They heard the shouting even before Shepard reached out to hit the clinic's door control. Brow furrowing, she shook her head. "What in the name of all that's holy . . .."
"You draw their fire this time, Shepard," Nihlus said, shrugging his assault rifle into his hands.
She grinned and shook her head. "Thirty-one bullets doesn't get me a pass?" She glanced to Garrus who nodded, his sniper rifle in his hand. She moved into the center of the door to allow him to use the wall as cover to line up his shots. Since she was on fire-drawing duty this time, might as well make a show of it.
She palmed the door control and strode in. "Dr. Michel, that embarrassing, itchy, scaly rash is back, and it's spreading. I think I caught it from a krogan."
A krogan with dark blue plating spun away from the doctor, shoving her back into the corner. He pulled a shotgun off his back and brought it to bear on Shepard.
The red-headed doctor peered around the wall of thug. "I'm a little busy at the moment, Captain."
"I see that." Shepard strode around the divider. "Gral? Is that you? Damn, man. I told you that rash was bad news." Leaning against the post she crossed her arms. "If you're here to get some ointment from Dr. Michel, make sure it's not the same one she gave me. The rash is twice as bad as yesterday." Activating her omnitool, she got an overload ready, but also opened an extranet window. "I read an article that said this rash comes from varren. See? Look. Anything you want to tell me, big fella?"
Shepard glanced to Dr. Michel. "Is this the same sort of discussion you were having when I came in last time?"
The doctor's eyebrows lifted a little as she nodded. "Similar. Quite similar."
The krogan glowered at her, but shook off his confusion faster than she liked. "I don't know you, army. Get out of here." Dark blue eyes glowered at her from under his heavy brow. "This is none of your business."
"Gentlemen," Shepard said, glancing back. "Introduce yourselves." She overloaded the krogan, ripping down his shields. Garrus followed with another overload, then both turians shot the thug in the head while Kaidan sabotaged his gun then opened up on his chest. The krogan went down, roaring his pain and fury.
"Hold your fire, gentlemen, thank you." Shepard grabbed the doctor's hand, pulling her out of the corner and sending her spinning toward Garrus. She dropped on the krogan, burying her knee in his neck before she glanced over her shoulder at the doctor.
"Sweet baby Jesus, Dr. Michel. Do you collect thugs? I suggest changing to coins or stamps." Shepard leaned all her weight on her knee, staring into the stunned krogan's eyes. "You working for someone, handsome?"
"His name's Armistan Banes." The thug groaned and shifted, bucking under her, regaining strength as he regenerated. "That's all I know. Armistan Banes paid me to shake the doctor down, to make her an offer." Throwing Shepard back, he twisted and rolled to his feet, snatching up his shotgun. He trained it on the captain's midsection.
"You use that, you know my boys are going to take their time with you. C-Sec over there can put a bullet through each major organ while Kryik puts one through the base of your spinal cord . . . both of them." She crossed her arms and cocked a hip, giving him a moment to look over at the two turians with their sniper rifles sighted on him. "Sparky, the little one, he just likes to see how many body parts he can put a bullet in before you die." She shuddered. "He freaks me out, sick bugger."
Kaidan let out an indignant squawk. Shepard faked a coughing fit to disguise his ongoing grumbling as to which he liked least, being the little one or a blood-crazed sociopath.
After another second, the krogan hung up his shotgun, his hands held out a little. "Hey, I'm just hired muscle."
"Give me the frequency you were supposed to contact this Banes on, and I'll make you a deal. You keep an eye on this clinic, keep the good doctor safe and out of trouble, and I'll make it worth your while." She stepped up to him and held out her hand. "Deal?"
He stared at her through narrow eyes. "How do you know I won't just take your money and leave the doctor to get herself killed?"
Shepard stepped into him, butting him with a shoulder. "Because I believe you're capable of comprehending how unhealthy a decision that would be. That, and you only get paid if I get back here and the doc reports that she's never felt safer." She narrowed her eyes and stared him down with a practiced cold-crazy-bitch grin that snapped like cracking ice. "Couldn't hurt your cause to suddenly have an urge to fulfill your life's passion to become a candy striper, either."
The krogan backed up two steps. "A what?"
Shepard shook her head, suddenly weary beyond telling. "Get the hell out. And I'm serious about letting the boys have you. Keep the lady and her clinic safe." Waiting until the door closed behind him, Shepard turned to the doctor. "What the hell, Doc?"
"I swear, I've never had trouble like this before." She walked over and folded onto the end of the first bed.
"So, who's this Banes?" Shepard perched on the corner of the next bed.
Dr. Michel wrung her hands a little. "We worked together a long time ago." She sighed. "I wasn't proud of the work, so I left the lab to heal people." Jumping up, she paced a few metres then back. "My next employer caught me giving away supplies to small clinics like this one. They didn't want a big scene, so they let me go quietly, without charges."
"And if the powers that be knew, this clinic would be shut down, yes?" Shepard asked, leaning on her knees.
"Yes. Armistan sent me an obscene offer to return to our old research. When I refused-he'd only dangle that sort of money in front of me for my soul-he demanded that I send supplies, or he'd leak the story about the scandal." She shrugged and collapsed back into the bed. "But he wants so much equipment that I'd have to close the clinic." Fluttering her hands in a weak, helpless gesture, she let out a sigh. "It appears I have no choice, because I won't reopen that research. I became a doctor to save lives, not destroy them."
Shepard's sigh felt as though it started at her feet. "Don't send him anything. You have a dedicated bodyguard, or will, once he gets his first payment. Let me do some digging and find out what the deal is with Armistan Banes. Okay?"
The doctor offered a tentative but relieved smile. "Thank you, Captain. I don't know how to repay you for everything you've done for me."
"Well, to start, I need to buy four medical exoskeletons, then you could actually take that spa weekend and stay out of trouble for a couple of days." Shepard chuckled and stood, giving the woman's forearm a squeeze.
"Done." The doctor hurried to her supplies. "What model do you need, Captain?"
"The best one I can afford." Shepard looked through the supplies, picking up a medi-gel capacity upgrade and a couple of purchase licenses while she was at it. Never hurt to have a well-supplied quartermaster.
Shepard stopped at the door on her way out. "I mean it, Doc. Stay out of trouble. We're going to be around the Citadel for a couple more days, but we can't be watching this place all the time, just in case."
The doctor laughed, but followed it with a long, tremulous sigh. "I'll do my best, Captain. Thank you again."
When they walked out the door, Shepard headed over to the railing and stared out over the ward arms. "Big place." She sidled over next to a couple of asari and gave them a friendly nod. "It's my first time here," she said, heaving her shoulders in an awkward shrug. "Sort of feeling overwhelmed. It's gorgeous though, right? Just so huge. Do you live here?"
The closest one gave Shepard a pained smile and inclined her head, in a way that screamed, 'I'll be polite, but go away, lower creature'.
Shepard patted the asari's shoulder. "Well, that's super. It's been amazing talking to the two of you. I'm going to go poke a Keeper now, and see if they really do melt into puddles of goo."
"You shouldn't . . .." the other asari began, but her friend cut her off, mumbling something about ignorant colonials being better off in jail.
Shepard jumped forward, the rude asari letting out a little scream as the Captain grabbed her arms. "I love this place," she gushed. "Everyone is so friendly." She grabbed the other asari's hand in both of hers, giving it a hearty shake, then stroked the top of her head. "Ooo, those feel nice." Backing away, she waved, and nearly tripped over a volus. "Oops, sorry about that, my friend. As for you ladies . . ." She stretched out both arms to point at them. ". . . stay gorgeous. I'll see you."
Garrus chuckled as Shepard fell in step, turning back every few steps to wave to the still-staring asari. "Which one did you plant the bug on?"
Shepard just grabbed the inside of her lip between her teeth and tilted her head.
"The volus," Kaidan said under his breath, earning a raised eyebrow and a grin from Shepard.
"Very good, Sparky. You've earned an extra brownie with supper." Shepard opened the car and climbed in. "Come on, let's see if we can't get ahead of Saren."
When they returned to the Normandy, Shepard arranged for both a department and a team briefing before they arrived at Therum the following day. Taking a bowl of soup and a sandwich into her quarters, she sat at her computer to memorize all the information on Dr. Liara T'Soni, Therum, and Matriarch Benezia.
What she discovered about Dr. T'Soni didn't concern her at all. She was young for an asari, very intelligent, and dedicated to her field of study to the point of having no life outside of work.
What she discovered about Therum and the dig site concerned her from a team safety point of view. Lava flows, geological instability, and mines honeycombing the surface all pointed to a high potential for disaster that had nothing to do with Saren. She'd seen men throw grenades that ruptured pressure or steam pockets close to the surface. The results never proved healthy for anyone.
What she discovered about the good doctor's mother concerned her most of all. Powerful, wealthy, intelligent, a massive following . . .. she had the clout to raise an army, supply it, and buy any information or influence she needed. Shepard sighed and set down the datapad. The only connection she couldn't make was the one to the geth. Saren made sense in an odd sort of way, but the geth . . . where did they and their doomsday robot gods come in?
Knuckles rapped on her door.
"Unless you're that charming asari from outside the med clinic, I'm busy," she called.
"I don't think I could pull off that dress," Vakarian replied, "but I'm willing to give it a try if it means being able to deliver my report."
Shepard hid a wide grin behind her hand and shook her head. "Get in here, wiseass."
The door opened to reveal the turian craning around to look behind him. "I don't really have an ass, so . . .."
"True." She sat sideways in her chair and leaned against the back, arms crossed. "So, what can I do for you, Officer Wise-assless?"
He just strode over and handed her a datapad. "Here's everything I dug up during my investigation into Saren. Maybe you'll see something I didn't." Letting out a long breath, he frowned and nodded at the datapads covering her desk. "You planning on laying siege to the terminus systems?"
"Well, one planet in them, anyway." She shrugged. "I like to over prepare. Been on my share of missions that ended up FUBAR. If we run in like unprepared idiots, a planet like Therum is as likely to kill us as the geth."
He nodded and took a step back, standing with a cocked hip, his arms crossed. "I contacted the dig site again when we got back on board. They haven't heard from Dr. T'Soni in a couple of days, but they said that's not unusual. She tends to disappear for up to a week if she gets fascinated by something. They haven't seen any sign of the geth."
"Thanks for staying on top of that. Much appreciated." She nodded toward the door. "You got yourself something to eat?" When he hummed to the affirmative, she grinned. "Is there something else I can do for you?"
"Want an extra set of eyes?"
A soft, genuine smile touched just the corners of her mouth. "Thanks C-Sec, but as soon as I'm done scarfing down my peanut butter, I'm going to pass out. Rumour is that I took thirty-one bullets the other day, then earlier, this massive turian threw me all around the gym, so I'm going to hit the rack. I'll see you in the comm room at 0630."
Flipping a hand toward the door, she sagged in her chair. "Get some sleep. You did some good work the last couple of days."
"Thanks, and thanks for bringing me along, Captain." His head jerked in an awkward nod and he spun on his talons, striding quickly from the room.
"God save me from the turians," she sighed when the door closed. Turning her lights off, Shepard moved her dinner to her nightstand, then laid out on her side to read her reports, falling asleep within a few moments.