Chapter 8

Scott was in no condition to drive so Drack put him in the passenger seat and Liam took the wheel. They rode in silence for a long time before Drack growled from the back seat.

"That was a little too close, Ryder."

Scott's eyes were closed, trying to control or at least ride out the shuddering tremors wreaking havoc on his exhausted body. He felt completely drained. The dampener had felt like it sucked the very life out of him leaving him with an unbearable headache and lingering, aching pains in every muscle. It was definitely a new experience, one that he never wanted to repeat.

Drack continued, "Funny how Vidal has gotten you involved in his business twice and nearly got you killed...twice."

Scott frowned. He knew how it appeared, and Drack's observation was nothing Scott hadn't already wondered about himself. But he did not believe Reyes had intended any harm to come to him no matter how it looked. Perhaps he was wrong, perhaps he would regret letting himself get involved with the smuggler in any way. However, if Scott had learned anything from his first relationship it was that great things did not come without great risk.

"I've had close calls before, Drack," Scott said, his voice shaking with the tremors that wouldn't stop. "Just seems to come with the job is all."

Drack huffed. It was obvious the krogan wasn't happy but even he had to admit that what just happened was no different, no more dangerous than any other day. The dampener was a surprise, but that was no different either—there was always a nasty surprise when Scott tried to unravel the mysteries of this new galaxy.

"Drack sat in silence, watching Scott's trembling hand where it rested on his thigh twitch uncontrollably from time to time. "Just be careful, kid," his voice rumbled softly over the sound of the nomad. "We only got one o' you."

Scott smiled opening his eyes to watch the land roll by out his window. The oldest living krogan warlord who had exhausted his luck along with his redundant organs over the years of fierce battle had only just begun to understand how fragile life really was, starting with raising his granddaughter, Kesh. He still wasn't very good with sentiment, but that made it all the more touching when he tried.

"That's why I've got you around watching my ass," Scott said.

"Damn straight," Drack growled.

Liam spoke up, indignant. "And what am I, Ryder? Chopped liver?"

"Damn straight," the krogan piped up again. Liam rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

Drack's laughter roaring from the back seat was contagious. It felt good to laugh because otherwise Scott would be forced to contemplate how close he had come to death and disaster yet again.


To say Dr. T'Perro was displeased about the new turn of events was a slight understatement. Before he'd even returned to the Tempest everyone seemed to already know what happened to him. Perhaps he had SAM to blame for that, sending private reports back to the ship without his knowledge. However it happened, the moment the lift doors opened to the Kadara docks Lexi was waiting, arms crossed and a look on her face that had even Drack scurrying out of her way. Now Scott was lying down on a bed in the med bay while Lexi ran every single test and scan her heart desired because he didn't dare try to interrupt or interfere. Several times during his exam he nearly fell asleep. He was so damned tired. He'd never known exhaustion quite like this. During several missions or training regimes with the Alliance he'd come close, but this was a whole new level he'd never known existed. The worst torture was that Lexi wouldn't let him sleep until she was done.

When she was finally finished she was still not happy. She had no answers for what exactly had happened to him, what technology caused it, or what lasting effects it could possibly have on him. But eventually she helped him to sit up and ordered that he go sleep and if emanything/em felt off in the future he was to tell her immediately.

Gil happened to be walking by when Lexi started to help Scott off the bed. He hurried inside and helped to support him from the other side.

"I've got him, Doc," the engineer said. Lexi nodded.

"Straight to bed with him, Mr. Brody." She gave him her best no-funny-business glare.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

It was only a short hallway to Scott's bedroom, but it felt a hell of a lot longer. Gil sat him down on the edge of the bed and helped him to get out of his uniform. Once he was down to his black boxer briefs he flopped back and just lay there. He didn't want to move any more. Gil watched him a moment before sitting next to him.

Scott cracked an eye open when Gil cleared his throat. "Any chance you guys brought back the dampener that caused this?"

"Scott frowned, trying to remember. "I wasn't exactly thinking at the time. I don't think Liam or Drack thought to bring it."

Gil nodded.

"Why?"

"I would've liked to take a look at it. See if I couldn't come up with some way to protect you from it happening again. If there's one out there, there's bound to be more."

Scott struggled to sit up. "Maybe we can pick it up in the morning."

"I don't think Lexi is going to let you leave your room for a while," Gil smirked, but there was a troubled look in his eyes.

"Then we can send a team out to get it. Liam knows where it is."

They sat in silence for a time, both deep in thought.

"Wasn't supposed to be quite like this, was it?" Gil said finally, staring straight ahead. Scott stayed quiet, letting his friend get whatever he needed to off his chest. "I mean, we knew we'd run into trouble. No one expected it to be easy. We even expected to have trouble with whatever locals there'd be. But this," he waved his hand. "I don't think anyone thought we'd be fighting our own people." He glanced sideways at Scott. "We fight our people more than we've fought the kett so far. Our own people have tried to kill you over and over and all you're trying to do is give them a nice place to live."

Scott forced a smile. It really was ludicrous, the whole situation.

Gil scoffed in disbelief, the smile Scott was familiar with making a shaky appearance. "I mean, what the fuck is wrong with them, Ryder?"

"I'd be dishonest if I said I hadn't wondered the same. All I can do is keep doing what I'm doing and hope that it will come together." Scott reached up and squeezed Gil's shoulder. "In the meantime, I'm glad I have people like you on my team."

"Shit, Ryder, now you've gone and gotten all feel-y on me," Gil joked, standing up.

Scott smiled. They both knew Gil was sentimental at heart and had fun pretending it was still a secret. Gil moved to the head of the bed and pulled down the top sheet and blanket. When Scott had trouble moving Gil didn't hesitate to help him.

"SAM, get the lights, will ya?" Gil said, pulling the blankets over his friend. The lights dimmed and the wide windows darkened to simulate night. "Get some sleep, Ryder. We'll take care of things till you wake up."

Scott obeyed and was fast asleep before Gil even reached the door.


Reyes was on a rampage. Not only did Zia completely get the drop on him, but she had consorted with multiple factions in the smuggling empire of Kadara and she'd done so without a single member of his Collective, or any of his informants catching the slightest wind of it. But now he knew why his man had survived his run-in with Zia and her 'theft' of the cargo.

Reyes stormed into the bottom floor of Tartarus. The music boomed with a rapid beat, but all Reyes could hear was the rushing of blood in his ears. Strippers danced in their cages, twirling around poles and giving their voyeurs everything they had. Patrons were packed in the main area but Reyes pushed right through them heading for the far corner. He had searched for hours. Sent out every agent to locate the traitor under the Charlatan's orders—found it insulting that the vermin openly tried to take up residence in Tartarus, celebrating a premature victory. The look on the man's face when he saw Reyes approach was all the confirmation he needed. The man stood and stumbled back into the wall, opened his mouth to spout some kind of excuse, but Reyes didn't hear any of it. He didn't care. Reyes pulled his knife from his belt, slammed his forearm against the man's throat to hold him in place and stabbed him in the gut before twisting the cruel blade. He watched the struggle and the life fade out in the other's eyes without flinching, then he let the body slide unceremoniously to the dirty floor and walked away. If anyone saw the murder in the dark corner they wisely ignored it.

Reyes did not tolerate betrayal, and he would not let those who hurt Scott today go unpunished. His officers in the Collective were scrambling to uncover all those involved in the coup against him so they could be systematically exterminated if possible, their smuggling rings crippled if not.

He passed Kien on his way to the stairs to the second floor. The owner shared a look with him briefly before turning his attention back to the drinks he was pouring. When Reyes reached his private lounge he collapsed onto the couch and stared at the destroyed dampener on the table in front of him. He didn't understand the technology behind dampeners and biotics, let alone the alien tech that was used to modify it, but he had people in his employ that did. He had a man coming for the dampener soon, but in the meantime he'd done all he could do short of going out and hunting down Zia's conspirators himself. Admittedly, he was tempted to do that as well. He was angry enough. It wasn't just that the smugglers teamed up against him, it wasn't that his informants had failed, or that one of his own had betrayed him. It was about that moment when he didn't know if the pathfinder would ever be the same. Death was not always the worst fate, and Reyes couldn't think about what would have happened if Scott didn't have SAM.

Suddenly all he wanted was to see the pathfinder. He needed to see for himself that Scott really was all right.

Time, which had seemed to fly by in his haze of rage, couldn't go by fast enough as he waited.


It was late when Reyes made it to the port. All the workers were gone home aside from a few private security guarding ships and freight alike. But they didn't bother him unless he dared to get too close. In the distance he could see the Tempest, a dark shadow towering above the much smaller ships in the port. He was almost there when he felt the cold barrel of a gun jab into the back of his neck. Reyes stopped moving immediately and slowly raised his hands. For a long time he stood like that, calmly waiting for the other to speak.

Eventually the other let out an irritated sigh.

"What are you doing here, Vidal?"

If Reyes had any doubts about the identity of the gun-wielder they were gone instantly.

"Vetra Nyx. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

The turian moved slowly to stand in front of him. Reyes didn't move. He'd met Vetra on a handful of occasions concerning some under-the-table business deals, including his last mission with Scott, and even if he hadn't, her reputation definitely preceded her.

"Well, at the moment I'm deciding whether it would be best to kill you right here and now rather than let you near my pathfinder again." Vetra looked him straight in the eye, unblinking. Her yellow eyes seemed to bore into his soul, which normally would have unnerved him. But not this time.

"I need to see him." Reyes ditched whatever pride he had that would normally keep him from adding, "please."

Vetra stared at him, her weapon never wavering. "You nearly got him killed today. Whether you have ulterior motives or not, the fact remains that this seems to happen a lot around you. Normally I don't give a shit what you or your smugglers do. Where I take issue is when the life of one of only two pathfinders is at risk."

"He is more than just a pathfinder to me," Reyes said, quietly. "Please."

Reyes was not entirely sure which way she was going to go. Vetra was known for her poker face—she never gave anything away. Eventually she lowered her weapon.

"He is more than a pathfinder to all of us," she said. "I'll look the other way, but if someone else catches you on the ship I don't know anything about it."

Reyes nodded his understanding then started to push past her. She grabbed his arm and gripped it hard to the point of pain.

"He's vulnerable right now, Vidal. If you hurt him, so help me god..."

She left the threat open, hanging in the air between them. Reyes nodded and Vetra let him go. He didn't make promises to her. Actions spoke a hell of a lot louder than words and few people had time for them anyway.

Reyes made his way slowly and quietly up the ramp into the cargo bay. A careful look around the room told him it was empty aside from a man with reddish hair in an engineer's uniform. The man's attention was entirely devoted to the maintenance he was performing on the nomad in the center of the room. Reyes simply waited for him to turn his back then darted to the nearby door which opened silently for him upon approach. He didn't know the exact layout of the Tempest, but it wasn't a terribly large ship and he could guess where Scott might be—the med bay or his quarters. A large window along the wall in front of him revealed an empty med bay aside from an asari working at her station in the back corner. On the large digital display were scans and readings for Scott. Reyes' curiosity was piqued, but he didn't have time to dwell there. He heard loud laughter and talking as some of the crew came out of a door just around the corner and moved farther down the hall. Reyes peeked around the corner and saw the krogan and human that were with Scott earlier, as well as a rather short asari. The three disappeared around another corner and he heard the door slide closed muffling their noise.

Reyes' eyes moved to the large door at the end of the hall. If typical ship design stayed true for the Tempest, he could bet that was the Captain's quarters. Just as he started down the hall he heard footsteps overhead and looked up in time to see a salarian and a human woman he didn't know stop just before starting across the catwalk that ran the distance of the hallway. They whispered a few words to one another—Reyes thought he heard Scott's name—before the two parted ways and the salarian continued across the catwalk toward what must be the bridge. Reyes took the opportunity to run to the door at the end. The door didn't open at his approach and he hadn't expected it to. He pressed his hand to the manual release but it didn't open. To his right he could hear the crew in the galley. To his left he could hear the sound of running water. His position in front of the door could not have been more exposed. A crew member could come at him from literally every direction including from above. But no matter the consequence, he couldn't bring himself to just give up when he was so close.

He closed his eyes and whispered, "SAM."

Silence.

"SAM, I know you can hear me. Let me see him, please."

A blue light flickered on the display next to the manual release. "The pathfinder is asleep, Mr. Vidal. It is imperative that he recover from today's events."

"He doesn't need to wake, SAM, I just need to know he's all right."

"I can assure you—"

"I need to see for myself," Reyes swallowed hard. "Please."

There was a long silence from the AI. So long that Reyes was certain SAM was done talking to him. He lowered his head and sighed heavily. So close to his right he could hear the rowdy trio in the galley move closer to the door, but just as he resigned himself to being discovered the door in front of him shot open. Reyes wasted no time and the large door slid shut again behind him just in time.

He looked around the very large room briefly in awed appreciation. But as luxurious as the room was the prone figure on the bed is what caught and held his attention. Reyes moved closer. A dim light on the other side of the bed cast the pathfinder's sleeping form in a surreal glow. Scott was curled up on his side, a weariness seemed to weigh heavy in the air around him and Reyes felt another pang of guilt. He knew he probably shouldn't push his luck, but there was a gravitational pull around Scott that seemed to draw him in any time he was near. So before he fully considered the possible consequences—he seemed to do that a lot when it came to Scott—he sank down onto the edge of the bed and gently brushed the back of his fingers over the sleeping man's cheek. To his surprise and delight, those amazing multi-colored eyes fluttered, then slowly blinked open.

Scott looked up at him a moment in confusion. Then his eyes slid closed again and he nuzzled his face deeper into his pillow. Reyes couldn't help but smile fondly.

"What do you want, Reyes?" Scott mumbled sleepily.

"Who says I want something?"

A pause.

"You always want something."

That hurt, a little. But it wasn't untrue.

Several responses came to mind, but "I needed to see you," is what he said finally.

Scott turned his head and looked up at him again, searching his face. "How did you get in here, anyway?"

Reyes shrugged.

"Why are you here?"

Reyes shrugged again, uncertainty written across his features.

Scott sighed softly and started to try to sit up.

Reyes moved quickly then. With one hand on Scott's bare chest he pushed him back down. "Please don't get up on my account, Scott," he whispered. He looked the pathfinder in the eye. "I know I've caused you enough trouble, but," he glanced down at those lips he'd dreamed about on more occasions than he could feasibly count.

"But?" Scott murmured.

Without another word Reyes leaned in, and this time Scott didn't deny him.


...tbc