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Loyalty and Limerence
Part 2
Chapter 18
The Normandy SR2
To call the days following the incident with Morinth 'difficult' wouldn't have done them justice. Thanks to the Normandy's doctors, Jane was able to get up and moving about fairly quickly, despite the damage the Ardat-Yashi inflicted on her nervous system, but it was nearly a week until she was able to walk without the help of a cane.
Her vision seemed to return to normal quickly, but the weakness and trembling she suffered from seemed to linger, clearly bothering her. Garrus could understand why, as her strength and combat prowess were some of the things she valued most about herself. Jane kept mostly to herself that first week, and though he didn't want to push her, he made sure she knew he was there if she needed him.
Shepard was forced to ground her for the next few missions, and although it was completely reasonable due to her health and limitations, Jane was understandably frustrated. She put on a brave face and didn't argue, but Garrus felt his heart break as he stepped onto the shuttle without her and turned to see the briefest moment of self-loathing and grief flash across her expression.
Turning back, Garrus took a few slow steps toward where she stood glaring down at her single, trembling upturned hand. He carefully reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"You okay?" He asked quietly, and after a moment she looked up and nodded.
"Yeah. I'm okay. I get it. I'd be a liability. I can't do shit, not like-" She looked down at her hand again for a moment before clenching it in a fist, "Not like this."
"Doctor Chakwas says you're making great progress and you should be cleared to fight again in a few weeks. Just be patient."
"Yeah. I know." She spat as she looked away, her tone and expression at odds with her words. Jamming her hands in her pockets, she turned and limped toward the elevator alone.
At first, Garrus wasn't sure what caused him to wake. Laying in his bunk, he registered the darkness and realized it was still the middle of the Normandy's night cycle. He could hear the sounds of snoring crew members in the beds around him, as well as the distant droning of the drive core in the background. He supposed it must have been a dream that had awoken him, but he could have sworn he'd heard-
Somewhere nearby, he heard the rustle of bedsheets and a soft gasp. Sitting up, his eyes immediately sought out Jane's bunk and he watched as she suddenly thrashed an arm out and groaned.
"Jane?" Garrus whispered, but got no answer. Quietly, he removed his sheets and shivered, silently cursing the cool temperature of the human ship as he moved quietly to kneel beside Jane's bunk. She shifted, and he noticed that she was still asleep, despite the strained expression on her face and the sweat on her brow. She let loose a small whimper as she gripped her sheet tightly. "Jane?" He said again, a little louder as he lifted a hand to shake her lightly.
With a muffled shriek, Jane's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, her face a mask of terror. She breathed heavily, her wide, glassy eyes scanning the room wildly without seeming to register anything.
"Whoa, whoa there." Garrus murmured soothingly, bringing a hand up to her arm, which she violently shrugged off. Holding his hands up defensively, he waited until she seemed to come to herself. After a moment, she seemed to register his presence.
"Garrus?" She asked hesitantly, her breathing still ragged as she lifted a hand to brush sweaty hair out of her face.
"Yeah, it's just me." She nodded jerkily before taking a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. "Nightmare?" He asked, and she nodded again before flopping back down onto her pillow. She lifted both her hands to press her palms against her eyes, letting loose a deep, ragged breath.
"I don't want to go back to sleep." Garrus heard her hoarse, muffled words, and after a moment, he stood, holding out his hand to her as she looked up at him.
"Then come on, we'll go to the starboard observation deck. It'll be empty at this hour." Jane seemed to think about it for a moment before taking his hand and letting him help her out of bed. Their hands remained interwoven as they left the barracks and turned the corner into the observation room.
As soon as the door closed, Jane dropped his hands and walked toward the large window, stopping before it and crossing her arms as she gazed out into space. Garrus came to stand beside her, glancing down at her out of the corner of his eyes every now and then. The minutes dragged on in silence, neither of them moving, and Garrus searched for words he could use to comfort her. But each time, the words he came up with seemed to fall short of sufficient, and so he remained a silent source of companionship for her, not unlike she had been for him after Sidonis.
"I felt so…" Jane muttered finally, breaking the reverent silence, "...so helpless." Garrus glanced back at her, and noticed the shimmering in her eyes, "I don't ever want to feel that way again." She growled through clenched teeth, her fingers digging into her upper arms as she scowled. "Every time I close my eyes, I see her face and-" His chest clenched as he froze, unsure how best to react. Jane so rarely let people in, so rarely let people truly see how she felt, and it felt like trying to coax a wild animal out of hiding.
Jane's face screwed up as she grappled with the weight of the emotions welling up in her, bringing a hand up to scrub at her eyes with disgust. Turning to face her, Garrus brought a hand up to brush her arm.
"Hey, it's okay to cry." He whispered, and in a flash she turned her anger on him with a heated glare.
"Turians can't cry, so what the fuck do you know about it?" Jane hissed as she narrowed her eyes up at him. Despite the rage radiating off her, she remained where she was, not putting distance between them.
"True, but I've worked with species who do long enough to know it's not a bad thing." Garrus kept his voice level and calm, recognizing her anger for what it was.
"I don't fucking cry!" She yelled as a single tear escaped to trickle down her cheek before she could furiously brush it away. "When I can't handle my crappy emotions, I workout, I fight someone, I fucking hit something until I feel better. But I can't even manage that like this!" Another tear trickled down her cheek, followed by another, and she raised her hands to wipe them away.
Without a word, Garrus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jane, enveloping her in a hug as her eyes widened. "Goddamn it!" She yelled, pulling away just far enough to raise up a fist. He winced as it came smashing down into his chest, and just as he considered letting her go, she let loose a ragged sob, her forehead falling forward to rest against him. She raised her fist again, but when it collided half heartedly with his chest again, she finally melted into his embrace.
Sharp, gasping sobs wracked Jane's body as her arms reached around him to grip the back of his shirt. Garrus pressed his face into her hair, breathing her in and attempting to stifle the sadness resonating in his subvocals as he held her tightly.
"I'm just so-" She hiccuped, her voice muffled by his shirt, "so fucking weak now! What if I never get back to normal?" She sniffled, her body convulsing again as she tried to stifle another round of sobs, "John's never going to trust me in battle again, he-" she struggled with the words as though her throat was squeezing them, struggling not to let them out, "He's lost faith in me, I let him down, I…" The rest of her fears were lost in a renewed bout of sobbing, and Garrus held her up as her knees began to wobble, holding her close as she clung to him.
He wasn't sure how long they remained like that, wrapped in each other's arms, him holding her while she shook with the violence of her pain, both physical and emotional. But when she finally began to find calmness, her sobs fading to occasional sniffles, and finally to deep, even breathing, he pulled back far enough to press a kiss to her forehead.
"You're going to get through this. I know you feel weak right now, but you're going to heal. Shepard hasn't lost faith in you, he just wants to give you the time you need to get your strength back. And he feels guilty because he feels like you're suffering because he failed you. I feel some of that, too. No," Garrus cut in as she opened her mouth to argue, "We can talk about that more later." She nodded silently, and he pulled her closer, "I'm here with you every step of the way." He whispered against her skin, "I'll always have your six." She smiled at that, her eyes still bright with emotion as she brought her arms up to wrap around his neck.
"Thank you, Garrus." She replied, leaning forward to press her forehead to his, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"John, I'm ready to go back to active duty." Garrus looked up from his meal to see Jane staring across the table at her brother where he sat beside him. Shepard looked up from his own meal, his expression surprised.
"I'm not necessarily arguing, but-" Shepard started but was quickly interrupted.
"It's been a month. Chakwas says I'm almost completely healed. Garrus and I have started sparring again and I've been doing a lot better, haven't I, Garrus?" She looked at him, and Garrus nodded slowly.
"I wouldn't say you're 100% yet, but you're definitely improving."
"Improving? I wiped the floor with your face yesterday, and you call that improving?" Jane stared him down, her eyes narrowing with indignation as Garrus chuckled.
"Well, you only managed it once out of our four rounds. Not up to your usual standards." Garrus replied as he leaned back in his hair, crossing his arms. She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
"Fine. Regardless, I know we're going to be arriving on Illium in a few days, and I'm ready to go groundside. I've missed out on a bunch of missions, and I get it, I was a liability as I was. But not anymore."
"I don't know…" Shepard started before trailing off, bringing a hand up to his chin in consideration.
"Please, John. Just give me a chance, I can fight, I can be useful." Jane's voice bordered desperation as her eyes seemed to burn with intensity.
"Jane…" Shepard's voice dropped, his eyebrows furrowing, "It's okay to not be okay yet. You don't need to push yourself in order to prove you're healed if you're not yet. You don't need to prove yourself to me."
"But I am healed. Healed enough to get back out there. I can't stand sitting on my ass anymore." They stared each other down for a few heartbeats until Shepard sighed and nodded.
"Fine. But at the first sign that you're not okay, I'm having Garrus haul your ass out of there, whether you like it or not."
"Deal." With that, Jane stood, picked up her tray, and brought it back to the kitchenette before leaving the mess hall. Shepard sighed again, leaning back in his chair.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"
"I still can't believe how big this ship is. I mean, obviously the Flotilla has many ships that are much larger, so I guess I meant how spacious this ship is." Tali muttered from the couch across from Garrus as they lounged in the port observation deck. Kasumi seemed to be out, most likely eavesdropping somewhere she shouldn't be, though it was hard to tell with her. "So," Tali continued as she crossed a leg and snuggled deeper into the couch, "Where's Jane? Unless you guys are on duty, I rarely seem to see you guys apart. I'm beginning to think you like her or something." She pointed out, her voice conveying her sly amusement.
"Funny." Garrus replied dryly, ignoring the grin no doubt plastered across the quarian's face. "She's with Samara right now, I think." Tali's bright eyes blinked with surprise at his response.
"Really? Not that I have anything against Samara, but that seems like an odd friendship."
"Well, I think Jane really admired her before the whole Morinth thing. Then afterwards, Samara started helping with her recovery. She taught Jane some meditation techniques and some other stuff to help. I don't particularly understand it all, but it does seem to help."
"Oh. Huh." Tali seemed to consider for a moment before she spoke again. "How's she doing? I know she's been struggling." She asked, her modulated voice subdued and somber. "I've been worried about her." Garrus took a moment to consider before answering.
"Jane's been doing better, I think. It's been slow, and that makes her frustrated. But she's been getting a lot stronger and gaining her control back. We've been sparring and she's pretty close to her old self. But I think the whole thing has shaken her confidence a little."
"Understandable. I only know what you guys have told me about what happened, but it sounds like it was terrifying for her." Tali sighed, and Garrus nodded, looking down at the floor. "I know she's still having nightmares." She murmured after a moment. He nodded again.
"Yeah, but I think they're happening less frequently now. Honestly, I think with some of the things we've seen, more than one of us have the occasional nightmare at this point. Jane says even Shepard has them about what happened over Alchera." Garrus said with a sigh, thinking of his own recurring nightmares. One in particular always stood out. The dripping of the blood his choices had spilt, ten pairs of electric, glowing eyes, Shepard's charred and cracked helmet, the hatred in Jane's eyes-
"I didn't… I didn't realize…" Tali trailed off as she looked away, her hand clenching where it lay beside her. "It's not easy for them to let us in, is it?" Garrus raised a brow plate at her in question, and so she continued, "John and Jane. They can both be so closed off, they hold everyone at arm's length, even you and me, and we've been with them from the start." She sighed and brought her hands up to fiddle with one of the buckles on her suit idly. Tali looked up at him after a moment, her raised brow just barely visible through her helmet's facemask as her voice picked up a suggestive tone, "Well, I suppose that's not the case for you, not anymore, huh? A little closer than arm's length at this point, wouldn't you say?"
Garrus coughed awkwardly at her sudden insinuation, causing Tali to laugh, the gloom of a few minutes before dissipating somewhat. He chuckled after a moment, nodding his head.
"Yeah. It wasn't easy getting to that point though."
"I can imagine." Tali stated dryly, her eyes rolling as she leaned back in her seat, "You're both so dense, I'm actually pretty surprised you guys figured it out at all." Garrus snorted at that, leveling her with an unamused smile.
"What's that human saying? The one about the kitchenware calling each other names?" Tali stared at him, uncomprehendingly, "Whatever, nevermind. The point is, you're one to talk, Miss vas Neema. How long have you been nursing that crush on the Commander? Pretty much from the word 'go'?"
Tali stuttered, her flustered hands gesturing jerkily before finally giving up with sigh.
"Was I really that obvious? That's a bit humiliating. Did everyone know back then?" She asked, her voice filled with her mortification as she looked away.
"No, I wouldn't say everyone. I think Liara was too busy obsessing over him herself to notice anything, and I can't speak for Kaidan or Ashley." Garrus shrugged, before stiffening, "Wrex, well, he doesn't miss much." He growled, his own embarrassment causing his neck to warm.
"Yeah," Tali giggled, "He had you pinned pretty early on. You were pretty much head over heels from the start, too, weren't you?" Garrus grumbled at that as he looked away, but didn't argue. They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke up again quietly, "It doesn't really matter, though, in the end."
"What doesn't matter?" He asked, and Tali sighed as she looked down, rubbing one arm distractedly.
"Watching you and Jane, it's really nice. I'm so happy for you guys. But Shepard… he's never going to feel that way about me. Not the way I feel about him. I'm just some quarian engineer. He's the galaxy's savior. He can't even see my face behind my helmet. He's never going to feel the same way I feel." She muttered, her voice leaden and full of quiet despair.
"You don't know that." Garrus started, thinking about Shepard's behavior since Tali joined the crew, but Tali shook her head firmly. "Maybe you should just talk to him about it." She snorted and looked back at him, shaking her head.
"You know it's not that simple. Plus, even if he did feel the same way about me by some miracle, it's not like we could be together. I don't want to be a distraction. The whole galaxy is relying on him, I don't want this mission to fail because of me."
"That sounds like an excuse. You both deserve to be happy."
"You think I don't want to be happy? Garrus, just kissing him could kill me. He deserves someone who can make him happy, too."
"You won't know what would make him happy until you talk to him, Tali." Garrus urged gently, but she shook her head.
"I can't just march up to him and tell him that I love him."
Garrus froze as a memory seemed to tickle at the back of his mind, bubbling up from the depths, foggy and faint. A memory that had been amongst those not entirely recognized or acknowledged since he woke up for the first time on the Normandy SR2 with half his face blown off.
He'd sat on the floor of his Omega apartment, battered, bruised, and exhausted. He'd closed his eyes for a moment, only to be awoken by the unexpected sound of footsteps drawing nearer. He'd looked up to see a face he hadn't expected to see again before he died. She'd said his name only for him to discover she wasn't real, as ghostly as the rest of the hallucinations he'd had that day. But then she'd knelt down and took his face in her hands and he'd said-
I love you.
Garrus had said those words, but it hadn't really been her. He had completely forgotten about most of the hallucinations he'd seen, those few days having become a bit of a blur in his memory. But like a blow to the head, the memory came rushing back to him and left him feeling awestruck.
But, of course he loved Jane Shepard. It was as obvious as the markings on his face, and as natural as the feel of his sniper rifle in his hands. Garrus Vakarian loved Jane Shepard. It was like one of the laws of nature; unequivocally true and universally accepted.
"Garrus? Are you okay?" Tali asked, concerned as she cocked her head to the side in question. Blinking, Garrus came back to himself in a disorienting rush.
"What? Oh. Yeah. Sorry, I just-" He jumped as the door opened suddenly, and his heart thudded hard in his ribcage as he turned to see Jane enter the room, pausing as she noticed them both.
"Garrus. Tali." She nodded to both of them before moving over to drop tiredly onto the couch beside him. Tali stood and readjusted her suit before turning toward the door.
"Hi, Jane. I'll leave so you guys can have a little privacy." Jane sat forward, gesturing for her to stay.
"No, no, you can stay. We can-"
"No, it's okay." Tali nodded her head in their direction, her voice a little tight, "Really, it's fine. I have some work to finish up, anyway. Have a good night, guys." And with that, she hurried out of the room.
"Was it something I said?" Jane wondered aloud, watching bemusedly as the door closed behind the fleeing quarian. Garrus shook his head and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they settled back onto the couch.
"No, we were just talking about Shepard. I think it gave her a lot to think about."
"Ah. I see."
"How did it go with Samara?" Garrus asked, and Jane turned her head to look at him oddly.
"I wasn't with Samara. I was meeting with Miranda."
"Oh? What for?" She held up a data disk, a pleased smile on her face.
"I asked her a while back to help me track down some data that Liara was convinced Cerberus had. She finally came through for me."
"Really now. Anything interesting?"
"It's about the Shadow Broker. I'm going to take it to her tomorrow when we arrive on Illium. I was wondering if you'd like to come along with me?"
"Do you really need to ask?"
It was around noon the next day when they finally made it to Liara's office in Nos Astra. It hadn't taken much work for Jane to convince Shepard to let her sit out the mission to find Miranda's sister, though he was certainly confused after her insistence that she be allowed to rejoin the ground team. Regardless, he'd been happy to let Garrus stay back with her, directing him to make sure she didn't overtax herself.
"Jane, Garrus, it's good to see you both again." Liara looked up as they entered her office, gesturing for them to sit.
"Good to see you, too, Liara." Jane replied as they took their seats, shifting to accommodate their weaponry.
"What can I do for you both?" Liara asked, one slim eyebrow lifted curiously until Jane held up the small data disk between two of her fingers.
"Just coming through on an old promise." She stated, the corner of her lips coming up in a small, crooked smile. Liara's eyes widened in surprise and she took a deep inhale.
"Is that…?" She trailed off as though she didn't want to get her hopes up.
"I believe this is what you've been looking for. Turns out, all I had to do was ask the right person." After a moment of tense silence, she asked, "Still interested?"
"Absolutely! Let me see what you've got!" Liara demanded excitedly as she stood quickly and held her hand out for the disk. Jane placed it in her outstretched hand and Liara quickly loaded it into a nearby data pad. Swiping through the files, Liara's eyes darted quickly as she took in the information. "It looks like a leaked transmission between Shadow Broker operatives. Some hints as to the locations, and…" Her face softened even as her eyes lit up, "It's about Feron. He's still alive."
Jane shifted in her seat, glancing to Garrus for a moment before returning her focus to Liara.
"Who's Feron?" She asked carefully, and Liara seemed to consider the question before placing the data pad down on the desk.
"He was a friend." She murmured softly, "He helped me recover Shepard's body from the Shadow Broker."
"Ah." Jane's face hardened, but after a moment she asked, "Why did the Shadow Broker go to all the trouble of recovering his body?" Liara, who had turned to look out the large window behind her desk, looked back at them.
"He was going to sell him to the Collectors." Jane's eyes widened at that, the surprise and alarm clear on her face.
"That's why you were so concerned about them back when you sent me to Omega."
"Yes. But Feron and I stopped him." Liara looked out the window again, though she seemed to be somewhere else entirely within her mind, "Feron sacrificed himself to save me. Now you've given me a chance to save him. After two years, I hadn't even dreamed…" She added quietly.
"Well, let's not waste any time, then." Jane stood suddenly, and Garrus followed, "What's the next step?" Garrus glanced at her, trepidation building he realized they were not, in fact, going to simply run errands that day.
"I… I don't know." Liara turned suddenly, her face drawn as thoughts and ideas seemed to flit through her head, "I need to prepare, to think." Suddenly, she was a flurry of activity, grabbing things off her desk and out of draws, packing them into a small bag as she continued, "I'm going home, let my new assistant know if you need anything, I-" Liara started for the door, but Jane grabbed her arm gently, her face concerned.
"You okay?" Jane asked, her voice low. After a pause, Liara replied, her expression distracted and conflicted.
"I've spent two years plotting revenge." She looked up to lock eyes with Jane, a small, hopeful smile on her lips, "Now I have a chance to make it a rescue."
"Let us help." Jane insisted, her tone demanding rather than suggesting, "We'll meet you at your apartment?" Liara only hesitated for a second before nodding her head.
"Okay. Hopefully I'll have a plan by then. Thank you, Jane. Garrus." With a nod of the head, Liara turned and left, and Garrus turned to face Jane, his eyes full of concern.
"Jane, are you sure this is a good idea? I don't think the Shadow Broker is going to take us knocking on his front door sitting down. Maybe we should call Shepard, he-" Garrus started, but Jane shook her head vehemently.
"No." She stated firmly, her eyes hard, "They've got plenty on their plate, and we can handle this." Jane turned to the door, and Garrus sighed.
"Are you sure you're up for this?" He asked quietly, crossing his arms to hide his building anxiety. Jane's jaw tightened and Garrus noticed one of her hands tremble slightly where it rested at her side before she clenched it into a firm fist.
"Yes." With that, she strode out of the room. Garrus sighed before glancing out the window to see the darkening clouds on the horizon, a storm slowly moving in on the city. He turned and followed after, his brow plates drawing down in unease.
As soon as they arrived at Liara's apartment building, it was obvious something was wrong. The number of police cars parked outside the front door was telling, and it was too much to hope that it was a coincidence. The storm Garrus had seen earlier was approaching quickly, crashes of lightning in the distance visible occasionally, flashing off the glass of nearby buildings and adding to the grim atmosphere as the sky darkened.
Jane and Garrus hurried through the doors and up the elevator, but their fears were quickly confirmed when they arrived at Liara's front door only to find it open, a police officer hurrying past them on his way out. There was a barricade set up just within the door, and Jane paused in front of it before catching the attention of a nearby officer.
"What's going on here?" The officer turned to face them at Jane's question, glancing up briefly from her data pad.
"This area is sealed off. Please step back, ma'am."
"Sealed off? Why?" Jane demanded, and Garrus stepped up beside her, his eyes scanning the room.
The apartment was clearly being investigated as a crime scene, Garrus noted with trepidation. He didn't need to be an ex-cop to notice the signs as officers scanned for clues and evidence, hand prints being lifted and, Garrus noticed with alarm, bullet holes being examined.
"Well, if it isn't Shepard. Wasn't expecting to see you here." Garrus turned to see a blue armored asari descending a nearby staircase, her eyes locked on Jane.
"Vasir. It's been a while." Jane stated cooly, her expression caught between curious and cautious in a way that immediately put Garrus on edge. Vasir turned suddenly to the nearby officer.
"Thank you, officer. Your people are dismissed." She stated, her voice clipped as she turned away just as suddenly with apparent lack of concern. Jane raised a single eyebrow, flashing a crooked, amused smile at the officer as she stepped past the barrier, causing it to beep angrily.
"H-hey!" The officer held out a hand to stop her, but Jane just shrugged it off before stepping further into the room. With a quick apology to the officer, Garrus followed after her. "You can't do that!" The officer protested, but Vasir barely registered her.
"Already done." She glanced back over her shoulder before turning away again, her dismissal clear. Grumbling, the officer made a rude gesture in Vasir's direction before calling for the others. Directing them out of the room, it was only a matter of moments before they were alone.
Jane took the few steps up into the living area, and Vasir turned to face her as she neared. The two women stared each other down for a moment before extending their hands, shaking firmly.
"It's good to see you, Shepard. I was starting to worry, I haven't heard from you in a while."
"Good to see you, too. Sorry about going silent, there hasn't been much to report regarding my original mission in some time, but I've been in contact with the council regularly."
"I see." Vasir turned to eye Garrus, and Jane turned to gesture for him to join them.
"Garrus, this is Tela Vasir, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." He came to stand beside Jane, his eyes widening in surprise.
"A Spectre?" He asked, extending his hand, which Vasir shook.
"I'm assuming you've scanned for bugs already?" Jane asked the other woman, who raised an eyebrow at her.
"Naturally." Vasir replied, and Jane turned back to Garrus.
"Vasir conducted my initial training and mentorship when I was made a Spectre." She explained, and Garrus nodded slowly. She turned back to Vasir and gestured to Garrus, "This is Garrus Vakarian, we serve together aboard the Normandy SR2."
"Ah, yes, I heard that Commander Shepard was alive and had been reinstated. That must be nice for you." Vasir stated, her voice light and casual in a way that made Garrus' plates grate. "He was one of our most famous operatives. Might ask you to get him to sign my chest plate." Garrus looked to Jane, whose eyes narrowed imperceptibly.
"So, what are you even doing here?" Jane asked almost offhandedly, ignoring the comments as she scanned the room, "Where is Liara? What happened?" Garrus' eyes landed on the holes in the large windows.
"Someone tried to kill your friend." Instantly, Vasir's expression grew serious, her eyes narrowing.
"Is she okay? Where is she?" Garrus asked, controlling the alarm in his subvocals.
"I'm not sure, that's what I'd like to discover, if I can. I assume you had business with T'soni this evening, Shepard?" Vasir asked, and after a heartbeat, Jane nodded. She spun slowly, her eyes roaming the apartment before she returned her attention back to the asari Spectre.
"She was following a lead." Jane stated simply, but after a pause, she added, "She was expecting us. Do you mind if we look around? Maybe we can find a hint as to where she went." The room went silent as their eyes locked, and Garrus could have sworn the room chilled a few degrees before Vasir replied.
"Of course, be my guest." She crossed her arms, her expression growing frustrated, "I haven't found anything useful for tracking her down yet. You knew T'soni better than I do. Where would she have hidden a message?" At that, Jane turned to examine the apartment again.
"I'm not sure. Let's take a look around." That last part she directed at Garrus before slowly making her way around the room, stopping momentarily to examine some of the many artifacts. Once they were out of earshot of Vasir, Garrus nudged Jane's shoulder.
"Is there a reason you're not trusting Vasir with what we know so far? About the data Liara is investigating and the Shadow Broker?" He whispered, and Jane frowned as she seemed to hesitate.
"I can't be sure, something just feels off. About her, about this situation, all of it. Liara didn't trust her, and something about Vasir's demeanor seems wrong. I can't put my finger on it. Besides that, I can't figure out why she's here. Spectres don't step in to investigate attempted murders on low level information brokers, not without a reason. Until I know what that reason is, I don't trust her."
"I thought you guys were friends?" Jane barked a quiet, unamused laugh, shaking her head.
"Were you friends with everyone you worked with?" She had him there, so he dropped the matter. "Okay, mister ex-cop." She continued, "You were an investigator, weren't you? Let's find us some clues as to what happened to Liara."
Garrus found it mildly interesting that the procedures and mindset of an investigator came back to him so quickly, even lacking the usual tools he would have had in his arsenal. They methodically made their way throughout the apartment, but as far as he could tell, they failed to uncover anything that hadn't already been found by the officers before them.
With some trepidation, he took a closer look at the holes in the glass, noticing with interest and concern that the building seemed to have kinetic barriers. While that wasn't uncommon, particularly in nice highrise apartment buildings such as this, it did mean that whatever model rifle did this had managed to punch right through the barriers before cutting through the glass as though it were butter. He shuddered to think what they would have found had the shot found its mark.
"It couldn't have been a standard issue rifle." Garrus mused as he stood from examining the bullet holes in the floor, and Jane nodded.
"I agree." Vasir stated from where she stood nearby, watching them carefully. Jane looked at her, but said nothing as she moved on. Vasir's eyes continued to follow them as they moved through the room.
By the time they made their way up to her bedroom loft, Garrus was starting to lose hope that they would find anything worth their while. The good news was that they'd found a complete lack of evidence of a struggle or that Liara was in anyway injured in the attack. But they were no closer to figuring out where Liara went than when they'd first arrived.
"Huh." Jane muttered as her eyes locked onto a photo displayed on a frame beside the large, comfortable looking bed. Garrus followed her and smiled as he recognized the picture, for it was one he had a copy of as well. He remembered that day aboard the Normandy SR1 when the ground team had all pressed together for a picture, arms thrown around each other's shoulders in order to fit everyone into the frame. It had been just after a successful mission and they'd all been high off their victory, smiles large with infectious good cheer.
Even though they'd posed for it, the photo had a somewhat candid feel as they'd been caught in the middle of a particularly large bout of laughter. Shepard and Jane were in the middle, their heads together as they leaned into each other, their eyes crinkled to accommodate their huge grins. Wrex stood behind them, his hands on their shoulders with Liara standing on her tiptoes beside him waving her hand pleasantly toward the camera. John had his other arm around Tali, who was being pressed further into the older man by Kaidan as he attempted to squeeze into the frame. On Jane's side, Garrus was being pressed into her by a grinning Ashley.
Garrus came to stand beside Jane as she looked down at the picture, a small smile gracing her lips. He couldn't help the flush as she began to bend to pick up the picture. The Garrus in the photo wasn't looking at the camera, instead glancing down to gaze fondly at Jane, his smile happy and gentle, oblivious to the goings on around him. Even then, he'd clearly been besotted, that much was obvious.
As Jane picked up the photo frame, she brought her other hand up and let her fingers brush against the screen affectionately. She turned to look up at him, her expression soft as she smiled at him. Garrus returned the smile at her crookedly, but froze as he saw the frame flicker. Looking back down at the picture, he blinked.
"Uh, Jane? Look." She looked back down at the frame to see that the photo had changed suddenly, instead displaying a landscape with a giant, Prothean structure. Garrus held his hand out for the frame, but when she handed it to him, it quickly flicked back to the photo of the old ground team. After holding it for a few moments and seeing no change, he handed it back to her. "Huh. It must be keyed to your ID." Garrus whispered as they watched it switch back to the second photo. "Do you think Liara left this for us to find?"
"I suppose so." Jane replied quietly, glancing over her shoulder to insure they weren't being observed by Vasir, but she'd remained downstairs. "Do you think she's trying to tell us something? There's plenty of other Prothean artifacts around here. Maybe she left something for us to find, something to point us in the right direction."
"Anything's possible." Garrus shrugged as she put the frame down. Jane began walking around the room, glancing down at the Prothean artifacts encased in glass nearby. She brushed her fingers across the glass, but after finding nothing, she glanced around the room. She casually made her way downstairs, nodding to Vasir as she looked up at them.
As soon as Vasir looked away again, Garrus moved to block her view as Jane made her way to the nearest display case. Inside was what appeared to be some sort of sculpture, though it was hard to tell. Bringing her hand up, Jane brushed her finger tips against the glass, and this time there was an immediate reaction. A small holodisplay appeared at her fingertips, rippling outwards to acknowledge the touch. There was a soft click and a drawer slid out to reveal a small data disk.
"Bingo." Jane breathed as she snatched it up before quickly closing the drawer. Tucking the data disk away, she casually moved out into the middle of the room.
"Well, Vasir. We haven't been able to find anything. I think we're going to head out and see if we can't get a hold of her another way." Jane stated with a casual wave in the asari's direction. Vasir turned and raised a brow at them in question, her expression surprised.
"Giving up that quickly, huh? Well, let me know if you find anything, I'd like to get to the bottom of this."
"Sure thing. It was good seeing you again."
"Likewise, Shepard. Take care of yourself. It was nice meeting you, Vakarian." Vasir replied before turning back to her investigation, pulling up her omni-tool as she inspected one of the display cases across the room. Jane quickly turned and made for the door, and Garrus followed after her.
Once they made it outside, Jane beelined for their skycar as she pulled out the data disk, scanning it as she walked. "Time to see what this is all about." She muttered as she pulled up the vid, hitting play as they arrived beside the car. The image of a salarian popped up, and Garrus realized it must have been a recorded call.
"What have you got for me, Sekat?" Liara's disembodied voice asked, distorted by the omni-tool's tiny speakers.
"It was tricky, but you paid for the best." Replied to salaraian, his voice confident to the point of cockiness, "I can narrow it down to a cluster, maybe even a system."
"How soon can you have it?" Liara asked, her voice urgent.
"Shouldn't take long. Come by my office. Baria Frontiers, in the Dracon Trade Center." The salarian gestured vaguely before continuing, "Gotta say, though, T'soni. You're making me a little nervous. How big is the trouble that could come out of this?" He crossed his arms, his expression becoming concerned.
"Relax, Sekat. I'll see you in a few hours." With that, the vid cut out, and Jane frowned. Pulling up the file's data, she checked the time stamp.
"This is from earlier this afternoon. Either way, looks like the Dracon Trade Center is our next stop in this investigation." Jane closed her omni-tool, bringing a hand up to her chin as she considered her plan of action.
"Either she's there now, or he'll be able to give us a hint as to where to find her." Garrus murmured thoughtfully.
"Exactly. Okay, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to head to the Dracon Trade Center on my own and track down Liara. No, don't argue." Jane turned to him, her eyes hard as she interrupted his attempt to speak up, "I'll stay in contact, you don't need to worry about me. What I need you to do is stay behind and track Vasir when she leaves here."
"What?" Garrus asked in astonishment, his eyes going wide, "Why would you want me to do that? What can following her possibly tell us?"
"I'm not sure, but I don't like that she's involved in this. She's up to something, and I'm starting to agree with Liara. I know she has some sort of interest in the Shadow Broker as well, it's why she wanted me placed within Cerberus for some reason. If you aren't able to learn anything, then fine, maybe she's not involved and I'm being paranoid. But I have a feeling in my gut." They stared at each other for a few moments before Garrus finally looked away, frowning.
"I don't like this, Jane. I can't watch your six if we're separated. And I promised Shepard I'd watch out for you, too. You're still recovering, I-"
"I can take care of myself, Garrus. You need to trust me." She snapped and he felt a flash of hurt until she took a deep breath and brought a hand up to his arm. "I'm sorry, I'm just… Please just trust me. I can handle this. But I need to know what stakes Vasir has in all of this. Will you do this for me? Please?"
Garrus looked back to her, their eyes locking. After a moment, he nodded reluctantly.
"Okay. But as soon as it's clear that she's not involved, I'm going to head to your location."
"Deal." With that, Jane leaned in on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his mouth plates. He brought a hand up to wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. His other hand came up rake through her hair, causing her to moan into their kiss. When they broke apart, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Be careful with Vasir. She's crafty and she's dangerous." Jane whispered, her words low and rasping.
"I followed you without you knowing back on the Citadel. I think I can handle her." Garrus chuckled and Jane rolled her eyes fondly, but they both sobered quickly. "Please be careful. Stay in contact." He whispered, his voice rough with emotions he didn't want to acknowledge.
"You, too." With that, Jane pulled away from him and moved toward the sky car's door. Opening it, she leapt inside. As the door began closing, she looked up at him and their eyes met. Garrus felt three little words burning in his throat, begging to be released. But then the door closed and his mouth snapped shut. Before he knew it, he was watching as the tail lights of the car disappeared out of view around a building.
Not wasting any time, Garrus beelined for the nearby public transport console and ordered another skycar. As soon as it arrived, he hopped in and searched for a spot to park that would give him a good vantage point. He'd done his fair share of stakeouts, he knew how it worked.
As soon as he parked, he hunkered down ready to wait for Vasir to finish her investigation. Surprisingly, he didn't need to wait long. Within five minutes, Vasir came striding out of the building, immediately making for a skycar parked nearby.
"Vasir just left the apartment, heading to her car." He muttered into the com, making sure to stay low so as not to be spotted. "Seems to be in a bit of a rush."
"Huh, odd. Maybe she got a tip off from somewhere else? Stay on her." Came Jane's reply, "I should be arriving at the Dracon Trade Center soon, it doesn't seem to be too far."
"Well, feel free to take your time. I know what you're like behind the wheel, you speed demon." He imparted as much dry amusement as he could through his voice, causing her to chuckle.
"Shut it, peanut gallery." Jane snapped with mock disgruntlement, causing him to smile. Nearby, Vasir started up her car quickly and it lifted off into the air before darting out of the parking area.
"What under the Spirits is a peanut gallery?" Garrus asked, his voice bemused as he quickly maneuvered his own car into the air and in the same direction as the asari's.
"Look it up on your own time, Big Guy. I can see the building in the distance, I'll let you know when I'm heading in." With that, the com went silent, and he was left to own musings. As they broke out into the crowded skies above Nos Astra, he made sure to keep a safe, cautious distance between them while not letting her out of his sight. "Okay, I'm heading inside, I'll let you know if I find Liara or her contact. Keep radio silence until then unless you learn something new."
It became surprisingly difficult to keep up with Vasir as she weaved between buildings, her speed slowly increasing with a mounting impatience. He didn't know the city well enough to know where they were going, and so gained little insight when he chanced a moment to look down at the skycar's nav display.
Finally, she seemed to begin slowing as they arrived in a business district in an area Garrus didn't recognize. Without much concern, Vasir landed her skycar right in front of a large building, the door popping open before she stepped out. Garrus parked his car a little distance off in a lower parking lot, hoping not to draw her attention. When he opened the door, he was instantly assaulted by the thick, heavy smell of impending rain.
The city had long since begun darkening, both with the onset of evening and the oncoming storm, the bright lights of nightlife springing up to add flashes and pops of color. Garrus hurried up the stairs toward where Vasir had parked, hoping he hadn't lost his chance to follow her further. But as he neared the top, he froze as he took a moment to read the brightly lit name of the building above the front doors.
"The Dracon Trade Center?" He muttered in confusion, the implications running wild as they knitted together possibilities in his imagination. Suspicion mounting, he opened the com to warn Jane. "Vasir just arrived at the Dracon Trade Center, I don't know how she knew where to go."
He was met with silence, nothing but a faint background noise coming through the coms. Frowning, he tried again, checking the signal. Were they being jammed?
"Hands in the air, no sudden movements." Garrus froze, cursing silently as he looked up to see Vasir standing at the top of the stairs with her weapon drawn on him, her eyes cold and calculating. Slowly, Garrus put his hands in the air, and she nodded. "Good. Come to the top of the stairs where I can see you properly."
"What are you doing here?" He asked calmly, despite the anxiety growing in his chest.
"I heard on my scanner that police had been called to this building after a report of suspicious activity. Armed men with a number of unmarked packages. Why are you here, Vakarian? Where's Shepard?" Garrus remained silent at that, unnerved by the information she'd shared. "Ah, let me guess. She set her sidekick, her faithful hound, to hunt me while she ran off after T'soni. Tsk. Figures." She holstered her weapon and crossed her arms, her eyes still not leaving him as he slowly lowered his hands. "She always was a clever one. Foolhardy and short sighted, but clever. Where-"
An explosion burst through the third floor of the Dracon Trade Center, followed by the second and fourth, a wall of hot air and shrapnel smashing into them. They both brought up their arms to shield their faces, the sounds of screams and tinkling glass assaulting their ears. Garrus brought his hands down, staring up in mounting horror at the decimated offices now exposed to the cool evening air like a gaping wound.
"JANE!"
(Note: Thank you all for your well wishes! I have the kindest, most supportive readers! I also have the best beta readers, so thank you to thelordofdarkreunion and zwober! These few chapters were so much fun to write, I hope you are all enjoying them. I'm always open to thoughts, comments, critique, and predictions! I hope you all have a fantastic week!)