Chapter 21:
"I've got the email." I said, nervousness twisting my stomach into knots.
The drell came over to stand around me.
"Open it." Kolyat demanded when I hadn't made a move after several minutes.
Startled, I accidentally clicked it open. I read through it, my heart slowly calming.
"Omega." I smiled, reading it out to Garrus, because he couldn't see it. "I'm being sent to Omega."
Thane deflated a little, his sadness bleeding through. I put a hand on his arm.
"We'll call every day." I assured him. "It'll be okay. You'll see."
We'd talked about it on several occasions- how he would have to stay here, because of the care the Citadel could provide him. Omega wasn't nearly as good for long-term. The only thing I was uncertain of was how the three of us would do, all being scattered to the four winds. At least Thane would have Kolyat with him- he wanted to stay, for his father.
"I should get to packing." I murmured, getting to my feet. "I only have two days until I leave."
I went through gathering my things, while the others chatted with Garrus. When I came out, my drell pulled me to him for a gentle kiss.
"Garrus has sent a message to Aria- the leader of Omega. Asking her to look out for you." He explained, toying with a lock of my hair. "We aided her during our hunt for the Collectors, so he is asking for a favor."
I smiled softly, guiding him down to rest his forehead against mine. "Thank you, my loves. I appreciate the gesture."
"I wish I was there." Garrus sighed.
"When we see each other again, the distance between us now won't matter."
...
I arrived at the station, the thumping of bass reaching my ears. This place was alive, and I loved it. I was thrilled to be here.
A batarian walked up to me, giving me a once-over. "You Andromeda?"
"I am, yeah." A nod.
"Come with me."
Curious, I followed after him, being led into Afterlife. Straight through the club to a dais that overlooked the floor. An asari sat on the couch, giving me a fleeting glance. A jerk of her head toward the other section of couch, and I took a seat. Keeping my mouth shut. The power that radiated from her rivaled my father, when he exerted his alpha aura.
"I've been asked to keep an eye on you." She said, breaking the silence. "By Archangel, of all people. It's funny he should even think of asking for favors, after the way he treated my station when he was a vigilante."
I waited.
"So. What is a little she-wolf doing on my station to begin with? We don't see your kind here often."
"I was assigned by the Citadel to be a doctor here." I explained. "I just graduated, and I requested this placement."
"Why is that?" She didn't look interested, but her tone had a slight lilt to it that betrayed her.
"Because this place is alive. I've learned about so many places in the galaxy, but this one has always stuck out to me. I've never been here before, sadly, but just from my brief time here, I already love it." I sighed quietly. "It has a beat to it, a steady pulsing. And not just from the music or the machinery. This station is alive. And I want to experience it."
Finally, a look at me. A smirk, an approving expression on her face. "I like that. You understand. I think I know just where to put you."
"Anywhere you choose is good enough for me." I promised.
She raised an eyebrow, eyes on my neck. "Are you always so happy to please, pup?"
I raised my chin, meeting her eyes head on. "Only to my mates. You'll find I have a backbone, when I choose to show it."
A sweeping glance. "Good. I have no use for people who bend over backwards for just anyone." She jerked her chin toward the batarian from earlier. "Take her over there. See she gets what she needs."
I stood, bowing my head to her, before following after the man again.
He took me to a rundown clinic, in bad need of repairs on the space. Under his watchful gaze, I danced around the room- dodging the medical assistant that was rushing around, trying to do everything at once- and took inventory. When I had my list compiled, I made a second one- things this place needed, for it to function at its highest potential. After handing it to him, I washed my hands and threw on a pair of gloves, already elbow-deep in a batarian female when he left us.
...
Three months passed, where I saw just about everyone in the slums of Omega at least once. There were plenty of recurring patients, of course- this was Omega, after all. People shot each other over the dumbest things. It was honestly ridiculous.
Also, there was the fact that the Reapers had hit. Mostly the Council planets, the colonies seemingly an afterthought. The war hadn't touched the station yet, and the tension in the air only grew thicker as time went on. Still. I kept my spirits up and kept the citizens alive as best I could. Still managing to have fun with it.
Today, a warning alarm rang through the station while I was in the clinic, between patients. A few minutes later, a soldier wearing Cerberus armor walked into the building with a gun raised to the ceiling.
"Everybody, get down!" He shouted, his voice having a strange double-tone to it.
"Excuse me, but you can get the fuck out." I waved him away. "You're not welcome here."
He laughed, the sound sending a chill down my spine. Everyone in the space was cowering behind cover.
"Get down, I said. Or are you deaf?"
I glared defiantly at him. "I told you to get out. Or are you fucking deaf?"
He pointed the gun at my assistant- a young quarian woman on Pilgrimage. "I'll just start killing people, until you do what I say."
In one, smooth motion, I shifted into my wolf, letting Genesis take over. She launched herself at him, ripping the gun from his hand and kicking his helmet off with her hindlegs. When his head was exposed, she went for the throat, shredding it. He died choking on his own blood.
Another came in, and she took him down, as well. Shifting back, I grabbed my lab coat and covered myself. "Get these bodies out of here." I ordered. "We're going to have people in here soon, I bet, and we'll need the space cleared out."
Sure enough, dozens of civilians poured into the clinic in search of aid after Cerberus soldiers beat them to hell. Some of them had gunshot wounds. It made me sick. I was glad that Garrus and Thane had cut ties with them. These people were monsters.
Eventually, the alarm stopped, and a man came over the screen, declaring that he had ousted Aria. He was now in charge. Cerberus was now in charge.
Hours later, long after we would have normally closed, the very same man walked into the clinic. Took a look around.
"You." He said, approaching. Watching me work. "You're the one patching these people up."
"I am." I gritted my teeth, suppressing the urge to snarl at him.
"Good work."
Startled, I looked up for a brief moment, before refocusing on what I was doing.
"I'm not a monster, regardless of what everyone may think of me." He sounded amused. "I am merely willing to do what others won't. And I let Aria go. I didn't stoop so low as to kill her."
Hope bloomed in my chest. Aria was alive. That meant she would come back. It was only a matter of when.
"If you don't mind, I'm busy here." I said after taking a deep breath.
"I will leave you be." A pause. "As soon as you tell me why you aren't wearing any clothes?" A chuckle. "Is that the uniform here?"
I gave him a wary glance.
"You look familiar." He moved closer, and my heart started to pound. He inspected me intently, before recognition dawned. "You are Andromeda Quinn. The wolf that the Illusive Man brought back to life, alongside John Shepard. Interesting."
"What do you want?" I snapped, sewing up the patient. Done with her.
"Well. Now, I want to offer an alliance." My eyes narrowed. "You get to continue your work here, without Cerberus interference, and in exchange... You keep the people in line." I blinked, taken aback. "What say you, princess?"
"Move this one to recovery and bring me a new patient!" I ordered, watching as the quarian girl moved about the room, keeping space between herself and him. Focusing my attention on him. "I can't promise anything, but I will try."
"That's all I can ask for, isn't it?" He nodded firmly. "A pleasure doing business with you."
...
Two weeks passed, where I moderated the people. Kept them in check. It was exhausting. But I kept them out of Cerberus's sights, and that's what was important.
Today, I had a new visitor. A familiar face.
"Nyreen." I greeted, my hands busy, buried in a male turian's abdomen. "What can I do for you?"
I didn't need to ask why she was here- she was always here, when she wasn't visiting me on the Citadel.
"The Talons are watching you." She said enigmatically.
I nodded. "I've seen the tags."
"My people are happy that you're taking up a leadership role."
Her people?
She's the leader of the Talons? Genesis was the one to piece it together.
"What can I do for you?" I repeated.
"We have some that are injured. Would you be able to take them on?"
"How bad?"
"Not terribly. But not anything that can heal on its own, without help."
"Bring them." I let out a breath of relief, turning to my assistant. "The adhesive."
She handed it to me, and I used it to close up the carapace, making sure it stayed shut.
"Put him in recovery." I glanced at Nyreen, going to wash my hands. We'd run out of gloves last week. "You should go, before someone finds out you're here. You're a wanted woman, after all."
A slow nod. "I know. I just... This isn't how I wanted to see you again."
I grinned. "What? Me covered in other people's blood, and you on the run? This isn't how you pictured it?"
She chuckled, shaking her head. "No."
The next one was wheeled in- an asari with a gunshot wound to the lower abdomen.
"I'll let you get back to it. And thanks. For helping these people."
"I couldn't turn them away."
...
The screen in the operating room flickered, and I ignored it. I was tired of hearing that man spout his bullshit about Cerberus.
Gasps filled the waiting room, and it caught my attention. Curious, I glanced at the screen, doing a double-take when I realized it was Aria's face I was seeing.
She gave a speech about how she would retake Omega. Retake her place on this station and restore her rule.
She was here. Relief filled me, until she demanded that the people rise up when it was time. Rise up and stand against their oppressors. I was going to have a lot more patients by the end of this. I knew that for sure.
Hours dragged by, where her face periodically popped up on the screen. The latest one had been followed quickly by the man. He'd urged the citizens not to do anything stupid. That Aria was hiding behind them. I'd snorted, shaking my head. That wouldn't matter, even if it were true. Her words had sparked the kindling, and it was only a matter of time before it became a wildfire, consuming everything in its path.
Her face appeared one more time, declaring she had retaken the station. She wanted us to hunt down the remaining Cerberus soldiers, before burying the dead and mourning our lost ones.
Two days later, I finished the last surgery of the clinic. The last injury of the conflict. Now, it would be back to lazy gunshot wounds- things that wouldn't kill but would seriously injure. And I was glad to go back to that.
The door opened while I was cleaning the instruments, having sent the quarian home, because we'd been up for three days straight, at this point. Heat and freezing water reached my nose, and I smiled.
"What can I do for you, Shepard?" My voice sounded as tired as I felt.
"I've come to get you."
I finished drying everything off, before facing him. "Why?"
"Because I need Garrus at his best, and he's been worried sick about you. He hasn't heard a word from Omega since Cerberus overtook it."
I frowned. "But I'm needed here."
"Aria gave me permission."
Pursing my lips, I asked Gen. What do you think?
Mates... Came her sleepy reply.
With an amused smile, I shook my head. "Alright. Let me get my things."
...
It took three days to get to the Citadel- and I slept the majority of the time, catching up on much needed rest.
The moment I stepped out of the airlock, I was swept up in strong arms. Rain and old books. Such a wonderful mix of scents. I smiled up at him.
"I missed you." I breathed.
"I missed you. I'm glad you're safe."
"And I kept many others safe, as well." I pointed out. "Without me, there would have been far more casualties."
"I heard. Shepard told us what Aria said about it." He hesitated. "I'm so sorry."
I frowned. "For what?"
He blinked. "You... aren't upset?"
"About what?" My heart started pounding. What was I supposed to be upset about?
"Nyreen. She died."
The air got knocked from my lungs, and I couldn't breathe. I collapsed against him, staring into nothing. We'd been friends for over a decade... What... She couldn't be dead... She couldn't be...
"I'm so sorry. I thought you knew." Regretful, holding me up.
"I..."
I can't. I can't do this. Get a hold of yourself. Taking a deep breath, I suppressed it all.
"I'm okay. Where are Thane and Kolyat?"
Doubt, but he didn't push. "They're at Huerta. Thane's been undergoing treatments for the last month or so. He's... not doing well."
My heart hurt. Bad news after bad news. When would it end?
"And we're not staying long. Just long enough for Shepard to do what he needs, and then we're off again."
I shouldn't have asked when it would end. Because, clearly, the universe had taken it as a challenge.
"I understand." I pressed kisses against his shoulder. "I'll go see how Thane is doing."
"I'll go with you. Just know that I'll have to leave abruptly."
I nodded. "Let's go."
The elevator ride seemed to take forever. Finally, we reached the hospital and found him sitting in the waiting room. I approached slowly, unsure how he was feeling- he'd blocked himself from me.
"Thane?" I murmured.
He turned, smiling softly at me. "There you are." Beckoning me closer.
I went to stand in front of him, and he wrapped his arms around me, kissing my stomach.
"I missed you."
"I missed you." I echoed, brushing my fingertips against the top of his head. "How are you?"
A quiet sigh left him. "Not well." Slowly. "I am dying."
I worked hard to control myself, masking my emotions from him. Keeping my breathing steady. Anything I could do to not let it be known how I was truly taking the news.
"I'm sorry, my love." I murmured, leaning down to drop a kiss on his head.
"I am sorry." Softly. "You deserve more than loving a dying man."
"I never knew what I was missing, before I met you." My voice was quiet but strong. "I don't regret one millisecond of loving you. I don't regret one millisecond of knowing you. I love you for you. Not because of what you can do for me or what our future will look like. I love you for you. And I will continue to love you, after you're gone." It hurt to say those words, but he needed to hear them.
"I don't deserve you." A whisper, and I heard his voice break.
I slipped free of his hold, crouching in front of him. Taking his head between my hands and meeting his gaze. "You deserve all the good in the world. You've suffered far too much, and I know that your life is worth everything to me. To Kolyat. To Garrus. You deserve the galaxy, Thane. And I won't have you speak ill of yourself. Not while I'm alive."
"Me, either." Garrus spoke up from behind the drell, leaning over the back of his chair. "We love you too much to sit by and let you talk crap about yourself."
"Is there anything we can do?" I asked, stroking his cheeks with my thumbs.
A slight shake of his head. "No."
"Give me a moment." I kissed his forehead. "I'll be right back."
Stepping away, I reached out to Shepard, the only person I knew that would be able to tell me anything. My message asked if he knew of anyone working on a cure for Kepral's Syndrome. He replied almost immediately, saying there was a research facility on Kahje and another one on Sur'Kesh. I asked for the information for both, if he could get it. A few minutes later, he sent it over, saying he pulled some Spectre strings for me. Direct contact information.
I sent out the messages, waiting. It wasn't long before they both responded, saying they would be happy to work with me. I wired the money over, sending them both obscene amounts of credits, but they had assured me that with that amount, they would be able to make monumental breakthroughs. And I was inclined to believe them. After all, most medical miracles were the result of funding.
I went back over to the two, Thane pulling me onto his lap.
"I guess this means no more good girl." I joked playfully.
His smile was tight. "I'm sorry."
"Stop apologizing." I rolled my eyes. "You can't control this. It's not your fault." I paused. "Are you staying at the hospital?"
He shook his head. "I'm still living in the apartment, with Kolyat."
"Good." I booped his nose. "I'm glad I'll get to see you, still."
"Will you work at Huerta?" He asked, curious, moving hair out of my face.
"Yeah." I nodded. "But I can't be your doctor. There are rules against it- just like in law enforcement, being unable to take a case that has a loved one as a suspect."
"I would be able to see you there."
Ah, that's what he was getting at.
"Yeah."
"I love you."
"I love you."
"I love you."
We stayed like that for a while, until he was led back for his treatment. The two of us waited for him to return to us, before guiding him home. Garrus had told me that Kolyat usually helped him back, but he'd sent the younger drell a message, saying we would do it.
It was heartbreaking, seeing him like this.