Chapter Ten: "Bravery"
Summary: The Collector's attack the Normandy! With the entire team gone, there's no one left to protect the Normandy or her ace pilot….or is there? (WARNING: Intense scenes ahead!)
As she waited for the elevator to carry her down to the shuttle deck, Shepard shifted her body slightly to adjust her armor to be tighter. Every holster on her body held a weapon of some sort, and her armor was battered and bruised but felt like a second skin. The red and white strip running down her left arm was a constant reminder that, despite her current uniform of black, gold, and white, she was always an N7 soldier at heart.
Finally, the elevator opened, and she started towards the shuttle, slightly taken aback by the "upgrades" Miranda had given it.
It was longer and a little bulkier than the 3-person tin can Shepard had been used to. The new model (which the Illusive Man was kind enough to fund without too much fuss) held all of her team comfortably, allowing Shepard the luxury of being able to switch out members during the mission if needed.
As she approached, she saw Garrus waiting for her just outside of the door. "Shepard. Like the new ride?" he asked, plainly curious to know her opinion.
Shepard crossed her arms and gave the shuttle a glance over. "Not sure if I like the trade-off between stealth and more squad members. Seems a bit useless having everyone come with—I'm still sticking to the 3-person team."
"Well, we'll try it out. If it's really going to be too much of a hassle, we can just stick to the usual routine," Garrus said. He grinned. "Think the Illusive Man can return this if he shows his receipt?"
Shepard grinned, and familiar foot stomps behind her revealed that Grunt had just arrived. She gave Grunt a look. "Did you forget how to tell time, Grunt? I don't accept late arrivals for a mission."
"Sorry, Shepard. We're here now, so let's go," Grunt said, turning his head sideways to crack his neck. He seemed more than just anxious to get going.
Shepard narrowed her eyes at his odd behavior. "Grunt, what are you hiding-?"
"Meeow!" came an excited cry, and from behind Grunt's hump poked out C.O.'s gray head.
Shepard's eyes grew wide. "Oh HELL NO!" she snapped. "NO WAY!"
"But, Shepard, we've been training!" Grunt said, trying to cut off her anger before she even got started. "He'll be an important asset, but he can't become a true warrior without being blooded in battle—"
"No, Grunt! No cat! I expressly forbid it! Put him back and get your ass on the shuttle!"
"But, Shepard—"
"No!" she snapped, cutting him off. "Now, get in the shuttle, Grunt. We'll discuss this later."
For a moment the two locked eyes in a titanic battle of wills. Garrus' hand unconsciously inched towards his hip-slung hand cannon in case Grunt decided today was the day he was going to challenge Shepard's authority as Battle Master once and for all.
C.O. defused the situation unintentionally by jumped down from Grunt's back and sauntering forward to curl him body around Shepard's legs. "Mroooooooooowr," he said, wishing them the best of luck in his own way.
Without a word, Grunt surged past cat, Commander, and turian, and stomped onto the shuttle.
Shepard let out a huge sigh of relief and turned to see Garrus slide his gun back into place. "That was too close, Shepard," the turian said in warning.
She stepped over the cat and past the turian. "You don't think I know that? Gonna have to have a talk with him later. That'll be fun…."
Garrus was left standing next to a thoroughly dejected C.O.
"Mew?" the cat said hopefully, catching the turian's eyes. Garrus shrugged at the cat, and walked onto the shuttle, ignoring his cries of attention. The cat sulked into the bowels of the ship as the shuttle flew off into the void.
"I told you, EDI! It's white noise," Joker sighed in annoyance, fingers manipulating the holographic icons with his usual brisk efficiency. The Reaper's IFF had been giving him and the A.I. more trouble than it was worth, in his opinion. Especially since it had just unleashed a virus into to ship's main computer.
EDI's sudden paranoia wasn't helping the situation.
"Jeff," she said, catching his attention. It was weird hearing a computer call him that. "I'm picking up a transmission embedded in the virus. It's transmitting the Normandy's current location."
That made Joker pause, and his stomach seemed to drop into the floor. "Wait, what? Transmitting it to where-?"
The entire ship shuddered violently as the bulbous, insectoid ship seemed to appear right over the much smaller Normandy, and the energy displaced battered her like an ocean wave.
Joker's mouth dropped open as he saw the ship through the window before him. His heart jumped into his throat, and it became very hard to breathe. He didn't hear EDI shouting to try and snap him out of his shock, nor did he hear her say who the ship was.
He recognized it immediately as the Collector ship.
He also recognized it as the ship that had blown the Normandy into slag two years prior. The same attack that had killed Shepard.
"Oh, shit. Shit, shit, SHIT!" he yelped.
EDI's voice finally seemed to break through his clouded mind. "The Collectors are boarding, Jeff. I need you to go down to the A.I. Core to reboot the system so I can flush the reaper virus. Jeff! Did you understand?"
It took Joker a few precious seconds to get himself out of the padded chair and start moving towards the elevator. A huge creature bashed its way into the navigation room, and started attacking the poor, unfortunate souls still there. Unfortunately, their capture allowed Joker to get to the maintenance shaft that would lead towards the A.I. Core.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Joker moaned again, willing his body to go faster than hobbling speed, but knowing if he pushed himself too hard all he would do is break something and make it that much easier for a Collector to get him.
The screams from the terrified crew as they were dragged away by the insectoid Collectors made for a nightmarish soundtrack. He was beyond terrified as the sounds around him were punctuated by thumps and thuds as Collectors searched for all human crew members.
The strong scent of the Collectors wafted into the Normandy's vents and air shafts, eventually coming upon a sleeping C.O. The young cat was curled into a fluffy ball as the air moved gently around him, having decided to sleep in the comfort of the enclosed shaft to await the return of the shuttle and his family.
The scent literally jerked him from his slumber, and his meowed in annoyance and slight disgust, but he didn't realize the dire circumstances attached to that smell. C.O. was used to strange, alien smells coming and going on the ship. Shepard had been bringing different aliens aboard constantly, so the cat was used to different smells wafting around the vents.
This scent bothered him though, to the point of getting up to try and find out what was sending out such a pungent odor. The smell was very strong, which meant there was more than one on the ship. That was interesting.
As he walked along the vents, turning onto side shafts once in a while to follow the odor as it got stronger, another smell assaulted him, literally. It was so strong it made him stop in his tracks and hiss in absolute disgust. It was old blood, rotten meat, and strange burning of electrical equipment that made his nose twitch in revulsion. C.O.'s ears lay low, and his fur stood on end. His gut told him these new smells were bad, very bad news.
C.O.'s ears turned suddenly, and he picked up the screaming of the Cerberus crew. The scent of the humans aboard the ship intensified as their scent changed from normal, healthy scent to a terrified, adrenaline filled cloud that made the cat blink warily.
Something was attacking his humans, on his ship, and C.O. became very territorial. He doubled back, following the strong scents and quickly running through the shafts lightning fast. He starting making his way back towards the shuttle bay—if he howled loud enough, maybe Grunt would hear him and come back to stop the bad smelling creatures.
This was the plan C.O. had in mind, until another smell made him skid to a stop. It was of the weak human, the one who always sat in the chair at the top of the ship. His bones were weak and frail, but he was nice and always pet C.O. when he visited the human.
C.O. tilted his head slightly. This human was in the wrong place, near the place where he, Grunt, and the furless human with the colorful skin lived, near the bottom of the ship.
The cat started towards the smell, but the repugnant, odor of death suddenly became stronger, startling the cat. C.O. began running towards the human's scent, knowing that if he didn't get there fast enough, the smelly creature would instead.
With all of Shepard's team away on a mission, there had been no one left to defend the crew.
Joker couldn't help himself. "Goddammit, Miranda! You just had to upgrade the shuttle so Shepard could take ALL her crew with her! Dammit, you accented bitch!"
"This is not the time for verbal outbursts, Jeff," EDI scolded over his personal communicator.
"I think this is the perfect time to do that!" he snapped. His body was past its literal breaking point. The only thing holding him together were the implanted cybernetics Cerberus had been kind enough to provide him with.
He had been able to shut down the virus so EDI could access the Normandy's mainframe directly, but now had to crawl down into the engineering room to restart the primary engines.
As he opened the maintenance shaft into the cargo hold, the flickering red lights and continued screams made him think he had just stepped into Hell itself. He made his way up towards the bridge connecting the cargo holds and engineering deck.
"Hostiles are present in engineering," EDI warned.
He paused at the foot of the stairs and peered around the post, only to jerk his head back. A Collector with a levitating cart of some sort crossed over the bridge, luckily not turning and looking at him before going through the other door. Darting forward, Joker made his way up the steps, and had just gotten in front of the Engineering door when it opened, and a Scion Husk stood before him.
It was the most horrible thing he could imagine. A giant body that seemed to have human legs but a hot air balloon blow up under the skin on its back. One arm was held straight out like an old style Earth Hollywood zombie. Its skin was bluish black and rubbery, and its eyes glowed demonically. Parts of its body glowed from implanted cybernetics that he couldn't see.
The thing saw him and roared, and Joker fell back onto the floor with a thud, terror freezing him completely. EDI shouted in his ear to move, run, something, but he couldn't hear her. The Scion stood over him, and lifted up its arm to bring down on Joker's skull. He closed his eyes tightly, too terrified to move, not wanting to watch his own death.
At least now I don't have to explain to Shepard that I lost the crew again….
"MMMMMMMMMMMMMRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!"
Joker's death trance was broken by sound that could only be called demonic in nature, and he looked up in time to see a gray blur leap from a vent straight onto the Scion's face. Screaming and howling like a demon from Hell, C.O. attacking the husk with a fury that Joker didn't even know the cat had in him.
Black blood flowed freely as the cat clawed with all his might. Kicking with his back legs and pulling himself up onto the bulbous back, C.O. raked the leathery skin with all his might, and managed to open impressive wounds in the Husk.
The Husk twisted and turned frantically, trying to grab the lightning fast cat with its one arm. C.O. simply dug his claws in deeper, and the second the Husk slowed down he darted forward onto the top of its head and dragged his claws over the creature's face, trying desperately to claw its eyes out.
Joker watched the fight for what seemed an eternity, but had only been mere seconds until EDI's voice broke the cloud over his mind. "JOKER! You MUST get to Engineering! C.O. is distracting the husk, now MOVE!"
The Scion stumbled violently and blindly as C.O. had managed to shred one glowing eye, and was trying to swipe at the other. The Husk stumbled towards the stairs and almost fell down them, allowing Joker to stand and hobble forth as fast as he could. The creatures were engaged in a fight to the death, and black blood splattered onto his cheek as he ran past. Fingers touching the warm drops, he gasped when he saw it was a mixture of red and black.
"C.O.! I've got too-" he started, hesitating for a second.
"The cat is fine! Now MOVE!" EDI said, and Joker ran without thought. The door locked behind him but the unholy screams of both husk and cat continued unabated.
He got to the console and started typing away furiously. "Just hang in there little guy, just hang in there…." He muttered. Joker stumbled towards the drive and was finally able to engage the engines.
"EDI! We're back online!" the pilot said in relief.
The unholy screams and snarls still continuing outside, Joker quickly turned at stumbled back towards the door to get the cat, the door whooshed open and C.O. came flying in, hitting Joker in the stomach so hard he fell back on his ass.
Joker looked up in time to see the Husk lunge towards the door, arm outreached and mouth open in silent screams of rage and pain.
The door slammed shut in the creatures face, and it began pounding on the door with renowned vigor.
EDI's voice was the voice on an angel. "Sealing the door. I'm going to open all air locks and engage acceleration drives," she announced.
"Wait, wait! What about the crew?!"
"The crew's gone, Jeff," EDI said, almost gently. However, the tender moment was broken as he fell flat on his back at the force from the ship flying away at almost light speed.
The moment gravity returned he sat up and winched in pain. C.O. must have broken at least one of his ribs.
"C.O.! Where are you-?" he said, looking around, only for his mouth to drop open in horror as he saw the cat lying a few feet from him.
The cat was laying sickeningly still. His gray, tabby fur was soaked with black blood and gore. It was impossible to tell where his wounds were, where his blood started and were the Scion's ended.
His paws, underbelly, and mouth were covered in blood, and even the red and white stripe of the dog tag was completely covered in blood at stripes of gore.
"No, no, no, God, no…." Joker moaned, sure the cat was dead. Nothing could have survived a fight with that monster!
The tip of his tail twitched. "m…e….r…." C.O. rasped.
"Holy fuck!" the pilot said in relief, and he sat for a moment, unsure what to do. C.O. definitely had some broken bones, maybe ruptured organs. His tail twisted in an unnatural way, and his front paw seemed flattened by his impact with the pilot's abs.
He'd had enough broken bones to know he wasn't supposed to move the cat. Though his hands were shaking badly, he crossed his arms to keep from holding the injured cat and sat in front of him. He watched C.O.'s body rise and fall as he breathed.
Joker sat with his back against the wall, trying not to cry. The cat was a tough little bastard, and though still breathing, they were shallow at best.
"EDI, get Shepard back here NOW!" Joker choked out. "Tell her what happened. Tell her to hurry!"
"Message away. Are you okay, Jeff?" the A.I. asked.
"No, but I'm not worried about me," he said, and didn't even try to stop the tears that rolled down his face. "You saved my life, you stupid, suicidal cat! You better live, or Grunt will finish what that husk started." His bravado suddenly disserted him. He rocked back and forth, shuddering from the myriad of terror, sadness, helplessness, and loneliness the attack had created.
"She better hurry…..Shepard, please, hurry…."
It seemed like seconds later when the door opened once again. For a moment Joker thought the Scion had returned to finish its fight with C.O., but the silhouette before him was smaller, human shaped. That was about all his brain absorbed before his glazed eyes turned away, and he continued to rock back and forth, to overcome with shock to actually recognize his Commander.
Shepard had jumped off the shuttle before it had even landed in the bay, and had run at top speed through the ship to Engineering. She knew the team was following after her, but she had a good minute lead on them.
EDI had explained everything: the Virus, the Collector's attack, and even of C.O.'s brave fight with the Scion Husk. Now, as she came upon the bridge leading to the engine room, she saw the EDI had not exaggerated.
Black blood was splashed up and down the walls, railings, and floors. Small puddles of it where everywhere, and a trail lead off through the opposite door. The Scion had walked away, but it had definitely not left uninjured.
Shepard looked around in shock. "Holy hell," she said in awe at C.O.'s work. Sure, cats had sharp claws, but damn!
She made her way to the door, which was already open, and saw Joker, sitting on the floor, rocking gently back and forth muttering to himself. The physical and emotional shock of what he had just gone through had pushed him to the boundary of sanity.
Two Collector attacks in two years. He lost both crews. He had almost lost both ships. Joker was locked in a mental maelstrom of guilt and fear in his mind. Shepard knew that Joker was in serious trouble.
She walked up to him and yelled. "Joker! Wake up!" she commanded.
Nothing. He looked at her, but didn't seem to actually see her.
Shepard knelt in front of him, trying to snap him from his trance. "Joker! This is Shepard! Wake the fuck up! That's an order!"
Still no response. Shepard knew a way to wake him up, and she lifted her hand to smack some literal sense into him. Looking at her hand, she realized she was still wearing her armored glove. It might wake him up, but it would also break his jaw, if not his face entirely. Thinking on her feet, she went for another tactic.
Moving quickly, Shepard reached forward, snatched Joker's cap from his head, and smacked him across the face with it.
Joker's muttering stopped, and his eyes widened at the impact. His eyes focused on the Commander, and he frowned. "Kick a man while he's down? That's cruel Commander. I don't beat you with your shotgun when you don't wake up in time for breakfast!"
The indignation of having his hat taken then smacked with it brought the captain back to his senses. He grabbed it back, smoothed down his hat hair, and tugged the cap back on.
Shepard regarded him with worry. "Are you ok, Joker?"
Joker swallowed and nodded. "Thanks, Commander, I needed that."
"Happy to help. Actually kinda nice to be able to smack you."
She helped him to his feet gently, but he still grimaced as his rib sent bolts of pain through his chest. "Thanks, Commander," he said, but then his eyes grew wide. "C.O.'s hurt!" he said, and turned back towards the cat, whom had not moved.
Shepard looked at the little creature and was almost positive he was already dead. A raspy purr told her otherwise. "Mw….rr."
"Jesus…." She said in horror. She was about to hail her team when Miranda arrived.
Miranda was pissed. Despite having to run to catch up to Shepard she wasn't even breathing hard. She crossed her arms at Joker. "You managed to lose our crew and almost the ship as well?"
"Yeah, I was there," he snapped.
"Enough." The two immediately ceased their argument. The cold look in Shepard's eyes made them all uneasy.
If the Collector's hadn't pissed Shepard off as of yet, they had just signed their own death warrants.
Shepard pointed to C.O. "Miranda, I want you and Mordin to try and save him. I don't care what you have to do."
A look of surprise crossed her face. "Shepard. I know you like the cat, but we've got bigger things to worry about—"
Shepard took two steps and came about two inches from Miranda's face. "I just lost my crew to this insect bastards. I'm not going to let them die in the hands of the Collectors. I'm not going to allow anyone to die on this mission. Not my crew. Not my team. A not even my fucking CAT!" Shepard snapped, actually making the Cerberus agent jump.
Miranda wanted to argue more, but from the look in the Commander's face seemed to imply Shepard was probably about to snap, and so decided to do as the Commander said. She nodded, and walked to the cat, and created a small biotic field around him in order to move him up to the med lab without jostling him. The extent of the cat's injuries were still unknown.
"Everyone, head towards the mess hall. Mordin, I need you to help Miranda in the lap. We have injured coming up." Shepard spoke quickly into her comm set.
"Understand, Shepard. Who was injured?"
"Joker and C.O. Cat's pretty beaten up," she reported. There was a pause on the end of the line, but Mordin heard the serious urgency in her voice, and knew now was not the time to argue.
"Yes, Shepard. Awaiting patients."
Another voice interrupted the team-wide comm link. "We volunteer to assist Operative Lawson and Professor Solus, Commander," Legion said. "We have downloaded many bytes of information regarding the health, anatomy, and physiology of Earth felines. We can assist in C.O.'s treatment."
"Go, Legion," was all Shepard said. She went back and threw an arm around Joker, allowing him to lean on her as they hobbled up towards the medbay, following Miranda and the floating orb in front of her.
Legion and Mordin were waiting in the med-bay as Miranda appeared with C.O. The second the woman and cat passed the threshold of the door the three of them set to work in a flurry of activity.
Shepard helped Joker to the table in the mess hall where the others were waiting. She helped him sit as comfortably as possible in the notoriously uncomfortable chair. Joker hissed as his rib shifted and pain ripped through his again. "This sucks," he said with a grimace. He looked around to see Jacob and Thane standing around looking unsure of what to do. Joker moved slightly to peer over Shepard's shoulder.
"Uh, Commander? You must have knocked me one good. Why is Grunt engulfed in a blue ball? Is it like a hamster ball for Krogans?"
Shepard turned around to see that Grunt was indeed slumped in a chair, and engulfed in a biotic field. Samara and Jack were holding it up together.
"What is going on?" she asked.
Thane stepped forward. "I suggested this, Shepard. Grunt was angry, and was going to kill someone if he saw the condition of his friend. Before he even had a chance to follow you off the shuttle I knocked him out. Samara and Jack were able to transport him without injury. I didn't want him to hurt himself or anyone else in his rage."
Shepard nodded. "Good idea. Stand down, you two. Grunt's gonna wake up eventually, might as well get to a safe distance."
Samara nodded, and the biotic field died. Jack shook her hands. "He's a heavy bastard," she muttered, trying to get the feeling back into her hands.
Garrus arrived, and tossed a med kit at Shepard. "Ship's clear. No sign of the Collectors."
"Anyone left behind?" she asked as she pulled it open and removed some medi-gel and bandages.
Garrus pointed towards Joker. "You're looking at him." His eyes focused on the hustle of activity in the med-lab. Whatever the three were doing, they were trying their damnedest to save C.O.
"How bad was it?" he inquired.
"Bad. Hard to believe he's still alive," she said honestly, quietly. She looked at Joker. "I know I'm not Chakwas, but I can set ribs pretty easily. Take off your shirt," she ordered.
"Can't even buy a guy a drink first?" he joked. He looked around the room at Samara, Thane, and Jack. "Can the girls at least turn around?" he asked.
Samara nodded, but Jack rolled her eyes. "What a delicate little flower," she muttered, but complied. Not feeling so embarrassed, Joker carefully pulled his shirt off. Shepard's eyes widened at the muscle definition. Joker wasn't ripped, but he was definitely built.
Joker ducked his head to hide the growing blush. "Sheesh Commander, if you're going to stare, at least do it when your boyfriend isn't around."
Garrus chuckled when Shepard blushed slightly. Embarrassed humans were so cute.
"Sorry. I just never see you leave your seat," Shepard explained, and kneeled down to apply the gel and wrap the bandage.
"I don't sleep," was all he simply said, and hissed as she set his rib.
The elevator opened, and Jacob and Tali arrived. "No other systems on the ship seem damaged, Commander," Jacob reported as he saluted.
"By the homeland, C.O. caused that mess on that bridge?" Tali said in awe as they approached the table.
Garrus nodded. "Hard to believe something so fluffy could be so bad ass, isn't it?"
"Not when the creature in questions was raised by Captain Smiley over there," the pilot said, jerking his head in Grunt's direction.
"How long is he going to stay out?" Garrus asked the assassin. Thane shrugged. "It depends on the person. A few minutes. Hours. I can't say for sure."
Jacob crossed his arms. "Commander, what are we going to do now?"
The only sound that could be heard was Shepard as she finished with Joker's bandage and gave him back his shirt to pull over his hear. She straightened up and looked over her team.
"We're going to get our crew. Then we're going to take our collective boots and shove them right up the Collectors' asses."
Shepard started to pace, barking orders as she did so. "Garrus. You, Jacob, and Tali are going to make sure this ship is ready for a fight. Shields, weapons, engines. Everything that can be upgraded has to be. I want the Normandy to be over 100% in all systems when we hit that relay."
She paused and looked at Joker. "You are going to work with EDI to upgrade and protect any computer systems. I will NOT accept another virus in this ship, understand? As soon as Legion is done helping Miranda and Mordin I will send him your way if you need him."
Joker saluted. "Aye, aye, ma'am."
The Commander paused to look over Thane, Samara, and Jack. "I want you three to help the tech team any way possible."
She looked at her omni-tool and its time readout. "The crew was taken about an hour ago, which means the Collectors are an hour ahead of us to the Omega-3 relay. I want all the upgrades done in 2 hours time, people. At 1800 hours Joker will start for the relay, understand?"
Everyone looked at each other warily. That was a lot to ask for in 2 hours, but they would do it. There was no other choice.
Luckily, Shepard had used the Illusive Man's money wisely, and had been regularly working with Jacob to update the Normandy. Hopefully, there wouldn't be much work to do. Her team didn't have to speak to understand they were readying themselves for a seemingly impossible mission. Suicide Mission, the IM liked to call it.
"It's not suicide if we know what we're going and are ready for it. No further questions? Then let's get to work," she said. Without minimal talk everyone made for the stairs and elevator, going about their tasks with efficiency.
Turning towards the medbay, she watched Miranda, Mordin, and Legion working. From what she could see, they were operating on his crushed leg, it seemed.
"SHEPARD!" Grunt yelled, snapping awake suddenly, making her jump. He hopped up, confused about his surroundings. "Where's C.O.? Where's my cat-?"
He looked up and stomped over to the glass and squished his snout against the glass. Luckily it was Plexiglas, otherwise he might have broken right through it with his snout.
"What are they doing? What happened?" he demanded. It was heart-wrenching to hear a quiver of panic in his questions. Grunt never panicked.
Shepard placed a hand on his arm, trying to reassure him. "He got in a fight with a Scion Husk saving Joker's life. Now, they're trying to save his."
Grunt glanced at her. "A husk? The one with the cannon for an arm?"
Shepard nodded.
Grunt suddenly grinned like the proud father he was. "C.O. took one of those on and won? Haha! He's got a quad after all. If he dies, he'll die a true warrior," the krogan said.
This about face startled the commander, but she wondered if he was putting on such a brave front so he wouldn't be seen as weak.
"He's defiantly a member of the squad," she said quietly. After a few minutes, she stepped away. "Call me if his condition changes," she told the young krogan.
Despite his bravado, Grunt never looked away from the scene before him, even as he nodded at her command. He was trying to hold it together. He was a Krogan, he shouldn't be emotional over a cat. But C.O. was his charge, his krantt member, his friend. Watching the operation made his breathe hitch and his eyes cloudy.
"Don't die," was all he could whisper.
During the two hours everyone worked their asses off to make the ship as much an impenetrable fortress as possible, and Shepard continuously made rounds to offer assistance when it was needed.
About half an hour before the self-imposed deadline, the comm in her ear clicked on. "Shepard, there's been a development," said the smooth accent. Shepard sat upright in her chair, having changed out of her battle armor to her casual wear. "What's going on, Miranda?"
"It's about C.O. You should come down ASAP," was all she said before clicking off again.
"Oh, no. Oh, god, no," Shepard moaned, racing towards the elevator. He's dead. The stupid little cat is dead! Oh, God, Grunt's gonna be crushed. Please, please, not this, not now!
Shepard raced out of the elevator doors before they were even open fully, and saw the lab door were open and Grunt was inside, head bowed, before the table were C.O. was lying.
She skidded to a stop at the entrance, and saw Miranda and Mordin cleaning up their tools.
"What's going on?" she said stupidly, hoping beyond hope. "Is he-?"
Mordin answered. "Very difficult task, Shepard. Even with Legion's access to any and all medical records pertaining to cat surgery still very difficult."
"We did the best we could," Miranda said with an apologetic tone.
Grunt looked up, and his eyes were glistening, but no tears fell. "I told you Shepard, he's tougher than you thought."
Shepard raced forward to see C.O. still hooked up to several machines, but his heart was still beating strongly, and his body shuddered with each breathe he took. Parts of his fur were shaved away, mostly on his front leg and underbelly. The line from the laser scalpel left hardly a mark though. With his fur a mess and lying so still, C.O. looked like a stuffed animal lying there instead.
She whirled around angrily. "Goddammit, Miranda, I thought he was dead!"
Miranda tilted her head defensively. "I never said he was! I just said the surgery was hard. And I wanted you to see him in person. Didn't mean to make you think that."
The Commander sighed, all of her pent up sorrow released the in angry outburst. "Sorry."
Miranda waved it away. "It's alright. We're all a bit testy."
Shepard turned back to look at C.O., and several changes made her eyes widen. "Miranda, is his leg glowing?"
"Yes. We just don't have the necessary equipment to recreate the bone. It was too badly damaged to simply be cast, so I had to replace most of the skeletal structure with some cybernetics Legion was able to create. He should be able to walk within a few weeks, once he gets used to it."
"And his lack of tail?" His long tail was now replaced by a bobbed tail only two inches long, and covered in bandages.
"It was broken completely off. Removal seemed least painful option," Mordin explained. "Will be unsteady, but will recover. Broken ribs pierced organs, but was able to repair damage. C.O. will heal completely in a few weeks, provided mission tonight goes well."
Shepard shook both their hands. "Thank you so much." She looked about. "Where's Legion?"
"We are here, Commander," the robotic voice said from the entrance. There stood Legion, with C.O.'s cardboard box in tow. "C.O. must stay in the lab for observation." He brought the box in, and laid it on the bed next to them. Reaching inside, he pulled out a red bra and a black one, and gently placed them around C.O.'s body like a soft barrier.
"Hey, that's my-!" Miranda started, but turned away when everyone looked towards her. "Nevermind. He can have it, if it helps," she said quietly.
Grunt looked at Legion, and nodded once. "Thanks," was all the krogan said. He simple looked at the cat because he had been forbidden from touching him as he was still in stable but critical condition.
Miranda went into the meeting room to call upon the Illusive Man, and Mordin went back to his lab. Legion made his way towards the A.I. Core, leaving Shepard and Grunt alone
"Will you be okay?" she asked the krogan. He nodded. "Was never worried," he lied. "Were you?"
Doing something she'd never done before, Shepard reached out and gave the krogan a one-armed hug around his chest, and quickly walked away. "Of course not," she lied back.
"Shepard," he called before she disappeared, making her pause. "Before, I was in this fight because it was a chance to prove myself. I wanted to fight these Collector's to show I wasn't just all talk. I was behind you before Shepard. But now I'm going to fight beside you. They almost took C.O. Now they've made this personal." He paused for affect, narrowing his eyes. "So when I start cracking skulls don't expect me to obey without question. I have my own reasons now."
She nodded. "All I ask is that you stick with us, and we'll defeat them together."
Grunt's eyes were icy and filled with a murderous rage. The Collectors had seriously fucked up…
"Seriously? He's now Franken-kitty? Does he have little bolts in his neck too?" Joker asked.
Standing beside him, the Commander shook her head. "Your awful taste in movies notwithstanding—"
"Awful? That's an Earth classic! Classic, I tell you!"
"You know, I think I preferred it when you just watched porn all night."
"That's just cruel, Commander," the pilot said, moving around the floating icons before him. Now resting in his chair, his rib didn't hurt so much, as proven by his light-hearted banter. "But, seriously, cybernetics? In a cat? She's definitely a mad genius."
"I don't care what she is. C.O.'s alive, and that's all I care about. The fact that he has a robotic arm and paw will be interesting to see when he's all healed up."
"He'll look like a reaper husk. A very small, fluffy husk."
Shepard ignored his comment and tapped her ear piece. "Tech team, this is Shepard. Sit-rep?"
Jacob came over the line. "Armor ratings been improved to 114%, Commander. Whatever's on the other side of the Relay won't be able to get through these shields."
"The cannon is ready, too. Was able to tweak the calibrations a bit. Accuracy and rate of fire improved beyond full capacity. Nothing will get close enough to hit our shields," Garrus said with a hint of pride.
Tali answered afterwards. "I was able to reroute a few energy reserves so the engine will have more speed, and there will be enough energy for one extra maneuver if necessary. I do hope Joker will be able to use that maneuver he described. What was it called again?"
"Crazy Ivan," Joker said. "Hey, Tali, you like movies, right…?"
Shepard smacked him in the back of the head, cutting him off. "Alright crew. The Normandy is as good as she's going to get. This isn't just a suicide mission anymore, it's a rescue. And I'll be damned if I'm going to lose a single person to these Collector bastards. The ETA to the relay will be 2 hours. Make sure you're ready for whatever is on the other side of the relay. And make sure you've made your peace without whatever Maker you believe in. Shepard out."
She patted Joker's shoulder. "Don't give them another second of a head start," she said.
Joker saluted. "Aye, ma'am!"
Garrus was already sitting on the bed when Shepard walked inside cabin, catching her by surprise. He was in his civilian clothes. The only time he seemed to wear them was in the comfort of the cabin.
"Wow, that was fast," she said, coming to sit next to him. He grinned. "I was up here changing when you called over the comm," he admitted.
Shepard smacked him playfully, but he caught her hand and pulled her into a deep kiss. Turians weren't exactly made for kissing like humans were, but he thought he did pretty well at it considering he didn't have lips.
After an intense moment and they broke apart, Shepard grinned. "She was able to save the damn cat."
Garrus grinned. He liked C.O., and had been pretty worried about his survival. "That's great news!"
"Yeah. She had to use some cybernetics to do it though."
He shook his head. "I think she likes to make up excuses to implant those in people," he chuckled.
Shepard rain a gently hand over his scars, suddenly serious. "She had a legitimate one for you," she said quietly.
"Yes, Shepard, but I took a missile to the face. That's pretty substantial damage."
Without warning, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. "I don't care how she does it, I'm just glad she was able to save him. To save you."
Garrus smiled, and rain a talon through her hair. He lifted her face gently with a claw and pulled their foreheads together. "Shepard," he sighed. "If we only have a few hours left together, let's not waste it with small talk, alright?"
"I love you, Garrus."
"And I you, Shepard. Let me show you just how much."
The steady beeps on the monitor were the most reassuring sounds Grunt had ever heard in his short life. Every beep was the beating of the tiny heart inside the small, fragile body.
No, not fragile. He took on a husk and lived. Barely, but lived. Next time, he won't just survive, he'll thrive. The thrill of the fight is now branded into his very bones.
Grunt's rumbling changed pitch, and he continued to sing. He'd been singing ever since Shepard had left. He didn't care that his throat hurt so bad, worse than a bullet wound it seemed. He didn't care that he was stumbling over the words and their correct order like the shaman had taught him. C.O. was going to be healed.
Grunt's rumbling chant came to an end when joker's voice came over the PA system. "Omega-3 relay ahead! ETA 15 minutes. Everyone get ready!"
The krogan looked at his young charge, and grinned a deadly smile. "I'll make sure to carve your name between their eyes!" he promised.
C.O. twitched once, and went back into a deep, painless sleep.
A/N: Oh, my goodness! That was intense, wasn't it? My hands actually started to shake while writing the fight scene, and when Shepard thought C.O. had died. I started to get pretty choked up. I've never been so invested in a character before!
The conclusion to C.O.'s misadventures will be presented in the next (and final) chapter: "Commando Kitty- An ME3 Epilogue" Until then, keep leaving those reviews, and I'll keep typing.