Chapter Two: And She Smiled

He was outside the medical clinic in mere minutes. With C-Sec being technically located on the lower wards, he used the Academy's elevator, the longest part being the agonizing wait of travel accompanied by odd, repetitive and bouncy music which dropped him off just below the clinic. Up the stairs in about three bounds, he hadn't entered the office yet, remembering what Harkin had told him about Fist's men. He unholstered his pistol, and tried his best to recall the layout of the room, (he had been in there a handful of times, usually when meeting with a patient he needed to interview.) He knew there to be a short-wall that jutted out a ways and so he dropped to a crouching position.

The door silently sighed open, revealing the sight of the panicked Dr. Michel, surrounded by Fist's thugs. There were two boxing her in, while three hung back towards the right end of the room, messing with a medi-gel dispenser and rifling through supplies. Garrus inched across, the low wall keeping him hidden from sight. He knew as soon as his presence was revealed it would turn into a firefight, his real issue was who to take out first and how to prevent Dr. Michel from being, hit, killed, or worse, used as a hostage. The thought brought an old image to his mind, one that fueled him with immediate anger. He wouldn't let that stop him though, he couldn't.

"You know why we're here," one of the men said ominously. Garrus continued to move gingerly below them.

"I didn't tell anyone, I swear!" the doctor pleaded, her voice sounded as if she was on the verge of tears.

"That was smart Doc, now if Garrus comes around you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we—" the man suddenly took hold of Dr. Michel, one arm pinning her throat while the other pointed his gun. "Who are you?" he shouted and for a brief moment, Garrus was sure he'd been seen. And she's a hostage, of course. He was about to jump up when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Let her go," a woman coolly said. He glanced back to see none other than Commander Shepard, and her two companions all with weapons raised. The thugs were distracted, all their attention focused on the Alliance soldiers. This was his chance. Garrus dove around the corner and immediately fired a shot into the head of the man who held the doctor. Dr. Michel screamed as if she herself had been shot, and the second his dead arms fell from her body she rushed to hide behind one of the cots. The rest of Fist's men hesitated as they took in the sight of what had just occurred, and when they raised their guns, he, Commander Shepard, and her comrades opened fire. Their targets were all lying dead in a matter of seconds.

He fastened his weapon back at his side as Shepard closed the distance between him and Dr. Michel, who had reemerged from her hiding spot. "Perfect timing Shepard, gave me a clear shot of that bastard," he told her, pleased not only with himself but the quick actions of the woman. Her grey eyes met his only for him to find that gratification was not reflected there.

"what were you thinking, you could have hit the hostage!" her tone was hard, commanding and authoritative. It made him suddenly want to second guess all of his decisions.

"There wasn't time to think, I just reacted, I didn't mean to…," he stumbled over his words, unsure of what exactly she expected him to say and how to deliver them. The thought then came to him on what he should say. "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?" he turned to the red-haired human.

"No, I'm okay, thanks to you," she responded meeting his gaze, "—all of you," was hastily added. His concern for the doctor must have appeased the Commander as she didn't chastise him further, her next remarks specific to the human woman.

"I know those men threatened you, but if you tell me who they work for we can protect you."

"They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian." Dr. Michel's eyes flickered to him upon mentioning his name. This was new, a quarian. It didn't surprise him that a quarian would be involved in a matter involving geth, they were after all the ones who had originally created them.

"Does this have anything to do with the investigation into Saren?" The Commander's continued interest in the Saren investigation made it obvious to Garrus that the meeting with the council had not gone well.

"I think it might," he replied, "Dr. Michel, tell us what happened." The woman rubbed her forehead, clearly trying her best to collect her thoughts after the traumatic experience she'd just faced.

"A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot but she wouldn't tell me who did it. She was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker, she wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place."

"Where is she now?" Garrus thought he detected a hint of concern for the well-being of the quarian in the Commander's voice, rather than just answers she sought.

"I put her in contact with Fist, he's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore," he interjected, "now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it." Seeing as he hired a krogan to kill him.

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him," Dr. Michel said, rather aghast. "Saren must have made quite the offer."

"The quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get," he thought aloud, a tingle of excitement running through him. Here we go, this is it. I'm going to get him yet.

"What else can you tell me about the quarian?" Shepard asked, apparently ignoring his remark.

"I'm not sure. Like I said, she wanted to trade information for a place to hide," Dr. Michel's brow furrowed as she racked her brain. "She didn't—," her face lit up, "wait a minute, Geth! Her information had something to do with the Geth!"

"she must be able to link Saren to the Geth. There's no way the council can ignore this!"

"Time we paid Fist a visit," a small smile twitched Shepard's mouth. He sensed that she and the other two humans were about to leave, but he couldn't let them. Not yet. He had to see this through, he'd put all his time and effort into it since the moment he'd been given the assignment.

"This is your show Shepard, but I want to bring Saren down as much as you do. I'm coming with you," he told her. To his surprise, a look of confusion crossed her face.

"you're a turian, why do you want to bring him down?" her voice held genuine interest. This question set off a heat in him.

"I couldn't find the proof I needed in my investigation but I knew what was really going on. Saren is a traitor to the council and a disgrace to my people!" he couldn't control himself as he said it, his anger and hatred toward the turian visible for all, and while he believed that he managed to muddle his frustration towards himself in having rather botched the job, he could not keep from his flinging a hand in the air for emphasis. The two Alliance soldiers exchanged a look between one another that did not go unnoticed, they were wary of him.

Shepard on the other hand had a half-smile playing on her face. Now the glint of gratification was in her grey eyes. "Welcome aboard, Garrus," she said. He felt his mandibles twitch in mild shock.

"You know we're not the only ones going after Fist. The Shadow Broker hired a krogan bounty hunter named Wrex, to take him out." For some odd reason, he was very aware of the fact that they were all staring at him. He was tempted to shift on his feet only to be plagued by his never-ending thoughts; What if that's a sign of weakness? Are they trying to determine if I have a weakness? Why would adjusting my stance be considered a weakness? Just move your feet, Garrus! Contrary to the voice in his mind, he stayed frozen in place

"yeah, we saw him in the bar," the woman behind Shepard dryly commented. She continued to keep a hard fix on him. She's obviously waiting for me to move so don't do it.

"A krogan might come in handy," the Commander seemed intrigued.

"Last I heard, he was at the C-Sec Academy."

"What's he doing there?" the human male asked. There was hesitation on his face, but something told Garrus that had more to do with the prospect of a krogan than the turian standing before him.

"Fist accused him of making threats. We brought Wrex in for a little talk. If you hurry, you can catch him before he leaves."

"move out," she gave the order and turned on her heel to leave.

"I'll, uh, have C-Sec come remove…them," he awkwardly gestured to the bodies on the floor.

"I'd appreciate it." Dr. Michel faintly smiled. He gave her a curt nod before falling into step with the other two humans.

"This way is fastest to the Academy," he announced once they had left, and with Shepard's motion of approval, he led them back down the stairs in the direction of the elevator. Another human C-Sec officer was standing nonchalantly. He glanced over and his eyes widened.

"You're Shepard, right?" he stopped the Commander, a large grin breaking out on his face. Garrus watched the woman's reaction. She approached him, despite the fact that he thought them to be in a bit of a time-crunch. "I saw the monument at Akuze. They've got a whole section about you there. It's a miracle you survived." At the mention of the location, he noted the way her demeanor changed. Originally, she had appeared approachable, friendly even, but that was gone—replaced with a stoic, unreadable expression.

"Looks like you have a fan," he heard her male comrade whisper. Garrus was tempted to tell the officer to move along, and was even about to when she politely thanked him for offering his assistance and excused herself towards the elevator. Garrus continued to watch her as the four of them stepped in, his vision focused on her hands at either side and the anxious twitch that had suddenly overcome her fingers. She took a deep breath and then faced them all.

"This is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko," she told him. The Lieutenant surprisingly offered out his hand, which Garrus obligingly shook. "and Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams." She merely gave a curt nod, he returned it before once again introducing himself to them.

"How long have you been in C-Sec?" The man, Kaidan, asked in an attempt to make conversation. Garrus opened his mouth to respond when the door opened and Shepard exited. The krogan bounty hunter was still there in the middle of the Academy, currently being occupied by an officer.

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him," the man was gruffly saying, implying it wasn't the first time he had said something of the sort to the krogan.

"I don't take orders from you," came the deep, obstinate reply.

"This is your only warning, Wrex." The officer was losing his patience while Wrex was calm, irritated with what he was being told, but rather uninterested.

"You should warn Fist. I will kill him."

"You want me to arrest you?" The threat didn't faze him.

"I want you to try." Garrus pondered whether he should step in, but the human had, had enough and with the wave of his hand muttered, 'go on, get out of here'. He came stomping in their direction, pausing upon taking in Shepard who was blocking his path with a firm stance. "Do I know you human?" his eyes narrowed at her.

"My name's Shepard. I'm going after Fist. Thought you might want to come along." Once again, his mandibles flicked of their own accord in surprise. Just who is she? Her attitude, and choice of words astonished him.

"Shepard?" Wrex said the name strangely, as if trying to decide whether he liked the taste of it or not. "Commander Shepard?" He did it once more before appearing to have come to a decision. "I've heard a lot about you. We're both warriors Shepard. Out of respect, I'll give you fair warning." I guess he likes it. Bringing his face close to the woman's, his mouth which could easily fit her whole head inside, was inches from her, "I'm going to kill Fist." She didn't even blink let alone give the slightest reaction to the krogan.

"Fist knows you're coming. We'll have a better chance if we all work together," he found himself saying. Wrex's red eyes set on him, his slit pupils fixated on the turian. Garrus kept his vision steady, not daring to look away or relinquish the hold first. After what felt like a long minute, he looked back to Shepard.

"My people have a saying: seek the enemy of your enemy and you will find a friend."

"Glad to have you on the team, Wrex." She shook his hand.

"Let's go. I hate to keep Fist waiting," he grumbled back, the group then starting for Chora's Den. As he went, a thought plagued him; and just like that she's gotten a krogan and turian to work together for probably the first time since the rebellions! What will she do next? One thing was certain, he couldn't wait to find out.