Shepard swore when the krogan slammed into her, the curse cutting off with a grunt as the sudden force wrenched the breath from her lungs. She flew back against the table, and a sharp pain flared though her head as it smashed back against the hard metal. She coughed, struggling to breathe, and tried to lift her gun up enough to take aim. Keave's fist slammed into the side of her face, the blow snapping her neck to the side with a sudden jerk.
Her vision darkened. She blinked rapidly to drive the sensation away, and then once again brought her weapon up. Another punch struck her face. The taste of blood filled her mouth and, with an abrupt lurch, she felt her body rise as Keave lifted her up by the throat, bringing her close with a savage smile. Shepard glared at the krogan and then, with a quick grin, spit the wad of blood and saliva that had built up in her mouth straight into what was left of Keave's right eye.
The krogan snarled and squeezed down on Shepard's throat mercilessly. Shepard's free hand shot to her neck, grasping wildly as she tried to get purchase enough to break her captor's grip. She felt something wrench her pistol from her other hand and then, suddenly, she was moving, her suspended body swinging through the air like a puppet on its last string. Then just as abruptly Shepard was smashed head first into something hard and cold. There was the brittle crunch of glass shattering, and then pain blazed across the back of her head once again. Blood began to trickle down her face and neck.
She blinked, her vision hazy with suffocation, and tried to make sense of her surroundings. Just in front of her was Keave, whose face was a mess of blood and satisfaction as she tightened her grip on Shepard's throat. Behind the krogan was the rest of the room, laid out before Shepard like a strange, fuzzy, out of focus picture. Something blue and black was moving swiftly closer and, as it paused a little behind Keave, Shepard dimly recognized it as Garrus. She blinked again, slowly, and felt her legs sway dangerously beneath her as she fought to stay conscious. An icy realization began to form in the back of her mind and, grudgingly, she looked upwards.
Instead of the room's ceiling, Shepard's eyes found only the dark murk of Omega's polluted sky.
"Shepard!" Garrus shouted, watching with horror as the krogan held her by the throat, suspended in midair just outside of the shattered window. "Let her go!" he growled as he came up on Keave's left, just enough behind her that the she had to turn her head to the side in order to look back at him.
The krogan laughed, looking him over with her one good eye. "You sure that's what you want, turian?" she asked. She shook Shepard mockingly and Garrus reflexively took a step forward. "Ah, ah, one more foot and the bitch flies, you hear me?" she added, watching him.
Garrus froze. Hatred pulled his mandibles tight against his face as he glared at Keave. His hands clenched down against his rifle, his finger brushing against the trigger. It itched to take the shot, to sink his next bullet so deep into the krogan's head that no amount of regeneration or medi-gel could save her. Keave was already so far gone at this point that it he was certain one or two more shots would be enough to finally take her down. Just one small squeeze, he thought, eyes narrowing as he aimed.
But I'd never make it to Shepard in time.
Something cold spread inside of him as he looked at her, battered and barely breathing as she hung in the dark air. Even now she was still fighting, gripping Keave's arm with both of her hands as she fought to free herself. Her face was getting darker by the second – the normally tan skin taking on a strange, red tint – and Garrus realized that she dying right in front of him. Little by little, Shepard was suffocating and Garrus had no idea how to save her.
He swallowed down the overwhelming helpless that threatened to choke him and wracked his mind for a plan. There had to be something he could do, some solution he'd overlooked that could help him now. He just had to think.
And yet, as the seconds dragged by, no answer came. Shepard's struggles slowed. Keave's smile grew.
A motion to his right caught Garrus' attention. He barely gave the disturbance a glance, hesitant to take his eyes off of Shepard and miss his chance, but then he found himself doing a double-take despite himself.
Coming up on Keave's blindspot, with slow, silent steps, was Toombs.
Garrus had almost forgotten about the human during the last few minutes, assuming the man was still lying in a puddle of blood somewhere, if not worse. Indeed, Toombs looked like he was barely managing to stay conscious as it was, let alone walk. His legs trembled with every step, and half of his head was lost inside of a mess of matted hair and blood. But even still, the man pressed on, little droplets of blood trailing behind him.
He was close now, closer to Keave than even Garrus. More still, the krogan was completely oblvious; her eye on that side was long since ruined, and what little of her attention that wasn't already focused on Shepard rested with Garrus. Toombs was less than three feet away now, and Keave had no idea.
The man's eyes found Garrus, and the dark iris's glittered with the words that whispered in Garrus' thoughts: this is your chance.
For a moment, Garrus hesitated. For just one moment, he let the uncertainty and doubt tell him not to do it; tell him that, just this once, the risk was too great. Her life was too great, too vital to place in hands of one deranged mercenary. She was the one last light of hope in a galaxy full of shadows; a light Garrus had sworn he'd never let go out again.
And that was exactly why, with a silent prayer, Garrus fired.
The next few moments seemed to blur for Toombs.
He dived and glass crunched beneath his armor as he fell to the ground, scraping against the reinforced metal. The sounds of gunfire mingled with roars of pain as something large fell past him, tumbling down and over the window's edge into the dark below. The muscles in his arm shrieked with pain as his hand caught hold of Shepard's forearm and her weight threatened to drag them both down.
Toombs bit his lip, fighting to stay in control of his sinking body. He tightened his grip and pulled. Inch by torturous inch he fought, and inch by inch, she rose. He felt a sudden pressure on his own forearm as Shepard grabbed hold, steadying herself. And then, with one last massive heave, she was up and safe and the two of them collapsed onto the mercifully solid floor.
He got one glance at her – one brief moment of respite to see the way her coughing racked her body and the way the turian was already huddled by her side – and then the pain was upon him. It seized Toombs' entire body, ripping into him with a vengeance. It tore the breath from his lungs, set his mind on fire as it burned its way through his veins. He would have screamed if he'd had the air, wept if it would have doused the flames. But all Toombs could do was tremble, tremble and endure and wait for the shaking to end, just as he always had.
Gradually, he became aware of something other than the agony, something solid and strong. It held him steady, keeping all but the worst of his jerking contained. An armored hand, cloaked in amber light, hovered above his head wound and then a welcome numbness dimmed the throbbing ache. He blinked as his body stilled, his vision hazy and dull. A hand cupped his face.
"Toombs?" the voice was hoarse and dim, far away from the hell he lived in. "Toombs, can you hear me?"
He blinked once or twice more until her face took form above him. Her eyes were blood-shot and weary, but just as green as he'd always remembered.
"Garrus, hurry, call a medic shuttle! He needs-"
"Don't." Toombs said, but the word came out as little more than a rasp. He coughed and tried again. "Don't bother."
"Toombs!" Her face was back, split by a smile as wide as it was worried. "Shh, just hold on, we're getting you help."
"Shepard," he croaked, then broke off as his body convulsed with a fresh wave of shuddering.
"Garrus! Get that medic here now!"
"Shepard," Toombs repeated, forcing the words out through gritted teeth. "It's no use. I'm dying."
"No, you're not." she swore, eyes glittering in the dim light of her omni-tool. "We've got medi-gel, and your wounds aren't fatal. Just let me-"
"I'm already a dead man." He breathed in deep as his body stilled for the moment. "Always have been." he continued, taking advantage of the brief respite. It wouldn't be long now, he knew. Might as well come clean.
"No. I'll get you help." she pressed, chin set in that same way it always did when she was determined to get her way.
Stubborn ass hasn't changed a damn bit. "You can't help me, Shepard." he said, the harsh words dulled with resignation. "No one can."
She was silent as she processed his words. Then: "It was Cerberus, wasn't it."
His laugh fell somewhere between a cough and a wheeze. "Wonder what those bastards would give to see the end result of all their experiments now, huh? To see how thresher venom eats away at the body and brain even years after its initial injection." He swallowed. "Well, won't they be disappointed."
"You've known all along?" Shepard asked, staring down at him.
"Long enough." he answered. "Figured it out a few months after the first few fits. Alliance docs confirmed it about a year after you went M.I.A."
Silence. "I'm so sorry." she finally said, softly.
He closed his eyes, swallowed again. The lump in his throat stayed where it was. He opened his eyes and glared at the woman above him. "For what? For wasting all your time cleaning up a mess that was taking care of itself all on its own? Or are you just sorry that it's taken this damn long to finish what Cerberus started back on Akuze?"
He regretted the words even before they were out of his mouth, and yet a part of him still felt satisfied in watching the way they cut into her; the way each syllable carved a fresh scar into her otherwise untouched skin. Good, he thought, even as he looked away from the pain he'd caused. It'll be less easy for her to forget this way.
"Toombs, I swear," Shepard whispered."I had nothing to do with Akuze. You have to believe me, I would never-"
"Stop." he said, shutting his eyes. He took in as deep of a breath as he could, letting the sensation fill him up. "Just stop, alright?" he finally exhaled. "I believe you."
He heard a small breath above him, and he opened his eyes. They stared at one another. "Whatever you are now doesn't change the fact that you're still that same damn kid I knew eight years ago. And that brat never betrayed her comrades, so…there it is."
"Yeah?" she asked, the word a breath of a laugh. "Well, I hate to break it to you but you haven't changed much either, old man. Still just as grouchy as ever, and just as shitty of a shot too. I mean, who misses with a rocket launcher?"
Something tugged at the corner of his lips, old but familiar. "Hmph. I would have had you if weren't for your boyfriend over there." he said, tossing a glance over at the turian for the first time. He was standing a discreet distance away, obviously trying to give them some privacy while still being close enough to intervene if necessary; intervene against what, though, Toombs had no idea. Maybe the guy thought Toombs would try to take one last crack at Shepard or something, or hell maybe he even thought that Keave would climb back up the building and try jumping them all. Who knew with turians. "I thought you Cerberus lackeys were supposed to hate aliens, not sleep with them." Toombs said, focusing back on Shepard.
Her eyes were on the turian, watching him. "It's not like that." she said, voice soft. "He's a member of my crew."
Damn girl doesn't even know, Toombs thought. He opened his mouth to repeat the thought aloud when once again his body seized.
"Toombs!" Shepard shouted, clutching him as he jerked against her arms. The tremors came viciously and suddenly, pulling at him from every direction stronger than ever before. His vision swam into a sea of red and black, broken only by the rare glimpse of green. Agony filled his lungs. This is it, a voice whispered from within him, soft and sweet.
He gritted his teeth, his hands curling into fists. Not yet, he shouted back. Just a little longer, just give me that. As if in response, the tremors slowed; they didn't stop, but they subsided just enough for him to regain the control he needed.
"Shepard." he hissed through clenched teeth. The words were barely more than gasp.
She leaned in close, her own words quiet. "I'm here, Toombs. I'm right here."
He breathed in deep, fought to form the words he needed to say. Another wave shuddered through him and her hand found his, anchoring him to her world. He swallowed. "Don't…forget, Shepard." The tremors were coming back, pounding against him. "Don't let Cerberus get away with this" It's time, the voice whispered. He opened his eyes wide, searching for hers. "Don't…forget."
"I won't." she promised, green eyes shimmering like a distant sea. He could see almost see a far off shore there, beckoning him, promising him the end he'd waited so long for.
An end, Toombs thought as he closed his eyes. An end, once and for all.
A/N: Hey guys! So this chapter was still way later than what I'd wanted - but only one month instead of three, so hey there's that? - and I'm really sorry for that. This scene was just really important to me, and I wanted to do it right. I am sorry it took so long though, and I'm also sorry for not getting back to any of the reviews for the last chapter. I really do appreciate all the wonderful support and feedback you guys give me; it means the world to me to see how you guys react to this story and to know you're still putting up with all my horrible updating. Since there's only one more chapter to go (well, that's how it's planned out anyway, so hopefully we can stick to that), I'm going to do my absolute best to get it up here as soon as possible; definitely within a month, I promise. Anyway, that's about it, so I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I hated writing it, and I'll see you back here soon!~