2. The Madness of a Man
Garrus dove behind a crate, a biotic blast whizzing past him.
Damn it, he thought, kneeling with his back against the box. Is anything gonna go right?
From the moment they landed on the planet, nothing had gone according to plan. First they'd had to fight through an army of synthetics to find the lost salarian team, then when they'd found them, the salarians' only plan was to do a suicide run and plant a nuclear bomb in Saren's base. When they'd infiltrated the base, they found Kirrahe's missing men, captured and brainwashed into fighting them. Then, just as Williams had brought out the bomb, Kaidan came on the comms under a geth ambush. So Shepard left Ash to set it up and they headed up to the AA Tower to assist.
Just when it looked like it was clear, Saren swooped in, throwing biotic blasts. Everyone scattered, and now Garrus couldn't see anyone.
"Why are you doing this?" Shepard's voice shouted from somewhere. The geth scattered crates all over the platform, giving cover, but it played hell with the acoustics. He couldn't pinpoint Shepard's position and the HUD was remarkably unhelpful in this close of quarters.
Why doesn't she just shoot him? Garrus fumed. Why was Shepard trying to reason with that madman? It was pointless!
"You've seen the vision from the beacons, Shepard," Saren said from somewhere above. "You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped."
Garrus scowled. He's crazy. Just shoot him, Shepard!
He worked his way to the edge of the crate and peered around.
Saren had Wrex pinned down adjacent from him, the scarred krogan battlemaster's bulk barely hidden by a crate. Kaidan was nowhere to be seen.
Garrus signaled to the red-crested krogan, waiting until Wrex's ruby eyes turned his way. Do you have visual?
The old krogan shook his massive head. Garrus snarled silently.
"Do you really believe the Reapers will let us live?" Shepard's voice seemed closer.
Garrus worked his way to the other side of the crate. There were more shipping containers stacked up on this side, but there was a gap between them. He risked a glance before ducking back into cover. He could just see a black-haired biotic human crouching behind a large container. Unfortunately, it wasn't the human he was hoping for.
From his estimate, Kaidan was right under Saren's position. Fortunately, Saren couldn't see him from where he was. Unfortunately, if Kaidan moved any he'd be right in Saren's sights.
Damn it. Saren had height and mobility. No one could move without drawing his attention. And Garrus still didn't know where Shepard was, if she was in cover or standing out in the open having this chat!
"But if we work with the Reapers," Saren was saying, "if we make ourselves useful— think of how many lives could be spared!" The voice seemed to be coming from the upper right. "Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the ... dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me."
"You're afraid Sovereign is influencing you," Shepard said from somewhere on Garrus's left. "You're afraid it's controlling your thoughts."
That hoverboard was going to be trouble, Garrus just knew it. As much as he'd love to put a well-placed round in Saren's head, he had to be realistic. Accuracy was going to be difficult.
There were obstacles in their way, but Saren's hoverboard granted him plenty of mobility. Not to mention those shields. He hadn't got a good look in those few seconds before ducking into cover, but based on a glance, they were going to be problematic.
He switched to his assault rifle. It was his best bet to get through those kinetic barriers.
Saren was still talking. Garrus was surprised he hadn't started attacking yet. He had the tactical advantage but wasn't taking it. Why?
"Tell me why Sovereign needs the Conduit," Shepard said, trying another tack. "Tell me what it is. Maybe we can find a way to stop them."
"The Conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation," Saren said. "Sovereign needs my help to find it. That is the only reason I have not been indoctrinated."
"Sovereign's manipulating you and you don't even know it," Shepard shouted. "You're already under its power!"
"No! Sovereign needs me." Saren's voice seemed to come from a different position above them. "If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."
And now the truth comes out, Garrus thought bitterly, checking Wrex's position.
Wrex had also switched to an assault rifle and seemed to be preparing for the opportune moment to attack.
Good, some distant part of Garrus's mind thought as he switched to a Proton Rounds mod. He won't get close enough for a shotgun, anyway.
The old krogan was the least of his concerns, though. Wrex could take care of himself. Garrus was more worried about Shepard. Her biotics were powerful, but Saren had biotics too, with better firepower and position. Garrus didn't think she'd get in effective shotgun range, either, and he doubted her pistol would be enough to penetrate Saren's shields.
And, he noted, Saren seems strangely focused on her.
Part of him was offended that the older turian seemed to find them so insignificant a threat. Another part found it very odd that Saren would ignore a threat, no matter how small he found them to be. 'Don't let the enemy hit your flank' was one of the most basic military tactics, one of the first they taught you in the Academy. With enemies on all sides, Saren would know better than to focus on one to the exclusion of all others.
It made Garrus uneasy. Saren was one of the best. So what was he doing? Surely he wouldn't do something so patently stupid without a good reason.
Trap was the first thing that sprung to his mind, but Garrus couldn't see how ignoring potential threats constituted a good trap.
"Together we can stop Sovereign," Shepard was saying. "We don't have to submit to the Reapers. We can beat them!"
"I no longer believe that, Shepard." Saren sounded ... sad? No, that can't be right, Garrus thought. "The visions cannot be denied. The Reapers are too powerful. The only hope of survival is to join with them."
This isn't working, Shepard!
"You were a Spectre. You were sworn to defend the galaxy." Shepard's voice grew louder as she went on. "Then you broke that vow to save yourself!"
"I'm not doing this for myself! Don't you see?" Saren practically growled with frustration. "Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive!"
Garrus spared a second to be amazed. Saren actually believed the nonsense he was spouting! He really was crazy!
It wasn't long before Saren concluded that they weren't going to see eye to eye, though. Garrus could hear from the change in Saren's tone that something was was off. There was something unnatural about it, but Garrus didn't have time to think about it.
Just as well, he thought. Dying by nuclear explosion isn't my preferred way to settle an argument.
Saren swooped overhead and Garrus ran out from cover, firing at the hoverboard.
The shots pinged harmlessly off the metal belly of the board. Saren swerved back towards him and fired a blast.
He dodged, barely avoiding the fireball. The crate next to him exploded, pelting him with shrapnel and taking down his shields. He scrambled behind cover, letting his shields regenerate while Wrex took the heat off of him.
He listened to the exchange of fire, assault rifle and the steady pop of a pistol. He wondered if it was Kaidan's or Shepard's.
Peeking around the corner, he saw Kaidan crouched behind cover. Shepard's then.
The hoverboard swooped overhead and Garrus flattened himself against the crate. His shields still needed time to regenerate fully. Another hit like the first and it would over.
Another crate exploded. He peered out again cautiously, ready to duck.
He caught sight of Shepard. She ran from cover, dodging Saren's biotic blasts. Kaidan moved to sabotage him with a tech mine.
The mine exploded just past Saren's position. His shields flickered but stopped most of the damage. Saren fired a spray of fire on Kaidan's position, forcing him back into cover.
Garrus sent another tech mine to overload Saren's shields while he was distracted. The hoverboard swerved out of the way and the tech mine sailed past, detonating harmlessly several feet away.
He cursed. I hate it when I'm right about these things! He couldn't get a fix while Saren zipped around on that damned thing.
Shepard leaned out from behind a crate and fired at Saren. He wheeled around and started throwing biotics at her again.
Bastard! Garrus growled. He was targeting Shepard almost exclusively, sending just enough fire their way to prevent them from concentrating their attacks.
He doesn't seem to want to kill her. Garrus's throat tightened. It wasn't a reassuring thought.
Garrus sent another spray of fire at Saren. Get away from her, you barefaced.
He returned fire, driving him back into cover. His shields were almost recovered, but not quite yet.
He spotted Wrex nearby.
"Wrex," he hissed. "Do you think your biotics can warp his barrier?"
The krogan edged closer, careful to keep his hump under cover. "Sure," he growled, "if that hrakhor would stop moving so damn much!"
Garrus didn't know what 'hrakhor' meant, but he shared the feeling behind it.
No kidding, Garrus thought. If Saren would stop moving, it would make life so much easier for everyone. But for some reason, Saren didn't really seem all that interested in making their lives easier.
"All right." Garrus took a breath. We need a diversion. "On the count of three I'm going to run out there, to that crate," he pointed, "over there. When Saren focuses on me, warp him!"
Wrex nodded. "Stupid." He chuckled. "But brave, turian. You've got guts, kid."
"Yeah, thanks, I guess," Garrus said, not bothering to hide the caustic drawl in his sub-harmonics. He readied his rifle and checked Saren's position before he could think better of this plan. "One ... Two ..."
Saren flew by.
Garrus ran, firing to draw Saren's attention. He was close enough to see Saren look down, blue cybernetics locking on him with laser precision. There was nothing in those mechanical eyes but cold calculation.
Fear crystallized like ice in Garrus's gut. His shots were impacting the shields but doing no damage. He must also have a biotic barrier, Garrus's mind helpfully supplied. Saren didn't even flinch, his pale, rigid face betraying nothing.
He watched in slow motion as Saren raised the rifle at his chest. At this distance, his mind chimed in again, kinetic barriers won't do you much good. He was still feet away from the crate. There was no way he was going to make it in time. The fear moved to his legs, making them heavy and slow.
A sudden sharp crack and Saren jerked away.
Wrex stood wreathed in a blue corona of energy, massive shotgun in his hand.
Huh, Garrus thought as he stared at the shotgun. Guess I was wrong.
Then Saren did something and everything was bright.
.
Garrus found himself blinking up at the sky. Purple splotches danced in his vision. He couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his head. For a minute, he couldn't remember where they were.
He sat up, painfully blinking the spots away. Something flickered in the corner of his eye. He turned.
Saren had Shepard by the neck. He dangled her over the edge of the AA Tower. She struggled, but she couldn't get free.
Garrus scrambled for his rifle. Cold panic froze his blood when he spotted it across the platform, too far to reach.
A loud wail from the bombsite sent his head snapping up.
Shepard punched Saren in the face. He stumbled back and Shepard caught herself on the Tower's edge.
Garrus struggled to his feet.
Saren was already on his hoverboard. He didn't look back as he flew off.
Shepard was on her feet, signaling the Normandy for touchdown.
Garrus shakily helped Wrex up, looking around for Kaidan. He spotted the biotic under a crate and went over to help.
The Normandy made a quick landing and Shepard yelled at them to move it.
He snatched his rifle up and Shepard hustled them into the cargo bay. The salarians were already aboard, Garrus dully noted. They helped carry Kaidan in. Joker must have taken the Normandy to pick them up after the geth hit the bombsite.
As soon as they were on-board, the cargo bay doors slammed shut. Garrus felt the surge of the engines under his feet as they made a quick liftoff.
"All right," Joker's voice came on the intercom, a brittle edge of panic in the pilot's voice. "Everybody hang on!"
Garrus felt the inertial dampeners kick in as they rocketed out of orbit. He'd have sworn he felt the buffeting of the bomb's impact waves, but he knew it had to be his imagination.
Once cleared by Dr. Chakwas, the team silently filed into the comm room. Even the surviving salarians had come out without significant injury. Everyone had apparently come out unscathed.
Except for Williams, Garrus's brain traitorously cut in. She didn't come out at all.
Kaidan was already sitting in his usual spot in the briefing room, elbows braced on his knees. He looked down, expression set like stone, brown eyes intently focused on some spot on the floor. Ash's chair next to him was empty.
Garrus had to look away. Former investigator or not, there were some things he had no right to examine.
All the furtive movements around him piqued his investigative senses. Everyone avoided looking at anyone else, especially Kaidan. The silence was a wide divide between them, isolating everyone in their own thoughts. Despite himself, he surveyed the team.
He awkwardly caught Tali's eyes through her faceplate as she passed. It was impossible to see her facial expression. He didn't need to. She hastily looked away, fingers compulsively twining together.
He couldn't blame her. Turians had different tells, but he was sure his anxiety broadcasted just as obviously. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke in.
Garrus paused, letting Liara and Wrex by him. They both avoided his eyes, but he wasn't looking at them. He was looking for Shepard.
He finally spied her on the bridge.
She faced away, arms locked behind her back, her head tilted up at one of the windows. Looking at the planet, he assumed. Even from this distance, he could see her stance—straight-backed, rigid, still.
It was ... disconcerting. Shepard always seemed relaxed and ready to spring to action when the moment was right. But now ... She was too stiff, too controlled. It was all wrong, and he couldn't help but feel disturbed.
It wasn't right. None of this was right.
Shepard always had a way with words. But not with Saren, not when it mattered. On the planet, they'd circled each other, each trying to convince the other they were right.
Garrus couldn't understand it. Saren could have taken the shot and been done with it, but he'd held off, trying to sway her to his side. He could have tossed her over the Tower's edge without a thought, but he didn't. Why?
And then there was ... whatever the hell was going on with Saren's voice. It was like something had been switched off in his voice. Now that he thought about it, it reminded him of Benezia on Noveria. She'd tried to talk to Liara, tried so desperately to warn them. Then she'd turned around, and there was nothing but cold disdain in her eyes.
Was that indoctrination? Sovereign indoctrinated Saren. Garrus had no doubt about that now. Sovereign was clear about what it thought of them. So this exchange, this battle of wills, was Saren's idea and not Sovereign's. But why would Saren care what Shepard thought?
Whatever he, or Shepard, hoped to accomplish had failed. Neither was convinced. They both lost, though Garrus was willing to bet Shepard was taking that loss harder than Saren.
Watching her pull away ... it hurt. They were a team, a kind of family, and Shepard was the heart that kept them together. He couldn't stand seeing her this way.
Garrus felt a spark of rage. Saren had stolen one of their own. It was one more thing in the growing list he planned to make Saren pay for.
A.N.: Part 2 of 4!
The fight on Virmire always left me with a lot of questions. Actually, Virmire in general leaves me with a lot of questions, like 'why did Saren need the beacon on Eden Prime when he already had one at his base?' Or 'where's the other two squad mates and why couldn't they go help the other team instead of making Shepard choose?' But I digress.
The other thing that I find interesting is Saren's actions at the end. He goes to neck-lift Shepard and at the AA Tower also adds dangling Shepard over the edge. Why not just shoot? Makes me think Saren was planning to kidnap Shepard.
I know this fight doesn't play out exactly as it does in canon. Let's call it (accidental) artistic liberty, eh? Besides, why would Saren jump off of his hoverboard to begin with?
On the technical side, I'm not sure about the pacing here. Fight scenes always give me trouble. I guess I need more practice. Oh, fight scenes. Why are you so hard? *sigh* Comments, critiques, thoughts and opinions all welcome!