A/N: Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who leaves a review, this story was hard to write and all comments are greatly appreciated!One more chapter left...
Garrus followed the doctor quietly. He had hundreds of questions, but he didn't dare to make a sound until they reached their destination. Even at this hour there were guards patrolling the corridors and that hadn't changed despite the recent explosion. Their numbers were fewer instead of two there was one turian per route, and at some posts no one. If he had to guess, he'd say ten to fifteen of the soldiers living in this base were in the med bay. Since there were a bit more than thirty, it could be considered a serious incident. The cells must've been hit rather lightly or he and Shepard got lucky.
They almost got caught by a patrol once and Anneius had to go talk to the soldier while Garrus hid in the shadows. He didn't have to worry about the cameras – the doctor had explained that the turian watching the surveillance records would be absent from his post tonight. Everything was taken care of, but nothing could ease the bad feeling he had. He should have taken Shepard with them even if she'd be sitting, doing nothing
His ally returned when the soldier was out of sight and they proceeded. Garrus was completely sure that no one else would agree to help him so this plan was grounded on not getting caught. Avitus was so feared by his subordinates that no one would dare to try even if they wanted to. Only the doctor had done something for him and Shepard.) He should be grateful, but Garrus felt distrust and watched him for any sign of betrayal. He couldn't trust anybody and this damned place was to blame.
When they finally arrived, Garrus went straight to the place where Anneius pointed and inspected the rubble.
"Are you sure there is a hole?" he asked, starting to move the rubble.
"It's visible from the other side of the wall," the doctor explained, joining him. "I told you – I'm not sure we're not wasting time here, but there's a hope."
"That's all I've had since I got into this mess," Garrus admitted. "I should probably thank you for helping, I never expected someone from this place to have a conscience."
"Don't think too much about it, I'm still doing this mostly for myself," Anneius said.
"Did you try to help Tallus as well?" he asked.
"Didn't get a chance," he answered, "and never thought it'd go as far as it did."
After some time Anneius spoke again: "What do you feel for that human?"
Garrus stopped working and looked at him. "I'm not really sure. All that matters is that I have to save her."
"I noticed how you speak to her, the way you touch her," he said. "The affection you have for her isn't real, it's just a reaction to the stress. Once she's no longer in danger she'll stab you in the back. Don't mistake her docility for something more than a way to manipulate you."
He glared at the doctor. It wasn't true, he hadn't seen how hard the trust developed between them, it couldn't have been just an act. Garrus didn't want to believe she could betray him, but then he remembered how she had flinched away from him in the morning. There really was no way to know what was going on in her head. It didn't matter though. He was saving her because it was the right thing to do, not because he expected something in return. If Shepard decided to kill him afterwards, he wouldn't resist. He'd leave the decision whether he deserved to live up to Shepard.
"I agreed to Avitus' game before we even had a chance to speak," Garrus said, continuing to move the debris. "Whatever I feel for her has nothing to do with my wish to help."
"Why do you refuse to understand?" he asked, catching his wrist and making him look at him. "A human is not worth all this."
"I don't care if she's a human," Garrus almost shouted. "No living being can be treated like that. I won't stand aside and allow it."
"Idiot," the doctor spat. "Give her up, Avitus will get bored eventually. Once she gets fucked by him, you won't care what happens to her anyway."
"Is that why I'm here? So that he can rape her while I'm gone?" he asked, the realization hitting him hard.
"You should be grateful he didn't do it in front of you," Anneius answered, pushing him against the wall. Garrus' fringe hit it and he felt sharp pain shoot through his head. When it subsided he didn't waste a moment and attacked the doctor.
"Lying piece of shit," Garrus cursed, twisting his hands to break the doctor's grip and kicked at his waist. Anneius dodged, but had to release him. Garrus didn't waste time and dashed forward knocking him down. The doctor's hands shot up to grab him, but Garrus had picked up a rock and bashed his head with it. The doctor didn't lose consciousness, but it was enough to stun him.
Garrus didn't give him a chance to regain composure. He grabbed Anneius' fringe and snapped his neck. He had had enough. This place was everything he hated and any sign of hope was destroyed before there was a chance to really believe in it. This betrayal was the last straw. He couldn't take it any longer. Getting away didn't have the same importance any more. The hate these people had planted in his soul was taking over and now he just wanted to kill them all, one by one, to see the life leave their bodies like Anneius. He tried to be strong, to keep it all back for Shepard's sake, but it was too much. After getting her to safety, he would come back and finish them all.
Something clicked in his mind when he thought about her and he remembered what the doctor had said. Avitus. Garrus got up and ran. Spirits help anyone who got in his way.
Luckily for him, or them, he ran in to only two guards – one in a corridor and one at the door of his room. He took care of them both with strength he didn't know he possessed. Garrus could only think about Shepard. It might be too late. He had been away for almost an hour and the thought of her raped, wounded, and broken scared him like nothing before. It felt like he had betrayed her. How could he be so stupid to trust one of those criminals? Why hadn't Shepard stopped him?
Garrus burst into his room and found Avitus and Shepard on his bed, both naked. He tore the other turian away from her before he even had a chance to react, his fingers locking around Avitus' neck. They both fell to the floor with Garrus on top, struggling. The commander was strong and managed to reverse their positions.
"Big mistake, Vakarian," he hissed, his knee digging painfully in his stomach and his hands holding Garrus in place. "You can't win against me, you can't escape from this place and you'll never be strong enough to protect her."
"He's not alone, asshole," Garrus heard Shepard hiss.
A violent shove from her threw Avitus off the other turian. Shepard jumped off the bed, managing to hold the commander down even as his claws his claws dug in her arm and shoulder, leaving shallow, but painful cuts. Just as her strength began to wane, Garrus was up again and restrained him by straddling his chest and wrapping his hands around his throat once more.
Avitus' talons were razor sharp and left marks on Garrus as well where he managed to grab him, but just when Garrus saw him reaching for his eyes, the commander's hands were yanked away by Shepard. Strangling a turian wasn't easy and it took time, but it felt so good to watch him die, to see the fear in his eyes when Avitus realized his life would end. Part of Garrus knew he shouldn't feel such satisfaction killing someone, but he was past caring.
"Your existence is a mistake," Garrus said, tightening his grip.
When he could no longer feel the turian's pulse under his fingers he let go.
He remained still for a time, breathing heavily with eyes closed as he slowly realized what had just happened. It was over. Avitus was dead and they were free. He repeated the thought again and again as if the reality would change just because he'd let himself think about something else. Avitus was dead. It'd probably take a lot more time for the realization to really settle in. The man he had hated like no one else, the one who had fucked up his life so much that nothing would ever be the same, had died by his hand.
It had been so simple. It was nothing like he had imagined, so different from the vids he had watched as kid where there always was a grand fight and mind shattering revelations. It was almost disappointing. He had spent so much time thinking about this moment, about the things he'd say and the way he'd kill the commander…At the end he was just another turian with limited strength who died just like any other living being. It was almost funny how much his mind had added to estimation of Avitus' power just because he was in command.
He looked at Shepard and found her staring at the dead body. She was obviously shaken by what had happened and trying to keep her emotions in check. She took a few deep breaths before getting up from the floor, most likely having a hard time believing it was over as well. Garrus wanted to ask if she was alright, if the commander had hurt her, but couldn't find the words. The answer scared him.
"Shepard…" he started, but she interrupted him.
"I'm fine. You have a great timing," she said. "A minute longer and…"
She could have been lying, saying what he wanted to hear to make him feel better or to save him from feeling more guilty, but he knew that if Shepard decided to deceive him, nothing would make her tell the truth. Garrus stood up as well and watched her dress. There were no marks on her skin from Avitus other than the ones she had just received and she didn't pay any attention to them so he decided to believe her. Even if the commander had raped her, it wouldn't change how Garrus saw her or what he felt. He wanted to embrace her, but didn't dare and she had already moved past him.
"All of it was Avitus' plan, wasn't it?" she asked, kicking the dead body.
"Yeah. The doctor's dead, also two guards," he said, pulling himself together. "We have to move before someone finds the bodies."
"I know," she agreed, angrily, "but we can't just run away. I'll never be able to move on knowing they're alive, unpunished and possibly torturing someone else. I can't, Garrus. "
"Do you really think I feel any different about it? I want to kill them all more than you can imagine, but that's not why we went through all this," he felt like he was being torn apart by having to choose between revenge and saving her. "If you die because I made the wrong decision…"
"But it's my decision as well," she protested. She stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "The doctor, Avitus and two others are dead already. Give it a chance or you'll have to leave alone."
Garrus clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. Her words hurt. After everything he had done she was ready to throw her life away so easily. He understood, if he was alone he'd do the same thing, but he wasn't and he had a promise to keep. The turian looked down to Shepard, her eyes filled with hate and hurt. It was too much for her. Something had changed and the moment he agreed he knew that he wasn't the same person either. Besides, he couldn't just leave her, make her fight through this alone.
"Many soldiers are still in the med bay and the surveillance cameras should be off for a while," he said. "Finding armor would take too long, we can only hope to run into our sets, but we definitely need guns."
"Do you know where to get them?" she asked after letting out a heavy sigh.
"The guards I killed. They should have some. I was too worried to think clearly and get them on my way here," he said, putting a few of his personal things in his pockets. "Just stay close."
She caught his wrist and made him look at her. "I'm sorry, I know I'm asking a lot, but…"
"I understand," he interrupted her. "I may not agree, but I won't stand in your way. It's your life and your decision, but I want you to promise me something." She stepped back, obviously alarmed. "If I get wounded or killed, you'll abandon me and your revenge and get out of the base. Immediately."
"Is this how you get back at me?" her voice was unusually high. "I make you come with me, but I have to promise to do something like that?" she asked, but before he could object, she continued. "Fine, I promise," she spat, turning around to leave.
Garrus didn't let her get past him, stepping in front of the door. "Fuck, why does everything have to be so complicated?" he asked. "Why do you refuse to see why I'm doing this?"
"I know why," she answered, brushing his arm. "But it doesn't make it any easier."
He stayed like that only for a moment longer, then let her out. They didn't have time to waste.
The first guard had a pistol with him. Garrus had hoped for more, but it was better than nothing. He kept the weapon for himself and led Shepard further in the base the same way he had gone an hour ago. Shepard stayed behind him, silent and determined, looking around for any sign of more guards. The second body was further in, halfway to the destroyed part of the base. He had a shotgun and another pistol. Shepard chose the shotgun. She checked it and tried to aim, frowning.
"Never thought that lack of my little fingers would affect my grip so much," she said quietly, trying to find a better way to hold her gun.
"At least you have another four," he said, inspecting the pistol. "If I lost one…"
"Where do we start? Med bay?" she asked coming closer to him.
"That would be the easiest way," he answered. "Those who are there wouldn't be able to resist or escape and the place is distant enough to muffle any noise."
On their way they met another two guards, each at a different post that Garrus disposed of without using the guns. One almost raised the alarm when he saw them, but with Shepard's help they managed to stop the turian. The rest of the corridors were empty and silent. Everyone who wasn't on a patrol was sleeping.
He didn't want to admit it, but part of him was reluctant to go to the Med bay. There were a few places an honorable soldier wouldn't go to kill and a hospital was one of them. The turians that lay there were unarmed and wounded, even if he and Shepard were in a bad position for a fight, they had guns and that decided it all. But there was no way to stop her. He knew a determined person when he saw one no matter what species. He'd be lying if he said that there wasn't a much darker part of him that wanted this as well. Those turians had made their decision when they allowed Avitus to torture Shepard, him, the human he found when all this mess began, and even Tallus. They all deserved revenge.
How could just one person manipulate a whole base of turians into obeying his every command?
When they reached the door and opened it, all his doubts disappeared. Garrus knew every one of them, their faces burnt into his memory from the weeks he had lived here, the nights they watched him get raped and raping Shepard while pleasuring themselves. Just remembering it all made him sick. Now they were the helpless ones and the two of them would use their weaknesses against them.
Shepard quietly crossed the room and blocked the other exit. None of the patients moved or showed any signs of waking up. Some didn't look injured at all. Others were connected to monitors that showed that their vitals were stable. Garrus and Shepard both aimed to the ones closest to them and fired.
Both of them had received enough training to kill their enemy with a single shot despite natural armor and distance. The healthier turians managed to roll off the bed and tried to hide, but the pair moved towards the center of the room without giving them a chance of survival. The med bay was filled with shouts, some begged for mercy, but they didn't pay any attention to it just like the turians had ignored what had been done to both of them. Every time Garrus pressed the trigger he remembered an event that had pushed him to this. Watching them rape the first human, the night when he made the deal with Avitus, Shepard hating him, someone raping him and everything that followed. He ran out of targets before he had recalled all of it and he shot the last turian a few more times.
Ten bodies, five for each of them. The silence that settled in the room was deafening. He could hear his own heartbeat, his pulse racing at least twice the normal rate. Next to him Shepard was breathing heavily, her expression blank as she studied the slaughter. Her lips twisted into a small smile, but her eyes remained cold and merciless.
"Who said the revenge is bitter?" she asked, her eyes still scrutinizing the bodies. "Avitus, the doctor, now these bastards…" she turned to him, "it's almost over, Garrus."
Shepard stepped closer and grazed her fingers over his cheek. "It's almost over," she repeated in much quieter voice.
Garrus took a deep breath and leaned into her touch. The air was heavy with the smell of blood and medicine, but he could still smell her unique fragrance.
"We have to move before the rest of them realize what's going on," he said. "Let's go through the base checking every room and leave the exit for last."
Shepard nodded and clutched her weapon while he turned around to lead the way. Garrus wondered if the begging men would haunt his dreams just like the first human's did or if he would forget them in time. He had heard that killing gets easier with every new victim. This wasn't a war or self-defense, just vengeance and with every passing minute he found it harder to care. Now he couldn't imagine leaving without finishing what they started.
Most of the places they inspected were empty: the storage rooms, meeting halls, corridors, even the living quarters. They had checked at least half of the base and there was no one. He had a bad feeling. It wasn't ruled out that Anneius had lied about the cameras or someone had found the bodies and the rest of the soldiers were preparing a trap for him and Shepard. The next room to check was the mess hall, the place he wished he never had to return.
Of course that was where the trap was. The moment he opened the door, ready to shoot anyone inside he found the rest of turians in full armor, guns in hands. There were about ten of them. He ducked in cover as quickly as he could, Shepard never showing herself to them and staying close to wall on the other side of door aisle. He saw her lips move, cursing silently.
"Vakarian," a sing-song voice from the hall called out, stretching his name. "Don't be shy, join us."
Garrus didn't move or reply, looking for an exit. He was close to the center of the base, getting to the main entrance would take a few minutes during which they would most likely get caught and killed. He could tell Shepard to run while he distracted the turians, but she didn't know the way. The two of them didn't even have armor.
"Don't make us come after you," the turian said. "Take your human, drop your weapons, step in the hall and we won't kill you as quickly as we would if you tried to run."
What choice did he have? It was either definite death if he disobeyed or slightly less definite if he did what they wanted. Garrus looked at Shepard apologetically. She shook her head, her expression angry, but when he stepped in the hall tossing his pistol away, she did the same. What hurt the most about it was that the commander had been right. Garrus wasn't good enough to save her.
"Very good, Garrus," the turian standing in front of the group said mockingly. "It's nice to see you're as obedient as always. You made quite a mess in the med bay. The commander won't be happy."
"He won't care, he's dead," he retorted and every turian turned to look at him. It felt like their eyes were trying to look into his mind to see if he was lying. No one was left unaffected by the news, maybe except for Tallus, who was standing separate from the group. Garrus knew telling them about the commander would buy him some time.
"You're lying," the leader said.
"Why? Would we really risk doing all this if he was alive?" Garrus asked. "Or was Avitus immortal?"
"If it's true, everything has changed," the turian said, thoughtfully. He didn't look even a bit saddened by the information. "Falx, go see if he's saying the truth. Where's the body?"
"In my room," Garrus answered. If the turian talking would try to kill them when the other one returned, he and Shepard had about five minutes to come up with a plan.
It turned out to be unnecessary as a single shot sounded in the room and blue blood started trickling down from wound of the leader's forehead. His body hit the floor before Garrus truly realized what was happening.
"Who made you the new commander?" asked the turian behind him. This would get ugly fast. Fighting for power among criminals was not something he wanted to be a part of.
He was saved from that by a rain of bullets coming from the other end of the mess hall. Garrus tried to get behind a cover, but he was too slow – a round hit him in his side before his body landed on the floor. He ignored the pain, looking for Shepard. She had found herself a place to hide from the assault and looked unharmed, but Tallus was approaching her from behind. He tried to shout to warn her, but there was too much noise. The next moment the turian tackled her, pinning her arms behind her back, and was dragging her from the room and dragged her away from the room. She tried to resist, but he was stronger. Their cover was right next to the door and they managed to slip out unharmed, but Garrus had to wait until the shooting stopped to follow.
He stumbled out in the corridor grabbing the gun he had tossed away with one hand and pressing the other against his wound. He felt the blood soak his shirt. Garrus tried to run after them as fast as he could, but every step shot a sharp pain to his wound. At least Tallus was slowed down by his attempts to restrain her. He still heard Shepard's voice, and as long as he had it to follow, nothing would stop him. Why did everything always have to go so wrong?
It felt like he was pursuing them for an eternity and no matter how far he went they got further away. The last time he felt so desperate was when she got injured in the explosion. His biggest fear was losing her. Garrus didn't pay any attention to what was happening behind him, if the attackers were following him through the maze of rooms and corridors Tallus was taking Shepard through. The only thing that mattered was getting to them before it was too late.
"Do you think they won't kill you if you hold me as your hostage," he heard Shepard ask. "The Alliance doesn't give a shit about me."
The Alliance? Was it them attacking? He hadn't even taken a look at the shooters, too busy looking for her. Why would they be attacking the base if there was a peace between their species now?
"I'm not waiting for your allies, human," Tallus growled.
Garrus entered the room from which the voices were coming, his gun pointed straight ahead. Tallus was still holding Shepard, his pistol aimed at her head.
"Let her go," he said, confidently. Even through pain, and Shepard between, them he knew he could kill Tallus with a single shot. Maybe he should risk it…
"I will, after you answer a question," he said. "Depending on what you say she'll be either dead or alive when I do it. Did you really kill Avitus?"
There was no way of knowing the right answer with a man like him. "Yes," he answered truthfully. "I strangled him with Shepard's help when he tried to rape her."
Tallus looked at him for a long moment before shoving her towards Garrus. She almost fell, but Garrus managed to catch her with his free hand, leaving smears of blue blood on her clothes. Tallus still had his gun aimed at Shepard and Garrus didn't take his eyes off it. The turian stepped back slowly and leaned with his free hand against the wall. It moved, revealing a way out to the forest.
"If you move fast you have a chance of escaping," he said tossing his gun at their feet. Shepard picked it up immediately. "Consider this my gratitude for taking care of Avitus."
"How can I know it's not a trap?" Garrus asked, stepping in front of Shepard.
"You can't," he retorted. "You either risk it or stay here, I don't care."
"Let's go, we don't have a choice," Shepard said.
"You should…" he started to say, but she interrupted him.
"Not now, move," she ordered, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door.
When he passed by Tallus, he grabbed the hand in which Garrus held the gun and pressed its barrel under his own chin.
"I won't die by the hand of a human," he said, looking Garrus in the eyes.
He nodded and was about to pull the trigger when Shepard shot the turian in head, saying: "Wrong."
She continued to lead him by his hand out in the woods after closing the hidden door. There was still some shooting in the base and he could hear the shuttle engines in the courtyard. Walking was getting harder. The pain seemed to get worse, but he tried to stay quiet and follow Shepard as fast as he could. He didn't waste his strength talking, trying to convince her that she was making a mistake. She probably knew what was on his mind so she didn't speak either. Her grip was strong and she didn't slow down even after walking for at least thirty minutes. Later, when she had decided they were a safe distance away, she helped Garrus sit down, his back resting against a tree.
"How bad is it?" Shepard asked, taking his hand off the wound.
"It's just a flesh wound, it'll bleed for a while and then heal," he said, hoping that it was true. He was no doctor and all he knew was that it hurt like hell, but Shepard didn't need to hear that. "Was it really the Alliance?"
"Yes," she answered, opening his shirt to take a better look.
"Then what the fuck are you doing?" Garrus grabbed her hands. "Those are your people, they'll take care of you, you should have stayed. You promised to leave me behind."
"You really shouldn't trust someone who grew up on streets to hold a promise. I have no honor to protect and I left my pride in that base," she retorted, angrily. "You've done more for me than anyone ever before, do you really expect me to leave you there for some asshole to finish the job?"
She took a deep breath, regained her composure, and slowly freed her hands. "I can always go back, I'm not injured. But I'll only have this one chance to help you," she said more softly and calmly, her fingers caressing his neck lightly. "You didn't leave me no matter what I said, no matter what you were forced to do, even when you had a chance to run away and leave me behind. Let me return at least some of the favor."
Shepard leaned closer closing her eyes and pressed her lips to his mouth. He didn't dare to move or breathe. She looked so vulnerable that moment, unlike anything he had seen from her before and it felt like the barriers she always held between them were gone. Garrus had no idea how long they had stayed like that before she retreated.
"What was that?" he asked his voice barely louder than a whisper.
"It's… it was a kiss, a way humans say 'Thank you'," she answered, looking away.
He somehow managed to smile weakly. "That's a nice gesture."
He heard her answer, but didn't really understand the words. His mind was getting hazy, and despite the pain and uncomfortable position, he felt really tired. His arms and legs felt heavy and he closed his eyes even though he wanted to keep them open. He tried to concentrate on her voice, to stay conscious, but nothing helped.
