February 16th 2184 CE
Garrus spent the following days researching The Talons and their supposedly unremarkable leader. They were a small time gang, so inconsequential that the major players didn't even bother with them; which is how they survived. That being said, The Talons were a nasty bunch. They captured slaves, dealt red sand, ran protection rackets, and freelanced as hired killers. Like cockroaches they crawled out of their lairs to reign down terror on the local populace, but knew their limits. Despite their paltry numbers, they had significant successes, hinting at intelligence behind their plans. And his gut feeling was that Derius wasn't the witless idiot he made himself out to be. The gang had adapted perfectly to their situation. An enemy like that was to be respected. And Garrus knew he'd have to strengthen the team significantly before he'd be comfortable taking them on.
At the moment, their main focus was sprucing up their base of operations. They had cleaned out the ground floor, disposing of broken furniture and the various odds and ends left behind by its former tenants. Once the debris was cleared, they fortified the front room's defenses. All windows had been replaced by three foot thick, reinforced steel.
The kitchen appliances weren't nearly as cooperative as broken down furniture. They were less technological than the apparatuses from back home, and he found himself lost in their simplicity.
"What are you doing?" Garrus blurted exasperatedly at the sound of Ripper roaming about the upstairs corridor with some sort of wood stick with wide bristles at the base. It made an awful scratching sound against the hard floor.
"Sweeping."
"What is that?"
"A broom. What? You too good for chores hot shot?"
"I don't think I've ever laid eyes on something so archaic."
"Go buy us some fancy cleanin' robot and be done with it then. This was in the closet so's this is what I'm usin'."
Garrus switched on his visor's playlist and returned to repairing the refrigerator. The air filtration system was a mess. He could simply toss it and order a new one but expenses were piling up. Between the steep price tag on their base of operations, fortified steel barricades, and Ripper's new armor they had spent over half their credits. Until they had a source of income, he had to be careful.
"Need a hand?" At the sound of a voice that was distinctly not Ripper's, Garrus nearly jumped out of his skin. He spun around wildly, switching off his deafening music in the process, and found himself standing face to face with Frank Butler.
Garrus glanced up to see how the neighborhood drunk had gotten the drop on Ripper as well only to find the human head banging vigorously to whatever music was blaring through his earbuds, still dragging that ridiculous broom around.
"How did you get in?!" Garrus gaped, scarcely believing his eyes.
"You know, you really should lock your door."
"I installed both electronic and turn key locks. Not to mention the fact it's reinforced with three feet of solid steel!"
"Oh, I came in the other door."
"The other… what?!" He not only studied the blueprints before buying the place but thoroughly scoped it out. "Show me."
Butler lead him to the underground bunker, a small room that opened into a larger warehouse structure. Garrus watched closely as Frank waltzed to his right, and pressed his hand against the concrete wall revealing a hidden passageway. He repeated the gesture on the other side with the same result.
"Used to work here in the sixties. They didn't want us regular folk walkin' in the front door so we used the back entrance."
"This is a problem we'll need to address." Garrus groaned. "For now I can electronically lock the standard doors. However, I'd like to see how deep these tunnels go. Mind showing me around?"
The tour beneath his base was uneventful. Both tunnels spilled out into the west and east side of the Kima District, if used properly they could serve as escape routes in case trouble came knocking. The other option would be to collapse the passageways in order to secure the base. Either way, he'd have to deal with it sooner or later.
Once they were back inside, Butler went to work on the various appliances. Within an hour, he had the whole kitchen running smooth as silk.
"Castor, I uhhh… Look, I don't know how to say this. But my wife, she told me your plans. Let me join you. I know my way around a gun, a little anyway. But I can do just about anything. Cook, clean, repair stuff…"
Garrus paused to evaluate the man in front of him. Despite the signs of aging, Frank's mannerisms were almost child-like. He stared at his hands, shame clearly washing over him. And Garrus knew there was more to this than mere embarrassment over drunken antics.
"You understand we're going after some of the nastiest criminals in the galaxy I hope. You'll need training and I expect you to follow orders."
Frank's entire disposition changed in an instant. In a flash, he closed the distance between them and vigorously shook Garrus's hand.
"I won't disappoint you sir."