It was quiet in the cab.
Garrus leaned back into his seat, and the soft synthetic material molded around him. The comfort was a surprisingly nice change from the Kodiack's metal benches. Especially so now, when every sudden movement made his wound itch with pain. He'd never admit it, of course – and definitely not to Shepard – but the truth was his injury was beginning to take its toll on him. At first, the high dosage of medi-gel had worked wonders and he'd been able to ignore the ache in his side. But the anesthetic had slowly worn off over the past half-hour since jumping out of that damn window, and what was left of it did little to keep the throbbing away. He rested a hand gingerly over his side as the burning sensation grew.
Shepard caught the movement, her head turning towards him. "How is it?"
Garrus glanced over at her. It was the first thing she'd said since they'd gotten in the shuttle. "I've had worse." he answered with a small shrug. He winced as his side protested against the movement.
"Uh huh." Shepard said as her omni-tool flicked to life. She leaned over towards him, and a blissful numbness spread over his injury as she applied more medi-gel to it.
"Thanks." he said, sub harmonics radiating his gratitude as he stretched slightly.
"Don't overdo it," Shepard cautioned. "The medi-gel doesn't fix everything. We'll still need to have Chakwas look you over when we get back."
"Right, I'll try to avoid anything too stressful. Like excess stretching or jumping out of buildings."
Her brow lowered at his joke. The silence returned, but at least this time around it felt a little more comfortable as it settled between them. Garrus stared out the window, watching the buildings flick by as copper blurs. The direction they were going in could take them back to the market district they usually went to, theoretically. Or was Shepard taking to them back to the Kodiack? Was she planning to leave Omega and try their luck elsewhere? That last one seemed unlikely, but he considered it anyway since he had little else to go on at this point. She'd told him nothing so far, and Garrus hadn't asked.
His mind drifted back to their tense words just before the cab had arrived. It'd been a long time since he'd argued like that with Shepard, if you could even call that short conversation an argument. Not since they'd been aboard the original Normandy, really. His mandibles twitched as the long nights debating morality over results in the ship's hanger came back to him, the smell of gun oil and metal ghosting through his thoughts.
Garrus glanced over at her, taking in her tense posture; back straight as she leaned forward, hands clasped together with her elbows resting on her knees. Her eyes were intense as they stared at the empty space before her, forehead creased with her thoughts. Was she planning their next move? Inventing some new plan that would somehow inevitably fix all of their problems? Or was she still thinking about what had gone down at that warehouse?
Suddenly, as if mirroring his thoughts, Shepard exhaled slowly and said, "Listen, Garrus. About what happened with Toombs…" She turned to face him and Garrus braced himself for the lecture. "I'm sorry."
He blinked. That was unexpected. "Commander?"
"Going into that warehouse without proper back-up was reckless." she said. "I put you in unnecessary danger."
Garrus scratched at his scars. "'Unnecessary danger' is kind of a daily thing for us, Shepard."
"Not like that, it isn't." She shook her head slightly and looked down at her hands. "I should have contained the situation when I had the chance, but I didn't. And as a result, you got injured fixing my mistake."
Garrus stared at her, at a loss. He cleared his throat to buy himself some time, and then finally said, "You said it yourself, Shepard; everyone makes mistakes. And besides, I'm fine" – she shot him a disbelieving look from the corner of her eyes and he added – "I am, really. A little more scars than I had before, maybe, but it just adds to my charm."
Shepard chuckled softly, so he marked that one down as partial win if nothing else. "I'm sure Zaeed would agree with you on that." She paused for a few moments, and then added quietly, "I should have seen this coming."
"No one could have known Toombs would come after you like that, Commander."
Her hands clenched at the sound of his name. "But that's just it, I did know. I got a message from him telling me he'd heard I was working for Cerberus. He actually told me he'd do this if we ever saw each other again and I just…" She sighed and her head sagged slightly. "I should have prepared for this."
His mandibles twitched while he tried to process the new information. "Ah…" Ah? Really, Vakarian? He tried again. "Not even you can control everything. Your people have a saying about it, I think. Something like, 'you're only human'?"
She laughed, but the sound was empty. "Am I, though?" she asked, gazing at her hands as she flexed them. "Who knows what Cerberus did to bring me back, what they put in me? I sure as hell don't." Her hands clenched into fists and she paused. "Maybe Toombs was right after all. Maybe we really are just a couple of ghosts who should have died when we had the chance."
Garrus hesitated, uncertain how to respond. Shepard was the one who did the comforting, the one who always knew just what to say in situations like this. She was the leader who pulled all the rest of them up when they fell, not him. What could he do for her that she couldn't do herself?
The one thing he'd always done, he realized; have her back, no matter what. And if right now that meant fighting off her self-doubt instead of her enemies, then that's what Garrus would do.
He reached his hand out before he changed his mind and cautiously rested it on her shoulder. Shepard startled slightly at the gentle pressure, turning her face back to his. The physical contact felt awkward out of combat, but it was too late to pull back now. "Shepard, listen…I don't know about Cerberus or the Illusive Man, but for what it's worth I'm glad they did what they did to bring you back. We've both seen the Collectors and what they can do. And we both know you're the only person in this whole damn galaxy that can stop them. And if that's not enough to prove you're you, well, just know that I've never doubted it. Not once."
Silence followed his words. Shepard stared at him, her eyes slightly wider than normal, and Garrus found himself acutely aware of how heavy his hand felt upon her shoulder. He felt the urge to pull it back, but hesitated. He wasn't sure on the proper protocol for how long such touches were supposed to last for humans. Would she take offense somehow if he did so now? Better to wait then, he decided as he ignored the way the suddenly tense muscles in his arm twinged.
Eventually, after a long moment, Shepard cleared her throat lightly. He took that as the sign he'd been waiting for and took his hand back as she lowered her head back down. The motion caused her hair to fall across her face, covering it like a shield flickering suddenly to life. "Thank you, Garrus. That means…it means a lot." She cleared her throat again and sat up straight. "And you're right. The Collectors are out there. It we're going to have any chance against them there's no room for second-guessing. I need to put this behind me, one way or another."
Garrus nodded. "Whatever happens, I'm with you, Commander." Abruptly, he felt his center of gravity shift as the shuttle tilted and began to descend. His mandibles flicked and he took the opportunity to change the topic to something lighter. "So…where are we going, anyway?"
Shepard's eyes narrowed as she looked out the window. "To the one person who can give me some answers around here."
Aria sipped her drink, looking over the datapad.
Few things affected Omega. People came, went, fought, died; none of it mattered. The majority of them weren't even worth the effort of noticing, really, but Aria kept tabs on them all anyway. It was one of the main reasons she'd held control for as long as she had, and why she would continue to do so. Still, she tried to waste as little of her time on such meaningless things as possible. After all, they did well enough keeping each other in check all by themselves. That whole mess with Archangel had proven that.
Which brought her back to the point that every now and then something – or someone, rather, did come around that was just big enough to actually be worth the attention she gave it. Like that Shepard, for instance. A dead Spectre showing up had been merely intriguing at first, but the woman had proven to be far more useful than Aria originally expected. Not only had the Commander's little rescue mission dug up some interesting intel Aria's own lackeys had somehow managed to miss, but while she was at it Shepard had also gone on and decimated the three strongest merc groups on the station – saving Aria the trouble of eventually having to do it herself when the bastards got too cocky and tried to overreach themselves. Not to mention that the ensuing chaos that had spread among the three since then was doing all the work for her and more, if the information she was looking at now was anything to go by.
The Blood Pack had taken the loss of their leader the hardest, apparently. Almost as soon as that idiot Garm had hit the ground the infighting for a new leader had started. Expected, really, considering their recruitment standards. According to her report it seemed that some vorcha named Kreete was posed to come out on top, and Aria's eyes narrowed at the thought. She'd have to find a more suitable successor for Garm, one more…amiable to her demands. For now, though, better to let the vermin play their little games. She'd step in when the right opportunity presented itself.
What was more pressing, however, was this situation with the Talons. The red sand dealers had always been a thorn in her side, but now they were pushing her patience to its limits. The group had begun increasing their territory in the last few weeks, taking advantage of their sudden lack of competition. Aria had no real problem with that by itself, although their growing arrogance did piss her off. No, the real issue here was that the group had stopped sending Aria her cut of their profits. The damn turians seemed to think they were above Omega's one rule, but no one fucked with Aria and got away with it. She'd send Liselle to remind them of that personally.
"Ma'am?"
Aria didn't look up from the datapad.
Grizz coughed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in her peripherals. She took another sip from her glass, savoring the liquor's strong flavor, and then dragged her eyes over to him. He stilled. "That human Shepard's arrived in Afterlife, ma'am."
Speak of the devil, she thought, swirling the liquid in her glass. Aria wasn't surprised, however. She'd been notified Shepard was on the station the moment the Spectre's shuttle had reached hailing distance of it, and they both knew that whatever it was Shepard was on Omega for, Aria was the who'd have it. It had just been a matter of time before the Commander showed up at her doorstep.
Aria tossed the datapad aside – where it was immediately picked up by Grizz – and crossed her legs. She trailed a finger along the top of her glass.
"You look like shit." she commented when Shepard arrived moments later.
"Nice to see you too." Shepard greeted, arching one of her singed eyebrows. Aria tiled her head slightly towards a nearby seat and the Commander took the invitation. This close up Aria could see the thin layer of dirt – or was that ash? – that coated Shepard's face and the light pink tint of the skin underneath, indicating minor burns.
"I'm sure it is." Aria replied and then took a long sip from her drink. "What do you want?"
"I need information on a human who goes by the handle 'Ghost'." she answered. She sat forward and tucked a strand of hair, dark with dried sweat, behind her ear.
"Looking to add another one to your suicide squad?" Aria asked, tossing a lazy glance over at the turian who stood off to the side. Amazingly, he looked even worse off than Shepard did, with various shades of dried blood coating his ragged armor and an ugly mess of a wound in his side. Still, the turian stood tall, and Aria saw the way his eyes flicked around the room consistently. This one doesn't miss a thing, she noted, watching the way his hands hovered near his holster.
"Not exactly." Shepard replied, drawing Aria's attention back to her. "What do you know about him?"
Aria leaned back into her seat. "The man's ex-Alliance, CAT-6. He showed up here a couple of weeks ago with about a dozen followers and has done some light recruiting since. Kept his group quiet for the most part, stayed away from any of the serious players. Apparently the only thing he's interested in is Cerberus blood." she added, giving Shepard a side-long look.
"Any idea where I can find him?" Shepard asked, lacing her fingers together.
Aria swirled the liquor in her glass idly. "He's got a place set up in the Kenzo district. Some run down hell hole, no doubt. I'll have one of my men send you the co-ordinates."
Shepard nodded. "Thanks, I'd appreciate that."
"You should." Aria replied, turning her slightly. "Now is there anything else?"
"Actually, there is." she said, opening up her omni-tool. "My ship's run into some trouble, and I need to pick these parts up before I leave. Think you can help with that?"
Aria narrowed her eyes. "What the hell do you think I am? Some piece of shit merchant? Go to the market and do your own damn shopping."
"Tried that already. It didn't exactly end well." Shepard said, rubbing her face lightly. "I'll make it worth your while if you can get those parts for me."
Aria took a long, slow drink from her glass and then set the empty cup aside. "Fine. But you'll owe me for this, Shepard."
"Looking forward to it," Shepard replied lightly as she stood up. She turned her head. "Garrus, I want you to stay here until the parts show up. When they do, take them to the Kodiack and wait there until I get back."
The turian shifted and took a step closer. "You're joking."
Shepard's eyes narrowed. "Don't argue, Garrus."
"You can't seriously expect me to let you go after Toombs alone." he demanded, mandibles snapping against his face.
"I expect you to do what I tell you to, Vakarian." Shepard answered, her voice low and tight as she stepped towards him.
"You'll have to forgive me for the insubordination then, because it's not happening."
"Damnit, Vakarian, I'm giving you an order as your-"
"And I'm telling you I can't just leave you like that, orders or no." He interrupted, holding her gaze as he lowered his voice. "Not in this place, Shepard. You need me."
Well, Aria thought as she watched them stare at one another. There's something unexpected.
After a moment, Shepard exhaled tightly. "Fine. Go get us a cab." she ordered, turning away from him and walking back towards Aria. The turian left without another word. "Aria-"
She waved her hand, cutting Shepard off. "I'll send the parts to your shuttle bay. Might as well play delivery boy while I'm already serving as your damn vendor."
"Thanks." Shepard nodded. "I should go."
"Right. Oh, and Shepard?" Aria called after her. She waited until the Spectre's eyes met her own. "Glad to see you took my advice about finding a nice young man to keep you company. I guess that Citadel vid got some things right about you after all."
Aria smirked at expression that flashed across Shepard's face before the Commander turned and left.