Chapter 11: The Drell
Shepard, Garrus and Samara stepped out of Seryna's skycar. The ride had been quick while the Asari informed them of what they'd be up against in Dantius Tower Two. They had opted to go in through the second of the two towers as it was still under construction and the security would be lighter. They timed it so that they would be coming in after the workers left for the day to minimize risk of civilian casualties. Shepard had no delusions for being able to walk in and out without fighting.
"Shepard." Seryna spoke, leaning out of her skycar before the door closed. "If you get to Nassana before Krios, aim for the head. That bitch doesn't have a heart to shoot at."
Shepard nodded grimly to Seryna and turned her back on the skycar. Shepard walked up to Garrus and Samara, who were waiting for her.
"So, how are we getting in?" Garrus asked, nodding towards the building.
"I don't know Garrus." Shepard smirked at him. "I was thinking about using the front door."
"What? No explosions? No shooting? No cries of mercy from the bad guys? Just going to walk in there and ask to talk to Nassana?" Garrus looked at her with eyes wide in mock disbelief.
"Yes you asshole. That's basically what I want to happen." Shepard shoved his shoulder, a smile on her face.
Her smile faded however when a yell from a high pitched Salarian voice reached her ears.
"Help! Help us!" The voice, screaming in fear and panic seemed to come from the Dantius tower.
The trio turned their attention to the front door of the tower to find a pair of Salarians pounding on the glass doors. Behind the Salarians a pair of mechs walked towards them, weapons raised.
"See?" Shepard spoke grimly, pulling her Scimitar off her back. "Just storm the front door."
Shepard wreathed herself in her biotic aura. Garrus pulled his Mantis off his back and Samara lit up in her own azure aura. Shepard had enough time to see Garrus raise his Mantis and sight down the scope before launching herself the hundred some odd meters towards the mechs.
Shepard had barely enough time to brace herself before she reached the clear glass doors. Much to her surprise however, she didn't slam into, and through, the doors but phased through them. She slammed into the first of the two security mechs and was caught off balance by this new development. Her head snapped to the other mech when a loud crack filled the air.
The other mech dropped to the ground, a large hole in its head. A beeping sound started emanating from the mech and Shepard's eyes widened. She threw her hands forward and a bubble of blue energy formed around the mech's body. A moment later the body of the mech exploded, sending bits and pieces of the mech into the bubble.
Shepard cried out in pain. She dropped to her knees, hands clutching her head. She cursed at herself for not expecting this. She was still weak from the barrier she had used the day before. Shepard felt the wave of pain recede from her mind, much to her relief.
"Thank you!" The two Salarians cried out in fear, they managed to get the doors open before running out of them, fleeing for the lives.
Garrus and Samara jogged up to the doors. Garrus was quickly by her side at seeing her still on her knees. The look of love and concern in his eyes made her heart flutter. She gave him a weak smile and stood up.
"That was impressive Commander." Samara's cool voice reached her ears. "It is rare to see a non-Asari able to control their biotics enough to phase through objects like that, let alone manage such a powerful charge."
"Yeah." Garrus joined in, his eyes softening a bit. "Since when can you do that?"
Shepard chuckled. "No clue. Didn't even know that would happen myself."
The look on Garrus' eyes changed in such a way that scared Shepard. He had the look a predator has when prey is weak and dying nearby. His head focused on a point behind her and Shepard turned to see what he was looking at. Behind her was a lone doorway, the door had yet to be installed, but there was a sign above it marking it to lead to an elevator.
Shepard cautiously moved towards the doorway, her Scimitar at the ready. She felt Garrus follow behind her wordlessly, Sarama following a moment later. The closer they got to the doorway, it became easier for Shepard to tell what made Garrus act the way he did. As they moved closer the sounds of all too familiar labored breathing drifted to the trio. All three of them knew that whoever it was that was breathing this way only had minutes at best.
When they rounded the corner of the doorway, they were greeted with a sight they had seen far too many times. Laying on the ground next to the elevator was a Salarian, dressed in the same manner as the ones they had just saved. The Salarian's green blood covered the front of his uniform. The Salarian looked up, fear the only thing in his fading eyes.
Shepard rushed over the the Salarian, clipping her Scimitar on her back with one hand, the other searching around in one of her armor's pouches.
"Stay with me. You're going to be fine." Shepard lied, kneeling next to him.
Her hands found the object she was looking for. She pulled out a tube of medi-gel and uncapped it. She squeezed out a glob of the gel onto her hands and smeared it over and inside the lone bullet wound on the Salarian. The wound was deep and right over one of his lungs.. Medi-gel may have been a life saving miracle cream, but even it couldn't replace a punctured and collapsed lung.
Shepard looked up to the Salarian's face. Shock and relief washed over his features. His breathing was still labored, but the medi-gel was doing it's work and keeping him alive.
"Thank… Thank you." The Salarian wheezed out.
"Who did this to you?" Shepard asked, leaning back from the Salarian and putting the tube back into it's pouch.
"Nassana's mercs." The Salarian managed to cough out. "There was a warning to evacuate. But... but we didn't hear it. They started yelling. We panicked and they started shooting."
"Garrus." Shepard looked behind her." Call an ambulance." He doesn't have long. The last part went unspoken, but they both knew it.
Shepard turned back to the Salarian. "Do you know anything about an assassin? Or have seen a Drell come through here?" Shepard asked, hoping he would be able to hold on to consciousness for just a while longer. Behind her, she could her Garrus calling in an ambulance from one of the local hospitals.
"No, but the mercs said something about an assassinbefore leaving. I don't remember what it was." The Salarian's shoulders slumped. Shepard's eyes widened, but she relaxed at seeing the steady rise and fall of his chest.
"Ambulance is on the way Shepard." Garrus spoke behind her.
He laid a hand on her shoulder. "There's nothing else we can do for him."
Shepard nodded and stood up. She pressed her hand to the elevator's controls, summoning it to their level.
"Angels watch over him." Shepard muttered to herself. She hoped they would listen and protect the innocent Salarian.
The elevator chimed, signaling it had reached their floor. The doors hissed open and the three stepped in. Shepard sent a look of sadness towards the Salarian's body before pressing the button for the highest floor the elevator would reach.
"No, we haven't found him yet." A human voice greeted the trio when the elevator doors finally opened. The three instantly had their weapons up and that the ready.
"Relax." The voice spoke almost cockily. "My men have it under control."
In front of them was a large wall to wall, floor to ceiling, window overlooking the Nos Astra skyline. Between the window and the trio stood a lone Eclipse merc, his hand rested on the side of his helmet. The merc was looking out the window and pacing back and forth in front of it. He didn't seem to notice the elevator doors open behind him.
Shepard motioned for Samara and Garrus to check the area. She herself moved forward, towards the merc. Garrus and Samara did as they were ordered. They found that the shaft that held the elevator blocked the view of where they were from whatever was behind it.
"I told you. We've got it covered." The merc spoke again.
Garrus motioned for Samara to keep watch for anything that would come from behind the elevator. He turned and found Shepard just in arms reach of the merc, her weapon lowered. Garrus' mind once more kicked into overdrive.
Damn it Shepard! Stop doing that! He screamed at her mentally while he studied the merc.
Settled on the merc's heavy armor were an arsenal of weapons. A Katana shotgun and an Avenger rifle on his back, a Carnifex pistol on one thigh and a Tempest SMG on the other. He noted two knives sheathed on his armor, one sheathed on his spine and the other on his chest.
"Stop worrying!" The merc chided whoever it was on the other end of his comm.
"Hey. Buddy." Shepard spoke and shoved the merc.
The merc froze. "I'll call you back." He spoke slowly and turned around.
"Aw shit." He spoke again, his eyes fixated on Garrus and the rifle pointed at his head.
"Who are you? You're not one of our guys." The merc spoke never looking away from Garrus and the Mantis leveled at his head.
"I'm looking for the assassin. Maybe you've seen him." Shepard spoke stepping closer to the merc, who backed up nervously.
"Look pal." The merc spoke boldly. "I don't know where he is and even if I did I wouldn't tell you."
Garrus felt his finger tighten on the trigger of his Mantis. He forced himself to relax and let Shepard handle this.
The merc motioned with his head over Shepard's shoulder. "My guys are just on the other side of that wall. You shoot me and they'll swarm all over you."
Shepard took another step forward, forcing the merc back up against the window. She pressed herself up against the merc, bringing her face near the mercs' helmet. Garrus' grip around his rifle tightened , causing his gloves and rifle to creak in protest.
"Listen, all you need to do is tell us what I want to know. Don't and I'll have my boyfriend here make a rug out of your skin." Shepard motioned behind her to Garrus.
Wait. Garrus thought. Did she just say boyfriend?
He wasn't sure if he should be punching the air right now or not, so he decided to just give the merc a smile. One that said 'Please, make my day'.
Every muscle in the mercs body froze and locked up. Garrus grinned smugly at the merc, knowing full well his eyes were wide inside his helmet.
"Al-alright." The merc stammered and Shepard took a step back, much to Garrus' relief.
"None of us really know where he his. Some of the squads say he's down in the mezzanine, but the squad on the bridge think they saw him there."
"Was that so hard?" Shepard asked the merc taking a few more steps back. "Now get out of here before I change my mind about that rug thing."
Without another word the merc ran off, into the still open elevator. The doors to it sealed and locked behind him. Garrus smirked at the doors before during to a bright red Shepard.
"So boyfriend huh?" Garrus spoke, trying to keep a grin from his face.
"Heh yeah sorry about that. It was kinda..." Shepard stammered, looking down at the floor, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. Garrus chuckled and Shepard looked up at him in confusion.
"Hmmmm. Boyfriend..." He spoke rolling the word around in his mouth, as if feeling his way around the word. Shepard awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck with her hand, glancing up at Garrus every now and then.
Garrus chuckled again and stepped next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "You know, I think I could get used to that."
Garrus began walking towards a curious looking Samara, gently pulling Shepard with him. He looked down to Shepard's face to see shock and joy in her eyes and a large grin plastered across her face.
"Are... are you sure?" She asked tentatively.
Garrus smirked. "Of course..." He stopped and turned his head. He heard a faint sound, one that he wasn't sure he heard right but knew what it was.
"G-garrus?" Shepard asked, a look of almost fear on her face. Garrus held up a talon, silencing her, a look of concentration on his face. He turned back to her a moment later after hearing the sound again.
"He's close. Two shots fired, both barely audible. Make that three." Garrus spoke after hearing another very faint discharge of a sniper rifle. Even to his ears, those of an apex predator, the sound was only a faint whisper.
"Come on then." Shepard spoke reluctantly pulling away from him.
"We can talk about that later." She whispered to him.
"What is going on?" Samara asked when Garrus and Shepard walked up to her, weapons at the ready.
"He's close." Garrus spoke simply, moving past the Justicar.
The trio moved around the wall separating the elevator from the next room. They came into a wide open room that was still under construction. Piles of building materials and tools lay around the room. At first they didn't hear or see anything, until they moved past the first large stack of sheet metal. Strewn about the room, wherever there was enough room for someone to stand, bodies of dead Eclipse mercs lay on the floor. Garrus counted four mercs that they could see. He wasn't surprised that he didn't hear the last shot, all the moving around and armor shifting would've covered up the sound with ease.
Garrus moved up to the first body and crouched over it. "Headshot. Clear between the eyes."
He turned the body over. "No exit wound. Whoever this Krios guy is, he's good."
"Better than you?" Shepard asked jokingly when she came over to look at the assassin's handy work herself.
"Didn't say that." Garrus replied defensively. "He's got skill, but his reflexes are slower than I would think. The time between shots was too long."
Garrus stood up and surveyed the room. The only way out of this large room were the way they came in, a ramp leading higher into the tower, and a single door. The door was closed, the red glow of the door's controls showed it was also locked.
"Kate." Garrus spoke softly, tapping her shoulder.
When she looked up he pointed to the locked door. She nodded and stood up. Shepard motioned to Samara, pointing out the locked door to the Justicar. Samara nodded her acknowledgement to Shepard.
The three moved towards the door. An unnatural silence filling the air as the three moved forward without a sound. As they got closer to the door the silence thinned. They could hear panicked voices on the otherside.
Shepard nodded to Garrus once they were just out of reach of the door. Still maintaining their silence, Garrus opened up his omni-tool. He quickly synced to the door and overrode it's controls. The door's panel changed to green, signaling it being unlocked. Shepard nodded again and Garrus opened the door.
"Get back!" A Salarian shouted, once the door hissed open.
Inside the small room on the other side of the door stood three Salarians. All but one of them were cowering against the back wall. The one that didn't look much better. The Salarian stood in front of the others, a predator pistol in his shaking hands. The Salarian's eyes were wide in fear, his entire body shaking. Garrus could smell the Salarian's fear, despite of standing nearly two meters from him.
"I said get back!" The Salarian yelled, sweeping his gun between the three of them.
"Relax." Shepard spoke soothingly. She lowered her Locusts and motioned for Samara and Garrus to do the same.
"We're not Nassana's mercs." Shepard spoke relaxing her stance, trying to calm the frightened Salarians.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" The Salarian spoke hurriedly.
"I'm Commander Shepard. And I'm here to help the assassin hired to kill Nassana." Shepard spoke, her tone the same soothing one Garrus remembered her using on the old Normandy.
"That-that was an assassin?" One of the Salarians next to the back wall spoke up.
"Yes. I'm looking for him, do you know where he is?" Shepard asked. Garrus doubted they would know much but it was always worth a shot.
"Telon! Put the gun down!" The second Salarian spoke to the one holding gun.
The third Salarian spoke, stepping forward with the other. "No. He killed the mercs in here and then left. He didn't seem to notice us. We took one of the mercs' guns and locked ourselves in here."
"I don't feel so good." The first spoke before fainting, the gun dropping from his limp fingers.
"Telon!" The second Salarian yelled and rushed over to Telon.
Garrus stepped closer to the three Salarians. His visor reading their bio signs. Telon's was abnormally high but falling back into normal range quickly.
"He's fine. The stress just took it's toll." Garrus spoke to the other two.
"You guys should get out of here." Shepard spoke calmly. "The elevator is clear, so you shouldn't have any trouble getting out."
The two Salarians stood up, lifting Telon between them. "Thank you." The second spoke.
"Tell your assassin to aim for her head. Nassana doesn't have a heart." The third spoke before they dragged their friend away.
The trio came out into the open air of the tower's roof. They met some very minor resistance getting to the bridge connecting the two towers, but nothing that they couldn't deal with. Luckily for the three of them, out of the half dozen or so mercs they had either killed or knocked off the roof, none of the were biotics. They used this to their advantage, Shepard and Samara spent most of their efforts on knocking the mercs off the roof. Garrus helped where he could with his concussion rounds, but still took out one or two with headshots from his rifle.
Shepard grit her teeth, waiting for the pain in her skull the recede slightly. Her continued usage of her biotics were already beginning to take its toll. She was still weak from the day before and was paying for it now. Her pain started to lessen once they reached the bridge.
"Garrus. Mind seeing what we're up against?" Shepard shouted over the roaring winds. The highs speed of the winds had helped with clearing the roof. More than once however she had almost lost her footing and fallen over herself. If not for Garrus' quick reflexes she surely would have.
"Looks like they're set up on the other side of the bridge. Two rocket turret placements on the floor above. They have a couple of rocket launchers over there too." Garrus yelled out after sighting down his scope.
"Anything else?" Shepard shouted back, hoping that was indeed it.
"There are some mechs set up on the bridge. And they're heading this way." Garrus yelled back, much to Shepard disappointment.
"Alright! Stay here and cover us." She shouted to him. "Samara! Let's go!"
Luckily for them the bridge, that was about twenty feet wide, wasn't completely exposed to the wind and the other side. Piles of crates and metal were tied down to the bridge, giving enough cover from the other side to move across were also pillars evenly spaced out at the edges, likely for a roof to be added later.
Shepard and Samara rushed forward to the first pile of metal, bracing themselves against the wind and crouching into cover. Shepard peeked over the pile and found that the mechs Garrus spoke of were only a few meters away. Shepard dropped back down and turned to Samara.
"Shockwave the right side. I'll get the left." She spoke into the Asari's ear.
Samara nodded and they both lit up in their own azure glows. As one they stood up and pushed the air in front of them. Out of their hands sprung waves of biotic energy. The waves cascaded down the bridge, rushing towards the mechs. The mechs were sent flying up into the air and then over the side of the bridge, the high speed winds taking them head of one that they missed exploded, the wind drowned out the sharp crack of Garrus' rifle.
They dropped down into cover and Shepard grit her eyes in pain. She felt something begin to drip out of her nose. Samara looked to Shepard and wiped the underside of her nose. The Justicar's hand came away red in the other woman's blood. Samara turned a stern gaze to other woman.
"Don't use your biotics anymore. Only harm will come of it. Let me take care of it." Samara spoke into Shepard's ear.
Shepard grit her teeth, pain still in her skull. She nodded, knowing the weight of the woman's words. Shepard gripped her Vindicator tightly in her hands.
"Cover me." Shepard spoke back. Samara nodded.
Shepard vaulted over the small pile of metal, quickly running over to the next pile of crates with her rifle raised. Before she dropped into cover she watched the mercs at the other end of the bridge start walking towards her side. A merc dropped, sans a head, when she dropped into cover. Shepard motioned back for Samara to move up.
Shepard stood out of cover and fired into the mercs. She hit an Asari merc with a couple burst from her rifle. Her bursts only served to strip the Asari of her biotic barrier, but it was enough for a hole to appear in the center of her armor.
Sarama ran up next to her and sent a shockwave out before the two dropped into cover. Shepard faintly heard panicked yells and shrieks as the wind carried mercs down to their deaths. They popped out once more and fired at the approaching mercs. Few of the bursts from the women's Vindicators actually killed any of the mercs. All of their bursts were meant to strip the mercs of their shields or barriers, making them easy prey for the deadly aim of Garrus and his Mantis.
They pushed forward again, repeating the same process. Shepard ran to the next pile, Samara covering her. Samara ran forward, Shepard covering her. Samara sent a shockwave down the bridge and they fired into their ranks. All the while mercs dropped every heartbeat to Garrus' deadly aim.
Shepard and Samara pressed forward once more. This time rockets began bombarding their new pile of metal and boxes. The bridge shook violently under the explosions of the rockets going off near the two women.
"Garrus!" Shepard yelled into her comms.
"On it." The Turian replied calmly. The wind made faint static in his response, but he was, for the most part, out of the wind.
Shepard and Samara waited, each counting the seconds as they passed by. After only fifteen seconds of counting the bridge stopped shaking. Shepard risked peeking around their pile of crates to look down the bridge. They were almost to the end of the bridge and only a handful of mercs remained. The rocket turrets and the mercs that had held rocket launchers before were no where to be seen.
"Move up Garrus!" Shepard shouted into her comms once more and fired a burst from her Vindicator.
"We're almost there!" She shouted to both Garrus and Samara.
Shepard and Samara pushed forwards once more, mopping up the last dozen or so mercs at the other end of the bridge.
"We're clear Garrus. Get over here quick." Shepard spoke once the two women had reached the other side of the bridge. They had sweeped for any last stragglers and found none.
"On... way.. ate…" Garrus replied, the wind in his mic making it hard to hear him. "Be... ten… onds."
Shepard only nodded, more to herself than anymore else. Shepard turned to the door at the very end of the bridge that lead into the first tower and to the penthouse where Nassana would be. The light on the doors controls turned from red to green. The door hissed open, and an Asari in Eclipse armor stepped out. Needless to say the Asari did not look happy. She was practically fuming in rage.
Before Shepard or Samara had a chance to raise their weapons once more, the Asari screamed in a primal fury. She lit up in a blinding azure glow and threw both her arms forward. In a fraction of a second the Asari was in front of Shepard, her arm pulled back. The Asari's fist was alight in a brighter azure light. The asari threw her first forward and time seemed to slow down.
Shepard knew that she couldn't dodge the blow, this merc was far too quick for her. She pulled her own fist back, minus the biotic energy, and punched the Asari. Both fists landed at the same moment and each with their own devastating effects.
Shepard's fist did not have a biotic glow around it until a fraction of a second before she struck her enemy. When she did, her azure blade of energy formed around her arm and fist. The blade pierced into the Asari's skull, killing her instantly. The moment her fist connected the blade faded, having done it's work. Pain rushed into Shepard's mind at having exerted her biotics, even for only a half second.
The Asari's blow however carried much more force, and a hell of a lot more pain than Shepard's. While the Asari died without even knowing she had died, Shepard wasn't so lucky. The Asari's fist slammed into Shepard's rib cage denting her armor. Unbearable pain rushed up Shepard's side, the blow had cracked or even broken a few of her ribs. The force behind the Asari's blow was more than enough to send Shepard flying.
As if a rag doll carelessly tossed about, Shepard went flying out into the open air of the bridge. She felt herself begin to be grabbed by the wind and start to be carried off over the bridge.
Panic rushed into Shepard's entire being. There was nothing she could do to save herself. If it wasn't for the pain laced through her chest and her mind she'd have no problems stopping her fall and saving herself. Part of her training as a N7 biotic was how to free fall without a parachute and live to tell the tale. That training only helped however when she could use her biotics without risk of blacking out or being hit by a passing skycar.
She flailed her arms and legs out, trying to stop her flight. It seemed that her luck had run out however, and she could gain no purchase on any surface. Her foot grazed the top of a crate, but it was gone before her mag boots could clamp onto it.
Garrus jogged across the bridge. He had gotten the ok from Shepard to come over only a few moments ago. Even from the other side of the bridge he could see the two women move forward to mop up any mercs that remained.
He was halfway across the bridge when he saw the door open. An Asari in yellow Eclipse armor stepped out, her body alight in a biotic arua. She screamed in a blood curdling fury that even Garrus could hear over the wind.
His heart stopped when the Asari rushed forward in a streak of light and Shepard went flying. His brain lost control of his body when he watched her fly backwards and into the air.
His mind may have lost control, but his instincts sure as hell didn't. With the inborn training that had been passed down ever since his race had begun hunting and mating, his body lurched forward of it's own will. Every single fiber of his being, mind, body, and soul screamed at him.
Save Katherine!
Everything about him screamed at him to follow their will. This time he let himself follow his inborn instincts. The instincts to save the one person that he cared most for. The one person that he would throw his life away in a heartbeat for. The one person his entire being wanted as a mate.
With a mind of it's own Garrus' body launched itself into action. His legs lengthened their stride and power, launching him forward at an impossible speed. When the instinctual part of his mind recognised that Shepard was moving with the wind, long before his conscious mind, he leapt up into the air.
His powerful stride had eaten up the half of the bridge he had to cover in seconds. When he jumped, he was carried forward with such force that it closed the gap between Shepard and himself before the wind could grab him.
Her body flailed just before he reached her, her foot grazed a pile of crates under them. Her flailing caused her to spin around and face Garrus. By the look on her face she didn't, or couldn't see him.
Garrus thrust his arms out and closed them around Shepard in a grip that not even death could pry her from. Finally Shepard realized that she was safe, and stopped flailing. Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck in an equally tight grip.
"Don't let go! Don't let go!" Shepard shouted, the panic in her voice barely recognized by his mind.
Garrus tightened his grip around Shepard. Only when they were safe once more would he even consider letting her out of his embrace.
Garrus' legs continued to move of their own accord. His much longer legs landed solidly on the crates below them. With instincts that only come from evolving from an avian race, Garrus managed to gain purchase on the crates below them. As if by a miracle, Garrus thrust himself and Shepard down to the surface of the bridge before the winds could drag them away.
Just before they hit the ground, Garrus' body spun itself once more. The couple landed on the bridge, Garrus' body and armor cushioning their fall.
Garrus' first feeling since that of his heart stoping was that of Shepard's quick ragged breaths and her face buried into his neck. He nestled his head onto the top of her's. A deep thrumming built up in his chest, a sound that was trying to comfort her, make her feel safe.
"Garrus." Shepard spoke, once she caught her breath. He only grunted in reply.
"Two things." She panted out.
"One, Are you purring?" She asked, he could start to her a slight tinge of pain in her voice.
"Ummm. Yes?" He replied, unsure of what purring was. Shepard chuckled so he assumed that it was a good thing.
"And two." She hissed out in pain. "Not that I don't like this, but I think I broke some ribs. Or all of them."
At hearing the notes of pain in her voice and her ailment, Garrus immediately slackened his death grip on her. She sighed in relief at the tightness loosening from around her and let her body go limp in Garrus arms.
"Medi-gel injected." Garrus heard faintly from the speakers in Shepard's armor. Shepard sighed in relief, the miracle gel already making her chest go numb.
"We can pick this back up on the Normandy." Shepard spoke, the reluctance in her voice mimicking the feeling Garrus himself had.
"Promise?" Garrus asked, and Shepard chucked.
"Long as Chakwas doesn't kill me for this, yes."
Garrus stood up, bringing Shepard up with him. Samara jogged over, concern in her eyes. Shepard waved her off however.
"Let's go get Krios and go." Shepard leaned into Garrus for support and the three began walking to the door leading into Dantius Tower One.
The door opened up into yet another elevator, this time there was only one floor to chose, the penthouse level and Nasana Dantius awaited them.
The three rode the elevator up in silence. Shepard and Garrus were content to simply lean into one another after such a close call. Samara knew the comforts lovers felt with one another and let them be, focusing her mind inward away from the two next to her.
For Garrus and Shepard, the elevator ride was over far too quickly. The doors hissed open, letting them into an office, the setting sun glaring through the large windows on the opposite side of the room obscured most of the room's details.
The three walked into the office calmly, all of them knew that weapons wouldn't be needed here. As the three moved deeper into the office, four figures came into sharp contrast from the sun's harsh rays. Standing behind a large desk stood none other than the ruthless Asari, Nassana Dantius, flanked by three Eclipse mercs.
"Is that….? No it can't be. Shepard's dead." Nassana's harsh voice spoke once the trio had crossed halfway into the room.
"It is Nassana. I'm here. In the flesh. And very much alive." Shepard spoke coldly, still leaning into Garrus.
"Hmmp. Ironic. You took care of my sisters for me. And now you're here to finish what you started." Nassana spoke, almost smugly.
"You're not worth my time Nassana. Yes I should have killed you two years ago, but that's not why I'm here." Shepard's voice stayed cold and calm, it almost scared Garrus to see this side of her.
"I find that hard to believe. You break into my building and decimate my security force. Why else would you be here?"
Garrus' predatory hearing picked up a series of thumps above him. He smirked inwardly, knowing that all this trouble would soon pay off. If Shepard or Samara heard it they gave no sign, but the mercs behind Nassana started looking up nervously.
"I'm here to find the one that actually cares if you die or not." Shepard spoke in a smug voice. She definitely heard it.
"What?!" Nassana snapped at the mercs behind her.
"I-I heard something." One of the mercs, an Asari, spoke not taking her eyes off the ceiling.
Nassana turned back to the trio in front of her. "Then go…." She never got the chance to finish.
Once she started speaking a Drell dropped out of the ceiling, landing in the center of the four people. With a blur of motion, the Drell grabbed the head of one merc and twisted, snapping his neck. He pulled the pistol off the now dead merc and shot the other two before they had the chance to move.
"What the…" Nassan began spinning around.
Once she had turned around the Drell pressed the barrel of the gun to Nassana's stomach and pulled the trigger. Her body went rigid and the Drell gently lowered her to lay on the desk she had been standing behind. The Drell folded Nassana's hands over her heart and then bent his head, hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer.
"Thane Krios?" Shepard spoke almost hesitant to break the silence that had formed.
"One moment." The Drell spoke not looking up, his voice was harsh and raspy. "The prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."
"Having been to the other side, I can say this. She doesn't deserve them." Shepard spoke, calmly glancing at the corpse laying on the desk.
"Not for her. For me." The Drell replied, still not looking up.
After a long moment the Drell finally looked up at the trio. His black as night eyes surveying the three before him. He began to move in front of the large desk, speaking as he moved.
"The worth of one cannot be determined by actions alone. Take you for example. All this destruction… chaos." The Drell spoke coldly and stopped in front of the desk.
"I was curious to see how far you'd go to find me. Well… here I am." The Drell looked to Shepard expectantly.
Garrus felt an uncomfortable prickle at the back of his neck. Something about the way this Drell looked at Shepard rubbed him the wrong way, but he didn't know what.
"You knew we were coming?" Shepard asked, unable to hold the look of shock from her face.
"No. Not until you stormed into the front door, guns blazing." The Drell replied stepping closer to the trio.
Garrus could finally take in the Drell's appearance with ease. He had large black eyes and was covered in green scales for skin. His head, like all Drell was adorned in three fin-like crests. One crest on each side of his head that almost resembled ears and another running along the top of his head, from his forehead down to his spine.
"Nassana was paranoid. You yourself saw the strength of her guard force. She believed one of her sisters would kill her. You proved to be a valuable distraction."
Garrus' fists balled at the word distraction. The word made him feel used, almost like a puppet. Shepard seemed to sense his disquiet and slipped a comforting arm around his waist.
"You used us to get in here easier." Shepard spoke almost accusingly. "Smart."
Thane nodded. "I needed a distraction and you needed to speak with me. You've upheld your end. Now what is it that you'd like to discuss?"
"I'm trying to save lives. I'm going after a race called the Collectors and I need some of the best to do it. You're on my list."
Thane turned around, seeming to think Shepard's words over.
"The Collectors? I've heard of them. Though to get to them you need to go through the Omega-4 relay. An impossible task."
Shepard snorted. "I do the impossible on a daily basis. I did it on Elysium. I did it on Illos."
"That you have." Thane replied mulling over Shepard's words.
"This was to be my last assignment. I am dying. I hope to make the universe a brighter place before I leave." Thane spoke as if it was as casual as the weather.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Shepard spoke allowing the sorrow into her voice. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"No. This is something I have known for a while. I have come to terms with it so low survival odds do not concern me." Thane turned back to Shepard.
"I will help you with the Collectors. Free of charge." Thane extended his hand.
Shepard took the hand and shook it. After letting go of the Drell's hand Shepard sagged into Garrus more.
"Alright. Lets get to our ship." She spoke stifling a yawn. "Are you ready to leave with us Thane?"
Thane merely nodded.
"Joker." Shepard yawned into her comms. "I need a pick up, outside Dantius Towers."
"It's on it's way Commander." Joker replied and ended with a yawn of his own.
"Damn it! Now look what you're spreading. I'll walk around in a dress if the damn AI starts yawning too."
Shepard chuckled but quickly turned off her comms.
"That is something I hope to never see." Garrus spoke around his own chuckles.
"There are a lot of things I hope you never see Garrus. But if you do see some of them. I might just make you see that one." Shepard looked up at him, a mischievous spark in her eyes.
Garrus gulped in legitimate fear. When Shepard made a promise, she kept it. Garrus would do everything in his power to make sure she never needed to keep this one.
Shepard spent the next morning discussing logistical matters with Kelly in her cabin. They started out as casual as they always had, with a tray full of eggs, bacon and piles of buttered toast.
"Ackerson seems to be a bit more on edge as of late Shepard." The perky red-head spoke, concern on her otherwise beautiful features. " Any time I try and talk to him about it he merely shrugs me off. Maybe you could have better luck"
Shepard nodded, swallowing a mouthful of eggs. "I'll see if I can't talk to him. He….."
Shepard was interrupted when the door to her cabin opened up with a hiss. The two women looked up to the door from their seats on Shepard's couch. A furious and fuming Jacob Taylor stormed into her cabin. Shepard sighed inwardly. Taylor was a calm man with a very long fuse. Whatever it was that reached the end of it must be heavy indeed. Too heavy for it only being nine in the morning.
"Commander. We need to talk." The man spoke with surprising coldness.
"Calm down a bit and we can." Shepard replied, leveling a stern stare at the man. "My open door policy is there for a reason, but not if you are barely controlling whatever it is that has you like this."
Jacob took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, at least outwardly. Once he seemed to get a grip on his anger he spoke once more.
"I have an issue with one of the other members of the ground team." Jacob spoke simply.
Shepard put her plate down on the coffee table in front of her and leaned back in her seat. She maintained a posture of calm dominance.
"Alright. Spit it out." Jacob seemed to squirm under the gaze Shepard had leveled at him.
"I don't understand why you brought an assassin aboard." Jacob spoke, referring to their newest member Thane.
"I need the best for this mission. That includes you and that includes Thane."
"I understand Commander. What I don't is why you would even consider bringing someone on board that is only loyal to his next pay check." Jacob seemed to get a grip on his squirming and crossed his arms almost demanding an explanation.
"You know that Zaeed is the same way right? And Thane isn't doing this for anything. He's doing it completely free of charge."
"I can deal with Massani. With him at least you can see him coming. With an assassin? You won't know it til you're already dead." Jacob shifted his stance to one of a more defensive variety.
"As far as I'm concerned all mercs are bad. An assassin is just a precise merc."
"An assassin is just a weapon Jacob. It doesn't chose to kill, the one that wields it does. Thane's arm is mine, and mine alone. He gave me his word that he will cooperate with the crew as much as he needs too. Otherwise he'll stay out of everyone elses' way."
"Fine. But if he pulls anything…." Jacob began, anger simmering under his words.
"I'll put him down myself if it comes to that." Shepard interrupted coolly.
Jacob nodded. He straightened and saluted Shepard. He nodded to Kelly and left Shepard's cabin.
Shepard let out a heavy sigh once the door to her cabin hissed shut. "That wasn't what I expected."
"No, but you handled it well." Kelly replied in her same cheery voice. Shepard chuckled.
"Speaking of our newest addition, he is definitely not what I expected. His psyc profile mentioned nothing of his spiritual side."
"He carries himself with such cold confidence." An awkward smile tugged at Kelly's lips.
"I'm not sure if I find him scary.. or sexy." Shepard chuckled and Kelly blushed slightly.
"A lot of women like bad-boys Kelly." Shepard replied smiling at the other woman's slight awkwardness.
"Oh?" Kelly replied her smile turning to a smirk. "A lot of women? Like you?"
Shepard chuckled. "On occasion. My mom never approved of that sort of thing though."
"Oh really? And to think the newest man in your life is such the opposite." Kelly teased Shepard. Shepard on the other hand froze.
"And what do you mean by that Kelly?" Shepard spoke, trying to sound casual and relaxed.
Kelly chuckled. "I mean that inspite of his rougher exterior, Garrus is probably a big softy on the inside."
"Something about him makes me want to just hold him and whisper that everything will be ok." Kelly spoke ignoring the slack look on Shepard's face
"Kelly." Shepard spoke as calmly as she could. "If you do that, you will be putting your life, and Garrus', at risk."
Kelly chuckled. "It's not a confession but it's more than I expected."
"Wait… what?" Shepard blinked dumbly at the other woman.
"Oh come on. I had my suspicions about you two and you just confirmed it for me." A stupid grin was plastered across the perky woman's face.
Shepard rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Ummm yeah. Please don't tell anyone else."
"Even if it wasn't obvious I wouldn't. Doctor patient confidentiality and all that. I'm happy for you though, you both deserve each other."
Shepard smiled, a slight heat rising to her face. "Thanks. I'm surprised that hear that though."
"Why?" Kelly asked at a loss for words.
"Well I never thought someone that's part of a very radical pro-human organization would be happy for a human to be with a non-human." Shepard replied bluntly.
"Shepard, I'm certainly not the poster child of Cerberus. It doesn't matter to me what your race or gender is. To me, all that matters is if two people are happy with each other. And you and Garrus certainly are happy with each other."
"Heh. Thanks." Shepard smiled weakly.
"Alright, my imagination and curiosity are getting the better of me. I need to ask. Is he…" Kelly hinted at what she was asking. Shepard grinned and looked down at her food.
"Let's just say that my nickname for him is completely accurate."
Kelly's cheery laughter filled the air, and Shepard soon followed. It felt good to laugh at something as absurd as their current conversation. It had been a long time since she had the chance to do so.
A/N:
So FF is being a bit weird and not letting me (or anyone else) upload new docs. That being said I've needed to post this through an old doc by the good 'ol copy pasta method. So if things are formatted weird sorry about that! I will re-upload this as it's own doc once I can upload files once more. So again sorry if things are not formatted right or are formatted off, I'll fix it soon as I can.
Now that that's out of the way, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and the rest of them if you're new to this story. I had a fun time writing this chapter and tweaking things from the game. Hope you all like, or at least don't mind, my edits of this mission.
As always thanks for the review, fallows, favorites, etc.. Hope you all enjoy (or did depending on when you read this) your Easter. Let me know if there is anything that I didn't wrong/terrible or what you think I could do to improve.
Until next time!
Edit: Re-uploaded with the original doc. Hopeful only the note changed and nothing else. If anything did change sorry about that! please let me know and I can fix it.
