Chapter 8 Normandy
Garrus stepped out of the elevator of the new Normandy. Different, yet the same. Even knowing they wouldn't be there, he still looked for the faces of the old crew. Liara, Lt. Alenko, Tali, Pressley, hell he even looked for Wrex. Dr. Chakwas had patched him up and told him that Joker was at the helm, which lifted his mood a lot, but stepping onto the bridge, all the faces he saw were new. All human and all Cerberus. He'd feel the odd man out if he weren't so confident and didn't give a shit about other people's opinions of him, but to be honest, none of the crewmen had given him the cold shoulder. They had all been polite and respectful in directing him to the meeting room where Shepard was reviewing the mission with Jacob Taylor, mission specialist.
Garrus chuckled at the way their eyes lit up and their backs straightened when he mentioned Shepard's name. He could totally understand where they were coming from though. They were under the command of a legend and probably one of the greatest commanders in military history. Being in her presence was like standing by a force of nature, which many people when they were either praising or criticizing, compared her to. It was a type of energy, he thought. A feeling, that if you fight and believe hard enough, everything will turn out as you want it to. She gave you the strength to push beyond your own boundaries of physical and mental strength. She asked what you thought you had to give, and then she asked for more…and you gave it. Because you knew that she would use it for the best of everyone.
As he moved towards the armory, which hopefully led to the com room, he watched the crew move with purpose and a belief. Would it be enough? He wondered watching the crew at their stations. From what Dr. Chakwas had told him, they were headed into a suicide mission. Find a way through the Omega-4 relay, which no ship, has ever done, and returned to tell the tale, was asking a hell of a lot. Fighting the Collectors, an advances species, supposedly associated with the Reapers, the unspoken scourge of the galaxy, on their own turf was like handing a Collector a loaded pistol and hoping you move fast enough to avoid the bullet coming at your head while you were two feet away.
Garrus moved towards the doors leading into the armory, and walked, a bit slower than normal thanks to the still tender wounds the medi-patches covered. He had four new scars on his chest and abdomen and a huge case of road rash on the right side of his face to boast about now. Much of the skin on his jawline was gone, as well as the tribal tattoos that had told other Turians of the proud clan he hailed from. He was lucky considering the rockets that he had faced from the A-61. He should have been dead or at least breathing through a straw, but instead thanks to some new synthetics he was up and walking. He gave a small smile and giggled before he caught himself as a Cerberus crew member walked by and gave him a strange look. He humphed and straighted his spine. Damn. Whatever juice Dr. Chakwas had given him for the pain made him feel really fine.
The doors slid open and closed behind him in a soft shush of sound. He could see several tables with guns and accruements laid out in varying stages of readiness. He liked the old Normandy's set up better. The armory was in the cargo bay. You could just suit up and go. But he hadn't been involved in the design of this ship. More's the pity he thought as a new set of doors opened to let him out into a short corridor, leading to two sets of doors. One had Tech Lab above it. The second one he hoped would lead him to the com room, and Shepard.
The doors slid open and he saw Shepard, standing in a form fitting, black and white Cerberus uniform standing across from a dark-skinned human male, who he assumed was Jacob Taylor. They were both bent over, facing each other over the oblong table, that took up a majority of the room. They had been talking but had ceased upon his entry, and looked at him.
"Tough son of a bitch. I didn't think he would be up so soon." Jacob remarked with some admiration in his tone.
Garrus, looked at Shepard, and cockily said, "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"
With laughter in her eyes, her full pink lips, widened into a smile as she threw back at him "Hell Garrus. You were always ugly. Slap some face paint on there, and nobody will know the difference."
Garrus laughed "Ow. Damn it. Don't make me laugh. My face is barely holding together as it is." Then he cocked his hip and rubbed lightly at his new facial scars. "Some women like facial scars." Garrus could see Shepard choking back a laugh. "Of course, most of those women are Krogan." Shepard laughed out loud and shook her head at him, while Taylor chuckled.
As Taylor turned and saluted Shepard, Garrus, saw in Taylor's face, the hope and pride that the other crew had displayed, but also something more. Garrus, was trained in interrogation, thanks to his C-Sec days. He knew how to read body language and right now Taylor's body was saying to Shepard, "Look at me. I'm all male baby. Just say my name and I'm there." Garrus felt heat flash from his head down to his fingertips and he curled his fingers into a fist and tried to push the image of snapping Taylor's neck out of his mind. She wasn't his, he told himself. She would never be his. She is meant for others greater than Garrus. And human. Don't forget human. Like Lt. Kaiden Alenko. Garrus didn't know where Kaiden was now a days, but he and Shepard had a relationship back on the old Normandy or at least Garrus had thought they did. Kaiden had watched Shepard like she was his sun whenever she was in the room and Garrus had understood that. That was how he had looked at her also. There had been nothing obvious in their actions together, but with the way Kaiden seemed to moon over her, and every once in a while Garrus would catch Shepard watching Kaiden in such a way that…hell. Garrus quickly brought his attention back to his present day.
Slowly the red retreated from his eyesight and he watched Taylor move past him and out the doors. He took a deep breath and turned to look at Shepard who, instead of watching Taylors muscled ass leave the room, was leaning back on the table with her arms crossed, regarding him with a half-smile but worry in her eyes.
"Frankly Shepard, I'm more concerned about you. Cerberus? We both saw what they did and the lengths they are willing to go." He said softly, watching her reaction.
The smile left her lips, and he felt sorry for the loss, as seriousness entered her expression. "I know Garrus. I'm walking into hell, and I need somebody I trust at my side."
He felt his back straighten, tightening his wounds but pride filled him. Yeah, he knew exactly what those crewmen felt when she said that. "You realize, that requires me to walk into hell with you right?" She nodded and just watched him.
"Huh. Just like old times right Shepard? I'm fit for duty whenever you need me. Until then I'll be in the forward batteries checking the weapons system." He turned as quickly as his wounds would let him and walked out so fast he nearly ran face first into the doors that almost didn't open fast enough. If he looked at her for one more second with that uniform showing the curves bought with war and hard work, he wouldn't be responsible for his actions.
