.
Loyalty and Limerence
Part 2
Chapter 26
The Normandy SR2
"Look, he gave me a set of coordinates and told me to take us there. A planet and a system. That's it. I don't know anything else about any of this." Joker stated as he crossed his arms, and Jane all but snarled as she opened her mouth to retort angrily.
"Hold on," Garrus held out a hand before her, holding her back as he turned to look at Joker, "What about the shuttle? Where is it? Can we track it?" The other man looked hesitant as he shrugged.
"It's still down in the cargo bay." There was a pause before anyone broke the silence that followed.
"Well, fuck." Jane said with evident frustration, "He didn't fucking teleport down onto the planet! Someone must have piloted him down and returned the shuttle. Let's check the logs and-"
"I have wiped the logs, as per Commander Shepard's request." EDI's glowing blue hologram popped into existence above her pedestal, prompting them all to turn toward her.
"What? Why would he ask you to do that?" Jane snapped as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration.
"I suspect he was attempting to prevent you from following him. He made it very clear that he must undergo this mission alone."
"And what is this mission of his, exactly?" Jane with a sneer, crossing her arms. "This isn't like him, he's not usually this short sighted."
"No, you usually have that part covered." Joker stated sarcastically, causing Jane's furious glare to shoot back to him.
"Okay, okay." Garrus stated placatingly, his voice calm and steady, "What about tracking Shepard's hard suit? His life signs? I'm assuming we tried radioing him?"
"Nothing. He's completely off the grid." Jane snapped, running a hand through her hair again as she tried to force herself to calm down.
"Shepard informed me that he would call in when he was ready for extraction, but that he would be maintaining radio silence until that time. He has directed me to keep all details confidential until he indicates otherwise." EDI explained, the tone of her voice firm and determined. Garrus noticed a slight tremor in Jane's right hand before she clenched her fists, taking a deep breath as she shut her eyes. Releasing the breath, she opened her eyes again, the tremor gone. She spun on her heel, leaving the cockpit with a quick, decisive step.
"Wait up," Garrus followed after, forcing her to stop as she hurried through the CIC, a few heads turning to look at them from various consoles, "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to figure out who piloted the shuttle last night, and then I'm going after John." Jane's green eyes bore into him, but he held his ground.
"I don't know why Shepard felt the need to go it alone this time, but we need to trust him. I'm sure he'll be back soon. Let's wait for a little while at least, give him a chance before we go full rescue mode on him."
Jane's eyes narrowed, but then she looked away angrily. "Tsk, fine." She spat, ramming her hands into her pockets. "I don't like this. This isn't like him."
"I know, and I agree. I don't like it either. But let's just wait, see what happens."
"Okay."
And wait they did.
News of Shepard's disappearance swept through the ship like wildfire, and though the set of Jane's jaw and the glint in her eyes gave the impression that she was about to bite someone's head off, she managed to keep her cool for an entire twelve hour shift.
She kept herself busy by slipping into her brother's proverbial shoes. She checked in with crew members throughout the decks, allaying fears and ensuring the smooth running of the ship as it maintained a healthy distance from the batarian colony, Aratoht, with stealth systems active. She filled out the necessary logs, worked her way through checklists, and generally refused to stop moving lest she let her own anxiety and fear catch up with her.
During the few moments he managed to snag with her throughout the day, however, Garrus could see how perturbed she was by her brother's sudden and extended disappearance. At the very least, he managed to convince her to eat and sleep that evening, or at least he could see her laying in her bunk. Whether or not sleep actually managed to find her was another question.
By the twenty four hour mark since the discovery of Shepard's absence, the crew were struggling to maintain any semblance of normality, despite Jane's efforts. Whispers, theories, and panic circulated through the ship, many fearing the worst. While many of the remaining ground team were in favor of organizing some sort of search for their Commander, Garrus had no idea how something like that would realistically be accomplished given their lack of information. No one could figure out where he'd gone, and EDI was still refusing to give up any hints. They couldn't very well search the entire planet, and making their presence known to the batarians could cause an intergalactic incident.
Tali seemed most struck by Shepard's disappearance, a mixture of anxiety for his well being and disappointment in him not confiding in her slowly morphed into a near debilitating despair as their powerlessness quickly became apparent. She was determined to continue on with the daily work of calibrations and maintenance, however it quickly became apparent that she was flagging as lack of sleep and proper meals began taking their toll on her. Jane and Garrus finally managed to convince her to try laying down in Shepard's bed, where she eventually managed to fall asleep as Jane gently rubbed her back.
"Glad you finally got her to sleep," Garrus whispered as Jane pulled a light blanket up over the exhausted quarian, "She really needed it." He watched as she stood and stretched, noting the dark circles under her eyes. "Why don't you lay down, too? You must be exhausted." Jane's eyes hardened as she looked away.
"I'll sleep when I'm dead." She stated dully, and he felt his hope flag slightly. With that, she took the steps up out of the bedroom, pausing suddenly as she passed Shepard's console on his desk. "Huh…"
"What is it?" Garrus asked as he paused beside her, but she said nothing as she stepped forward, sitting slowly in the empty chair.
"Nothing, probably. But maybe…" She flicked the console on, her fingers flying across the controls.
"Maybe? Maybe what?" But she ignored him, or perhaps didn't even hear him as she focused on what was before her. Garrus stood there watching her for a moment in silence.
"Goddamnit, EDI…" She hissed quietly to herself after a minute or two, but the AI chose not to respond.
"I'm going to go get some food. I'll bring you up a tray." He stated after a moment, but got no response. He turned and started for the elevator, finally hearing a distracted response.
"Okay, thanks." She called after him in a tone that plainly stated she hadn't completely processed what he was saying, and he smiled before hitting the elevator holo button, the door to the Commander's cabin closing.
When Garrus returned some time later, levo rations on a tray in one hand, a dextro nutrient paste tube for Tali and a datapad in the other, he found both women completely unchanged from how he'd left them. He placed the tray on the desk next to Jane, where it went completely unnoticed, and quietly placed the tube on the bedside table. He then sat down on the couch with his datapad and began scrolling through some documentation he'd been meaning to brush up on.
Garrus blinked, looking up. He caught a glimpse of the time from the clock on the bedside table and realized two hours had passed since he'd sat down. Tali was still sound asleep, and he heard a whispered curse from the vicinity of the desk that told him Jane was still where he'd left her. Standing with a stretch, Garrus quietly made his way to stand just beside Jane where she continued to sit, typing into the console furiously. The rations were still untouched on the tray nearby.
"Okay, I have to ask. What are you doing?" She finally paused at his question, blinking as she looked up at him.
"Trying to get into John's files. But EDI is being an asshole and is keeping me out. I'm trying to find a work-around." She explained before turning her attention back to the console.
"As we have discussed, I cannot allow you to access Shepard's personal files, it would be an invasion of his privacy." EDI explained, her voice's volume lowered so as not to disturb Tali's rest. "I believe it would be wrong." Jane's brows furrowed, but she declined to reply, instead returning to her work.
"Whatever this is about, I suspect it has something to do with that call he got during the party on Omega. Whoever it was from, John was concerned about something from that point onwards. I'm convinced it's whatever this mission is about, and I'm going to figure it out."
"I feel the need to point out how pointless it is to try getting past EDI's defenses." Garrus said slowly, only receiving a glare in response. "How about you eat something?" He picked up a protein bar off the tray, opening it before holding it out to her. After a moment, she absently held out a hand, taking the bar as he placed it on her palm. He sighed with some small amount of relief as she took a bite of it before putting it down, and he returned to the couch, taking up his datapad again.
Time continued flowing, minutes ticking away into hours. Jane continued at the console, and he was determined to stay awake while she remained so. But eventually it became a battle to keep his eyes open. Numerous times, Garrus attempted to convince her to sleep, but each time he ran into the same stone wall of determination and damned human obstinacy.
Eventually he drapped a thin blanket over her shoulders and returned to the couch, yawning as he sat down, and reached for his datapad again. He pulled up the specs for the Thanix Cannons in order to-
Garrus' eyes snapped open. Groaning, he sat up and looked around groggily, confused as he attempted to process his surroundings. Reality began piecing itself together as he realized Tali was no longer asleep in Shepard's bed, and Garrus shifted from where he was curled up uncomfortably on the couch.
A light blanket slipped off of him, and he vaguely recognized it as the same one he'd draped over Jane's shoulders not long ago. Smiling, he realized she must have brought it over for him when he dozed off. He hoped she had gotten a little rest herself, though he wouldn't be surprised to see her passed out at the desk nearby.
Standing, Garrus stretched and groaned again as his back twinged. He was getting too old to sleep on couches, especially uncomfortable ones. He made his way up the stairs, turning to the desk.
"...Jane?" He looked around, realizing he was alone. He glanced back at the bed to be sure it was actually empty, which it was. He scanned the room, finding no one, and even checked the bathroom. Perhaps she'd gone down to the crew deck to rest? Or perhaps she'd decided to focus on a less fruitless project. He started for the door.
"Jane left approximately three hours ago." Garrus froze at EDI's sudden, unexpected intrusion into his thoughts.
"Okay, thank you EDI. Do you know where I can find her?"
"You misunderstand my meaning. I did not mean to imply that she left Shepard's quarters three hours ago. I meant that she left the Normandy approximately three hours ago."
"What?" Garrus snapped, his blood running cold at the AI's words. "Why would she leave on her own? Did she find something?" He tried to prevent himself from yelling, but it was hard. And why did she leave without me? He couldn't help the questions running through his head, the hurt, confusion, and panic rising quickly in his breast.
"I do believe she left you a message before she boarded the shuttle. I witnessed her recording it, and I believe it should be in your personal files." Hurrying, Garrus pulled up his omni-tool, forcing himself to breath as he noticed one unopened message from Jane blinking up at him. He tapped it, forcing himself to take another steady breath.
A video screen immediately popped open, Jane's face looking up at him with tired, shadowed eyes. She ran an armored hand through her hair as she sighed.
"Garrus, I'm so sorry. I know I'm doing exactly what John just did, and you're probably angry at me. I hope you'll forgive me, but I need you to trust me." She looked away from the screen for a moment as she paused before continuing.
"I got into John's files, or at least some of them. I managed to get his console disconnected from the network, which prevented EDI from stopping me from piecing together enough of the story to figure out what happened. It's a very sensitive Alliance matter, and someone very high up asked that John not bring anyone else into it."
Jane paused again, and Garrus couldn't help but notice how exhausted she looked. "I'm going to respect that John wanted to keep this as confidential as he could, which is why I'm going after him alone. I can get in and out of there more quickly and quietly on my own." She paused before smiling wryly, "No offense, Big Guy. But I'll stay in contact when I can. I'll bring him back with me, one way or another." Her eyes were cold, glinting chips of steel as her face set with determination. A moment later, she softened again as she added, "I love you. I'll be back soon." The message cut out, and he cursed.
"EDI, where's the shuttle now?" Garrus as he hurried through the doors and into the elevator.
"The shuttle was returned to the cargo bay, but I cannot recommend that you go after her."
"Why the fuck shouldn't I?" He snarled, an anger boiling up in him that he hadn't felt the like of since before the incident with Sidonis on the Citadel.
"Because we recently received a ping from Jane's suit's locator. She is no longer down on Aratoht's surface." EDI explained with her usual even voice, somehow managing to only infuriate Garrus more.
"Then where under the spirits is she?" The doors popped open to reveal the CIC and heads turned in alarm as he hurriedly stormed into the cockpit.
"We tracked her to an asteroid cluster, not far from this system's relay. However, we are unsure where she currently is. We have no further clues to go off of until she pings us again."
"Goddammit. Why did you let her go alone?" He demanded as he stopped behind Joker's chair, "Something is clearly wrong if Shepard has been gone this long, it's been well over two days. You should have said something or-" The pilot's chair swiveled around, bringing a peeved Joker into view.
"How come I'm the one who keeps getting yelled at every time a Shepard goes and does something stupid and reckless? What makes you think I have any control over either of them?" Garrus forced himself to back down, forced himself to breathe.
"You're right. I'm sorry, Joker." He brought one hand up to rub his eyes as he placed his other fist on his waist in weary resignation. "Where are we now?"
"Still a little ways out, probably about an hour away from the edge of the asteroid cluster still." Joker stated as his chair spun back around, "We only got the ping a little while ago, but we started in that direction as soon as we got it."
"Understood. Keep me updated, let me know when we enter the asteroid cluster." After a pause, he realized he should probably update everyone else just in case Jane called for backup. "Also, can you call the ground team to the comm room so I can brief them on the developments?"
Joker turned just enough to peer at him, his expression mildly surprised. A small crooked smile graced his face with a single quirked eyebrow. "Yes, sir." He stated with a hint of amusement, though not mockery, in his voice as he settled back in his seat. Garrus realized with sudden embarrassment that he'd swooped in and snatched up command of the ship.
"Thanks." Was all he managed as he turned and left.
After explaining the most recent events to the shocked and increasingly anxious team, Garrus didn't know what to do with himself as they waited. He suited up and instructed the rest of the team to as well, just in case they were needed. After that, he thought he'd try his hand at Shepard's console to see if he could piece together whatever Jane had found. But after realizing she'd reconnected it to the ship's network, he gave up and began pacing instead. After feeding the fish, he gave up on that as well, instead choosing to find something useful to do.
In the end, though, he was incapable of focusing on anything in the main battery, so he paced the crew deck instead as he failed to find anything even remotely distracting in either observation deck.
"Garrus, you'd better get up here." He jumped as Joker's voice caught him pacing a hole in the mess hall floor. He darted for the elevator, cursing its speed with every fiber of his being. His whole body itched with the frantic desire to scream, break something, or both.
"What is it, what's happened?" Garrus nearly yelled as he skidded to a halt behind Joker's chair.
"There's something massive in this asteroid belt, the scopes just lit up like a christmas tree."
"Like a what?" Garrus felt his head cock to the side in confusion at the term.
"Nevermind." Joker sighed, his fingers hurrying over the holo display as he pulled up a series of graphs, "Point is, something with some massive engines just powered up."
"Are we able to make anything else out?"
"We're only picking up the energy signature right now, but..." Joker trailed off, zooming in on the screen displaying the huge spike of energy.
"It would need to be many times the size of the Destiny Ascension, based on its energy output." EDI chimed in, causing Garrus' jaw to pop open.
"How-" He swallowed before continuing, "How can that be? Who's ship is it? Is it a Reaper?" This had to be it. Whatever this massive ship was, it had to be whatever Shepard was sent here for. It had to be where Jane was going.
"We can't make anything out yet, but we'll get closer so we can do a proper scan. Honestly, it seems to be the size of a small planet." Joker stated quickly as he pulled up a few other displays, his fingers flicking between them.
"Okay, but keep stealth systems active. Whatever it is, we don't want it to know we're here. Bring us in carefully."
"Aye aye." Joker stated quickly without argument, once again causing Garrus to blink in surprise. As they started in the direction of whatever was lighting up their scopes, he remained in the cockpit, his arms crossed as his attention flicked between the windows and the display screens.
Something was happening. Something big. It infuriated him that they were left guessing and wondering, speculating from the sidelines as Shepard and Jane put their lives on the line for whatever this was. Worries crept up his spine, settling under his shoulder blades, pinching his brow plates as he glared at the displays in absent thought.
Time dragged onward, impossible to judge unless he bothered checking a clock. His apprehension and foreboding caused it to pass in the blink of an eye, while at the same time his impatience and restlessness caused it to drag and dilate.
Miranda showed up eventually, and he explained the situation. Without argument, she joined in the silent vigil as they approached… whatever it was.
Was this it? Were the Reapers here? Was this the beginning of the end? He had to find Jane and Shepard, they couldn't-
"You're not going to believe this!" Joker sat upright and leaned forward. Garrus gripped the side of the chair as he leaned in as well.
"What? What is it?" Miranda asked urgently as she peered over their shoulders.
"It's… an asteroid!" Joker stated with laugh, his voice caught between disbelief, amusement, and awe.
"How can that be possible? How is it moving? And with that much power?"
"It seems to have thrusters," Joker speculated, "So there must be an eezo core or something. It's not just moving forward, it's been slowly changing direction. It probably has a guidance system installed. I can't even begin to speculate what the purpose of this is, though. It's still picking up speed, it's downright insane."
"We will be within visual distance soon. I am tracking its trajectory and will be able to make a better estimation of its purpose in a few minutes, as it still appears to be correcting its angle." EDI said from her pedestal and Garrus peered out the window.
The cockpit was silent as they continued their journey toward the asteroid, but after a few minutes, Garrus could have sworn he saw a pinpoint flash of bright blue before it was blocked from view again.
"I have calculated what I believe the asteroid's most likely course to be." EDI stated after a minute, but then seemed to hesitate before continuing, "My conclusion is… worrisome."
"Where is the asteroid going?" Garrus asked with mounting apprehension, unsure what could possibly cause an AI to experience discomfort or fear.
"If the asteroid continues on its current trajectory, it will collide with this system's mass relay."
"You have got to be shitting me!" Joker exclaimed, his eyes wide as he glanced at the AI, his expression as horrified as Garrus' own.
"I thought mass relays were indestructible, what would happen if they were to collide?" Garrus asked with trepidation, his heart beginning to hammer insistently within his chest.
"There is no known documentation of a mass relay having been destroyed, but that does not necessarily mean it is impossible. With the size of this asteroid and the rate of acceleration, it is very likely that it will cause catastrophic damage when it collides."
"Shiiiiit." Joker groaned, and Garrus couldn't help but agree.
"To make matters worse, mass relays are, in effect, the largest mass effect engines in the galaxy. The amount of energy stored within them is unimaginable. Destroying one would likely resemble a star going supernova in total energy output."
The words reverberated through the silent cockpit as cold dread set in.
"It's going to destroy the entire system," Garrus whispered, and the reality of their situation settled hard upon their shoulders, "And us with it."
EDI continued on, discussing her calculations for the asteroid's speed at time of impact, estimation of time remaining, and the likely resulting energy output, but Garrus only barely registered the numbers. His mind was rushing through possibilities, plans, and fears.
He needed to get down to the asteroid's surface and find the Shepards. But what if they weren't there? What if they'd gone somewhere else? What if there was some other base of operations on a nearby asteroid where it was being piloted from? What if he took the shuttle down to the asteroid to look for them, leaving it unavailable when they called for a pick up?
There was no right answer. He'd never envied Shepard these sorts of difficult decisions. Swallowing, Garrus squared his shoulders and tried to look less terrified than he felt.
"Get us closer to that asteroid, we need to get scans if we can. We'll wait as long as we can in hopes of hearing from Shepard or Jane, but we'll need to leave with enough time to make it through the relay before the impact. Keep trying to make contact with them on the usual channels." He stated firmly, recognizing his tone from his days as Archangel. Miranda turned to glance at him, her expression weighing before she nodded.
"I agree." Was all she said, turning to look at the readouts again.
Time continued to tick by, the seconds seeming to echo like a gong in his head, beating in time with his heart as it seemed to smash against his ribcage. The light from the thrusters was so intense that the brightness made it seem closer than it actually was. They waited with tense anticipation as the asteroid slowly became recognizable.
"That thing must really be massive if we can see it so clearly already," Joker murmured as he piloted the Normandy between two smaller nearby asteroids, "I don't see how-" He was cut off as a new display popped up before him.
"We've received a ping from Jane." EDI informed them a half second later, and Garrus felt the beginnings of hope blossom.
"Yeah, but it's completely garbled, we're lucky to have received it at all." Joker grumbled as he enlarged the display, numbers flying as he scanned the data. "I think the transmission is being blocked by something. I can't tell, these numbers are… odd. If there's something down there causing issues with communication, that would explain why we haven't heard anything from them yet."
"Did the signal come from down on the asteroid?" Garrus asked sharply, and Joker shrugged his shoulders non committedly.
"It's hard to say, it was really garbled. Like I said, I'm surprised we received anything at all."
"Okay." Garrus took a deep breath as he ordered his thoughts, narrowing his eyes, "Joker, keep us on course toward the asteroid. Miranda, grab a team and get to the shuttle. Be ready, we might not have much time." He glanced through the window, the bright speck that was the mass relay coming into view beyond the asteroid.
"Of course." She stated simply before turning and hurrying to the elevator as she pulled up her omni-tool.
Seconds and minutes oozed by in a thick, viscous manner that made Garrus want to scream. Having heard something, anything, from Jane taught him to hope, if only a little. It also had the effect of opening a whole new can of worries and concerns. It became nearly impossible to rip his eyes away from the horrific sight before them as both the asteroid and relay continued to grow larger. The Normandy continued to dodge between massive rocks, some the size of Kodiak shuttles, some the size of small planetoids.
The sound of static breaking over the comm channel shattered the silence, and the voice that followed would have brought tears to his eyes if he'd been capable of producing them.
"Jane to Normandy-" She hissed in pain before continuing, her voice ragged, "Joker, do you-" She cut out suddenly as though the connection was cut abruptly, and Garrus gripped the edge of Joker's chair in desperation as he lurched forward to jam his finger into the button to open the mic.
"Jane! Come in, Jane! Do you read?" Garrus attempted to keep his near panic out of his voice, failing miserably in the case of his subvocals. He tried to convince himself that there was just something wrong with the comm channel, or she'd been distracted, or-
He ran through a half dozen possible reasons for why her transmission had been cut short, forcing his imagination away from the darker possibilities. Joker continued trying to hail her, but there was nothing but static on the line.
"Dammit." The pilot cursed, his hands flicking through various communication displays.
"The transmission came from the asteroid's surface." EDI pointed out after a moment, and Garrus felt his jaw clench even as his hope soared.
"Okay. Get us in there, let's bring them home." Garrus growled as he glanced through the window at the approaching asteroid, the thrusters nearly blinding at this proximity. He radioed down to Miranda and told her to standby.
"Nevermind the shuttle," Joker said distractedly as he pulled up their most recent scans, "I think I can bring us in close enough to get them through the airlock."
"Do it." Was all Garrus said, his grip tightening painfully on the chair back.
The static on the comm channel cleared suddenly, and Joker tried again, "Jane, Normandy inbound for pickup." He stated firmly as they came up along the side of the asteroid.
"Roger that." Garrus couldn't help the sharp intake of breath as they heard Shepard's strained voice reply. The Normandy quickly began to decelerate, coming in close as they neared the front of the asteroid.
"Bring us as close as you can, I'll meet them at the airlock." Garrus directed as he turned and hurried for the airlock, grabbing up his helmet and jamming it on his head. He closed the inner door behind himself and waited with baited breath until Joker opened the outer door.
The door snapped open, and Garrus almost felt light headed with relief as he saw Jane and Shepard, both helmeted and hurrying toward him. Jane was nearly dragging Shepard along as he limped, favoring his right leg, his right arm slung over Jane's shoulders.
Then he registered the blood. And there was a lot of it. Shepard's chest plate was soaked in it, crusty and brown as though it were days old, an impact hole near his left shoulder. Worse was Jane, whose entire right side was drenched in blood from the waist down. There was a bullet hole in her midriff, and from the apparent loss of blood, he was amazed she was conscious, let alone moving.
His eyes were caught by the impending mass relay, huge as it loomed closer.
"Hurry!" Garrug shouted to them, getting a hand hold and reaching out to the siblings as they ran. As soon as they were in reach, he grabbed Shepard's other arm, pulling him inside. As soon as they both stumbled into the airlock, Garrus smashed the holo button to shut the door, and he felt the Normandy begin to accelerate again.
Turning, he saw Jane wobble slightly, Shepard's arm still draped over her shoulders.
"Garrus." She murmured as her eyes seemed to roll backwards behind the glass of her helmet. She crumpled, and he jerked forward to catch her just before she hit the floor, Shepard struggling to find his footing with his support suddenly gone.
"Jane, wake up. Come on. Please." Garrus pleaded as he examined her. Besides the bloody wound in her side, he could also see blood on her face inside her helmet. He refocused his gaze to see the readout on his visor and quickly read through her vitals.
"Grab her, we need to hurry." Shepard muttered, his voice tight as he limped through the inner airlock door, making for the cockpit. Garrus positioned his arms under Jane, pulling her close as he lifted her up, holding her against his chest. Standing, he hurried after Shepard. The mass relay loomed before them, the glow soaking them all in a cool blue.
"Get us out of here, Joker!" Shepard snapped as he stopped beside the pilot's chair, leaning against it for support. They picked up speed, the mass relay becoming larger and larger until it took up the entire window. They came up alongside it, and just before he felt the tug of the mass relay catching them up, Garrus turned to look out the other window. His blood froze as he saw the asteroid coming ever nearer, faster than they ever could have imagined.
Space seemed to elongate around them as they were flung safely away from the relay. They stood there in silence for a moment, and they felt the weight of an entire system being wiped out. Shepard seemed to wilt where he stood, and Garrus felt his eyes widen. That entire batarian colony-
"Shepard!" Garrus turned to see Tali whip past him, coming to a stop before the Commander as he turned slowly to face her. He grabbed her and pulled her into a close hug, not saying a word. "Are you okay? What happened? Where- Oh, Keelah! You're bleeding!" She gasped, but he didn't respond as he pulled away.
"Garrus, get her down to Chakwas." Shepard stated as he nodded at Jane laying slumped in Garrus' arms, her dead weight feeling eerily familiar after the events in Morinth's apartment all those months ago.
Without needing further encouragement, he turned on his heel and hurried toward the elevator, her blood loss causing concern and fear to rise quickly as they left behind the danger of the Bahak system.
As he stood in the slow moving machine, the silence slowly wormed into his gut. It was broken by a slow drip, drip, drip, and he looked down with growing alarm at the puddle of red at his feet. He tried to fight the taste of bile in the back of his throat as he willed the elevator to move faster.
The doors finally opened and he took off running.
"Garrus? Wha-?" Chakwas exclaimed as he stumbled into the medbay, her eyes landing on the armored body clutched in his arms, "Get her up on a bed, we need to get that armor off her." She stated urgently before instructing EDI to shutter the windows. Carefully, he laid Jane down on one of the beds and began assisting the doctor as she began carefully peeling the armor off, piece by piece.
He heard his own sharp intake of breath as he removed her helmet, blood coating one side of her face in half dried streams. Garrus tried not to panic, realizing she had some sort of head wound. Head wounds always looked worse than they were, but it looked pretty damn bad from where he stood.
As each new piece of armor was removed, Garrus' dread continued to grow, the whole picture of her wounds becoming apparent. Chakwas had already ripped parts of Jane's undersuit away as she began tending to the gunshot wound.
Having served the extent of his helpfulness, Garrus was promptly ordered out of the medbay, but he didn't drift far as he paced by the door. Events had spiraled so far out of his ability to cope the past few days. The atmosphere of life on the Normandy had gone from celebratory, jubilant, and relaxed to confused, anxious, and dire in what seemed like the blink of an eye. It'd all started, like Jane had pointed out, with the call Shepard had gotten when they'd arrived on Omega.
"Is she going to be alright?" Garrus looked up to see Shepard and Tali turn the corner from the elevator, Shepard leaning heavily on the smaller quarian.
"I… I don't know. There was a lot of blood." Garrus stated, his dull voice disheartened as he looked at his feet, feeling sick as he noticed the drying human blood coating his own hard suit. His subvocals were a confusing mess of emotions, he didn't even know how he felt. More and more, though, he seemed to be feeling a cold numbness seeping into his bones. He was so tired and so drained.
"I need to get in there." Shepard said urgently, and the other two moved forward toward the medbay. Garrus swallowed the sudden, unexpected upsurge of anger at the other man, and followed them into the room. He didn't know why Shepard had disappeared or what had happened, but he needed to wait for some sort of explanation before he placed blame. It was hard, especially given the pain of knowing that he hadn't trusted any of them enough to include them. But he must have had a good reason for his actions.
"Garrus, I told you to wait in the-" Chakwas glanced over her shoulder, doing a double take as she registered the group entering. "Get him up on the other bed there. You'll need to wait until I'm finished stabilizing Jane." With that, she returned her focus to the bloody mess before her as she worked to rectify the damage, the medbay's robotic arms assisting where they could.
"Jane!" Shepard gasped as he jerked forward toward his sister, stopping only when Garrus joined in Tali's attempt to keep him back.
"Shepard, give her space to work. You won't do Jane any good if you distract Chakwas now." Tali murmured gently and Shepard soon stopped fighting them. He allowed them to lead him to a cot on the other side of the room, and together they began helping him out of his armor. "Keelah, these look awful!" Tali exclaimed as she fingered the hole in his chest plate.
"It looks worse than it is. They treated most of my older wounds when I was under." Shepard stated distractedly as he watched Chakwas work, his face blanching by the moment.
"While you were under…?" Tali asked, alarm in her voice as her head snapped up, "Shepard, what happened? Why did you leave without saying anything?" The hurt and reproach in her voice echoed Garrus' own feelings, and he busied himself by continuing with the latches on the other man's hard suit.
Shepard tore his eyes away from his sister's unconscious body, but his gaze seemed to drift aimlessly, his eyes unfocused and haunted. Garrus helped him get his arm out of his undersuit, and Shepard winced as he rolled his otherwise unharmed shoulder. There was crusty blood all over the armor, but he seemed to be right about having received medical treatment since the wound had happened.
The Commander sighed, squeezing his eyes shut as he let loose a ragged breath he'd been holding, bringing a hand up to run over his short buzzed hair. Letting his hand fall back down again, he opened his eyes, and Garrus recognized the tiredness he saw there. His mind was instantly transported to the days he spent struggling during the ordeal in that apartment on Omega following the deaths of his team.
"I'm so sorry, guys. None of this went how I thought it would. Over 300,000 people just died on that colony and I-" Shepard's breath hitched as he paused, taking a deep breath as he struggled to master himself, "I'm sorry. I put you all in danger by getting us mixed up in all of this, but I didn't have a choice. The Reapers were coming, I had to delay them if I could."
"What?" Garrus and Tali exclaimed, and even Chakwas looked up sharply before returning to her work, blood covering the front of her uniform. Garrus felt his fingers fumble as he helped unbuckle the damaged plate covering Shepard's injured thigh, causing him to hiss in pain.
"Tell us what happened." Tali insisted, and after a moment, Shepard nodded.
"When we were on Omega, I got a call from Admiral Hackett." He began as Garrus and Tali finished helping him out of his gear and began administering first aid. "What I'm going to tell you can't leave this room. That includes you, EDI."
"Understood." The AI said simply, and Shepard continued.
"Hackett told me about an agent of theirs positioned deep within batarian territory who had been tasked with tracking down a rumor about Reaper tech in that system. She'd been caught and ended up in a batarian prison, and he asked me to break her out. He requested that I handle it alone and inform no one else. I wouldn't have excluded you guys for anything less, and even now I regret having gone in there by myself. If not for Jane, I don't know what would have happened. I still have no idea how she knew where to find me."
"She hacked into your files and must have figured out where you'd gone." Garrus pointed out, but Shepard still looked confused.
"That doesn't explain how she knew to find me on Project Base."
"...hn…." Consciousness began tickling the back of his mind.
"...ohn….." His head was swimming and his eyes felt like lead weights, but he recognized that voice from somewhere.
"John!" The world jerked as he was shaken, and John managed to open his eyes. Everything was washed out and blurry as he struggled to force his vision to focus.
"What?" He asked slowly, his eyes darting around as he began to recognize the sight before him as a ceiling. His mouth felt like it was full of cotton, his tongue the size of a car and as rubbery as a sea cucumber. A head appeared in his line of sight, the shock of vivid red hair recognizable even while blurry. "Jane?"
"Come on, get your lazy ass off this table. Move, soldier!" She snapped angrily as she grabbed his arm, but it felt like someone else' body she was tugging. He looked down, realizing she had him sitting up, but he didn't recognize the legs attached to his body. Were those his? Did he even have legs? His whole body felt like jelly. He was going to be sick.
"What's… going on?" John asked slowly as Jane got him onto his feet, wobbling before she caught him.
"I was hoping you could tell me that." She hissed furiously just as an alarm went off, causing her to curse under her breath.
"Where are we?" He looked around, blinking as his vision slowly began to clear. It was some sort of lab. Something was wriggling in the back of his mind, something… important.
"On a fucking asteroid. There's some kind of merc force here. I have no idea what the fuck is going on, and you're going to tell me." Jane slung his arm over her shoulders and made for the door. He noticed the bodies of an unconscious scientist and two guards strewn about on the floor.
An asteroid…?
The events of the past few hours rushed into him like a blow to the head and he reeled. Dr. Kenson, the prison, the escape, the asteroid, the artifact…
The Reapers.
Frantically, his eyes began scanning the room, desperate to find one of the clocks that had littered the base during his pseudo tour hours earlier.
2 hours, 3 minutes, 23 seconds. 22 seconds. 21 seconds-
Not hours ago - days ago.
They'd drugged him, left him laying there for nearly two days. Why hadn't they killed him? They'd clearly been indoctrinated by the Reaper artifact, or at the very least, Dr. Kenson had been.
Dr. Kenson. Where was she now? There wasn't much time left. Could they get the Project activated in time? Before the Reapers arrived?
"John?" Jane asked hesitantly, "What's going on? What is this place, and why did you come here?" He tried standing on his own, thanking the heavens when his legs held his weight.
"Help me find my gear and I'll tell you everything I know."
"Welcome to Project control." The VI stated as they approached the control console, ticking timers and data displays staring down at them. John took a half step forward.
"We want to activate the Project." He stated concisely, and instantly warnings popped up on the holo screen before them.
"Warning: Activating the Project will result in an estimated three hundred five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue?"
"Fuck." Jane whispered beside him, lifting a hand up to run through her hair. A large, red holo button glowed up at them from the console. John lifted a hand, but then faltered. He looked away, shifting hesitantly as the implications came swarming in.
Could he do it? Could he murder over 300,000 people? It was for a good cause, the galaxy wasn't ready for the Reapers. Billions were going to die when they arrived and they needed every moment to prepare they could muster.
But what if… What if he really was wrong about all of it? What if the Reapers really were a figment of his imagination? What if he really had fallen for some elaborate ruse created by Saren to confuse him? Was he about to murder all these people for no reason?
But no. Everything they'd seen with the Collectors, the human Reaper core they'd destroyed… There's no way he dreamt all that up. The Reapers were real, and that artifact had proven to him that they were coming. Everything he'd seen, everything they'd accomplished, he wasn't making it up. They were real.
The red button glowed green as Jane's hand smashed into it. John's eyebrows shot up as he looked at her, and she turned to look at him, her eyes determined.
"We can't hesitate." She snapped, but as she stared at him, John swore he could see a faint glassiness in her eyes, "The Reapers are coming, and we need to get out of here. Now."
"Jane-" The floor jerked violently and they were nearly knocked over as the engines ignited.
"Project activation in process. Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."
"We need to warn the batarians." John pulled up his omni-tool, immediately attempting to secure a connection with the colony.
"You do that, I'm going to radio the Normandy. Hopefully they can get here in time even with the asteroid field."
"Alert: All colonists living in the Bahak system. This is-"
"Shepard! No!" The frenzied face of Dr. Kenson appeared on the screen before them. "Do you have any idea what you've done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed!" John glared at her before directing his attention to the VI again.
"Tell me where to find Doctor Amanda Kenson."
John groaned, pain intruding suddenly upon the peaceful blackness of oblivion.
"Warning: Collision imminent." A synthetic voice echoed through the confines of his head, the pain vibrating in time with it.
"Jane?" He muttered as he slowly began propping himself up on his elbows. Looking around in confusion, he began piecing together what had happened. They'd made it down to the reactor, coming face to face with an enraged Dr. Kenson. She'd pulled out a detonator, then Jane had shot her, but he didn't remember anything after that other than pain.
"Warning: Collision imminent." The VI stated again. John began pulling himself up, but cried out in pain as he put weight on his right leg.
"Jane? Where are you?" He called out again, worry beginning to trickle in as he received no reply. He tried again, managing to carefully pull himself to a sitting position. As he turned around, he saw her slumped against the wall, blood trickling down one side of her face. "Jane!"
"Warning: Collision imminent."
She groaned, and John grit his teeth as he pulled himself over to her. He pulled up his omni-tool, but of course they hadn't refilled his medi-gel after they'd knocked him out in the room with the Reaper artifact.
"Come on, I need you to wake up, Jane." John brought his hands up to cup her cheeks, rubbing a trickle of blood away. She groaned again, and then her eyes flickered open. "There you are. Stay with me."
"John? What-?"
"Come on, we need to get moving." She blinked at him, but suddenly her eyes widened in understanding. She glanced up, and he turned to see the count down.
29 minutes, 56 seconds.
"Warning: Collision imminent."
Jane winced, but slowly began pulling herself up the wall. She then helped him up, and together they hobbled to the control console, his arm slung over her shoulders as he limped.
"Joker, this is Shepard. We need a pickup. Now." Nothing but static answered him. "Damnit."
"Evacuation protocols in effect. All personnel report to escape shuttles." The VI stated evenly, and Jane shifted as she glanced about the room.
"Where can we find an escape shuttle?" Jane asked aloud, and the VI answered.
"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower. The remaining escape shuttles will be located on the tower's landing pad."
"Come on, we need to hurry. Our only chance is getting to that comm tower and taking a shuttle." She grunted, pulling John along as they made their way to the elevator.
"We made it to the landing pad just in time to see the last shuttle leave. I was starting to give up hope, particularly after that hit Jane took as we fought a YMIR mech. But we managed to get the comm tower open again, which was when Jane tried to radio you the first time." John recounted before sighing with relief as Tali massaged some medi-gel into his injured leg.
"Yeah, I remember that. She was cut off suddenly." Garrus said as he attempted to keep himself from watching as Chakwas began tending to the gash in Jane's scalp.
"Well, we were paid a visit. By Harbinger." Someone in the room gasped. "Well, a hologram of it, at any rate. It didn't have anything nice to say." Garrus snorted despite himself. "You guys showed up a moment later, and you know the rest of the story." Shepard finished as he stretched out his leg hesitantly, wincing.
Garrus felt much of his frustration and anger with their Commander melt away in light of the distressing story. They'd had no idea that the Reaper's invasion had been so imminent, they'd thought they'd have months yet to prepare. And now they would, thanks to the sacrifice of thousands of batarian lives. A few hundred thousand sacrificed to potentially save millions, if not billions. Ruthless calculus. He clenched his eyes shut.
"I need to handle a few things." Shepard muttered wearily as he carefully lowered himself off the cot and onto the floor. Tali caught him, helping him as he tested his weight on his injured leg.
"I've nearly stabilized your sister," Chakwas stated hurriedly as she continued her work, "But she's far from out of the woods just yet. Come back when I'm finished with her and I'll take a proper look at your leg. But you don't look like you're dying, so you should be fine to wait until then."
"Yes, ma'am." Shepard stated, giving his pale, bloodied sister one last look before turning to the door. "I know she's in the best hands." Garrus could see the small smile on Chakwas' face as Shepard and Tali left.
"Thank you, Chakwas." Garrus added, and without another word, he turned and followed suit.
"Why don't you go get cleaned up, Garrus?" Shepard said as they moved toward the elevator, "Then, I'd like it if you would meet me up in my quarters, I need to get up to date on what's been going on since I left. First, though," He sighed, suddenly looking years older as weariness settled on his shoulders, "I have a few calls I need to make. I think I have some questions to answer."
(Notes: One more chapter, and we'll be at the end of part 2! I'm so excited! Hang on, folks, we're almost there.)