Chapter Seven: Exchange Fear for Courage

As if like clockwork, the next day just before mid-day, the Batarian, Bray as they learned his name was, called with the location and time of the package drop off. Garrus staked out within sight of the parking garage for a few hours before hand, seeing if they could catch the middle man. Maybe then they would have a better chance at finding their organ dealer.

Fifteen minutes before the pick up time, traffic increased in the area. Garrus did his best to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious, but the crowd made it almost impossible to keep a constant view.

"My visual is breaking up, I'm moving closer," he called into his comm, linked back to the C-Sec office in case they needed backup.

Bray would be arriving soon, and he needed to catch a clear eye of the pick up.

A young human, barely on the cusp of adulthood, stepped out from the shadows of the parking garage and looked around. He held a gray box against his side, eyes twitching back and forth over the street while fidgetting uncomfortably.

They had their middle man.

Bray came into his visual, head down and hands deep in his jacket pockets. Just a few more steps...

The Batarian spoke with the human, their words quick and quiet. Bray was passed the box. He turned to leave, going back in the direction he came while the human scurried off in the opposite way.

"I've got him. Closing in," Garrus said, the comm cracking as the officer on the other line confirmed his action.

Garrus took off in a small job, boots thumping over the sound of the crowd that he pushed his way through. The human look back, and once he saw Garrus, he took off running.

"He's on the move!" He called, now sprinting after him. The crowd seemed to split apart at the sight of a C-Sec officer running, but they only made it easier for the assailant to get away.

He was heading to the elevator.

"Damnit, don't let him go!" He yelled, breath going fast and easy out of his chest with each pump of his legs. A group moved apart just as the doors to the elevator opened.

The man was met with an elbow to the face and a proud looking Shepard.

Garrus slowly came to a stop, heart thumping in his chest as he caught his breath. He looked down at the whimpering man, his hand clasped over what looked to be a broken and bleeding nose.

"My superiors aren't going to be happy with you butting in on my cases."

"What're they going to do? Fire me? Please, I'm already choking in enough red tape."

He vibrated in amusement before letting out a small chuckle. Grabbing the cuffs from his belt, Garrus locked them around the man's wrists and pulled him to his feet.

"You are hereby arrested for the act of organs dealing. You have the right to remain silent..."

With two organs, a middle man, and now a list of location for pick ups, Bray deserved a reward. To show their gratitude for the immense help, Garrus' captain took the Batarian and his three children for a nice dinner and a small sweets-shopping trip. (As ordered by his wife, of course.)

Once the results from the second organ came in, however, and they found the DNA to match another alive victim, Garrus felt he dead end hit again.

There was a brick wall standing between him and the organs dealer. He couldn't climb over it without a ladder. Couldn't go around it without falling into a pool of lava on one side or a den of thresher maws on the other. Going backwards wasn't an option.

So Garrus did the one thing that seemed to help him when he hit a hitch in his case.

Talk to Shepard.

"You know, you need to get hard cases more often. I'm really enjoying all the free lunch."

"You solve this case for me and I'll buy you dinner."

Shepard smirked, and he then realized how it sounded. Before he could explain himself, she spoke.

"Looks like I need to get to work then." She winked at him, and he took the notion with a happy thrum.

Damnit, Vakarian.

"So, tell me what you've got so far," she says, taking a bite into her food. He picks at his own, not feeling hungry all of a sudden.

"Both organs came back from citizens of the Citadel, both alive and not missing any major organs. We can't get the dealer to talk and we've got officers stationed near all of Bray's pick up points, but so far we've seen no more pick ups."

Shepard tapped at her chin as if in thought, her other hand twirling her braid back and forth.

"Has anything been broadcasted about the case?"

Garrus shakes his head.

"Well then, that can only mean that the organ dealer is watching every pick up, and when he saw his guy go down, he's on the defensive now."

Garrus pauses. It was reasonable.

"Are any of them connected in a way? Live in the same ward, go to the same restaurant every week, buy the same tooth paste?"

Garrus shakes his head again. "Not that we know of."

Shepard smirks. "That you know of? Wow, Vakarian, it's almost like you want this guy to get away." Her taunt set him on edge. "You need to start digging. Pull up credit records, past job history, family connections."

He almost growled – like Hell he wanted this guy to get away with his crime - but she was right. He wasn't digging far enough. Garrus sighed and rubbed at the plates under his eyes. He couldn't sleep, not with the case on his mind.

"Hey."

Her soft hand rested on his, and he barely felt it through his glove, but the pressure was enough to look up at her. He was use to the hard look on her face, use to the firm gaze she held, never wavering. Her black eyes were now a soft brown, like how he remembered the sands of Palaven. The white of the cybernetic implants were still bright, however, just behind her pupil.

"We'll catch him."

"Or her," he retorts, almost automatically. Shepard smirks but waves off the words.

"We females are not stupid enough to leave such a trail behind. If we want something done, we do it ourselves. Correctly the first time."

Shepard and Garrus sat in his office, picking over the files that were laid out in front of them. They were digging back as far as they could get. There were some gaps in their pasts, but nothing that couldn't be filled in with a quick phone call.

"Hey, I think I found something," Garrus said, putting down the files of the two organ 'donors' in front of Shepard. She looked up from the datapad in her lap. "Both have worked for the same doctor in the same timeframe."

She looked at the name.

Saleon.

"Hey, that name popped up on this kid's file."

She filed through the slides before stopping on the most current.

"Yep. Dr. Saleon. Kid works for him right now, actually. Shalta Ward, level twenty-two."

The door to the office slid open, and one of the asari interns stood in the door way looking paler than usual.

"Sir, your detainee is currently bleeding out in his cell. They've called for a medic. ETA five minutes."

Garrus looked to Shepard before standing and quickly made his way to the cell. The human lay on the cot, hands pressed tight to his side as he breathed heavy, blood spilling between his fingers.

"You don't think he did this to himself, do you?"

Before Garrus could answer Shepard's question, the man coughed harshly and more blood spilled down under him.

"The doctor," he said, weakly. They could hear the hurried voice of a medic coming. "He uses us as test tubes. Pays good. Until our organs don't grow back right and he just leaves us to die."

Shepard's eyes widened; Garrus looked back at her with his own surprised expression.

"I believe we just got a confession, Officer Vakarian."