Author's Note: Thanks to drapeaubateau and sirius ordo for the follow and drapeaubeateau and Rowan Bowie favorite! I've noticed that I haven't gotten any reviews for several chapters now. It'd be nice to know what you think, especially after this chapter, since things are going to get very interesting! This chapter will be from both Catherine and Kaidan's perspectives. Enjoy!
"I swear, if this countermeasure Mordin made doesn't work, I'm going to kill him myself!" Jack growled over the comm to Catherine. She was still getting used to everything around her. Jack wasn't making it any easier, but at least Garrus was here to give her some sense of stability. It was more than she could have asked for, to have someone from her old crew willing to come back with her. It was easier to transition, and she didn't doubt that it was intentional. Regardless, it was greatly appreciated.
At the moment, she and the other two were carefully walking through the outskirts of the massive colony on Horizon. When she'd gotten the mission from the Illusive Man, her blood had chilled. She was aware that she and Kaidan had planned on visiting it two years ago, and that now the colony was in danger of being abducted. But what had nearly sent her into a full-blown panic was hearing that Kaidan was actually there, trying to help the colony.
That would be something he would do. she remembered thinking when she heard. Right after she realized she hadn't even thought to try to contact him. She'd been around in the media, for sure, and she hadn't even tried to contact Kaidan once. He hadn't crossed her mind until that moment and it made her feel unwell. Had Cerberus tried erasing her memories of him to improve her efficiency with the mission? If that was the case, then why bother mentioning he was on Horizon, and in very immediate danger?
Catherine had donned her armor with a certain anxiety that was calmed when Garrus had stepped over to her and offered to check her weapons for her before they left. She hadn't realized she'd been so nervous, but it was clearly enough that even he could pick up on it. Since picking him up, she'd spent more than a fair amount of time talking with him, and being in his company. He was familiar, that was all she could chalk it up to be.
But now, as they moved through the silent colony, she felt her heart skip a beat when she spotted the dragon's teeth, with half-converted husks on them.
"Reaper tech?" Garrus said quietly, just as confused as she was. Jack casually approached the objects, and Catherine had to struggle not to yell at her to step away.
"What the fuck are these things?"
"It's what the Reapers use to turn humans into husks." Catherine said, motioning for them to keep going. "I don't like seeing it here, when we're supposed to be going after the Collectors." she pulled her pistol up again, already feeling her biotics begin to hum, and build up. She'd gone through a few exercises to test her new implant, and work on new techniques. She was far from mastering anything, but it felt good to have something to focus on during all of this.
"Up ahead!" Garrus whispered, hunkering down behind a pod, "I see movement."
"I see it to." she looked over to Jack. "Get ready, I'm going to try to flank them." Jack gave a curt nod, crouching down and flaring a few times as she checked her thermal clip.
Catherine walked around the wall carefully, hearing several noises that she could only associate with some sort of insect. Knowing she was closer than she'd like, she waited until the gunfire started up before pulling herself up over the wall, glad to see that the attention was diverted from her location. She got in a few shots to take down one Collector before the rest turned their attention on her. Diving for cover from a series of attacks, she got nicked in the leg, watched as the medi-gel in her suit quickly sealed the spot before she could start bleeding. She popped back up and fired off a few shots before taking cover again, continuing this for several more minutes before the last of the Collectors went down.
"Let's see if we can get anything useful while we're here." Catherine said as she finally caught her breath. "It looks like we're getting closer to the heart of the colony, so maybe there's some survivors."
"I've already scanned and I don't see anything, but... We can check again." Garrus said, "It's possible these damn bugs are interfering with my scanners."
"Let's meet up at the other end in ten minutes." Catherine nodded, not holstering her gun just yet, but definitely relaxing some. As she walked through the houses, she saw every day activities being interrupted. Meals left untouched, chairs overturned. She walked past a bookshelf and then jumped, spotting a man frozen in a stasis with the bugs crawling over him. His eyes were moving as she felt her stomach churn. "You're going to be alright. I promise." she said before she quickly began sweeping for others, surprised that there were people everywhere, frozen as they tried running, or hiding. Eventually, she forced herself to head back to the other two, who looked just as terrified as she felt.
"I didn't realize there were still colonists, but I can't seem to get them out of stasis." Garrus said, his voice audibly shaking. Jack's silence, and downcast gaze was an indication of just how shaken up she was, as well.
"I know... But we have to keep moving to make sure the Collectors don't take this colony." Catherine said, sighing and motioning for them to continue on.
They began pushing through the colony at a pace that might have been just a little rushed, but Catherine couldn't stand the thought of anyone being subject to the Collectors for any reason. They deserved better and she was going to do whatever it took to bring them back to their homes. Every single person. That drive kept her focused, though her aim was a little sloppy, and her biotics were a little more chaotic. Jack made a small comment to her about needing to calm down, and she let out a small laugh.
"Thanks for the tip. Are you my therapist, now?" she smirked, dodging stray bullets as the Collectors fired on them from within the complex.
"Depends, how much are you going to pay me?"
"Not enough for all the shit you'd have to listen to, I know that." she laughed, gathering the biotic energy within her, nodding at Jack to do the same. On three, they both unleashed a powerful shockwave, throwing Collectors in the air like birds for Garrus to shoot down. While they were in the air, she took a moment to scan the battlefield, spotting just a few more hiding behind barriers. Ducking down, she heard four corpses crunch to the metal flooring and she popped the thermal clip from her pistol and slapped in a fresh one before she swiveled on her feet as she stood, aiming at the few that were now exposed from their hiding places. In moments, they were hurrying across the series of platforms and stairs, trying to reach the AA gun to fire at the Collector ship.
He thought he would have been prepared to see her - that he would be happy to see her in the flesh. As he looked over her, he felt so many different things. Above anything else, relief. It was Catherine. But, just to be sure, he couldn't help but step closer, bringing his arms around her. He could hear her soft sigh as her arms wrapped just as tight around him. Kaidan hadn't missed the anxious look in her eyes, or the way that she carefully kept her hand over her holstered pistol. He'd more or less walked up out of nowhere, bitter, but relaxed. God, she even smelled the same.
"I thought you were dead." he said quietly, the words getting caught in his throat a bit.
"I've been getting that a lot lately." she laughed quietly. Neither one was willing to let go. Kaidan happened to glance over her shoulder as someone cleared their throat, Delan walking away, muttering his usual anti-Alliance bullshit.
Garrus was there. And some woman he didn't recognize, coated head to toe - probably literally - in tattoos, and barely dressed. From the distance, he could still feel the pull of her biotics. It was intense, wild, and powerful. She looked like she was about to punch Kaidan, just for the hell of it. But then Garrus said something, motioning for Jack to follow him away. What the hell was he doing with her? Had he been with Catherine this whole time? Had he known all of this?
"It's been a long time, Kaidan." she said as she pulled away, finally. Just enough to look him in the eye. He could have sworn he saw a glint of red in her green eyes. "How have you been?"
He wanted to talk to her, tell her how he nearly fell apart after she'd died. But that reminded him that she'd been alive for a few months now, and he'd only now heard from her. Anger shot through him and he forced himself to take another step back, unfortunately taking his arms away from her. He could see how much that hurt her.
"It's been two years since you died, Catherine. Do you seriously expect me to just act like you didn't die, and just skip over that? What about you, you're working with Cerberus. We've got intel that says they're behind these attacks."
"The Alliance isn't helping all of the human colonies that the Collectors have hit. Even these AA Towers didn't do shit against them, Kaidan. Someone needs to go stop them." she scowled, but still looking hesitant to fully unload on him. "You can see just as clear as I can that the Collectors are real, and that Cerberus isn't abducting human colonies." There was a small scoff that followed, "That sounds so stupid. The pro-human terrorists kidnapping members of their own species and leaving no trace? Come on, Kaidan, you're smart enough to know that's just propaganda."
"That may be, but you were a Spectre. The Council wouldn't allow you to work on your own to stop them? If you'd gone through them, at least I would know you were doing this on your own, and that you weren't being strung along by Cerberus." he shook his head and sighed heavily. "Catherine, this isn't who I thought you were. I thought you liked the Alliance."
"They wouldn't take me back... I've tried going through proper channels, I've even talked with Anderson. No one wants me back until they can be sure it's me. So for now, that means I use Cerberus' resources and go after the Collectors." There was a slight pause. "I've been in contact with Hackett. He says he's working on something to get me back, he doesn't like that this has to be done, but at least he seems to understand it."
"But why didn't you try to contact me?" his voice was strained, trying to hold back the tears. He couldn't stay mad at her, but he couldn't just walk away from his posting.
"Anderson wouldn't give me details, and without proper clearance, I couldn't get in contact with you again. I tried hacking into files, using my reinstated Spectre status... It was hard. Kaidan I tried, I really did. If nothing else, believe that I woke up wanting to know where you were."
"I can believe that." he said, looking at the ground, and going quiet for a while before he looked back up as she spoke.
"How have you been, though?" her arms were folded tightly around her body - it looked as though either she was sickly, or that her midsection had slimmed significantly. If she'd died, it was possible that she wasn't quite back to normal, just yet.
"Why do you care?"
"I just... want to know that you've been okay."
"I haven't been." he shrugged with a bit of an exasperated sigh, spotting a couple of crates where they could sit. He headed over, hoping she would follow. He needed to tell her that her dying had nearly done him in. She had to know how much he so badly wanted things to go back to normal, but that would never happen. Once they sat down, he looked over. "I really couldn't function for a few months, there. The Alliance made me go see a therapist before they would allow me to go on with assignments."
He was silent, debating whether he should tell her or not.
"There's more to that... You don't have to tell me right now, if you don't want to."
"It might be easier if I didn't. Not yet."
"I can wait." she said, smiling softly. He couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Anyway, after that Anderson offered me a job working as a bodyguard for him for a few months to help me get back in the hang of things. Then I went home for a few weeks before I was sent off to an Asari training camp to expand some of my biotics. You would have liked it there, they push hard. But I spent more than enough time there, and right after that I was sent here. I've been here for... I don't know four months?"
"I've only been up an running around for the past... I don't know, two or three months, maybe?" Catherine sighed and looked over to where Garrus and the other woman were walking from.
"Shepard, Miranda wants us back, the shuttle's on it's way."
"Alright." she looked back to Kaidan, and seemed to chew on her lip a moment before deciding whatever it was she'd been thinking about. "I know you don't trust Cerberus, but can you at least trust me and Joker to get you to the Citadel? Last I remember you weren't too great at flying shuttles long-distance. And I know you could use some real food."
Kaidan's blood chilled at the thought of being aboard a Cerberus shuttle, and ship. But... He was curious as well as aware that she was right about what she'd said. He gave a curt nod before Catherine told him they would wait if he wanted to grab anything. He didn't have anything truly important with him. Clothes could be replaced. Everything he needed or wanted was on his omni-tool.
"I don't need to grab anything." he said quietly, looking around. The colony was lost, so no one could blame him for leaving his post, could they? Or if they did, maybe a conversation with Hackett or Anderson could clear things up. They at least seemed willing to hear him out before making judgement. Kaidan looked to Catherine, and saw her give him the briefest of a smile. Much as he wanted to return it, the anxiety of the decision he just made wasn't making him feel all that friendly.
"Glad to see you've been doing well for yourself, Kaidan." Garrus finally spoke up, walking over as Catherine went to chat with the other woman.
"I'm honestly surprised to see you here. And... working with Cerberus, for that matter."
"Put Cerberus aside for just one moment, please..." Garrus seemed a little on edge, "Are you really mad at Shepard, or are you just mad at who she's momentarily allying herself with?"
"Momentary alliance or not, I stuck to what I believed in, and I would have expected nothing less from her."
"She tried." he said quietly, both turning to look at her, "I was there when she tried contacting Hackett, and talked to Anderson. They both stonewalled her, and said until she could prove that it was really her, they couldn't do much to help. It's not like the Illusive Man is giving her much of a choice, either. She's constantly getting tasks from him to do this, or go find that. It's not easy on her, and she's doing what she thinks is best."
"I don't doubt what you're saying. I just..." he sighed. "I just wish that this didn't have to happen. And honestly I don't know that she doesn't actually want to be working with them. I mean, the gear you have is way more advanced than some of the best stuff I've seen in the Alliance."
"The perks of dealing with mercs and pirates in the Terminus." Garrus shrugged, almost looking like he was smiling. He then reached out, and lightly smacked Kaidan's shoulder. "Don't worry, I can keep an eye on her, for you, once you leave. That's what I've been doing since the beginning."
"And why didn't you try to contact me, either?" Kaidan said, suddenly feeling a bit of anger at him, too.
"How about I tell you when we're not around the psychotic biotic, over there. She gets a little edgy when people mention certain things around her."
"She's certainly something else..." he said, noting the way the other woman seemed to casual about practically screaming profanities about this Miranda character. "I appreciate you looking after her, regardless. If I can't be there... I'm glad you can."
"Now Kaidan, don't be going all soft on me, you know I'm not good with emotions."
He laughed, having missed Garrus' odd humor that just seemed to work. Especially with the amount of snark he'd put into that comment. It felt strangely good to be talking and laughing with someone he hadn't exactly gotten to know that well. But he had a feeling that they could become good friends, given the proper time. And now that they had something in common - wanting Catherine to remain on the right course - he didn't imagine it being too difficult to form a bond.
The white and orange shuttle arrived, landing not too far away. The four walked to the shuttle, and Kaidan swore he could feel the wrongness of this situation slowly wrapping its way around his throat, threatening to choke and kill him.