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Loyalty and Limerence

Part 3

Chapter 10

Tuchanka

"Jane!" Garrus darted out of cover as the ground shook and spotted her where she lay on the ground, writhing as Lilith kneeled before her helplessly.

"It's the thresher acid!" The krogan exclaimed, but Garrus didn't need the explanation. Jane's right side was hissing, coated in the corrosive acid as it bubbled and ate through her armored hard suit. She screamed again, her back arching as she thrust her head back, her eyes clenched shut with the intense pain.

"Spirits!" Garrus hissed, bile welling in his throat as realization and panic began to set in – he had no idea what to do.

"We need to get her to the tomkah!" Lilith insisted just as Shepard skidded to a stop on Jane's other side. With as much care as they could afford, they picked her up and ran for the truck. They piled in through the hatch as the ground began shaking again.

"Get us the hell outta here!" Shepard barked as he locked the hatch behind himself, and the tomkah lurched forward as Kalros let loose another ear shattering shriek. It was tightly packed with barely enough space for everyone, but they squished together to make space as Garrus laid Jane down on the floor.

"Here, use this to wash her." Eve handed over a huge canister of water, removing the cap. She nearly spilled some as the truck lurched to the side as they evaded another attack by the gigantic thresher maw. Mordin shoved past people to kneel beside Jane as she groaned through clenched teeth, sweat prickling her brow.

"Hurry, maw acid very corrosive, eats through armor in matter of minutes." The salarian doctor instructed as together they began pouring the water over the extensive burns. Jane screamed as the water made contact, the acid having eaten through to her skin in more than one place. Garrus couldn't do more than secure her head as she thrashed in pain.

"You're going to be alright, Jane." He leaned down to whisper to her, though he had no idea if she was hearing him from where she was wrapped in a haze of agony, her face a rictus of pain. Shepard was holding her uninjured hand, her grip on his fingers enough to crush them as the tomkah was bounced around.

Garrus hated feeling helpless, but there was nothing he could do but offer her what support he was able as Mordin quickly set about moving the damaged sections of her armor, muttering to himself. Frustratingly, he was put in mind of their mission to catch Morinth, and he shuddered at the thought. He stroked Jane' cheek gently and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as he continued whispering encouragements to her, glancing up as Mordin began applying medi-gel to sooth away what pain he could. She finally seemed to relax a little as the ointment began working its magic, enough for her to open her eyes blearily.

"Garrus?" She asked groggily, her voice hoarse, and he nodded.

"Hang in there, we'll get you back to Normandy and you'll be right as rain in no time. Chakwas and Mordin will make everything better, you'll see."

Their departure from Tuchanka was rushed as they carefully began transferring Jane to the shuttle under Mordin's watchful eye. They said their goodbyes to the krogan, all of whom still seemed to be in shock at the success of their mission to disperse the cure.

Shepard had received their grateful thanks as well as assurances that they would be sending reinforcements to Palaven right away. He thanked them in turn before returning his focus to getting his sister back to the Normandy as quickly as possible. They got her onto a stretcher, still somewhat delirious from the pain, and firmly secured before the door closed.

As soon as the door opened onto the Normandy's shuttle bay floor, Shepard quickly cleared the path for Jane to be hurried to the med bay, where they were greeted by an already prepped and waiting Dr. Chakwas. Mordin hurried in with them, while Garrus, Shepard, and the others were expectedly told to wait outside.

Garrus watched helplessly while Jane screamed in pain as they carefully transferred her onto one of the beds. A moment later, the EDI shuttered the windows, leaving nothing to see but a cloudy haze. Turning away, he began to restlessly pace through the mess hall, his dirty armored boots clanking on the metal floor in rhythm with Shepard's vibrating knee a few yards off.

He wasn't sure how long he paced, all he could think of was the horrible, oozing, red burns that had been visible as Mordin had begun removing sections of Jane's armor and undersuit. In addition to her entire right arm, a good deal of that side of her torso had seemed affected, with some catching her right hip and leg. There had even been a few splatters up her neck and across her cheek, though those had seemed somewhat small and superficial once they'd gotten it all washed off of her.

The damage had been extensive, that was for sure. But he reminded himself that Jane was strong and her vitals had been stable.

Jane is strong and her vitals are stable. Jane is strong and her vitals are stable. Jane is strong and her vitals are stable…

The words played like a mantra over and over in his head as he paced back and forth. Shepard came and went periodically, trying and failing to focus on the work at hand as he watched the shuttered windows with the same desperation that Garrus felt. Liara did her best to assist with the necessary reports, but Garrus barely noticed the coming and goings of others as he paced. At some point, Shepard ordered him to go clean himself up at the very least, which he agreed was probably for the best. As soon as he was showered and dressed, however, he found himself right back in the mess hall, pacing the same line in the floor.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a door open, but it wasn't until he heard Shepard speak that Garrus whipped around to see Chakwas standing before them with an empty mug, thoroughly exhausted.

"How's Jane? Is she going to be okay?" Shepard asked suddenly, and even though she nodded, her expression remained troubled.

"She'll live. The damage was quite extensive on her right side, though, and there is only so much Dr. Solus and I could do with the equipment onboard. She's going to need specialized treatment on the Citadel as soon as possible if she's to recover full functionality."

"I understand." Shepard nodded before looking up toward the ceiling. "EDI, tell Joker to set a course for the Citadel ASAP. I want us there immediately, if not sooner."

"Of course, Shepard."

"Is she awake? Are we allowed to see her?" Garrus asked with trepidation. This wasn't the first time he waited anxiously to visit her in the medbay and he hated admitting that it probably wouldn't be the last. Regardless, he tried not to shudder as Morinth came floating into his memory again.

"Yes, she is awake, though she is supposed to be resting." Chakwas warned as the two men hurried past her and into the medbay. As they stepped into the brightly lit room, they noticed Jane smiling tiredly at them from where she lay, a good deal of her body wrapped in bandaging. Mordin nodded to them from where he stood nearby as he flicked his finger across the display of a datapad.

"Hey, guys." She muttered, wincing as she shifted. "We've gotta stop meeting like this." Garrus couldn't help but chuckle at her laidback attempt at humor, but he could see Shepard's eyebrows drawn down in frustration.

"Jane, I swear to god, you must have a deathwish or something." He growled as his eyes swept over her bandaged body. His expression soften as he examined the fresh scarring visible on her cheek and neck where it peeked out from under the dressing.

"Well, nice to see you, too." She rolled her eyes, but she smiled as Shepard sat down beside her.

"I'm glad you're okay." He muttered as he smiled back at her. "Lilith probably owes you her life." Jane tried to shrug, but gasped in pain as she settled back down. Garrus came around to her other side and bent down to nuzzle her good cheek lightly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as she shifted slightly, her uninjured hand coming up to take his.

"I feel fine, unless I move. Then I feel like I've been flayed alive." She chuckled before wincing slightly, and Garrus tried not to frown as worries set in.

"Not that this isn't a bad one, but I feel like we've dealt with worse on the Normandy in the past." Shepard stated he looked up at the scarred side of Garrus' face before turning to look at Mordin. "What is it about her injuries that we can't handle? Why does she need to be taken to the Citadel?"

"Thresher maw acid, very strong. Enzymes and chemical makeup, very difficult to treat. Kalros' acid, particularly powerful. Nerve damage and extensive scarring more than we're able to handle aboard Normandy with wartime ration of medical supplies. Need specialized equipment, medication," He paused and looked at Jane before taking a big breath. "Time to heal."

"I see." Shepard murmured as he nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be there in no time, and we'll get you the care you need, Jane."

When they finally got her transferred to Huerta Memorial Hospital, it was clear that the Citadel was starting to feel the weight of the galactic war against the Reapers. The hospital was so overrun with the injured that they weren't immediately able to secure a bed for Jane, even with Shepard's political pull.

Mordin pulled out his omni-tool and scanned her wounds where she sat in a wheelchair in the lobby before muttering to himself as Shepard came back from discussing the situation with Dr. Michel. "We should be able to get you a bed pretty soon, but I don't know if soon means a few hours or a few days. Everything is a little crazy here right now, it seems."

Jane glowered as she looked down at her bandages with evident frustration. "How long until I'm functioning again once I get the treatment that I need?" She looked up toward Mordin, who lifted a finger to his chin in consideration. He began rattling off a bunch of medical nonsense before pausing and looking back down at her.

"Hard to say, depends. Will discuss treatment plan with specialists upon admission. Possibly a week, maybe two. Could be more." Jane's lips pursed as she leaned her head back, her face pinched in tightly reigned anger as she gazed up at the ceiling high above them.

"That's too long. You guys can't just sit around on your hands for some unknown amount of time while I heal up."

"Don't worry about it, Jane. We're not leaving you behind." Garrus stated firmly, to which Shepard nodded curtly.

It was another two days until they were able to secure a bed for her and Mordin was able to begin drawing up a treatment plan for the burn and nerve damage. Garrus split his time staying with her and helping out with the turian refugee camps, but on the occasions he ran into Shepard, he could see he was becoming more and more stressed. Jane would soon be improving, but not as quickly as they'd hoped.

About a week into her treatment, Garrus was in her room as she was doing physical therapy, her arm stiff as she attempted to pick up a light weight.

"My fucking fingers don't want to do what they're supposed to do." Jane growled as she struggled to keep her fingers curled. He could see them spasm suddenly, and she dropped the weight back onto the bed beside her. "And now I'm struggling with my old issues, too, because fuck me, I guess." She spat with a sneer down at her hand. Garrus thought back to those weeks following her encounter with the Ardat-Yakshi, and sighed.

"You got through that, and you'll get through this. I don't know anyone as strong as you are." Garrus placed his hand on her uninjured leg, and she turned a tired smile on him.

"Thanks. Glad I have you here with me." Something in her smile shifted, a sad upturn to her eyebrows that left her looking somber. The door opened suddenly, and they both looked up to see Shepard step through the door, a tense look on his face. "John, what's wrong?"

The Commander stood there for a moment, silently watching his sister from his spot just inside the doorway. His shoulders seemed to fall slightly before he stepped further into the room.

"I just heard from Hackett. Cerberus has been on the move." Jane tensed at his words, suddenly alert.

"What are they up to?"

"They've made moves in a few different systems, none of it good. Hackett has asked me to investigate, to intervene if I can." He explained carefully, his eyes scanning her face carefully. She went stock still, processing his words. The realization hit Garrus a moment later.

"When?" He asked quietly, and Shepard's eyes flicked to him quickly before returning to Jane. After a moment, he answered.

"He wants me to head out as soon as possible, and I think he might be right." He paused before continuing. "Jane, will you be alright remaining here while we investigate?" Garrus held his tongue, but struggled against the indignation welling up in his chest. How could he ask her that after they had promised they wouldn't leave her behind?

Jane stared at her brother silently, her eyes narrowing. Garrus was put in mind of her stories of their childhood on the streets of Earth. He had to imagine it was a sore topic, she didn't particularly enjoy talking about the period after Shepard had joined the military, her time spent on Earth alone. How could Shepard even suggest-

"Okay." Garrus' eyes shot back to Jane, wide in shock at her sudden answer. "But you'd better come back for me as soon as I'm fit to serve again." She continued, a sharp edge to her voice. Shepard opened his mouth to agree, but she held up a hand. "And, I have a mission in the Caleston Rift that I'm going to need a hand with after you pick me up. I need to find a missing researcher, Dr. Garneau, on a mining asteroid there."

The two siblings stared each other down, the air tense as Shepard considered the request. Finally, he nodded, seeming to relax. "Okay. We can make that happen. I'll need more details when the time comes, though."

"Of course." Jane agreed, her face still hard. Garrus looked down to see her white knuckled fist gripping the bed sheet. He reached over to carefully place his hand atop hers.

"I'll stay here with you, you won't be alone." He stated, but she shook her head as she turned a crooked smile on him.

"No, it's okay Garrus. You said it yourself, I can do this. You go with John and watch his six. He needs you to watch his back and drag his ass back here in one piece since I can't. I'll be okay." He frowned and opened his mouth to argue, but she cut in over him. "I've got Mordin here to keep me company whether I like it or not. Plus, Thane is just down the hall in case I'm feeling philosophical." Garrus's teeth clicked as he shut his mouth, his mandibles flicking in irritation.

"I don't like leaving you behind." He growled, but she only chuckled, her voice low as she shook her head.

"I'll be okay, Garrus. Keep John safe for me. And don't worry, the Citadel is probably the safest place for me at this point."

The Normandy felt empty without her. He felt empty without her. Garrus never seemed to realize what a huge part of his life Jane was until she was gone. Everything was a shade dimmer without her. She had added a sparkle to every conversation, to every interaction, to every situation. Without Jane Shepard on the Normandy, it was a duller, less vibrant place.

And it wasn't just him. Every one of the ground team seemed hesitant about leaving her behind in Heutra as they pulled away from the Citadel, except perhaps Javik. He was hard to read. But in the end, it was Shepard's call to make, and he'd made it.

As Garrus stood at one of the consoles in the war room, he struggled to focus as he looked over the data pouring in from the turian forces being amassed to support the building of the crucible. He couldn't shake his last conversation with Jane before he'd left to return to the Normandy.

She'd waited until they were alone and pulled him in for a tight hug, but instead of simply holding him, she leaned in close to whisper urgently in his ear.

"Keep a close eye on John. He hasn't been himself, and I can't tell if it's just the toll the war is taking on him, lack of sleep, or…"

She'd paused, hesitating before adding, "Garrus, I don't know what to think."

She'd leaned her forehead down against his neck and he'd pulled her closer, savoring the feeling, memorizing the shape of her in his arms. After a heartbeat, she continued.

"Back in the Bahak system, on that asteroid… He spent days unconscious in that base. They'd all been indoctrinated by that unshielded Reaper device. What if…"

She had trailed off, the overwhelming anxiety and worry evident in her voice. Neither of them had let go, holding onto each other like a lifeline in a storm.

"What if… what if he's been…" She hadn't seemed able to get the word out, but he understood as his stomach seemed to turn to ice. "Garrus, keep a close eye on him. Tell me if you notice anything out of the ordinary. We can't afford to let them have him. Not him. We're all dead without John."

"Garrus." His head shot up and he looked around to see Shepard looking at him from a console nearby. He tried to keep his face neutral, but all he could think about was the word Jane couldn't bring herself to say.

Indoctrinated.

"Need me for something, Shepard?" Garrus asked quickly as he shook his head in an attempt to dislodge the creeping worry in his veins.

"Yeah, can you get me the final number on the ships Victus can spare for the Crucible project? I need to send word to Hackett as soon as I can."

"Of course, I'll send you what information I have so far." Before Garrus returned his attention to his console again, he took a moment to really look at the Commander. He was just as pale and worn as he had been the past few weeks, the bags under his eyes seeming more pronounced than ever. The frown he wore seemed a permanent fixture these days, especially since Jane's injuries on Tuchanka. "You look exhausted, Shepard. Why don't you go get some rest?"

Shepard didn't even look up from his console. "I'll sleep when I'm dead." He grunted as his fingers continued typing. Garrus would have laughed if it'd been in any way funny. He remembered the exact same words coming out of Jane's mouth just a few months back.

"We both know you need a clear head to win a war. There's no room for mistakes here." Garrus pointed out gently as he walked over and lifted a hand to place on the other man's shoulder. He could feel Shepard sag a little as he sighed, and he pushed his advantage. "You should get some shut-eye." After a pause, he continued in a teasing tone with a toss of his head, "I'll make sure Joker doens't launch any suicide missions."

Shepard remained where he was for a moment before finally pushing back from the console. "Anything happens, you let me know."

Garrus breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. As Shepard left the room in the direction of the CIC, Garrus let himself relax slight. Jane's worries had to be unfounded. The Commander just needed some sleep, that was all. They had to be unfounded. They just had to be, or else they were all doomed.

Noveria was just as cold as it had been the last time they'd be there, and Garrus hated every second of it. Not only was he shivering the entire mission, but fighting without Jane at his back made him feel naked, exposed.

This was the third Cerberus base they'd hit in the past two weeks, this one being a key strategic location in the sector. They'd managed to sneak in the back and decimate their defenses. As they waited for Cortez to bring the shuttle around for a pick up, Garrus noticed Shepard frown as he kicked aside a chunk of smoking mechanical debris.

"What's on your mind, Shepard?"

"It's… probably nothing." He looked around the base, the cold, biting wind catching them suddenly. "It's just odd. I expected them to put up more of a fight. This was a key base, I figured it would have been better defended. But there was hardly anyone here."

He had a point. Cerberus usually put up a bigger fight, and taking this base shouldn't have been this easy. But then again, perhaps Cerberus was just stretching themselves too thin. They seemed to be everywhere all at once, and perhaps this was part of the consequences.

After they got back to the Normandy and had washed up, both Shepard and Garrus made their way back to the war room. As they began working through their backlog of messages, Garrus' eyes widened in pleasant surprise.

He opened the message from Jane, which he saw had been sent to Shepard as well, and read through it quickly. Looking up, he noticed the Commander's pleased smile.

"Looks like Jane's ready and eager to get back in the fight." Shepard chuckled. "Says she's ordered a new hardsuit and everything. What do you think about swinging back to the Citadel before the next mission? Pick up my prodigal sister?" Garrus laughed, his chest feeling lighter and freer than it had since before Tuchanka. He could see a lessening of the ever present tension in Shepard's face, and knew that he'd be just as relieved to have Jane back as he was.

"Well, you certainly don't need to twist my arm." Garrus replied with a smile.

The lightness in his chest seemed to put a spring in his step the following days as they made their way back to the Citadel. Everyone seemed happy that they were going to be returning to pick Jane up, or perhaps Garrus' elation just gave him a pair of rose colored glasses. Shepard teased him about his ever present smile relentlessly, despite the return of the crease of worry between his own brows.

"Okay, here's one I don't think you've heard." Garrus smirked down at Joker as they finally began their approach toward the Citadel. "Why does the Alliance hire pilots with brittle bone disease?" He asked as he raised a brow plate at the pilot before him. They'd been trading humans and turian jokes for a little while to pass the time, each more offensive than the last.

"You're shitting me. The turian military has one about me?" Joker asked incredulously as he twisted in his seat to look up at Garrus where he stood nearby.

"Oh, absolutely!" Garrus grinned as he crossed his arms, shifting his weight to one side. "I heard it myself from a private back on Palaven."

"All right, why does the Alliance hire pilots with brittle bone disease?" Joker raised a brow at him in challenge, and Garrus struggled against the smugness in his voice.

"So their marines can beat someone in hand-to-hand drills."

Joker snorted, "Daaaamn, you need to tell James that one." They shared a laugh, both imagining the other man's indignation. There was a laugh from behind them, and Garrus turned to see Shepard behind him.

"That one was probably my favorite so far," The Commander chuckled, "Mostly because I know how often Jane wiped the floor with your face, Garrus." Garrus opened his mouth to retort, but Joker cut in.

"Speaking of your face… What's the hardest part about treating a turian that took a rocket to one side of his face?" Garrus rolled his eyes good naturedly, fighting the smile as he remembered the last time he'd heard that one.

"Figuring out which side took the rocket. Come on, I know for a fact that Jane's the one that came up with that one, it's old news."

They all laughed and continued to toss banter about for a few minutes, but Shepard seemed to slowly sink back into his own internal musings. Soon, Joker began the docking procedures, contacting the Alliance tower to request clearance.

"Everything okay, Shepard?" Garrus asked quietly, and the other man looked at him before nodding.

"Yeah. I was just thinking about a call I got a little while ago from the salarian councilor, Valern, about Udina. He suspects he's been moving massive amounts of money around under the table, and it has me worried." He cut off as he looked toward Joker, his brows drawing down in confusion. "What's wrong, Joker?"

"I don't know, but I'm not getting a response from any Alliance operators at the docks." He tried again, and again got no response. "What the hell's going on down there? Even if there was a station malfunction, they'd have backups online." Joker shook his head before glancing back at the both of them and voicing Garrus' thoughts aloud. "I got a bad feeling here. Checking emergency channels."

As Joker flicked through the holo controls, Garrus looked at Shepard, whose face was pinched with concern. The Commander caught his eye with a frown. They shared a silent moment of worry before Joker turned in his seat to look back at them.

"Commander, I've got Mordin on the line. He says it's important. Think you'll want to hear this." There was an edge to his voice that immediately set them both further on edge, the vestiges of lightheartedness of moments ago vanishing without a trace.

"Put him through."

"Shepard, wonderful timing." Mordin's voice came through the speakers, clipped as usual, but with a heightened urgency that was alarming. "Citadel under attack, Cerberus taken control of docks, troops sweeping station." Shepard's eyes widened and Garrus' heart leapt into his throat.

"Is Jane okay? Is the hospital safe? Where are you?" Shepard asked hurriedly, and Garrus stepped forward to grip Joker's chair as he peered through the window before them as the Citadel rolled into view.

"Jane escaped, disappeared as soon as Commandos arrived at hospital. Odd place to target, likely hunting particular individuals. Taken cover on Presidium with Thane, heading to C-Sec headquarters, but unsure of Jane's current location."

"Why C-Sec headquarters?" Garrus asked sharply, narrowing his eyes in consideration. There were a number of strategic advantages to holding headquarters, but-

"Cerberus currently holds main C-Sec facilities, problematic. Plan to assist in retaking, backup would be preferable."

"All right, Joker," Shepard turned and started out of the cockpit, Garrus hot on his heels, "get us away from the docks and close to C-Sec HQ. We'll deploy in the shuttle."

"Aye-aye, Commander."

"Jane will be fine." Garrus muttered, suddenly unsure if he was speaking to himself or Shepard. "She's more than capable of taking care of herself, probably while taking out a battalion of Cerberus troopers in the meanwhile."

"I know." Was Shepard's only response, his pace only picking up as they neared the elevators.

"This answers the question of why the Cerberus bases were running skeleton crews, I suppose." Garrus growled before ducking out of cover to take a shot. The Cerberus soldier fell back in a spray of dark blood, darker than he was used to seeing from humans. He shuddered in disgust at the implications.

It was hard not to feel an anxious nausea as they fought through the Lot 9 Shuttle Hangar at the C-Sec HQ. He'd worked here for years, it had been nearly his second home. His friends had all worked here, it had been a place of stability and safety.

But now… Now it was a battlefield, chaos erupting around him as he stepped through puddles of blood in a variety of colors.

Garrus wanted to be sick. It was a similar feeling to seeing Reaper forces on Palaven. Similar to knowing that the Collectors had broken into the Normandy and abducted their crew. His old home suddenly felt dirty, defiled. It was surreal to think of this as the same place it had been even a few weeks prior.

He crammed it all down into a box to be set aside for later. Another shot taken, another commando dropped in a bloody heap. He had to focus, he had a purpose.

It was a relief to encounter someone alive who was not wearing Cerberus colors, even if Bailey was bleeding out when they found him. Some hastily applied medigel had the man on his feet again as he helped them break through the lock and into HQ. As they waited, Garrus did what he could to contact Jane, but not for the first time since arriving, he had no luck. Cerberus was jamming damn near every line of communication.

"How bad's the situation?" He asked as they finally headed through the doors and toward a nearby console. The rest of the ground team trailed behind them, weapons up and ready. "Do you know if the Councilors are alive?"

"It's impossible to say until I get into the network. I know Councilor Valern had a meeting with the executor today, so it's possible they've been split up." Bailey limped toward the desk and fell into the chair with a grunt. His attention shifted to the console as he quickly began pulling up displays.

"Why did he have a meeting with the executor?" Shepard asked as he scanned the room carefully. They could hear the far off sounds of gunfire, making it hard to relax.

"Usually it means someone big's about to be prosecuted. I guess that someone had Cerberus friends." Bailey mused to himself, but Garrus felt possible pieces to the mystery falling into place.

"Shepard, you mentioned your call with the Councilor regarding Udina…" Garrus paused and shook his head. He had to be getting ahead of himself. "But that's insane. Does he even have that kind of pull?"

"The person to ask would probably be Councilor Valern himself." Bailey muttered, but then blinked, his fingers pausing in their typing. "Well hello there… Speak of the devil. There's a message here from the Councilor here." He looked up toward the Commander quickly before reading it out. "'Be on guard – the likelihood of betrayal from within in is high.'' Huh. Not a lot to work with, there."

"If there's a chance he's here, then we need to find him. He might have the answers we need. Where do you think he might be?" Shepard asked Bailey, but Garrus jumped in as a thought occurred to him.

"He could still be in the executor's office. It's a fairly defensible position." He stated with a shrug, and Bailey turned to glance at him before nodding his agreement.

"Gottcha." Shepard called out for his team to follow. Activating his omni-tool, he pulled up the emergency channel again. "You catch all of that, Mordin?"

"Yes. Thane and I nearing headquarters. Progress slow, Kepral's Syndrome affecting speed. Will keep you posted."

As they made their way further into the building, Garrus forced his eyes away from the bullet-pocked walls, the blood spatters, and the vacant eyes of blue clad corpses. Vaguely, he could hear the angry chords thrumming in his subvocals, but he forced himself to focus. These had been his friends, his co-workers, people he'd known, had spent his days with. All dead. It was impossible not to think back to a cold, empty Omega apartment, no one to keep him company but the cold corpses of friends.

So many bodies littered the floors as Shepard's team fought their way through the building room by room that it soon became hard to ignore. "Entry wounds to the back of the head." Garrus grit out as he looked down at a bloody mess behind a security desk. "Looks like a surprise, not an execution." He looked back up at Shepard, who nodded in agreement. "We've got hardcore traitors here." The thought disgusted him further.

"Same as Mars. Cerberus sure likes sleeper agents." Shepard murmured, his lips twisted, and Ashley tsked angrily behind them.

They made their way up a familiar elevator, one Garrus had used daily for the last few years of his time at C-Sec. He didn't want to see what his old department looked like, not after what they'd seen so far.

"Any survivors in there?" Bailey asked, his tone dull and leaden.

"None yet." Shepard replied, his voice as gentle as possible given the situation.

"Damn it. Well, keep looking."

The elevator opened as they were instantly assaulted with the smell of burned flesh and the flickering of damaged lights. Garrus hurried out and around the corner and he fought down the anxiety building in his chest. Somehow, in his mind he wasn't just stumbling into his old department, but also a grimey, bloody Omega apartment.

"Ridgefield? Lamont? You alive?" Garrus couldn't stop himself from calling out. He was met with nothing but echoing silence, the sparking of electrical wires, and the sound of far off alarms. He cursed under his breath. A firm hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Shepard's steady gaze on him, a comfort as he struggled to reign in his subvocals.

"Hey! You mind not alerting the whole station?" James whispered as he glared at him, but Garrus just rolled his eyes.

"If gunfire doesn't put them on notice, I sure won't." He snorted as he scanned the room. He recognized faces, but none were the friends he was looking for. He took a breath, reminding himself that was a good thing. He desperately wanted to search for them, cursing himself for letting their friendship slide the past few years. If they managed to get out of this, and Ridgefield and Lamont were okay, he vowed to make a bigger effort to keep in touch.

Shaking his head, Garrus refocused himself. They needed to find the Councilor, and as soon as they did that, they could find Jane. He needed to keep his mind on that. There wasn't time for anything else.

As they finally reached the top of the stairs leading to the executor's office, they pressed themselves against the wall as Liara prepared to hit the door's controls, the others ready and waiting behind her. As soon as it was open, they took stock of the situation, noticing the emptiness of the room and the corpses on the floor.

Quickly scanning the bodies, Garrus realized none of them could be the Councilor. Shepard reported in to Bailey as the others swept the room. Moving toward the window overlooking the landing below, Garrus wondered for a moment if Valern had made it out somehow. Something caught his eye, a shimmer in the air down below. His breath caught.

"Jane?" He gasped, narrowing his eyes as he watched for movement. Shepard ran over to stand beside him.

"You saw Jane? Where?" He asked hurriedly, but Garrus shook his head.

"No, I just thought I saw… There!" He pointed down at another shimmer in the air as it sparked. A tactical cloak fizzled and died, but in its spot stood not the human woman he was expecting, but a robed salarian. "It's the Councilor!"

"Found him. He looks unharmed." Shepard stated with a nod to Garrus.

"Get him somewhere safe." Bailey said, relief in his voice, and Shepard nodded to his team.

"Let's get down there and get him to safety." They all started for the door, but another flash of movement caught Garrus' eye, and he turned back toward the window just in time to see a dark form drop down onto the landing below.

"Shepard! There's someone else down there with him!" Garrus yelled, watching as an armored man stood to loom before the salarian councilor, who began stumbling backwards in fear. Without hesitation, Garrus brought up the butt of his rifle and smashed it into the window. The glass shattered outwards, sparkling in the light of Shepard's biotics as the Commander leapt through the window a moment later.

Garrus followed, vaulting over the ledge and down onto the landing below. He hit the ground hard, his hardsuit absorbing some of the shock, his knees struggling not to buckle under the rest.

"Don't even think about it." Shepard called out as he leveled his weapon on the partially masked human across the room. Garrus brought his own weapon up as he stood, and nearby he could hear the running feet of the others coming down the stairs.

"Shepard. He's going to kill us all." Councilor Valern rasped harshly, his voice urgent and fearful as he brought his hands up. The stranger before him raised a hand to level on the salarian, his palm glowing with a dangerous light. On his chest stood the Cerberus logo.

"That remains to be seen." Shepard replied curtly as he took a measured, careful step forward. He and the attacker began to slowly circle one another, the Councilor turning on the spot to keep the would-be assassin in his line of sight.

"I mean Udina." Valern hissed in a whisper just loud enough to reach them. "He's staging a coup. He's got the other councilors now, to hand over to Cerberus." A stab of fear jolted Garrus as he processed the words, and he could see Shepard stiffen slightly before taking another step forward. Behind him, the entirety of his team shifted forward as well, their weapons drawn and ready.

"You can't take all of us, pal. It's over." Shepard stated firmly, followed by murmured agreement from the team.

A slow smile spread across the face of the Cerberus agent, made all the more menacing by their inability to see his eyes behind his mask.

"No," He growled in a low voice, "now it's fun." The energy in his palm glowed brighter, and the Councilor winced as he brought his arm up to protect his face from the impending attack.

A click echoed through the room, a pistol's safety flicking off.

"Think again, asshole." came a new voice from behind the agent, causing him to turn. Garrus blinked and questions raced in his mind as he recognized the familiar, smirking face and the Spectre symbol emblazoned upon her shoulder.