MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA II SERIES
CHAPTER 3
Garrus maneuvered swiftly through the crowds on the Lower Wards trying to make his way to the med clinic. He played back the call that came through his communicator when he was interviewing Andromeda at her apartment. Dr. Chloe Michel's voice was low and trembling, "It's Dr. Michel…come here quickly." It was what he feared...the men that she told him about following her in the Wards were now inside the Med Clinic. The only question was to why and what harm would they bring the doctor? From what he knew of Dr. Michel, she operated a pretty legitimate med clinic in the lower wards but her parents worked as doctors with the Alliance. With her education and background, she could have easily had a cushier job on an Alliance base than down in the dirty Lower Wards. He knew her pay wasn't all that great, but her choice was commendable. He met her years ago when he first worked the Lower Wards and was learning the district. He would often stop by for a perimeter check and she would always greet with a warm smile on her pale face. Her demeanor never changed even when she was treating rather difficult patients. Her warm green eyes kept them calm.
Earlier that day before he was assigned to investigate Saren, he received a message from her. She said she was delivering medical supplies in the Markets when three men kept watching her and she was fairly convinced that they were trailing her back to the med clinic. She did not feel safe at all and she believed the men were working with Fist. Her statement about their relation to the owner of Chora's Den was matter-of-factly and it bewildered the Turian C-Sec Officer. He knew about Fist…everyone in C-Sec did and there were many investigations into the man himself and his sleazy base of operations. Jenna was one part of the investigation and Garrus kept track on Fist's guest list as part of his investigation assignments. The day before, C-Sec Tower notified Garrus that a well known Krogan Mercenary named Urdnot Wrex landed and was lurking about. A little digging and he discovered that this bounty hunter had several past contracts with the Shadow Broker. The burly Krogan was spotted down in Chora's Den having a quarrel with the club's bouncer. Fortunately, nothing came out of that altercation but apparently Wrex made a beeline to his destination and it seemed to have Fist's name all over it. The only question was to why the Shadow Broker was after Fist? He did make plans to talk to Barla Von, the volus information broker that had an establishment in the Financial District of the Presidium, but he put that query on hold when Pallin asked to do some immediate digging on Saren. He knew some of his colleagues were tasked with bringing Wrex in for his questioning…he forgot to follow up on how that "visit" went.
With his sidearm ready, Garrus slowed down his steps when he approached the clinic's door. There seemed to be no civilians hovering around the entrance so he knew innocents would not be harmed…well at least hopefully not the brave doctor inside. The thick door made it impossible for him to hear any conversation within so he knew that the only way to find out would be to barge in. He took a breath and opened the door, rolling to the counter to seek cover. The door swiftly closed and luckily the occupants inside were not aware of his entry. They were away from the door in discussion.
"I didn't tell anyone...I swear!" Dr. Michel's voice pleaded as she choked from her tears. Garrus listened intensely. He managed to take one glance when he made it inside the room and noticed that one man with black hair had pinned the doctor away from any form of escape and the other two thugs were to the right. All three were armed and looked professional. This was no random burglary.
"That was smart, Doc." The man in the front replied. "Now if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll-"The man stopped in midsentence when the sound of the door to the clinic opening this time caught his attention. "Who are you?!" He demanded.
Garrus took the opportunity to sneak further around the counter to get a shot on the threat. Once he was in position, he looked back to see Shepard walking in with the same two humans that accompanied him at the Council Tower. Shepard's focus was squarely on the man in front. "Let her go," Shepard firmly said.
"Now…" Garrus said under his breath as he sprang up out from hiding and took aim at the black haired man that had grabbed Dr. Michel and placed her as a shield in front of him to protect him from any harm from Shepard. Garrus lined up his sights and shot the man straight in the forehead. Blood splattered out as the bullet drove into the man's forehead, cracking his skull. Brain matter oozed out from the newly form hole as he collapsed to the ground. His now lifeless limbs released his hold on his hostage. Dr. Michel screamed at the horrific scene that just happened in front of her. The two remaining thugs gaped at their fellow comrades and then held up their rifles in a defensive position. Their hands trembling as they took cover behind crates in the back that were used for shipping. Shepard and his squad engaged the two remaining hostiles as Garrus took cover again to avoid being hit since he would be the closest target. He glanced over to see the doctor crouching down beside a medical bed with her hands covering her ears, tears streaming down her face from fight. "You will be alright!" Vakarian yelled out to her over the gunfire. First it was her involvement with Fist…then it was Fist and the Shadow Broker and now Shepard randomly showed up …this day was getting more interesting.
After the firefight in the clinic, Garrus made his way back to Andromeda's apartment. Shepard asked him to be part of his team in tracking the rogue Spectre. The request would mean that he would have to give up his job as a C-Sec Officer but he would be working close with a Spectre and judging by the Commander's attitude, there would be no red tape to holding him back. The idea was very tempting but he knew repercussions would come later when his father back on Palaven would find out. His father was a C-Sec Officer throughout most of his life and was a "by the rules" type of guy. Garrus felt like the rules were holding him back anymore on his investigations especially recently with his investigation into Saren.
Garrus had given Shepard information on Wrex and his whereabouts since the Commander was interested in speaking with him and dealing with Fist and the Shadow Broker. The attack on the med clinic led to an injured Quarian that both Fist and the Shadow Broker both wanted. To make things worse, Fist now worked for Saren.
Shepard told Garrus to report to his ship at the dock in one day cycle. That would give him time to tie up a few loose ends; starting off with Andromeda. He wanted to learn more about her and see what leads she could give him and Shepard. When he arrived at the apartment, he knocked, but there was no response. After a few moments and no answer to his calls, Garrus overrode the locking mechanism and entered the apartment. There was no trace of Andromeda and no sign of a struggle. Oddly, he found a letter that was handwritten instead of a datapad. He had trouble learning the human language but luckily with his omni tool he was able to translate the wording to his language. He looked up and stared into nothingness as he tried to make sense of it. She was leaving the Citadel and couldn't say why or where she was going? He definitely tripped up on something that would cause his first lead to jump ship so to speak so quickly. If only he had a few more moments with her…he could possibly unravel the enigma before him. So far he learned that she clearly knew who Nihlus was and seemed genuinely upset to find out about his murder on Eden Prime. Andromeda was a colonist once on Eden Prime and both Saren and Nihlus once visited there. That would make sense based upon the information Garrus learned earlier on his database search. Nihlus was supposed to meet up with Andromeda on the Citadel and it had to do with something with Saren. Sadly, Nihlus never made it to the Citadel for the rendezvous. The only question would be what was Nihlus keeping from Saren? It had to be something big...so big that it drove the Spectre agent to kill his own comrade. If Saren learned about Andromeda's connection to Nihlus, it would put her in danger. Especially if she had whatever the Turian wanted. "Damnit…" He was back to square one…only with a bigger concern. Someone's life was in jeopardy and it would be up to him to protect her…and he had to do it before Shepard and his team left orbit.