.

Loyalty and Limerence

Part 3

Chapter 5

The Normandy SR2

And suddenly, the Normandy had become a bit crowded.

Garrus thought he'd seen it all when the Alliance became the temporary home of the Primarch of Palaven, followed by a bunch of powerful biotic school children. But adding a Prothean – a fucking Prothean – Well, Garrus was pretty sure he'd seen it all.

They'd received notice from Hackett shortly after their departure from Grissom Academy that Eden Prime had been taken by Cerberus, and that there had been some sort of major Prothean artifact uncovered there. Since it had been on the way, Shepard led the mission to steal the artifact out from under them. Little did they know that it wouldn't be an artifact, but a Prothean itself. An actual Prothean, who would have thought…

Tagging along with Shepard, you really did see everything.

The Prothean – Shepard mentioned he called himself 'Javik' – had holed himself up in the port side cargo bay, the one that had once been Grunt's space. Liara had gone into a frenzy of activity after Javik had come aboard, preparing the space in a manner that she hoped he would find comforting. If he did, he kept his thoughts about it to himself. During Garrus' single experience seeing Javik since coming aboard, he got the distinct feeling that the Prothean thought of them as little more than insects under his foot.

"So, what do you think?" Garrus jumped as he registered Jane's sudden presence beside him. She looked up at him, a question in her eyes as she leaned against the crate he was perched upon. He looked back up at where the windows looking into the port cargo bay used to be and sighed.

"You mean about Javik?" He asked, and she nodded. Garrus glanced around the large space of the shuttle bay. Ashley and Vega stood by the weapons bench debating something to do with a particularly complicated weapon mod, while Cortez stood at the procurement interface, his fingers flying as he focused on the display.

"Yeah." She murmured, and Garrus shrugged.

"I don't know. I've seen a lot of crazy things in my time on the Normandy, but an actual Prothean? Seeing as he can't really help with the Prothean device Hackett's going to be building, I suppose he's nothing more than one more gun in our arsenal, really. An interesting gun, for sure. But still."

"I was really hoping he'd have some insights for us about that device." Jane mused, clearly disappointed.

"Yeah. Hell of a thing, though. Waking up to find everything you know is destroyed. But I imagine the chance to get some payback is consolation."

"True. I don't think you and I will get a second chance against the Reapers." They both sighed and fell into a quiet moment of bleak contemplation before Garrus chuckled.

"I can't help the feeling that he's thinking of the best way to cook us up and eat us." He said with a grin, causing Jane to snort and laugh. "Do you think he'd prefer boiled asari or fried turian?"

"Ugh, gross." Jane's nose wrinkled in a way he could only describe as adorable. "No offense, but that just sounds… awful."

"Or how about some smoked human jerky?" Garrus reached over and used a finger to gently pinch Jane's arm. He was pleased to see her jump, but his grin grew as he continued, "You humans have plenty of squishy meat, surely you look the most appetizing. I don't know about you, but I'm not willing to take one for the team."

Jane laughed, the sound bright and refreshing as it echoed through the room. Ashley and Vega looked up from their debate at the sudden sound. Ashley's eyebrows jumped quickly as she smiled and looked back down at her work, muttering something quietly to Vega. He looked at her with a confused expression and the quick shake of his head, and they returned to their debate.

Jane pushed off the crate and turned to face him. "Tonight, you up for a round of cards? We have that big fancy card table up on the port observation deck, it seems a waste not to use it. I asked John if we could reinstate game night, and he gave me a noncommittal answer that I've chosen to interpret as a 'yes'." Garrus chuckled and shook his head fondly before leaping down off the crate.

"Sure, as long as Victus doesn't need me for anything. Gone are the days of being off duty."

"Don't I know it." Jane rolled her eyes with a tired sigh.

"Who else are you wrangling into this?"

"Liara has agreed to join us, at least for a few minutes, and I'm about to ask Ash and James over there. Cortez already declined, but I've got Kaidan and Jack on the hook. EDI claims she would like to watch, but doesn't want to play for some reason. Something about studying human nature? Anyway, I might ask a few others, we'll see. John probably won't join us, more's the pity." Her face fell as she continued with a shrug, "He could use a break, I think."

"Yeah, he's been looking a little tense, but I can understand why."

"Yeah." Jane repeated and they stood there in silence for a moment before she forced a smile and punched him lightly in the arm. "I'm going to go wash up, I smell like an old gym sock." She made to leave, but Garrus stopped her to carefully tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I like how you smell." He whispered, leaning in slightly, just enough not to make a scene. Jane's chuckle was low and husky, even as her cheeks flushed ever so slightly with pleasure, and he let his fingers linger for a moment as his finger tip traced the curve of her ear. Humans were so odd, but he was finding all her oddities to be so unbelievably precious.

"I highly doubt I smell that fantastic when I'm covered in post workout sweat, but thanks." He started to pull away, but her hand snapped up to grab his wrist. They stood there, slightly too close, and their eyes locked. Jane felt like a magnet, drawing him in with a power he was unable or unwilling to fight. Without looking away, she slowly brought his wrist to her lips, pressing a slow, soft kiss there before letting go and pulling away. "I'll see you later. Bring your chits, I'm going to clean house."

Garrus laughed as she turned and left, striding toward the elevator with a swagger that made him roll his eyes affectionately. The world may be burning, but Jane Shepard would always be Jane Shepard, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Later that evening, as the Normandy hurtled through space toward the Citadel, Garrus left the main battery and headed through the mess hall to the port observation deck. He had a very small pouch of credit chits, but Jane would have to be happy, as he'd hardly packed for a vacation before rejoining to Normandy.

The mess hall was currently full of rowdy teenagers, and Garrus had to admit that humans and turians weren't really all that different. They were laughing, joking around, and engaging in general silliness while Kahlee Sanders did her best to keep them as under control as she could. Humans always smelled a little funny, but there was a general stink lingering in the air as he passed by the teens that seemed to transcend species. It might be slightly different than the usual turian teen stink, biology was biology after all, yet it was also somehow exactly the same.

He left the noise behind him as he entered the port observation deck.

"Garrus! Saved you a spot!" Garrus turned to see Jane waving him over from her spot at the table, an open seat beside her. Ashley and Kaidan had taken the seats across from her, with Jack taking up one side, and Vega the other.

"Hey, Scars. Time to see if turians can handle themselves at the card table, eh?" Vega leaned back as he looked over his shoulder at him with a nod.

"If memory serves, he was always a little too… distracted to play well." Ashley grinned as she shot a side eye at Jane, who shrugged as she smiled somewhat enigmatically.

"Huh. Really?" Vega mused as he leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "You don't strike me as the space cadet sort."

"What can I say? Sometimes the cards aren't the most interesting thing in the room." Garrus stated as he sat down in the seat Jane had indicated. She handed him over a drink without a word, and he smiled at her in thanks. Her own glass was already half empty. "Is anyone else joining us, or is this it?"

"Liara should be in any moment, and I think-"

The door opened, and EDI stepped through, looking almost unsure of herself.

"I have arrived. I apologize for being 2.3 minutes late, Shepard required my assistance." She said as she came to a stop in a corner of the room, positioning herself to watch the game. Everyone greeted her, but after a minute, Jack turned to glare at her.

"What, are you just going to stand there like a fucking creeper?" She snapped before gesturing to the nearest seat.

"I am perfectly comfortable standing, and this position provides the best vantage point from which to observe." EDI explained, and Jack deadpanned as she continued staring at the AI.

"Sit. Down. You're creeping me out, just hanging around back there." Jack urged, and EDI's eyes flicked quickly between each person at the table.

"Ah, this appears to be a social convention. I shall sit." Without further ado, EDI promptly lowered herself into a chair and placed her hands in her lap almost elegantly. "My apologies."

The door opened again, and Liara hurried in. "I'm sorry, I hope you were not waiting long. I received a few unexpected reports that I needed to handle. I probably won't be able to stay long." She quickly dropped into the last remaining seat beside Vega.

"No worries, Doc. You didn't keep us waiting at all. Now, let's get playing!" He reached toward the middle of the table and plucked up the deck of cards before drawing them closer and looking around the room. "So, Skyllian Five?" There were nods, and he began shuffling and dealing out cards.

Garrus was, admittedly, a little rusty at Skyllian Five poker. He remembered the rules well enough from the few games they'd played in the past, but the best strategies had long since evacuated his brain. He seemed to do well enough, though, and at least he didn't appear to be the worst.

"So, Kaidan," Liara began as everyone considered their newest hand, "How have you enjoyed teaching? When I'd seen that you'd taken a position at Grissom Academy, I suspected that it might be a good fit. But I wasn't positive, given everything that happened during your own biotic training."

Kaidan blinked in surprise at the question before considering it. "It's been nice. Really nice. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. Given everything that happened in the past, 'Brain Camp' and all that," His mouth twisted in distaste before he continued, "Honestly? It's been a little therapeutic, I think. I can't undo what was done to me or others, but I can make sure the same doesn't happen to the next generation of biotics."

There were murmurs of agreement and understanding, but Garrus noticed Jack's raised eyebrow and immediately smelled trouble.

"Wow," Jack jeered with sarcasm, "Bet you had it reeeeaaal hard at your little biotic training camp, Wonder Bread. Must have been sooo traumatic." She took a swig of her drink with a disdainful sniff. Kaidan slowly lowered his own bottle from his lips as he looked at her with a surprised and hurt expression.

"Yeah. It was. Kids died." He stated cooly, and the entire room seemed to drop a few degrees as he and Jack locked eyes. Ashley and Vega exchanged guarded looks as they glanced between the two, and Garrus could hear both Jane and Liara sigh quietly.

"Oh, cry me a fucking river. Some dumb ass kids had a few accidents and I'm supposed to feel sorry for you? At least you weren't constantly under attack." Jack sneered as she leaned back in her chair and looked down at her cards.

"Ah, here we go with the biotic trauma pissing contest…" Jane muttered under her breath and Garrus felt his mandibles flick.

"Well, when my teacher pulled a knife on me, I killed him. I suppose you could call that an accident." Kaidan replied sarcastically, his face pinched in semi-controlled anger, and Garrus could see Vega's eyes widen in shock as he turned to reevaluate the other man. Jack opened her mouth to respond, but paused, rethinking her words. Her eyes seemed to lose some of their fire, her expression oddly considering and weighing as she looked back at Kaidan.

"Maybe we have that in common, then." She replied in a slightly softer voice, her eyes falling down to examine the green card table as her free hand grabbed at her bottle. After taking another sip, she added in a firmer voice, "But at least you weren't kidnapped, and then tortured and drugged on a regular basis."

The room was silent, so painfully, awkwardly silent. Someone shifted, then stifled a cough, no one able to look others in the eye as the moment dragged on. Finally, Kaidan replied softly, "No, you're right, I wasn't. I'm sorry that that was done to you, you didn't deserve it."

The two exchanged a glance before looking away, and Jane coughed loudly.

"You'll have to forgive Jack here, Kaidan. She sometimes forgets that, while not as atrocious as her own, many other people's childhoods sucked, too." She declared loudly as she stretched and lounged back in her chair.

"Fucking Princess." Jack muttered before shooting a glare at Vega. "Are you going to fucking deal or do I need to do everything myself? It's gotten way too touchy feely in here." Vega started and quickly moved about the business of laying cards out on the table, reinitiating play as they refocused on the game at hand.

The night progressed, and the drinks flowed. Ashley leaned forward, resting her forehead in her hand, her elbow on the table as she examined her cards and muttered to herself in disgruntled undertones. Kaidan and Jack seemed to forget that they were playing cards altogether every few minutes as they constantly bickered and debated tiny matters that Garrus had long since stopped listening to. Liara, who on multiple occasions had assured everyone that it was both her last A) round of cards and B) drink, was slumped forward on the table now, sound asleep and snoring softly. At some point, her hand of cards had been returned to the deck, her chits tucked into one of her pockets.

Beside him, Jane laughed loudly and often as she ragged on everyone and everything, her cheeks flushed and her glass refilled more than a few times. Regardless, the pile of chits in front of her was still considerably larger than it had been when they'd begun. How did she do that? Garrus didn't know better, he'd think her some sort of master of sleight of hand. It was really the only explanation. That cheeky fox…

"Okay, nuh-uh. You turians are like… fifty percent bird, fifty percent dinosaur, and you're saying you don't lay eggs?" Vega exclaimed in surprise, his cards falling forward slightly as he shot Garrus a disbelieving look. He had more than one empty bottle around his spot as well, and Garrus rolled his eyes.

"No, we don't lay eggs. Does your Alliance not teach any basic alien biology, or something?" He asked bemusedly, leaning back with his drink as he slung his other arm over the back of Jane's chair, absently letting a finger curl through a lock of her hair.

"Honestly, not really. They teach us how to kill you all and how to patch you all back up, but that's about it." Jane said as she stifled a yawn and checked the time. Looking up, she grinned and added, "Some of us just choose to… better educate ourselves. Biology can be very interesting." Her voice was low and suggestive, but Vega still seemed perplexed by the concept that turians birthed live babies. Garrus grinned before downing the rest of his drink with a wince.

"Okay, but like.. You're not mammals, are you? Shit, do you even know what mammals are, or is that just an Earth thing? Like, how do you feed your babies if you don't have, you know-" Vega held his hands up over his chest, miming breasts, and Garrus snorted a laugh.

"Look, James, it's too late to sit you down and explain the entire turian life cycle. But I'm sure if you ask EDI real nicely, she can procure some diagrams for you." Garrus drawled as he crossed one leg over the other. He realized somewhat belatedly that he'd switched to using the other man's given name at some point. James didn't seem to notice or care, and Garrus decided that the mission was finally starting to reach the point where the crew was beginning to feel a sense of camaraderie and friendship.

Then again, he was drunk.

The AI nodded emphatically, "Of course, I would be pleased to assist. I have already sent diagrams and related videos to your extranet account, Lieutenant. I believe you will find them very interesting and educational."

"Uh, thanks? I think." James muttered, perplexed as he realized he was still holding a hand of cards.

"Okay, okay. As much as I love a good 'birds and bees' talk, I think it's time we call it a night. Someone needs to get the Shadow Broker back to her lair." Jane stretched her arms above her head and yawned before throwing her cards on the table. She stood and happily began pocketing her winnings.

"Come on, Doc." Vega stood and did the same before leaning down to gently shake Liara's shoulder. "Let's get you to bed before I crash."

"Here, I'll give you a hand." Ashley stood, wavered, and then struggled to grab the table. "Whoa, there. Ugh…" Her mouth twisted, her face a little green, "Someone needs to tell Joker to stop it with the turbulence."

"But there is no turbulence, Lieutenant Commander Williams. The Normandy's course is smooth at the moment." EDI pipped up, confused, and Jack slapped her back in a way that was probably intended to be friendly as more than one person laughed.

"She's just a fucking lightweight, that's all." She said before ducking behind her and around the table. "Night all. Wasn't a complete waste of an evening." With that, Jack left to find her temporary bunk, wherever it was that she'd holed herself up this time.

"Okay, come on, let's go." Ashley muttered as she came over and grabbed one of Liara's limp arms, the asari still snoring lightly. "Can you carry her?" James nodded before Ashley struggled to pull Liara up off the table. Together they fumbled about until he finally managed to grab her up, and the two of them bid the table good night before taking Liara back to her room.

"Thank you very much for inviting me." EDI stated politely as she smiled at Jane, who waved her off.

"Of course, happy to have you. You should join in next time. Did you have a good time? You were pretty quiet."

"I believe I learned a lot about human nature and culture. I'm already developing a program to replicate the effects of inebriation, and I believe tonight has given me much good data." EDI explained with a pleased smile, and Garrus snorted.

"'Drunk human' is probably not my top choice of desired states, but I suppose to each their own." Garrus chuckled before adding in Jane's direction, "You're a messy species." Which earned him a smack from her.

"I will be on the bridge if anyone needs me. Have a good night." With that, EDI left. Jane stood and bent down to press a short and sweet kiss to one of his mandibles, before wishing him and Kaidan a good night. Garrus began pocketing his last few credit chits, but paused and he noticed Kaidan staring at him across the table.

"Heading to bed, Kaidan?" He asked, and after a moment, the other man took the final sip of his beer before placing the bottle back down and reaching for his own chits.

"Uh, yeah. It's about time." Kaidan tucked them in his pockets before looking back up. "So, you and Jane, huh? How long's that been going on?" Garrus blinked, considering. Was this dangerous territory? He knew Kaidan had had feelings for Jane at one point or another, but that had been years ago. Then again, his own feelings had lasted quite awhile unchanged.

"We've been together since some time during our mission against the Collectors. Couldn't tell you exactly how long." He probably could if he tried, the day they'd first kissed was burned into his memory like searing coals. But alcohol had a funny way of making time and dates a little hazy and he didn't really feel like he owed Kaidan details.

"Huh. Well, congratulations, I suppose. I'm happy for you guys." Kaidan stood with a small smile, and while it wasn't sad, Garrus might have called it wistful. "I hope you take good care of her."

"She's typically the one taking care of me, but thanks." Garrus replied carefully, and Kaidan's smile grew, seeming more genuine. Garrus felt himself relax a little and the two of them began tidying up the room a little, disposing of bottles and picking up glasses. "So…" He began tentatively after a minute, "You and Jack… get along well." He couldn't honestly think of a better way to put it, as Jack didn't really 'get along well' with others.

Kaidan immediately stiffened, his expression going blank. "We work well enough together. She's the hardass, I'm the softie. Good cop, bad cop, you know how it is."

"Uh-huh." Garrus thought he sounded at least mildly convinced, and Kaidan looked up at him.

"What?"

"Jack seems to like you." Kaidan appeared surprised at his words, and Garrus amended that with, "Well, I mean, more than most people." He thought back to their mission at Grissom Academy and all of Kaidan's insistence that Jack watch her language. "I've never seen her put up with someone quite the way she does with you. Except perhaps Shepard, but that's different."

"Gee, thanks." Kaidan replied dryly, his expression caught between exasperated and disappointed.

"Honestly, that means something coming from Jack. She doesn't put up with people's shit, perhaps you've noticed?" Garrus shrugged as he grabbed up the final bottle. Kaidan seemed contemplative as he followed Garrus through the door, his hands full of glasses as they made their way through the dimmed and empty mess hall to the kitchenette. "A little patience and empathy go a long way with her, I think. And a whole lot of stubbornness."

"Huh. I'll keep that in mind." Kaidan murmured as they put away the bottles and rinsed out the glasses. "Thanks for the advice, Garrus."

"No problem. Have a good night, Kaidan." As he turned to leave toward the barracks, he grinned and turned back. "Oh, and don't forget to send us a wedding invitation." Kaidan stared at him in confusion before understanding slowly dawned and he flushed bright red.

"Good night, Garrus." He muttered in annoyance as he deadpanned before turning away to the sound of Garrus' laughter.

It wasn't long until they finally docked at the Citadel, and while Garrus had spent a good deal of his adult life there, it was somehow completely foreign to him now. It wasn't the layout or the places that had changed, but the atmosphere.

Where before it had had an organized and purposeful flow, now it seemed barely contained chaos. It seemed to buzz with an undercurrent of anxiety, its seams bursting with nervous restlessness. On the Presidium, they seemed to be painting a brave face on things, pretending everything was normal, but on the Wards, fear seemed to run rampant. Not that he'd had much time to explore, as he'd only ducked out quickly to make a few necessary purchases. He'd gotten a little tired of having only one change of clothes and almost no personal care products.

Upon his return to the Normandy, the docking area was full of crew members preparing to head out, either for some well deserved shore leave or to accomplish whatever tasks had been given them. Kahlee Sanders was speaking to Shepard near the Normandy's jetway, her little knot of students standing nearby. With her stood Jack and Kaidan.

As Garrus approached, he could hear them deep in conversation as Sanders explained her plans to meet up with an Alliance representative in order to find housing and a training facility so that they could begin preparing to help the war efforts.

He quickly made his way back aboard the Normandy to drop off his supplies, and ran into Jane as she was pulling on her boots and getting ready to head out.

"Hey, Big Guy. You ran out of her quick as a flash!" She looked up as he entered with an amused smile.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Victus wants me to lend a hand coordinating the efforts to support and supply the turian refugees that have begun arriving, but I needed to pick up some stuff first. I'm going to head back out to get started on all that as soon as I can."

"No rest for the wicked." She chuckled and stood, grabbing a jacket off her bunk.

"What about you?" He asked as he began organizing his new purchases.

"John got a message from Hackett, supposedly some sort of lead, or something. John's somewhat overbooked himself, though, so I'm going to go see what I can do in his stead." Jane explained as she walked over to lean against a nearby bunk.

"Well isn't that gracious of you." Garrus replied playfully as he stood and turned to her. Reaching a hand out, he pulled her close, relishing the feeling of her arms wrapping around his neck.

"What can I say? I'm a generous person." She mused, laughing as his fingers trailed up her back. After a moment, she continued, her voice having lost any shred of humor, "John's overworking himself. There's only so much I can do to help, but I'll happily do what I can. But don't let me distract you, you seem to be in a rush." Groaning, Garrus pulled away.

"Yeah, but maybe we can grab dinner later?"

"That sounds nice." Jane said as she stepped back with that smile he knew was reserved just for him. What had he done to deserve her? He'd never figure it out, but who was he to argue? "Let's pick a nice place on the Presidium. I'm going to be up that way anyway."

"Anything for you." And boy did he mean it, especially when she smiled at him like that. Jane's cheeks pinkened slightly with pleasure and he could feel his chest tighten slightly.

"See you then. Love you."

"Love you, too."

"Let's check on those medi-gel supplies." Garrus stated as he handed off a datapad to a tired looking Hierarchy soldier. He'd been at this for hours already, and still felt like he hadn't made a dent in what needed to be done. The area designated for turian refugees was worse than they'd been told. It was basically a temporary slum wedged into an unused docking bay, and the only positive thing to be said about it was that it was at least in a better state than the nearby area designated for batarians. But that was hardly a comfort.

"Yes, sir." Was the weary reply, and Garrus could see the bone deep exhaustion in the man's eyes. He tried to stop the voice in his head that hissed it's only going to get worse. He forced himself to remember that at least the Council had agreed to give them this space in the first place.

"And have we heard anything from the hospital?" He continued, doing his best to keep a shred of command in his voice.

"The surgeons there are all busy." Came the man's leaden reply, and Garrus cursed under his breath as he turned and eyed the nearby cots full of injured turians.

"Keep on it. Some of these wounded don't have much time." He exclaimed somewhat unnecessarily, gesturing to the cots. Every time he laid eyes on them, it was impossible not to begin searching for familiar faces. Familiar markings.

He tore his eyes away. He'd seen no mention of his father or sister in the refugee registry, and they clearly weren't there. Not yet. He'd keep watching the logs, though. It was heartbreaking to listen to the sobbing of the survivors, the moans of the injured, and to see the listless stares of those who had seen far more death than any mortal ever should. And there was so much that needed to be done still. He wished he had twenty more men to delegate to. It would be a full time job just to keep these refugee camps supplied and organized, and he had to get as much done as he could in the few days he had before the Normandy left again.

"There's nothing this galaxy can't beat if we all work together!" Garrus winced at the almost shrill voice of the glowing orange VI set up nearby. Turning, he shot a glare at the vendor before rolling his eyes. The old Shepard VI was funny when they'd gotten a copy on Omega all those months ago. It seemed much less so at the moment.

"What about the food we were promised?" Garrus turned back to the overworked soldier. The man sighed.

"It's been allocated to the Presidium." He said, his words laced with defeat. The smoldering anger and disgust that had begun building in Garrus' chest the moment he'd set foot in the docks began catching fire. Suddenly, a nice dinner on the Presidium didn't sound quite as appetizing.

"Then contact Commander Bailey over at C-Sec." He stated, trying not to take his anger out on the poor soldier before him, "And tell him Garrus Vakarian would consider it a personal favor if he could 'reallocate' the shipment so these people don't starve."

"Except the Reapers. Ever see the size of one of those things?" The Shepard VI chirped nearby, and Garrus saw red. Of all the inappropriate, insensitive, outlandishly stupid…

"And can someone shut that thing up?" He snapped as he rounded on the vendor, whose eyes widened in confused indignation.

"I have every right to sell here, you can't-"

Garrus' omni-tool rang, the sound grating and aggravating on his already raw nerves, and he looked down to see an incoming voice call. He hit the button with unnecessary force.

"WHAT?" He snarled into his omni-tool, knowing somewhere in the back of his mind that he would regret his temper if the caller was Victus.

"Garrus." The anger washed off of him like soap in hot water.

"Jane?"

"I could… use your help." There was a fatigued, almost despondent, defeated quality to her voice that immediately put him on edge.

"What's wrong? What happened?" He asked sharply, and he heard her sigh.

"I was just shot at. Somewhat unexpectedly."

"Are you okay? What happened? Where are you? I'll be right there." Garrus peppered her with questions as anxiety seeped through his veins like cold fire.

"I'll send you a nav-point. C-Sec is on their way, but I don't think they're going to be a whole lot of help. I'll explain more when you get here."

"Sure thing, I'll be there as quick as I can."

"Thanks, see you soon." With that, they ended the call, and Garrus began the process of tying off loose ends before he could leave. After putting together a quick list for the soldiers to accomplish, Garrus hurried toward to the nearest public transport console.

The nav-point led him to an apartment located in a quiet, private area of the Presidium. There were two other sky cards already parked out front of it, leaving just enough space for Garrus'. He leapt out of the car and hurried through the door, but then froze.

It wasn't so much an apartment as it was a lab of some sort. Or perhaps a museum. Artifacts of all sorts cluttered the room to form the most bizarre collection Garrus had ever seen. A huge skeleton hung from the ceiling, the remains of some sort of creature. By the door was, if he wasn't mistaken, a chunk of Sovereign, the Reaper that had originally attacked the Citadel with Saren. He shuddered and hoped it was properly shielded.

Screens and displays littered every surface, datapads strewn about. Actual sheets of papers formed messy piles on various tables, and a collection of giant rocks took up a display in the back of the room.

But the lab, or whatever it was, was empty.

"Jane?" Garrus called out, his pulse hammering in his neck as prickling fears began weedling their way into his brain.

"In here!" He let himself breathe as he heard her voice call out from the next room, and he followed the sound through a doorway into another room just as bizarre as the first.

A large galaxy map took up a good chunk of one wall, across from windows that were cluttered with photos connected with string like some sort of old school murder investigation. At the far wall stood a display case with what appeared to Prothean technology.

"Over here." Jane muttered from nearby, and Garrus moved further into the room. He found her sitting atop a low crate, her forearms resting on her knees as she slumped forward. He hurried forward to crouch before her.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Sighing, she sat up as her eyes locked onto something on the floor off to the side. Garrus turned slightly to follow her gaze, and stiffened at the sight of dried, red liquid. "Is that-?"

"Not mine. The doctor I was sent to meet with. He was murdered right in front of me." Jane paused, her face twisted in consternation. "I couldn't save him." She stood, and Garrus stepped back to eye her up and down, confirming any lack of injury.

"Who did it? What happened to the killer?"

"It was his assistant. He was… I don't know. Indoctrinated, maybe. But, it was different, somehow. I don't know, it's hard to explain." Her brows drew down in confusion as she seemed to consider. Garrus sighed, relief slowly starting to relax his shoulders.

"Where is he now? Did he get away?"

"What? Oh. No, I incapacitated him. Not sure I'd call it my finest moment. I don't recommend bringing a datapad to a gun fight." Jane gestured to a nearby desk where Garrus could see a broken datapad. "Not that I'm stupid enough to go about armed, I just didn't have much time to react. And I needed him alive for information. He's with C-Sec now. Not that I think he'll be of much more help at this point."

"I'm not sure if I've ever seen a datapad used successfully in self defense before. But if I know you, you could probably turn anything into a murder weapon if you tried hard enough." That got a smile out of her, and he brought a hand up to squeeze her shoulder lightly in support. "Why isn't C-Sec still here?"

"I dismissed them. Don't want them messing with the investigation." She explained, and Garrus was about to inquire further but stopped as he looked around and noticed EDI standing at a nearby console. She nodded to him before returning to her browsing.

"Did you guys learn anything from him?"

"Yeah. Both from the assistant and from some files EDI's found." Jane quickly outlined a strange story about a dead Reaper and some sort of creature. A Leviathan.

"We found an audio log from one of the Doctor's researchers, someone named Garneau." EDI explained as she came over to join them. "We believe he might have been tracking Leviathan. We might be able to use the galaxy map program here to extrapolate Garneau's path, and thus Leviathan's. But we will need to narrow down the search parameters by looking for clues amongst the data they were studying here in the lab."

"Which is why we could use your help, Officer Vakarian." Jane added as Garrus turned to let his eyes roam the cluttered lab again, trying not to grin at her usage of his old title. It sounded strangely sexy coming from her, but he squashed down the momentary distraction. "We need to sift through all this data and figure out what we can use to track this researcher's path. If we can find this Leviathan, then maybe we can get it to fight the Reapers, too."

He stood there for a moment mulling over everything he'd been told, taking it all in. "What's Shepard's opinion about all of this? I'm surprised he didn't come running the moment you told him." Jane stiffened, her lips pursing as she looked away.

"He has no opinion because I haven't told him anything yet." Garrus raised his brow plates at her, and she huffed a sigh. "Don't give me that look. I'm not keeping secrets from him, not anymore. It's just…" She trailed off, glancing at EDI before continuing, "He has enough on his plate right now. This is something we can handle without burdening him, at least for the time being. If we end up needing his help, I'll explain everything. Until then, I don't see the need to add more to his overfull plate."

"Fine, you have a good point. Where would you like to start?"

They spent the next few hours sifting through piles of information and strange artifacts, piecing together seemingly unconnected clues to where this researcher, Garneau, could possibly have gone. With each clue they uncovered, EDI input new search parameters into the galaxy map. One by one, they managed to exclude the various systems until they were left with one location blinking softly in the middle of the map.

"The Aysur system… Okay, EDI, make a note of the location." Jane murmured as she stared at the map with furrowed brows, her arms crossed. "I'll see what I can do about getting us over there to investigate as soon as we're able. I think we need to handle this whole war summit thing first, but perhaps after that."

"Of course." EDI replied with a nod. "I've backed up all the data we found. I'll head back to the Normandy for now, unless you need any further assistance at the moment?" Jane shook her head and they said their goodbyes before EDI made her way toward the door.

"Are we finished here? We should probably get going, too" Garrus pointed out, taking a step backwards in the direction he knew the door to be in. His back hit a desk, and he turned just in time to hear an ear splitting shriek. "Holy shit!" Garrus yelled in horror at the howling husk before him as he scrabbled for his holstered sidearm.

Before he could detach it from its maglock, however, he froze. It wasn't a husk, but rather a mounted husk head he'd seen earlier. He'd incorrectly assumed it to be a model or some sort of paper weight, but apparently it was genuine, an authentic husk head, and somehow still… alive? If you could call husks alive.

Garrus' breathing was still heavy as his heart rate slowly returned to normal, and he felt Jane slap him on the back as she came to stand beside him.

"Ghastly, isn't it? Dr. Bryson clearly was an… interesting guy." She muttered, and he couldn't manage much other than a grunt in reply. "Come on, let's get going. I believe I owe you dinner."

Garrus smiled as he let her lead him out of the lab and into the synthetic sunlight.

"Sounds good, but how about we rethink the restaurant. I'm not feeling too hot on fancy Presidium food at the moment." Jane shot him a curious glance before shrugging with a half smile.

"How about sushi? I heard about this fantastic place down in the Wards, everyone says it's absolutely the best."

"Sure, I'm always up for an adventure." Her smile widened and she took his hand as they made their way toward the nearby skycar.