(CW: This chapter contains side character death)

A Dream Within a Dream

Part 1

Chapter 16

The Normandy

"And they're uploaded," Liara announced, more to herself than anyone. The assembled group began to melt away, knowing they had jobs to do and that they would be informed of any developments once they were known. It would be a little while before Anderson's team reached the Elysium night club, so they all felt secure knowing they wouldn't miss much in the next few minutes, at least.

Shepard turned away from the mess hall and made her way toward the barracks, her feet slow as her thoughts turned inward. Her head felt like a mess of thoughts and emotions across the spectrum, and sleep hadn't helped as much as she'd thought it would. It had been near impossible, actually. She'd spent half the night on an emotional roller coaster as she'd replayed the last thirty-six hours in her head.

Stepping into the barracks, her eyes immediately fell on Garrus's bunk, left uncharacteristically messy, and her heart clenched.

For a half a heartbeat, Shepard was standing back in the mess hall, his intensity stabbing into her as he'd turned and met her eyes. She'd felt as though she might burn to a crisp right there from the heat of it, and it'd been all she could do not to immediately sprint out of the room.

She hadn't run, though. She'd taken a deep breath and remembered them on that beach together, moving through the sparkling sea spray as they'd danced, entwined in one another's arms. A strange calm had washed over her at that, and when she'd looked back up, there'd been a split second of… something. Garrus' mandibles had fluttered and his back had straightened.

And then he was gone, whisked away to the Citadel.

"Hey, Shepard." She spun to see Jenkins at the door, a lopsided smile on his face. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"No, it's alright. I was just… thinking," she muttered to herself as she glanced around the room. Why was she here in the barracks anyway? She felt like she was walking around in a haze. She was supposed to be heading down to Engineering. How long had she been standing there, staring at Garrus' empty bunk?

"Well, I won't disturb you for long," Jenkins said as he ran a hand through his messy curls, "but I just wanted to let you know that I know you're not a Cerberus agent. I know you're on our side."

The sudden, unexpected statement hit her hard in the face, and she turned to stare at him uncomprehendingly. He continued on hurriedly.

"I think some of the others forget what it's like to be the new guy around here. But they'll come around when they see that there's no reason to distrust you. Even Sidonis, eventually." They stood there in silence, and Jenkins' smile became chagrined. "Okay, maybe not him. But I know that this will all pass, eventually."

After a pause, Shepard smiled as her face softened, warm gratitude swelling within her. "Thanks, Jenkins. I really appreciate you saying that." He grinned back at her, his obvious youth shining through. "I know you're right," she added with a sigh, her smile fading.

Her hand came up to rub her neck, brushing against the uneven ends of her shaggy hair sticking messily out from under her hat. Her fingers traveled upwards, feeling the tight-knit stitches of the beloved garment, and a surge of strange affection for the younger man welled up in her.

Stepping toward her own bunk, Shepard leaned down to snatch up a bag of wax paper wrapped candies she'd bought during their stay on the Fleet. Pulling open the bag, she stood and tossed one to Jenkins.

He grabbed it out of the air, surprise written across his face as he looked down at it.

"What's this?" He unwrapped it and his eyes went wide with pleasure. "Oh, wow, thanks!" He happily popped it into his mouth and smiled happily as he savored the sweetness.

"Like it?" She asked as she unwrapped one for herself, and he nodded.

"Oh yeah, these are fantastic. They always remind me of something my grandma used to make when I was a kid. Back before… you know. Coming here."

Shepard stuck her hand in the bag and pulled out a few more before returning the bag to its home. Turning, she stepped forward to press the candies into Jenkins' hand.

"Thanks for always making me feel welcome here," she said as he took the candies with a grin. Reaching up, she ruffled his hair before stepping through the barracks door.

"Hey!" He laughed as he batted her hand away, and she couldn't help but laugh as she walked away. She'd never had a sibling, but she imagined this might be what it felt like to have a little brother. Her heart felt lighter than it had in a while, knowing that another one of the crew still trusted her. Maybe the others would come around, too.

"Come on, let's get to work." She turned and gestured back to him, and he followed after her.

"Yeah, we probably should. I gotta run down to the cargo bay and grab some stuff for Jacob, but I'll be back up in a few." With that, Jenkins jogged around her and off toward the ladder.

Shepard was almost to the ladder when she heard Liara call out.

"Anderson? Anderson, come in!" Backing up, Shepard poked her head around the corner into the mess hall. Liara sat at her workstation nearby the sim pods, anxiously typing as she continued trying to raise Anderson on the comm.

"Everything okay?" Shepard asked as she approached, and Liara didn't look up as she shook her head.

"I'm… not sure. It's the strangest thing." She continued to type for a moment as her eyes darted between monitors. "They've just… disappeared."

The bottom of Shepard's stomach dropped out. "Wait, what? Disappeared? Did they-" She couldn't even bring herself to say the word. "Are they-"

"Dead? No, I mean, they just vanished. They didn't die, I'd still be able to track them if they did. They arrived at Elysium, but the moment they stepped through the door, they just vanished. Poof, gone." Liara gestured to her monitors, but Shepard couldn't make sense of what she was being shown as she leaned in.

"Are they okay?" Shepard asked as her anxiety built, and Liara hesitated before answering.

"Honestly? I don't know. This has never happened before." Her fingers slowed, and she swallowed. "I have a bad feeling about this, though."

"Have you tried-" Shepard cut off as a sharp sound reverberated through the ship. "What was that?" Liara paused as she looked toward the hall, her brows furrowed.

"I'm not sure," she said slowly as she thought. "It sounded like it came from above." After a moment's consideration, she continued. "Joker has been known to take a tumble on the way to use the bathroom or to get food. Maybe that's what we heard?"

It was a weak conjecture, and they both knew it. Instead of discussing further, Liara reached for the intercom. "Joker, we heard a loud noise. Everything okay up there?"

They both waited in silence as the moments ticked by, anxiety slowly building as no response came. They looked at each other, unspoken worries passing between them.

"Would you mind checking on him, Shepard?" Liara asked after a moment, and Shepard nodded as she pushed back from the desk.

"Yeah, of course. I'll be right back," she said before turning and jogging toward the ladder. A quick climb later, and Shepard was hurrying through the empty CIC. Even though the room was never jam-packed except during meetings, it was eerie how still and quiet it was now.

"Joker?" Shepard called out, and she looked toward the cockpit to see the pilot on the ground beside his chair. Sighing a breath of relief that Liara's guess had indeed been correct, she jogged toward him. "You okay?"

He was laying on his side at a strange angle, as though he truly had fallen out of his chair, and as she noted the otherwise empty cockpit, she couldn't help but wonder where everyone was. There was usually someone on duty to assist whenever Joker needed help.

Then she saw the blood.

Joker lay in a pool of blood that was steadily spilling outwards, splatters of it all across his chair and the controls.

"Joker!" Shepard exclaimed as she fell to her knees beside him, her heart hammering in her ears. It was dreamlike, the vivid red of it, the sticky warmth that began soaking into her pants legs as she reached for him.

Was this for real?

"Joker, please don't be dead," she whispered harshly as she turned him over onto his back. He hissed and winced at the movement, and she breathed in relief. "Oh, thank god." She let her eyes roam his body, searching for the source of the blood, noticing the hole in the shoulder of his sweater, and the blood oozing from it. "What the hell happened?"

"F-first. Aid." He ground out through clenched teeth, a single eye cracking open to gaze up at her through evident pain. It flicked to the wall, and she looked up to see a white box with a red marking stenciled on it. Standing, she quickly wrenched it off the wall before kneeling beside him again.

She pried the box open and found a box of gauze. Ripping it open, she pulled it all out and slammed it down onto the wound, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Sorry," she grunted as she leaned her weight down onto the gauze, willing the bleeding to slow with pressure. It was quickly bleeding through already, so she let up just long enough to pull her sweater off before pressing it, too, down onto the wound. "Shit, this is really bad. What happened?" She asked again, and Joker muttered something unintelligible before groaning.

"S-shot. Li… Liara." He finally managed to choke out, and Shepard's eyebrows drew down in confusion.

"How could Liara have done this? I was just with her."

"No!" Joker gasped before bringing his other hand up to grab the sweater, holding it in place as she continued to press down on it. "Help. Liara." He grunted before opening his eyes and glaring up at her with a fervent urgency. "I'll be okay. Go!"

Shepard hesitated. "Joker, you're bleeding out, and I-"

"Go!" He yelled again as he snarled at her. "Help her!" Finally, Shepard nodded as she stood and sprinted back through the CIC.

Someone had shot Joker. But who? And how? What on earth was happening? Was the would-be murderer going after Liara right now?

In her mind, she began running through everyone aboard the Normandy who was still conscious, confusion and fear warring for control as she rocketed through the CIC.

Another gunshot rang through the ship, followed by a scream of pain.

"Liara!" Shepard cried out as she leapt toward the ladder, sliding down as her fear grew into unadulterated panic. Thoughts flew through her head like motes in a high wind, far too fast for her to grab on to any as her feet hit the floor hard and she rounded the corner.

Liara lay on her back on the ground by her desk, one arm a bloody mess, her other thrust into the air, a bubble of blue biotic energy shielding her as her attacker bore down on her. He pressed his pistol into the barrier, sparks flying as he inched closer to his target, a focused snarl of effort on his usually friendly face.

Shepard slowed, shock seizing control of her limbs.

"J-jacob?"

Jacob's eyes flashed up to her, and a moment later, she was staring down the barrel of his gun. Using her last remaining ounce of forward momentum, Shepard threw herself forward into a roll just as the weapon went off, the sharp crack of it ringing in her ears.

Knowing she only had seconds to act, she launched herself at his legs, sending them both flying, the clatter of his gun hitting the floor a relief to her ears as they became a tornado of flailing limbs.

"You're the Cerberus traitor!" She exclaimed as her fist found purchase in his sweater, thrusting him hard against the steel floor. He grunted, then grabbed her and rolled.

"So what if I am?" His knee caught her in the gut and the wind rushed out of her. "Nothing that happens here will matter once they plug me back in!" Shepard thrust him away from herself, ripping her shirt from his grip as she struggled to right herself.

"You would betray us all, murder your friends, just to return to the Reaper's prison?" She asked incredulously as her eyes flicked about, searching for the lost pistol without taking her attention off the man before her. "None of that is real!"

They both struggled to their feet, and Jacob frowned as he brought a hand up to wipe blood from a scratch on his cheek.

"My mother, my only true family, is real. When they plug me back in, I won't remember any of this. It will be as though none of it happened. They'll alter my mother's memory, too, and it will be as if I'd never left her behind. Unlike my father, I know where my responsibility lies."

"Your responsibility is to your crew! To the Fleet! To humanity and all of organic life! The Reapers consider us nothing but chattel!" Shepard yelled as anger and hatred began to overshadow the fear pumping through her veins. "How can you turn your back on us? After learning the truth about it all?"

"Blood is thicker than water." Jacob's eyes narrowed as they began to circle each other in the narrow space of the mess hall. "She needs me, and I'll do whatever it takes to get back to her. Soon, all of this will be nothing more than a distasteful dream."

There was a glint in the corner of her eye, and suddenly she saw it. The pistol lay under one of the chairs, and they both noticed it at the same time. Jacob's eyes flicked to it, and Shepard threw herself forward at the same moment he did.

They fought and scrabbled, fists and nails flying, blows landing and blood spilling. Her hand wrapped around cold steel and she cried out in triumph as she brought her elbow up, connecting hard with his chin. Ripping herself from the fray, Shepard struggled to stand, but one knee gave out and she stumbled.

Jacobs's fist caught her hard in the cheek, and she gasped as the pistol was wrenched from her grip. The world spun as flashes of light popped across her vision, and she stumbled backwards, her free arm brought up before her face as though it would protect her from what she knew was inevitable.

"Goodbye, Shepard." Jacob's words were cold and detached as he took aim.

"No!" A voice screamed, and everything around her seemed to slow.

The crack of the gun firing reverberated through the room, not quite masking the sound of footsteps running toward her. Jenkins threw himself before her, and Shepard watched in horror as blood flew through the air, trailing after him as he crashed hard to the floor and landed in a heap at her feet.

"Jenkins!" She screamed as she watched his eyes roll up into his head, blood already pooling around him. Fury flashed bright and hot in her chest as she looked up to see Jacob coldly take aim at her again.

"Not again, you won't!" Liara ground out as she thrust her good arm toward Jacob, sending a blast of biotic energy crashing into him, throwing him backwards a few steps.

Shepard didn't hesitate as she sprinted toward him, her fingers wrapping around the gun and wrenching it downward. A gunshot exploded against the floor, and she brought her knee up to catch him in the gut. Jacob gasped as he doubled over, and she finally pulled the gun free.

"Don't you understand, Shepard?" He stood back up, and with two hands, grabbed the front of her shirt and spun, smashing her hard against the wall. "They rip us from the Citadel without any warning what's about to happen! They trick us, they pretend they're going to explain some great secret of the universe, when in reality, all they do is steal us from the safety of our friends and family. And where do we end up?" He pulled her back, and then smashed her back again, her head colliding hard against the bulkhead. "In this god forsaken hell hole!"

"I'd rather this hell hole than the farms," Shepard spat, blood dripping down her chin as she brought her fist up, "and you're deluding yourself if you think the Reapers give two shits what you want."

Jacob's eyes widened, and she pulled the trigger.

The force of the shot reverberated down her arm, and blood sprayed across her face. Jacob grunted in pain and pitched forward, releasing her shirt as he went limp. She thrust him off her, and he fell to the ground with a thud. Waiting only a moment to confirm the gaping hole in his chest, she lept over him and to where Jenkins lay.

Liara had pulled herself up with her good arm to sit beside him, pulling his head into her lap before gently stroking his hair back out of his face, his eyes shut as he lay utterly still. Shepard fell to her knees before them and brought a shaking hand up to his neck. Pressing her fingers against the artery there, she closed her eyes, hoping, praying…

"What the hell is going on up here?" Vega's voice rang out, followed by two sets of footsteps rounding the corner. "Whoa! What the fuck!" Vega and Tali drew up as they took in the bloody scene before them.

Shepard let her hand fall away with a shuddering sigh. She forced herself to take a breath, then another. She turned to look at Liara, who's gaze fell as she shook her head.

"Tali, check on Jacob. If it looks like he'll live, restrain him. We've found our Cerberus traitor." Shepard ordered as she stood on two shaky legs, thoughts and plans beginning to race through her head. Her heart hurt and all she wanted to do was collapse into tears and screaming.

But four of their own were missing within the Citadel, and there was work to be done. No time for falling to pieces now. "Vega, go find Joker and get him to the medbay as fast as you can. He's been shot and needs medical attention."

"Uh… yes, ma'am!" Vega spun and disappeared as he darted toward the ladder. Tali hurried forward and began checking Jacob for signs of life, and Shepard knelt down to help Liara to her feet.

"What… what happened?" Tali stuttered as she carefully rolled the larger man over. "It doesn't look good, Shepard. Did… did you shoot him?" She chanced a glance at the gun in Shepard's hand. Her luminous gaze landed on Jenkins for a split second before returning to her work.

"Jacob shot Jenkins," Shepard said as she helped Liara back onto her chair and put the pistol down on the desk before reaching for the nearby first air kit in order to tend to the wound. "I didn't let him get away with it."

"I don't think he's going to make it," Tali muttered as she shook her head, and Shepard fought the surge of grim, vindictive satisfaction. But it withered quickly as she pulled the compress back just enough to watch Liara's violet blood continue to flow.

"Then man Liara's workstation while I get her to the medbay. Why can't medigel exist in the real world…" She muttered angrily as she helped Liara out of the seat, letting Tali sit instead. They made their way around Jacob's supine form and into the medbay. Moments later, Vega crashed through the door, a bloody Joker clutched in his arms.

Laying the pilot down on one of the beds, he began the process of stabilizing him as Shepard did what she could for Liara. As soon as they were content that both would be okay, they left Joker to sleep and helped Liara back to her workstation.

Vega turned to Shepard with an anxious cock to his eyebrows as he fiddled with the brace around his injured arm. "So, was Jacob really Cerberus?" He asked quietly, and Shepard's jaw clenched as she looked down at the bloody mess strewn across the floor.

"Yeah. He shot Joker, then came down here and attacked Liara. He must have been hiding in the CIC when I passed. Guess he figured he needed to cripple the ship by taking them out first. I don't know what his plan was beyond that, but now we'll never know."

"And Jenkins?" Vega's voice cracked, and Shepard looked away, unable to meet his eyes. Instead, she turned to look down at the crumpled body of their friend.

"He saved me. That bullet was meant for me. I- I…" She trailed off, unsure what to say, her throat tightening painfully as her eyes burned.

"Idiot kid," Vega muttered, his voice hoarse. "Too goddamn noble of his own good. No sense of self preservation."

"Here, let's move him," Tali said gently as her hand brushed Shepard's back lightly. Nodding, Shepard moved to place her hands beneath Jenkins's limp form, lifting him with a grunt. He felt smaller than he should as he lay limply in her arms, and her stomach churned as she tried not to think about the fact that he was d…

She wrenched her eyes away and turned toward the med bay. Vega and Tali walked before her like an honor escort and held the door open as they entered. Laying him carefully upon the empty bed beside Joker's, Shepard stepped back as Vega approached to lay his large palm across the smaller man's brow.

"Rest well, little buddy. You did good," Vega muttered affectionately, and they stood there for a moment until Tali stepped forward with a blanket. He stepped back, and she draped it across his body, pulling it up over Jenkins' head silently. They all shared a moment before turning to leave.

"So, what should we do about Anderson and the others?" Liara asked as they returned, her voice weak and thin.

"What about them?" Vega said, confused, and Tali's helm tilted to the side in question.

"Just before Jacob attacked Joker, Anderson and the rest of his team vanished. They disappeared right off my scanner. I have no idea what happened to them." Her voice rose with each word, fear and the day's events beginning to catch up to her. Vega stared at her, and suddenly his eyes widened and he brought a bloodied hand up to his forehead as he looked away in dawning realization.

"What?" Shepard asked, and Vega stared at the wall before turning to look at her with an expression of horror.

"It was Jacob," he whispered, "Anderson told me Jacob was the one who recommended the contact that told him about Cerberus' interest in the Elysium club. But if Jacob was a Cerberus, then…" He trailed off as they all understood with trepidation.

"Then it was a trap all along," Liara whispered, her voice tiny as she let herself fall back against the chair. Shepard's heart was beginning to race as images and possibilities raced through her head.

Garrus.

"They could all be dead already! Oh, Keelah…" Tali moaned as her hands came up to cover her face plate.

Liara groaned as tears began to well in her eyes. "Or captured, or-" She cut off with a strangled cry. "Anderson! If they have Anderson, then-"

"Fuck!" Vega exclaimed, and Shepard looked between them in growing confusion.

"Then what?"

"Captains are the only ones given the Fleet's current location," Liara explained as her breathing quickened. "If a Spectre captures a ship captain, then they can work with GETH programs to break into their mind and extract the information they need. They'll be able to mount a full scale invasion of the Fleet. They could destroy dozens of ships before anyone even knows what's happening." The words rushed out of her, fast and panicked as she brought her uninjured arm up to her face, her fingernails biting tiny half moons into the blue skin of her cheek.

"That seems like a major security flaw!" Shepard exclaimed incredulously. "Why does Anderson ever enter the Citadel if that can happen?"

"Because we can unplug him if it comes to that," Vega stated darkly, suddenly calm, and Shepard stared at him uncomprehendingly. "It takes a while to break into a mind, especially a strong one like his. Before that can happen, we need to unplug him." He looked around to each of them as though searching for any sign of concordance. "To protect the Fleet."

"Wait, if we unplug him before he inputs the exit codes into a hardwired console, then…" Shepard paused, her brows drawing in, "he would die."

"Yes. He would," Liara nodded as she sat forward again, "but it might be our only option."

"That's insane!" Shepard looked between them as she swiped her open palm through the air as though to swat the horrible idea away. "I won't let you unplug him. We don't even know what happened to them yet! They could be perfectly fine, or maybe they found the Conduit, or maybe-"

"Shepard," Liara snapped, her voice eerily calm and resolute. "Nothing matters more than the Fleet."

Shepard glared back at her, her nostrils flaring as she struggled for words. Liara wasn't wrong, but Shepard wasn't about to back down, either. Breathing, she steadied herself.

"Then let me go find out what happened. I'll upload, sneak in, and figure out if they need our help."

"Absolutely not," Vega grunted as he crossed his arms, his expression stony. "You've only had one mission in the Citadel so far. I'm not letting you get yourself killed."

"I'm one of the most skilled fighters, I can take care of myself. Plus," She turned on him, and jabbed her finger in his direction pointedly, "I wiped the floor with your ass the last time we spared." Vega appeared chagrined at that, but Liara spoke up.

"Okay, let's say you do this. You sneak in there, and then… what?"

"If they're okay and there's just been some sort of malfunction, then we don't accidentally murder our captain." Shepard emphasized the insanity of what they proposed, and Liara had the dignity to flush a delicate violet. "If they need help and I can provide it, then I will. And if it's hopeless, if there's nothing we can do, then…" She caught herself as she forced back bloody images of what she might find, "Then at least we won't have to live our lives wondering 'what if'."

The four of them were silent for a moment until Tali stepped forward and touched her arm lightly.

"I agree with Shepard. We need information before we make any kind of move, especially something that drastic." Vega considered for a moment longer before cursing under his breath.

"Okay. Fine. But you're not going alone. I'm coming with you." Shepard couldn't help the small upward curl of her lips as she tasted victory.

"Then let's stop standing around and get to it. Tali, take the helm while Joker is out of commission. Liara, plot out the fastest route for us to the Elysium club." She turned and took the steps up toward the sim pods with a leap, her finger finding the control panel before she'd even come to a stop.

"Yes, of course!" Tali chimed, the sound of her feet clattering off toward the ladder echoing through the room. Vega was standing at the sim pod beside Shepard in an instant, and together they loaded into their pods. The doors closed, and Shepard shut her eyes in anticipation.

Please. Please be alright. Please don't let me be too late.

Anderson was the closest thing to a father she'd ever had. She didn't want to lose him, too. And Garrus…

Suddenly, she was being sucked backwards, and then she was gone into the sim.

Garrus hit the ground hard, grunting in pain. The sound of his own ragged breathing was all he could hear as his head rang with the force of the blow. He lay there, the world spinning as he groaned.

"Pathetic," Saren spat, and biotic energy seized Garrus, hauling him backwards and slamming him against the wall of the dim storage room. He slumped to the ground beside an equally battered Miranda and Sidonis, biotic bonds holding him there tightly. Miranda coughed, a trickle of blood leaking down her rose painted lips as she lolled forward against her bonds, barely conscious.

"Ah, David. You've been eluding me for so many years," Saren purred as he turned to look at Anderson where he sat, glowing bonds holding him to a steel chair, half his face caked in blood. "It seems as though it was just yesterday that we served together aboard the Parnitha. And now, here we are, together again."

"You have what you want. You have me," Anderson wheezed, wincing from a broken rib. "Now let them go."

"But they're such fun playthings, David. And why would I discard perfectly useful tools?" Saren began to pace before them, his smile wide and his subvocals humming with pleasure.

"Just kill us, and get it over with," Sidonis grunted, gripping his arm where it bent at an awkward angle.

"Ah, but you see… I still cherish a hopeful dream. Not long ago, a little mouse escaped me, whisked away before I could finish my little game with her. Humans are so delightfully squishy and their blood is so beautifully red." Saren's smile widened, his teeth glinting in the dim light. "You all seem like such convenient bait."

The image of Saren tossing Shepard off the Citadel rooftop to plummet to her death flashed through his mind, and Garrus saw red as fury ripped through his chest. He could still painfully remember watching her run through the Spectre training program, her blood vivid as it'd dripped from her dying body over and over.

He thrust against his bonds, his mandibles flaring in anger.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her, you fucking monster!" He yelled as he thrashed, the intense desire to wrap his hands around the other turian's throat becoming overwhelming. Saren stopped and squatted down before him, a dangerous glint in his amused eyes.

"Ah… What do we have here?" He crossed his arms as he lifted a single brow plate. "Could this be the outrage of a lover?" Garrus froze, his eyes widening as his obvious mistake slapped him hard in the face. He caught his dismayed subvocals, but not before Saren's smile widened further. "What a fortunate turn of events."

Shit. Garrus drew back, panicked bile rising in the back of his throat. What had he done?

Standing back up, Saren strode across the room and picked up a heavy looking black briefcase and a chair before walking over toward Anderson. Placing the chair before him, Saren sat and opened the briefcase, revealing an array of technology within. He pulled out a thin tube, a needle attached at one end. Saren's blue biotics flared momentarily as he shifted the bonds holding Anderson, forcing one wrist up onto the arm of the chair, exposing the soft flesh beneath his sleeve.

Without a word, Saren ran a finger across the faintly visible veins before swiftly inserting the needle. Anderson grunted in pain, and Saren sneered at him.

"You have no idea how satisfying it will be to break you, David." With that, he lifted a single, taloned hand up to rip the blue visor off Anderson's face. Reaching into the case, he pulled out something similar, clipping the visor into place before hitting the button. A red holo screen sprang up before Anderson's wide eyes, and Garrus saw a moment of fear cross the other man's face.

Saren pushed back before turning to eye Garrus again. "Now, let's have a little fun while we wait for the GETH to work their magic."

Garrus swallowed as he pressed himself back against the wall, panic building as icy blue eyes landed on him. Slowly, Saren moved toward him and Garrus clamped his eyes shut, praying.

Goddess, I don't know if you're real, if you're really out there or not. But please… Please. Help us. Help her.

Shepard hurried along the back streets of the lower wards, Vega's footsteps just behind her as she pushed onwards, her eyes flicking as she watched for any sign of danger. The weight of her shotgun and pistol beneath her jacket were comforting, and her visor was set to detect signs of life to help them avoid notice as they made their way toward the club.

Vega wore an outfit not dissimilar to her own, though perhaps somewhat more fashionable, with an entire assault rifle hidden beneath his leather jacket. How? She wasn't sure, but guns could be folded up in all sorts of illogical ways within a simulation like the Citadel.

They moved in silence, neither saying a word as they followed the map in the corner of their visor's HUD. They both knew there was a high likelihood that they were walking into a trap, but it seemed like saying anything might break the spell of grim determination that had settled upon them.

"Shepard, I just got a ping," Liara's voice crackled across the comm urgently, and Shepard paused, ducking into a nearby ally before replying.

"What is it?" She asked, bring two fingers up to one ear.

"It's Garrus' distress signal. It just started transmitting." The moment she processed the words, Shepard felt her knees threaten to buckle from the weight of her own relief. Garrus, at least, was still alive. She reminded herself that it was a distress signal, though, and forced herself to focus.

"Where?"

"From within Elysium. Sending the exact coordinates to your visors now." A new flashing dot appeared on her map, and Shepard nodded.

"Got it, thanks."

"You realize this could be a trap, don't you?" Vega said as Shepard turned back out onto the street, she ground her teeth. The thought had crossed her mind, too, but she was feeling desperate, and therefore wanted to cling to even the smallest drop of hope.

"Only one way to find out."

When they finally turned the corner onto the main boulevard, Shepard drew up short. Before them, Elysium stood completely dark. Not a single person walked the streets, no one stood lined up on the stairs waiting for admission, and not even a single skycar flew through the air above them. The usually bright, illuminated sign on the front had been shut off, and the flashing spotlights that should have lit up the air above were nowhere to be seen.

No noise emanated from the usually vibrant nightclub, and the silence was unsettling. It was a weird dead spot in the otherwise popular neighborhood. Taking a deep breath, Shepard started onwards, eyes scanning.

Quickly, they crossed the street and ran up to the wall of the large building before hurrying up the far edge of the huge staircase that was the entrance to the club. They both took up positions on either side of the door, its holo controls glowing an ominous red. Shepard pulled out her shotgun before nodding to Vega, who pulled out his assault rifle and nodded back. With a flick of her wrist, her omni-tool was out, and she pressed it against the door, waiting as the hacking software did its job.

With a soft click, the controls flashed to green, and the door slid open. Carefully, she peered around the edge into the darkened room. Detecting no signs of life through her visor, Shepard motioned to Vega, and they both slipped through the door before it shut behind them, glowing red again.

The only lights in the vast, open room were dim red emergency lights set on the rise of each low step leading down toward a central dance floor. It gave the space an eerie, otherworldly feeling, only heightened by the lack of people in the usually over packed club. They both darted into cover behind a table, unsure if they were being watched by surveillance.

"I don't like this," Vega whispered as he glanced about the room, his face set in a grim frown. "Not one bit."

"Me neither. Let's just figure out where Garrus is and do what we can to help him," Shepard replied as she zoomed in on her visor's map. Looking around, she got her bearings. "He should be in some sort of back room… right about…. There." She pointed off across the room, where they could see the outline of a door in the gloom.

It was faintly illuminated by the green holo controls on its front. Of all the doors in the room, it was the only one that had been left unlocked.

Vega turned to her with a disapproving glare. "Okay, so we're both aware this is a trap, right?" Shepard clenched her jaw as fears and possibilities warred within her head. "Right?"

"Just shut up and follow me," she grit out before darting forward, keeping low as she moved from table to table until her back was up against the wall beside the unlocked door. Vega groaned before doing the same.

He was right. She knew he was right. This had 'trap' written all over it, and she'd have to be an idiot to ignore the signs.

"There doesn't appear to be any back entrance into this suite of rooms," she whispered as she examined the map again. Was she really about to do this? But what other option did she have?

Should she just abandon them? Leave them to their fate and watch as the surviving crew killed Anderson for the good of the Fleet?

Was she okay with the possibility that she might never see Garrus again?

Steeling herself, Shepard signaled to Vega, and he came up alongside her.

"Take a defensive position. I'm going to take point, follow when the course is clear." The whispered instructions left her as smoothly as though she'd been giving commands all her life, and Vega nodded as he raised his weapon.

Then she hit the door controls. It snapped open, and she waited a moment before peering inside. It appeared to be some sort of storage room, as dimly lit as the rest of the club. Shelves lined the far wall, filled with boxes and cleaning supplies.

In the middle of the room, someone sat slumped forward in a chair, their arms bound behind their back at an awkward angle. They looked up at her as she stepped into the room, and her heart froze in her chest.

"Garrus!" She hissed as she recognized him, the darkness obscuring his features. Blue blood dripped down his face from a nasty gash, making a good deal of his facial markings unrecognizable. His eyes were clouded and dazed, though they widened as he registered her.

He cried out, a wordless grunt around the rag wadded up in his mouth, and he fought against his bindings violently, almost tipping over the chair. Shepard shot forward, holstering her shotgun as she fell to her knees before him, righting him before he could fall over. Reaching up, she pulled the rag from his mouth, and he sucked in a shaky breath.

"You need to get of here," he said between coughs, and Shepard brought two tentative hands up to cup either side of his face.

"Not without you. Come on, let's get you out of here."

"Shepard, just go!" He hissed as she let go of him to search for the rope binding his arms. Confusion built as she noticed the faint blue shimmer around his wrists instead. Garrus coughed again before continuing. "It was all a trap!"

Behind her, there was a sharp snap, and Shepard and Vega spun to see that the door had closed, the controls now glowing an angry red. Footsteps echoed through the room as a figure loomed out of the darkness.

"Ah, Jane. How good of you to join us."