"I thought this guy was a good shot?" Shepard spoke just as the crowd of freelancers began jumping the barrier and storming the walkway with much aplomb. The crowd of inexpensive armor swelled around the team as it moved. Zaeed watched three heads explode right in front of him.
"Are you god-damned-daft woman?" He gestured at the now slumped merc forms. She pointed at the pile of bodies along the bridge.
"Hey not all of those are headshots. I've seen better is all I'm sayin' Massani," her eyes twinkled with mirth. The old Merc had disbelief written across his features. He was still attractive in a grizzled, devil-may-care way despite his age and impressive facial scar. Well, his tattooed biceps were certainly comely in Shepard's humble opinion. She watched him check his rifle for a thermal clip and allowed her mind wander for a second. Their Krogan companion behind her chuckled darkly while she spun her lip ring, letting the grunts ahead of them spread out a bit before putting her helmet on.
"Okay let's go be big damn heroes boys." With that she vaulted over the barrier and in a blue blaze had already knocked two idiots over the banister of the bridge. Grunt stormed right by her and bodily picked people up to huck them over the ledge. The soldier cackled with glee as she charged through men in force.
"Oh man this biotic shit is a real blast lemme tell ya!" She emphasized as she cocked her shot gun and point blanked a poor sod in the back. Archangel's gun was busy above them.
"Is it really 'biotic shit' if all you can do is throw yourself at people?" Zaeed answered.
"Give me a break, I wasn't a biotic before death, this is a whole new world to me!" She stabbed through the neck of an unsuspecting target with her blade. "Don't you worry though, I'm gonna learn all sorts of ways to blow your mind old man!" Shepard stood up on a crate to get a better angle on a guy behind cover - this was about the time the freelancers started realizing they weren't there to help. Merc bullets rained against her shield. Zaeed watched her antics with a barked laugh and dispatched a Salarian who'd made it down the bridge and practically through the front door.
"A loony lass like you? Oh girlie, I'm sure you already know a few ways to blow my mind." His voice dropped a register as he came up behind her.
"In your wildest dreams Massani," Her retort cut short as a concussion round spun her off the crate. Zaeed barely managed an "Oi!" and grabbed her clumsily with one arm as she fell. The Commander righted herself with an exclamation. "Did that bastard just shoot at me?" She looked up at the balcony and caught the light off the Turian's scope. "He did, that son-of-a-bitch!" Grunt's guffaw echoed through the com.
"He didn't shoot AT you Shepard, he hit you! I like him!" The Krogan chortled as he bashed two mercs together.
"That'll teach you not to stand around droolin' over me, won't it Shepard?" Zaeed's laughter followed her as she sprinted from cover to cover, catching up with Grunt while mumbling expletives under her breath.
The door opened for them as they came up the stairs to the balcony, so he must have at least gotten the hint they were there to help him. The three-man team strode in with purpose and made their way up to the crouched Turian.
"I'm Commander Shepard and I'm here to rescue you," she said with humor. She pulled off her helmet and tucked it under an arm Behind her, Zaeed rolled his eyes. The Turian snapped his lidded head around as she spoke.
"Shepard?" His voice came modulated through his headwear.
"Yup, here to recruit." She intoned with a short two-fingered salute. He didn't move a muscle while he studied her. Finally, after an agonizingly silent few seconds, he stood up and moved towards her as he pulled his helmet off.
She tensed and gasped loudly as he revealed his face.
"Garrus!" She breathed his name like a prayer. His mandibles hung open, pupils huge, sweat beaded on his neck - but it was him. The visor, the purposeful slashes of his markings, silver plates, tawny hide, those bright blue eyes - she'd recognize him anywhere, even decked out in armor she hadn't seen before.
Shepard moved to throw an arm around him but hesitated when another second went by and his face didn't change or move an iota. Her foot bumped an empty stim vial... from the corner of her eye she registered all the vials and spent thermal clips lying about where he'd crouched. There was a sinking sense in her gut. He mumbled something. "What?" She asked.
"You've come... I'm... I'm out of my mind. You're here to kill me, aren't you?" He stood up straighter and pulled his mandibles in tight. His eyes darted towards Grunt and Zaeed behind her. Her face screwed into confusion.
"What are you talking about Big Guy?" Her tone was calming. "It was just a concussion round, why would I want to do th-"
"You're my escort to the afterlife." He cut in.
Her heart dropped into her stomach and twisted painfully. "Shit" she breathed before clapping her mouth shut. He thought he was hallucinating. Shepard contemplated her next sentence as her eyes darted between the stem vials. How many were there? How long had he been up here? The bodies that littered the bridge - she didn't scrutinize them enough to notice how long they'd been there…. He took one last step into her personal space and reached out to clasp her armored bicep. The Commander drew in a sharp breath and held it. His pupils narrowed.
"Spirits…" he whispered as he looked at his hand on her arm."Are you real?" Grunt and Zaeed shared a glance and moved, the Human to watch the bridge and the Krogan to the doorway. Shepard nodded her head at his inquiry.
"It's absolutely me Garrus, you aren't seeing things I promise." She answered back warmly and patted his elbow.
"You're dead. How…"
"I know, it's hard to explain but Cerberus rescued me and somehow, with better luck than I've EVER had, I've found you." It seemed easier, in his drug addled state, to run with 'rescue' than with 'rebuilt-me-as-probably-some-abomination-of-the-real-deal-as-we-all-know-
how-Cerberus-experiments-end'. His eyes darted back and forth, taking in her face and black N7 armor. Suddenly he bent and swept her up, crushing her to him. Her feet left the ground as she threw her arms around his neck.
"Man, am I glad to see you Big Guy!" She laughed.
"Shepard..." He made a low wailing noise that came more from his chest than his mouth. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but the heartbreaking way he whispered her name sent a bolt of guilt to her toes. Her stomach twisted again.
"Garrus, how are we going to get you out of here? How'd you get into this mess?" She registered shouting beyond the bridge. He pulled his face away from her neck and rested his forehead against hers as he gingerly set her back down. He was still making that sound. Zaeed raised his rifle to his shoulder to her left, catching her eye when he jerked his head towards the merc camp. Shepard blew out the breath she'd been holding.
"I hate to break up this touching reunion and all but we've got incoming." Zaeed's gravely speech sounded.
"I got here by trusting filth that I shouldn't have. As for how we get out..." Garrus's dual-toned voice trailed off.
"We shoot till we can't shoot no more?" Shepard finished his sentence. She thought she caught a familiar smirk at that. She pushed her helmet back on and felt a rumble through the floor.
"What the shit?" She spun to look at her companion as he pulled his own lid over his fringe and locked the neck seals.
"There's a door to the lower levels, I'd sealed it off but sounds like they are trying to get in down there." The modulated voice answered.
"I'll go head them off, Grunt you're with me. Massani, keep our bird alive will ya?"
"Sure girlie anything you ask." Zaeed popped in a fresh heatsink on his sniper rifle. She bounced on the balls of her feet twice before shaking out her shoulders, unhooking her shotgun, and sprinting off downstairs. The two left behind caught her telling the Krogan to keep up as she disappeared and Grunt's answering bellow of "Paint the basement with a rainbow of merc blood!"
Shepard was grumbling to herself as she came back upstairs, inspecting the Vorcha entrails splattered across her legs. She walked out past the banister and only got a snarl as a warning before she was shoved against the wall and dragged into the air. The Commander had to blink stars out of her eyes and struggled to suck in a breath before she focused on the fist wrapped around her throat. She followed the fist to the terrible sneer of "Garm." she ground out through her teeth. Both her hands promptly bludgeoned hard, chopping at the arm that held her aloft. The Human planted one sturdy leg on her Krogan assailant's chest and pushed, but all he did was lower her to his face.
"Filthy Turian fucker arn't you?" He growled, spittle flying out to hang from Shepard's visor. She caught sight of Grunt rounding the corner just as the Blood Pack boss pulled his shotgun up to her gut.
"Why don't you grow a quad and pick on someone your own size, Garm?" She spat back.
Grunt charged the big bastard without even a second thought and came crashing into him with perfect poetic timing. Man, she loved her baby Krogan. It would have brought a tear to her eye if his momentum hadn't caused him and Garm's weight both to crush her into the wall. Their impact pushed a pained sound out of her throat as she slid down to lie while the two Krogan duked it out. Stunned, Shepard sprawled, taking in gasping breaths. She heard the rapport of both rifles in tandem from upstairs and through the channel.
"What was that yell, you okay girlie?" Zaeed came over the com.
She tried to speak back but couldn't get a sound out through her bruised throat and probable harmed ribs. The two big creatures were dancing around each other clumsily, taking turns punching and charging one another, interspersed with shotgun blasts. Her tube baby got in a magically timed upper cut that made pride swell in her chest even with her incapacitation. The sickening crack it made was glorious. She'd taught him that move.
"Shepard?" Garrus's voice that time.
She managed a pained gasp at least. Grunt head butted Garm yet again, but this time the old Krogan bent on one knee and gave the younger the opportunity to fire off five shots directly into the red bastard's hump.
"My Battle Master is fine, just had the wind knocked out of her." He answered for her.
The sound of an approaching engine made her eyes widen. Not three seconds later came the tell tale sound of a mini gun spinning up.
The gunship. They got it running.
The Commander rolled and tried to push herself up. Grunt came to pull her to her feet and half dragged her up the flight of steps to the balcony.
Zaeed's voice rang down to them in stereo. "What in the bloody hell are you doing, get up here Shepard!"
The pair hobbled through the door, Shepard's eyes locked on the body on the ground face down in a vast pool of azure blood.
"No!" She forced out on a husky breath. Military trained senses took in the scene in milliseconds, the gunship had nailed Garrus through a side window and moved to the rear room to offload Blue Sun's footmen. Her merc was there in his mismatched armor, crouched behind an overturned table. The Commander didn't hesitate to pull the rocket launcher off her back. She kneeled, primed, aimed, and launched in one graceful, continuous movement. Grunt stood behind her gaping, but at least Zaeed had been smart enough to duck. The resounding explosion in the compact space displaced the Normandy team and likewise made the Blue Suns that hadn't fully disembarked - and their precious gunship - a vaporized memory. The blast blew Shepard onto her back. She lifted her head to see both her comrades scrambling to their feet. She smiled then rolled, dragging herself over to Garrus - there was nothing but a loud thrumming ring in her ears. She reached out and rotated the Turian's head towards her.
Shit. Shit shit shit. The right side of his neck gushed blood as she moved him, his mandible was hanging from the blue, wet, meat of the side of his face. His eye sprung open, and there was a gurgle as he tried to breathe through the blood. Hoooly shit, he was alive! Shepard sunk her hand into his neck to grip and stifle the bleed. Zaeed and Grunt were around her, trying to speak... but she could only see their mouths moving. The ringing from the explosion was too loud. The Commander hit her com and choked out for an evac, or at least, did her best approximation through her hearing loss. She pointed to her com and looked at her compatriots, Zaeed mouthed "What?" - the old merc's hearing must be out too. Grunt however, pointed back at his com and nodded back at her. Thank God for redundant eardrums? Shepard gave him a thumbs up - oh, that quizzical look on his mug was cute. Could she adopt an adolescent tank-bred Krogan? What was the legality? Was her vision turning fuzzy? She really needed to teach him human hand signals...
She tried to open her eyes, but they just rolled back into her head. Ouch was the only thing to register. Okay, that was feeling at least. Her neck was throbbing as she moved. She flexed her fingers and toes, ah! Those were still there. A second try at eye opening - success. Med bay ceiling. She could work with that, could be worse - could have been Garm's ugly mug staring at her. Garm? GARRUS.
She choked out his name as she thought it and tried to sit up, but swimming vision and a warm hand pushed her down onto the bed.
"Stop right there Commander, you will still be under the effects of the sedative for a bit longer and I don't need someone with a broken rib, a concussion and a crushed trachea to be flailing about my med bay." Dr. Karin Chakwas's familiar face popped into her field of view, graced with a warm smile. Shepard's mouth corners pulled up in reaction before she moved to speak.
"You've been out for a few hours, Grunt and Zaeed got you here just in time. Garrus is fine." The silver-haired doctor interrupted her while elevating the head of her bed. "Try not to talk, give your vocal cords a few days to relax please?" Shepard made a disbelieving face.
"Come now Commander, we both know you will ignore my requests, but at least let me make them." Steady hands poured a glass of water and handed it to the patient. There was a moment of pointed looks between the two women before Shepard sighed and sipped.
"Alright, now that you are cooperating, your neck will be sore for a week or so I'd imagine, try to be gentle with yourself. The rib is mending well..." She pulled up her omni-tool to show the live scan of the offending bone. "... and you should be back to normal duties tomorrow. I'm not sure if it was the Krogan or the rocket launcher." She intoned with a breathy laugh.
"Now as for that concussion, again, please rest, Commander. No more close quarters rockets either, Zaeed was also concussed from the blast. Grunt has two bullet holes he wouldn't let me close. Something about the scars. Now, on to Garrus. Mordin and I have been in surgery for the last few hours stabilizing him. I've had to graft in cybernetics to give him back the functionality of his jaw. Lucky you picked up those dextro supplies at the Citadel, he had to undergo a blood transfusion. If he continues with my aftercare instructions, the scarring should be minimal as the plates grow back in." Dr. Chakwas pulled the curtain as she moved around Shepard's bed to reveal Garrus's still sleeping form in the next bay.
"You saved his life, Commander. Even unconscious your grip is impressive. You can get up in a few minutes, Gardener has something easy to swallow prepared for you." The elder woman spun around and stuck a finger in her face. "DON'T just not eat because it's painful. I'll find out. I will make you keep a food diary until your throat heals." The younger held up a placating hand, gingerly sat up, and set her now empty glass on the tray table.
A few minutes later Shepard felt okay to stand up and head to the mess. She paused over Garrus's bed and took stock of his vital monitors. "Remember Commander, everyone here is my rat. I WILL know." Chakwas called after her as she slunk out the med bay door.
Just outside, the mess was relatively quiet with only Gardner and Kasumi occupying it. Shepard waved half heartedly at the man's beaming smile.
"Those rations you picked up at the Citadel were really great, Commander. The crew will be thanking you for weeks!" He eyed her neck and made a tsking sound. "Real shame you can't partake for a few days."
Trying to remember her orders to take it easy on the talking she just patted him on the shoulder and made an 'Ok" sign with her hand. Gardner presented her with broth that she took with a nod of thanks. The thief looked up from noodles she was nursing as Shepard walked by and planted herself opposite.
"Have you seen what you look like yet Commander?" Kasumi asked cheerily. Shepard shook her head. Jack chose that moment to walk back from the bathroom and answered for her as she passed by them.
"Like absolute shit." She snorted and resumed her own bowl down the table from the two women. Shepard opened her mouth to retort, remembered she shouldn't and just rolled her eyes instead.
"So you aren't shocked later, you've got two shiners, a perfect Krogan hand shaped bruise on your neck, and more bruising on your chest. It hurts just looking at you!" Kasumi continued. Shepard looked down her tank top at the blooming angry blue and purple that disappeared past the hemline. Yeah, that was rough. She wondered idly who brought the change of clothes to the med bay and shrugged in response. The two women kept chatting at her and with each other while she spooned her broth with agonizing swallows. Jack was surprisingly glib today. The biotic's usual M.O. was brooding, glaring, and insults when pried. After a few minutes, the N7 steeled herself and tipped the bowl directly down her throat. God, she needed her bed.
She woke suddenly... a noise maybe? She laid perfectly still, ears straining in the darkness.
"Shepard?" Garrus's thrumming vocals softly called. She startled as if she'd been shot and let out a loud breath.
"Holy shit don't scare me like that," her hand pulled away from the Carnifax under her pillow to pat a spot on the bed for him to come sit.
"I'm sorry Shepard, when I came up the door opened - I didn't mean to wake you," his silhouette wrung its hands in the backlight of the aquarium.
"It's not your fault, I told EDI to let you in if you stopped by," the Commander dug a knuckle into a sleepy eye and instantly hissed in pain. "Shit, I forgot about these damn bruises!" She exclaimed. Garrus chuckled lowly.
"Chakwas wouldn't give me a mirror, do you look as bad as I do?" Finally he tapped down the steps to perch on the edge of her mattress. He was sans his armor and wearing an olive green with gold trim set of Turian fatigues.
"I dunno, lets see," she used her omni-tool to bring the lights up in the cabin and squinted as her pupils adjusted.
He exhaled prominently upon sight of her. "Spirits Shepard! Garm did all that?"
"Naaaah, he was a big softie. The real issue was my baby Krogan's lack of self control... that and a self-induced rocket blast," she retorted huskily from damaged chords. Garrus's eyes flicked to the obviously three fingered bruise on her neck and gave her a skeptical glance.
"Oh, and what about you, Big Guy? Who told you to eat rockets for breakfast, huh?" She punctuated her statement by dragging him closer by the collar and pushed a finger against his chin to turn his wound toward her. She winced just looking at his plates, even though most of it was masked by a bandage. Shepard couldn't help but notice the dried blue crust still under her fingernail.
"That bad huh?" His taloned hand covered hers and gently pulled it from his face. He stared at their hands silently for a few moments - in which the burbling water seemed loud in the backdrop. "I came up because... I needed to see for myself that you were real. Spirits. You must be. I just have pain killers in my system now," he paused as his eyes wandered over her glowing scars.
"I can't believe you are here," he leaned forward near the nape of her neck and inhaled like he had once before. "It really is you...how? Why didn't you contact me? It's been two years Shepard," His speech was quiet, un-accusatory. The sadness in his voice and the low sounds he was making made guilt coil and writhe in her belly, and sent heat through her face and shoulders.
She stared at him… how long were they together on the SR1, a year? She'd never seen him out of his armor. He was so much smaller than he normally seemed.
"Excuse your shitty Commander for a few minutes will you Garrus?" She uttered quietly before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself tightly to him. The keening noise in his chest stuttered and changed to a curious, deep, cricket-like droning noise. He held his arms rigidly away, obviously unsure of where to put them.
He huffed into her hair quietly. "You Humans are so touchy." She could feel the noises he made through his keel.
"I haven't done much touching in the last two years. Technically. " She smiled, but her demeanor quickly turned somber. "Forgive me, I have had almost no one around me that wasn't working for a terrorist organization. I'm glad you're here. I don't know how I would have done this..." She trailed off in a whisper. "Garrus..." She wasn't sure where to start. "I'm so sorry, I can only imagine what you've been through the past two years. It's only been a month at most for me. I feel like I just waved goodbye to you on the Citadel."
"What happened Shepard? I was at the docks when the ship with the survivors came in... Joker said himself he saw you get blown from the Normandy. You said Cerberus rescued you?" He spoke into the crown of her head.
"Well... Jeff was right, the blast threw me clear... it ruptured my suit seals and... that was that. The last thing I remember is... the feeling of my lungs burning as the sun broke the planet's horizon." She murmured. His arms came around her to settle on her back.
"Then I woke up on a table in a lab just weeks ago. I've got two Cerberus operatives on the ship. One, Miranda was in charge of what they called the 'Lazarus Project'... disturbing." At the Turian's quizzical expression, she expounded. "The name is from an old religious tale about a god resurrecting a man from the dead. The religious context is the disturbing part. Anyway, the other operative, Jacob, told me I had burned through atmo on Alchera. He said all he saw was 'nothing but meat and tubes'." She shuddered bodily at the imagery that conjured. "I died Garrus. I didn't just abandon everyone and everything we fought for. I was spaced. I hit the ground. God, I need a cigarette," she laughed on the last sentence and stood up to rummage through the pile of clothes by her bed. A triumphant noise sounded from her throat when the Commander located her lighter and cigs. She straightened up to light one and realized as Garrus's gaze lingered on her bare legs that standing around in her underwear and a tank top wasn't her greatest plan. Ah well, they were soldiers, he'd seen worse.
The Turian was rubbing his hands on the tops of his thighs and glancing about. "I'm not sure what to say Shepard..."
"There's a Human saying, 'Ain't No Rest for the Wicked' or maybe 'Legends Never Die' is a better one." Her lips turned up around the butt. Garrus made a face she couldn't place.
He was quiet for a few moments before he started again, meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Her chest clenched. "We both know that if you were you'd probably just be dead too... and I doubt Cerberus would have brought YOU back. It's better this way." She sighed. "But enough of that, how did you go from Specter training to The Batman of Omega?"
He was silent for a long while, looking everywhere but at her. "I... don't know. Well, I do know, but..." he trailed off, massaging inside his cowell on his injured side. "Sorry Shepard, not up to talking about it yet."
"Fair enough." She stamped the cigarette out in an ashtray on her nightstand. When she turned she caught him rubbernecking her legs again. The Human smirked and stuck a hip out cockily. "See something you like Vakarian?" He sucked his uninjured mandible to his jaw so hard she had to stifle a laugh, embarrassment was easy to recognize even on a Turian.
"More like marveling at how squishy you Humans are… how you made it to apex predator on your planet will always mystify me," he quipped haughtily - his chin appendages were still drawn in tight though.
"You know us pyjacks are wiley!" Her smile widened. "Besides, we can't all be evolutionarily blessed armored cockatiels. I'm surprised you haven't noticed before, considering the communal showers on the SR1. Wait… do Turians bathe? I never did see you there."
"I don't know what a cockatiel is but I'm assuming that was an insult," he stood and loomed, his sub-vocalizations loudly drumming through her bones - she couldn't help the goose flesh he raised. "And of course we bathe, smart Turians just showered during the wee hours of the night cycle - so that all that warm water could be enjoyed leisurely," he put a thrumming emphasis on his last word that sent a pleasure bolt down Shepard's back. Huh. Something to analyze later. The atmosphere between them changed drastically when he snaked a gloved fingertip along her glowing scars on her collar that disappeared under her tank top.
"Well I can't disparage that, it was a brilliant plan that kept you from being subjected to Wrex in all his glory," she spoke the last part through a strained laugh - an effort to break the uncomfortable tension.
"Really Shepard? You didn't have to ogle the poor old Krogan." Garrus used that long talon to poke her in the side - causing her to flinch and squawk, much to his satisfaction.
"Who ogled who? The man takes a shower like he's being filmed live for Fornax. But I did unfortunately find out you weren't lying." Shepard waggled her eyebrows. He cocked his head in curiosity, just like a bird. She snorted.
"When you said they had four testicles, I thought you had to be full of shit! Imagine mine, Kaiden, and Joker's buck naked surprise that you weren't! Kaiden turned so red he was like an Asari maiden on her first Hanar pleasure cruise. I should have taken a holo…" Garrus's chuckle made him groan in pain.
"Ahh don't make me laugh, my mandible is barely holding on as it is," he touched his wounded jaw and hissed low, the sound reverbed through the room in both his tones
"Aw I'm sorry Big Guy. I'll stop."
Garrus sighed. "Cerberus, Shepard? You do remember everything we saw their hands in on the SR1? I can't say I'm not worried about this."
"Of course I do, and technically now I'm one of their experiments too. You aren't the only one worried. That's why I need you here. If I'm walking into hell I need someone I can trust. I need you Garrus. "
"You realize this plan has me walking into hell with you, right?" His good mandible pulled up in a grin. "Just like old times." The two friends stood in silence considering each other.
"Hey Shep?" He asked.
"Hm?"
"What's a Batman?"
Shepard laughed loudly. "A human superhero. The caped crusader of vigilante justice! You have a lot in common, lemme pull a comic up, you'll LOVE him."
