Mass Effect Andromeda Series II: Chapter 46
The reunion with Andromeda didn't go as planned. Word got back to her that Eden Prime was under attack by Cerberus. A lot of the colonists fled but some were still trapped on the outskirts of the colony. A resistance was being built up to fight against them. Liara confirmed the reports from her mission there. She thought Cerberus was only there to track down the Prothean artifact, which turned out to be a real live Prothean. But that seemed to be not the case. By why the colonists? It didn't make any sense. Not even for a Cerberus agenda. Garrus didn't like the idea of Andromeda going to Eden Prime unaccompanied especially when at one point she was a prisoner of theirs. He couldn't go with her. Shepard needed him on the Normandy and so did Palaven.
A few days had passed since Andromeda left, Garrus found himself constantly going to the holding area while they were still docked. He was hoping that she would be down there safe and sound. But each visit was a disappointment. She was nowhere to be found and no sign of Sh'sk either. The fellow Batarians began to recognize him from his visits and would usually wave as he walked by. What was he thinking? It would be awhile before she returned back. She probably didn't make it Eden Prime just yet. That evening, Shepard was meeting up with Joker at some prestigious sushi bar. Not Garrus' tastes. He decided to kill sometime by making one more stop in with the Batarians.
This time, an unpleasant familiar face was down there. It was Balak. The same terrorist that wanted to destroy Terra Nova with an asteroid. Despite leaving him for dead, he found his way back to the Citadel. He was surprised that they actually let him in, but many people including Garrus thought he bled out. The unusual colored Batarian glared hard as he neared and bared his razor sharp incisors. "First Shepard and now you," Balak hissed through his teeth. "I can't get a fucking break."
"This wasn't a courtesy visit by all means to see you," Garrus stood him down. "I was checking in on someone."
"He is friends with one of our brothers, Balak. Sh'sk and the woman who has been aiding us, Andromeda, went to Eden Prime to find her family." The priest spoke up nearby.
Balak spat. "I hope they are dead just like my family was on Khar'Shaan. Then the humans will feel the pain that we endured." It took everything in Garrus to restrain himself and not punch the lowlife in front of him. "We should not be helping the enemy."
"The Reapers are the enemy now," Vakarian firmly corrected him. "Your kind doesn't have many left. I would be grateful that some managed to live past the invasion." He paused and then remembered Sh'sk and his memory on the asteroid. "Sh'sk, he was with you when you tried to blow up Terra Nova. Is that correct?"
"Yes, he was a proud member of the hegemony."
Fear crept in the back of Garrus' mind as he felt a chill course through his body. He thought back to their encounter. Sh'sk was the one who stared him down and practically wanted to kill him! "This hegemony, what did he do?"
Blinking, Balak cocked his head to ponder a rebuttal. "Batarian Special Forces."
Batarian Special Forces? Terrorist? Blue Suns? Garrus didn't like these descriptions of Sh'sk's past. He felt a knot form in his stomach. What did he do? He let Andromeda go with some criminal like this? Why was he not more careful? "Fuck…" He muttered under his breath as he glanced over at his omni tool. He had to get to Liara and see about getting a message to Andromeda. But what could she do? Andromeda was on the Batarian's ship.
Balak eyed his reaction and huffed. "He has lost his ways though. Befriending a human? Bah. He should be shot as a traitor."
Hearing him made Vakarian relax a little. If Balak was angry then maybe it wasn't what he suspected. Maybe Sh'sk was genuine in his offer to help her after all. Suddenly, a chirp came from his omni tool indicating someone was trying to reach him. Stepping away some, he pulled up a holo of Joker. "Shore leave over with?"
The pilot's face was filled with horror and panic. "Shepard is under attack! Some guys came into the restaurant and shot up the place!"
Not missing a beat, he turned and made his way towards in the elevator, keeping his eyes focused on Joker. "I'm on it. Where is he?"
"I-I'm not sure. I haven't made contact with him since we got separated. I'm trying to call everyone that I can that could get to him. Shit. Why the hell is this happening?" Joker panted as he tried to walk as fast as he could it seemed to get to the Normandy.
"Calm down. I'm on it. Garrus out." He switched over to another channel to get to Shepard. "Shepard, this is Garrus. Joker filled me in. I'm on my way."
"Excuse me, who is this? This is an unsecure channel and you're putting Commander Shepard in danger," A female voice came through sternly in response.
"I'm doing what? Who is this?" He tapped the tool with his finger as he reached the elevator. He didn't recognize the voice at all.
"It's Staff Analyst, Brooks. She's helping me," Shepard's familiar voice answered.
"This should be fun."
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"Garrus, this is Ashley. I tracked down Shepard's location at a nearby car lot and I'm sending you coordinates now to your tool. Meet me there," Ashley spoke to Garrus as he made down through the wards. At least he was getting closer, there was a trail of bodies.
"Understood. Anyone else to join the party?"
"I'm not sure. Joker said you were the closest one besides me. They better not hurt him," Her voice shook with fear.
"Judging by the trail he left me, I think he is managing his own right now," Garrus gave a light chuckle trying to change the mood.
Hearing gunfire nearby, Garrus pumped his legs faster and took out his pistol. He didn't know what he was going to expect but from the sound of the multiple gunshots, it was going to be a large group. Apparently, the fight was at a nearby sky car lot. Two unknown human enemies, whirled around as they saw him approaching and opened fire. Dodging to the right, he took cover behind one of the counters and heard the table taking the blunt of the gunfire. He then waited for their clips to clear before he leaned up to open fire. His shots made their marks and the men shuttered violently as the rounds pierced their shields and armor. Taking out a clip, he inserted another one and jumped over the counter to join John and Ashley who were near the shuttle pad.
"Garrus! Over here!" John cued him to get closer. "We need to hold this position until Joker can get an extraction." The Commander used his omni blade to pierce a charging merc.
"Commander, this isn't the proper use for 'shore leave'," Garrus teased over the gunfire as he took his Commander's right flank.
"Not my idea!" John shouted back.
"Shuttle inbound!" Ashley pointed to an incoming vessel but the markings definitely were not Alliance. John quickly grabbed her hand to stop her from heading towards it.
Just as he did, the hatch opened and several mercs were poised with their weapons as they opened fire pushing them back into the car lot business. Garrus jumped out of the way and then checked his six to make sure there were no other incoming mercs from the opposite direction determined to get them in the back. Ashley took cover beside John and covered her head as debris flew from the mercs' rounds. "What now?" She hollered.
Suddenly, the familiar sound of a Krogan charging was outside and Wrex dropped down hard onto the shuttle top and leaped inside to where the unsuspecting mercs were. He tossed several out to their deaths below and then used his shotgun to kill the shuttle's pilot. The shuttle crashed down hard and Wrex leaped out just as it did. He smiled at the three as he mockingly dusted off his armor and holstered his gun. Garrus smiled as he saw Urdnot Wrex and came out of cover. "About time you showed up."
"I wasn't invited to the party. My feelings are actually hurt," Wrex chuckled as John walked up to him.
"Glad to see you, Wrex. I guess Joker sent you a message too."
"Yeah. I was butting heads with the Council about Krogan expansion and he told me that you were in trouble. Couldn't just let them kill you now." Wrex bent down to examine one of the dead mercs from the shuttle. "Who are these guys?"
"No clue," Ashley growled in frustration as she looked around. "But we don't need this right now."
"I agree. Let's head back with the others and see what we can find out. I'll get Liara and Glyph on this," Commander Shepard motioned them to follow him back to Anderson's apartment where he was temporarily taking up residence.
"How come I never get one of the good apartments?" Garrus looked around in envy at Anderson's apartment. He guessed it was because Anderson used to be on the Council. He could really get use to this setup after the war with over. Though he didn't think the Commander would like sharing all the time.
"Too cozy for me," Wrex remarked as he followed the Turian in. "Everything is….soft."
"Make yourselves at home. I'm going to check in with Liara and see what she found," John moved towards another room leaving the pair standing there.
"I'll go upstairs and see what's up there," Garrus stated as he eyed the stairway.
"I'll go with you. When this place fills up, it will get too tight. I'm not big on being social," The Krogan muttered as he tagged along.
"I'm sure that Liara would be offended." Vakarian noticed a couple of couches nearby and decided to sit down and for once relax. "I'm sure we won't be here too long." He watched as Wrex took a seat near the other end. "You said that you were talking with the Council and butting heads? Why am I not surprised?"
"With the genophage cured, we will grow out of Tuchanka soon enough. We need to expand and I think by defeating the Reapers that should earn us a planet or two. Or even three." Wrex shifted some on the couch as he tried his best to get comfortable. He wasn't used to the soft padding. He grunted some as he moved around to find his spot.
"Not as good as your throne?" Garrus took notice.
The Krogan seemed to ignore the comment as he continued on with his earlier answer, "It never fails that once the Krogan come through on their part of the bargain that everyone wants to change things up. Well not anymore. Not while Urdnot Wrex is around." He then turned and looked directly at Garrus. "Any news on Andromeda? Heard you let her go to Eden Prime with Sh'sk. Not sure if I would have trusted him. I never did when I worked with him."
Garrus sighed and was ready to defend the notion, but finally took in the last part of Wrex's comment. "Wait…you worked with him?"
"Yeah. He must have worked with Saren when I was hired on by him. Though he had he same feeling I did when we tracked down the volus merchant ship. Something wasn't right. He turned tail and offered me a ride. Glad I did. Every merc on that job ended up dead except for us."
"He worked with Saren?" Vakarian's voice shook.
"Don't get your quads in a bind. I don't know why he was here, but he was smart. Don't be surprised if he leaves her if things get too rough than what he bargained for. But she has a quad. I'm sure she could hold her own. If the new Arlak Company wasn't preparing to help on the front lines, I would consider sending them in to make sure she gets back to the Citadel safe."
The gesture threw Vakarian off. "You'd do that?" He was lost for words. He knew that it was a far cry to reality but just knowing that could be some sort of plan down the road made him feel a little better.
"I know what she means to you," Wrex's voice softened as much as a Krogan's could. "Besides Palaven, you have to have something to fight for I guess. Though Krogan aren't scared of dying. It makes the adventure even better.
"Yeah, if I knew years ago what I know now, I wished I could have put her on the arc to get out of this place. It seems like this war will never end. Though from the screening process, they were taking certain people only. However, with Shepard's pull I could have gotten her on with a security position."
"He was technically dead then," Wrex pointed out. "I heard about the arcs they supposedly were constructing. Krogan never got one. Though I'm surprised they allowed some Krogan to tag along to go first. I guess they wanted some fodder."
"Well, if they were going to run into unfriendlies, I would rather have a Krogan fighting for me," Garrus countered. "Sad that we won't know what happened to them. Heard it will take over six hundred years to reach their destination."
"I may be still alive then."
"Old."
Wrex smiled wryly, "Still able to shoot better than you."
"Garrus. Wrex," Liara's voice called from the lower level. "Can you come down to join us?"
"Well, duty calls," Wrex stood up first. "I wonder who we are going to shoot next."
"Is that all you Krogan think about?"
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"So apparently Elijah Khan sold the gun you picked up from the mercs to them. He has severed ties with them. It sounds like the unknown voice on the other end was not happy about their breakup," Liara continued her conversation as Garrus and Wrex walked up. She looked over to acknowledge their presence.
"It sounded like the feeling was mutual from Khan's perspective," John pointed out.
"The voice scramblers were always a pain in the ass to try to decode when I use to work with C-Sec," Garrus spoke up in the group.
"Agreed, Garrus. I asked Glyph to run some of the filters that the Shadow Broker had but nothing can crack it. It seems like whoever we are dealing with has top of the line equipment." Liara reviewed the video footage again.
"Dr. T'Soni, the casino is hosting a charity event tonight by Khan," Glyph chimed in as the sphere hovered near its owner.
"We could use that as a way to get in," John pointed to the VI as his voice picked up with excitement.
"But there will be guards everywhere. Khan probably has the entire place locked up tight with security cameras and alarms. We would need someone to knock out the alarms even with the guards distracted," Staff Analyst Brooks piped in as she stood near John. Garrus looked over and analyzed her quietly to himself. Something about this woman didn't set right with him. He didn't know why.
"Don't look at me," Wrex spoke up first from the group. "It may be a tight fit if I have to crawl through anything."
Tali laughed, hearing his comment. "That I would pay to see. Wrex, I think you are too big for maintenance shafts."
Wrex frowned, "Have I gained weight?"
"No, no," Tali lightly placed her fingers on his arm in a comforting manner. "There's just more of you to love."
"Yeah, you are fat," Joker wouldn't pass up the chance.
"Brooks, you will deal with security," John reeled them back to the matter at hand.
"Me?" The dark skinned woman stared at the man beside her incredulously. "But I-"
"Wrex, you can go with me to the casino. You can be my big burly hired guard," John cut her off as he looked over at his large comrade. "The rest of you wait here and keep tabs on the comm. If anything goes wrong, I want everyone there."
"I don't do formal wear," The Krogan spoke up to faint ears as everyone disbanded their own way.
"I'll find you the perfect outfit," Liara smiled warmly as she grabbed his arm to lead him to the wardrobe closet.
"Vakarian?" Wrex tried to look at the Turian who was stifling a chuckle.
Garrus ignored his friend and walked out of the apartment to head back to the strip. It was time to see what he could and get his mind off of Andromeda. The talk with Wrex made worry creep back in his mind. It was hard enough to focus and sleep as it was now. "Garrus, you goin' somewhere?" Zaeed Massani caught up with him.
"Just out to see the sights until it's my turn to see some action," Garrus waited for the complex doors to open. "You?"
"Me too. May head out later to head with the ground assault. Become a big goddamn hero like they want us to be. For now, I have a machine to beat." Zaeed motioned him to follow him to the local arcade. First Garrus was confused but as they made their way up to the upper floor of the arcade, he understood what the old merc was talking about. "Been tryin' to be this damn thing for weeks now. Some kid asked me to get a prize out. I think it cons your credits and I'm going to make sure that I get it."
Garrus watched Massani go at it again with the claw machine. "You going out later you say?"
"Yeah, I guess. They need everyone they can get. Normally, I don't do anything unless I get paid, but I can't get paid if the whole galaxy is fucked. Your family safe?"
"I believe so. It was touch and go for a while with them. What about you? Any family?"
Zaeed paused at the game's controls as if the question bothered him. "Don't have a wife if you're asking that." He then swiped his chit again to go at it another round.
"Children?"
Zaeed stared at him. "Why you asking that-"He then looked back to realize that his distraction cost him his prize. The claw dipped down on its own due to the time limit expiring and came back up empty handed. Groaning out, he hit the glass with his fist as he fumbled in his pocket for his chit. "One more time…I got a son if that's what you're asking." Zaeed seemed really uncomfortable by the topic as he kept his gaze on the machine in front of him, but he was clearly losing focus.
"Where is he now?" Garrus pressed on. He was intrigued to learn more of the merc's past.
"How the hell would I know? He's out there somewhere."
"You never tried to get back into touch with him?"
Zaeed growled and slammed the glass screen with both fists as the claw came back up empty-handed. "Damn rip off." He then pivoted to confront him. "None of your goddamn business. Could be dead for all I know."
Backing off, Garrus held up his hands seeing the man in front of him fuming. He more than likely pressed too much. Before the angered man said a word, he turned to head out, leaving Garrus there standing there, dumbfounded.
Fortuitously, after a few hours of waiting, Garrus was able to take a glimpse of Wrex's formal wear from his mission before he was able to change. The Krogan seemed uncomfortable in it and definitely out of place. He was already fidgeting with the sleeves as he walked back into the apartment, grumbling to himself. "If you wear that out on the battlefield, I'm sure it may take down a Reaper or two," The Turian grinned widely. "How was the casino?"
"Boring, no guns, no fighting. Khan was already dead." Wrex moved to a spare room where he left his gear to change. There was no emotion in his words as he described his mission. The lack of violence was also offensive to a Krogan.
Liara pulled Garrus' attention over to where the others were gathered at their meeting place. "Apparently, someone is really out to get Shepard. Wrex filled me in. Whoever it is made some personal threats against the Commander."
"You don't say?" Vakarian casted his glance over to John who shrugged. "I don't see why they ever would."
"If you are a strong enemy, then others will come after you. They are weak," Grunt spoke up from his place beside Vega.
"Apparently, whoever this is has access to Citadel Archives and potentially to Spectre files," The Asari continued her explanation to the group.
"What are the archives?" Tali asked.
Liara paused and looked over at Garrus for help. "The archives are restricted to certain people on the Citadel. Files, equipment, practically anything can be stored there. Access codes are also there for Spectres. If you gain access to the archives, you could do a lot of damage especially in the wrong hands. Even C-Sec can't get in." Garrus clarified.
"Nice," Kasumi nodded her head with interest. "I wonder if a master thief like myself could get in."
"Kasumi," John scolded.
"Sorry," She smiled sheepishly. "It was worth the try."
"Then we move to the archives," John rubbed his face in frustration. "It's a pretty vast place from what I can fathom. I'm going to need everyone and multiple teams."
"Just name the leaders then we can be on our way." Miranda grinned. "Be like taking down the Collector base again."
"Okay. Ash and Vega, I want you with me," John looked over at his love interest with concern. Garrus was going to question the selection because he was eager to join up with the Commander again, but he knew the reasons why. He wanted Ashley close though he didn't want to admit it to the group. They probably knew by now. He could still argue against James. He decided to go against it. "Garrus, you select a few to go with you in one group. You can be team 'Mako.' Cortez, you take the second group and be under team, 'Hammerhead.'"
Wrex looked over at Garrus. "Well? Who do you want on your team?"
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The Archives was crawling with the mercs that he and Shepard went up against at the car lot. These guys were well armed and trained. They seemed to be coordinated in their attacks, unlike the factions of the Suns, Blood Pack or Eclipse. Though, the group didn't believe what they would be up against in resistance. Whoever led them, didn't advise that Shepard had certain allies with him, one being a Prothean. One of the men let out a loud gasp as he saw Javik follow in behind Krogan with his rifle locked and ready to go. "What the hell is that?" The merc tumbled over a chair as he went backwards.
Javik smiled sadistically at the trembling foes before him. "I am a Prothean and I have come to eat you."
"Fuck, no! Shoot that thing!" Another merc screamed as he sloppily held up his rifle to open fire.
Javik scoffed, "This is beneath me." He unleashed a biotic attack and lifted the man up then slammed his body hard on the floor with a sickening thwack! Every bone of his body seemed to shatter at once.
"Hmph," Wrex was not impressed. "Don't have all the fun." He used biotic energy to throw several mercs back, knocking their bodies into cabinets.
"Is this like a biotic competition?" Jacob looked over at them.
"Hell yeah," Jack smiled as she began to gather her own dark energy.
"Save some for us," Garrus jumped in and opened fire.
"Enough!" A voice boomed overhead at the upper platform rail. The mercs instantly turned to address the man. "Lay down your weapons or I'll shoot Staff Analyst Brooks right here and now."
"You're a coward!" Liara shot back at the unknown man up ahead who seemed to be holding Brooks to him.
The mercs turned and aimed their guns on Shepard and his teams. Lifting his arms up, John slowly lowered his gun to the floor. "Alright. Calm down." Without protest, the others followed suit. It was hard to make a visual on the face but the man threw Brooks to the ground. Seeing the hostage free, Garrus noticed that Ash casted a glance over to John to see if he would take the bait or not. The Turian knew she was itching to pick up her weapon, but he trusted the commander in his thinking. So far, he never led them astray. "There is nowhere you can hide. I'll find you."
"Hide?" The man was taken aback by this statement. "Why?" He stepped out closer into the light so they could see him. Vakarian couldn't believe his eyes. What kind of trick was this? A holo disguise? The man looked exactly like John Shepard. "I'm Commander Shepard," The male announced smugly.
"Uh-huh," Wrex was calm as he stood next to Garrus. "So that's how it's going to be."
"Who are you?" John's voice faintly shook as he asked the man as he approached him.
"You weren't the only Shepard that Cerberus brought back to life. But at least one of us will finally do something with it."
"Where did you come from?"
"The same DNA as you."
"A clone?" Garrus was having trouble digesting any of this.
"Cerberus spared no expense resurrecting you," The clone stepped up closer. "With me," His attention was clearly on John. "I was created for spare parts. I was in a coma until six months ago when I woke up while you were in jail."
"Miranda?" John looked over at the ex-Cerberus woman beside him for clarification of authenticity of what was being stated.
"He's right, but I worked on the Lazarus Project. I thought the clone idea never went through from what I had been told," Miranda replied as she looked at the clone in disbelief. This seemed to almost hit her just as hard as John or even harder. It wasn't too far ago that she was one of Cerberus' top agents and she seemed to be almost the Illusive Man's right hand woman. Apparently, even he was keeping secrets from her. He didn't seem to trust anyone except himself.
"Did the Illusive Man send you?" Shepard asked the clone.
"No, he had what he wanted," The clone glared hard at his predecessor. "You. But I don't have your memories. Your so called friends, the ones that abandoned their duty to join the cult of Shephard." He then whirled around pointed directly at Garrus. "Like you, Garrus Vakarian. You're nothing more than a burnt out cop past his prime."
"And you're just a pale imitation of the real thing," Vakarian shot back as he clenched his fists.
"I am the real thing. Perfected," The clone emphasized the latter as he shook his head. "I am the one who you were meant to be, John. Without the wear and tear and the baggage. The lone wolf you were meant to be."
"No one will believe you're Shephard," Wrex growled.
"They will when I'm flying his ship," The clone smirked.
Panicking, Shepard quickly tapped into his comm. "This is Shepard! Initiate Normandy lock-down! Transmitting command codes now," He quickly began punching numbers into his omni tool.
Just as he did, the clone used his own omni tool and intercepted the signal. "Good idea," He taunted. "Too bad the signal was blocked."
"It will be a cold day in hell before someone steals my ship," John hissed as rage filled him.
"It's not stealing if I'm you," The man before them answered smugly. "Execute them."
That's all Garrus needed to hear before Shepard reached down to pick up his gun with the others doing the same. Garrus grabbed his assault rifle and rolled to the left to take cover behind a desk. Wrex was right on his heels. The burly Krogan bumped into him and almost knocked him down. "Scoot over." The Krogan grunted. The place erupted into a fierce firefight.
"Maybe we should release Javik again to give them a scare," Garrus leaped over the counter to charge at some of the mercs.
"I heard that," Javik spoke over the comm. "These primitives will make good sport," He laughed menacingly.
"I'm not getting upstage by a Prothean," Wrex rose up from his position, ignoring the ammo that was pinging off his shields. He looked over at Grunt who was head-butting a few mercs nearby. "Whelp! Time to give them an old fashioned Krogan blood rage."
Grunt chuckled as he cracked his knuckles. He caught Wrex's glance over to see a few confused mercs standing there. "On two."
"One," Wrex bent lower to get into a stance.
"What the hell are they doing?" One of the mercs asked as they looked on.
Before giving the signal, Grunt charged first with Wrex behind him. The pair charged directly at the mercs. "Shit! Charging Krogan!" A merc fumbled with his pistol as he shot but it would take more than a few good placed rounds to bring down one Krogan alone. Grunt head-butted one causing him to fly over a desk while Wrex slammed one so hard up against the wall that his limp body broke through on the other side.
Garrus took up a position to sniper a few mercs who were caught off-guard by the display. The mercs didn't stand a chance and pretty the soon the place was silent and filled with their bodies. "I think that's it."
"Good. We need to get to him. Let's break into our teams and I'll send glyph ahead. Stay on comms at all times." John panted to catch his breath as he holstered his pistol.
"Understood. I know some of the layout. I'll try to head him off," Vakarian motioned his team to follow him up to the second level.
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As they got closer to the actual vaults, the room revealed just how vast it was inside. Hundreds or even thousands of vaults could be inside. They were the first team to reach this area. Garrus activated his ear piece, "Shepard, this is Garrus. We are near the vaults but no sign of your clone. Any idea what he's looking for?"
"I have no idea," John grumbled back. "None of this is making sense right now."
"Yeah, waking up and finding out that you have a clone. Yikes," Wrex teased.
"I heard that."
"Hey, Team Mako, can you guys here me?" Brooks came through the comm. She sounded like she was wounded. How did she break up from Team Hammerhead?
"We're here, Brooks."
"I think I got lost. I've been shot and bleeding out pretty bad," Brooks hissed painfully between her teeth. "You guys are near my location. I'll send you my navpoint."
"You're not too far. We'll come to you. Any hostiles around?" Garrus checked his omni tool and quickened his pace with his team behind him.
"No…but I think they are close. I hear their voices. Please hurry," She pleaded.
They zigzagged through the vast vault system till finally they were right on top of her location but no sign of Brooks. Confused and alarmed, Garrus tapped back into his comm. "Brooks, this is Garrus. Where are you?" There was dead air on the other end.
"Comms are down," Wrex checked his own omni tool. "Could be interference from this place."
"Or a trap," Javik jumped to his own conclusion.
Glancing around, Garrus did noticehow peculiar it was for the place to quiet. If mercs were around in her area, they would have run into them by now. Something wasn't adding up. Glancing back over to his Prothean teammate, Garrus went back to his radio to alert Shepard. However, before he could, some kind of barrier came over them. Growling in frustration, Garrus struck the barrier with his rifle. "Terrific."
"Sorry, we can't have that," Staff Analyst Brooks walked up to them with the clone right beside her.
"A traitor!" Javik narrowed his eyes at the woman.
"Now, now," Brooks taunted.
"I thought Glyph was ahead of us. Why didn't he alarm Shepard?" Garrus asked out in disbelief.
"Simple," The Shepard copy sneered proudly. "I told him I didn't want to be disturbed. Since I'm Commander Shepard, he obeys me too. Pretty neat."
"You can't be serious…."
"Stupid machine," Javik huffed.
"Who do you work for?" Wrex spoke up to the woman outside the barrier.
"Cerberus at one point. I was the one who put together the dossiers. There was the Salarian doctor, the Asari Justicar, the Turian…" She paused and flashed a quick smile at Garrus. "Finally able to meet you, Archangel."
"Charmed," Garrus spat.
"We are getting overrun, sir! We have to fall back! Shepard is just too much!" A merc screamed through the clone's radio.
Garrus overheard the conversation and now it was his turn to leer at the man. "That can't be good. Sounds like you didn't train your men well."
"Argh," The Clone groaned as he pushed Brooks away. "Handle it!" He activated the vault's console and Garrus nearly fell to his feet as the vault capsule that they appeared to be standing in shifted quickly to the right to slide into the slot. The seals activated and now they were completely in the dark and the air was getting stuffy.
"This is not good," Wrex voice boomed through the darkness.
"Locked in another pod…fantastic," Javik sighed.
"Shepard's on the way. He'll find us. Just stop talking so we won't lose air," Garrus prayed that John would find them trapped. He just hoped he knew which vault to search….after all there were thousands of them.
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Trapped in the void of darkness felt like an eternity. The only light was the occasional screen of an omni tool. There was no use trying to send a message out. The thick metal walls would block all transmissions. It was getting harder to breathe and fought the natural urge to panic to survive. Wrex finally broke the chilling silence, "Refresh my memory, Garrus. Didn't we use to win these things?"
Before, Vakarian could retaliate with a rebuttal, there was a click and they were quickly brought back into the archive lighting. The barrier was removed and Garrus coughed as he instinctively inhaled as much air as he could. Liara stood over him with her VI hovering nearby. "Are you guys alright?"
"We are fine, Asari. Where is the clone?" Javik dusted himself off.
"He managed to trap all of us but Glyph got us out. I think he's heading to the Normandy," Liara helped Garrus up.
"Wrex and Garrus. The clone's determined to get my ship. No one steals my ship. Not even me. Want to help?" John ran up to them.
"Thought you would never ask," Wrex took out his shotgun. "Just point me the way."
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"This is why I hate shore leave. I swear you park the ship for five minutes," Joker grumbled at the sky car's controls as he flew them to the docking station. "All the comms are down. Probably to make it easier to steal my ship!"
"We'll stop him," Shepard assured him.
"The place is crawling down there with those guys," Joker grumbled in defeat as he landed the sky car nearby.
"Good. I needed to kill something," Wrex got out first with John and Garrus behind him.
"One point per kill?" Garrus suggested his Krogan companion with a playful smile.
"Sure," Wrex roared out as he jumped down to take the full blunt of the charge.
The Normandy's engines came to life nearby. "Step it up! He's going to take off!" John knocked a merc over the side with the butt of his rifle as he pushed ahead.
Garrus switched to his pistol. There was no time for finesse. He added the warp ammo and fired away. Wrex unleased a few carnage shots that made several mercs explode leaving a grotesque scene of body parts and blood. "Ugh," Garrus darted around the debris. "Those only count as one, Wrex!"
"Nope!" Wrex laughed as he picked up one scrambling merc and threw him over the side.
John moved past the Krogan and got to the Normandy docking door. "We didn't come this far for that bastard to get my ship." However, he wasn't able to get into the ship itself. The door was sealed. "We'll have to use the emergency hatch that is normally used for evacuation to get inside." He bent down to lift the door.
"Tight space…," Wrex seemed discouraged as he looked down into the hole.
"Don't get stuck," Garrus jumped down behind John. They would have to crawl their way in.
Wrex grunted as he tried his best to crawl to maneuver his way with them. "Krogan don't crawl….plus I don't like a Turian's ass in my face."
"Shhh!" John silenced him. He pointed to the armed guards standing above them. He motioned with his hand for them to halt movement and waited. Then with a nod, he opened the hatch door and leaped out first giving the mercs a surprise. Wasting no time, Garrus opened fire and caught a few mercs square in the chest with his warp ammo.
Wrex laughed in delight, "I always wanted to do this!" He aimed at a charging merc with his shot gun and blasted the merc. The ammo pierced through the man's armor and left a bloody gaping hole in his chest.
"You wanted to have a firefight in the CIC of my ship?" John asked in confusion. He made sure there were no more mercs in sight on this level.
"And it isn't even my birthday!"
Moving over to the elevator, Shepard made a face of displeasure as he saw a crate with all his stuff inside. "Guess he wasted no time taking over. Let's head down."
"Anyone want to talk about their people?" Garrus asked. He remembered back to the days when he was on the Citadel with Wrex for the first time and the riveting conversations they had about the hatred between the Turians and the Krogans.
"Nope," Wrex answered.
"So disappointed."
*********************************************************************
Once on the cargo bay, the fight against the clone was tough. His flunkies were not much of a challenge. He only had a few left and Wrex and Garrus knew the layout of the ship a lot better than they did. The fight against the copy was different. Despite not having the commander's memories, he almost thought like Shepard with his fighting style. The clone yelled out as he leaped down at Garrus with omni blade poised. Garrus rolled to the side to counter the attack and just as he did, Wrex moved in and pushed the clone back but making sure he didn't lose sight of the blade. Garrus raised his rifle and once Wrex cleared, he fired, bringing a significant blow to the shields. Fortunately for them, the clone didn't have true squadmates who worked together.
John smiled at the two looking on and then jumped at the man with his own blade, knocking him back. The two engaged in close hand to hand combat. Garrus and Wrex watched on to give support if their friend couldn't hold his own. Vakarian looked over at Brooks who watched the fight intently, biting her lip. "You think fake finger prints are going to fool the Council or Hackett?" John scoffed at the replica.
"I am Commander Shepard!" The Clone screamed in anger as he threw punches wildly. He was becoming reckless and sloppy with his attacks. Shepard was striking a nerve with him.
"Are you kidding me?" John grabbed the man's fist and squeezed hard, cracking knuckles. "You are nothing like me and you never will be!" He used his other fist to punch him squarely in the abdomen. The man groaned as he doubled over. He fell over and began to roll down the opened cargo ramp but quickly grabbed John's ankle, pulling him with him. The grab made the commander slam down hard to the ramp's floor.
"Shepard!" Garrus yelled as he ran towards him. He saw Brooks lift her weapon to help the other falling man, but Wrex jumped in to take her on. She backed away as she squared off with the Krogan.
"Let's dance," Garrus overheard Wrex say to her.
"Commander!" He held out his hand to grab John before he fell down to his death in the wards below. The Normandy dipped down causing them both to fall to the ramp's edge and grab on for dear life. Garrus carefully walked down the ramp and reached out for the man's hand. "I've got you." He felt a quick tug in the back to see Wrex holding onto him. There was no sight of Brooks.
Getting his foot hold, John slowly stood up, but Garrus assisted him to make sure. Once he knew he was fine, he moved back to the cargo bay opening to see Brooks standing there unsure of herself seeing the other Shepard looking at her in disbelief. She was conflicted about what to do.
"What about this pyjak?" Wrex pointed his thumb to the struggling clone.
John moved over and stood over the dangling man. "Get off my ship!" With that, he stomped his foot hard on the clone's hand causing the man to let go out of reflex from the sudden jolt of pain. He fell down till he was just a speck in the wards below. Peeking over the ramp's edge, Garrus stared down at the passing wards below and felt his head spinning. Nobody could survive that fall, not even the clone of Commander Shepard.
*********************************************************
Coming back to Anderson's apartment was a welcoming site. Maybe they would get some time to rest before debarking off on their next assignment. He moved over to Shepard's personal terminal located in the back room to check for any messages from Andromeda. None. What was going on? He should have never let her go off. What was he thinking? The fight against Cerberus troopers was difficult sometimes even for him. If they had a strong foothold on Eden Prime….no he couldn't think about that. He wanted to put his trust into Sh'sk. The Batarian seemed pretty capable, but Vakarian had no clue on his combat skills. "It's a go!" Joker announced loudly as he moved across to each room in the vicinity as he could. "Finally get shore leave as it should be."
"Come again?" Garrus turned around in confusion to address the jolly pilot.
"One word." Joker grinned at him. "Party. EDI's going to help me get the supplies. You in? Or do you have more calibrations?"
Giving the terminal a small glance, Garrus wanted to stay glued at that position. How could he party while she was out there fighting for her life or even hurt? "I don't think so."
"Awe, don't be a party pooper." The pilot pouted. "Everyone's going to be there."
"Don't worry, Garrus. I have given Glyph access to your account. If you get any messages-"," Liara butted in with a hopeful smile. She then frowned. "Uh, sorry. I should have asked first."
"Hello, Shadowbroker. You can do what you want." Joker shook his head. "Don't apologize. Well, see you guys tonight." He waved as he walked off to join up with EDI.
"Thanks, Liara. I appreciate the gesture, but I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to party," Garrus sighed. "I shouldn't have sent her. Maybe I should call in Wrex's favor. I would feel better knowing there were some Krogan backing her up."
"Wrex is at the bar nearby. Said he needed a drink, but wouldn't really disclose as to why…" Liara shrugged. "I'll keep searching for what I can find."
*********************************
"Turian, there you are." Javik flagged down Garrus on the Silversun strip about two blocks from the bar. "I was looking for the Commander."
"He's probably getting ready for the party tonight. What's going on?"
"A very odd Salarian approached me. Said he needed me to star in a film. Something to do with the Reapers. Said he would give me double credits if I could get the commander to join in."
"Sounds, uh, interesting." Garrus scratched his fringe. "I guess it's not every day that people get to see a real life Prothean."
"Where are you heading?"
"To the bar to meet up with Wrex." He pointed to the building nearby. "I'm not sure what your poison is but you're welcome to come."
Javik scoffed. "Primitives. Your drinks do not compare to what we had." He waved him off with his hand. "Tomorrow, we fight the Reapers. I have to keep a clear head."
"Suit yourself. I'm sure the Krogan Ryncol is too tame for you." Garrus rolled his eyes as he went on. Javik's "unique" personality really showed a different light of the ancient Protheans. Were they all this "charming?"
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"Garrus!" Wrex called out to him from his seat at the bar. Several empty glasses were in front of him. "I knew I could count on you to join me." He gave a slight grunt as he turned around his seat to face the front of the counter again.
Garrus sat on the empty stool next to him. "Starting the party early?" He motioned for the bartender to pour him a glass that was meant for dextro.
Wrex shifted on the stool a few times and groaned slightly. It seemed that he couldn't get comfortable. "I'm sitting this one out. Duty calls back on Tuchanka. I have to get back." He grunted again as he moved a bit.
Garrus looked at him with concern. "Everything okay?"
Wrex sighed and looked down at his lap. "Eve and the females are hitting the ground running and with the genophage cured, there's a lot of catching up to do. Since, I'm the Urdnot Clan Leader, it's up to me to fulfill my duty. Ugh. A bit too much."
Garrus took a swig on his drink and chuckled. "Bit off more than you can chew? Want to go back as a mercenary?"
"Are you kidding? I just needed a break, that's all."
"Getting old, Wrex," Garrus pointed out teasingly.
The Krogan motioned the barkeep for another drink. "You try to please over twenty females at one time. I lost count at twenty. And the hours I have lost sleeping." He then paused. "What about you, Vakarian? Still settling down with that one human girl?"
Feeling himself flushed, Garrus choked on the words he was trying to get out. He took a long gulp of his drink and felt the burn course through his body. "The war keeps me busy, Wrex. Don't know about settling down just yet. Earth and Palaven are both burning. She's still on Eden Prime."
"I see. Those Cerberus troopers are bastards. Want me to send Arlak Company? They were heading to the front line to aid the fight on Earth. But I call them back." The Krogan's voice was serious. "You can't go out tomorrow and not be able to focus." He then added, "Or you can go to Tuchanka and take my place. Though, I'm not sure if you could handle it…"
Garrus nearly spat out his drink hearing the last part. He laughed as he wiped off his mouth. "I think that honor is squarely bestowed upon you, Wrex. Thanks, though." He took out his credit chit and swiped it. "I better head back. Liara is keeping tabs on Andromeda's whereabouts, but I'll keep you posted. I appreciate it. You better show up this evening."
"Alright," Wrex called back to him. "I may show up. Liara will be there. Haha."
**************************
The apartment that night was jamming as Glyph played a lot of local club favorites. Grunt posted himself at the door to keep any riffraff out who were dying for a good jam. Apparently, word spread like Vorcha that the famous Spectre, Command Shepard, was hosting a party. A line formed of party goes begging and bribing to get in. Grunt was amused by repeatedly telling them no. Garrus found some quiet at the bar near the back of the apartment. Everyone else was out near the center, dancing and having a biotic competition. Still no word from Andromeda. He was hoping Liara would find something. He clasped his talons and stared at the wall, deep in his thoughts. All he could see was Andromeda pinned down fighting or even worse, wounded and bleeding out. "You back here by yourself, Garrus?" Zaeed Massani took the stool next to him. "Never thought you would be a loner."
"Just have something on my mind." Garrus was hoping not to sound too shortly or rude to the man beside him. He didn't want to dampen the party's mood.
"Wondered where you were, Vakarian," Wrex walked in and took a seat at the lounge's couch. Behind him was Cortez and Joker. "Needed your opinion on something."
"Come on, guys." Joker protested as he took the seat next to Garrus. He spun around to look at the Krogan. "I don't see what the issue is."
"Sorry, Joker. I'm still siding with Wrex on this one." Steve sat down beside Wrex. "You need to be armed."
"Why?" Joker groaned. "I have you guys."
"What if EDI wasn't there to help you against the Collectors on the Normandy?" The man countered.
"EDI is always there. Besides, one pistol against the Collectors. Oh yeah, I'm screwed anyways."
"Help us out, Garrus." The Krogan spoke up. "Tell Joker that he needs a gun need in the cockpit."
"Yeah, don't be a damsel in distress," Steve teased.
"A what?" Vakarian blinked.
"A Turian," Wrex grinned.
"You are a fucking idiot if you don't have a gun on you. What the hell is wrong with you?" Zaeed broke his silence. Garrus pointed to the man after giving his input and nodded his head in agreement.
"You just need training." Wrex recommended as he stood up from the couch. "It's settled then. Cortez, you have your pistol."
"Sure thing." Steven handed his sidearm over.
"Wait, wait. You say this but then you don't have a weapon? How fair is that?" Joker gingerly got off the stool and glared angrily at the others.
"You couldn't handle my shotgun," Wrex chuckled as he patted his weapon that was holstered on his side. "Now come, pyjak. Grow a quad and follow us. We need more space." Joker groaned as he was being led out with Cortez and Wrex.
"This I have to bloody see." Zaeed turned and looked over at Garrus. "You coming?"
"I'll catch up." Garrus returned his thoughts. He heard faint discord in the next room as the gun training caught the attention and opinion of others. Apparently, the thought of live ammo being fired didn't set well for others in such a closed in space.
"Thought I would catch you here." Liara walked in with a warm smile. "You really need to try to enjoy yourself." The Asari's deep blue eyes looked at him with worry.
"Something is just not right, Liara. Glyph should have found something. A transmission. Something. I don't care if Cerberus encrypted codes. It's better than nothing." Garrus shook his head in aggravation.
"I'll check nearby star systems in that vicinity to see if I come across anything. Maybe, they went somewhere else after leaving Eden Prime and that's why she hasn't gotten back to you. Without a comm buoy, it would be hard to transmit messages. Even with the QEC."
"Liara! Garrus!" John's voice called from the party nearby. "Come here. I want to get a photo!"
"Hurry! Javik's drunk and it's pretty funny. I want to capture his face before he passes out," James added in laughter.
"Duty calls," Garrus smiled.