Early the next morning, Garrus's omni-tool woke him up with the built-in alarm clock function. He sighed a bit, and rolled to the other side of his bed, not wanting to face the day yet. Still, he knew he had to. With a groan, he freed himself from the comfortable confines of his bed, and proceeded to face the day.
Since the Citadel was continuously bright with the artificial light, he was accustomed to sleeping with light shining through his windows. As such, facing the day wasn't the typical 'blinded by the morning light' ritual that was common in a lot of human novels and books.
Slowly making his way into the main area of his apartment, Garrus prepared for the day by putting on his C-Sec armor and boots, still not entirely awake yet. His apartment was tidy, and featured three computers visible in the main area. A spare omni-tool lay on a nearby glass table, and a large holo-screen currently in standby mode in the corner of his apartment, ready to accept any incoming video messages.
Garrus quickly had a small breakfast to kick start his day, and then headed for the door to his apartment. He picked up a datapad sitting on a counter as he exited his home. The datapad contained his unfinished report from the day prior, which Pallin had assigned him to take home and do. Garrus gave a small chuckle at the thought of how Pallin would react once he found out Garrus hadn't done it.
Sitting at his desk, Garrus had one hand typing slowly at his keyboard, the other propping his head up. Doing reports was never his strong point. After all, he was a C-Sec Officer, not a C-Sec writer, though this daily routine of coming it, sitting down, and typing away definitely made him feel more like the latter than the former. He leaned his head back and yawned, stealing a glance at the bottom-right of his computer screen. The clock taunted him, making each second passing by feel like a bigger stretch of time than the last.
Chellick walked up on Garrus, intending to ask him if they were still on for drinks after work. Garrus, mistakenly thinking Chellick was Pallin, quickly repositioned his hand that was propping his head up back to the keyboard, and began typing down several words to appear busy. Chellick tilted his head at this, and Garrus turned, only to give a small sigh in relief and turn around in his chair.
"Sorry about that. Thought you were Pallin, needed to look like I was actually finishing the report." Garrus said, leaning back in his chair. His legs were stiff, and he could use a walk. But the last time he left without informing Pallin, he got chewed out. It seemed like a turian couldn't eat, or even think, without a higher ranking officer studying their every move.
Chellick gave a small chuckle, and then moved to lean up against Garrus's desk. He was having an equally unproductive day, unable to finish a presentation on the ward's crime rate, and how it has decreased by 12% over the past five years thanks to C-Sec's enhanced monitoring of what comes in and out of the Citadel.
"Still on for tonight?" Chellick asked, straight forward, but in a hoping-he-says-yes tone. Though regardless if Garrus comes or not, he was planning on having a night filled with drinks, gambling, and asari dancers at Flux.
"Sure, I-" Garrus began.
Suddenly, Pallin came rushing through the door in a frenzy, a datapad in one hand and a pistol in the other.
"Garrus, Chellick! Hostage situation at Marov's Weapon Emporium! Some damn krogan mercenary has gone crazy, we need men on the scene ASAP and you two are the only on-duty Officers not on patrol in this area, let's move!" He shouted without taking a breath, but as soon as he was done he exited the room to leave Garrus and Chellick speechless.
However, neither of them were going to refuse a chance to get some action in. Garrus quickly turned off his computer, and proceeded with Chellick to the armory. They geared up rapidly, each taking a standard issue C-Sec pistol, two flash bang grenades, and an extra power pack for their shields. They both sprinted out of the armory and down the hallway, falling in line behind Pallin as observers looked onward at the three C-Sec members with keen interest.
Chellick, Pallin, and Garrus all quickly arrived on the scene via a reserved C-Sec Transit Shuttle, and approached the Emporium where the krogan mercenary had holed up. A few other C-Sec Officers patrolling the area had set up a perimeter, and observers and reporters were already quick on the scene as the crime unfolded.
"What do we know, exactly?" Pallin asked one of the C-Sec Officers already on the scene as he approached one of the blockades.
"Krogan mercenary targeted the gun shop owner for a hit. The owner used to run in the Blood Pack and we're guessing an old rival wanted revenge so he hired the mercenary to complete the job. Turned into a mess when the krogan shot the owner, but didn't kill him, so the customers were sent into a panic and we're guessing the Krogan panicked as well, and without thinking, locked both himself and the customers inside." Responded the Officer quickly and in a matter-of-fact tone.
Pallin stood directly behind the blockade, and pulled his pistol from its holster, before replying. "Well he's already lost his biggest element: surprise. Mercenaries are trained to kill from the shadows, and now he's in the spotlight."
"I'd be careful." Chellick offered. "We don't know how he's going to react to that. Krogan are savages, most are anyways. He could snap and start killing hostages if we make a move."
Garrus had his pistol at his side, held in his right hand. The truth was he was a bit nervous. Sure, he'd been in a firefight before, but this time there were civilian's lives hanging in the balance. What if the krogan grabbed a hostage, and made Garrus choose between stopping the krogan or saving the hostage? The thought of being placed in that sort of situation tensed him up, and he shifted his position, before looking to his superior. Remembering his training, his nerves were settled a bit, he was confident in his abilities.
Pallin turned to face Garrus and Chellick. "Well, Chellick." He started. "That's why 'we' are not going to take him head-on. You two are."
Chellick and Garrus looked at each other, confused by their superior's words.
Pallin pointed to an alley leading behind the emporium. The front windows to the weapon emporium were closed, so he felt safe making hand gestures knowing the krogan wasn't watching.
"See the alley over there? You and Garrus will sneak to the back door." He said, lowering his hand. "Listen in on your radios, set them to comm channel 1033, that way if that krogan has a radio he can't listen in on our frequency." He said, before taking a breath. "I'll attempt to negotiate with the krogan, but if things go sour, or he doesn't comply, you two are to move in and neutralize him. Do not aim to kill, and do not kill hostages. However, if the only way to eliminate the threat of the krogan is to kill him, you have my word to take the shot."
The situation was growing tense. More and more on-lookers showed up, one of them, a purple asari, was pleading that her batarian husband was inside. News reporters had stormed the area, giving the latest breaking news on the situation out to their respective news networks, fighting for ratings. Journalists had pulled out their computers, typing down the events as they happened with precision accuracy. If one of the C-Sec officers so much as stepped forward, the journalists described it in exact detail. Which foot, which direction, and predicted their next move.
Garrus was tense, but on the outside appeared calm and collected. Gun still in the palm of his now-sweaty hand, he swallowed before looking to Chellick. Chellick shot Garrus a silent look of anticipation. Pallin was speaking to a captain over at C-Sec Academy. After nodding his head and replying, he turned to Garrus and Chellick, before raising his gun so it was facing upwards.
"It's a go. Move out."
Garrus inhaled deeply, and then followed Chellick past the barriers and towards the ally. Reporters and journalists began either speaking into a camera or typing the events down. Garrus couldn't complain much. After all, he'd hoped to get out of his office and see some 'real action'. As they rounded into the alley, he brought his pistol up, ready to take out this krogan and save the civilians, despite all the factors that were playing into his mind.