Legal Disclaimer: As always, Mass Effect, as well as all characters, locations, and dialogue borrowed from the game, are property of BioWare.
2/24/10 – Chapter Revision: Just a few alterations and added a little more detail.
A little over two years ago:
"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them."
As Commander Elissa Shepard and her team climb the steps from the elevator in the Citadel Tower, she comes across two turians arguing. The subject of the argument catches her attention.
"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus."
At that, the second turian turns and stalks away. The first speaker, the one called Garrus, turns toward the three marines and moves to intercept them.
"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren." He says by way of introduction.
Shepard inclines her head in acknowledgement, "Who were you just talking to?" she asks, indicating the direction the other turian had gone.
Garrus shakes his head in frustration, "That was Executor Pallin, head of Citadel Security. My boss. He'll be presenting my findings on Saren to the Council."
"Sounds like you really want to bring him down," the Commander responds.
The turian crosses his arms and glances in the direction of the Council chamber, "I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way." His mandibles flare a bit in annoyance as he turns back to look Shepard squarely in the eye, "But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."
Commander Shepard looks to be about to respond when the man just behind her interjects, "I think the Council's ready for us, Commander."
She nods her head toward Garrus in apology for cutting the discussion short and begins moving toward the steps that will take them to the Council chambers. Behind her, she hears him say, "Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."
On the Normandy:
Commander Elissa Shepard paces in the galley, having been evicted from the med bay where Dr. Chakwas and Mordin work frantically to control the bleeding and keep their patient alive. Her hands and armor are still coated in dark blue blood, her mind whirling round and round, full of doubt and self recrimination. If only I had gone for him first… this wouldn't have happened. He wouldn't be…
A hand lands on her shoulder, she jerks around, dropping to a defensive crouch. Joker backs away, his empty hands raised, "Whoa, Commander, it's just me." He takes another step backward and moves to sits down at the mess table. "Why don't you go get cleaned up, and I'll wait here for any news. If anything changes I'll come and get you immediately. "When she starts to refuse, he adds, "You're not helping him by standing here scaring the crew."
She knows he's right, she throws one last strained look toward the med bay doors and then heads to the elevator. She enters and orders it to her cabin. As the doors slide shut, she shuts her eyes, burning with unshed tears, and takes a deep, shuddering breath. The ride up to her quarters passes slowly.
Once in her quarters, Elissa strips off her armor, setting it on the stand to be cleaned, and steps into the shower. As the water starts to run, she watches the stream of blue swirling down the drain with the water. Under the hot running water, she slides down the wall to sit with her arms wrapped around her knees, and she finally allows herself the luxury of tears.
Five minutes later, Commander Shepard emerges from the elevator on the CiC. She calmly checks her messages, then heads down to engineering to make sure that Gabby and Kenneth had received the T6-FBA couplings she had had delivered to the ship. They are ecstatic and cheerfully inform her that they will be getting them installed as quickly as possible. She then takes a tour of the ship, stopping to talk to various crew members, making sure that everything is running smoothly.
Finally, she heads to the comm. room, to find Jacob waiting for her. She walks around to the opposite side of the platform, as Jacob leans over and rests his elbows on it, head down for a moment.
"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit."
Shepard leans forward onto her palms, eyes bleak, bracing herself for the news that her friend would be crippled for life, or worse, that he wouldn't make it at all. Jacob's next words are not what she's expecting to hear…
"The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but--"
The swishing sound of the doors to the comm. room opening causes them both to look up. Both pairs of eyes widen in shock as the subject of their conversation paces into view. His blue and black armor is blackened and cracked in a large swath on his right side, the right side of his face is covered in medigel and bandages; but his eyes are alert, his steps steady. "Shepard." He says, his voice is reassuringly strong.
Elissa eyes lock with his, a wide smile starting to form, relief evident in every fiber of her body. She vaguely hears Jacob chuckle, "Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet."
Garrus' gaze rests on her as he takes a few steps into the room. He gestures toward his face as he speaks lightly, "Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?"
Taking her cue from him, she leans back and crosses her arms, grinning up at him as she responds, "Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice."
The start of a laugh, his mandibles flare a bit, followed by "Oh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is." He tilts his head, never turning his eyes from hers. "Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are krogan." She shakes her head, glancing down as a relieved smile continues to tug at her lips.
As Jacob salutes and exits the room, Garrus' eyes turn serious, and he steps a bit closer to Elissa as the door closes. "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. Cerberus, Shepard? You remember those sick experiments they were doing?" He places a hand on table near hers, his piercing blue eyes studying her with concern.
Shepard meets his gaze and takes a deep breath before replying, "That's why I'm glad you're here, Garrus. If I'm walking into hell, I want someone I trust at my side."
He tilts his head at her again, searching her face before replying, his tone teasing, "You realize this plan has me walking into hell, too. Hah… "His voice lowers with heartfelt emotion as he reaches out and rests a hand on her shoulder."Just like old times, I've miss having you around Shepard."
Garrus takes a step backwards, once again a consummate professional. "I'm fit for duty whenever you need me Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries."
As he's about to leave the room, he hears Elissa say, relief still evident in her voice, "It's good you have you back too… Welcome aboard Garrus."
As the door closes behind him, Commander Shepard leans against the wall, her eyes closed. With Garrus behind her, for the first time since she woke up on that table such a short time ago, she thinks that she might actually have a chance of pulling this crazy plan off. She holds onto one thought above any other.
He's alive...
* * *
Down in the forward battery
The door closes behind him and he moves immediately to sit down on the crates at the side of the room. He buries his face in his hands and just tries to gather his thoughts.
For two years, he hadn't cared what happened to him. She was gone. When she had died, she'd taken his heart, all unknowing, with her. He'd made a vow to himself that he would follow in her footsteps, do everything in his power to live up to her example and fight injustice, keep as many people as possible safe. He'd finally been backed into a corner; he'd been ready to die, knowing that his hollow existence without her would finally be over. When he'd seen her vault over the barrier on Omega and start mowing down the mercs in front of her, he'd thought he was seeing things.
He'd been ready to die, and defying all odds, she had shown up herself to snatch him from the jaws of death.
He was still trying to come to grips with everything that had happened, but there is one thought that he holds onto, one that brings warmth to his heart and the one thought that had held him back from embracing oblivion after that gun ship fired on him. He clutches it to his heart like the lifeline it is.
She's alive….