John stood in front of Garrus and Tali, watching the twitching asari before them as Mia, Kaidan, and Liara stayed back for a moment. Mia was shaky, but she could move. John's fear was shock setting in before they could get back to the Normandy, but he knew Kaidan would take care of her.
" This one ," The asari spoke, her voice strangely modified, sounding hollow. " Serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces, " John moved forward, passing the asari and looking through the container tank the rachni queen was stored in, looking up to see the acid tanks secured above her. " Your musics are colorless ." the asari continued.
"Musics?" John asked, frowning, looking around as he heard movement to see Mia, who had begun walking towards the rachni slowly, seemingly fascinated. "I'm not sure what you're talking about." John said, frowning at his sister and the situation.
" Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all." the asari said.
"We filled you with enough plasma to pop a tank. Who are we speaking to, here?" John asked the asari, looking between her and the queen.
" We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. " the asari said, and John watched Mia move up to the glass, placing a shaky hand on the tank. " We are rachni."
"How are you speaking through her?" John asked, watching his sister carefully. He was still worried about her concussion.
"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging. She has colors we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful." The asari said, and Mia nodded, but didn't speak. John's frown deepened as he watched her lips moving silently, like when she was mouthing lyrics on the battlefield. She seemed to be in some sort of trance.
"Did you order your people to kill the science team?" John asked the asari, trying to gather intel and stay on mission.
" No. We were locked away here. The children are beyond our songs. They have been lost to silence. " the asari said. "They were stolen from us before they could learn to sing. End their suffering. They cannot be saved. They will only cause harm as they are."
"I don't understand. Why are your children killing people?" John asked, not able to piece it together yet. Alien cultures was really more Mia's thing, John just read a lot.
"These needle-men. They stole our eggs from us. They sought to turn our children into beasts of war. Claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds. " the Rachni queen explained.
"Poor things," Mia whispered, and John couldn't believe she could sympathize with the monsters they'd spent most of the day killing.
"I understand," Liara nodded, and Kaidan agreed.
"It makes sense. A baby left alone in a closet until he's sixteen won't be sane." He said.
"If you're sure they can't be saved…" John said, frowning.
"It is lamentable. Do what you must. " The queen told John. "Before you deal with our children, we stand before you. What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"
"The rachni were a threat to the galaxy. Those tanks are filled with acid. If she gets out of hand, they dissolve her." Garrus commented.
"They made a mistake. They let the krogan go too far. This is a chance for us to atone. She has done nothing to us." Liara defended.
"She's the last of her race, Commander." Tali chimed in. "We don't have the…objectivity to judge her." she asserted.
John looked to Mia, who still stood with her hand pressed to the glass, as though she was trying to feel the vibrations of the rachni speaking through the glass.
"Mia? What do you think?" John asked. The rest of the team had weighed in on this decision, but John found himself still hesitating. He needed to know what his sister thought, what was going on with her.
"Let her sing," Mia whispered, not looking to John. "Her music is so beautiful."
"As is yours, little one. Your musics are different from your companions…more complex. Your music wraps around a deep silence." the queen said through the asari.
"Mia, what do you mean?" John asked, moving over to his sister with concern. He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"You don't hear her singing? It's… the most beautiful song I've ever heard, John." Mia said, frowning up into his eyes. John frowned as he met her eye, noticing that her eyes seemed to be glowing bright green, for just a moment. He blinked, and the light was gone. Her eyes were just her normal green. Had the light ever really been there, or was he just tired?
"Okay," John said, running a hand through his hair as he blew out a breath.
" Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people back to the silence of memory. " The queen said.
"If I let you live, will you attack other races again?" John asked, weighing the opinions.
" No. We-I do not know what happened in the war. We only heard discordance, songs the color of oily shadows. We would seek a hidden place to teach our children harmony. If they understand, perhaps we would return. " the queen said.
"Are you a survivor from the war? A clone?" John asked, and Mia turned to him, snapping out of her trance.
"It's like you're trying to find a reason to dissolve her. How many soldiers do you know that sing to communicate?" she rolled her eyes.
"Just one," He said, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he shrugged. He was relieved to see her attitude was back. It wasn't like her to be so quiet. "Gotta be sure."
" We do not know if we were a clone. We were only an egg, hearing Mother cry in our dreams. A tone from space hushed one voice after another. It forced the singers to resonate with its own sour yellow note. Then we awoke, in this place. The last echo of those who came out from the Singing Planet. The sky is silent."
"I won't be the man to end an entire species. Sing your songs and raise your children. And maybe stay out of Citadel space for a while." John said, looking to Mia, who visibly relaxed.
" You will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children. We will tell them of the good Shepard, and the one who sings in harmony with the silence. We will be listening for you." The queen said, her eyes coming to rest at eye level with Mia. Mia smiled, then moved over to the console, her fingers flying over the holo keyboard as she opened the rachni queen's enclosure.
The asari before them dropped to the floor, still just as dead as she had been as the massive queen paused, as though making sure it wasn't a trap before turning back to Mia.
"It's not a trap," Mia assured her. "Go. Sing your songs." That was all the queen needed, and she turned, leaving her enclosure.
" Spirits , that was weird." Garrus said, his eyes trained on Mia. "What did she mean, your music wraps around…silence?"
"I… don't know," Mia said with a frown, looking up at Garrus and fully coming out of her daze. She rubbed her head, swaying on the spot for a moment before John reached out a hand to steady her.
"I think we should get you back to the Mako," John said, looking to Kaidan. "Think you can make it back to the Mako with her and Liara?"
"Aye, sir," Kaidan said , nodding.
"We'll take care of the children and meet you back there." John informed them.
"Don't take too long," Mia said, rubbing her temples as she moved to leave with Kaidan. "And make sure you watch your six, Garrus. You're too damn generous with your heatsinks." She threw over her shoulder. Garrus laughed outright at that.
"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You know me, I love to savor that last headshot."
"It's like you have a death wish." Mia smirked at him. "Be safe." She said seriously.
"You, too, Mia." Garrus told her with a smile. John watched Mia leave with Kaidan and Liara, then took a deep breath, unholstering his assault rifle.
"Let's finish this and go home." John said, then started towards the hot labs.
June 24, 2183 CE Mia Shepard Normandy Engineering Deck, Exodus Cluster 1200 hours "Cause though the truth may vary, this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore." -Of Monsters and Men, "Little Talks"
Mia was calibrating the stealth systems for the thirtieth time, trying to get just a little more performance out of it while listening to some old Earth music on her earpiece. She mostly needed the distraction from the last mission, if she was honest, and hadn't chosen this task due to any fault in the equipment. She didn't know what else to do to occupy the time while they were scanning for resources in the Exodus cluster. Adams kept his engineering deck spotless, one of the many things she enjoyed about the man.
She'd developed a fast friendship with Adams, who wasn't used to much company as an Alliance engineer. Mia liked to hide from other people down here, but Adams never counted as people. Somehow he always knew when to leave the room, and when to come back with a hot drink. He made the engineering deck her favorite place on the ship. Mostly because it was so easy to hide from John down here.
She hated hiding from John, but she didn't particularly want to be around him when he kept accusing her of losing her shit. He'd chalked up their encounter on Noveria to her having a PTSD attack exacerbated by a concussion. Mia had been cleared by Chakwas after a night of observation in the medical bay. She was fit for duty, according to the doctor.
But Mia had heard that rachni queen. She felt the vibrations in the glass beneath her fingers, even through the gloves of her hard suit. She felt each of the words the queen so lovingly plucked out of the asari, the energy buzzing through the air between them. It was like standing in front of an orchestra. She saw the colors of her words, drifting through the air. Just for a moment, but it had been there. It had seemed so clear to her, but John didn't agree.
He looked at her like she was crazy. He told her that she needed to see her therapist, and that she needed to get more rest. And that hurt more. She was so sure she had experienced that. And after what they had experienced with the beacon, her brother not believing her was the biggest slap in the face. He'd had the Council throw his vision in his face and took it as a guideline for behavior.
She'd tried to reason with him. The queen had talked to her, she had said Mia was different. But John was quick to brush that under the rug, saying the bug was talking in metaphors and that no one could know what that creature meant.
But Mia knew what it meant. The deep silence the queen had spoken about. It started after Akuze, the deep meditations. It was as though someone else was piloting her body, she was stuck inside herself. She could respond, but she wasn't quite… herself.
Her therapist called it depersonalization disorder, a side effect of PTSD. She'd prescribed her medication for it. Mia took it, for a while, but when it started affecting her performance in the field, she stopped. Mia couldn't help but feel like John was worrying about the wrong things. Yes, she had a history. She probably had a bit of PTSD, if her nightmares were anything to judge from. But she was not crazy. She wasn't hallucinating, and she was not just concussed. She had been in the Silence.
Mia quietly sang along to the lyrics of her song, bobbing her head a bit as she worked. She didn't register the door opening behind her, and nearly had a heart attack when she looked up from her console at the sight of movement and saw Garrus leaning against her console. He looked like he'd been there for a moment, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Oh, hey," He smiled at her.
"Gods, Garrus," She exclaimed, taking a deep breath to steady herself, though she smiled at her friend
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You're usually more aware of your surroundings, it was nice seeing you let your guard down." he chuckled, standing up straight.
"This is why I hate doing it," She murmured, rubbing the back of her neck. "Did you need something?" she asked him, offering him a friendly smile.
"I just wanted to talk to you. About Noveria." Garrus said, his voice lowering sympathetically.
"If you're going to tell me I need to go see my therapist, you can leave now," Mia deadpanned, turning away from the man and back to her console.
"What? Mia, no- wait, what? Who told you that?" Garrus fumbled, a range of emotions crossing his face in a very short time.
"John," She shrugged. "After Noveria, we talked. He asked me what happened. I told him. He thought I was losing it. Told me to talk to my therapist."
"What? I mean, while it is crazy what happened, it happened . What did you tell him?" Garrus said, frowning down at her. She didn't meet his eye. Kaidan had sided with John, telling her that she was probably just tired and hearing things. She didn't want a repeat of that.
"I…"Mia hugged herself, biting her lip.
"Hey," Garrus said, placing a hand on her shoulder gently. "It's okay. It's just me. Here," Garrus took her hand, leading her away from her console and over to an alcove, out of the way. He sat down on the floor, his back to the wall, and patted the floor beside him. "You don't even have to look at me." He promised. Mia's heart melted, and she sank down onto the floor next to her friend. Just like Noveria.
"What happened, Mia? It was like you were in a trance," He said softly, and Mia didn't feel his gaze on her, which was comforting.
"I sort of was," Mia sighed, shaking her head. "It's something that's happened since Akuze, but this time was different." She told him. "I could hear her, Garrus. I wasn't listening to the asari, I was listening to the queen. I could feel the vibrations in the glass, I could-" She stopped talking, looking away. "My therapist calls it depersonalization, but I don't know. The medication made me feel like a zombie, cut my awareness in half." She said, staring straight ahead.
"Well, I don't think you're crazy," Garrus murmured, and Mia looked up to see his eyes on her. "I think it's crazy to not include something like this in a report to the Council, which John clearly didn't do." Mia looked up at that, frowning.
"Why should we report this to the Council?" Mia asked.
"Mia, you communicated with a nearly extinct race without trying-" Garrus started, incredulously.
"And I don't want to end up in a cage like the queen." Mia said flatly. Garrus paused for a moment, considering that, then nodding.
"Ah, that makes sense." he sighed, and Mia looked up into his eyes. "So, what? You just deal with this in secret? You said this started on Akuze. How did it start?"
Mia took a deep breath, looking down at her knees. She hated remembering Akuze, but it was like she couldn't escape it, these days.
"I was going to starve to death," she told him, her voice flat. "I'd been there for two weeks, working off of three days' rations. I supplemented my supplies with rations from dead commrades, but a lot of the supplies were compromised. Thresher maw acid isn't kind to food. I was outrunning and outhiding the thresher maws even while starving. But I couldn't keep it up. I had tried for days to get a signal out to the Alliance. On the last day, I climbed to the top of a ridge with my tactical cloak engaged, hoping to get better reception, or at least a clearer view of the field. I underestimated myself, I let myself get too weak. I passed out on top of that ridge, but somehow, my comms started working, pinging my location. Anderson's patrol picked me up. I don't know how they found me, how my tactical cloak disengaged…They thought I was dead at first, but… here I am. I should have died on Akuze, Garrus. That's not survior's guilt talking, either. I just don't know why I didn't." She said, shaking her head.
"That would bother anyone," Garrus agreed, "Not having an answer to that question could drive the sanest person to the edge. But I don't think you're crazy, Mia. If you were, you wouldn't be worried that you were." he told her. Mia looked up at that.
"What do you mean?" she asked softly.
"Crazy people don't think the things they're saying is crazy. They think it's reality. The fact that you can observe the world in a different way and note the inconsistencies tells me that you're probably the most sane person here." He said, and Mia felt a warmth building in her chest at his acceptance.
"Thank you, Garrus," She murmured, looking up at him with a small smile. She saw him smiling down at her at first, but then his eyes widened.
"Mia, your eyes-" He said, and Mia blinked a few times, frowning.
"What?" She asked, cocking her head. Garrus put a hand to her cheek, looking intently into her eyes for a moment. Mia would have thought it was sweet if not for the concerned look on Garrus's face.
"Your eyes were glowing, Mia," He told her softly. "Actually emitting light."
"That's…new," Mia frowned at him.
"Actually, I'm not so sure. I thought it was the light playing tricks on me, but I swore on Noveria that I saw your eyes glow, too." He told her. Mia nodded, then searched his face for a moment before continuing.
"Garrus, you believe me, right?" She asked, softly. "That I heard the queen?"
"Of course. I don't know how, but I know you did. We just have to figure out the how." Garrus said reasonably.
"Can we keep this between us?" She asked, almost desperately. "I don't want to get the Council involved, I don't want the attention and the labs…" She hugged herself, her head dipping. She could feel a panic attack coming on, but Garrus stopped her. He slid next to her and wrapped his arm around her securely.
"I told you, I've got your six, Shepard. Always." Garrus told her softly. "I won't suggest the Council again, because you're absolutely right about that route. But I will ask you to let me talk to John. I worry that his misplaced fears may end up hurting you more than anything." He said softly.
"I won't stop you from talking to him. Kaidan's already taken his side, though. He's feeding into the echo chamber." Mia grumbled. She let her head drop against Garrus's shoulder, glad for his presence.
"Lucky for you, I enjoy shattering echo chambers." Garrus chuckled, glancing down at her. He studied her for a moment, then rested his head on top of hers. She let her eyes slip closed and just enjoy the moment. "You and Kaidan seem…close," Garrus murmured, lifting his head after a moment and studying her. Mia heard the question in his subvocals and she smiled sadly.
"I thought we were," She said softly, shaking her head. "I know he cares about me. But it's like he just sees me as a project. Something that needs to be fixed."
"You can't fix something that's not broken," Garrus murmured, and she felt a tear slip down her cheek. "And Mia Shepard, you are anything but broken." She turned, hugging the man tightly. His other hand came up to wrap around her as she broke down in his arms.
"Thank you," She whispered, smiling up at him through her tears.
"Just telling it how it is," He replied nonchalantly, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I hate seeing my best friend cry, you know. But I'll take it if it comes with a smile."
"Dork," She laughed, wiping the rest of her tears away and rubbing her temples. "I hate crying, too. I don't know where things are going with Kaidan. I think…" she sighed.
"You need to focus on yourself?" Garrus asked gently. "It's not selfish of you to do that, you know."
"I know . But people don't just like me, Garrus." She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall with a dull thud.
"I do," He said simply. Mia shot him a look and he laughed. "I just called you my best friend, or did you not hear me? I meant that, Mia. I don't have many friends these days, but I'm proud to consider you one of them. I don't know where you got it into your head that people will never like you, but that's just not true." Mia's eyes widened, and she focused in on a part of his words.
"... people will never like you…" the phrase echoed in her head, Garrus's voice shifting and morphing until it was another voice. The voice of her mother.
"This is exactly why people will never like you, Amelia. You can't do the simplest thing correctly!" Renee Shepard stood over a seven year old Mia, glaring down at her with a bottle in her hand. Mia had just dropped a dish that she'd been washing. It'd shattered and she'd cut her hand picking up the pieces. Mia looked down to her hand, seeing the blood from the cut.
As quickly as it had come, she blinked and looked down at her hands. She felt for the smooth scar that remained there, telling her it was in the past. She was safe.
"Mia?" Garrus called, and when Mia looked up, he was frowning at her.
"Sorry," She said quickly.
"No, don't be. What happened?" He asked softly. "I called your name a few times, it's like you weren't even there," He murmured.
"I wasn't," Mia said, sighing. "I think it was a PTSD attack? I was…with my mom." Mia frowned. "I thought I was over that," She murmured, shaking her head. She was looking at her hands, at the walls, anywhere but Garrus. She could feel herself blushing at the episode and just wished he'd let it go, forget it happened. "They said I was better." She dismissed.
"Mia, what are you talking about?" Garrus asked, taking her head in both of his hands and pulling her eyes to his. She paused for a moment, letting herself relax in his presence, knowing she was safe. She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, nodding. He brushed a thumb over her cheek and she let the ghost of a smile slip out before she started speaking shakily.
"My mother wasn't the nicest human in the Alliance. She constantly berated me, told me I'd always be a failure, that I would never be good enough, I'd never be as good as John. She hated John for how perfect he was; to her, his perfection came from our father. There was no pleasing my mother. So I left as soon as I could. Except that I couldn't. Enlisting meant serving on a base with my abuser as my commanding officer. She was the reason I did the N7 program. It was actually John's suggestion."
"You underwent one of the most insane training regiments in the galaxy to get away from your mother?" Garrus asked, his eyes wide in astonishment.
"I went all the way to Palaven to get away from my mother, Garrus. She fought in the First Contact war. Figured it'd piss her off." She laughed humorlessly.
"I'm sure it did," Garrus said, smiling down at her. "Are you feeling better? You don't seem so stiff." He said, and she suddenly realized she had slipped back against him, his arm draped over her shoulders. She let her head fall against his shoulder again and let out a breath.
"Yeah, I am." she told him. She heard a low chuckle come from somewhere in his chest and he rubbed her shoulder gently.
"Look, I can't make your past go away, Mia. No one can do that. But I can be here with you while you deal with it. I promise you, you'll never have to fight a battle alone." He told her, and Mia opened her eyes to meet his. "Whether it's guns or words. I'm pretty good with both, I'll have you know." He smiled at her, and she finally cracked a smile.
"You're a really good friend, Garrus." She told him.
"I do my best," He shrugged, finally pulling away from her and getting to his feet. He held out his hand to help her up and smiled. "It's well past lunchtime. Why don't we head to the mess and grab something to eat? The dextro rations on the ship are particularly horrible, but it'd be nice to share a meal."
"I'd like that," She agreed, taking his hand as she got to her feet. She felt steadier than she had in a while as she made for the elevator. Having a best friend was great.
Garrus Vakarian Captain's Office 2045 hours "If we are not our brother's keeper, at least let us not be his executioner." - Marlon Brando
It was late, and Garrus hoped his instinct was correct and he wouldn't be waking the Commander from what little sleep he did get. He knocked on the door and heard John's tired voice from the other side, coming from the direction of his desk.
"Come in," He called. Garrus took a deep breath and entered, moving over to sit next to John's desk.
"Garrus, this is a nice surprise," John said, sounding relieved to see him. Garrus smiled at that. "I heard you encouraged the ground team to eat lunch together. I like to see that kind of initiative, and that really keeps morale up. Thank you for doing that, I'd like to try and join you in the future." He smiled at the man. Garrus was a little surprised by his words, but he smiled all the same.
"I was mostly trying to cheer Mia up. You're right, it's great for morale. Sorry I didn't invite you. Mia asked me not to." Garrus said honestly. John's face fell slightly and he nodded, looking down at his desk for a moment.
"She's still upset with me." He said, trying to keep his voice even.
"That's what you think, Shepard?" Garrus asked, frowning at the man.
"Of course. Why else would she be trying to turn the ground team against me?" He asked, shaking his head.
"She's not- what? " Garrus asked, not following John's logic. He looked up at his friend's face, studying him carefully. "She's not trying to undermine you, John. What's going on? What was said in that debrief?" Garrus asked. John sighed heavily, finally meeting the turian's eye and nodding. He pulled up a file on his console, a recording from the comm room. John had a habit of recording all their debriefs so he could go over them later. Just in case he missed something.
He played the audio file and Garrus listened intently.
"What happened back there, Mia?" John asked, his voice concerned.
"I could hear her, John. I could feel the strings she was pulling to make the asari move, I saw the colors of her music, just for a moment. The glass, it was vibrating- " Mia's voice was full wonder, not fear.
"You hit your head really hard, Mia…" John said, his voice worried.
"What- what do you mean, John?" She asked, her voice faltering.
"I mean, shock does weird things to the human body. It can distort vision, cause hallucinations-"
"She talked to us John," Mia said, and Garrus could hear the frown in her voice.
"She was a space bug talking in metaphors, Amelia. I don't think she knew what she was talking about." John dismissed.
"You asked me what happened. I told you." Mia said coldly. "If that's all, I'd like to retire to my bunk now."
"One thing, first. I'd like you to have a psyche eval before I clear you for the next mission. Dr. Chakwas is more than willing to assess you." John told her, his voice calculated.
There was a long pause before Mia replied.
"Aye, sir." Her voice was small and Garrus could hear the tell-tale signs of tears.
The recording ended and John looked up to Garrus as though he'd just won an argument.
"This is clearly retaliation for me taking her off the ground team." John said, shaking his head.
Garrus stood, debating on just walking out, but resorted to pacing in front of John's desk, rubbing his temples so he didn't punch the man.
"Shepard, did we listen to the same recording?" He asked with a forced calm that he was surprised he could muster.
"I was there, Garrus." John rolled his eyes.
"Then how can you not see that your sister is upset because she thinks her brother thinks she's crazy?" Garrus blurted out, beyond frustrated. John's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up.
"She- what?" John asked, confusion taking the place of anger.
"She didn't want you to come to lunch because 'he'd just freak out if I sit there too quietly'. That's what she told me. It's not fucking retaliation, it's the consequences of your actions. Commander ." Garrus spat.
"She's sick, Garrus." John asserted.
"I saw her eyes glow." Garrus challenged, leaning on John's desk an inch from his face. "I don't know what's happening with your sister, Shepard, but I assure you, if she's sick, so am I."
John froze. "You saw-" he closed his mouth suddenly, his eyes darting around the room as if trying to remember something. "Was it green?"
"Of course, it was-" Garrus paused, looking into John's eyes questioningly. "You saw it on Noveria, too?" He asked, arching a brow plate at the man.
"I didn't want it to be anything. I thought I was just tired, it was just the light. But yes, I… I saw it, too." John said, moving away from Garrus's face. He braced his elbows on his desk, putting his head in his hands. "I don't want Mia to be special, Garrus. Special is a bad thing in this galaxy. Special people get shipped off to labs to be dissected. I… I'd rather her be safe as a civilian than used as a bargaining chip by the Council in this stupid war."
"I understand that. But you and I know that's not what's best for Mia, or even the galaxy at this point." Garrus said, standing up straight again. "She needs her brother- no, her commanding officer to believe in her. Did you hear how her voice changed the moment you dismissed her? She's only as strong as you let her be, Shepard."
"I don't think she's crazy." He whispered, almost to himself. "I think the Council chose the wrong Shepard." Garrus paused at that, and sat back down next to the man.
"What? War hero John Shepard is the wrong man for this job? What is it with you two and doubting how amazing you are?" Garrus chuckled, looking at the man with a sense of awe.
"Family trait," John said, rolling his eyes. Garrus knew he was good at breaking tension, and he saw the other man relax. "Seriously, Mia didn't get promoted to officer until the age of 23 because of our mother's influence. After Akuze, she flew through the ranks, and for good reason. It's easy to win battles, Garrus. It's a lot harder to lose them and come out still swinging. That's Amelia Shepard. Always swinging." He smiled affectionately.
"You need to talk to her." Garrus told him. "Because right now she's hiding in engineering thinking that her brother thinks she's crazy and worrying that some scientist is going to try to scan her brain in the near future." John frowned, meeting Garrus's gaze.
"I didn't realize…" His frown deepened. "Kaidan didn't check on her?" he asked, questioningly.
"Apparently Kaidan sided with you, whatever that means." Garrus said with a shrug, but John nodded, his face falling.
"Kaidan probably told her she needed therapy, too." He sighed. "Thank you, for checking on her. You've really gone above and beyond the call on this one, Garrus." John murmured, running a hand through his hair.
"Someone's gotta pull your ass out of the fire, Shepard. Might as well be me," He laughed. He was just glad he could laugh this off with his friend. He considered the man for a moment, and realized he'd never had a commanding officer who he considered a friend before, but that's exactly how John led the crew. He wanted to know everyone on a personal level. And that made his crew one of the most loyal he'd ever encountered.
"I'll talk to her. I just want her to feel safe. She's a damn good soldier, she just-" John shook his head.
"Scares the shit out of you?" Garrus asked, arching a brow plate at him.
"Yeah. She definitely does that." John laughed. "Thank you again for having her back. And for having mine." John said, looking tired as Garrus got to his feet.
"I told you I would," Garrus smiled as he turned and headed for the door. "I'm a man of my word."