hey fans...So here we go another chapter... they seem to be getting longer so I am so proud of myself. I'm glad you all loved the last chapter, so hopefully I get a similar response from this chapter.
Love you all xx
Chapter 14 : Archangel
Everything was happening too fast. The little girl screamed and bit at the hands grabbing at her. Painful cries coming from her captors as her sharp turian teeth bit through flesh and drew blood. She was scared, terrified. Usually her mommy would wake her up. But this was not a bad dream, this was real and her mother had been struck over her head, knocking her out. Oblivious to her daughter's desperate screams.
"MOMMY, WAKE UP, MOMMY!"
Davina's screams were in vain. Her mother, remained unconscious, and was already being bundled onto a stretcher. The little girl was desperately trying to free herself and get to her mother. Her screams were more like screeches. How could this happen? How could the council do this? They promised to look after her mommy, not hurt her.
The woman who held her, forcibly in her arms, Davina remembered her. She was the nasty woman who hurt her when she was first taken from Palisade.
"Shut it, brat. You're just going to make it harder on yourself."
Davina watched in horror as her mother's sleeping form was ushered away by the council's guards.
"MOM..."
A gag was forced roughly into her mouth, muffling her desperate screams. Arcis proved too strong and managed to swiftly bind the small child.
Valern and Tavos smiled at each other as the child was carried away. Sparatus, meanwhile, could not hide his disgust. Indeed, the girl would prove useful for both the Turians and the Quarians, but, that did not mean he had to be comfortable with his decision. He had grown rather fond of the commander and her child. Also, as a Turian he understood a father's protective instinct. He could only pray that Garrus Vakerian remained blissfully ignorant of his daughter, and the human he had claimed as his mate. It would not be pretty should Vakarian's wrath be unleashed. The protective nature of Turian males was well known among all species.
Turning his back to the other Councillors, Sparatus left the room. Guilt had taken over. So many ideas to resolve the situation ran through his mind. But, he knew it was pointless. Even though it was not enthusiastically given, his support had been given nonetheless. Tavos and Valern were getting more and more power hungry, Shepard's defiance was commendable. But now she would no longer be a problem. Sparatus hoped that there would be no future invasion, should Shepard be awakened from cryogenic slumber, she would definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
His lack of focus during his walk caused him to bump into someone he was hoping to avoid. Councillor Hackett was furious.
"What the hell went on in there?"
"Hackett, now is not the time for this."
"Really, because I'm certain that the other Councillors will not be happy with the fact that Davina Shepard was just seen being dragged out of the conference room with the very people she was rescued from."
"The council agreed..."
"Bullshit, you three agreed, the rest of us was kept away from the entire farce."
"It's for the best Hackett." Sparatus didn't even sound convinced with his own argument, "The girl is a distraction. We need to be ready, in case of another Reaper attack."
"After everything Shepard did for us, all of us, this is how you repay her."
"Its out of my power Hackett. The others have already decided"
Hackett grabbed Sparatus and forced him against the wall. The Turian didn't even put up a fight. It was almost as if he had accepted the blame.
"You better help me find a way to fix this. If anything happens to that kid, I'll personally see to it that her father knows exactly who to come after."
The Turian nodded, causing Hackett to release his grip.
"We'll need help."
"The Normandy crew know about Shepard. They are already making their way back to rescue her."
"There isn't much time. Arcis are taking Davina back to Sur'Kesh. Shepard herself is being put into stasis."
"Then we need to hurry up our asses and come up with a plan."
"Indeed. Maybe the Lawson sisters could help."
Garrus just sat staring at the gun. All he could think of was little Davina helping him with his calibrations. He just couldn't get his head around the fact that not only was his long dead lover not dead, but they had a child together. His greatest dream had come true; and he had missed it.
So many lonely days and nights had passed, it was just too hard to believe that he would not wake from this dream. He had come down to the main battery to clear his head, but the thought that the Council had kept his family from him was over powering. He gazed at the picture. The picture that he had spent seven years seeking comfort from. Now when he looked at it all he could think about was the fact that he and his friends had been cruelly deceived. Not by her...
Never by her. She respected and loved them all too much to be that cruel. Talking to "Icarus", he could see that she was unhappy with the situation. Now he understood why. Looking at her in the picture, he found it almost impossible to believe how much she must have endured. He couldn't even imagine what she had been through. The explosion, ending the reapers, losing her beautiful eye and spending seven years in captivity; forbidden from contact with the outside world. Having to go through her pregnancy and raising their daughter without him. A fact that he was determined to remedy.
"That bar was awful lonely"
Realising now that she had tried to tell him, albeit in a very subtle way, that it was her. The loving gesture before her departure felt fresh in his mind. Proof, that despite their long separation, that she still loved him. Just as he was still desperately in love with her.
"Keelah, are you okay?"
His cloud of thought interrupted, he turned to Tali and sighed.
"Seven years Tali. We said goodbye, we buried her."
"And she's alive, Keelah. I can't imagine what you are going through."
"It just feels like a dream I'm terrified to wake from."
"But it's not, Garrus. She's alive."
"and I'm a father. It shouldn't have been possible, but I'm really glad it happened.I have a daughter; and she's perfect."
"Everything you imagined."
Garrus thought about it. His mandible flickered into what could only be described as a loving smile.
"Better" he whispered.
Tali moved towards him and squeezed his arm. His attention turned back to the picture.
"I have no idea how I never noticed it, but Davina looks a lot like Jane. Her smile, her nose, hell she even has her hair."
"There is also a great deal of you, Keelah."
"I wonder what she told her about me. Davy said that her mother told her stories about her father."
"When we get them out of there, you can ask her yourself."
"Are you kidding, Tali? When we get them out of there I'm going to spend every waking moment catching up with my family. I'm going to marry Jane and raise our child. Nothing is going to take them from me again."
"I don't doubt it, Keelah, I just wonder how you are going to start? It won't be simple to just pick up from where you left off. Not after all the time that has passed"
He pulled himself from her grip and headed to the door, resting his head on the metal frame, he turned to face her and as he spoke his voice cracked, full of emotion; full of hope.
"I know that, Tali, but that's my family and I will die before I give up on them."
"SR2 Normandy, you do not have clearance to dock on Palisade."
They had expected this. Hackett had warned them that returning would prove difficult.
"Palisade, we have authority from Councillor Hackett."
"Await confirmation..."
Kaiden clenched Joker's shoulder.
"Do you get the feeling we're gonna get caught in political red tape?"
"I can pretty much guarantee it."
"Hows the big guy doing?"
"Not too good. He's too distracted to even calibrate the big gun."
"Damn, captain calibration not calibrating. Never thought I'd live to see the day."
Suddenly a muffled moan came over the comm, followed by a loud bang. When things settled, a familiar voice spoke.
"The operators seem to be taking a nap. Normandy feel free to dock, and hurry up about it"
"Wasn't that Miranda?" Joker seemed amused at the turn of events
"Miranda Lawson?"
"Guys we can catch up later, there really isn't much time. "
Taking his cue from Miranda, Joker prepared the Normandy to dock. As they approached the docking bay, Kaiden's attention was distracted by another ship nearby.
"I know that ship." He said quietly to himself.
He tried to picture where he had seen it before. His pondering abruptly interrupted by an angry hiss from behind him. He turned to see his Turian shipmate staring out of the window, with venom in his eyes. His subharmonics growled, possessive and without mercy as Garrus, angrily, identified the vessel for his commanding officer.
"Arcis."
As the world came slowly began to come back into focus, Shepard found it difficult to move. It took a few minutes to realise that her arms and legs had been bound. She struggled against her restraints, desperate to save her child, but she was weakened by the knock to her head. The more she fought, the more breathless she felt. Each breath felt as though she was inhaling shards of glass. That's when she realised the horrifying truth. They had removed her enviro-suit, she was breathing in contaminated air.
The room was bright and she was surrounded by Palisade Science struggled to breath as the scientists powered up her cryo-chamber, the loud buzzing filling the room. She turned her head and found Tavos studying her.
"You have brought this on yourself, Shepard."
The commander choked on her painful breaths as Tavos continued
"This facility, everything here was for you. To keep you safe. You begged us to let you keep the baby, we did not agree, but we granted your wish. But that child is not our priority. You are. In stasis, you will be kept alive, and your daughter will contribute to the worlds by sharing the secret of how her body digests both levo and dextro foods.
"You..are..a..monster" Shepard gasped breathlessly before passing out once again.
The councillor turned to the science team and glared.
"Hurry up, if she dies before she gets into that chamber, you will all be thrown out of the air lock."
"Yes, Ma'am"
Tavos stroked the commander's long red hair.
"You may never forgive us, Commander, but you can always have another child in the future. It pains me that it has come to this, but we have no choice. You cannot be allowed to leave. You knew there would be consequences."
With that the Councillor left, leaving Commander Jane Shepard in the care of the scientists, who were now working on slowing her fever, to prepare her to be frozen.
Alarms on Palisade station were blaring as the Normandy landed. It was clear that they were not expecting to be welcomed. As the ground crew vacated the ship they were welcomed by armed soldiers.
"Crew of Normandy, return to your ship and leave this base. This is an act of treason, you will be fired upon."
A loud growl came from Garrus. Sending chills down the spines of his crew mates.
"Normandy crew this is your last warning, leave Palisade."
"Screw your warning."
Liara turned to see Kaiden raise his gun, and aim at the man who was clearly issuing the commands. That was so unlike Kaiden, and Liara found it quite thrilling.
Shots were fired by the guards. The ground team split into smaller teams. Garrus taking his place behind Kaiden, providing covering fire as his commanding officer hurled his biotics at the unsuspecting guards. His reave was most effective, wiping out the few soldiers stupid enough to get in his way. As they fell, it was clear that the guards would not easilly give up. Garrus fired an explosive round, taking out the guy in charge.
Through the chaos of ammo and biotic charges, Garrus' attention was drawn to a large group of mercs trying to sneak past the fight, dragging with them a small figure, bound and struggling. The Turian could not control the piercing shriek that emitted from him. The noise forcing the Arcis agents to stop in their tracks.
Garrus' eyes were filled with malice as he charged at the mercs. Teeth bared, he tackled the men in front, desperate to get to the bitch that was holding Davina. Bullets were flying in all directions, and he hoped to get to the small girl before any flew her way. Kaiden, seeing what his friend was trying to do, refocused his attacks towards the mercs. They had already overpowered the soldiers, who were not used to fire fights, so switching targets was a logical decision.
The woman dragged Davina behind a crate while her men engaged the Normandy crew. Garrus refocused his attention to the rest of the mercs. At least the stupid woman was sheltering the girl from the fight. For a few moments he could concentrate on the fight.
Javik and Kasumi worked well together. Her stealth and his Prothean attacks causing swift destruction. Liara and Kaiden's biotic attacks were taking no prisoners. Vega and Zaeed provided the fire power, both seemed to be really enjoying themselves. Garrus, himself, was mixing his weapons with his own protective instinct. The only thought going through his mind was that his child was in the middle of all of the gunfire. He was desperate to get to her, to protect her from all this chaos.
After, what felt like, hours, the firing finally stopped. Most of the mercenaries were dead. The guards had stood down, unable to suffer any more losses. Garrus was still growling as he rounded on the woman who was holding his child, gun in her hand. His subharmonics caused the woman to tremble. She could see the venom in his blue eyes. She knew she was screwed as he forced her against the crate.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY DAUGHTER!"
Garrus' growl was threatening, his gun was pushed against the woman's head. Tears began to form in her eyes. It was clear that she had never experienced the paternal instinct of a Turian father before. Shaking she placed the crying child on the ground and raised her arms in surrender. Garrus turned his attention to Davina, quickly unbinding her. Slowly pulling the gag from her mouth, he began to inspect her for injuries. He stopped when she placed her hand on his mandible.
"You're my Daddy? But Mommy said my Daddy was called Archangel" she whimpered, hopefully.
"Sometimes." He purred, lovingly as he stroked her soft red hair "Sometimes it's just Garrus."
Tears of joy filled the small girls eyes as she flung her arms around him. In return he embraced her tightly, taking in her scent. So this is what it felt like to be a father. This is what it felt to hold his own child in his arms. Davina wept into his carapace, and he just held her until her tears had abated.
"DADDY!"
"Hush, Davy, It will be okay. I'm here now. I'm never leaving you or your mother ever again."
"They hurt her, she wouldn't wake up." Davina sobbed. "They hurt my mommy."
He glared at the woman as he held his daughter. She was not stupid. She knew that the only reason the Turian had spared her was because she had shielded the kid from the bullets. If she hadn't she would have fared as well as the rest of her team. Judging by what she had witnessed when the council gave her the kid for the second time, the Council will not be shown the same mercy. Part of her felt guilty at her part in the whole affair. Separating a mother from child was a nasty business. Clearly, when she took this job, it wasn't the smart choice that her organisation was famous for.
Suddenly a cough caught all of their attentions. They turned to see a gathering of the lesser Councillors, lead by Hackett and Sparatus. Miranda and Oriana following behind them. Garrus growled protectively as he held his daughter tighter to him as they approached.
"At ease, Vakarian, Davina's at no risk from us."
Sparatus shuffled nervously at Garrus' gaze. He could see the protective instinct had surfaced. He was scared.
"Where is Shepard?" Garrus Growled
"That's the problem," Sparatus mumbled "She was forbidden to leave, she knew the consequences."
"She was trying to save her daughter." Tali glared at her aunt Ra'an.
"I know, Tali. We tried to help her. We hoped that the main Council would understand a Mother's need to protect her child."
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"At first it was because it did not look like she would survive, then it was to protect her baby. The main Council forbade anybody to know."
" Keelah, I can't believe you lied to me."
"WHERE IS SHEPARD?" Garrus was losing patience.
He had his daughter, but he would not be satisfied until he held his lover in his arms, until they were reunited as a family. These stupid exchanges could wait until after she was safe.
"She's been condemned to be cryogenically frozen."
Davina held onto her father tightly, as if frightened he would disappear, he purred to calm her, but the threat was present in his eyes as he glared at Sparatus.
"Well, we'll have to do something about that, won't we?"
Kaiden smiled at his friend, as Hackett answered him.
"Definitely."