Thane is too meticulous to let something like this slip by him."

"So if red is you..." Garrus said, tapping the compact's screen with one claw to indicate the glowing red dot before letting his finger drift over to the second blinking marker. "Green is..."

"Probably Thane," she nodded in agreement, picking up his train of thought. But what...? Her mind immediately went to the silver cuff the drell had been wearing that carried the same alien script as her locket. It had been the only thing new; the only thing out of the ordinary... Sudden excitement flared hot within Shepard's belly. If they were right. If this device- this tracker could lead them to Thane...

The commander glanced up to find Garrus watching her closely. "Should we...?" he said, leaving the question open, but she was already moving, a vicious grin spreading over her face. This she knew. This she could handle. Finally she could actually do something.

Garrus's heart leapt with a strange mix of relief and exhilaration. The commander was back. Thank the spirits she was back. Without a backward glance he grabbed the compact datapad off the Communications Room table and strode after her.

"Call everyone available back for an assault," Shepard commanded as the turian fell in step beside her in their rushed towards the elevator. "Those that are already working on other angles leave in the field. We've got to have other avenues of inquiry in case this doesn't pan out."

"On it."

She glanced at the turian out of the corner of one eye, grateful not for the first time for her strong and steady right arm, and noticed he carried the compact datapad clutched in one hand. "See if EDI can patch that into the mainframe," she added, not breaking stride. "It'd be nice to have it on display during the mission."

"Yes it would." He nodded in agreement before pointing out; "you'll want to leave that necklace here. If someone figures out how to hack the tracker's frequency..."

Shepard glanced down to the locket still clutched in her hand. It hadn't even been a day, but already she felt like it was a part of her. And it was a part of Thane. The only part she currently had left. She really didn't want leave it, but she knew Garrus was right. She couldn't take the risk. "Good point. Thanks," she said sedately. "I'll leave it in my cabin..."

Shepard started as she suddenly realize they were already at the elevator and she had automatically pushed the call button. And Garrus was still standing by her... She looked quizzically up at the turian, confused as to why the tactical officer was still there. Even though he was engrossed with work on his omni tool, he still had a lot to arrange before they went out. Cocking her head to the side, the woman considered him a moment. "You look like you want to say something," she finally said.

Garrus look up then sighed, shutting down the omni tool. "You know me too well sometimes."

"Well spit it out," she said with a curious little smile. "You're not normally this shy."

If only you knew. "Shepard..." he breathed before soldiering on, knowing the woman wasn't going to like what he had to say. "What I don't get it 'why.' What reason did Krios have for putting a tracker on you or himself for that matter? It doesn't make sense."

"Oh don't worry," she said dismissively, turning back to stare at the elevator display. "I'll chew him out about it later," she added absently, wondering what the hell was taking the elevator so long.

"Shepard..." the turian paused, taking a deep breath as those intense green eyes flicked back to him. He had to say it. Spirits knew he didn't want to, but he had to say it. "We have to consider the possibility that this could be a trap. They could have found the tracker and are setting an ambush or... Krios could be working for someone else." He added the last bit carefully, wishing he didn't have to say it, but respecting and caring for his Commander too much to omit it.

Garrus grimaced as Shepard's posture stiffened at his words and he hurried to explain. "As your tactical officer I have to point out the possibility no matter how unlikely or-" he said quickly and slightly desperately, unwilling to face her wrath, but she cut off his scrambled words with a tired smile.

"Easy Garrus. I don't blame you for doing your job. I'll take it into consideration."

The turian gave a sigh of relief. Thank the spirits, the commander was really back in control. Then he was horrified to find his mouth had continued to talk. "I mean, I like Krios well enough..." Shut up, man. Shut up, shut up, shut up, Garrus silently chanted, feeling like a dumbstruck teenager in his first heat again, but despite his mental discouragement the words just kept coming. "...but what other reason- did he expect to get kidnapped?"

Luckily, Shepard didn't seem to notice his embarrassing ramble. "No," she said simply, pushing the elevator call button again in her impatience. "He's just that paranoid." Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief as the elevator dinged and the doors opened before her, but then Garrus's next words chilled her to the bone.

"It's not paranoia Shepard if someone's really after you."

The Commander barely suppressed a shudder as she stepped into the elevator and punched in the number that would take her to her cabin. "Yah..." she said distractedly, her mind wandering, before her eyes snapped back to him and her jaw tighten with new found indignation. "Gather a team and meet me at the air locker in ten."

"As you say commander." Garrus dipped his head in acknowledgement as the doors closed. As soon as he heard the elevator whirr to the next level he let out a tight sigh, his head dropping into a hand. "Oh spirits just kill me," he moaned in utter mortification. He had to do something about this unbridled infatuation. It was turning him into an idiot. A stupid, horny idiot.

Oblivious to her tactical officer's plight, Shepard stared up at the elevators display, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor as she watched the numbers slowly flick by. God Dammit, can't this thing go any faster?! She sighed, running a hand through her red hair and forcing herself to cool down. Yelling at inanimate objects wasn't going to help anything. She just needed to get to her cabin, suit up, get to the air locker and head the strike-team down to whatever hole the mother-fuckers who had Thane were hiding in and kick their collective asses. That's all. Then the drell would be back home and she could relax. She only hoped her love was still alive... and he wasn't somehow a traitor.

/\/\/\/\/\

Thane barely suppressed a groan as his body slowly came back online. His head was buzzing and everything seemed to ache, but he couldn't remember why... Had there been a mission? Or maybe Shepard had been sparring with him and she kicked his ass. Yes, he could see that happening- IF he had been in the mood to let it happen. Or maybe he was sore from a long night of something more lavacious. He just couldn't remember... and that was worrisome. Very worrisome. Thane wasn't one to do something that would cause himself memory loss, no recreational drugs, stimulants or steroid, so either he had drunk too much alcohol for a special occasion - he did faintly recall a restaurant date with Shepard, which in his book would rank as very, very special - or something far more sinister was going on.

The ex-assassin mentally frowned as he reassessed his situation. It felt like he was somehow bound to the surface he was lying on, though he didn't dare let himself move a muscle to explore exactly what had been used to make the restraints. Luckily, there didn't seem to be a lot of actual pain, no broken bones or weeping wounds, but even so his body felt heavy, almost numb, and very sluggish. It almost felt like he had been drugged. Shit. He opened one eyes a crack then snapped it shut again, silently cursing as he realized he was not in a familiar place. Instincts, man. Always trust your instincts. He'd allowed himself to forget that fundamental rule for a moment and look where it got him. He only hoped Shepard didn't have to suffer for his lapse too.

Quickly, so he would still look asleep, the drell controlled his breathing, forcing himself to take deep, slow breaths. In a few moment he had calmed his body despite the adrenaline surging within him at finding himself in a strange place and a compromised position. He noted, with concern, how uncomfortably tight his lungs felt. Too tight. He could feel a cough fit just on the horizon, but he couldn't afford that right now. He needed to move before he lost the element of surprise. He wasn't really comfortable fighting in such a hindered state - there was far too much possibility for failure and death - but he wasn't sure he would have a choice. He would need to minimize contact to escape. After he was in safe territory he could stop and reevaluate. With any luck this was all just a big misunderstanding and he was in a hotel somewhere with Shepard. Riiight. A hotel that looked like a warehouse. Trust your instincts, man.

Still... Memories were coming back to him through the fog, even though the end of the night stubbornly remained fuzzy. He had definitely been on a date with the Commander and, after a few bumped, they had been having a good time. So why wasn't he in Shepard's room or at least his own? The last thing he vaguely remembered was leaving the restaurant for the Normandy. Thane mentally frowned at the thought. Drell weren't used to vaguely remembering anything. Something was defiantly wrong.

Cautiously, Thane blinked his eyes open and, without moving, did a quick scan of the room. It only took a second before he was snapping his eyes shut again and analyzing the image. Sometimes there were perks to having a perfect, drell memory.

After going back over the scene a few times in his mind to make sure he hadn't missed anything, Thane breathed a mental sigh of relief. It didn't look like they had Shepard, at least they didn't have her in the same room as him. Whoever 'they' were...

The drell suppressed a frown, casting his mind back to what had probably been the night before... he hoped. Really he could have lost a week or more and he would never know... but that was a problem for another time. Right now he just needed to think. He remembered now feeling hot and dizzy and... very aroused, although it seemed not all of that had been a part of his natural libido. The signs were pointing more and more towards intoxication or drugging, neither of which he was very pleased about... but if he remembered right, Shepard hadn't been showing any signs of something being off. Maybe she hadn't taken enough of the drug, if it had been a drug, to effect her. Or maybe she had never been included in the plot to begin with. Or maybe the drug had killed her outright hours later.

Thane shielded away from that last thought, feeling his stomach wrench sickeningly at the possibility. He had never considered that Shepard could ever die before him... Not like Irikah-

No! Thane steeled himself. It did no good for him to be dwelling on 'maybes' right now. First he needed more intel. Second he had to escape. Only after that could he allow himself to think of the 'maybes.' He simply couldn't afford the distraction right now. Not if he ever wanted to see his lover agai-

A sudden deep shudder of pain lanced through the drell's body and a startled gasp escaped his lips before he could restrain himself, but luckily no one seemed to be around to notice. What for the love of Arashu was that? he thought panting slightly as the wave of pain seemed to coalesce into a single pounding point of heat and agony in his brain. Whatever it was it was not good. He had to move fast...

With a fierce willpower he had spent years honing, Thane pushed away the pain and forced himself concentrate. Pain was inconsequential right now. Pain would slow him down. Pain would get him killed. True it was worrisome. Something was definitely wrong with his body, and he had no idea what, but he'd just have to worry about it later.

Turning his attention back to the present, the drell cast his senses about, picking up every minute detail he could without moving. The unmistakable stale scent and faintly metallic taste in his mouth told him he was somewhere with recycled air. A space station, orbiting platform, or maybe even the Citadel. That would be certainly convenient if the last were true. It was even better because his glance around confirmed that he was in a room, not a ship. That meant he didn't have to take control of the space to escape. He just needed to get out and away.

Touch told him he was laying on something metal and the air was cool against his skin, but pleasant so there was probably an environmental system or air conditioning running somewhere close by. Cautiously, Thane tensed his muscles to see how they would react. Good. Still sore, but good. It seemed like he was tied to the platform he was lying on with... rope? Who uses rope anymore? Obviously his captors hadn't expected him to wake. All the better for his escape. Even better then that was the fact that once he got free there was plenty of supplies and things to hide behind scattered about the room if a fire-fight broke out. He already knew he surrounded by tech from his first peek around and the hum of machine only confirmed that, but... there was something else... something just at the edge of his hearing...

The drell tilted his head slightly, focusing his hearing and suddenly the words came into focus.

"...an't believe that drell is such a terrible assassin." A somehow familiar young voice was saying and for a second Thane stopped concentrating on listening and cast his mind back. He never forgot a voice, or the face that went with it, so where had he heard that one before? Where...? But the chemical fog that had blurred the end of his night so completely clouded the memory, making it impossible for him to remember accurately. With a mental frown he cast his focus back to the conversation of what had to be his captors just in time to hear that same voice continue. "He seemed like such a nice man."

An older voice answered the first's implied question. "Looks can be deceiving, boy. You know he's got scars all over him under those clothes."

There was a condescending snicker and a third voice chimed in. "Yah, he's also got the perfect lips for sucking face," it said with the stupid bravado of the young and dumb.

"Oh don't be crass. Seriously," the first voice berated with a disgusted tone. Stars, where had he heard that voice before?!

"Oh don't be such a stick in the mud," the third voice mimicked, making Thane instantly take a disliking the owner. And then anger flashed within him at the next stupid words out of that crass mouth.

"I mean did you see him go at it with that whore back there? Shit, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had thrown her to the ground and fucked her right there if we hadn't interrupted."

Thane felt the fury grow, coursing hot through his blood, but he clamped down on it, forcing himself to calm down and analyze the intel. Three. There were at least three of them. What's more they hadn't know he had been out with Shepard. They didn't even know the Commander by sight, so they wouldn't have spent the time to take her too. That was good. Very good. Plus, they must have thought they had disarmed him, neutralized him, left him defenseless. They were wrong. Very, very wrong.

Reaching down, the assassin discreetly pulled a knife he had hidden in the sole of his boot, kept safe just for cases such as this. With a slight flick of his wrist he nicked the rope binding him, leaving the barest strand whole so it looked like he was still tied while in reality his bonds would snap with the faintest pressure. With that done, the drell palmed the stiletto, hiding the blade under his wrist as he lay still waiting for the perfect moment, his ears still attuned to his captors conversation.

"It's not his fault," the first voice answered the third, incredulously. "He was drugged. You know that."

Well, the drell thought coldly, refusing to allow his anger to control him. That answered that question.

"So what? You're his defender now?" the third voice scoffed. "Have you fallen for him? Are you two going to run away and-"

"Spirits, Connor your such an ass!" Ah. The first voice belonged to a turian... or at least someone that followed or knew of turian religious beliefs. Someone he had met before... He just couldn't remember and it was so aggravating. It defiantly wasn't Garrus Vakarian... Or Lorik Qui'in. Or Lantar Sidonis. Or any of the couple hundred of other turians he could remember off hand, so who was it?! Damn. this was annoying. Absently, Thane wondered if this was what it felt like to have an un-perfect memory like so many species did. Sure, there were drawbacks to the drell's mental system. Being able to perfectly remember every bad thing that ever happened to you wasn't that great, in fact it had driven a few mad, but the assassin couldn't imagine what it must be like to not be able to remember all the time. It just sounded like a utterly horrible prospect.

Turning his thoughts away from the memory dilemma, Thane speculated on what species his other two (or more) captors might be. It was common for species to group together, make 'clicks' so to speak, of only their species, but it was just as common for one species to work with another, especially when it came to mercenaries. They didn't sound like krogans though, that much was sure. Not gruff enough. And thank Amonkira for that. He wasn't sure he could handle a krogan hand-to-hand in his kind of condition even with the knife. Normally it wouldn't have been a problem, but his body just felt so weak. It would probably be best to keep the fighting to a minimum if at all possible. His captors were also definitely not hannar either, or elcor, or volus. And not chirpy and neurotic enough to be salarian... but any of the other citadel races were up for grabs. Human, drell, asari... It could be any of them and each brought their own problems to the game. Still... he really wished there wasn't an asari. He really didn't want to have to deal with a full-blown biotic right now...

Attention drawing back to the conversation again, Thane perked up as the older voice, the one that seemed to belong to the leader of the group, was added to the mix. It sounded like 'the ass' had tried to speak again, but 'the leader' cut him off. "That's enough, both of you. Connor go check the cargo."

Shit, Thane thought. He had been doddling too much... Intel was great, but sometime you just have to move. However, if he left now he would be immediately missed and that would be a problem. He could wait it out until 'the ass' finished checking him over and left again, but there was a chance of discovery... or possibly being drugged again and that was very unappealing. On the other hand, he could just grab the guy and use him as a hostage. That might minimize the chances of a fire-fight, if his captors cared enough about each other, which was unlikely especially for mercenaries. If one ended up dead it just meant splitting their payment among fewer people. That reasoning pretty much took out the hostage idea, but he could use more intel. Maybe the others wouldn't notice if he interrogated this one for a bit. It would be helpful to know where he was, especially when it came to escaping.

"Oh come on," 'the ass' continued to whine, breaking into Thane's thought. "He's unconscious."

"Go." And it was definitely a command. The older voice had to belong to the leader. Or at least one of them.

"Fine.

Having decided on a plan of action, Thane quickly rearranged himself into a seemingly unconscious configuration and let his body go limp again as footsteps approached him.

It seemed to take forever for those sullen, shuffling steps to finally stop at Thane's side. Then the drell heard a deep sigh.

"So here we are lizard-boy," 'the ass' grumbled and Thane felt a hand fall on his shoulder and half-heartedly shake him. "You still unconscious. What a surprise." The drell had to use all his willpower not to tense up under the careless hand. What kind of amateur would... it was unthinkable! The guy hadn't even checked his bonds yet. Well, at least amateur night was going to work in his favor, Thane thought, using the shaking of his body to surreptitiously check the blade he still had hidden in his hand. He just needed to wait for the right moment...

"Connor! Don't touch him." 'The leader' commanded sharply from the other room, and the drell couldn't fail to hear the note of worry in the older male's voice, though Thane couldn't really tell if it was worry for the crew or the 'cargo.' Maybe taking a hostage would work after all...

"Oh relax," 'the ass' scoffed. "It's not like he's going to do anything."

"I'll relax once we've gotten to the sol system and unloaded our cargo," the older voice said gruffly before adding. "Now be a proper crew member and check his bonds."

"Check his bonds," the young voice mimicked childishly under his breath. "Check his bonds. I swear..."

Thane heard a deep, exasperated sigh then there was a tugging at the ropes binding him. Thane winced mentally, knowing it would be a matter of seconds before the line snapped and he would be found out. It was now or never. The drell tensed, gripping his blade, ready to strike in an instant. His captor never had a chance.

The ex-assassin struck like lightening, his hand burying itself in the tarren's hair in a second and yanking the human close as he coolly set his blade at the young man's throat. He blinked as he got his first look at his captor's face and mentally cursed. It was a boy. Well, a young teenager. Average tarren. Fit. Brown hair. Blue eyes... But very, very average. There was nothing in the human's wide, gaping eyes that suggested he had any real experience with violence. Indeed, the sharp, calculating gaze of the trained killer was lacking. Well shit... Thane was many things, but he wasn't a kid-killer. Of course there was no need for the boy to know that...

Hiding his surprise and conflict, the drell grinned viciously, desiring to impress fear in the boy with the hopes it would make his new hostage more... manageable. After all, he now relied upon the teen for information and possibly safety. It would be easier for both of them if the human cooperated.

The boy just stared at him, stunned eyes wide.

Thane chuckled softly, allowing himself to take on the airs of someone more sinister then his normal personality dictated. "Why hello there little one," he whispered, widening his grin and effectively scaring the shit out of the young terren.

The brunet flinched at the sound of his voice and tried to pull away, but Thane twisted his hand still buried in the kid's hair and yanked him back down.

"None of that now," the ex-assassin chided softly, sliding the cool mental of his blade across the boy's throat in a menacing gesture, but without slicing the skin. "I wouldn't want to accidentally cut you now, would I?"

Thane felt a shiver run through the human as the last of the color drained out of his face. "Y... you..."

"Shh. Hush boy," the drell said softly, pressing the flat of the blade to the human's lips. "Do what I say and I won't hurt you. I promise," he added with another fiendish grin, returning the knife to the kid's throat with a flick of his wrist.

"Now then, where am I?" he continued on in a soft whisper and that tender tone combined with the knife made it all so horribly menacing.

The boy opened his mouth as if to answer, but all that came out was a terrified croak. A sudden sharp scent spread through the air and Thane winced internally as he realized the boy had pissed himself. The drell repressed a sigh. He had pushed the young human too far, put too much fear into him. Now Thane knew he had to do damage control if he hoped to get anything useful out of the terren.

The ex-assassin loosened his grip on the teen's hair slightly, allowing the human a little more comfort while still keeping a good hold, and softened his smile. "Listen to me closely little one. I have no intention of hurting you if I do not have to. Just tell me what I need to know. Where-"

A scream split the air, cutting Thane's words off. The drell's head jerked towards the sound, and he instinctually tightened his grip on his hostage, but the sight that greeted him shocked him to the core. His professional mask slipped, his mouth gaping as he stared wide-eyed at the turian standing in the doorway. The waiter... It was the fucking waiter!

"You..." Thane whispered hoarsely, his gaze automatically scanning over the new addition to their number, but the turian had no weapon... The alien was just staring at him as he stared back.

Then an older human appeared behind the turian and, cursing, leveled a gun at Thane.

The drell was moving almost before he registered the weapon. Shoving the hostage away from him (it didn't seem like the man with the gun was feeling concerned about winging the boy), Thane rolled his body off the table he'd been lying on. He landing in a covered position on the opposite side of the metal slab as his captors. Then the dizziness hit.

Thane staggered, falling to one knees as the his vision swam sickeningly. The drell gritted his teeth, steadying himself with his hands on the floor as the world continued to sway back and forth... back and forth...

"Kalahira take it all," the drell growled under his breath. He couldn't afford this kind of debilitating weakness right now, but vertigo was not something you could just muscle through.

Scowling, Thane closed his eyes and, wasting precious seconds, took a deep calming breath. Letting it out slowly, he flicked his eyes open again and was satisfied to find the room had stabilized once more. Thank the gods for that.

The drell could hear the older man yelling at him to surrender as the human closed on his location. From the sound of the footsteps it seemed the other two young ones were holding back, but that no longer mattered. He just needed to avoid the gun and get out.

Just as the armed terren reached his cover and hesitated, Thane sprang into action. Lunging for the door on the far side of the room, the drell dodged to one side in hopes of avoiding fire, but one of his feet slipped out from under him and he stumbled, his weakened body betraying him. A bright light slammed into his back a second later and his body seized up as something akin to electricity burned through him, ripping a shriek from his lips.

The next thing Thane knew he was laying on his side, his cheek resting on the cold metal of the floor. Non-lethal shot. His mind automatically catalogued the fact as his body struggled to breath, the air having been knocked from his lungs. He had just been out for a second judging by his un-bound state... And people were still yelling around him... He knew he caught the pulse fire full on, but somehow he was still alive, if aching. The weapon must have been designed to stun not kill. A rarity, but he didn't have the time to wonder why. He needed to get up.

Painfully, the drell pushed himself back into a sitting position, coughing as his tortured nerves sung with agony. The yelling around him seemed to get louder, but the buzzing in his head drowned it out. He vaguely registered the gun being jabbed in his direction, but that wasn't important. He hurt, but he had to move. Move while he still could. Move NOW.

His chest heaving for oxygen, Thane staggered to his knees, desperate to escape. He needed to get back to Shepard. He needed- The second beam clipped his temple and he fell again. And this time he didn't get back up.

TBC...

Finally, I got something new up! Yay me! Now I know some people might think Garrus (and also possibly Shepard) is/are just maybe a touch OoC here, but then they must also concede that love can do really funny things to you too. Garrus will get over it... or maybe he won't. You'll just have to read more to see ;)

And so... Thane's in a pickle... and yah... THAT happened... I'm not going to say much more on the topic in fear of giving too much away, but can you believe it was the waiter? ... What am I saying it's always the waiter or the bartender or the hooker or the butler or, jeez, ANYone... But he was just such a cute little turian, wasn't he? Sigh... Things are just never how they seem. NEVER HOW THEY SEE-EEM (hint there for those that want to run with it). God, I'm and evil tease...

I also wanted to say I'm sorry I haven't been able to update sooner. Hopefully you'll be able to forgive me with this offering of and extra-long chapter. I've kinda been living in a no-electricity zone again this summer so computers and internet weren't really a go. For those of you who are interested in my spidy fics never fear, I am working on them too... And I'm also working on typing up all the paper notes I made while away for my sweet little computer. Oh all the catching up to do...

Anyway, please, PLEASE review. I really love hearing what people think. And if you think Garrus is going totally loopy, don't worry. We'll get him back on track one way (AKA: he gets over Shepard/manages his feelings like an adult/starts dating someone else) or another (AKA: drunken threesome/orgy YAH!) or maybe both! We'll all just have to wait and see how it turns out... and how cracked I'm feeling when it comes to writing the scene ;p