Hello my lovely readers. Have you missed me? I have missed you! I've been busy here with our Dutch 'Santa Claus' (Sinterklaas), my youngest daughter had a violin performance in a small orchestra (all kiddies) and my eldest is prepping for a ballet play. But, at long last, here I am with a new update. Enjoy! Oh, poor Garrus is not having fun...

Suicide Mission: The Long Walk

Shepard walked back to the waiting group and ordered Mordin to take the crew back to the Normandy. Garrus watched Dani put on the belt and her gauntlets with more than a little frustration.

"We are going to talk about this once this mess is over and done with," he hissed, unable to keep the anger from his voice. He immediately drew back, still remembering the fear she'd had for him a long time ago. This time however, she looked up at him unwavering.

"Then we better hurry up and get this done."

He simply nodded at her and the both of them walked up to where Shepard was delegating more orders.

"Joker, need location of landing zone. Will meet you there." Garrus heard Mordin talk to Joker.

Shepard picked Garrus, Dani and Miranda to go with him, with Jack functioning as their human shield.

"Moving out, stay close if you want to live!" Jack called out when she threw up her barrier.

Ah Jack. Charming as always. Garrus sulked as Dani quickly moved in front of Jack, attracting the seekers to her and rendering them useless as she phased through them.
So far the gauntlets seemed to be working. At least she hadn't blown herself to pieces. . . yet. Accidents could still happen though, but all Garrus could do was grit his teeth and stay inside the biotic shield.

"Jacob here. Team is in position and waiting for your orders, Shepard." Jacob's words were just barely discernible through all the static on the channel.

"Damn," Shepard cursed. "The swarms are interfering with radio contact."

"Like I said, Commander," Dani called back. "All electronic equipment is sensitive to change in current. The swarms are creating a lot of it."

They neared some kind of tunnel.

"You're ready for this?" Shepard asked his team.

"Let's go, Commander!" Jack was all pumped up to go and already moving down the tunnel.

"Incoming!" Jack warned them of attackers right ahead.

"Dani, get behind me, now!" Garrus yelled. "And I swear, woman . . . if you don't listen –"

She suddenly appeared behind him and he was grateful at least for that.

"Woman?" she asked him with a raised brow.

"Don't start with me, not now!" he grumbled at her while taking position to take out enemies.

"Moving to point," Jacob said over omni-tool while Shepard was picking off targets one by one, aided by Miranda's vicious warp. Garrus took care of advancing enemies at the back.

"Garrus, watch out!" Dani cried out and suddenly Garrus felt very cold and light and weird and just . . . completely off. The feeling lasted but a moment and he shook his head to clear it. He didn't object when Dani pulled him down behind cover.

"What was that?" he choked out.

"Your brains were a second away from decorating these walls," Dani replied. "I phased you."

"Since when do you do expressions and . . . What?"

"I don't do expressions," Dani said irritated. "You know that. I – now that you mention it, where did I pick that up?"

"Probably from me," Miranda admitted. "You two lovebirds ready? We need to go!"

When he looked up, Garrus saw that Jack and Shepard were on the move again. When Dani wanted to sprint ahead, he pulled her back.

"What did you mean . . . You phased me?"

"I'm sorry, Garrus. I didn't know what else to do. A Collector had his laser trained right on your skull and I just reacted. I grabbed you, concentrated and . . . phased you. I'm glad it worked. You could have been . . ."

"Thanks," he muttered and gave her a quick nuzzle before releasing her so she could do her thing. Maybe it wasn't so bad, having her with them.

If she had went with the crew like he insisted, he'd be lying in a puddle of his own blood by now, their time together cut unacceptably short.

He shuddered at the thought and quickly marched up to Shepard.

Dani was outside the barrier again, disrupting any seeker robot she could phase through.

"Hostiles, dead ahead!" Jack warned and they sought cover again. The barrier might stop the seeker swarms, but it didn't stop husks from charging them.

"Dani!" Garrus hollered, but she was already at his side. When he instinctively extended an arm to move her behind him, she was solid. He glanced at her and saw her face was pale and sweaty.

"Are you okay?" he asked her while switching to his assault rifle for some rapid fire.

"I'm okay." She breathed hard. Her trembling limbs and voice belied her words. "It just takes a lot from me, more than I thought."

"You're doing a great job, Dani," he assured her. "Maybe take a rest from killing seeker swarms. Let Jack sweat a little."

"Bite me, Garrus!" Jack shot back. "Better yet, bite her. Probably how she likes it anyway."

Garrus chuckled, he couldn't help himself. Despite her attitude, Jack wasn't half that bad.

Another squad of Collector drones flew in and Jack took cover behind a low outcropping. Garrus signaled for Dani to do the same while he, Shepard and Miranda set to work. Garrus took great notice of his surroundings, refusing himself to be targeted again. Dani would just try to phase him and she already looked dead on her feet as it was. Her phasing him the last time was probably the very reason she was so tired right now.

Of course the Collector bastard Harbinger was there as well assuming control over the bodies of his drones, boosting up their defenses and attack power in the process.

All the while the cocky bastard kept taunting Shepard. 'My attacks will tear you apart, I'm the Harbinger of your destiny' and more crap like that.

As soon as the threat was dealt with, Dani shot from out of cover again, apparently determined not to be a disappointment. Or get herself killed. Maybe even both. Garrus was angry with her for putting such a strain on herself. But he was confined within the barrier while she was already out there doing her thing.

When more husks came charging up, Garrus didn't bother calling for Dani. She at least accepted some of her limits and avoided head on fights.

The sheer mass of husks charging at them delayed them for quite a bit and with a worried look Garrus noticed that Jack wasn't as mouthy as before.

She was actually a bit subdued. It couldn't be easy, keeping up this much power for such a long time.

A groaning moan reached his ear holes. Crap! Scions? Harbinger was literally throwing everything he got at them! They were in danger of being run over! Several husks managed to get inside the barrier and Garrus took it upon himself to get rid of them as quick as turianly possible, leaving the Scions and Collectors for Shepard and Miranda to deal with.

When all enemies were killed, Jacob patched in to inform them the field was clear.

They moved again but they were going really slow this time. Jack was struggling trying to maintain the barrier and Dani was not as quick to move ahead of her. She only cleared a single swarm before returning back. Blood was pouring from her nose and ears and she was staggering on her feet.

"Enough," Garrus whispered while he moved to support her. "You've done enough. Let us do the rest."

She only nodded in response, leaning heavily on him for support. Soon he had to let her go when more husks attacked them from tiny crawl spaces next to them.
Dani sagged to the ground, unable to support herself. Garrus moved to stand over her, one foot at either side of her, shooting husks charging at them, keeping her safe.

"Trying . . . to . . . hold on." Jack panted as they moved down the path. Below them Garrus could see their goal, so could Jack.

"I can see the entrance," she said relieved. "Need to get there, soon!"

With sheer will Jack forced herself in a slow run, trying to close the gap quickly. Garrus nearly dragged Dani with him. The light of the entrance beckoning him like a beacon.

"Hold on," Shepard pressed. "We're almost there!"

"We need to move fast, Shepard!" Miranda called while shooting at charging husks. Her bullets and powers were neither fast nor powerful enough to keep them all at bay.

"All right, let's move!" Shepard yelled while charging for safety. Garrus simply lifted Dani in his arms and thundered down the path and jumped over inconvenient outcrops to get them both to safety.

Suddenly Collector drones started shooting them as well while Shepard worked feverishly on the security controls of the doors.

"Hurry, Shepard!" Jack cried out.

Miranda kept shooting while moving back towards the doors. Garrus ignored everything and just tried to make it inside. Suddenly he felt himself grow cold again and though he was still running, his feet no longer hit the ground.

He glanced back in horror, saw a Collector staring oddly at his rifle right before his head exploded and right before Jack roared and threw the force of the entire barrier outwards, smashing any enemy still standing out of the way. Shepard closed the door behind them as Garrus tumbled to the ground the moment he was solid again.

"Dani, are you okay?" he cried out for her and sighed a deep breath of relief when he felt her arms around him.

"I'm still here, Garrus," she assured him, her lips curled in a smile. Dear stars, she looked so pale! So fragile! He hugged her close to him.

"Almost there, love," he whispered. "All we need to do is blow this place to the afterlife and get out of here."

"You think we'll make it?"

"Of course, we have to. I didn't find you just to die in this spirits forsaken place."

"Repeat, Shepard, do you copy?" That was Jacob.

"I copy. What's your position?"

"We're pinned down at the door. We're taking heavy fire!"

Shepard signaled Garrus to work on the controls while he and Miranda flanked the doors. Dani crawled herself out of the way as much as possible.

"We're coming, just hold on! Get this door open!"

Garrus was already manipulating the keys as fast as he could with his total of four digits and two thumbs. When the door slid open, Jacob and the rest fell in, but not before Jacob took a shot to the gut. Worried Shepard hurried over, but Jacob released some medi-gel in his system and stood up straight again.

"I'm okay, " he assured Shepard. "I just need a second to catch my breath."

"Joker? Are you at the rendezvous point?"

"I'm here, Commander. Chakwas and the rest of the crew just showed up."

"Mordin's group just arrived, Shepard. No casualties," EDI informed them.

"Excellent. Now, let's make it count," Miranda started. "EDI, what's our next step?"

"There should be some nearby platforms that will take you to the main control console. From there you can overload the system and destroy the base."

"Commander? You got a problem. Hostiles massing just outside the door. Won't be long until they bust through."

Shepard turned around and moved to stand on one of those platforms. He looked down at his crew mates. Garrus noticed that everyone looked as tired as he felt. Ah, no rest for the wicked, he mused.

"A rearguard could defend this position and keep the Collectors from overwhelming us," Shepard suggested.

"Pick a team to go with you, Shepard. Everyone else can bunker down here and cover your back," Miranda said.

"Garrus, Samara, with me,"

"I'm not leaving Dani here, Shepard," Garrus stated calmly. "You heard Joker, this place will soon be overrun."

"I don't know, Garrus," Shepard hesitated. "She looks pretty beat. I can't have her anchoring us down. We've no room to screw up."

"Shepard, we're all pretty beat. I'll carry her myself if I have to and she's smart enough to find cover when needed. She saved our asses already. If it weren't for her, Jack would have collapsed far for we made it here and none of us would be alive."

"Why don't we leave this one up to her for once?"

Garrus locked eyes with Dani and felt pride running through his veins when he saw that look of determination blazing in her eyes.

"He's not going anywhere without me, Shepard," she stated while pushing herself from the ground and standing up tall and straight. "We're in this together. I won't anchor you down. I'm good to go."

"Very well. Just stay out of enemy fire, duck when you're supposed to and you'll be fine."

"I'm ready, Commander," Samara assured him while she stood next to him on the platform.

"Same here," Garrus replied, while his eyes were trained on Dani.

"Anything to say before we do this?" Miranda asked.

"The Collectors blindside their targets. Hit and run. As powerful as they are, they're cowards. They've never had to stand and fight the best of us. That's you."

No one uttered a sound as they all looked up at Commander Rhyder Shepard.

"It's been a long journey, and no one's coming out without scars. But it all comes down to this moment. We win or lose it all in the next few minutes. Make me proud. Make yourselves proud."

"We'll do our best," Miranda said with a smile. "Good luck, Shepard."

They watched them getting tinier as the platform took off. Garrus wrapped his arm around Dani's waist and pulled her against him. This was it. The final stretch.

"Promise me to stay behind cover," he whispered against her ear. "Stay out of view and. . . stay alive."

"You too," was all she said before she pulled him down to place a kiss on his mouth plates.

When the platform came to a halt, a different platform immediately floated towards them.

"Hostiles incoming, Shepard!" Samara called out. Garrus was relieved to find that Dani did as she promised and ducked for cover. He took up point right beside her and covered Shepard and Samara while they charged the hostiles head on. Samara used Reave to suck barrier strength and health out of her victims while Shepard unloaded his shotgun in their ugly mugs. No sooner did the last body drop down the platform when another platform hovered over, bringing more targets.

Garrus set to work and started taking out unsuspecting victims while Shepard and Samara were still on the move from their previous position.

He flared a cocky grin at them when they arrived and found the enemies already dispatched.

Of course another platform hovered into view. This one flanking them. Garrus pulled Dani to her feet to change position and started lining up his shots.

"Assuming control."

Garrus cursed hearing that most unwelcome voice.

"Whatever you do, stay out of view," he hissed, nearly pouncing on Dani to get her down to the ground.

Fighting Harbinger was a pain. Once the body dropped, the bastard just took control of another body. They were still fighting when another platform joined the ones already there.

When they finally found an opening, Garrus dragged Dani with him when Shepard and Samara charged ahead. Garrus and Dani found cover.

He quickly switched to his assault rifle for some quick fire and ducked when a Collector shot through his protective shields.

"Garrus, I can't just sit here and watch you guys getting killed. I'm sorry. I have to do this!"

Before Garrus could order her to stay put, Dani had phased away from him. She moved towards Harbinger, grabbed his feet and phased him halfway down the platform.

The moment she released him, he became solid again, the body trapped in the structure of the platform. She quickly did the same to the remaining enemies before returning to Garrus' side.

"Are you deliberately opting for a spanking?" he chided her, ignoring the fact he was secretly impressed.

"Promises, promises," she smiled weakly and quickly wiped away a drop a blood from her nose.

Shepard grinned while riddling the helpless bodies with bullets.

"That was fun, you should do it again!" He smirked at Dani.

"Don't give her any ideas!" Garrus growled.

"Save your anger for the Collectors, Garrus, let's go!"

Another platform hovered their way.

"Dani, stay out of view for this one. Husks and Scions. Don't you dare . . .!"

Samara reaved and killed the husks while Shepard unloaded his weapons into the Scions. Garrus took out his sniper rifle and aimed for the head loading his powerful concussive shots until he saw a shock-wave coming their way.

"Dani, phase!" he warned her and was about to duck when he felt himself grow cold again. He looked down in surprise while the shock-wave thundered right through him without harming him.

"I meant yourself, wise ass!"

She just smiled sweetly at him.

"Damn woman!"

When the Scions fell, the onslaught finally seemed to be over. For a while.

Garrus pulled Dani to her feet again while they moved from platform to platform. The final one had a console that would bring them deeper into the structure. Shepard nodded at Garrus and Dani before hitting the switch and the platform rumbled back to life.