A/N: In this universe, thanks to magical Mass Effect science, ricochets from gunshots are not an issue. Hyper-velocity bullets are pure energy that dissipate on contact with solid material. Just an FYI since this chapter wouldn't make sense without that tidbit of information. :p

It was a terrible day. He knew The Blood Pack was up to something big – yet he did not anticipate The Talons had been brought into the fray, providing some top of the line tech-toys to the blood thirsty gang. Frank was in bad shape, wherever they took him. And Garrus couldn't blame the man if he broke under threat of death or torture. The Butlers were cut from a different cloth than the rest of his squad, soft, down to earth. War wasn't in their resume. Was the base safe? Was Jane? She was his responsibility and he really didn't want to ring the most powerful human in the galaxy to tell him he got her blown up thanks to his personal war.

To make matters even worse, these pieces of filth were dragging in some poor, naive girl. He spotted a cascade of dark, curly hair peeking out from under a hooded coat. Two batarians towered over her, practically drooling, as she gingerly stepped inside, hands trembling.

"Yeah the vorcha are out of control in these parts." One spat while trailing his hand down her back, heading lower and lower. "We'll take good care of you don't you worry."

Garrus strained desperately against the steel shackles. He did not want to see this.

The girl slid a fractured omni-tool from her wrist and an all-too-familiar voice answered, low and sultry. "Ohhh well I do appreciate the assistance."

He scarcely had time to wonder, in a windfall of panic, what on Palaven Jane was thinking before he felt the distinct crackle of failing shields and learned two very important lessons. One, that Jane Shepard was completely and utterly insane, and two, that screwing with her was a likely death sentence.

He blinked and she descended on them like a spirit of vengeance. The first man hit the ground, throat slit, gurgling and helplessly thrashing at her feet. With a shout of surprise, another dove from the balcony only to be slammed into the far wall under a haze of blue, the distinct sound of bones crunching against concrete echoed across the room. He'd literally been pulverized. Bits of red oozed out of every orifice. With a thrust of the hand, her power surged. She leaped onto the next, biotically propelling the blade through the batarian's eye socket. Even from his position, chained a dozen feet away, he could feel the power swell around her, the way the air thickened with energy. The last merc grabbed a handful of hair and yanked, only to stumble backwards, helplessly flailing, as the wig popped right off her head. A vicious little grin spread across Jane's face as she literally snapped his back with biotics alone. It should be mentioned, for posterity, that the woman giggled while whipping about and butchering men more than twice her size. It was a comical, if slightly disturbing, sight.

When all was said and done, half a dozen dead or dying men were scattered about the ground floor, moaning and whimpering. Jane wrenched the jagged blade, he recognized as Krul's, from the batarian's skull and went about finishing them off. It wasn't that he found her actions extreme – more alarming. One didn't expect such a sweet, innocent face to dole out death with a giant grin plastered across it.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side." Garrus quipped, voice shockingly dry given the situation. He was bound to a concrete pillar, stripped of armor, chest bare, only his slacks remained and a small shiv was protruding from his side. It took a single glance and mere seconds for her to take in the natural armor across his chest – horizontal bone plating merged to a ridge with gray, domineering presence. How those pathetic mercs managed to stick a knife in him was a wonder. The view brought a whole new meaning to the nickname she'd given him, the steel predator. It was as if he were covered in living armor. What a fascinating, and incredibly useful concept.

Unbeknownst to her, a very human smile broke across her face. "You're alive."

"Yeah." He groaned, bearing teeth. "I'm tough to kill. Besides, these pathetic excuses for sapient beings didn't have the balls."

Jane snorted, quickly making her way to him. "Damn… you're bleeding pretty bad." As she reached towards the source of the blue waterfall, a sharp rebuke stopped her, fingers hovering inches from his side.

"If you have so much as a scratch on you and touch my blood you'll go into anaphylaxis. And I don't have any epi-tabs on me, no idea what they did with my med-kit. One of 'em has the key though. Watch out. There's more but Derius slunk off into the tunnels with the rest… and Frank. I doubt they even heard the commotion."

Rifling through the pockets of his now dead captors, she called back. "Tunnels?"

"Yeah. This place extends deep into the asteroid. Probably an old mining facility or some crap."

Finally, she pulled out a couple prizes, an ancient-looking turn-key and a canister of medi-gel. Once free, omni-tool in hand, he setup a medical scan to assess the damage. "Alright. Didn't hit a major organ, but nicked the artery… just need to stem the bleeding."

Jane glanced over at him, took in the subtle dullness in his eyes, the lack of chrome in his facial plates, and assumed he was far more peaked than he was letting on. The blood loss would definitely be an issue. She pulled off her sweatshirt, stripping down to a cami, and went to work cutting strips of fabric. After a few seconds, she could feel that predator gaze on her, prickling across her skin. She smirked. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."

"Oh I-I-I wasn't..." Garrus coughed into his hand. "It's just… Those are some impressive scars."

"This? Yeah." Jane passed him several strips of cloth, beaming, before motioning to a mottled, pink burn extending from her wrist to elbow. "That was a good fight. Balya and I were tracking some… guys or whatever they were. People snooping where they shouldn't be. One had a gun that blew fire."

"A flamethrower?"

She shrugged while preparing more bandages. "Dunno the names for things like that. Anyhow, he tried to spit fire right in my face, had to use my arm as a shield. Got my barrier up, whipped around behind him, and stuck my blade in good. Right in the trapezius nerve cluster." Seeing the surprise cross his face, she added. "That base we were raised in was also a boarding school of sorts… and Balya took anatomy. I used to help quiz her. Although, given my massive gaps in knowledge, I'm realizing how selective their instruction was. Most of it was how to kill the things they wanted us to know how to kill and how to patch ourselves up. Absolutely no tech training. No weapons outside of knives were allowed and even then, we only had them off-base." A smirk. "Probably worried they'd train us too well and we'd take over."

Garrus had a wad of cloth pressed tightly to his side, blue seeped from his fingers. "Damnit. We really need to get to Frank."

"Let the medi-gel set in then we'll go after Frank. You won't do anyone any good if you pass out from blood loss." Jane plopped down next to him on the floor. "So, have any cool scars to show me since we're stuck here?" When he merely glared ahead, mandibles taught, she added. "If you don't calm down your heart'll beat faster and it'll take even longer for the blood to clot. Unless turian physiology is significantly different from batarians and humans."

Garrus growled, actually growled, but saw the truth in her words and settled, leaning his head against the shipping containers. "Yeah actually..." His head bobbed to the left. "On my shoulder, between the plates, I wound up caught by a flag grenade shortly out of boot camp. My first deployment. Didn't scar as spectacularly as yours though."

She eyed the plum-colored flecks against brown hide, a bursting star nestled between steel. Then continued, motioning to her shoulder, drawing his attention to the white, four-inch mark. "Got this from my first kill. Actually, he's the one who inspired me to learn how to throw knives. I was not expecting an attack like that, broke his neck in the end though, well after Balya saved my skin."

They continued chatting, devising a plan to extract Frank from Derius's clutches – their battle scar game temporarily forgotten in light of the situation. Still, Jane made certain to keep her back pressed against the crates. If he saw those ugly things peeking out her top, he gave no indication. The lashes didn't count – they weren't earned in battle, just lingering evidence of her time aboard star ships. Of Krapo. Of being subjected to true evil due to nothing but her own foolishness. Of being so exhausted her mental cycles were dedicated to nothing but survival, emptying herself, and enduring. Enduring the pain. Enduring Krapo's depravity. Enduring the knowledge of Sciffy's fate and how futile her sacrifice was.

Blood was still dribbling down his side. He continued reapplying medi-gel and kept the make-shift bandage pressed tightly while he spoke. "As impressed as I am with your skills, run-of-the-mill thugs are nothing in comparison with this guy. Derius is in a whole different league. I'd bet good creds he used to be a cabal in HSF. Leave him to me."

"And that's…."

"Hierarchy Special Forces, biotics division."

"You don't even have armor! At least I can put a barrier up."

"Ehh. They have lockers full of gear in the back. Pretty sure I saw Derius change earlier." His mandibles clenched, neck taught. The sound of talons scraping against the cool cement floor followed shortly after, a slight, menacing rumble in his chest.

"He really got to you huh?"

"His mere existence offends me. This piece of shit is turian, raised in the Hierarchy with every advantage in life that entails and he chooses to be … a… a… beast." Garrus snarled through his teeth. "If I have anything to say about it, he won't go easy."

Twenty minutes passed before the bleeding slowed and Garrus could hack through the locker's encryption. Unfortunately, the selection was fairly sparse. Only a chest piece fit, leaving him completely unarmored from the waist down. Still, it was better than nothing. They made their way to the mine's entrance with Garrus grumbling about 'substandard' merc weapons, pausing above the hatch, peering into the inky black, he spoke. "Spirits. These guys like to keep it ominous don't they?"

Jane began lowering herself only to halt as Garrus, with his lightning fast reflexes, grabbed her arm. "I'll head down first, turians can see in the dark after all."

Carefully placing his foot in each rung of the ladder, he descended. Jane, however, simply floated down biotically.

"Cheater." He teased as they crouched under a blanket of darkness, ensuring their bodies were as small a target as possible, waiting for her substandard human eyes to adjust.

The hollowed out tunnel extended deep into the asteroid. At least, from what she could tell in the dimly lit cavern, there was plenty of cover. Massive rock formations littered the landscape, sparkling slightly, hinting at a treasure trove of eezo within. Slowly slinking ahead, Garrus took point, peering around each corner half anticipating an ambush.

At long last, they reached the end of the tunnel, a passageway glowing in the distance. Garrus froze in his tracks, bringing a finger to his mouth-plates, signaling for silence. Jane mused how odd it was that she understood his motions without explanation. Somethings were strangely universal. Yet, more importantly, his uncanny hearing must've picked up something – hopefully voices, hopefully Frank.

Slowly inching forward, they crept like penaska on the prowl, eyes sharp for the slightest sign of prey. After four breaths, crawling forward on her belly, she heard it – Frank's ragged moans, Derius's growl. Every hair on her arm stood at attention and she barely stopped her jaw from clenching, her teeth from clacking, giving away their presence.

"For a pathetic monkey, you do surprise me. I'd thought that, by now, you'd be shouting your base's location at the top of your lungs. Just give the coordinates and this ends."

"Go to hell." Frank's voice gurgled as if he struggled to breathe through blood.

"Oh, I won't be the one seeing hell today. You'll end up there one way or another. What's up to you is how you arrive, hard or easy?"

Now situated on the opposite end of the entryway, Garrus raised his rifle. With a nod, Jane encased them both in a dense, biotic barrier, and the second he stepped into the grotto, she followed, ready to protect a likely incapacitated Frank from the fight. True to their assumptions, the pudgy man was in no shape to contribute. Strapped to a metal chair, head hanging, a red stream poured from his mouth. His face was so swollen he was scarcely recognizable. Yet, he was alive.

The chamber itself was Spartan. A solitary light hung from the topmost area, swaying ominously as Garrus lunged for Derius and Jane for Frank – quickly cutting his bindings then levitating him to the corridor they'd just emerged from. At least she knew that direction was clear. Derius had backup somewhere but, had they been lurking in the tunnel extending from the base into the asteroid, they would've encountered them on their approach. This all happened in the span of a few seconds, yet it felt like ages. Maintaining a barrier on Garrus while levitating Frank in the opposing direction required her to split her focus, forcing her to use a rusty skill set. Once Frank was out of harm's way, she rejoined Garrus, condensing the barrier onto both of them.

Back to back now, Garrus focused on Derius while Jane's eyes were glued to the opposing tunnel. A ragged tarp separated the adjoining passageways, a crack of light the only hint at what lay beyond. Shadows moved beneath and she readied herself, tossing an EMP grenade at the floor their feet would soon grace. Within seconds, three humans poured through, guns blazing.

It was the first time she felt alive in a long while, free of the chip that stunted her power, her essence. Adrenaline coursed through her like a song, barriers up, she lashed out knocking the incoming targets down like bowling pins. They scrambled pathetically. But not for long. Heart racing, she propelled herself upwards, bioticly pushing off the rocky ground, scattering debris, and flipped over the humans, landing behind their line. Quick work then. She smiled at the discovery that human and batarian armor shared the same fatal flaw between the neck and helmet. Sliding the knife home, a wicked grin, the rush coursing through her veins. She whizzed further into the tunnel, cautious of ambushes, needing to cut off Derius's supply of troops and let Garrus fight him in peace. An asari emerged flanked by two batarians. The clarity of battle. The prickling of biotics against her skin. The muscle memory – all of it sang a song of great beauty in her mind. Everything felt right, felt free.

An incoming biotic attack, a warp, it sizzled against her barrier, dribbling down. The force of it pushing her back, physically and mentally, she side stepped a pile of rocks, mind feeding the body battle-memories, warm sensations. Elation. Laughter. The tingling, the power coursing from her fingertips brought glee. Purple eyes wide in shock as Jane caught her and her troops in an expanding singularity and thrust a wave of biotic energy towards their floating forms. An explosion of blue as they imploded against the force. She whizzed backwards, avoiding the gore, returning to Garrus.

The sight that greeted her was nothing like anything she'd seen before. Garrus and Derius, both disarmed, were grappling on the cavern floor, screeching. While the black-plated turian's physical prowess may have been far out of her league, his biotics were pathetic. The most he could muster was a mediocre barrier, it was all that kept Garrus's teeth from his throat. A flash, and the latter mustered to his feet, the fabric at the backs of his legs had torn, revealing jagged bone protrusions with barbed ends. Garrus kicked, a powerful thrust, connecting with the opposing male's jaw. When he yanked back, bits of blue blood stuck to the protrusion. And Derius sunk to his knees, dazed.

"A spur kick…" Derius wheezed. "A bit barbaric, don't you think?" Mere seconds passed before his body went rigid, yet the eyes remained alive. Penetrating. Firey anger held in check by a paralytic agent.

Garrus wobbled a bit, weak from blood loss, glaring down at the prostrate turian at his feet. Within seconds, the bony protrusions retreated into their sheathes. It was utterly fascinating. Then he spotted an emerging shadow in the corridor, motioned to her, and they moved to stand beside Frank, steadying him. The human struggled to raise his shotgun, murmuring through tears. "Fr. Fr. For Dorothy. For lil Dot."

Across Butler's meaty shoulders, Jane and Garrus locked eyes, and again, she was stunned at the ease with which they understood one another. There was a flicker of doubt in that predatory gaze. Uncertainty. Should we let him do this? Let him execute a man? Frank was a soft, gentle soul lost in a sea of agony – a pain that even she couldn't quite grasp. Whomever he used to be died with his son and daughter. She nodded and Garrus helped his likely fractured arms take aim. The shot echoed through the cavern, bits of rock and dust showered over them. And Frank fell to the floor dragging her silver-plated friend with him, sobbing into the turian's shoulder. A deep, wracking howl.

Jane chose that moment to avert her gaze, focusing on a few captivating stalagmites. Displays of emotion were not her strong suit.

Somewhere in his scuffle with Derius, Garrus had started bleeding again. Which lead to a frantic search for a medpack. Butler could descend into anaphylaxis at any second, given that blue blood had trickled into the his open wounds while Garrus held him. Thankfully, all their gear was in the chamber the now-dead turian dragged Frank to. Apparently Garrus had training in advanced, cross-species first aid and was able to direct her. Jane also had significant knowledge of combat medicine, yet she was accustomed to batarian medications, the ones in the current pack were gibberish. Once stable, Frank succumbed to the heavy dose of antihistamines and promptly went to sleep.

With the most urgent of the two taken care of, she turned her attention to Garrus. "How's the bleeding?"

"It's slowing again. I'll be fine. But I don't relish the thought of another scuffle like this. Getting a bit dizzy."

"I cleared out the other passageway then caused a cave in. If there's more trouble, they'll have to dig to reach us. And by then, the whole squad will be here."

Garrus paused and stared down the corridor Jane had disappeared to earlier. The tarp was torn away, and the area was well-lit, revealing the carnage. It looked like half an asari was impaled on a stalagmite mixed with various other body parts … and odors. There was nothing that could be done about the latter and, at this point, he was borderline immune to the gnarly smells of perforated bodies. Still, it was shocking how a tiny, frail thing like the woman sitting beside him, was capable of such violence.

He felt something shift in the air then. An uneasy sentiment was growing by the millisecond. And when he turned to Jane, she nearly recoiled as if burnt, a momentary reaction before going blank, withdrawing into herself. It was like a door slamming shut.

"Hey…. What… just happened here?"

Jane shifted uneasily. Not meeting his eyes. She opened her mouth before abruptly shutting it with a click, as if biting down on whatever words threatened to escape.

"Talk to me. C'mon we're stuck here anyhow. We could go back to comparing scars if you like. There's one on the back of my right leg that's super cool. Got it when a resistance fighter tried shooting off my spur."

That caught her attention. Another uneasy shift as she cautiously glanced up at him, a shadow flitting across her carefully guarded face. "I… did not intend to… disturb you." She nodded towards the corridor he'd been staring into moments earlier. "I know… I can be… destructive."

"Wait, you think I'm upset?" He practically chortled. "No. Quite the opposite in fact. It's, by far, one of the most hilarious displays I've ever seen. Right after they lead you into the base, and you biotically knifed that guy, the look on that asshole's face was priceless. I'm fairly certain that if you hadn't cut open an artery, he would've fallen over dead from a heart attack."

"Your not … angry?" Her voice dropped to a scarce whisper. "Revolted?"

How someone so fierce, so capable, could suddenly transform into this small, vulnerable creature was beyond him. But it hurt to look at. Whatever wound this was had left deep imprints on her mind.

"For saving my hide and Frank's?! You'd be crazy to think I'd be anything but overwhelmingly grateful. I do want to ask something, well, provided it doesn't cause you took look at me like a wounded lepus again."

One of those rare smiles broke across her face. "So long as I get to ask one in turn."

"What's with the laughing? Like I said, I'm not uncomfortable. Personally, I find the notion of a tiny little thing like you doling out death utterly hysterical. Yet, you clearly don't relish it. At least not in this moment. So… what am I missing?"

A pause, thoughts flickering behind sharp eyes. "I was… conditioned to fight. They have these… collar things they trained us with. Narcotics flooded my veins when I attacked. Shocks for hesitating. I suppose my body remembers even though it's been years. Without the inhibitor chip, using my biotics no longer hurts it's just… that old, familiar giddiness." She eyed him for a moment. "You sure it doesn't bother you?"

"Not even a little." He placed a hand on her shoulder, felt the muscles relax and wondered if he was wrong for broaching the subject at all. Then again, maybe keeping everything inside wasn't the best approach to life. It was Jane who taught him that, ironically, when she informed him that knowledge of the reapers was a terrible burden to bear alone.

"Alright, my turn. Why are you doing any of this? And what are you trying to do on Omega?"

"To bring some semblance of order to this place. To give the people some hope."

"But why?" A slight hesitation. "Sorry I'm not criticizing… I just don't understand."

Spreading his arms as if all of Omega laid before him, he answered. "When I look at this station all I see is wretchedness, the strong exploiting the weak, the apathy. No one takes a stand. No one has the courage to bring about real consequences to these gangs and make them think twice before gunning down innocents in the street."

Jane paused, giving him a sad, lopsided little smile. "You'll run out of bullets long before the universe runs out of hate. Chaos is the natural order in life. Imposing order on chaos? That must feel like trying to erode a mountain, you can chip away at it, scream at it, hell even blow it up. But more crap will simply replace it."

Garrus looked at her for a long moment, taking in the sincerity in her voice, the genuine concern. "You know, I don't think I've ever met someone like you. You're not... What I expected."

"A drooling simpleton?"

"Alright that fake control chip was impressive but the rest of it... I mean I'd expect someone in your position to be unhinged or something. Not thoughtful. And certainly not normal."

"If you think I'm some shining beacon of normalcy, you need your head checked."

Garrus chortled as Jane went to work levitating bodies from their current resting place into the tunnels. At the very least, they wouldn't be able to see the corpses, even if they could still smell it.

A/N Before I forget, I referenced the following fanart for turian anatomy:

(1) Gratuitious Shirtless Garrus by ThunderheadFred

(2) Turian Anatomy Study by Kaji-Onna