Her boots clunked quietly against the floor as Shepard appeared in the doorway.
Toombs licked his chapped lips as he watched her walk in with steps as steady as her gaze, felt his hand tighten on the grip of his gun as her own gleamed in the room's dim light. Years ago, back in another life, he had laughed at the way she doted over her rifles, joked about the hours she spent greasing and oiling them until they shined as bright as the glint in her eyes. I guess somethings never change, he thought now as she took another step closer and her Widow winked in the light.
Too bad people do.
"Finally done running, Shepard?" he asked as she paused, stopping a little more than ten feet away from him. Only the desk and air separated their two groups now. "Decide to finish the job your Cerberus masters started?"
"We need to talk, Toombs." she replied as she took in the room. Her eyes flicked from the sparse furnishings over to Jeroth on Toombs' right, then on to the hulking mass of krogan that was Keave on his left. That's right, another krogan, he answered silently as her gaze widened. It had cost him nearly all his credits just to pay for Keave and her brother to join his crew, but seeing the look on Shepard's face now made it all worth it. Surprised you're not the only one with aliens to back you up, huh?
Her turian was just behind her, a mess of medi-gel and blood that stood tall and tense. How the hell he'd managed to survive this long was anyone's guess, but the alien was a tough bastard, Toombs would give him that. Loyal, too, if that suicidal stunt from before was anything to go by. Good thing he's already half-dead, Toombs mused as he watched him for a moment longer, taking note of the way the alien hovered behind Shepard's six like an over-protective shadow. Shepard'll cause enough damage on her own as is, and this one's not just some guard dog either. He's got military training, and plenty of it probably.
"Funny," Toombs said finally, turning back to Shepard after letting her words hang in the silence for a moment. "Is that what you call gunning down all my men? 'Talking'?"
The turian snorted. "They got what they deserved. Those mercs would have torn us apart if they'd had the chance." he shot back, and Toombs caught the way Shepard blinked at the sound of his voice.
"Garrus." she murmured; the word was quiet, private, but Toombs still heard it, even if the meaning in it was lost on him. The turian – Garrus, was it? – seemed to understand it, however, and his mandibles flicked out in response.
"So they got was coming to them, huh?" Toombs demanded, ignoring the way the two partner's obvious intimacy sent a pang of longing through him. He felt his gun slide with sweat inside his grip. The weight of it was heavy in his hand and it took more effort than he would have thought to keep it up and aimed at the woman before him. "Just like my men on Akuze got what was coming to them too, huh?"
"Enough, Toombs." Shepard said, her voice as hard as her eyes as she stared him down.
He blinked. "What?"
"I said enough. What happened to our unit - to Piers and Anders and the rest," She paused as she closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in deep. The motion was achingly similar to the same Toombs himself used when his own pain suddenly struck, when his body was wracked with the agony of thresher venom and old memories. He blinked, shoving the nostalgia aside as she continued. "It was monstrous. But those soldiers deserve better. Using their sacrifices as an excuse for your own actions like this is a disgrace."
Rage flared inside him, but he bit it down with a choked laugh. "A disgrace, huh?" he asked, gripping his pistol with both hands to steady his shaking aim. "Guess it's too bad I'm all that's left then isn't it? After all, it's not like anyone else is going to bring Cerberus down. Nobody else knows what they've done, and nobody else sure as hell gives a damn so-"
"I do." she said, voice wavering, and Toombs felt his chest heave as a fresh wave of pain jolted through him. "You think you're the only one who wakes up at night, sick with it? The only one who sees their faces staring at you in the mirror?"
Toombs' vision began to blur and he bit down on the inside of his cheek, hard. The fresh sensation cleared his head as the taste of blood filled his mouth. "Enough with the lies, Shepard. You betrayed us, all of us! What Cerberus did to me-"
"-was unforgiveable!" she shouted back, cutting him off. "And they'll pay. I promised you they wouldn't get away with what they've done, and I meant it. But there are bigger issues at stake here," – he scoffed at the obvious feint, but she pressed on, her voice rising slightly – "things more important than just you or me. Entire colonies are under attack, Toombs. Hundreds of thousands of people are already missing, taken by the Collectors. That's why I'm doing this. Working with Cerberus is the only way to stop more from disappearing."
One of his arms twitched with pain, causing his aim to lower slightly. He had heard the rumors, of course. The Council tried to keep things quiet, but Toombs still had his contacts. Friends in the Alliance who kept him up to date, leaked him information on known Cerberus activity and agents. It was how he had originally heard about Shepard's betrayal in the first place. But if what she was saying now was true, if…
A growl came from Keave beside him, startling Toombs. "Enough of this," the krogan grumbled as she took a step forward. "I'm tired of listening to this bitch's lies."
"Back down, Keave." he said, careful to keep an eye on Shepard as he turned his head towards the krogan.
"Why?" she shot back with a glare. "The pyjak works for Cerberus. We should be crushing her bones beneath our boots, not wasting breath."
"I said back down." Toombs repeated, narrowing his eyes. "I'm handling this."
The krogan stared at him and, for a brief moment, Toombs was sure he had finally pushed her too far. But then she snorted out a breath and turned away, focusing back on Shepard and her partner. "Then finish this already."
He exhaled, and then raised his pistol up higher. "I don't care what your goddamn reasons are, Shepard, they're not good enough."
"Then what is?" she demanded. "Toombs, listen to yourself. There are thousands of lives - maybe even millions – on the line right now. These people need help, protection, and you're saying we should just turn our backs on them? That it's worth letting them die if it means not working with Cerberus?" He swallowed, and she took a small step forward. "We took an oath, Toombs. All of us. We swore to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, no matter the cost. Those words mean something." She took another step and the muscles in his arm trembled as a fresh wave of pain shivered through them. "They're why we went to Akuze in the first place, remember? What would Anders say if he could see you now, disgracing them like this? What would Piers?"
Toombs took in a shuddering breath, his head throbbing. Goddamn Thresher venom, he thought to himself as he tried to blink the pounding away. Eight years he'd been living with this curse, yet the pain was still just as strong now as it was that first time the acid had burned its way inside him. Eight goddamn years, day in and day out. There was no end, nothing to make the pain stop. He would never be free.
But neither would Cerberus.
He exhaled. "Sorry, Shepard," he said, meeting her eyes once again. "Words aren't going to solve this problem, not this time."
She stared at him, and for a moment nothing happened. Toombs breathed in, feeling his broken body tense with anticipation for her next move. She must have realized she couldn't talk her way out of this by now. Next she would attack him, try to kill him once and for all. And then, finally, he could do the same to her. One way or the other, it would all be over. He licked his lips, watching for the tell-tale twitch of her arm that always signaled her impending Cloak activation.
There. His finger twitched towards his pistol's trigger as her hand reached towards her omni-tool. So much for words, he thought as he aimed his gun one last time, preparing his shot before she had a chance to disappear. Of course she was lying, you knew she-
His thoughts stumbled as the muffled sound of static echoed through the silent room and Shepard's shields dropped. Her other hand lowered, aiming her rifle towards the floor as she collapsed the Widow. She looked up and met his eyes.
Shepard was completely defenseless.
Behind her, the turian's mandibles flared at her actions, and a part of Toombs was gratified to know he wasn't the only one thrown off by her sudden surrender. The turian edged closer to Shepard, keeping his own rifle carefully aimed at the group across from them. But, amazingly, he didn't do more; he didn't question his commander as Keave had just moments before done to Toombs, nor did the turian take it upon himself to act without her order. He simply repositioned himself to best handle the situation, all the while following Shepard's lead. He trusts her with his life, Toombs realized dimly, his still shocked mind eagerly accepting the distraction. She's a human in Cerberus, but the goddamn fool still believes in her.
"Give me a chance, Toombs." Shepard said, bringing his attention back towards her. "I couldn't stop what happened back then on Akuze, but I will stop the Collectors. And once they're gone, I swear to you Cerberus will answer for everything they've done and everyone they've ever hurt."
The venom burned inside him. It felt as if his whole body was shuddering and breaking, finally giving up after all these years. He tightened his grip on his gun, ignoring the way his hand shook with the effort. He couldn't stop now, not when the moment he had been waiting for for so long was finally here. Just a simple pull of the trigger was all he needed. One shot, and that was it. It would all be over.
"It's not too late." Shepard said quietly. "You just have to trust me, Toombs."
His finger hovered against the trigger.
"Damn pyjaks," Keave growled, pointing her gun at Shepard. "If you won't do it I will."
"No!" Toombs shouted, his vision blurring with pain as he saw the krogan's finger press down on the trigger.
Garrus had a split second to spare and watched as Toombs rushed at the krogan, slamming into her arm as the shotgun fired. Then Garrus felt Shepard shove into his side, the two of them falling to the ground as the sound of bullets ringing against metal surrounded them. He couldn't stop the quiet grunt that followed the jolt of pain that shot out from his wound, but it was hardly the worst he had ever had. His body fell into a roll that carried him to safety behind a nearby couch where Shepard had already taken cover.
Her hands almost seemed to blur as they moved, reactivating her shields and un-collapsing her rifle with movements swift from habit. Garrus felt his mandibles pull tight against his face, remembering the sickening sensation and anger that had flowed through him at her recklessness when she had first surrendered. He pushed the emotions away, however, putting them away until later as he briefly went over the room's layout in his mind.
The only real furniture was the desk across from them and their own couch, which meant there was limited cover. Toombs' also had the superior numbers, putting the odds even more in their favor. The only good thing about Garrus and Shepard's position really was that it put them directly in front of the only door in or out of the room, cutting Toombs' crew off from both reinforcements or escape. Unless, Garrus amended to himself, someone tried repeating Shepard's asinine stunt from before and jumped out of the huge window placed inside the back wall. The falling sensation from earlier pulled at his stomach, and Garrus felt his mandibles flick weakly.
He really hoped no one tried jumping out of the window again.
He looked over at his commander as she finished checking over her defenses, and he nodded when her gaze met his. Then, together, the two of them stood up, guns searching for their enemies.
"Toombs!" Shepard shouted as they took in the scene before them. The man was on the ground, a hand clutching his face while the krogan loomed above him. Even from as far away as they were, Garrus could still see the odd crimson liquid that poured out from beneath the human's grip. Before any of them could react, the krogan kicked out at Toombs, her thickly armored boot smashing into his chest. The man's pained cry was cut off as she kicked him again, her foot colliding into the side of his head with a sickeningly audible crunch.
An orange ball shot past Garrus as Shepard leaped over the couch. She ran towards the krogan, letting off a shot from her rifle as her Incineration slammed into her target. Keave stumbled as the blast of fire scorched her armor and exposed hide. She recovered quickly, however, patting the embers down as she turned her gaze towards Shepard. The krogan's eyes narrowed as she brought up her shotgun.
"Heads up!" Garrus shouted, and Keave roared as his Concussive shot pierced through her left eye. She threw her head back with a growl, gripping the wound. He let loose three more rounds, the bullets burying themselves deep into the krogan's head plate, and then sidestepped as his thermal clip reached its limit. Shepard was there and ready, having already made her way up and over the desk between the krogan and her, and now she took her chance. She leaped off the desk, putting all her weight into her fall as she slammed the butt of her rifle into Keave's remaining eye. The krogan wailed and stumbled back, buying Garrus enough time to pop out his useless clip. He slid in a new one while Shepard regained her balance and switched to her pistol, the smaller gun better suited to close combat.
The krogan was still shaking her head back and forth as Garrus finished reloading. He brought his gun up, preparing his aim when a series of gunshots rang through the air. Garrus felt his shields buckle beneath the blows and he cursed as they dropped completely. The damn bullets must have been filled with Disrupter Ammo he realized as Shepard glanced back at him. Her eyes went wide and she spun, whipping her gun around and aiming it just behind Garrus.
"Move!" she shouted, and he immediately dove to the side. Not even a second passed before she fired, and a dull grunt came from behind him. The soft, crystal-like tinging that followed told him Shepard's own modded ammo had found her target. He glanced back behind him with a strange sense of deja-vu, taking in the immobile human standing there, frozen solid with his gun still raised. A part of Garrus chastised himself for focusing all of his attention on the krogan and forgetting about the other human.
A guttural roar brought him back from his thoughts and he turned, feeling his mandibles pull tight against his face in response. The krogan – burned, bloody, and looking like some mad spirit of death as more blood gushed from its eyes – was charging. She moved faster than should have been possible as she devoured the little distance between her and Shepard, whose rescue of Garrus had left her vulnerable and open. Shepard turned, preparing to defend herself, but Garrus knew she didn't have a chance. There wasn't enough time, her pistol too weak to take down a charging krogan alone.
Something twisted inside of him, cold and hard as it froze his breath. He scrambled upwards, his pulse pounding in his ears. He had to do something, anything, but damnit there wasn't time. He was barely getting to his feet and the krogan was already almost upon her, Shepard's bullets doing nothing as they buried themselves into the krogan's thick head plate. It was going to kill her, he realized with horror. He wasn't going to make it and Shepard was going to die, right in front of him.
The realization that he'd failed her, that he was going to lose her, filled Garrus with more pain than any wound ever had.
A/N: So here it is, after over three whole months almost. I am so sorry it took me this long to get this up on here, really I am. There were a lot of reasons - school, finals, holidays, work, etc - this was so ridiculously late, but honestly I could have gotten this up way sooner if I'd really tried. I just kept putting it off, and for that I completely apologize. I really hope you guys like this chapter (or at the least that its not bad enough to add insult to injury since it took so damn long) and I promise I'll do my best to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.