Chapter 47: Betrayal Repaid

Jack got as comfortable as he could with Kal on the small couch in the medbay and they rested together waiting for Zero to wake. As far as he was concerned, she could take as much time as she needed to recover from the damage. According to Chakwas, Zero had received fourteen bullet wounds to her knees and ankles making it somewhat unclear if she'd ever be able to walk again. The diagnosis made Jack question whether or not they should've sent her to Grissom Academy when they found her but, the same problems with that solution still remained. Cerberus wanted her for her gifts with biotics, and they wouldn't hesitate to attack someplace like Grissom for her. She was safer on the Normandy, even though it might not feel that way right now.

However, that didn't mean he thought that way for everyone on the ship right now. Vetra was sitting on a very similar couch next to Sidera's bed while scrolling through her omni tool. Luckily, Sidera was going to be ok physically after a few treatments of medi-gel, Ashley's bullets had gone through her body completely causing less damage. Psychologically though, she was going to be traumatized for years due to her time in the slave trade, and the Normandy wasn't equipped to deal with that kind of damage. Before today he would've suggested Vetra take her and Sid to Alliance space and enter witness protection, unfortunately that wouldn't be possible now. The Alliance News Network was already blaming her for a war with the Terminus meaning she didn't have a lot of places to hide. Regardless, Jack knew they weren't safe here, the Collector homeworld was probably their next target.

Sid was the first to wake up with a tiny groan and she instantly tried to yank out her IV, "No more needles, I've been good... You promised no more..."

Vetra dropped her omni tool and cupped her mandible, "Hey, hey, hey, relax.. Your safe, I'm here."

Sid wrapped her free arm around her sister and pulled her close, "I was afraid you wouldn't find me. What took you so long?"

Vetra sighed and hugged her closely, "I've been looking for you since the morning I knew you were gone. I just had a few setbacks I wasn't counting on. I'm here now and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."

The younger Turian let her go and looked around, "Did...did you find Lantar? He rescued me from the Blood Pack mercs and then I passed out. I woke up with that Hock guy."

Vetra raised a browplate and her tone got serious, "Lantar? You mean Lantar Sidonis? I told you he passed away a month ago. Have you seen him since then?"

Jack realized not telling Vetra that Lantar had been with Cora at the estate was maybe a mistake. At the time, he had been worried she would have gone back upstairs to shoot him and create chaos. He realized after the fact that not telling her took away her opportunity at getting revenge. In the end the shootout happened without her doing anything anyways, and Lantar potentially got away with Cora. Depending on where she was planning on going to next, Vetra might not get the chance to get revenge now. It was probably for the best, she needed to focus on actually taking care of Sid, not going after the people who kidnapped her.

Sidera nodded emphatically, "Yeah, I was walking from Kenn's salvage back to the base like I always do when some Blood Pack mercs tried to attack me. Lantar came out of nowhere to save me. I...I got really tired after that and I can't remember what happened until Hock was standing over me somewhere else. Do you think he's ok?"

Vetra was clearly looking for the right words when Garrus spoke from the door, "Lantar wasn't trying to save you Sid, he's the one that took you off Omega to get to your sister."

Sidera gave him a stunned expression, "Are you sure? Lantar was with you, why would he do something like that? He was always nice to me when you all visited the Talon base. And are you ok? You look worse than I feel."

Garrus winced trying to make a laugh, "Ouch that hurts. Yeah, I'm fine kiddo just made a few mistakes I shouldn't have." He made sure to make eye contact with Vetra, "The important thing to know is I handled it. He won't be coming after either of you again."

Sid gave a firm nod and looked over in their direction with a gasp, "Uncle Kal is that who I think it is?!"

Kal blinked having been staring at Zero's vital signs, "Oh, heh yeah this is Jack."

Jack smiled to her politely, "It's nice to meet you Sidera, I've worked with your sister for a long time now trying to find you. It's good to finally put a face to the name."

He could tell she was having a hard time containing her excitement, "Spirit knows how many nights I stayed up late to hear conversations about you. Is it true you really survived a mid atmospheric jump in a Mako? Twice?!"

Jack chuckled from her enthusiasm, "It was actually three times, did Garrus tell you about the time he almost got us killed in a volcano?"

Her eyes widened, "No! Although that doesn't really surprise me."

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah well, I'm glad your ok Sid. I have to go back to engineering but I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

Jack could tell Garrus wasn't doing well. His plates were slightly lighter than normal, he wasn't making a hundred jokes, and he just seemed distant in general. From what Garrus had just told them, Jack could tell killing Sidonis had taken a pretty hefty toll on him emotionally. Jack had only met Lantar for a few minutes really when Kal was recovering from Virmire but, he could tell he had been close with Garrus. Having a friend like that betray you and get the rest of your mutual friends killed had to be hard. It was clear he needed to talk about it but didn't want to burden anyone else given the current situation they were all in.

He quickly kissed the side of Kal's helmet, "I'll be right back." When Kal nodded, Jack followed Garrus to the mess hall, "Hey how are you doing?"

Garrus slowed to a stop against the fridge door and put his forehead on it, "You know, I thought doing it would make me feel better.. A way to I don't know..let go? It turns out all it did was make everything feel so fresh again."

Jack stood near him and gave a sympathetic gaze, "Did he say anything to you? Explain why he did what he did?"

Garrus grabbed one of the dextro alcohol bottles from the fridge and popped the lid with a talon, "Does it matter? He was the one person I could talk to after Saren...I mean Sovereign threw me under the bus for my SPECTRE training. Then a few years later Lantar does the same thing to me except I can't make it just go away, because he wasn't indoctrinated. He was just being his Spirit damned self and I was too stupid, or blind to see it."

Jack gave him a half smile, "You know, Kal likes to say the same thing about Erash. I think the two of you were just too compassionate for Omega."

Garrus took a long gulp from the bottle, "The mercs we tortured probably wouldn't exactly agree with you on that Jack." He looked down towards the ground, "The worst part is I just got so angry after seeing him again that I left Tali to fend for herself in the middle of all that chaos. I just got such a tunnel vision for Lantar that I wasn't thinking about what could've happened to her."

He could see the conflict and regret written all over the Turian's face. They prided themselves on being the most stoic species in the galaxy but, after years of being around them, Jack could at least read Garrus like a book. It was a surprise to him that Garrus would've left Tali on the field during the fighting to fend for herself but, she was a strong woman in her own right. What Garrus' expression really revealed to him was the fact that he cared for Tali a lot. Jack would be happy if the two of them got together. Despite their constant bickering, he could see they shared genuine feelings for each other. Maybe he could give Garrus a push in the right direction like Vetra had done for him.

Jack tilted his head and frowned, "You shouldn't of done that knowing what was going on but, I'm sure she handled herself."

Garrus took another swig spinning the bottle slowly in his hand, "I know. I just feel really bad about it knowing something could've happened... I'm an ass Shepard."

Jack paused trying to come up with the right thing to say, "Maybe occasionally... You obviously care about what happened though, you should tell her your sorry and make sure she's ok."

Garrus shifted about, debating if that was what he wanted to do, "Yeah your probably right. I'm just not looking forward to seeing Kenneth again."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "You did apologize for hitting him...didn't you?"

Garrus gave a quick head tilt, "It was uncomfortable but we both agreed we were in the wrong. We've just been taking opposite shifts to avoid each other."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly, "Give him the rest of his shift off as a token of good will. We aren't doing anything important right now so you can probably take your shift off after."

Garrus put the half bottle of beer back in the fridge, "Alright I'll go..thanks Jack, I needed that." He started to leave but stopped and turned around, "Hey has Saren talked to you at all? He was always touchy this time of year when I was growing up and he keeps telling me we'll talk later."

The question put Jack on the spot and he didn't know exactly how to respond. Garrus had to of known Nihlus and Saren were close but, the fact he was asking made Jack wonder if he knew how close. If Jack had to guess, Nihlus and Saren broke up multiple times throughout their lives, maybe this time of year featured a nasty break up long ago. He was sure Garrus wouldn't have cared since they were friends, he might've even supported Saren right now. However, if Saren hadn't told him, it wasn't Jack's place to spill that kind of news. He would let Garrus know if and when he was ever ready.

Jack gave him a shrug, "I've seen him lurking around the cargo hold. He doesn't exactly enjoy having a long conversation with me though so I don't know how he's doing."

_o0o_

Garrus regretted the fact that he couldn't get Jack and Saren to be closer allies at least. They had the same heart deep down and probably would've gotten along if the indoctrination wasn't a thing. He didn't blame Jack for the distance between the two of them though, they hadn't known each other before. Saren didn't help at all since he kept to himself for the majority of the time. He ate alone, showered alone, even slept in the broom closet so he could sleep alone. Personally, Garrus suspected Saren was ashamed because of everything he had done over the years and didn't want to face people. Hopefully, Garrus could eventually get Saren to see the crew knew he wasn't responsible for what the Reapers made him do.

He started making his way towards the elevator, "Alright thanks. You better get back in there for Kal. I'll see you around."

Being alone wasn't good for him right now Garrus decided as the elevator doors closed around him. It gave him time to think about his team and how each one of them had died. Jax had been snapped in half by Garm's bare hands, poor Salarian was always so fragile. Lantar he had just killed in cold blood for betraying the team. Vortash and Mierin had been taken out by the same Blue Suns sniper. Erash had ultimately been fried by a terminal he had been hacking to get them out of Afterlife's sewer system. All the deaths hurt but, Lantar's was the worst. He had trusted the Turian since he joined CSEC, how could he have been working with Cora? Had he been doing it the entire time they were on Omega? Garrus was analyzing every conversation they ever had trying to remember if Lantar gave him any clues.

Unfortunately, that just made him think about the moment he killed Lantar. He had seen him trying to run out a side door to the docks and so shot him in the leg. Looking back on what happened an hour ago made him realize the Spirits were protecting him. Not one of the Alliance soldiers or the mercenaries had noticed him, it gave him time to have a 'talk' with his old friend. On second thought, maybe the Spirits were cursing him by living through this. Garrus' brain would be permanently burned with the memory of Lantar's face. The way he screamed when Garrus shot him. It was going to give him nightmares for the foreseeable future.

He closed his eyes seeing Lantar go down from the first shot, "Fuck! Look... I didn't want to do it... I didn't have a choice!"

Garrus had slowly followed him as he crawled towards the door, his tone was a growl, "Everyone has a choice! You could've come to me. I would've helped you, we all would've!"

Sidonis was whimpering and desperately reaching for the door control from his position on the ground, "She got to me. Said she'd kill me, Avitus and Macen if I didn't help. What was I supposed to do? She's the only way they'll stay safe... I had to."

Garrus shot him once clean in the spine seeing as he wasn't making much sense, "Betrayal repaid, Sidonis."

The elevator door opened and Garrus sighed, it was time to let it go. He might've gone after Cora if Jack didn't need him. As it was though, the Collectors were more important than his personal vendetta. After the Reapers were guaranteed to be dead and gone, he could think about picking up her seemingly vanishing trail. It was disappointing to see the supposed best bounty hunters lose her so easily, he could do better than Zaeed. The other possibility was that Zaeed was purposefully avoiding her and the hunt was for show. It would've been a pain in the ass to fake documentation of his pursuit but, Garrus figured it wasn't totally impossible for a company with as many resources as Cerberus.

Tali's angered voice pulled him from his thoughts, "Come on, you little bosh'tet!" She looked around seeing the two Human engineers and Garrus staring at her, "Oh, sorry. I've got a small fever, and I'm taking it out on the poor drive core. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Got sloppy while running around on the last mission."

Garrus felt even worse hearing that. If he had just stayed closer to her, he could've potentially protected her from a suit puncture. What if this wasn't just a minor fever? What if she got so sick they would have to take her to Huerta Medical like Kal after Virmire? Garrus didn't know if he could handle seeing her like that and feeling partially responsible for it. He had only felt that way about Chloe, so much so that she left him. When did these feelings for Tali start? It was a question that really made him pause and think.

Gabby laughed it off with a shrug, "It's ok, happens to everyone."

He was about to jump in when Kenneth shook his head at her, "Do you get a fever for showing off some of your skin...? So Garrus, what do you think of our new Quarian boss?"

Gabby smacked his arm with a glare, "Hush you. She's right over there."

Ken rolled his eyes and briefly glanced at her, "Ah, she can't hear us with her head in that bucket. So? What do you think Garrus?"

Garrus had to stop from punching him again, what a racist asshole. However, since Tali was deliberately ignoring them and pretending to actually not hear them, he figured she didn't want a scene. It made him feel for Tali when he knew everyday she had to deal with something similar to Ken. He knew several officers on the force that ranted and raved about how Quarians were the number one offenders for petty crimes on the Citadel. It was a ridiculous statement to make but, Garrus was ashamed to admit he had believed it for a time. Meeting Tali and Kal made Garrus do a 180, having nothing but sympathy for the Quarians.

He faked a smile and said, "Eh, she can be a little bossy but, you get used to it." Behind his back he signed in Kelr'ya hoping to make her laugh, "Don't get me wrong; it's a beautiful bucket. The whole suit is lovely. Quite snug, in all the right places."

Tali laughed quietly while staring at his hands obviously having no idea he knew sign, "So, what brings you down here CSEC? Arresting me for something?"

Garrus gave her a tiny smirk, "Tempting but no.. I was actually going to offer Ken and Gabby the rest of their shift off. I've got nothing else to do and miss calibrating the drive core."

Ken grinned and tugged on Gabby's arm, "Come on, we can go actually watch a Blasto episode while it's airing."

Gabby rolled her eyes and groaned, "Alright just this once I suppose... Engine's all yours Garrus. Have a good night Tali!"

The two Humans left leaving them alone to work on the engines. It was easy for him to just approach the terminal and get absorbed by it. Dealing with one's and zero's was so easy and clean. Garrus didn't have the opportunity to mess calibrating up, an error code would pop up and tell him to readjust. Apologizing to someone for making a dangerous fuck up didn't have warnings to tell him he needed to readjust. What if she didn't want an apology? What if she never wanted to talk to him again? He wouldn't really blame her because she wasn't Kal. A fever could get her killed if the virus wasn't treated in time. His heart was pounding in his chest at the possibility he had gotten her killed. How dare he be so selfish and careless?

Tali broke the silence, "Thanks for getting rid of them for awhile. Kenneth was making my head throb more than the fever."

Garrus couldn't build up the nerve to look at her, "I could punch him if you wanted me to? I've already done it once before you got here."

She shook her head quickly, "No, that won't solve anything. Just let me ignore him, it's easier.." She trailed off with a sneeze.

Garrus frowned typing away at the terminal, "I'm sorry I left you at the estate... I just needed to do that and wasn't thinking."

Tali glanced in his direction, "What happened between you and Lantar? That wasn't like you."

Garrus tried to sound as detached as possible, "He was part of my Archangel team and betrayed us getting everyone but me and Kal killed... I've been waking up every night... sick... and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me... accusing me of missing something."

Tali stayed silent for a few seconds before leaving her terminal to put her hand on his arm, "I'm so sorry Garrus. I can't change what happened but, I'm here to talk if you need it."

Garrus looked at her hand and then her helmet with a smile, "I'd be better off finding ways to forget it. How are you doing settling in on the new Normandy?"

She saw she was touching him and quickly retreated back to her station, "It's quiet but I miss some of the old cre..." Her omni tool beeped and Tali glanced down reading and rereading, "Garrus... I have to go talk to Jack and Kal I'm really sorry."

He watched her leave in a flash before he could speak. Had he said something wrong? Garrus was worried again, however, from the way she was moving he figured he'd hear about what was happening soon.