Act 1: The Citadel
*Citadel: 2191. Five years after the Reaper War*
*BZZT* *BZZT* *BZZT*
The loud buzzing of an alarm filled the air with its irritating sounds. Luckily, a three fingered hand reached out and the alarm went dead with the simple touch of a button. Sweet silence.
Slowly, the figure rose up from the bed. Though they would rather just plop back into it and continue to snooze. Too bad.
Garrus Vakarian let out a tired yawn; his mandibles outstretching as his mouth opened completely. His blue eyes opened so that he could see the time. Ten after six. His usual wake up time.
The turian raised both his arms and let out a loud groan as he stretched his muscles. Garrus then reached down toward the corner of his bed and took hold of something mechanical. He brought it up to his left knee and it attached to him with a loud *click* noise. A prosthetic leg, as he had lost his real leg five years prior.
Afterwards, his morning routine was in full swing.
Garrus took a hot shower, threw on his morning robe, made himself a filling breakfast, and changed into an outfit for exercise. The turian was on shore leave for the whole week. That meant that he had plenty of time on his hands to unwind from duty.
As Garrus walked down the hallway of his apartment, his prosthetic leg froze just for a second, but it was enough to cause him to fumble and bump into the table next to him. The shift caused a picture to fall from the top. Thankfully, Garrus' reflexes kicked in and he skillfully caught the frame before it hit the floor.
"Gotcha Shepard." Garrus said aloud.
The turian rolled onto his backside before giving his leg a good wack. The mechanics started back up and he was able to get back onto his feet. Garrus looked at the picture he grabbed.
It was of him and Shepard. They were both in bathing-wear, standing in front of a beach. This picture was of when Shepard and Garrus spent the weekend on a beach on Virmire, after they had defeated the Collectors. The whole crew went to celebrate their victory.
It was quite the weekend. Tali wanted to go in the water more than anything if it weren't for her weak immune system. Jacob and Miranda were playing volleyball against Kasumi and Jack. Zaeed had fallen asleep in the sun and ended up getting burned… and found a mole he was SURE was not there before after it had healed. Thane and Samara were busy meditating by the trees. Mordin occupied himself with gathering seashells that he could study for hours on end. Grunt was playing in the water like a child, as he had never seen the ocean before. And poor Legion had been buried in the sand by Joker and Kelly. They needed a metal detector to find it.
Garrus and Shepard had recently started dating at the time. They had requested that Tali take a picture of them to save the memory. The two of them looked extremely happy in the photo. This was the last time he had seen Shepard after she had turned herself in after what happened with the Alpha Relay.
Garrus smiled warmly at the picture, but it soon vanished and was replaced with a frown.
"I got you…"
His gaze then moved from the picture to another frame that was mounted on his wall. It was a picture of a party Garrus was a part of. A banner over him and numerous friends that read: "One Year Sober".
An exhale escaped from Garrus' mouth. He brought the photo to mouth plates, kissing the glass gently before placing it back on the table.
"Sleep tight, sweetheart..."
Garrus headed for the front door.
It had been five years since the Reapers were defeated. Five long years since Garrus had lost Shepard. It was a painful path to recover not just for him, but for everyone. The Mass Relays had been badly damaged by the Crucible and were left unable to be used for several months, leaving most of the Normandy crew stranded for a while.
For Garrus, losing the woman he loved… It was hell. It was bad enough that Garrus had lost his crime fighting team a year prior due to Sidonis. This ended up breaking him.
Vakarian was so shattered that he ended up drowning his sorrows in a bottle. It has gotten bad. From drinking on duty to waking up hungover in an alleyway. If it weren't for his crew mates and their patience, Garrus would have ended up dead. The turian had checked himself into rehab and managed to get himself clean again. He hadn't had any form of alcohol for the past four years.
Not long after, the Citadel had been rebuilt, and Garrus had moved back in.
It was a long road, but things were finally returning to normal. Yet no matter how much time would pass by, Garrus would never forget about Shepard and the time they spent together. And he would make sure of it.
After all, he had moved into her apartment.
…
It was a lovely day in the Presidium… Well, it was always a lovely day in the Presidium given the fact that they were in space. Garrus was out for a morning jog along the pond. A rather perfect spot in his opinion. The sound of Expel 10 playing in his ear holes through his Omni-Buds.
Garrus passed by various sites on his run. The krogan memorial statue, C-Sec academy, the embassies. Many of which brought back memories of past adventures on the Normandy. He still remembered that time he and Wrex got drunk after defeating Saren and urinated into the pond. Garrus' boss at C-Sec looked like his head would explode from how angry he was.
After running a few miles across the Presidium, Garrus had decided to stop at a small cafe in the market district. It was his usual stop during his morning runs for water.
Garrus walked in and headed for the counter. On the other side of it was another turian. A female with pink markings across her facial plates. She looked about a foot shorter than Garrus himself. That and the splash of pink on her face only made her look even cuter to him.
"Ah! Commander Vakarian! Good morning." The female greeted.
"Morning Reeka." Garrus said back. "You're looking a lot better today."
Reeka smiled. "Yes. I think I'm finally over that bug I caught from Tom. Not sure how a turians can catch a human virus, if I'm being honest."
A small chuckle escaped from Garrus' mouth. "Who knows. I'm just glad you're feeling better. It's been too quiet here without you."
He received a flattered giggle from the barista. That in turn helped brighten his day.
"I take it that you just want your usual, Commander?"
Garrus nodded. Reeka happily reached down into the fridge at her feet and pulled out a bottle of water. She then took hold of a small marker and started writing on the side of the bottle before handing it to Garrus. The male turian observed what she had written down. His name with a small heart beside it. He smiled.
"Enjoy." Reeka said happily.
With that being said, Garrus had decided to take a seat and rest for a short time. He was sitting at a high table by the windows. Garrus stared out into the vast horizon of the Citadel, taking in the full image of the station. Just a few years ago, the entire place was reduced to rubble and corpses. Now, things were as they should again. Peace at last.
"Fancy seeing you here, stranger."
A voice caught Garrus' attention. He turned to his right. Standing beside him was none other than his old crew mate, Liara T'Soni, dressed in a rather formal blue and white dress.
"Liara. Hey." Garrus greeted.
The asari smiled warmly. Vakarian offered his old friend the chair next to him so she could sit down. Liara took the offer.
"You look well, Garrus." Liara pointed out.
"Thanks. You look like you're doing good yourself." Garrus replied. "How's it going, being the Shadow Broker?"
Liara brushed the side of her forehead. She wasn't just any ordinary asari scholar. Liara was also an infamous black market information trader, known as the Shadow Broker. Mostly of recent though
After she and Shepard defeated the original broker six years ago, Liara took up the mantle, using the nearly bottomless well of I formation to help the galaxy, rather than cause more harm than there already was. After all, information can be even deadlier than any bomb.
"Actually, it's almost boring. Now that the Reapers are gone, there isn't that much activity within the broker's network. I never thought I would say this but I actually miss fighting Husks and Cerberus."
Garrus couldn't help but laugh. Liara giggled at the same time. The turian truly missed chatting with his old comrades. He hasn't been able to see anyone that much now that everyone had their own business.
"What about you, Garrus? How's your leg?"
Slowly, Garrus raised his left leg to show his friend.
"It's working. Freezing up every once in a blue moon but I can manage." He explained. Garrus then sighed softly. "Though, there are some times when it hurts a bit."
Phantom pain. A condition that occurs in people who lose a limb. Nerves in parts of the spinal cord and brain "rewire" when they lose signals from the missing limb. The sensation is similar to sharp pins and needles or throbbing. It can be very hindering.
Liara's smile vanished and its place was a look of sorrow. She placed her hand gently on Garrus' thigh so as to not cause the nerves to react and sting him.
"I'm alright. Don't worry." He assured her.
T'Soni sighed and leaned back in her chair.
"Changing the subject. What about your personal life? Have you been seeing anyone recently?"
Garrus froze up. "That's the change in subject you choose?"
The asari shrugged and gave the turian an innocent grin. Garrus only groaned in annoyance. He averted his gaze away from Liara, not wishing to look her in the eye.
"Garrus…" She said sadly.
"Liara, I've already told you. I can't see anyone. It's part of my rehab, remember." Garrus replied with an easy excuse.
"That's only for the first year, Garrus. It's been more than four now." Liara corrected. "Your days of using that excuse are over."
'Crap…' Garrus cursed mentally.
The truth is, Garrus wasn't seeing anyone because he didn't want to.
Since Shepard's death, the turian has not been involved with any other romantic partners at all. Not dating or even a simple hookup. Just the very thought of it would make Garrus feel as though he would betray Shepard. So he closed himself off.
Vakarian looked down at the water bottle in his hands with sad eyes.
"I… I just can't do it, Liara. I feel like, if I do, I'd betray her… the last thing I told Shepard was that I'd meet her up in that bar in heaven when my time comes."
Those words make T'Soni's heart ache. She placed her hand on Garrus' comfortingly. This made Garrus return his gaze to her.
"You know full well that Shepard would want you to be happy. She wouldn't hate you for finding love again."
Despite Liara's reassuring words, Garrus still felt unsure. Regardless, he put on a sad smile. Liara noticed the writing on the water bottle and her expression changed into a deviant grin.
"Maybe start with that turian barista?"
Now Garrus was blushing. His cheek plates turned a light blue and his eyes widened.
"Wha- Reeka?! Seriously?!" He exclaimed.
"Why not?" Liara laughed. "She's cute, and clearly likes you. The heart above your name is a dead giveaway."
She wasn't wrong. Over his repeated visits to this cafe, Garrus and Reeka had grown rather fond of each other. Could there be more than just friendship between them? He wouldn't lie. She was cute.
Not to mention, Garrus did feel an attraction towards her deep down. It was a different kind of attraction than the one he had with Shepard, which was intense, passionate, and exhilarating. The one he felt with Reeka was calmer, more slow paced. It was a nice feeling.
It got Garrus thinking. Should he ask her out? He looked out the window as he pondered. Garrus could see most of the Presidium, including the tower.
Where he met her… Back during his days with C-Sec…
…
"Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them."
"Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus.
With that said, Pallin walked away, leaving Garrus steaming mad. The turian tightened his fist in an attempt to surprise his rage. This was ridiculous. Garrus had been building that case on Saren for MONTHS.
Saren Arterius. Turian Spectre for the Alliance Council, regarded as the youngest soldier to ever be instated. The man was a legend.
However, lately Saren's operations were becoming increasingly questionable. Black market purchases, accepting controversial assignments, there have even been rumors about Saren killing another Spectre. That was when Garrus had launched his own investigation into the strange turian.
And now, after digging up as much dirt as he could, following lead after lead. His boss shows up and takes every single scrap he had collected on Saren. Garrus wanted to explode.
That was when… he met her.
Garrus turned to his right. He saw three human soldiers heading his way. One was a certain red haired woman who wore a suit with the logo of Earth's N7 initiative.
"Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian." Garrus greeted. "I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren."
"Nice to meet you, Vakarian." Shepard greeted. "You were building a case on Saren? Sounds like you really want to bring him down."
Garrus crossed his arms. "I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way."
One of the humans, the male, caught Shepard's attention from the conversation.
"The Council's waiting for us, Commander." He pointed out.
Shepard nodded in response, then turned to Garrus.
"Sorry. I should go. We're about to speak with the council regarding Saren."
The turian nodded. "Good luck, Shepard. Maybe they'll listen to you."
With that, she walked away. Shepard brushed right past Garrus, who got a good look at her even from the corner of his eye. The way she walked, her fiery hair, even that piercing stare.
There was only one word to describe such a person. Intense.
Shepard seemed like the kind of person to look up to. Someone you would follow into battle with and watch their six no matter what.
In all honesty, Garrus originally only saw Shepard as a mentor. He never would have imagined what would come.
…
Garrus came back to reality. Though his mind was still flooded with uncertainty. He switched his gaze towards the counter. Perhaps the sight of Reeka would help him decide. That was when he noticed something… off.
There was a person standing at the counter in front of Reeka. He was covered by a black cloak, making it impossible to see his face. Also Reeka. Her once happy face had changed to a look of fright. Garrus noticed that there was a small terminal in her hands for receiving g payments. If it weren't for his C-Sec training, he wouldn't not have realized what was going on.
"Garrus?" Liara said, wondering what he was staring at.
"Call C-Sec. This place is being robbed."
Her eyes went wide. Liara turned to the counter and silently gasped. The robber must have just walked in, otherwise she would have noticed. Garrus started to get up out of his chair, but was stopped when Liara grabbed his arm.
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Reeka's in danger. I can't just sit here and do nothing."
Garrus headed for the counter as quietly as he could. If he were to save Reeka, he needed to catch the crook off guard. Liara wanted to protest Garrus' actions, but that would probably draw the robber's attention, so she caved and carefully contacted C-Sec.
Over at the counter, Reeka was in absolute terror. The assailant in front of her had a gun pointed at her gut from beneath his robe, finger on the cocked trigger. Despite her panic, the female turian was in the process of transferring funds from the transaction terminal to the robber's own Omni Tool.
"T-transfer is almost done…" Reeka whispered in fear.
"Stay calm, sweetheart. You got my word that I'll leave once this is done 'n over with. You're gonna be fine." The robber stated calmly.
"Excuse me, Reeka."
The two looked to the corner of the counter. Garrus was leaning against the display case for all the snacks ever so casually. Plastered on his face was the smirk of a cocky punk.
"I just ran into an old friend not too long ago and we're both getting kind of peckish. Think we can get some food? Coffee cake for her and I'll just take a dextro scone."
Reeka was looking at Garrus with a dumbfounded expression. That was when she saw him wink at her. He knew what was going on, and he needed her to play along.
"Oh, uh… Y-yeah. Of course, Commander. Right away." Reeka nervously responded.
"Excuse me."
The robber turned to Garrus, who looked back smuggly.
"This nice young lady here is busy takin' down my order. So why don't you hop back over to your table."
The hidden gun poked out from the cloak, right at Garrus' gut.
"And stay there."
Garrus shrugged. "Alright. My bad. Sorry to bother you… Spirits! Is that a rat in the display case?!"
The robber was caught off guard by Garrus' sudden outburst and couldn't help but to direct his gaze to the case next to the turian.
This was his chance!
With reflexes as instantaneous as lightning, Garrus swiftly ripped the man's pistol out of his hand and pointed it back at him. The robber stuck up his hands.
"Not bad, huh? A little misdirection trick I learned back in the academy."
Now the shoe was on the other foot. The robber was left defenseless.
"Reeka, get in the back and stay there until C-Sec gets here. I've got this."
Reeka nodded in compliance. She rushed into the back room and locked the door behind her. Garrus didn't take his eyes off the robber. He needed to keep his view locked on his opponent.
"Don't move a muscle or I'm punching a hole in your head." Garrus warned in a menacing tone.
"Hey, c'mon now. I wasn't gonna hurt the fringe on bird-babe's head. Was just after some cash. Nothin' more." The robber calmly explained.
"And you chose a corner cafe as your target?" Garrus questioned.
"I also wanted a cup 'o joe. What can I say?"
His mandibles fluttered in anticipation. Grip tightened on the gun. Garrus wanted so badly to shoot this man for threatening Reeka. It was taking all his willpower to stop himself from pulling the trigger.
"Garrus, C-Sec is on its way now. E.T. seven minutes out." Liara called out from across the cafe.
"I hope you like the coffee they serve in prison, because that's where I'm gonna make sure you end up for this." Garrus growled.
The man shrugged his shoulders. Garrus took note of this man's body language. Even with a cloak on, he could see this guy's feet. They were both steady as rocks. Normally someone would be nervous and afraid when a gun is pointed right in your face and wouldn't help but shake. This man however was not, like he wasn't afraid to die.
"You know, you're pretty calm for someone with a gun pointed at them. Especially a gun this big…"
Garrus got a better look at the weapon. It looked like an old fashioned human revolver. Black and gold with a wooden grip. On the side was an engraving in gold. 'Tex Mechanica.' The turian had never seen such an odd and flashy looking gun before.
"What is this, an antique?"
But instead of an answer, the assailant swiped the gun out of Garrus' grip and stole it back. Garrus however quickly reached for his pistol just as fast. The two were now in the middle of a standoff in the dead center of the cafe.
"Now son, I don't take too kindly to someone swiping my cannon from me, ya hear?" The man spoke in a hostile tone.
Garrus growled. The man was now inspecting his gun while keeping a close eye on Garrus' body language. He was anticipating the slightest bit of movement.
"Nice gun. Looks like it packs a wallop. What is that?" The man asked curiously.
"M-5 Phalanx." Garrus coldly responded.
"I see. Well, my cannon here's got a name too."
The man quickly shifted to the side, catching Garrus off guard. The golden gun pointed directly at his head.
"The Last Word."
"Garrus!"
The gun fired. A bullet propelled out from the barrel at an impossible speed. Luckily for the turian, Liara activated her biotics at the same time. Using Pull, Garrus was yanked away from the bullet's path just in the nick of time. The shot instead punching a rather large hole through the store wall.
Garrus and Liara were both left completely stunned. The hole was the size of a soccer ball. That pistol looked old, but it was clearly incredibly powerful.
"By the goddess!" Liara exclaimed.
The cloak flew off the attacker. His form exposed.
The man looked human, obviously male, athletically built. His outfit looked like that of an Earth cowboy, colored in black and gold all across him. Atop his head was even a cowboy's hat with a small red bull crest on the front of the hat. Not only that, his whole face was covered by a helmet of gold that was shaped like that of a bird's beak. But not just any bird. A hawk. And to top it all off, draping behind him was some long cape with a bull crest insignia woven into it.
Garrus and Liara were left speechless at their attacker's appearance. But not because they were amazed by his style. Speechless as in… "What the hell is this guy wearing..?"
The man twirled the pistol in his hand before bringing it down to hip level. He kept his free hand just above the gun's hammer. The man was holding the pistol like a gunslinger from the old west. Maybe he really was a cowboy.
Garrus felt the effects of Pull wear off. "Everyone take cover, now!" He shouted.
The customers and staff all ducked to the floor. The gunslinger began firing off his pistol continuously. Liara and Garrus dove out of the way to avoid the shots. They both took cover behind the counter.
One by one, the gun's shots blew holes into the wall as if they were struck by a middle age cannon. Just one shot from this gun could rip a man apart.
"What the hell kind of gun is that?" Garrus questioned in a panicked voice.
"Not even an M-98 Widow is that powerful. I've never seen anything like it." Liara pointed out.
Garrus peeked his head over the counter. The gunslinger had stopped firing. It looked like he was in the process of reloading his weapon.
"Whatever it is, it looks like it can't fire too many rounds. I'd say it only holds eight bullets. I counted."
Then this was their chance, before their assailant has the chance to reload.
"Dagnabbit… Jaren Ward couldn't have given this thing a bigger magazine when he built it?"
The quick thumping of footsteps caught the gunslinger's attention. He looked up. Liara dove right at him with a long blade in her hand. The slinger ducked at the last second. Liara grunted in irritation at her failed attempt to finish her opponent.
The gunslinger stood back up. He turned his attention to the counter. Garrus had a gun pointed right at him. An M-4 Shuriken machine pistol, and it was set to full auto.
Garrus fired, unleashing a swarm of bullets. The gunslinger jumped to his right and began backfilling multiple times, and in doing so dodging each and every bullet fired at him.
Garrus was left shocked. This man dodged automatic fire by jumping around like a monkey?!
Once the slinger had stopped moving. Liara snuck up behind him. She thrust her sword towards, aiming for the man's heart. Unfortunately, he shifted his body slightly to the side and avoided being run through. Liara then tried a side slice. The gunslinger blocked using the metal plating of his gauntlet.
He grabbed hold of the sword's blade and pulled Liara in so he could slam his head into hers. The asari was dazed momentarily. This let the gunslinger hit her in the gut with a powerful back kick and push Liara away from him. He then followed up with drawing his fully loaded pistol again and was ready to take the kill shot.
The pistol was however knocked out of his hand by another bullet fired off by Garrus. Now that their opponent was u armed, Garrus ran up to him and clocked the slinger in the jaw with his fist, causing the man to fall to the ground in disorientation. The turian rushed to Liara's side, who had recovered from her head blow and stared down at her weapon with a puzzled look.
"You use a sword now?" Garrus questioned.
"You live in your dead girlfriend's apartment?" Liara shot right back.
"…Touché."
The gunslinger finally got back onto his feet. He noticed that Liara and Garrus were now right in front of him and armed with melee weapons. Liara and her sword, while Garrus had deployed an Omni Blade. The gunslinger chuckled.
"Leonardo fans, eh?"
Within the HUD of his helmet, the gunslinger selected an option. 'Unexpected Resurgence'.
Suddenly, a new weapon appeared in his hands. A long staff with a thick blade at the end of it. A glaive. It was painted gold with Egyptian markings inscribed on it and was crackling with electricity.
"I'm more of a Donatello kinda guy myself."
"Where did THAT come from?!" Garrus exclaimed at the sudden appearance of the weapon.
"Best not to think about it." Liara urged.
The gunslinger tapped the blade of his glaive on the ground a few times in excitement. "C'mon now! Let's get this square dance started!"
The turian and asari charged their opponent. Their blades struck the pole of the glaive and their combined force caused the gunslinger to kneel on his knee. The slinger however mustered up enough strength to push the two away. He then twirled his glaive and swung it down hard towards Liara. The thick blade clashed with her sword's edge. It was a miracle Liara's thin blade didn't shatter.
Garrus slipped to the back of the gunslinger and was ready to ram him Omni Blade into him. The gunslinger twisted his body and blocked the strike using the glaive's butt, knocking Garrus' arm away.
With a powerful jump, the gunslinger leapt right over Vakarian and was now behind the turian. He thrust his mighty blade forward. Garrus would have gotten impaled not for Liara using Singularity to spawn a small black hole behind the slinger and pull him away.
Too bad that didn't matter. The glaive's electric current grew stronger and the blade actually fired off a blast of lightning at them. Garrus pulled out his pistol and fire off a Concussive Shot to counter the blast midair. The two projectiles collide and triggered a small explosion.
"Really?! The spear shoots lasers?!"
Liara drew her M-9 Tempest SMG from her back, squeezing the trigger and fired round after round at the gunslinger. The bullets were suddenly deflected by some sort of protective electric field generated by the glaive's blade. The bullets fell to the floor, flattened like gum.
"…and it generates a force field that deflects bullets." Liara added.
The gunslinger disengaged the shield. He reversed his grip on the glaive as he hurled it straight at the duo. Liara and Garrus dogged out of the way as the weapon flew straight out the window and stuck into the side of a column outside… right above the head off a passing Volus.
"Oh dear…" They said before fainting.
The gunslinger followed up with drawing two small blades from his hip sheaths. They looked like knives with gut hooks. He twirled them in his hands via the finger holes. The slinger took hold of the small blades in each hand in the reverse grip.
Garrus and Liara both charged at once. Garrus jumped up with his arm cocked back, ready for a downward thrust of his Omni Blade. However, the gunslinger took hold of Garrus' arm mid thrust and tossed the turian into a row of tables.
Following up was Liara. What occurred was a lightning fast clash of blades. Sparks flew from the smashing of steel against one another. Despite having a superior blade, Liara was on the defensive against the gunslinger's dual knives.
During the clash, Garrus was starting to get back into his feet. Liara slammed her sword down hard on the gunslinger's right knife. The adversary also took note that Vakarian was recovering. He tossed his left knife straight at the turian. Garrus miraculously managed to grab hold of the knife's grip at the very second it got an INCH away from his face.
A single drop of sweat ran down his face plate. It was only thanks to his honed to perfection reflexes that he pulled off this catch. However, he wasn't out of danger yet. The knife's blade started to glow red and a high pitched ping sound could be heard. Garrus' eyes caught something small attached to the side of the blade.
A micro plastique! This knife was rigged to explode!
"Spirits!" He exclaimed.
Garrus tossed the knife over behind the counter. The weapon erupted into a small blast of fire, shattering the window in the back. Garrus was mortified now. What kind of maniac rigs a knife with an explosive?!
The gunslinger raised his left foot and harshly thrusted it into Liara's stomach. The asari gasped for air from the impact and dropped her sword. This left her open for a follow up attack.
"And here comes a Golden Age Dropkick!"
He jumped up. The gunslinger smashed both his feet right into the side of her face and the impact sent Liara flying through the window and into the Presidium pond.
"LIARA!" Garrus cried.
That bastard would pay for that. Garrus drew his pistol and fired off four shots. The gunslinger quickly shifted his body back and forth. The bullets ended up completely missing their mark. It was as if the gunslinger could actually see where the bullets were and dodged accordingly.
Garrus growled. This was getting annoying. The turian got low and lunged straight toward the gunslinger's legs. A chuckle escaped the slinger's lips beneath his helmet. This couldn't have been more obvious.
But at the last second, Garrus focused all his strength into his forward foot and sprung upwards. His Omni Blade collided with the gunslinger's knife and the blade was sent flying into the air.
He was unarmed. Garrus had an opening. All he had to do was swing his arm down and he could deliver a finishing slash across this punk's chest.
Garrus proceeded with his final blow, only for the most outrageous upset to happen. The gunslinger knocked Garrus' arm away with an upward split kick. This man was painfully flexible.
While Garrus was left open, the slinger backflips away and draws a lasso from his hip. He tossed the lasso upward towards the knife and the hoop closed around the grip. The gunslinger then flung the lasso towards Garrus, wrapping around his torso; the knife on the end logging itself into Garrus' left shoulder in the soft spot in-between the plates.
The turian cried out in pain, blue blood dripped from the wound. The gunslinger then pulled on the lasso with all his might.
"And away we go!"
Garrus was flung out of the cafe as if he were fired from a slingshot and ended up falling into the pond alongside Liara. Garrus emerged from the water, gasping for air.
"Garrus, you're bleeding!" Liara exclaimed.
"Don't worry. It's just a flesh wound." Garrus reassured.
"Yeeeeeehaw!"
Approaching from the cafe was the gunslinger, walking in an amused fashion while twirling his hand cannon in his fingers. He stopped at the edge of the pond before holstering his weapon.
"Thanks for the dance, you two. Unfortunately, I gotta be on my way. I got a tech store to stop at, so I'll just be on my merry little-"
CLONK*
A massive red fist came down with the force of a cannonball onto the gunslinger's head. He was instantly knocked unconscious and his body went limp, falling right into the water face down.
"That was easy." Boomed a thunderous voice.
Standing at the edge of the water was a new face. A krogan, and a big one even for his kind. He was clad in armor as red as his eyes. Multiple scars littered his face. Garrus and Liara knew this krogan.
"Morning, Bozos in Blue." The krogan greeted.
"Wrex?" Garrus said in surprise. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Before acknowledging the question, Wrex picked up the seemingly lifeless gunslinger from the water and tossed him over his shoulder.
"Ahh, just butting heads with the salarian councilor over krogan colonization. That skinny bitch won't stop crying…"
Urdnot Wrex. Yet another member of the Normandy crew. Once the muscle of the original team, now leader of Clan Urdnot on Tuchanka and hero of his people. Wrex was responsible for uniting the fractured race to help Shepard fight against the reapers. In exchange for Shepard helping Wrex cure the infamous genophage that rendered his kind sterile and barely unable to reproduce.
His personality matched both his appearance and attitude. Wrex was formidable, fearless, bruiting, and as aggressive as a cassowary in heat. But he had been a good friend to Shepard and the rest of the crew. Wrex was like their big brother. A big brother who could eat a car.
"So, who's Billy the Kid here?" Wrex asked.
Liara was busy untying the lasso from around Garrus but left the knife in his shoulder due to the hook in the blade. Simply pulling it out would rip out a chunk of Garrus' flesh.
"Don't ask me." Responded Vakarian. "Guy was just some random wacko who decided to rob a cafe."
That just left Wrex more confused. The krogan shifted his body and harshly dropped the gunslinger on the hard metal floor face first. The slinger groaned on impact. He woke up instantly.
"Oh… Anybody get the number of that Interceptor..?" The slinger groaned.
"That reminds me. Reeka!"
Garrus dashed out of the water towards the cafe. He needed to make sure that Reeka was in one piece. The distant sounds of sirens filled the air.
"Sounds like C-Sec's on their way. Hope you like the inside of a cell, cowboy." Wrex said in satisfaction.
The krogan smacked the gunslinger upside the head out of pure amusement.
"Fine… So long as blue slaps on the cuffs. She's pretty."
That remark only made Liara roll her eyes.
…
"Reeka? Reeka!"
Garrus came running back into the cafe in a panic. He needed to make sure that Reeka was okay after that scuffle. He noticed that the window going into the back room was broken. Garrus leapt right through it as the door was probably still locked.
The turian frantically looked around for any signs of the female. He eventually looked down at the floor. What he witnessed made him absolutely sick to his stomach.
There on the floor was Reeka, lifeless and ripped asunder. There were multiple fragments of metal embedded into her body, blue blood seeping from the wounds. She must have been struck by that exploding knife.
Garrus fell to his knees before her, eyes welling up with tears. He scooped up the lifeless body into his arms. Garrus could see Reeka's dead eyes staring right at him. Judging him. Demanding to know…
"Why didn't you save me..?"
There and then, images flashed before his eyes. Reeka had vanished. In her place was now a human. One with red hair and green eyes.
Garrus' breathing became uneasy and his body trembled. He pulled the body close to himself, not daring to let her go. Gentle sobs emanating from his throat. He had failed her again…
"I'm sorry, Shepard…"
…
*Citadel Orbit: A few hours later*
…
"Signal locked. We got his location, boss!" Said a woman, her voice carrying a rich southern American accent.
A heavily armored soldier approached the cockpit. Every step felt like a tremor. The soldier's attire black and silver from head to toe, with a red and white stripe running down their right arm. Draping down their waist was what appeared to be a holographic orange sash that covered the back of their right thigh.
From their body's figure, the soldier was female despite their face being covered by a visorless helmet. The only possible assumption as to how they can see is a light emanating from the middle. There was also an insignia on the helmet's jawline;
N7.
"Dang… Let me just say that's one massive space station. The Seraph Station ain't got nothin' on that place." The pilot commented.
"You think you can get us in without being detected, Holiday?"
The pilot leaned back and cracked her gloved fingers.
"Who do you think you're askin', girl?"
A smile crept onto the soldier's lips under her helmet. She brought her fingers up to her ear. A clicking sound was heard.
"This is Jane Doe. Eyes up, Guardians. We've got an idiot of a Hunter to rescue."