Chapter 4 – Old Friends

"The Black Hole Lounge… You know Vega mentioned he used to play cards here before the Reaper War." Ashley commented loudly over the heavy bass of an Expel 10 dance number, though nobody was really paying her any attention. After they'd left Bray and Aria's lackeys, Garrus dragged the squad out to a night club he and his team used to frequent back during his Archangel days. On arrival, James disappeared while he, Ashley, and Shepard took up residence in one of the corner booths that offered a full view of the establishment, a tactical choice Garrus had made of course. He was busy keeping a watchful eye on the crowd when Vega finally appeared with a few bottles of liquor in hand. "Oh good, James is back. I need a drink!" Ashley stated a bit too enthusiastically. "You two have been all tense and broody since we told Shepard's Batarian buddy to fuck off."

Before Garrus could argue with Ashley's statement, Vega quickly set a bottle in front of him. "Turian whiskey for Garrus. Some mescal for me. A beer for Ash. And one ryncol for Shepard!" Vega announced triumphantly as he distributed the bottles of liquor to his armed companions around the table. "Enjoy mi amigos!"

"Ryncol?" Ashley asked skeptically as she gingerly picked up the bottle in front of Shepard to examine it. "You got Shepard ryncol?"

"I was just kidding. It's beer." Vega confessed with a grin as he took a swig of his own bottle. He closed his eyes and swallowed, letting out a sigh of satisfaction before adding, "As dumb as I may seem to people, I don't take all that crap about Shepard being like a Krogan literally."

Intent on shaking Ashley's description of tense and broody, Garrus quipped "Well it's a good thing you didn't get Shepard ryncol. Do you have any idea how many times I found her passed out on the men's bathroom floor back when the Dark Star Lounge was open on the Citadel?" Garrus popped the top off his own whiskey bottle. "For days after every shore leave, she'd set off the radiological alarms aboard the Normandy. EDI actually had to establish unique radiologic parameters for Shepard just so the rest of us could get some sleep!"

Vega nearly dropped his beer bottle as he gaped at Shepard, who was staring absentmindedly out over the bar crowd. "Wait… Shepard can stomach ryncol?"

Garrus chuckled at the Alliance soldier's reaction. "Stomach might not be the best term for it… Tolerate isn't a good word either considering it's the one drink I'm aware of that will make her pass out. That hasn't stopped her from trying, however." he joked, glancing toward Shepard, who still wasn't paying their discussion any heed. "Shepard?"

Shepard snapped out of her thoughts and focused on Garrus. "Yeah?"

"You alright?" Garrus asked, trying to spot for himself what Shepard had been fixated on. He saw patrons of all species seated at tables and standing in small groups throughout the lounge, nursing their drinks and quietly talking amongst themselves. The barkeep was mindlessly wiping at the bar with a towel as he tended to a couple of human customers. A Krogan bouncer stalked through the crowd eyeing certain mercs and thugs as if daring them to try start something. From what Garrus could tell, nobody really stood out; it was a typical bar scene as far as he was concerned. "You see something?"

Shepard frowned and glanced back at the bar scene. "Omega's people are on edge. Something's not right here, Garrus."

Garrus surveyed the bar scene again and concluded Shepard was right. The patrons were all tense; not a single soul was dancing, nobody was getting drunk off their ass, no fights were breaking out, the female and asari entertainment wasn't getting much attention… Back in his Archangel days the Black Hole was usually jumping with activity; he could safely say the lounge once rivaled the Afterlife bar for rowdiest club spot on Omega. But looking at it now… "You think this might have something to do with what Aria wanted from you?" he asked, knowing full well his wife was hung up on the fact they weren't going to Aria for information.

Shepard stared down at the unopened beer bottle before her, her expression unreadable. "I dunno Garrus. I just know I've been on Omega enough to know what normal is. This…" she tilted her head toward the bar scene, "This isn't typical Omega."

"I suppose you would know a thing or two about Omega, considering you and Omega's queen seem to be great friends." Garrus said with an air of petulance before taking a gulp of his whiskey. Once again, he was baiting Shepard, but her familiarity with Aria and Omega scared him as much as it irritated him. And she still hadn't explained why Aria owed her, though he was pretty damned sure it had something to do with breaking the Cerberus occupation during the Reaper War. "Regretting not joining up with her again?" he asked with a bluntness one usually ascribed to Krogan. Apparently, his time spent with Wrex and Grunt had finally taken its toll.

"Garrus…" Shepard sighed and leaned back in the booth. "You wanna know what happened between me and Aria? Cerberus happened. They had control of Omega. Aria had a plan to liberate it from Cerberus. She needed my help and made me an offer for resources the Alliance desperately needed to win the Reaper War. Eezo, mercs, ships… She'd made the offer right after the Cerberus Coup. I wasn't really in a position to turn down her request."

"But why keep it secret? Why didn't you ask any of us to go with you? Why not ask me?" Garrus leaned in toward Shepard, ignoring the fact that their conversation was probably making Ashley and Vega uncomfortable. This discussion had to go down sometime and now was as good as any as far as he was concerned. "Didn't you trust me?"

Shepard looked offended by the question. "Garrus, I trust you more than anyone else in this galaxy. Truth is, you know more about me than any other person I know, which is a triumph if you ask any my previous relationships." She wrinkled her nose and smirked. "Never mind, don't ask them… I seriously had shitty taste in boyfriends before you… Besides! You made it quite clear on numerous occasions that you weren't a fan of Aria or Omega. I thought I'd spare you…"

"Shepard…" Garrus stated flatly, ignoring her attempts at flattery and evasion. "Why?"

She met his gaze head on then, "Aria needed my help. She said she didn't trust anyone else. Hell, she barely trusted me with the mission as it was. The only reason she asked was because I get results. I had to go alone or not at all." Shepard reached over and grasped Garrus' hand. "Garrus, it doesn't matter now. The Reaper War is over. Everything I had to do to bring it to an end is in the past. I'm ready to move forward with our life together. Are you?"

Feeling guilty about his petulance and jealousy, Garrus decided Shepard was right, as usual. The Reapers were gone, the war was over and the two of them were damned close to retiring and focusing on being with one another. Hell, he was the reason they were back on Omega at all. Before he could respond to Shepard's query, their peanut gallery cut in. "Not until the assholes trying to kill him are dealt with." Vega let out a belch. "Excuse me."

"You know, there once was a time you wouldn't have dared to do something like that in front of people." Ashley grumbled. "I have no idea where your manners and sense of propriety went."

"I said excuse me! And the fact I'm comfortable enough to do things like that around you says something! That I trust you and, well, I'm comfortable around you!" Vega exclaimed, kicking up and settling his feet on the table as if to emphasize his point.

"Oh crap. You're not gonna start walking around the Normandy without pants, are you?" Ashley asked in horror, her brown eyes wide. "I mean it's okay when it's just us back at our apartment, but I don't think Garrus and Shepard would appreciate the view as much as I do!"

Vega waggled his eyebrows, then. "So, you do appreciate the view, LC?"

Shepard rolled her eyes and pulled back from Garrus, their moment ruined. "You mentioned something about having contacts here on Omega." she stated coolly, suddenly back to business.

Garrus leaned back as well, disappointed in himself for not giving Shepard an answer and perturbed by idea of Vega walking around without pants. "Yeah… I had a few people giving me some useful intel and tips while I was doing work here on Omega. I looked up my more reliable contacts, people whose information I know is good. Turns out a lot of them aren't around anymore though."

"Anybody I know?" Shepard asked, taking a sip of her beer.

"Well you knew the salarians Ish and Sel. Unfortunately, someone convinced Ish that the intel business was bad for his health." Garrus gave Shepard a pointed look before continuing, "Anto Karragan used to sell me intel on occasion, but word is he died in a firefight during the Cerberus occupation. A smuggler by the name of Vetra Nyx was reliable up until she joined some Andromeda Initiative and skipped the galaxy in 2185. When those sources didn't work out I had to reach out to an old friend."

An unexpected gasp from Ashley made Garrus jump. "And the plot thickens! 'Old friend' for you and Shepard is usually code-speak for ex-lover…" the Spectre teased, playfully elbowing Shepard, who didn't appear quite as amused by the insinuation.

"Yeah… I remember Shepard once referred to you as an 'old friend' when we were headed for Menae." Vega pointed out with a grin. "So, what's her name?"

Taken aback by their suggestions, Garrus found it hard to explain himself. "Aderia and I… It's not like that… we aren't… Why'd we bring you two again?" He glowered at the dynamic duo, who high-fived as though they'd hit the bullseye. Ironically, Garrus couldn't exactly deny that they had.

"You couldn't get a hold of anybody else, remember?" Ashley pointed out. "Aderia… Sounds like a woman's name. So, we are talking about a her. Could be turian or asari…"

"Wait. We're talking to one of your ex-girlfriends?" Shepard asked slowly as she eyed Garrus, maintaining an unreadable expression she usually reserved for diplomats and poker games. "Aderia who?"

"Aderia Tectus. She and I… we..." Garrus found himself stumbling over his words as he tried describing what it was he and Aderia had. It didn't help that Shepard had completely closed herself off, so he had nothing to gauge his attempts by other than the bemused, curious looks Ashley and Vega were giving him. Finally, he gave up on explaining his relationship with Aderia and focused instead on why he chose to contact her, hoping that would be enough of an explanation for his wife. "Aderia had a quiet operation running here on Omega during my Archangel days. I checked it out and Aderia's still working here on Omega. Her intel is good. Always has been. I didn't really have a whole lot of options otherwise, Shepard."

A snort sounded from Vega. "And here I thought we were avoiding getting intel from 'old friends'." he commented snidely to Ashley. "Would it honestly have made a difference if we'd gone to Aria?"

"Are you two finished?" Garrus asked exasperatedly, using every ounce of his willpower to keep from decking Vega. "Shepard, I'll be more than willing to talk about it when there aren't children present." Garrus turned toward Shepard, but for the second time that night he realized she wasn't listening to him. "Shepard?"

"Speaking of old friends…" Shepard muttered, setting her beer down on the table and rising to her feet. "You're not going to believe who just walked into the bar."

"An elcor, a volus, and a vorcha… I think everyone's heard that one Shepard." Vega answered in a bored tone.

Shepard ignored Vega's remark and took off into the crowd. Garrus got to his own feet and followed her, Vega and Ashley right behind him. "Don't tell me she caught sight of her own ex-lover." Ashley feigned annoyance, "How much more interesting can this mission get?"

Garrus chose to disregard Ashley's comment and instead focused on where it was Shepard was headed. She led them past the crowds of patrons to the back of the bar where there were a few glass-walled, semi-private rooms. Shepard stepped through the entrance of one of them before coming to a stop, her gaze fixated on the lone individual standing at the center of the room. When Garrus caught sight of who it was Shepard had spotted, he too stopped in his tracks. "Sidonis…" Shepard said quietly, her voice somehow filling the room. The turian turned and faced them, looking surprised by their sudden approach as Shepard asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Garrus' own shock quickly subsided and an unrestrained rage filled him then. He lunged at the turian he once called comrade. Shepard roughly grabbed his arm before he could make contact and with a surprising amount of strength, she managed to drag Garrus back. "You sorry son of a bitch…" Garrus swore, yanking his arm out of Shepard's grip to take a menacing step toward Sidonis. Sidonis stood his ground and stared him down; he appeared unperturbed by Garrus' rage, but Garrus could see the guilt and uncertainty in the turian's eyes. "How many more people in my life have to die so you can save your own hide?"

Sidonis stared at Garrus hard. "It wasn't my intention to cross paths with you again, Garrus. I'm not sure what is going on here…"

"What's going on here? Four years ago, ten good men died because you were afraid for yourself! And now they're threatening my father, my sister, my wife!" Garrus clenched his fists, holding off the urge to grab his gun and shoot Sidonis right there. "I should've killed you when I had the chance."

Shepard stepped up next to Garrus, no doubt to intervene again if he made another attempt to attack Sidonis. "Did that second chance not pan out or what? Cause it's looking a lot like you've got a death wish or something." she quipped nonchalantly, crossing her arms and eyeing Sidonis. "Last we heard, you were being tortured for information by a group of ruthless 'bounty hunters' intent on putting an end to Archangel. "

Sidonis glanced confusedly between Garrus and Shepard. "Bounty hunters? Torture? I have no idea what you're talking about. I came here to negotiate with some mercenaries on behalf of Aderia Tectus."

Garrus' rage subsided some. "Aderia? You're working with her now?"

"Mercenaries? Negotiate?" Shepard uncrossed her arms and glanced at Garrus. "We're not mercenaries for hire and we're most certainly not here to negotiate. We're here for intel on…" she frowned at Sidonis. "Garrus, somebody was working pretty damned hard to draw you here. If Sidonis is here, unharmed, then we just fell for that somebody's bluff…" Shepard turned her gaze back to Garrus and Garrus saw her eyes widen just before she unexpectedly tackled him to the floor yelling "Sniper!"

The glass walls of the room exploded above them and Garrus heard the bar beyond erupt into chaos. Gunfire and appreciative shouts sounded from beyond the shattered glass walls as the mercs and criminals took advantage of the bar's break in tension to start up a barfight. Vega and Sidonis had both hit the deck and were scrambling to regain their bearings. Ashley had taken cover behind a worn, leather couch and was priming her rifle while trying to identify where the sniper had shot from, something Garrus probably should've been doing as well. But Garrus' focus was on Shepard, who was lying on top of him, her face some mere centimeters from his. The weight of her armored form on top of his was familiar and arousing; oddly enough it brought up memories from the Reaper War, when surviving harrowing firefights usually ended up with the two of them 'working off stress' together in Shepard's quarters aboard the Normandy. He swallowed hard when her worried eyes met his. "Are you okay? Were you hit?"

"I-I… No. I'm good." He stuttered, fighting the urge to kiss her then and there. "You?"

Before Shepard could answer, Ashley loudly exclaimed "That right there is why people think you and Garrus can't get it on unless you're in dire circumstances!" She cocked her gun and once again peered through the scope. "I can't spot the shooter."

To Garrus' chagrin and relief, Shepard rolled off him and crawled over to Ashley's side, peering out of the ruined room at the madness taking place in the bar. "The chaos should be good enough cover… we could try sneaking out a back entrance."

"Or the shooter's got friends set up at any and all exits waiting for us to attempt an escape." Vega suggested, reaching down to help Garrus up into a crouching position. "We need a plan and we need it now, Shep- I mean Scars." he corrected himself.

Garrus hummed discontentedly. He couldn't exactly blame Vega for looking to Shepard. The situation Garrus had just gotten them into wasn't looking good. Whoever wanted him dead was more than likely prepared to deal with his friends this time around. Plus, they didn't have Sidonis, they knew who he was and with whom he was associated with, and it was apparent they had him right where they wanted him… Shepard was right. Whoever it was seemed to be playing with him. "I don't suppose anyone's got any other exit strategies?" he asked, looking at Shepard resignedly.

Shepard stared back at him for several seconds, apparently giving him a chance to recant before she took command of the situation, "We're sitting ducks here… we've gotta take a chance with the crowd. I think I know of one way where we won't be out in the open for long… Just keep close and try not to get caught up in the fighting." She quickly rose and ran into the fighting, ducking a thrown barstool and a skirting around couple of human mercs wrestling on and around a table.

"Oh, this should be fun…" Ash gripped her rifle and charged after Shepard. Vega shrugged and followed Ash, leaving Sidonis and Garrus in the ruined semi-private room. Sidonis motioned toward the chaos for Garrus to go first. Garrus resisted the urge to take another swing at the turian and followed his friends into the madness.

Once amidst the fighting, Garrus realized that the sniper would have a hell of a time getting a clean shot with all the commotion. The barfight had quickly escalated into an Omega classic… the brawls were spreading like wildfire beyond the bar and into the alleys and streets outside. Everyone was getting involved: the mercs, the bouncers, even the bartender and the asari/female entertainment were all participating. Garrus had forgotten how widespread a fight on Omega could get, but Shepard appeared to be having no trouble navigating any of it as she flitted through the crowds. As much as Garrus wanted to have a problem with it, it was Shepard's familiarity that was saving their asses; in that moment, he decided to drop the issue, at least until their mission on Omega was done. After that the two of them needed to have a talk.

Shepard somehow managed to lead them out of the bar and past several other street fights without incident, though both Garrus and Ashley had to intervene to keep Vega out of a few scuffles. Garrus kept glancing around them, half expecting a bullet to come out of nowhere and nail one of them now that they were out of the more crowded confines of the Black Hole, but Shepard kept them moving and no shots were fired. He figured they were in the clear until he noticed several familiar, burly mercs during a few of his glance-backs. It was apparent the lot was stalking them; that combined with the fact they were dressed similarly to the mercs from the Citadel and one of them was carrying a sniper rifle told Garrus they weren't simply looking to participate in the Omega classic. "Shit…" Garrus muttered.

"What is it?" Sidonis asked, catching up with Garrus' stride.

"We're being followed." Garrus stated just loud enough for the others ahead to hear as well. He looked forward at Shepard's moving form, "Shepard, we need to lose them."

"I saw them. Don't worry, I'm on it." Shepard stated with confidence and Garrus couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. They all filed in closer and she led them across the avenue to a long alley with no apparent exits. Shepard picked up the pace then, quickly leading them down the alley to a stairwell at its end. Garrus glanced back in time to see their stalkers turn the corner into the alley before he followed the others down the stairs. He figured the stairs must've led to a sub level or another alleyway leading to another of Omega's wards. Instead it led into some kind of old storage space with no exits: a dead end. "Pretty sure this was the right alley…" Shepard muttered, kicking aside some old boxes and inspecting the cracking back wall.

"I thought you said you were on it, Shepard! Damn it!" Garrus swore, backing up the flight of steps to see if their stalkers were still in pursuit. Sure enough, the mercs had weapons in hand and were making their way along the back alley toward the stairwell. "Shepard."

Shepard ignored him as she ran her hands along the wall that blocked their path; somehow, she appeared unperturbed by the fact a group of armed mercs were right on their heels. Garrus watched as her hand slid into a small crevice and he heard a heavy click beneath their feet. One of the floor tiles popped up and Vega quickly knelt to swing it open. "It's a hatch!" he reported, glancing up at Shepard as if looking for confirmation.

"Get in! Hurry!" Shepard urged, grabbing hold of the door and motioning for them all to go through. "Move it people!"

One by one they dropped through the hidden exit, climbing down a rusted ladder into a dark, damp tunnel until only Shepard was left above. Garrus glanced up and caught sight of her standing over the open hatch, her attention focused in the direction of the stairwell. "Shepard! Let's go!" Garrus called anxiously, praying to the spirits that this wasn't about to be one of her unpredictable, martyr moments. He gripped the ladder as he stared up at her, struggling against the urge to just climb up and drag her ass down. Just as he began remounting the ladder, shouts sounded off from above and gunfire went off. "Damn it, Shepard!"

Garrus watched Shepard quickly yank the hatch door closed after she finally scrambled down onto the ladder; he jumped in surprise when she slammed an archaic-looking, but effective locking mechanism into place. "Well, we've lost them… unless one of those bastards has a heavy-duty blow torch handy." she commented flippantly before sliding the rest of the way down the ladder to land with a thud next to Garrus. She gave him a casual smile when he glowered at her. "Even then we'd have a good ten minutes before they got through that door. But considering our bipolar luck thus far, I'm thinking we should probably keep moving just to be safe." Shepard then summoned her omni-tool and the tunnel lit up with an ominous orange glow. She turned from Garrus to look at Sidonis, who stood a couple of meters apart from the rest of them. "Okay, Sidonis… how about you lead us 'mercs' to Aderia Tectus so we can 'negotiate' in person?"