Garrus was dreaming. He knew it from the hazy quality and the way the details just blurred right out, but all the same, he didn't want to wake up. He was dreaming of Shepard, the way he had been for weeks now. Only this time it was one of the good dreams.
It was their first time again, the night before the Omega relay, and he was standing in her cabin, holding a bottle of wine in one hand, and practically shuffling his feet from nervousness. The blue glow of the fish tank illuminated her face, and he could feel himself falling in love, studying the enchanting softness of her skin and the gentleness in her eyes. He wanted so badly to tell her how beautiful she was, how she made him forget about how awful the galaxy could be, but all he could come up with was some rambling about her hair, and her waist... He relived the embarrassment all over again, the feeling of revelation that he was in no way good enough for her, and that surely she would reject him...
But she didn't. She turned off the music, that god-awful music that Joker had told him was appropriate, and she'd stroked his face. He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of her hand as she traced his scars. He felt like he was melting.
But when he opened his eyes, she was gone. The quiet hum of machinery filled the room, and he was standing once again on top of the presidium. But she wasn't here either. And there were no shuttles whizzing by, no movement on the walkways below. It seemed...dead. He grabbed his rifle, using the scope to search for her, but there was no one. No sign of life anywhere on the once-crowded Citadel. Terror was beginning to take hold. He sat down heavily. He was alone.
As he scanned the deserted walkways, he began to notice familiar rubble. Some of the buildings were made of brick. There were fires. The sky was darkening above, and he began to recognize Earth. London, with tumbled down buildings and chaos in the streets. And ahead of him, was that shining beacon, ascending towards the sky. He got up, started to run. She was there, he knew she was.
He ran faster. Above him the sky rumbled and cracked, red lasers lashing out at the ground below. Harbinger. He didn't care. He threw aside his rifle because it was slowing him down. He could taste smoke and blood in the back of his throat. His breathing was harsh, erratic. So close.
When he got closer he could see her. She was standing in the beam of light, arms outstretched, a look of fear and desperation on her face. He could see her lips forming the word, his name. He tripped. Fell sprawling into a jagged pile of debris. Sharp rocks dug into him at all angles, bits of glass tore at his skin. He struggled to get up but he was trapped, held down by what seemed like tons of debris. He reached out...
Years of life at war had made him a light sleeper no matter what the circumstance. When the door whooshed open he was already on his feet. It was Liara.
"Sorry to wake you, but Kaidan needs us for a mission. Grab your gear and meet us outside," she said. Then she looked him up and down. "Are you alright Garrus?"
He shook his head a little to clear the cobwebs. "Yeah. I'm fine. I'll be right there." She cocked her head questioningly, but he rumbled a warning that told her to leave it alone. She turned and walked out. He ran a hand over his fringe and sighed. It was still a good dream, he thought to himself, remembering the feeling of her hand on his face. He hoped he'd never forget, yet knew that the sensations were already fading from memory.
He grabbed the first piece of his armor and determined to focus only on the mission. What she would have done.
Outside the light was growing dim. The last sliver of sun was fading quickly. Garrus blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the light. He'd been on the early shift today; up before the sun. He liked it that way; fewer people to worry about. As soon as it was over he'd gone back to bed. He'd been sleeping a lot lately; even when the dreams were bad, they were often better than reality. And Kaidan left him to it, most of the time. His assigned duties were meager, and that was fine by him.
So he was worried when he met with the two of them outside. What had gone wrong that would take them on a mission past curfew?
Kaidan ended all speculation immediately. "Tali's missing. She was supposed to check in before sundown, and I haven't been able to contact her. We're heading out to find her." Garrus felt a stab of concern. It was fresh and raw, and it caught him in its intensity.
Liara crossed her arms skeptically. "Shouldn't we have multiple search parties? You know, to increase the ground we can cover, improve our chances of finding her?"
Kaidan frowned. "We should, if I thought it was just a matter of her getting lost. But Tali's a smart girl. She knows where we are, hell, I marked the position in all of your omni-tools. But something's blocking my attempts to contact her. I don't think she's lost. I think that we were too quick to assume this planet was safe. So I want to do this carefully. A small, highly trained team, working together to retrieve her. Any other questions?"
Garrus detected a hint of sarcasm. He was a little surprised, but then, he was also a little surprised that Liara would pose her question so directly. Superior officers were superior officers, Alliance, turian, or other, and when they gave an order you followed. Maybe not so with asari, but still, he couldn't recall her ever questioning Shepard that way.
She seemed to realize it too. She uncrossed her arms, fidgeted a little. "I'm...uh, I'm sorry Kaidan. I know you know what you're doing." She looked away, seemingly at a loss for further words.
Kaidan let the silence stretch out. Garrus could feel the power play between the two of them. He approved. Again Kaidan had surprised him with his leadership. Finally he turned to leave. "I'll take point." Garrus settled in on the right flank, Liara on the left. The formation was hauntingly familiar, with the obvious crucial difference.
The jungle was different at night, but not very. Without much in the way of animal life, it was quiet except for the rustling they made as they moved through the trees. All but a handful of birds were silent, sleeping, it seemed. The silvery moonlight danced off the broad leaves of the foliage, dimly lighting their way. The quiet unnerved Garrus. Especially since they were making so much noise. It assured him that any living thing out there knew exactly where they were, whereas they were merely blundering through the dark. He could tell Kaidan felt the same way by the tense set of his shoulders.
Liara, on the other hand, was hardly making any noise at all. She seemed sharp, alert. He guessed that was the difference between soldiers and huntresses.
They traveled for several hours before coming to a hill overlooking a valley. Kaidan motioned them to a halt. They stopped and took stock of the valley. This was the first major change in landscape they'd seen all night, notable for its uniqueness.
Garrus tapped Liara on the shoulder and pointed. Nestled deep in the valley, there was the soft orange glow of artificial light. His turian eyes had picked up on it more easily than the other two, but once she noticed it Liara nodded, then gestured to Kaidan.
Kaidan nodded, then made the signal to move forward. They didn't have to be told to stay quiet, and they picked their way carefully down the hill.
Tali woke painfully. Her head felt heavy and dull, her throat ached, and fever blazed like a fire throughout her body. She raised a hand to her head. What...? Her helmet was gone, and her hand touched naked skin. Oh no no no no! She frantically felt her head with her hands. Even her cowl was gone, leaving her completely bare-headed. And her hair...She felt her scalp. It was gone too. Her head prickled with stubble. They had shaved her head!
She breathed rapidly, trying to control her panic. The last thing she could remember was tripping and falling...No. She'd been caught. There had been a snare, an old-fashioned thing just laying on the ground, and she'd stepped right into it. Stupid bosh'tet!
She forced herself to calm down and take stock. She was bald. Her helmet was gone. As was her suit. She was clothed in a rough, shapeless garment, laying on a cot in a small, dark room. Her surroundings were spartan. There was a bucket in the corner, the cot she was laying on, and a door. There were also several empty metal shelves, leading her to wonder if she was in a re-purposed storage room. Her weapons were gone. She still had her omni-tool, strangely enough, but it was battered and malfunctioning. It was as if someone had tried to pry it off with a rough tool, then given up.
She laid back down. Her head was throbbing. After the initial rush of panic, she felt weaker than ever. Exhausted. She didn't know what was worse; the lack of her suit which was a slow death sentence, or the fact that she had no idea where she was. She tried not to think about it, but it was inevitable. She was going to die here, alone.
But she couldn't. She couldn't just give up. She fiddled with her omni-tool, trying to make a connection. But it only spit sparks and refused to cooperate. Without tools there was nothing she could do. So she tried the only thing she could think of. She began to bang against the door.
"Let me out you cowards! LET ME GO! I've never done anything to you! Let me out!"
A/N: I hope you like this chapter. The story's definitely heading in some unexpected directions for me, but I do still have a good idea where we're going, if that makes you feel any better. As always, reviews are appreciated, even and especially constructive criticism. :)