Chapter Sixty Two: Elysium Heroes
"How many times have you died Shepard?" Garrus asked thoughtfully. He was looking over Colt with narrowed eyes. Liara and Shepard had caught up with the dazed crew at some bar. Every single one was nursing something alcoholic. He had never driven so many people to drink.
"What's your definition of dead?" Shepard's words were careful, and his voice guarded. They were approaching not-so pleasant territory too quickly.
"No heartbeat, and no breathing," Garrus offered, to which the majority nodded their heads in agreement.
"Definitely twice, and possibly another two times," Shepard replied without his usual playful, arrogant tone.
"How are you iffy on two deaths?" James' voice sounded slightly impressed. Shepard hated that he would have to disappoint him.
"Well, I passed out before I knew what hit me. The doctors never really told me if I had technically died. They just fixed me, and sent me merrily on my way," Shepard took a shot of Ryncol before someone asked another question.
"So are you going to tell us about it?" Traynor asked after the silence had gone awkward. Awkward silences almost never happened when Shepard was around. He always had something to say, but this was a topic that played too close to things he would like to let go.
"Well one time was from the Collectors blowing me up," he caught Joker's face turn pale out the corner of his eye. This night would go down as the day he made the most people feel bad, "The others are stories I'll tell you another day. They aren't pleasant."
Silence fell over everyone. It suffocated Shepard, and allowed unpleasant memories in. He hated being alone for the very reason of it being silent. James was the finally the one to cut through the atmosphere, "If you've died so many times, then why would cybernetics kick you over?"
"That, my friend, is dangerous thinking. If you think I'm invincible, you'll be sorely disappointed," Colt added to the cheery mood. Liara placed a hand on his shoulder, probably for her comfort more than his. No illusions surrounded him regarding death. He had been around it long enough to know that it struck with little prejudice, and he got the feeling that his sand was running low.
No one said another word for a while after that. Colt knew that some people currently sitting next to him looked up to him. Hero-worship would be a good word for it. If they got the belief that he wouldn't die into their heads, it would be awful when something eventually happened to him. "I think it's time to get back on the Normandy," Colt supplied. He didn't want everyone getting drunk.
"I like your hair," Liara whispered to Shepard on the way out. She briefly ran her hand through it.
"I love my hair too. The best part about defeating the Reapers is gonna be letting it get long. Then I can shake my head, and feel all manly with my curls of steel waving around. I can already imagine standing on some planet, looking dramatically over it, and having the wind whip through my hair. That's my dream Liara. That's what keeps me going after the Reapers. My beloved hair," Shepard ran his own hand through it. When they got back he would have to shave it off again. The thought was awful.
...
"Commander Shepard, we have intercepted a distress call," EDI's voice cut through the current nightmare Shepard was experiencing. It was the usual dark forest with everyone he had ever met speaking to him. Their voices were mostly inaudible whispers, but he could pick out sentences here and there.
"Thanks EDI, send a report about it to my inbox. I'll make a decision about it when I know the full story," Shepard stumbled out of his bed, and made his way to his email. Liara had been here when he fell asleep, but she was gone now. No doubt to do Shadow Broker stuff. Sometimes he thought that she slept less than he did.
"Commander, I'm sorry about waking you," EDI's voice carried no emotion, but Shepard knew she was sincere.
"It's all good EDI. I need to know about these things anyways, plus you got me out of a particularly bad nightmare," Colt stared at his email. For some reason he was completely comfortable talking to EDI, and often found himself telling her things he would never tell another crew member. For example, he would never tell Garrus or James about his nightmares.
She hadn't sent the report yet, so he decided to stare at the screen until it came. He couldn't take looking through any more of his emails; he was terrified of it. In a way it was worse than going on missions. His email was unpredictable, entirely uncontrollable, and at times devastating.
"You do not sleep enough Shepard. You should really talk to Doctor Chakwas," EDI suggested. Her assessment of the distress call also arrived in his inbox.
"You're probably right. Remind me to talk with her at decent hour," Shepard's voice trailed off at the end since he was focusing on the report. The distress beacon was sent from a ship in Reaper controlled territory, and three escape pods were fired. It would be relatively easy to alter their course, and pick up the crew. "I do believe our plans have changed a bit," Shepard stood to tell Joker about the new situation.
…
"No need to wake anyone, I'll just get on the pods, chat with the survivors a bit, then get em' aboard. Actually, wake up Adams please, he needs to know that he'll be in charge for a little. Plus Cortez, I need someone to chauffeur me," Colt stood a little behind Joker's chair, wearing his full breather suit. He knew he could have just worn armor, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Won't everyone be kinda mad that a whole other crew is on aboard? I can totally imagine James waking up, and freaking out. You know, freaking out with bullets," Joker never got old. Seriously, the material he pulled out of his ass was impressive. Shepard was actually jealous of his sense of humor. Shepard had recently come to the conclusion that Joker, Garrus, and he were like the Three Humor Musketeers (actually the entire Normandy crew was extremely hilarious, so that was a little unfair). Except Shepard was the funniest, obviously.
"Well I'll calm him down with my charisma, and diplomacy...or a taser," Shepard replied quietly. Joker turned fully around, and just stared. Shepard stared back. Then they promptly burst into laughter.
"Sounds like a plan, Commander," Joker turned back, and started waking the appropriate people. Shepard watched space fly by in a sort of trance.
...
By the time morning had arrived (or morning on the Normandy) the occupants of all three shuttles had been taken on board. A passing ship had offered to take them, and Shepard readily agreed. He wasn't against taking civilians aboard in the least bit, but they did hinder his efforts a little. Before anyone awoke, their temporary passengers were gone. All except one.
One of the shuttles contained a friend of Shepard's. His name was Grayson Jones, a former Lieutenant. He was one of the closest friends Shepard had on his very first ship assignment. When Elysium rolled around he was part of the Alliance group that helped the local police. He helped fight the Batarians for a little before he left to evacuate the colony, leaving Shepard alone.
He wanted to get off at a colony near Eden Prime (their next destination), so Shepard allowed him to stay aboard. They were good friends after all.
Shepard decided to take a nap, and when he awoke he found a bunch of people in the mess hall listening to Grayson's stories, "So Colt walks out onto this stunning, snowy planet. He had the most dramatic pose, and he simply just stares at the snow. Then he turns to us with the same angelic look and says, 'SNUH.' He said it angrily too, like it slapped his mother. To this day I can't go somewhere snowy without hearing snuh."
Grayson let the chuckles die out before his next story, "When we were on Elysium, Colt got shot in the thigh. I asked him if he was alright, and he shouted back, 'My genetic legacy is fine!'" That got everyone laughing. Liara looked at Shepard with a smile, and laughed. It almost made getting shot worth it.
"Another time a slightly higher ranking officer than us asked him, 'In your honest opinion, what do I remind you of?' Now keep in mind this woman was the most intimidating person I have ever met," Greyson explained.
"Her soul was made out of broken dreams, her enemies' tears, and the crushed spirits of subordinates," Colt thought he should add to the imagery.
"So he looks her straight in the eye and replies, 'In my honest opinion, you remind me of a spider that eats their mate.' That was the first and last time she ever laughed... I'm kinda sad she kicked it on Elysium," Grayson slipped into a sad tone at the end. Everything was so heavy lately, and it was driving Colt nuts.
"What happened to the rest of us?" He was talking about the small group of people who lived through the initial shelling and waves of batarians. Later in the invasion all but Colt would leave to evacuate the people. He hadn't talked to the Elysium people in years.
"Well, Laura got killed in action about a year after Elysium, Jack and Coby shot themselves, Martin hung himself, and Darcy got sent to a mental health facility," Grayson said this without much emotion. Time had probably allowed him to get used to the idea.
"Ah," Shepard stared at his hand for a second, wondering why he didn't have something alcoholic. All of his old friends were...dead. He wondered if the Normandy had enough liquor to get him drunk.
Liara had been far away from him, standing near the kitchen's little island, but now she was at his side. He was a master at hiding emotions, but she actually felt what he was feeling so it was a little difficult keeping things from her. She put a blue hand over his.
"I guess they couldn't handle Elysium like we could," Grayson shrugged. What a joke his words were.
"Commander, may I have a word with you in private?" EDI saved Colt from remembering.
"Of course," Colt was so relieved that he practically skipped into the med bay. "So what's up?"
"Commander, it appears that Grayson is wanted by the Alliance," EDI's voice echoed in the empty med-bay. It took a little while for Shepard to process this information. When it finally sank in, Shepard glanced at his old friend. Something had seemed odd about him. Shepard could probably negotiate on his behalf, so he wasn't very concerned.
"Are you sure?" Shepard asked the ceiling.
"Positive," EDI was rarely, if ever wrong.
"Well alright. I'll put him in the brig for now, but I'll be able to negotiate with the Alliance. Send whoever is in charge of this case a message saying that we have him in custody," Shepard said a little absent mindedly.
"Message sent. Aren't you concerned about his reaction?" EDI's voice surprised him.
"No, he's a good man. Plus, I'll remind him that my status will be able to sway whomever this concerns," Shepard replied easily.
He waited for EDI, but she said nothing more. Some handcuffs were under the mess hall cushions, so he walked out of the mess hall to his companions. The majority was still sitting in the mess hall listening to Grayson. "Well, I have some bad news Grayson," Shepard started rummaging through his not-so secret weapons stash to get handcuffs. "It looks like the Alliance wants to arrest you, but don't worry-," Shepard stopped when he heard a gun cocking.
Grayson had grabbed an Ensign, and had a pistol to his head. Shepard grabbed a similar weapon, and turned slowly towards his old friend. Grayson had his arm around Ensign Copeland's neck, and the pistol's barrel to his temple. The two were by the med bay doors. He was slowing stepping towards the elevator. "If you turn me in Colt, I'll blow this kid's brains out," he moved his finger towards the trigger a little more to prove his point.
"Let's not be stupid, let Copeland go, and put the gun down," Shepard said evenly. He was well aware that Grayson probably intended to get on the elevator, ride it up to the CIC, and take control of the Normandy. He would never be able to, not with EDI being there, and having the capabilities to lockdown the cockpit.
Shepard chose not to activate the emergency lockdown, and EDI could only activate it with his direct orders, or force deemed lethal. A lockdown would only serve to scare Grayson. Plus, Shepard didn't intend to let him anywhere close to the elevator. "I know you, you'll hand me over to your precious Alliance in a heartbeat. I can't go, not now," Grayson was breathing heavily, and stepping towards the elevator. Shepard whistled a harsh note making a large number of the mess's occupants look at him.
Rosebud appeared next to his side. She would stop Gtayson from getting on the elevator. He whistled an even harsher note, and gestured towards Grayson with his free hand. Rosebud leaped forward, and started barking ferociously at Grayson. It was her deep bark, and frankly it intimidated Shepard a little. Then she switched to growling, which was deep, and reverberated through the mess hall. "Let him go, and put the gun down. Don't be stupid," Shepard calmly said. He could feel Liara next to him, while the rest of the ground team was strategically moving to better positions. Rosebud pushed him back into the area between the kitchen and med bay.
"Shut that Varren up!" Grayson looked wildly at Rosebud, and then back to Shepard. His finger was moving closer and closer to the trigger.
"Let Copeland go, put the gun down, and then I'll get Rosebud to stop. If you don't do this, I will shoot you," Shepard remained steely calm.
"You wouldn't shoot me," Grayson yelled. This needed to end now, he was getting too nervous. Shepard would not let him hurt any member of his crew.
"I will, now do as I say or I'll fire," Shepard said this with the same icy coolness.
"You wouldn't hurt a friend Colt," Grayson's eyes gleamed defiantly. He was confident that he had caught Shepard bluffing. The only problem was that Shepard wasn't bluffing. The thought of catching Shepard in a bluff made Grayson cocky, and the atmosphere changed rapidly. Before he had believed that Shepard might have had the upper hand, but now Grayson believed that he was in control. That was dangerous; he thought he could get away with doing anything. Shepard made the split second decision that he would not get the chance.
Shepard's pistol came alive, and turned Grayson's chest into pulp. Grayson stumbled backwards, and raised his own gun towards Colt. Another bullet tore through his chest, sending Shepard's friend into the metal railing between the med bay and mess hall. His hold on Copeland ripped the Ensign backwards with him. Rosebud stopped growling, but still stood in an aggressive stance.
Shepard lunged forward, and grabbed Copeland by his shirt, practically dragging him to a safer position. He also managed to grab the gun Grayson had, which he promptly put on safety and took its clip out. The force of Shepard grabbing Copeland made Grayson hit the floor. The sickening sound of a body hitting the metal flooring made almost everyone cringe. When it was clear that Grayson wouldn't mount another attack, Shepard kneeled by his side. Blood was dribbling out his mouth, and his chest had two large holes in it.
"You're so stupid! I could've figured out something for you, negotiated something. Instead you lose your head, and start waving around a gun!" Shepard was shouting in the dying man's face.
"You shot me," he replied. Surprisingly his voice was loud.
"No, you did this to yourself," Shepard closed his eyes. This was so unreal.
"I never could get it quite right after Elysium. Nothing clicked the way it used to, nothing made sense," Grayson laughed slightly which caused more blood to bubble out of his mouth. "You seem fine though, how'd you get over it?"
Shepard remained quiet for a second, simply searching his friend's face. "I didn't," Shepard had never spoken truer words. Grayson searched his face, and blinked a few times when he realized Shepard was serious.
"Make sure I go down with honor," Grayson pleaded.
"You will," Shepard promised. He listened to the gurgling noise that was no doubt Grayson trying to breathe through blood filled lungs. The noise went on for several seconds, turned into a sigh, and then turned into silence. He died with his eyes open, which were staring sadly at Shepard.
Commander Shepard was now the only Elysium hero to be alive and sane.
Colt stood slowly. He took the clip out of his own gun, and set it down on the counter a little to his left. The entire ground crew was looking at him. Someone else could clean up this mess; he needed to do paperwork or something anyways. He definitely needed to get Grayson's legacy sorted out, and a funeral arranged. Grayson deserved it.
Shepard turned around to face the mess hall. He surveyed the faces populating the area, and then started for the elevator. Rosebud padded by his side alertly. "Com-Commander, thank you for saving me," Copeland was still shaking, but he was looking at Shepard like he was a hero. The poor kid was sitting at one of the tables with a blanket around his shoulders; some people, including Doctor Chakwas, were by his side.
"You're part of my crew," he answered quickly before leaving.