Sorta inspired by Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now"
Song may change in the future as well as revisions to this chapter. Still taking requests for songs.
Don't Stop Me Now
"Who votes we take the vehicle into the creepy, underground bunker?"
Shepard glanced back at Garrus, a smirk playing around her eyes. With a quick wave to him and Wrex, she lead the way into the vehicle. Removing her helmet, she settled into the pilot's chair as Wrex returned to his position at the main guns.
As the Turian entered the cockpit to take his seat as co-pilot, Erin turned to him, gently gunning the engine. "We're getting close. I can feel it Garrus. We're going to get him this time."
He didn't need to look at Shepard to know what was coming next. Fumbling for his harness, Garrus used his free hand to reach around and bang on the metal wall. After several cracked plates and sore skulls, the pair had developed the system to warn the other about inevitable reckless driving.
Poor Wrex barely had time to slip into his harness before Shepard slammed her foot down on the gas, sending the Mako a few feet off the ground before rattling back to earth, the walls blurring as they raced into the underground passage. It was times like these that Garrus always had to fight the urge to put his head out the window to feel the wind rushing through his fringe. Mostly because he knew doing so would result in either getting shot in the face or having his head torn off by a stray branch or sharp turn.
About this time during the trip, Garrus would have been plotting their course about the planet and to nearby anomalies. However, this trip seemed to be down a single hallway, so there really wasn't much navigation to be done. A glint of gray caught Garrus's eye on the path ahead.
"Geth, dead ahead!"
Above them the main cannon boomed out a thunderous report, shortly followed by the lighter chatter of the smaller guns. Barking an order to Wrex, Shepard turned the wheel and sent the vehicle skidding sideways through the troops, scattering them about the corridor. With no other task to focus on, Garrus simply clung to the seat and tried to watch out for threats but found himself thwarted by Shepard's insane driving.
"Why are you doing this?"
He had to yell to be heard over the guns directly above them, but Erin still reacted to his voice by casting him a glance. Yanking the wheel sharply in the other direction, the brunette threw the vehicle into reverse. "The Reapers are on their way, and if we let Seren get the Conduit, they'll be here a lot sooner. When they get here, they won't just settle for humans. They'll go for everyone; humans, Salarians, Asari, Turians, Krogan, Quarians…everyone. I'm not letting that happen. We've fought our way here one way or another and we deserve to stay here."
She paused to grit her teeth while almost tipping the Mako onto a Geth shock trooper before continuing. "I realize that even if, no, when we stop Seren it will only delay the Reapers. But it might give us enough time to prepare for their arrival, to study them, see if we can find a weakness. They won't stop till one of us is dead, so neither will I."
"I meant why are you driving like a drunk Krogan?"
"Oh." Erin's bright blue eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed a deep magenta. "Oh! Well, it makes us harder to hit and we can sometimes run over Geth this way."
"Oh."
As the gunfire died away, Erin and Garrus turned to face each other, both a little sheepish. Moments passed before the pair finally laughed, a relieved, borderline hysterical sound from both human and Turian. In the back, Wrex also laughed, a great booming sound that was more a triumphant cry of his victory over the Geth.
Eventually getting the Mako moving once more, Shepard tried to cool the blush from her cheeks. "Sorry Garrus, I just didn't understand what you were asking."
Coolly waving his hand as if to brush away the apology, the Turian let an amused rumble emanate form his chest. "No, it's fine Commander. I understand your reasoning anyway…for both. And I completely agree. You might not be able to stop the Reapers right now, but you can buy some time to prepare for their arrival."
"Me? No, no, no, you mean we." Chided the commander, happily rolling over yet another Geth trooper. "Every single person with me willingly came along on this crazy adventure. We're a team. We do this together. It's not just me going out and destroying things on my own."
Ducking his head a little, Garrus couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. "I know we all do our part, but you're the Spectre here. You're a great fighter and an even more incredible leader and people naturally follow you."
With an incredulous scoff, Erin eased the vehicle halfway up a wall. "I am neither very smart nor exceptionally talented. I am only very curious. Albert Einstein originally said that, but it's true. I'm good because I was curious, so I was open to learning. I ate it all up. And for some reason, people admired that about me and chose to follow me."
Conversation was ended quite abruptly as the nose of the vehicle crashed into a stasis field. Cursing profusely, Shepard attempted to back up only to find the route back blocked in a similar way.
"Damn. Looks like Seren set us up Shepard." Wrex had managed to squeeze his bulk into the small amount of space that remained in the cockpit, his face barely a foot away from Shepard. If the proximity concerned her, she didn't show it.
Leaning forward to get a better look at the field in front of him, Garrus pressed his mandibles close to his face. "I don't think this is Seren's doing…"
In moments Shepard had mobilized the boys, shooing them out of the vehicle and down a small side passage she had spotted from the cockpit. Again, the pathway angled downwards, further into the depths of the facility. But this time, the path ended at a platform with what appeared to be a glowing holo awaiting them. Shepard took the lead, approaching what looked to be swirling motes of light with a certain degree of caution about her movements.
"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine either." The voice was male, but synthesized and almost metallic. "This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."
Garrus tlited his head to the side, his curiosity rising. "Looks like some sort of VI program. Pretty badly damaged though."
Badly damaged as it was, the VI didn't seem to have any trouble communicating. "I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other who passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."
Erin chanced a backwards glance at her teammates. Wrex seemed unimpressed, but that was more likely than not from the fact that this VI wasn't telling them how to blow anything and everything from here to kingdom come. On the other side, Garrus's ice blue eyes were engaged, the amber-red light from the program flickering off his face and armor.
"Wait, the beacon from before was in Prothean. How can I understand it?"
"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility," the VI stated with what could have been a smug undertone. "I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."
A thousand questions surfaced in Garrus's mind, but he remained silent, his eyes on the brunette commander. As he'd learned early on, Shepard was incredibly inquisitive, digging deep to find answers. It was more than likely she'd get all the answers he wanted to know, plus a little more.
The commander tilted her head, studying the program before her. "Are you some sort of artificial intelligence program?"
Vigil's voice was cool and logical, and he spoke without much of the programmed emotion that some VI's would. "I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility."
Had Liara been present, Garrus was certain she'd be having a fit. Being able to speak to a functioning Prothean VI that had personality of one of the top researchers would be like a dream come true to the Asari. Leave it to Shepard to at least appear unimpressed.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did."
"Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it…" Both Wrex and Garrus stared at Erin's back. Her voice had been so soft that they'd barely caught it before Vigil continued speaking.
"The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government, as it was with us and with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through and all you know will be destroyed."
At these words, Shepard paled, the pink scar tissue under her left eye standing out much more vividly. She swayed on the spot and for a moment Garrus thought she would pass out. Before he could move to catch her or even steady her, Shepard was standing firm once again, her jaw set.
"How come nobody ever noticed that the Citadel was an inactive mass relay?"
"The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers. The keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the keepers ensures that no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature, not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade."
Instinctively the Turian opened his mouth to protest, but he paused. In a way, what Vigil said made sense. The keepers always self destructed when anyone attempted to study them, and they often redid work that the other species had done on the Citadel itself.
Erin pressed on, her curiosity still strong. "How do the Reapers survive out in dark space?"
For the first time, Vigil seemed slightly unsure of himself. "We have only theories. The researchers here came to believe that the Reapers would enter prolonged states of inactivity to conserve energy. This allows them to survive the thousands and thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself. But in this state, they are vunerable. By retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy they ensure that no one will accidentally discover them. They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel relay is activated."
It was as if the reality hit the group like an oncoming train. "The Reapers can wipe out the council and the Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack! It's the perfect trap."
"That was our fate," Vigil lamented. "Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire was crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others; Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out."
"All of you?" Erin ventured tentatively. Of course she knew the answer, but still she had to ask.
"Our enemy had a single goal; the extinction of all advanced organic life. Through the Citadel the Reapers had access to all our records; maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled reigion of the galaxy."
As Vigil spoke, Garrus was careful to keep an eye on the Commander. She had told him about what she saw in the visions and while he could never hope to understand what she saw, he could imagine her practically seeing what the VI described in her mind. As if she didn't have enough nightmares.
"Some worlds were utterly destroyed, others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they then betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough."
A shuddering breath seemed to tear itself from Shepard's lungs, shaking her whole frame as she attempted to compose herself. "Why? Why do they do this? What do the Reapers get out of this? Why repeat the pattern of genocide over and over again?"
"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely they are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend." The VI was quite open about admitting his lack of knowledge. "In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them."
Scoffing, Garrus shook his head. "Know thine enemy." He recited a phrase Shepard had once said to him. Her idea was that if one could understand how the enemy worked, you could better predict their battle tactics or where they would strike next.
If Erin heard this, she ignored it. "You said you brought me here for a reason. Tell me what I need to do."
Slowly tuning out the VI's droning voice, Garrus contented himself with watching Erin work. When she began to question someone the way she was the VI, her face seemed to light up with a passion he rarely saw in her. Her blue eyes bored straight into the heart of the VI's swirling hologram. Questions sprang from her lips, striking like any other bullets. In his opinion, Garrus thought Shepard thrived in these sorts of situations. Probably would have made an excellent C-Sec officer if given the chance.
Then again, had she been just a C-Sec officer, he mused, she might not have intrigued him so. They certainly wouldn't be here on Ilos chatting up a Prothean VI. For all he knew, they'd be Reaper bait in the making.
"Seren's got enough of a head start." Uploading a data file from Vigil's console, Shepard turned to her team. "Let's move!"
Shepard lead the party as they charged back to the Mako, Vigil's amber light fading as they ran. The brunette practically threw her comrades into the vehicle before following suit. Once more underway, Garrus glanced sideways. While on a mission it was pretty important to stay focused, he understood, but from where he saw things they could be charging headlong into certain death.
"Shepard?"
"I'm driving Garrus."
Heaving an exasperated sigh, Garrus persisted. "Shepard, why us?"
Spinning the wheel with particular venom, Shepard exhaled smoothly. "Because together we make a good team. You have tech skills, Wrex has some biotics, and all of us are exceptional at combat. But a lot of it is trust. I know that if I put my back to you, you'll cover me. Keep me safe."
Water lapped against the wheels as Shepard braked atop a long downhill slope. Ahead what looked like a tiny mass relay pointed straight into the sky, the core spinning and glowing as brightly as the real thing. The conduit lay at the end of the path, a beacon at the end of their journey.
Unfortunately, this reward was guarded by a gauntlet of Geth. Eyeing the machines warily, the Turian swallowed hard. There would be no getting out of this unscathed, much less alive.
"Do you trust me?"
Before Garrus could answer, the Mako leapt forward and it was all he could do to keep from swallowing his tongue. Below them the Geth grew steadily larger, their great metal heads swirling towards them, chatter filling the air. The Conduit spun before them, the final goal just out of reach.
A particularly rough bump had Garrus clutching the back of his head, trying to protect his fringe from Shepard's reckless driving.
"Garrus, do you trust me?"
The question was almost desperate. The Conduit spun faster and faster in front of them, growing larger as they rocketed towards it. Finally Garrus wrenched his gaze away from the light to lock eyes with Erin. One hand left the wheel, reaching for him across the gap.
His tan-gray talon wrapped around her wrist as her delicate alabaster fingers grasped his own. The answer to her question was one he'd known all along.
"Without a doubt Shepard."
