Running Silent:

Extraction

…

An alternate ME3. Commander Shepard and her team are on the run from Cerberus and trying to make alliances before it's too late. In a galaxy with no reaper kill switch, how can they hope to defeat something so ancient and powerful? Their last hope is a desperate plan that may cost them everything. Shepard/Garrus, other side pairings.

…

Disclaimer: This author in no way profits from the writing of this story. All characters, dialogue, or other referenced material from the Mass Effect trilogy belong to Bioware.

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A/N: Yes, I know I took forever to post this. But, it's a nice long chapter! I promise I'm not abandoning this story… I'm just slow. Thanks for reading and please review!

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Shepard sighed, staring at the messages on her terminal.

I never should have let the team leave the Normandy, she thought rebelliously.

Somewhere inside her, she had to have known this would happen. It brought to mind the words her father had spoken years ago, about not collecting scattered seeds.

You have to give them the chance to grow, Janie.

She smiled at the memory. She'd been all of five years old when she'd had enough of watching her parents farm the land, and decided she needed a garden of her own. So on one beautiful sunny weekend morning, she went out with her dad and sprinkled seeds over a small plot behind their prefab home. She watered them every day. But five-year-olds weren't renowned for their patience. Less than a week had passed before Jane's father caught her trying to extract the seeds from the dark, moist soil. She wanted them back.

Instead of regaining what she'd lost, all she managed to do was ruin the plot. Her father, in his eternal patience, had used it for a lesson, and then helped her try again. The second attempt had worn the five-year-old's patience down to temper-tantrum levels before small green sprigs had emerged from the ground. But when they served her vegetables for dinner, she'd discovered how her perseverance had been rewarded.

This time it wasn't seeds, but people, and the results were still an unknown. When someone planted a seed, they knew what kind of plant they would grow. Shepard didn't know what her efforts would afford her, or if it would even be worth it in the end, but she should have known that it wouldn't be so easy to collect her team as it was to scatter them.

Mordin's message had referenced a classified STG project that was too important to abandon. Legion had requested more time on Rannoch with the geth. Shepard didn't quite understand why his physical proximity was necessary, but she could hardly tell him no.

Tali's message had been as cryptic as Mordin's and far more worrying—anything that kept Tali off the Normandy must be big—and Jacob still hadn't responded at all.

To Shepard's surprise, Zaeed had told her he was returning. She'd half expected him to change his mind and take on some new contract while he was away but he'd scoffed at the idea, sounding almost insulted that she thought he might not return. "Hell no," he'd said. "We've got a goddamn galaxy to save."

At the moment, Shepard was waiting for Garrus—and his sister, oddly enough—to board the Normandy. She couldn't deny that she was relieved to have Garrus back with her, in spite of the contrivance between him and Miranda to get him back onboard early. She'd been missing him, especially in the difficult days following the Alpha relay explosion. He had always backed her up, no matter what, and that was exactly what she needed just now.

"Commander?"

Shepard glanced up at the automated voice coming from the intercom. "What is it, EDI?"

"XO Lawson has requested your presence. She has finally reached Jacob Taylor," EDI told her, but Shepard frowned. Something sounded off in the AI's tone, as odd as that seemed.

She chose her words carefully. "EDI, are you worried?"

The silence before the AI's words was longer than it should have been. "I do not precisely feel worry as an organic would, but I am dissatisfied with the uncertainty of his situation."

Shepard stilled, a cold feeling creeping through her. "What do you mean, the 'uncertainty of his situation'?" she pressed.

"Please speak to XO Lawson," EDI stated, and would say no more.

"Damn it," Shepard swore, taking quick steps to the elevator. She pounded a fist on the button and began pacing even before the doors closed.

…

"It is good to have you back, Deputy Commander Vakarian," EDI greeted as the airlock door closed behind him. "Please leave your bags inside the airlock. Commander Shepard and Executive Officer Lawson will meet you in the conference room. Commencing decontamination sequence."

"Thanks, EDI," Garrus replied. "And please, just call me Garrus."

Solana frowned from beside him. "How advanced is the Normandy VI?" she asked. "She actually sounded happy to see you."

Garrus resisted the urge to wince. He'd forgotten to warn her. "She's, uh, not a VI," he said hesitantly.

After a split-second of confusion, Solana's eyes widened. "You have an illegal AI on your ship?"

EDI's voice returned. "Technically, I am only illegal in council space," she stated. "As we are not in Council space, the legality has no bearing on me at this time."

Solana's bewildered look and Garrus's nervous silence prompted the AI to add, "That was a joke."

Solana stared at Garrus incredulously. "You have an illegal AI. Who makes bad jokes." Her voice was flat.

Garrus shrugged. "EDI's saved our lives more than once," he said in an attempt to explain. "She's… a friend."

"Decontamination complete," EDI said, and added in a surprisingly warm tone, "Thank you, Garrus. I consider you a friend as well."

Solana let out a disbelieving laugh as they stepped into the CIC. "I feel like I'm in one of the old adventure vids from when we were kids," she said. "Now all I need is a dutiful sidekick and a troublemaker, and I'll be all set."

Garrus laughed, remembering. "I'm sure I can find you both of those things on this ship," he told her, mandibles flaring into a smile.

As promised, Shepard and Miranda met them in the conference room, Zaeed in tow. Garrus hid a smile at Solana's sudden uncertainty upon meeting Shepard. There were a lot of reasons she might feel shy—Shepard was a galactic hero, Sol's new CO, and her brother's girlfriend—but he hadn't expected it from his bold younger sister.

"Solana," Shepard greeted warmly, ignoring his sister's wide-eyed look. "I'm glad to finally meet you. Garrus gave me a very good impression of your skills." She shot him a smile. "I'm sure you'll be a useful addition to the crew."

After all the introductions had been made, Shepard debriefed them on the Alpha relay incident. His stomach churned at the thought of her on that station alone, trapped and sedated, barely escaping in time. He had to remind himself more than once during the telling that she made it out okay.

But what if she hadn't? a voice whispered in the back of his mind. He gripped the edge of the conference table hard enough that Solana gave him a look.

He couldn't allow himself to think that way. He had to trust in Shepard's abilities, that she could get herself out of nearly every situation she got herself into. He had to believe in her. If he didn't, he would lose his mind.

Her eyes had a faraway look as she described the mission, speaking only in facts and figures, distancing herself from the emotions stirred up by the incident. A vision of the reapers' arrival, she said simply, and though Solana might not understand, he knew enough to worry.

She ended her story by explaining her meeting with Hackett, the implications of which were enough to give even him pause. The admiral shot quickly to the top of Garrus's shit list, both for putting Shepard in danger and for letting her take the fall. Anger welled up like blood from a gash, and Garrus tamped down on it, attempting to stem the flow. This wasn't the time or place. He'd hang onto that anger, knowing there might be a time when he'd need it. If the Alliance laid a hand on her, there would be hell to pay.

"I've delayed the reapers' arrival," Shepard said, "but we need to be ready. We don't yet have an estimate of how long it will take them to reach the rest of the galaxy."

"So all that did was buy is some goddamn time?" Zaeed demanded, looking more disgruntled than usual.

Shepard leveled a harsh gaze at him. "No," she said. "It gives us a chance."

After a pause, she looked away. "We'll discuss that more in depth later," she said sternly, effectively ending the conversation. "Right now, we have a mission to complete." She nodded to Miranda, who took over seamlessly.

"Cerberus has targeted an enclave of ex-Cerberus scientists," the XO began. "We need to extract an estimated forty people from a siege situation. They are mostly untrained civilians—scientists and their families, including a handful of children. Jacob Taylor is with them and has vouched for them, and I'm inclined to believe him when he says that they've severed all ties," she said smoothly.

Garrus followed her line of thought. "If they hadn't, it would be a waste of resources for Cerberus to attack." Jacob's testimony held weight as well. Taylor was level-headed and understood the stakes. He wouldn't take this risk unless he was certain.

"Jacob is currently organizing their defenses," Miranda explained. "You'll rendezvous with him when you arrive."

Shepard stepped forward. "We'll hit atmo in just over twelve hours. I want everyone suited up and at the shuttle when we're ten minutes out." Her eyes strayed to the corner behind them. "Have you been listening, Kasumi?" she asked.

Garrus heard his sister's sharp intake of breath as the hooded thief materialized. "How'd you find me?" Kasumi asked, pouting.

Shepard raised a brow at the thief, the corner of her mouth curling up into a smile. "Like you'd be anywhere else." She addressed the room. "Liara tells me Cerberus has been recruiting soldiers in high numbers, so expect heavy resistance," she said. "Now everyone get some sleep and be ready to go tomorrow. Dismissed."

Miranda was quick to approach Solana, insisting on taking her on a tour of the ship and showing her to her bunk. The others filtered out as well, until Shepard and Garrus were alone. She looked up at him, amusement in her tired eyes.

"What?" he asked curiously.

That amusement turned into a full-blown grin. "She looks just like you. I mean, if you were smaller. And a girl."

He raised a browplate at her. "I think this is the part where I say 'you humans are all racist'."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "You just don't want to hear it because you're her brother," she insisted. "She's quite pretty, actually," she mused.

Garrus gave her a look. "You're not going to leave me for my sister now, are you?" he teased, reaching out to her.

Shepard grinned up at him as he pulled her close, and moved to stroke his scarred mandible. "Please. I don't see any sexy scars on her face."

She pulled his forehead down to meet hers, and, in spite of everything they'd been through and everything to come, things felt right. Like this was exactly where he was meant to be.

"Come on," she said, pulling out of the embrace. "We've got some catching up to do." She smiled and took his hand, not releasing it until the elevator reached the privacy of the captain's quarters.

When her cabin door locked behind them she pressed him back against it, fingers already working the clasps of his armor. She kissed along the unscarred side of his face with a hungry fervor that left him gasping. Distracted by her lips and tongue, his fingers fumbled on the fastenings of her fatigues in an eager wish to reach her body and touch the flesh that reacted so deliciously to his touch.

She was pliable and soft, muscles moving under satiny skin with each motion she made. So strong and yet so fragile, he thought. Spirits, he'd missed this. He'd missed her.

The way her fingernails scraped along the grooves between his plates didn't distract him quite enough from the desperate relief of simply seeing her again, touching her and loving her, after the sickening fear of the Alpha relay news. A low keening cry escaped him at the memory, at the guilt of knowing he hadn't been there when she needed him.

"It's okay," she whispered gently.

For a few moments her movements were soft and caressing, meant to comfort rather than inflame. And then she trailed her fingers down to the seam at his groin. She lowered herself to the floor, gripping his sensitive waist and rubbing her thumbs up and down on the unplated hide. He groaned and squeezed her shoulders as she licked along the widening gap between his plates.

She teased him until he emerged, engorged and aching and ready to take her. He didn't, not yet. He lifted her away, carefully maneuvering her down the stairs until he reached the bed. Pushing her backwards, she fell upon it, legs opening up to reveal her dripping sex.

The first time he'd attempted this he'd been nervous, afraid of hurting her or putting himself in the med bay with a very embarrassing explanation for Chakwas. Neither of those things had happened. She'd opened herself to him in a beautifully erotic display of trust, allowing a dangerous predator access to the most sensitive and precious parts of her body, and he'd gone down on her with all the careful precision he used on the battlefield. Though he'd become more confident with the act, he was careful still, unwilling to breach that trust he so treasured.

At the first lick she shuddered and he smirked. She was so reactive to touch. He held her still as he delved into her again, eliciting a low moan. Out on the battlefield she was so controlled, but in the sacred privacy of their trysts she could finally let go. He was determined to make the most of it.

He tortured her slowly at first and then moved to satisfy her, singularly focused on his goal like a target in scope. Being away from her had been maddening. He craved things he'd never wanted before being with her—the softness of her skin, her little gasps and moans, the alien scent of her desire that drove him wild. He never thought he had a human fetish, but there was nothing he desired more than the human that lay bare in front of him.

She came with a shudder and a moan, and he knew that he had to have her, needed to be within her where he belonged. Without waiting for her to recover, he climbed atop her and thrust inside. She cried out in pain and pleasure. When he hesitated, her eyes opened to meet his, lips curving into a seductive smile.

He thrust rhythmically and the smile slipped away, lost in the throes of passion. He was full to bursting, nearly ready to spill within her. Not yet, his mind said, and he strained against himself.

He lowered himself to be closer to her. "Jane," he said low in her ear, and caressed her cheek with his tongue. She let out a breathy moan, and then her fingers were on his waist and he was gasping her name, unable to hold out any longer. She cried out for him and pulled her down atop her, and they clung together in the afterglow, neither able to let the other out of their arms quite yet.

"I'm glad you're okay, Shepard," he said simply, his heart still constricting at the thought of what could have happened—what had almost happened.

"I'm always okay," she told him.

He needed her words to be true—and they nearly always were—but nearly just wasn't enough.

…

When Solana stepped off the elevator into the cargo bay, the first thing she noticed was that her brother and Commander Shepard were standing way too closely.

Garrus was helping Shepard position a sniper rifle in her arms, speaking instructions softly in her ear as he guided her hands into place from behind. Solana watched the pair from across the room, oblivious to her presence, and was struck by the changes in her brother. She'd never seen him like this.

He had never been serious about a woman. He'd brought girlfriends home before, of course, but the relationships never lasted—and he never seemed too upset about it. Their father had despaired of Garrus ever making a 'good' marriage, and their mother had despaired of him marrying at all—but Solana saw something different now. This was far more serious than any of his relationships before. The way he looked at her… if this didn't last, it just might break him.

A few different feelings warred within her at this realization. Part of her mourned the old Garrus, eager and brave, throwing caution to the wind with a swagger that she'd always wished she had. Part of her resented Shepard for how she seemed to mean more to him than his family ever did. Part of her was just glad to see him happy. And another part of her ached painfully, wishing for something even half as tender and beautiful as what she saw in front of her.

She alerted them to her presence with unnaturally loud footsteps as she approached the shuttle. They both glanced her direction, and Garrus pulled away, his hands lingering on Shepard for the shortest of moments.

Shepard smiled, lowering the rifle as she turned. "Ready for some action today?" she asked.

Solana was a bit nervous, but she made herself smile back. "Yes, ma'am," she replied. She glanced down, noticing the rifle in Shepard's hands, and her mandibles widened in surprise. The commander had a M-98 Widow?

No, not a Widow, the Widow—the one Garrus had been working on at home for weeks. Solana had teased him mercilessly about the extra recoil dampeners and adjustment mods, about how he'd stripped most of the parts and replaced them with ones a quarter of the weight. Told him that if he was such a good sniper, he wouldn't need to do any of that. He hadn't taken the bait even once.

Shepard smirked as she saw Solana staring at the weapon. "Like it?" Her eyes sparkled. Solana didn't need to answer—the look on her face gave it away. "Garrus modified it so that I could shoot it without breaking my arm." Garrus shifted nervously, but Shepard just kept grinning.

"You've had sniper training?" Solana asked curiously. "I thought Garrus said you were a biotic." Even heavily modified, she wondered how well the commander could handle it. Fully extended, the weapon had to be nearly as long as she was tall.

"Special forces," Shepard said, as if that explained everything. "Regardless of class, no one gets past the first level of N-school without weapon proficiency in all categories." She shrugged. "I thought it might come in handy if we have to hold a position today."

Solana shifted from foot to foot, eager to get going. Garrus was still and quiet, but Shepard seemed to be similarly impatient. "How long do we have, EDI?"

"We are twelve minutes out, Commander."

"I guess we're just waiting on Kasumi," Shepard said, eyes searching the room.

Solana jumped as a figure materialized next to the commander. "You think I would be late for this, Shep?" Kasumi asked with a laugh. "The sooner we get those abs back on the ship, the happier I'll be."

Shepard laughed. "Still taking every chance to surprise me?"

"Guilty as charged," Kasumi confessed cheerfully.

All Shepard did was shake her head. "Alright, we're all here. Everyone into the shuttle," she instructed, and stepped inside.

Once inside, Solana shuffled over to her brother. "Garrus," she whispered, "What are abs?"

The rest of the ride down was fairly quiet. Shepard gave only a few instructions, telling them what the pilot and AI—she still couldn't get her head around there being an AI—had been able to learn from comm chatter and visuals from the Normandy. There wasn't much intel, so they'd be taking account of the situation once they touched down. Solana hated going in blind, but the others didn't seem fazed by it. The way Garrus talked about Shepard, it seemed like this was a regular occurrence for the Normandy.

The first thing Solana thought when the shuttle doors opened was that it was really fucking cold. Then they hit the ground, and the cold had ceased to matter. The only thing that mattered was killing the swarm of Cerberus troops and Loki mechs that had descended upon them the moment they landed.

"Cerberus must have a new source of funding," Shepard murmured to Garrus as they jumped down. "So many mechs…"

It had been a while since Solana had been in a combat situation, but it all came back as naturally as breathing. She and Garrus fell back, shorting out shields and targeting soldiers from a distance, while Shepard and Kasumi barged right into the thick of things. Kasumi disappeared almost immediately, only appearing for a moment to strike down an opponent before cloaking again. Shepard, on the other hand, seemed to have no such intentions of hiding.

She was a biotic whirlwind the likes of which Solana had never seen before. A shockwave of biotic force cleared a path from her to the facility's back door, and she barged ahead with what seemed to be a serious lack of concern for her own safety. But when she turned back to face the enemies just rising again to their feet, she gave them no opportunity for reprisal. With a swift motion, she raised a pair of Cerberus troops and slammed them to the ground. Solana noticed an enemy approaching Shepard from the other side, but before she could so much as call out a warning, the soldier's head exploded with a loud boom. The commander didn't even glance towards the sound.

Solana had forgotten what it was like to be so completely in sync with a team the way her brother and Shepard seemed to be. Even the sneaky human, Kasumi, seemed to work within their rhythm. She was the only one surprised each time the hooded woman materialized on the battlefield. It was a struggle to try to fit in with this team that seemed to know each other so well, but it was already obvious that she would enjoy being a part of such a well-oiled machine. She was determined to prove herself worthy of this posting.

As Solana reloaded her rifle, she heard a strange, mechanical noise from behind her. She turned, dreading what she might see. "Mech!" she cried, and clambered for cover from the sudden spray of bullets from the YMIR's machine gun. Safely behind cover, she glanced back at the commander.

Shepard had trapped the last few enemies in a singularity, and was running towards where Solana and Garrus were pinned. She dove and slid into cover next to Solana just in time to avoid a rocket blast.

She heard her brother growl. "I wish you would stop doing that," he said, voice low.

Despite the mech bearing down on them, Shepard actually turned to him and grinned. "Why fix what's not broken?" she quipped. The only response she received was another growl.

"Okay," Shepard began. "You two stay down and take out that thing's shields," she instructed the two turians. "Kasumi, wait until the shields are down, then strike the CPU unit from behind." Her voice was surprisingly unconcerned.

How often have they done this? Solana wondered. She pulled up the shield-overload function on her omni-tool, activating it a split-second after Garrus did. The mech sputtered and crackled, but took another step towards them. The crate she hid behind creaked under fire. Their cover wasn't going to last much longer.

"Kasumi?" Shepard called, sounding—if not appropriately concerned—slightly more worried than before.

Solana peeked out of cover just in time to see the hooded woman appear behind the mech and stab it with a blade, frying the unit.

As if it had been nothing at all, Shepard stood and strode over to the facility door. "EDI," she said into the comm, "Have you been able to raise Jacob?"

"Yes, Commander, but I must warn you that the connection is faulty. Patching you in."

Solana winced at the sudden burst of static in her comm.

"—pard? That you?"

"Jacob, we're at the back door. Clear of Cerberus for now," the commander said loudly.

"Coming—open it—my way now."

Just a few minutes later, the lock on the door blinked from red to green, and it opened to reveal a dark-skinned human.

"Damn, am I glad to see y'all," he said, and motioned them inside.

…

Solana shifted from foot to foot restlessly as she glanced through the window on the far side of the room, eyeing three figures in deep conversation. It seemed like Shepard and Garrus had been talking with the dark-skinned human—Jacob Taylor, she remembered—forever, though it had probably only been a few minutes. To her mind, a few minutes was too long. Cerberus had pulled back, but it wouldn't be long before they began another strike.

Her eyes darted from the commander's impromptu meeting to one of the humans, a scientist. He looked away as soon as she met his eyes, turning back to the terminal he was working on. Her mandibles pulled in tightly to her face. She didn't like it here.

She'd forgotten, at first, that these people used to be Cerberus, but the longer she stuck around, the more obvious it became. Some of them would stare openly, others would look at her out of the corner of their eye, as if to keep an eye on her. Ridiculous. She'd come with the rescue team. There was no reason for them to be suspicious or fearful of her.

It was unfair of her to paint them all the same, she knew. Most of the scientists had been civil enough, some quite friendly. Garrus had told her that not everyone in Cerberus was a bad person or a xenophobe, but even so, Solana had seen and heard enough to be uncomfortable.

She felt another stare upon her, and turned to look for the culprit. She bit back the rude words that were on the tip of her tongue and then realized the stare wasn't coming from one of the scientists. A human child was standing a meter or so away from her, looking up with big brown eyes. Solana felt herself soften a bit. The child—girl, she guessed, based on the large bow in her hair—was only as high as her knee. She smiled at the child, and then realized that the little girl probably couldn't even tell she was smiling. This child might never have seen a turian before in her life.

She crouched down closer to the child's level. "Hello," she said gently. "I'm Solana." She paused, but the little girl didn't respond, only continued to stare. "What's your name?" she asked, trying to be as unthreatening as possible.

"Anna," the child whispered, and put a thumb in her mouth.

Suddenly, the building shook. Cerberus was back. Solana steadied herself and glanced back at the little girl. She was hardly an expert at reading human expressions, but the child's terror was impossible to misinterpret.

She met the little girl's eyes. "We're going to get you out of here safe, Anna."

The child pulled her thumb out of her mouth long enough to say, "Promise?"

Solana hesitated, not wanting to lie. But when she saw the way Commander Shepard fiercely strode into the room, Garrus and Jacob on her heels, she felt certain. She looked back at the girl and smiled. "Promise."

…

Just as Solana ducked behind cover, a stream of bullets flew over her head. Too close.

She pulled up the glowing interface of her omni-tool and typed in a short command. The YMIR mech exploded, shooting shrapnel out from all sides. She didn't derive any satisfaction from the act, however, not even relief. It wasn't a victory—only a delay. They'd been holding the line for some time now but hadn't managed to advance it.

Two mechs dropped in behind the remaining troops to replace the one she had destroyed. Solana swore. She glanced over at Commander Shepard, crouched next to her brother behind an overturned munitions crate. The commander rose in and out of cover sporadically, alternating between biotics and weapons, dodging rockets and machine gun fire with a nonchalance that made it seem like she'd been doing this her entire life.

For a short moment, Solana pictured a tiny Commander Shepard in full armor shooting up mercs from the cradle. The amusing thought made her smile, but it didn't last long.

Solana looked back out at the enemy. The Cerberus soldiers were setting up a line of turrets. She activated her cloak before taking aim with her rifle, taking her time to line up a shot that would take out both a turret and the engineer activating it.

Crack. One man down. Another was taken out by Kasumi's sudden appearance, a third crushed by biotics. There was nothing where a soldier's head used to be, and then the last turret overloaded. More troops dropped in.

They needed to find a way past the soldiers. They were blocked from the shuttles—their only means of escape. Solana growled as her frustration messed with her aim. She took a deep breath and aimed again, stopping short as she realized Shepard was staring at her.

"Solana," she heard over a backdrop of gunfire and explosions, "Is it possible for you to cover a second person with your tactical cloak?"

Solana's eyes widened, the battle forgotten as she realized what Shepard intended. "You want to sneak the remaining civilians past Cerberus?"

Spirits, that was dangerous.

"Can you do it?" Shepard pressed, blue eyes focused on her as if there was nothing around but the two of them.

Solana was quiet for a moment, considering the commander's request. She took a shot, reloaded, and finally answered Shepard's question. "With a few adjustments," she said, "Yes."

Just as suddenly as Shepard's eyes had found her, they were turned away again. Three soldiers were lifted into the air and slammed to the ground. "Kasumi?"

The hooded human materialized next to the commander. "Shep?"

Shepard pulled the rifle off her back and set to aim. "You and Solana take the children one by one to the first shuttle. We'll keep them distracted." There was no discussion, just an order. Solana quickly fiddled with the cloak settings on her omni-tool.

Kasumi went first, taking a child's hand and disappearing in front of her eyes. Solana scanned the crowd of civilians, and found a friendly face—perhaps the only one. "Come here," she said to Anna. "I need to take you someplace safe."

She hefted the child into her arms, activated her cloak, and prayed to the spirits that this plan would work.

It worked, and she felt a sense of satisfaction that the mission had gone off without a hitch—until she heard the explosion and cry of pain.

…