Chapter Ten: Come With Me
When Shepard first set foot on the docks of the Citadel, she breathed in the filtered air and looked around. It had been over a year (one year, four months, two weeks, six days, and approximately thirteen hours, but who was counting?) since she had last seen the station. There had been a few changes, mainly to do with the dock she was at. It wasn't crowded and busy like the others, but instead singled out with its own holding bay and cleaned spotless.
She left out a low whistle in appreciation.
"Let's get to the Presidium," Kaiden suggested, and the Commander nodded in agreement. The elevator and shuttle ride was quick, but Shepard found it humorous that Ashley wouldn't keep her nose off the glass.
"Ever been to the Citadel, Williams?" She asked the Chief.
Ashley slowled nodded. "Once, but it was just a layover and I didn't see any of this."
"Well, I'll be sure to give you the grand tour."
"Not your first time either, I take it, Commander?" Kaiden asked, eyeing the scenery.
"Nope. I use to spend my shore leave here. No point in going back to Earth or Mindoir. It's a fun trip. I have an old friend that works for C-Sec. Might drop by his office and catch up. Haven't seen him since I was assigned under Anderson."
The shuttle settled and parked outside of the Human ambassador offices.
.
"I'm not about to sit on my ass and let this guy get away with this."
"Watch yourself, soldier," Udina hissed. "The point of this mission was for you to show the council you can get the job done, and Nihlis ended up dead."
"That was Saren's fault, not hers!"
"Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise," Udina cut a sharp glare toward Shepard, and she returned it with an equal fire, "the council might use this as an excuse to keep you out of the Spectres."
"You act like I wanted the recommendation," Shepard snapped, making Udina frown deeply.
He dismissed the trio and pulled the Captain from the quarters.
"And that's why I hate politicians," the Chief said.
"Agreed," Shepard and Alenko mumbled, smirking to one another.
The ride to the Citadel Tower was slower than Shepard expected, but it gave her time to think. The vision that had burned its way into her brain back on Eden Prime was still fresh, still burned behind her eyes like she had been staring at the sun for too long. Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose, rubbing the tips of her fingers across the scar tissue that sliced across the tops of her cheeks.
The vision of the beacon could never measure up to the feeling of acid melting flesh, taking sight and hearing with it.
Shepard sighed and she felt the Chief's eyes on her, but neither said anything.
She glanced out the window of the car, eying one of the entrances into C-Sec. Should she have gone and visited Garrus? Let him know she was back?
Did he even care?
The elevator dinged as it came to a stop, and Shepard walked forward, leading the trio up a flight of stairs and…
"Siren's hiding something! Give me more time, stall the council."
"Stall the council? Your investigation is over Garrus."
Shepard suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe. The faint buzzes in the air that signaled a turian's subharmonics echoed in her ears. She wasn't happy if the low buzz told her anything, but she could also tell by his posture. This was a great way to meet up after so long.
"Commander Shepard, I presume?"
She was taken back by his curt speech, but she saw the way that he looked at her – they would speak more later. Shepard nodded. "That's me."
"Garrus Vakarian," he nodded to her companions. "I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."
"Who was that you were just talking to?" I hope I didn't get you fired.
"That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss." I'm going to get myself fired, I don't need your help on that one. "He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council." I got nothing, sorry, Shepard.
"Come across anything that could come in handy?" Anything I can do to help out?
"Saren is a Spectre, most of his missions are classified. I couldn't get into anything, but I know he's hiding something." It's a date. "Hopefully they'll listen to you, commander." Good luck.
"I think the Council is ready for us, Shepard," Alenko interrupted.
Shepard gave one final nod, her eyes lingering on his, before she walked forward.
.
He felt the breath leave his body before he could even realize it. She was back, and not much had changed. Her hair was still short and cropped, but the braid she had hanging loosely last time was now wrapped around her head like a band, adding to her.
Garrus had to learn how to breathe again.
She was back. She was here.
She had taken over his thoughts for the last year and the more days that went by, the more he thought she would never return. But here she was. So close.
.
Like hell Shepard was going to go find some drunk to ask where Garrus was. She knew where he was and she was going to confront him like an adult and they were going to talk. About the night they were together, about the year they had been apart, and about what may become of their future. Shepard thought of him fondly, and wanted to see him more.
She was able to get away from the Lieutenant and the Chief, pulling an excuse that she needed to go speak to a friend in the Zakera Ward. While there was no lie she was speaking to a friend, the location was a bit of a fib.
When she walked into the Investigations sector, an intense form of déjà vu swept over her. The last time she had been in these offices, they had been looking for Saleon. And they almost had him, but she missed her shot.
Shepard sneaked past the asari at the front desk, and slipped quietly down the hall. Two left turns and then the fourth door on the right. She remembered it well and hoped Garrus still used it.
Velio Atticus
Garrus Vakarian
Same office.
The door was opened, and she hoped for a moment that he wouldn't be there. She wasn't ready to face him again after so long. But in the split second it took her to realize that he wasn't there, she wished he had been.
"Shepard?"
She looked up at the familiar voice, and couldn't help the smile stretch on her face. "V! What's up, my favorite turian?"
The officer made a sound that was similar to a chuckle, his subharmonics humming with amusement. It made her inner ear implants buzz and tickle, and Shepard dug her little finger into her ear to make it stop.
"I think you're looking for the turian with the blue markings and disgustingly large crush on you."
Shepard tilted her head in question. "Crush on me?"
"That's the correct term for you humans, yes? When someone has an infatuation but does not act on it?"
Shepard laughed and waved off the thought, but they would return later. "Where can I find this said turian, hm?"
"No clue. He took the rest of the day off. Try his apartment. You remember how to get there?"
Shepard nodded and said a quick farewell.
Crush?
.
He hadn't been at his apartment, much to Shepard's distain. This meant she was going to be forced to speak with Harkin, and if the two mercs that shot at her and the others was any consultation, she wasn't going to like it.
"Hey there Buttercup, why don't you come sit that sweet little ass down here beside ol' Harkin? He'll show you a good time."
Either he was blind or the lights in the club were too low for him to see the bright red and white N7 insignia on her uniform. Shepard growled, reaching for her pistol, but Alenko's hand on her shoulder made her pause.
"Don't call me that," she growled, her boot coming up to prop against the seat between his thighs. He suddenly went pale under the blue light. "It's Commander to you, piss-ass."
"Right, yes ma'am."
Shepard smirked and took her foot away, but crossed her arms over her chest instead.
"Better. Now, I need some information. Where's Garrus Vakarian?"
Harkin laughed and took a sip of his drink. "What's a N7 want with a C-Sec lapdog?"
Shepard had to clench her fist to keep from punching him. Don't talk about him that way.
"It's got some information I want."
"You mean the investigation on Saren?"
Shepard tensed again. "How do you know about that?"
Harkin scoffed. "Word travels fast in the Presidium." Harkin gets this wicked look on his face. "Just like word sends you've been seen with a certain Turian on base in the past."
There was no stopping Shepard this time; she had her pistol out and hot, pressed against his knee. "Stop wasting my time, Harkin," she hissed, and the tables around them go quiet. There's a gruff voice of a bouncer coming up behind him, but Shepard doesn't let up.
"Last I heard he was going to meet a Dr. Michel!" he said, holding his hands up in defeat. "She runs a med clinic on the other side of the wards!"
Shepard pulls her pistol away and holsters it as the bouncer comes up. "There a problem here?"
"We were just leaving."
.
"Commander…"
Shepard looks up from the sign as she figures out where exactly they're heading. "Yes, Liutenant?"
"What was that back there? I've known you to have a lot better control than that. You don't let some drunk get under your skin so easily."
Shepard didn't answer, just mumbled for them to follow her.
.
"Let her go!"
The first shot, from Garrus, made the thug leader on his back and brains on the walls. Shepard rolled behind the room divider, clicking the safety off her pistol. Counting to three, she pushed herself back up and took two shots. Alenko took the one in the far corner in her blind spot and the Chief got the doctor out of the fire fight. Shepard got the last one with two shots, both in the chest.
"Perimeter all clear, Commander."
She nodded and dropped her pistol to her waist, keeping it low and clicking the safety back on.
Her eyes met with Garrus' face, but he wouldn't look at her.
"Good timing, Shepard. You gave me a clear shot at that bastard."
She frowned and holstered her pistol.
"Glad to be of service."
His eyes were on the Doctor, the redheaded woman looking paler than she should be.
"Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"
"No, no, I am fine. Thanks to you. All of you."
Shepard looked at the men on the floor of the clinic. "Who were these men? Why were they threatening you?"
"They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian."
Shepard was beginning to find her accent annoying, and it took everything in her not to make a face.
"The quarian?"
Michel suddenly looked uneasy. "A few days ago a quarian came to me, she had been shot. She asked about how to find the Shadow Broker. Wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide."
'Where is she now?"
"I put her in contact with Fist. He was a contact of the Shadow Broker."
"Not anymore, he works for Saren now," Garrus cut in.
"He crossed the Shadow Broker? Fist must have given him a huge offer," Michel said.
Garrus was thrumming with intrigue. "Or, maybe that quarian has something that Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker for."
"It's got to be evidence to prove he's gone rogue."
"She said that the information had something to do with the geth."
"She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way the council can ignore something like this!"
Shepard pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "Well we better get moving then, huh? She's probably meeting with Fist any minute now." She looked to her companions and nodded, turning to leave.
"This is your show, Shepard," Garrus interrupted, causing her to pause. The commander waved off the Lieutenant and Chief, before turning to the turian. "But I want to bring Saren down just as much as you do. I'm coming with you."
"And what makes you think I'll let you?"
"Because if I know anything about you Shepard, I know you'll let me do this." The subharmonics he was giving off calmed Shepard for a moment. "He's a traitor to the Council, and a disgrace to my people!"
Shepard softened her look.
"Okay."
"And he- wait, what?"
"I said okay, you can come."
Garrus relaxed visibly, and his mandibles trilled. "You know, we're not the only ones looking for Fist. There's a krogan bounty hunter that the Shadow Broker hired to take him out."
Shepard smirked. "Turians, quarians, krogans- oh my!" Garrus didn't understand the joke but he laughed anyways. "Well then, let's go find ourselves a krogran then, Vakarian."
Garrus smiled as he watched her turn and walk out of the med clinic.
"Vakarian!" He is shaken from his throughts, Shepard peering around the door. "You coming, or what? I don't know where that krogan is."
The turian shook his head and walked after her. Same old Shepard.