Author's note: Here it is, the final chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it and thank you for reading!
Chapter Nineteen
Garrus was entirely too fidgety on the shuttle to Earth. He could've easily gotten a private ship since he was considered a hero amongst his people now, but he wanted to keep his mission as quiet as possible. When he returned, he was showered with praise and promotional opportunities, but his detachment due to the loss of Ashlyn and Shepard caused him to tune it all out, much to his father's disappointment. That was one reason why he tried to leave his home unnoticed. Unfortunately, his sister caught him leaving.
"I have something I have to do." He told her when he was barraged with questions.
"And you can't tell me? Now that you're a war hero you can't confide in your little sister?" She said with a pout.
"You won't understand." He said.
She crossed her arms. "Something is different about you. What happened? You've been sad since you've arrived and now it's like you have fire in your step."
He moved around her to reach the door. "Nothing. I'm just tired of moping, so I'm going to take care of some business."
His sister sighed in exasperation. "Fine! But Dad will be angry."
"Let him be angry then." He told her, but added, "I'll see you soon" before he walked out the door, not wanting to leave his sister with a comment like that.
Then he found himself on the shuttle to Earth, his hands wringing in his lap. He guessed it was excitement that stirred him so. Since seeing the spirit of Shepard and hearing that Ashlyn was alive, he could barely contain himself. Though he was excited, he was also worried and nervous. Shepard's warning about her power overtaking her was very disturbing and he only hoped he could find her in time.
The shuttle had only three turians on it. Not many of his people were willing to leave home at the time. There were five humans on board though, probably heading home themselves. The war seemed to bring everyone together. Everyone helped each other rebuild alongside the Reapers whom no one realized was none other than Shepard.
When he arrived on Earth, he was processed through immigration as a visitor and received salutes and handshakes from humans he didn't know, but they apparently knew him. He eventually found someone official-looking, a man in uniform giving orders through his omni-tool, and approached him.
"Excuse me," he said to the officer grabbing his attention, "I'm Garrus Vakarian. I'm wondering if the Normandy is docked here?"
The man's eyes widened. "Vakarian? Wow, never thought I'd see you here. If I would've known you were coming I would've planned a welcoming party."
"Not necessary," Garrus insisted.
"What makes you seek the Normandy?"
"I'm looking to reconnect with some of the crew." He told the officer.
"Oh," the officer looked apologetic, "the Normandy is actually out of commission. They're planning on putting her on display in honor of Commander Shepard."
"The crew were all reassigned?"
"Some, others went home."
"What about the pilot? Jeff Moreau." Garrus nearly called him Joker, his best known name, but realized it probably wouldn't be on official records.
"Let me pull up our pilot database." The officer lifted his datapad and keyed in a couple things until it seemed he found what he was looking for. "Jeff Moreau, previously pilot of the SSV Normandy. He was briefly reassigned to the Vision, but two months ago he took shore leave and he's been at his home in Buffalo since."
"Can you provide me the location?"
"Sir, forgive me, but couldn't you just message him with your omni-tool?" The officer asked sheepishly.
Garrus had thought about this before making the journey, but when he first arrived home he found himself sulking over all of Ashlyn's old messages. He got a little upset and overreacted by resetting his omni-tool to factory settings, therefore deleting all of his contacts. "I can't." He replied.
"Well, we aren't supposed to give out that information, but I'm sure Mr. Moreau would be happy to see you."
Garrus took the location of Joker's home and thanked the officer. The officer offered an escort to Buffalo, but Garrus denied. He ended up taking the 'bullet train', which is what the natives called it. Though the trip was fairly short since the train went very fast, Garrus got to see a side of Earth he'd never seen. It wasn't actually in a pile of rubble like it was during the war. Everything was still being rebuilt, but the grass was growing back, flowers were blooming, trees had been cloned and replanted. Earth was a beautiful place and he was happy to see that the humans were getting it back to its former glory.
While watching the scenery fly by, Garrus thought about Ashlyn. If she was really alive, why had she not tried to contact him? Did she not want to see him? He told himself that didn't matter. He made a promise to Shepard and he owed it to him.
When the train stopped at Buffalo, he received some inquiring looks. Not many turians were seen this far inland. He then took a taxi the rest of the way. The driver seemed a little excited over his first alien customer, but Garrus didn't get involved in his attempt at friendly banter. When they arrived, he paid for the ride and walked up the steps to Joker's house.
It was a fairly normal house in human standards. Like one he would see on a human vid channel. The sides were a light brown with white trim. There were some trees in the front yard and flowers too. It was actually pretty nice. Garrus rapped on the door a few times.
"Who is it?" Garrus heard Joker's voice over a small speaker he noticed next to the door frame.
Garrus took a moment. He'd not spoken with Joker since he arrived at Palaven. "It's Garrus." He said finally.
The speaker was then silent for a moment. "You're shitting me." Joker's voice sounded genuinely shocked. "Get the door, get the door!" He then said to someone else.
The door opened and Garrus recognized the silvery figure right away. EDI stood in the doorway wearing a yellow sundress over her metallic body.
"Hello again, Garrus." She greeted with a smile. "Please, come in."
Garrus entered and met eyes with Joker, still sporting his beard and hat and hobbling with a cane.
"Good to see you, Joker." Garrus said.
"Damn, it really is you." Joker laughed. "Come sit down, man. How ya been?"
Garrus followed Joker into a room with a couch and loveseat. He glanced at the inside of the house. It was really nice. Being a war hero pilot must've been rewarding. "Honestly, not very good, but I'm surviving."
"I hear you." Joker replied.
Joker sat on the couch while Garrus seated himself on the loveseat across from him. EDI entered the room and sat next to Joker.
"I'm surprised to see EDI away from the Normandy." Garrus commented.
"Yeah," Joker went on to explain, "when I found out that the Normandy was going out of commission I made a big stink and they allowed me to take EDI's AI core. We kind of fibbed and EDI pretended to malfunction so they would think she wasn't of any use. It was all hush hush, they didn't want too many people to find out, especially any Cerberus stragglers. So, what brings you here? Thought you were never going to leave Palaven."
"I'm sorry to say that my visit isn't for catching up. I have reason to believe that Ashlyn might be alive and I reached out to you in attempt to reach EDI, luckily she's here and if anyone can find her, it's you." He looked at both of them pleadingly.
"How do you know?" Joker asked. "She was pronounced KIA that… night. There's been no word of her since."
"I can't disclose. I'm sorry. I just need help finding her."
Joker turned to EDI who nodded as if she knew she was expecting this. "I've not heard anything, but I had a feeling she was alive as well." She brought up her omni-tool. "I've sent Liara a message. Her connections as the Shadow Broker might help us. I've searched Ashlyn's name, but have not found anything."
"Her name is Rose." Garrus said quickly as the memory came to him. "Rose Ashlyn Jennings. She was in the ROSE project with Cerberus, maybe that will help?"
"I'll see."
About an hour had passed since EDI began her search. She still had access to old Cerberus records and some databases, so she fervently searched through them all. Meanwhile, Joker talked about working on the Vision, a disaster relief ship that provided aid where it needed it most. He talked about how Thessia was still badly damaged, but they were rebuilding just like everywhere else. When he found out the Normandy would be out of commission, he decided to take the shore leave and take EDI home. Garrus politely listened, but didn't have any stories to share himself.
Finally, EDI let out a hum of interest.
"What is it?" Garrus asked impatiently.
"I found something in one of the Cerberus databases I still have access to. It's fairly recent, only about a month old. It's a report of an attack on a Cerberus base. It states that this is the fifth Cerberus base that has been attacked. It sounds like someone wants them all wiped out. The only survivors of this attack were two children, the only children on the base. The only thing they reported was it was a vigilante in black armor and it called itself the Black Rose."
"Woah," murmured Joker.
"That… sounds like her." Garrus breathed. The reality was beginning to sink in. She really was alive.
EDI continued. "I sent Liara the Black Rose name, Liara says hi by the way, and she found that the name has been floating not just around Cerberus bases, but any forms of criminal activity. The last reported sighting was on Omega."
Garrus shot up and headed for the door.
"Wait!" EDI called and he stopped and turned. "If… you do find her. Tell her I miss her."
Garrus nodded. "I'll be back when I find her."
Garrus hadn't been on Omega since he was killing mercs in his free time. The place was still a pit bottom, but it didn't seem as dangerous. When he stepped off the ship that brought him, he made his way to the bar, the best place to find information.
The place was pulsating with music and voices as if it was alive. There was a crowd on the dance floor, their bodies moving to the music. Everyone was smiling and laughing and it was no wonder. Everyone was happy. The war was over and no one could know that it was thanks to Shepard. Yes, everyone knew Shepard stopped the war, but no one knew what he truly achieved.
Garrus decided to talk to the bartender. Bartenders were always the best sources for information and leads. As he moved closer, he saw someone that made him stop dead in his tracks. That long dark mane of hair… it couldn't be. He thought to himself. Whoever it was had their back to him, sitting at the bar. He could tell the person was female, but that was all. He knew he was getting his hopes too high, there was no possible way it could be her. Then he saw the bartender give her a glass of water with a confused look on his salarian face. There was only one person he knew that would go to a bar and order water due to a bad experience with alcohol.
His heart skipped a beat, but he was too happy to even worry about nerves. He continued walking towards the bar and sat down next to her, without saying a word.
"It's about time," she said, her voice cool and nonchalant.
He turned to her. Her face was not as lit up as it used to be. She was still beautiful, but she had a look in her emerald eyes as she gazed into her glass of water that Garrus couldn't place. It looked dangerous and weathered at the same time. Garrus was also shocked to see a large scar down the side of her face following the curve of her cheek from her eye to her jaw. He didn't care though, he was still happy to see her.
"You were expecting me?" Garrus asked.
"I knew someone was looking for me. Not many people know the name Ashlyn anymore. I knew it had to be you or someone from the Normandy." She said, still not moving her eyes off her glass. "You found me, so now you can go about your life."
Garrus was not pleased at her demeanor. His happiness to see her had begun to convert to concern. She seemed drained of life. The smiling girl he remembered at the Citadel was gone. "Look at me," he said. She didn't answer. "Look at me, damnit!" He commanded as he grabbed her shoulder.
She finally turned and met his eyes. Garrus noticed another scar on the other side of her face that marred her chin. There was also a small jagged dent on the edge of her ear. He suddenly felt horrible. He should've never left her.
"Garrus…" she murmured, her lips barely even moving. Garrus could see the faintest glint of a tear in her eyes.
Garrus thought she was going to break that very moment. He thought she was going to fold and fall into his arms, which he was dying to feel her once again, but she didn't. She blinked away the tears and turned her head as something caught her eye. A figure was moving toward the door. Garrus went to ask her what was going on, but she had put on her helmet and crept toward the exit.
Perplexed, Garrus followed.
He followed Ashlyn as she followed the figure out into an alleyway next to the bar. She moved as silent as the wind, staying in the shadows and never taking an ill step. Her target was a batarian and when he reached the end of the alley, he felt someone following him. That's when she pounced. She leapt in front of him and held him at gun point.
She then spoke with such ferocity as her helmet morphed her voice into something monstrous. "You! Kalegg! I hear you are connected to Lazren, is that right?"
"N-no! Never! That guy deals in some seriously bad stuff! I wouldn't be caught dead!"
She pressed the gun into his neck and he winced. "It's no matter, one less thug on the street with you six feet under."
"Y-your that Black Rose everyone keeps talking about!" Kalegg sputtered.
"It will be the last name you ever know!" Ashlyn's words dripped with hatred.
As she went to squeeze the trigger, Garrus could take no more. She was killing out of hate, not justice. He slipped out of his hiding spot and grabbed her from behind, holding her waist with one arm and grabbing her gun with the other. The gun fired into the sky and Kalegg disappeared into a building.
"Damnit! Don't interfere with my work!" She shouted as she struggled against him.
Garrus held her tighter. "This isn't work!"
"You think you can just show up like some sort of hero?!" With that she kicked her leg back into his knee. It gave way just enough to slip out of his grasp. She took off her helmet and turned to face him, gun in hand. "Get out of here Garrus."
"Not without you." He insisted.
Suddenly, she dropped her gun and helmet and lunged at him. Her fist clocked him right across the mandible. He lifted his arm just in time to block another fist. "Just go!" She screamed.
Avoiding her swinging fists, Garrus grabbed her by her arms and pulled her close. Then he enveloped her in his embrace. "I'm not going anywhere."
Suddenly, Ashlyn went limp. At first Garrus thought he hurt her, but then he felt her body tremble from a sob that escaped her.
"Two weeks…" she cried, "two weeks I was in that coffin. They thought I was dead…" She let out a sighing sob. "I can only thank whatever gods are out there that I'm different otherwise I would've been dead."
Garrus stroked the back of her head. "I'm so sorry," he murmured.
"The only thing I could do is lie there as my skin mended and my muscles became strong again. I felt every burn, every cut, because in that box I couldn't hear, couldn't see, couldn't smell, the only thing I could do was feel. Then I finally gathered the strength to scream for help and luckily, someone heard me. And after all that, I wake to find that Shepard died and you were lost somewhere in the galaxy. I felt as if there was no point to me living anymore, but I knew neither you nor Shepard would want that so I began to clean up the loose ends of Cerberus." She gripped his forearm tightly as if she was afraid he would disappear. "I began to see you everywhere and Shepard too. I thought when I saw you at the bar that you were just another dream."
"I'm here now," he nuzzled her head, "I won't leave you."
Then Ashlyn just cried. She wasn't sure if it was happy, sad, angry, or a mix of all. She just cried and after a long while, she became incredibly exhausted. Over the course of ten months, she'd probably only had a full night's sleep about twice. Now that she was in Garrus's arms, a heavy weight was lifted from her. She felt like she could just let go of whatever anger and sadness she felt. When she did that, she fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Ashlyn woke suddenly in a bed. She was in a strange room. Panic struck her and she cried out Garrus's name, terrified that last night was all a dream, but at the sound of his name, he rounded the corner into the room hurriedly.
"You okay?" He said, his blue eyes wide.
She nodded slowly as she looked around the room once again now that she was eased. It seemed to be a hotel room. They were still on Omega. Her eyes fell upon Garrus again. She stared into those eyes and smiled. He flared his mandibles and all at once Ashlyn jumped at him and embraced him. She even maneuvered around his armor so that her arms could wrap around his neck. Garrus let out a relieved happy sigh as he returned the hug. She was still in there. The happy, feisty girl he fell in love with was still there. He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the hug.
"Hey," he whispered to her as he held her, "I know it's long overdue, but I'm sorry… about everything."
She separated and sat back on the bed much to Garrus's regret. "Don't," she said, "it's in the past. Rather than dig it up, let's just start fresh. You ever hear of Archangel?" She asked him with a smirk.
He raised a suspicious brow. "I might've, why?"
"Well, I was just hoping that he might join me in my quest to clean up the galaxy where the good old Reapers can't reach." She crossed her arms as she let him know her proposition.
He tapped his chin and then shrugged. "Archangel and the Black Rose, sounds catchy."
Ashlyn laughed. "It sounds great."
Garrus then smiled at her and the past ten months melted away. She missed John and would always miss John, but she felt him watching her somehow. And he was happy because she was happy.
End