Mass Effect

Back In Time

* * *
Disclaimer; I don't always say that I own Mass Effect. When I do, I'm joking, because I don't.
Author's Note; Yes... Life has been a little messed up recently. I think I'm going to add onto last chapter's Note. I am not promising that next week will be another three-chapter update. I apologize... And for all of you Star Wars fans out there, I turned to Mando'a to find a suitable name for ShockWave's squad. Keraic is derived from the word kyrayc, which means killed, or dead. I felt as if the word fit; I will tell you all why... Later in the story.
P.S. Hey, I feel like shouting out The Wandering Reader. I need to thank you for the review you left a while back. I hope this 'mission' is satisfactory. :)
* * *

Back In Time

Chapter Twenty-Six

"Shepard! Shepard! Are you there?"

"Liara, you need to stop," Ashley called. "You watched the explosion. The Industrial District is gone. In flames with the rest of this Ward..."

"Commander Shepard is still alive. I know it!"

"Aww… Give it up, Princess, no one could survive an explosion like that."

"We have to get out there and look for him!"

"How? Just how do you suggest that?"

"Stop," Garrus shouted. "Just stop! We can't help Shepard, Alenko, Tali, or Melanie if we're all fighting."

Liara's shoulders sagged. "You're right. We need to help them."

"I still don't know how you'd do that," Wrex stated. "This place is starting to look a little like Tuchanka."

Ashley's eyes narrowed. "We need to figure something out. I don't care what it is, as long as something gets done."

"I'm calling C-Sec," Garrus stated, pulling up his omni-tool, hitting a few buttons on it to call the number of an old friend.

"Garrus? Is that you? I haven't heard from you in a long time… I'm sorry, buddy, can this wait? I'm on crowd control."

"I'm in the crowd here on Bachjret Ward. Our taxi was shot down. We need your help."

"Garrus- I don't have the time…"

"I have a strong suspicion that Spectre Shepard was caught in the blast. If you can't help us get to him, find someone who can."

"Fine… Just give me a moment."

There was a pause; the group of four took it, awkwardly looking back and forth to one another.

"I'm on my way."

.~*~.

"ShockWave… Are you out there?"

There was silence.

"ShockWave…?"

He took a breath, coughing on the smoke.

"I'm over here… Shepard."

He looked to the voice, his neck screaming at he craned it.

"ShockWave? I don't think I can get up."

There was a pause, distant coughing. "I know I can't. There's a… thing… pinning me down."

John watched his omni-tool light up, he tried to move his arm to answer it, to plead for help, but he couldn't find the strength.

"I told you," ShockWave's voice broke off, cut off by rough coughs. "That I had a bad feeling."

.~*~.

"What was the Commander doing out there?" the Turian asked, glancing over at Garrus, whom sat in the passenger's seat.

"He was looking for our friends; they had gone missing in that sector."

"Give me names, Vakarian."

"He was looking for Kaidan Alenko, Tali'Zorah, and Melanie," he paused. What was her last name? "Shepard, I think."

The driver nodded, eyes locking on the airway ahead.

The ground beneath them was in flames.

All of those people…

"I can't believe they killed them all," Ashley stated, voicing his thoughts.

"Makes me wonder who 'they' are," Liara called. "Who ever decided to do this… They- they're monsters."

"Yeah, yeah. I've seen worse."

The car's radio went off.

The driver hit the button.

"What is it?"

"A man named Jacob Taylor called us. Said he found Shepard and a Turian out there. He was afraid to move them."

"Send me the coordinates."

"Sending the coordinates. Coordinates sent."

"Coordinates received. Thank you, dispatch. Do you have the man on the line?"

"Yes. Putting him through."

"Hello?"

Garrus took over.

"This is Garrus Vakarian speaking. Jacob, I need you to tell us everything. How did you find them?"

"I was walking home when I heard the explosion. I decided I wanted to check it out."

"What is their condition?"

"The Turian's trapped under a beam. I don't want to try to get him out. Might cause more problems."

"And the human?"

"Burns. He's also bleeding. I'm trying to stop it now."

"Good. We're on our way, Jacob. Keep your com open."

The Turian officer adjusted the course, just a little, before he kept driving.

It wasn't long before they came down to land in the smoke and fire.

"Alright boys, and girls," the driver called. "Get out of my car."

Garrus opened the door, standing up.

"Jacob Taylor?!"

"I'm here!"

The group followed his voice.

When they reached him, Garrus knelt down.

The Commander was attempting to pull Jacob's hands away from his stomach.

"S…stop…"

Garrus grabbed Shepard's hand, putting it back down at his side.

"John. Listen. It's Garrus. He's here to help you."

"Vakarian? I've heard about you," the man called, leaning forward, putting more pressure on his hands.

Shepard weakly groaned in response. "Shock…"

"What?"

"I don't know, he's been repeating it. The Turian is over there," Jacob stated with a nod.

Garrus walked in the direction Taylor said.

There was a Turian lying under a structural beam. Face smashed on the ground, his red tattoos were pinched together at the eye-ridge.

Garrus knelt down at his side, putting one hand on his shoulder, shaking it.

"Liara! Wrex! Come over here, I need you to use your biotics to get this beam off of him."

The two obeyed, using their blue power to gently ease it off of him.

Garrus pulled the Turian out from under it, allowing the others to ease the beam down.

He rolled the Turian over, and was shocked, and angry to see the symbol that was on his chest.

Under the dust and dents was the symbol of the Turian Cabal's Squad Keraic.

Garrus wanted to pull his hands away from the soldier. To get himself away from the vile being.

Yet he couldn't.

"Let's get him out of here," was his command before he pulled the shorter Turian off the ground with little care.

The two biotics shrugged to one another he walked away, pulling the Turian at his side.

Garrus' free hand rose to activate his omni-tool.

"Hey, are you still here?"

"Affirmative."

"Can you call for a medical evac?"

"What level?"

"Priority level. There's a Spectre, and a man from our Cabals."

"Garrus, I have a feeling that this was a trap."

"I do, too. Call C-Sec to get an investigation on this area. The missing people need to be found."

"Garrus, you're lucky I'm your friend. C-Sec wouldn't want to take orders from you."

"Yeah," he paused. "I'm sure they wouldn't like taking orders from the man that's helping the first Human Spectre on his mission…"

"Most certainly wouldn't. Hah. Gotta call in that evac for you."

"Standing by."

Vakarian leaned over, setting the limp Turian on the ground next to the Commander.

He reached over, checking the pulse of the man.

It was faint, sporadic.

The burns on his beige carapace were ugly.

He looked at the red tattoos.

In his days of C-Sec he had to study the faces of undercover persons.

This one was…

ShockWave.

As an orphan, the Turian had no recorded name other than the biotic power he had mastered. To the civilians, he had a bad reputation. To C-Sec, his methods were sad, disgusting. To Garrus, he was untrustworthy, and deserved a painful death.

The things he did were terrible.

Killed a hostage.

An innocent person pulled into the line of fire as a shield.

That person had meant nothing to this Turian.

He had betrayed the spirit of his squad.

It was a worthy reason to let him die.