The room was dimly lit by a single lightbulb dangling off the ceiling. The dimensions of the room were rather small, tightly compact, as if to magnify the sense of unease one would feel within its confines. Garrus found himself sitting alone over a plain gray table, his hands bound in metal cuffs with the chain link looped underneath a pipe bolted to the surface of the table, restraining him from escape.

He was inside an interrogation room. The chain link of the cuffs was thick and made up of a tough metal, so Garrus couldn't just pry himself free, even with his superior turian strength. The cuffs were clearly meant for Guardians.

Garrus couldn't quite recall how he got here exactly. The last thing he remembered was encountering a rather large Awoken, then something hitting him in the face. As made obvious by the black left eye.

After that, he had awoken in this room, chained to the table and stripped of his armor, leaving him in only his undersuit. Garrus didn't even have his visor for crying out loud! That was his signature!

The turian had been awake for the better part of an hour now, anxiously awaiting, well, anybody at this point to come into the room and so much as talk to him. Garrus was starting to get antsy from all the waitin, indicated by his prosthetic leg bouncing up and down in quick succession. There was a mirror on the wall opposite of him. Likely a spy mirror used to hide spectators on the other side without the captive knowing. He knew about that tactic fairly well, thanks to his time working at C-Sec.

"Hello! Is anyone out there?" Garrus called out at the mirror. No response however. The turian frowned. "Will somebody just get in here and start questioning me already! There's an itch on my nose I can't scratch and it's driving me crazy!"

That was when the door in the corner opened. Finally!

Walking into the room was a human woman. She was of African American descent, with short brown hair and eyes of the same color. Her body was draped over in purple robes and she also wore a gold pendant around the flared collar of her coat.

The woman carried a subtle aura of boldness with her, as well as a hint of wisdom behind her deep brown eyes. She seemed like someone who could both understand cold logic, yet also show compassion to those who need it. It reminded Garrus of Samara.

In her hands were a picture of water and two empty cups. Her lips curled into a seemingly friendly smile.

"I figured you might be thirsty." The woman spoke in a calm and non-threatening voice.

She walked over to the table and placed the glasses down onto it before taking her seat across from Garrus. The woman pulled out a small key from her coat pocket. It was for the handcuffs. She took hold of one of Garrus' hands and inserted the key into the hole before twisting it. The cuffs immediately unlocked and Garrus was freed from his bindings. The turian was surprised at this sudden act of trust.

"I told Zavala that the handcuffs weren't necessary, as you seemed friendly enough. That man loves his protocols."

Garrus rubbed the plates of his wrists, relieving them of the irritation caused by the metal rubbing against them. He also took this opportunity to finally scratch his nose. He let out a happy chirp. Oh, sweet relief.

The sounds of water flowing cut into the silence of the room. The woman was pouring the picture's contents into the two glasses in front of them. She placed it back down once she was done. Garrus took one of the glasses into his hand and brought it up to his mouth plates. He gulped down the clear liquid, coating his parched throat along the way into his body. Another thing he needed. Garrus gave the woman an appreciative nod as thanks.

"I guess it was a good thing I decided to bring that water after all." The woman said gladly. "Hello. My name is Ikora Rey of the Vanguard. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Once Garrus had finished the glass, he placed it down and gave his reply.

"Alright. I'm Garrus. Do you mind telling me why I'm here?"

"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand."

Garrus tilted his head to the side confusingly. Don't understand? What does that mean?

"Wait. Excuse me?" He questioned.

Ikora held up her hands in front of Garrus to bring his speaking to a halt "Sorry. Hold on just a second. Do you by chance know English?"

Did he know English? The human language, or at least one of the many human languages? Why would she ask him that? That was when it hit Garrus like a truck. Ikora didn't have a translator and could not understand his native tongue, as turian peach is basically a series of clicks, shrieks, chirps and squawks, similar to that of Earth birds.

Okay, the problem was found. Now how to resolve it?

The turian commander attempted to speak a word once more. All Ikora heard from him was a loud squawk. She jolted at the sudden animalistic cry, almost falling over backwards as a result. It was then that a Ghost appeared beside Ikora in a flourish of light. Its shell was green with a yellow stripe running down it, and four spikes protruding from its back.

"Hold on a second, Ikora." It said. The Ghost sounded male with a subtle English accent. It flew close to Garrus and proceeded to scan his head. That was when it found something metallic inserted into his ear hole.

The Ghost zoomed in closer. It focused its scanner on the device, deciphering its components and functions to identify what it is. Garrus felt a tad bit uncomfortable from the Ghost's closeness and reluctantly moved his head away from it. His eyes directed towards Ikora with a worried look in them.

"This is just Ophiuchus, my Ghost." Ikora explained. "Don't worry, he's not doing anything to harm you."

Ophiuchus soon ceased his scanning and flew back over to his Guardian with his findings.

"There is a small translation device inserted into his ear canal which converts human speech into his own native tongue. Sadly, it doesn't work both ways. While our friend here can understand what we're saying, we can't understand him."

Ikora nodded her head in understanding. "Can you translate for him then?" She asked.

"No. I'm unfamiliar with his species, so their vocabulary is unknown to me."

That was when Garrus raised his hand and chirped to get their attention. He started doing some sort of motion with his right hand and positioned his left in front, making it appear that he was holding something thin. The way he was moving his right hand was like the turian was trying to draw something.

Ikora immediately guessed what Garrus was doing. Charades. He couldn't speak, but he could still act out his actions. That was one way to communicate. Ikora paid close attention to Garrus' actions to determine what he was trying to tell her.

"Scratching? You're itchy?"

That assumption earned her a disappointed stare from the turian. He continued his action. Hopefully, she would give a closer guess.

"Scribbling?"

Warmer.

"You're drawing? No, that's not it. You're writing? Writing on a pad?"

Correct! Garrus gave Ikora a thumbs up.

"He's asking for a pen and paper to write on." Stated Ophiuchus.

Another thumbs up. Garrus may not have been able to talk directly to them, but he could write down what he wanted to say to them, as he had sufficient knowledge about human literature, thanks to his old buddies at C-Sec.

Reaching into her satchel on her side, Ikora pulled out a flat object. A tablet perhaps, with a digital pencil strapped to the side. She turned on the power and handed the device to Garrus. Garrus in turn wasted no time writing down what he wished to say on the digital notepad app. Once finished, he flipped the tablet over and showed Ikora what he wrote.

"Hello. My name is Garrus." It read.

Ikora smiled thankfully. Now they could communicate.

"I know." She replied. "Jane told me who you were before I came down here."

Garrus flipped the tablet over to himself again and erased what he wrote down, replacing the inscription with a new one.

"Is she okay?"

He received a nod as his response. "Yes. As are the rest of her team."

Garrus let out a sigh of relief as a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He started writing again.

"And where am I?" He questioned.

"You're in the detention wing of the Tower. Rest assured, you're not a prisoner here. However, protocol dictates that we must treat any new species we encounter as potentially hostile until we deem otherwise. I hope you understand."

Garrus' expression softened a bit. Yeah, he knew all about those kinds of procedures. That was what the Normandy Crew did when they first brought Javik aboard. They confined him to the port cargo until Shepard deemed him non-aggressive. While this protocol seemed a bit overly cautious, Javik did attack them when he first woke up from his stasis pod, to be honest.

Ikora brought both arms onto the table and interlaced her fingers. "Now then, if you have no more questions, we can begin the interrogation. I'd rather not keep the Lightless who risked his life to save eight of my friends couped up in here longer than necessary."

The Guardian leaned in closer. She aimed to lay on pressure, but not so much that Garrrus would get defensive. She needed him to be calm and cooperative.

"Who are you exactly? What species are you?"

Garrus remained silent vocally, his hand gripping the tablet a bit tighter now. Now begins the part he was most familiar with. Questioning the prisoner. By protocol, Garrus would refuse to cooperate if he were taken by enemy forces. It was part of his training. But this situation was different, he knew that much. These were the people who saved Shepard, but also turned her against him. The line between right and wrong was very thin right now. What he says may cause more harm than anything, perhaps even endanger his friends back on the Citadel.

So Vakarian would reveal only what he would deem necessary. He started writing.

"Commander Garrus Vakarian, Systems Alliance Navy. Captain of the SSV Normandy. ID No. 472180. I'm a Turian."

Ikora nodded in understanding.

"Okay. So you're a soldier." She stated. "I've never heard of this 'Systems Alliance' before. Who are they?"

Garrus merely tapped on the tablet with his talon, as though he was trying to repeat what he wrote down without speaking. Ikora was confused by this act.

"Yes, you've told me that already. I'm asking who or what the Systems Alliance is."

Again, Garrus tapped on the tablet. That was when Ikora realized what he was doing. Garrus was responding like a prisoner of war, only speaking his name, rank, and ID. She would have commended his discipline any other day.

"Commander." Rey spoke in a softer, more empathetic voice. "We aren't a threat to your organization. Nor are you a prisoner here, as I've previously stated. You have my word on that."

Garrus erased his message and wrote down a new one.

"Says the woman interrogating me."

"…Okay, that's a fair point."

It also helped the fact that Garrus was turian. Being part of a militaristic society, and one that was renowned as the greatest military in the galaxy, he was trained since adolescence to be a soldier. His body and mind were conditioned to the utmost perfection. Years of grueling physical training and mental discipline of the highest professional standards had converted the once feeble fourteen year old Garrus Vakarian into the soldier he was today. Try all she'd like, Ikora would get a word out of him.

Though somebody else would. Time for some bargaining tactics. Garrus started writing again, but took a bit longer this time. His next message was a lengthy one.

"I'll only speak to your man in charge. The one named Zavala. You know, the big blue guy who punched me in the face and sent me flying thirty feet."

His finger then pointed to the shiner on his left eye. Back on Crow's ship, Garrus attempted to introduce himself to Zavala and try his hand at diplomacy for a change. Zavala's response was apparently a startled yelp followed by an electrified fist colliding with his face, then the sensation of flying several feet into the air, and then tumbling like a rag doll. Everything else went dark after that.

Ikora definitely remembered Crow mentioning something like that before she came down to interrogation. She tried so, so hard not to chuckle at the thought.

"First off, I would like to apologize on behalf of Commander Zavala. However, in his defence, he claims you shrieked in his face, though considering your way of vocal communication, I'm not going to vote on who was right or wrong in this situation."

Garrus snorted. That punch broke his cheek plate. It was a miracle he didn't die.

"Secondly, if you wish to speak with a higher authority, you already are. I'm a Vanguard leader, so I have as much standing as Zavala does."

The turian wrote down a new message.

"You want me to cooperate? Bring down Big Blue, as well as Shepard. Then maybe this bird will sing."

Ikora turned her head in a confused manner. "Who's Shepard?"

Whoops. Right. They don't know. Garrus corrected his mistake.

"Jane Doe."

Clearly this turian wasn't going to squeal so easily. Good cop wasn't cutting it, so Ikora decided to try a different approach. The Guardian leaned on closer, shooting Garrus a menacing look.

"Do you really think you're in any position to make demands here, Commander Vakarian?" She had gotten right up in his face. "I've broken through to people far more stubborn than you. And let me assure you…"

A translucent purple aura radiated around her, as though Ikora was exerting her presence. The energy was the same kind that Jane was emitting back on the Citadel. The look in this woman's eyes, fierce, daunting. The stare of a warrior that Garrus saw in the most fearsome soldiers back during the Reaper War.

"My methods of doing so can get very… messy."

The venom laced into her voice was as rich as a viper's. She meant business, but it was nothing Garrus hadn't seen before. Turning the tablet back to him, Garrus wrote down a new message.

"Have you ever killed entire planets? Harvested their populations?"

Ikora's expression broke. Her aura faded. Garrus erased his message and wrote down something else.

"Threaten me. Be my friend. Whatever you try, none of it will work. I've seen WORSE."

She returned to her seat, astonished by the turian's response. It was obvious that none of her usual interrogation tactics would work. Garrus once again erased his message and wrote down a new one.

"Commander Zavala and Jane Doe. Then I'll talk."

Thundering screams echo throughout the hallway. They were not screams of pain or fear, but of anger. They felt powerful enough to shake the entire building. Passing along the halls were two Guardians, one a female Hunter, and one a male Titan. They were both chuckling at the sound of the shouting.

"I know that sound. That's Zavala's 'Jane Doe Disciplinary Shouting'." Said the Hunter, grinning underneath his mask.

"Doe? Oh man! What'd she do piss the commander off this time?" Questioned the Titan, laughing.

The Hunter shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? One thing's for certain…" Reaching for her hip, she drew a hand cannon and held it up over her face, almost admiring the weapon. There was an inscription on the cannon's body. "Lest we forget".

"That woman is definitely like her husband. Always stirring up trouble."

"Light, rest his soul."

The two passed by the door that seemed to be the source of the yelling. Stuck onto the wall next to it was a name plate that read, "Commander Zavala".

Within the office, Jane Doe stood idle alongside her team. Their postures gave off the impression that they were all on edge. Though given their current predicament, that was understandable. In front of them was a large Awoken Titan, pacing back and forth in front of a large desk. His face was scrunched into a look of frustrated anger, and his footsteps against the metal floor were hard and weighted. This man was indeed furious.

"An unauthorized excursion through The Anomaly? What were you all thinking?!" The man boomed. His deep voice was like a cannon firing when he screamed.

"Commander Zavala, we all believe that we were in the right when we journeyed into The Anomaly, as this was a rescue operation for a wayward Guardian, one who was a member of our team, might I add." Jane responded in defense.

"All the more reason this proposal should have been run by me, Doe! Instead, you spit in my face, yet again, and you drag Holiday and Crow into it!" Zavala criticized.

"With all due respect, Sir. Ever since what happened on the Leviathan, you've been locked up in your office and couldn't seem to be bothered."

Zavala stopped pacing. He turned his menacing stare over to Jane, who was keeping a solid composure in spite of her commander's rageful shouting. Zavala approached Jane slowly and got his face right into hers, eyes now burning with anger.

"Watch what you say, Guardian." He warned her. "I've tolerated your antics many time already, but don't you DARE-"

"Commander!"

Whiskey's voice cut in before the larger Titan could finish. Zavala turned to the Exo Hunter, who was holding his hat to his chest solemnly.

"Boss, only reason my team went through The Anomaly at all was 'cuz of me."

That was when Whiskey explained his story to this superior. A month ago, Whiskey was out on patrol near Neptune, assisting Osiris in searching for the mysterious city seen in his visions. Over the past few patrols, he had found nothing out of the ordinary, much like most other Guardians did whenever they would survey the area. Whiskey was about to head home when he was suddenly ambushed by enemy forces.

It was a fierce dogfight, the Hunter was barely able to hold his own against so many hostile ships. One of them had managed to get a good shot at one of his thrusters and it wasn't long before all control of the ship was lost and Whiskey ended up tumbling through space and into The Anomaly.

Once he had woken up, Whiskey and his Ghost, Turnbull, found themselves back in Sol. However, it was not the Sol they were familiar with. The Traveler. The Last City. All of it was gone. In their place were strange looking ships, an enormous mechanical contraption near Pluto, and a space station so huge that it put Cabal stations to shame. Aboard, there were aliens of all kinds living alongside each other.

Though Whiskey would have loved to explore this new, strange world, he needed to get back home, as there was a threat looming over the horizon. However, his communicator was unable to pierce through The Anomaly's radiation. Which meant he needed a serious upgrade. Whiskey needed parts in order to increase his radio's power, but that cost money.

When people are desperate, they resort to doing things that they're not proud of. Whiskey's case… was robbing a cafe.

"The rest is history."

Everyone looked at Whiskey sympathetically as the Hunter lowered his head in shame. Zavala was back behind his desk, his chin resting atop his hands. He was listening well to the Exo's words, anger replaced by intrigue. The Commander certainly was not expecting this. Upon discovering The Anomaly, he had forbidden any Guardians from flying anywhere near it until they had deemed it safe for exploration. Though due to the relentless events that transpired over the past five years since its discovery, the Vanguard had yet to do so.

Zavala stood up from his chair, then turned around to face the window behind him. His blue eyes staring out into the horizon beyond the city walls. The Titan was absolutely overwhelmed by this new information.

"An entire world, separate from ours… Untouched by The Collapse…" Zavala muttered.

"Our reactions were the same as yours, Sir." Said Crow.

Zavala was flabbergasted. It explained where the fireteam's new avian friend came from. He had yet to see such a creature before… nor punched one. He placed his hand against the glass.

"In all these centuries the city stood… We believed that we were the last of humanity."

"Yet there are more humans beyond The Anomaly. Garrus Vakarian stated that we have entire colonies spread across the galaxy, and that we live among these other races in harmony." The Doc explained.

The commander finally turned back around, directing his focus to Jane.

"You claim that this is the man you've been relentlessly searching for, Jane?"

She nodded. "Yes Sir. And I don't think he deserved what you did to him."

"He shrieked in my face. How else would I react?"

"He was introducing himself. You just couldn't understand him."

She wasn't wrong. When Jane and her team first arrived on the Citadel, they had to acquire special translators in order to understand the various aliens amongst the station's population. Though considering that it wasn't their own world, there was a massive doubt that glimmer would be a good currency there, which meant they needed to acquire them through more… lucrative methods.

Zavala approached the fireteam once more, specifically Jane herself. He looked at her dubiously. Jane could understand why Zavala was being sceptical, though she didn't have to like it.

"Jane. Not only did you disobey my no fly orders, but you also brought back a prisoner with you, one who's species we know nothing about." He scolded the red Titan.

Jane had her hands behind her back. That concealed the fist she was making to keep her anger restrained.

"Commander, Garrus is not a prisoner, nor is he a threat. We wouldn't have been able to escape that Citadel place if it weren't for him. We owe him our lives."

"How do we know he wasn't fabricating a lie? Zavala questioned.

"For all we know, his people may have known the truth about The Anomaly and planted him within your fireteam as a spy."

"He's not a spy!" Jane argued, her temper flaring momentarily. "Sir, when I showed Garrus my face, he broke down. He shot a man to try and save me before he knew I could heal. He turned on his friends for me! I can assure you, Garrus Vakarian is not a threat to the city."

The two stared at each other. Their gazes pierced through to their souls. It were as though Jane and Zavala were engaged in a battle of wills.

"That has yet to be proven."

Jane was about to open her mouth again when a knocking sound was made from the other side of the door.

"Commander, it's Ikora."

"Enter."

The doorway opened up, allowing a familiar Warlock to enter. Ikora walked past the fireteam to reach Zavala, a tablet in her hand.

"How is he?" Asked Jane, slightly concerned for her turian companion.

"Garrus is fine, though uncooperative. My Hidden have returned him to his holding cell." Ikora pointed out. She presented the tablet to Zavala. It still contained Garrus' latest message.

"Commander Zavala and Jane Doe. Then I'll talk."

"He'll only speak to you, Commander, and if Jane is present." She explained.

Zavala observed the tablet's message. His eyes narrowed before handing it back to his partner.

"Out of the question. Haven't you tried your usual methods?"

"You mean, put the fear of God in him? Yes." Ikora powered off the device and returned it to her satchel. "I made myself clear when I was speaking with him. Though it seems he's unphased by most of the threats I said to him. I even told him about that time I vaporized a Hive Ogre with a blow back in Savathûn's Throne World."

A look of surprise krept onto Jane and everyone else's faces. They all bore witness to that display earlier in the year. It was always easy to forget how powerful the Vanguard leaders were since they're always cooped up in the Tower with their duties.

"Whoever he works for, they've disciplined him even better than how Cabal are trained." She claimed.

"Zomon, aren't all Cabal soldiers forced to undergo mandatory psychological conditioning programs as part of their training so that they're loyal to the empire and nothing else?" Whispered Crow to the large, gilded Titan next to him.

"That's correct, and I should know. I'm a graduate." Zomon replied proudly, though with a monotone voice.

Crow back away in fright. Ikora continued her debriefing.

"We can try to force it out of him, Commander, but I don't think our usual methods will work."

"So what do you suppose we do? Torture? Absolutely not!" Zavala said sternly.

"I wasn't going to say that." Ikora argued. "That probably won't work either anyway."

Appearing in a flurry of light, a Ghost flew up to Zavala's shoulder. Its body white with a bold red center, making the small machine resemble a target.

"I think our only option would be to meet his demands. That, or we introduce him to Caiatl…" It spoke in a low voice despite its petite size.

Zavala turned to the Ghost with an eyebrow cocked. "When did you start believing that it's a good idea to negotiate with terrorists, Targe?"

"He's NOT a terrorist!" Argued Jane.

"Though he is a traitor to his military for helping us escape." Edith half whispered. The remark earned the small Ghost a glare from her Guardian also.

"All the more reason not to trust him, Doe."

Zavala walked over to the back of his desk where he leaned over the surface with his arms.

"If this 'Garrus' was willing to betray the organization he swore an oath to, what's to say he won't make that decision again. We learned that the hard way from Caiatl's defectors and the Guardians of Future War Cult. His demands be damned. One way or another, we'll get him to talk."

Jane was infuriated. Zavala was so stubborn and quick to suspicion that he wasn't at all willing to give a Lightless, who nearly lost his life to ensure eight people escaped the Alliance military with their own lives, the benefit of the doubt. She may as well be trying to bargain with a wall. Jane was about to speak up, but was stopped by Ikora, who began to speak in her stead.

"Zavala, we don't have the time to play the waiting game with him right now! If Commander Vakarian truly is a fugitive from this 'Systems Alliance', then they WILL be looking for him. They probably already are as we speak, and if they turn out to be foe and find that we're harbouring him, things could get bloody, and with the Black Fleet getting ever closer to Sol, we can't afford to initiate another war like with Caiatl and the Imperial Cabal!"

The Warlock spoke with fierce logic, hoping her words would break through the wall Zavala's stubbornness had built around him and appeal to his sense of reason. For as long as she had known this oversized Awoken, he certainly had one thick skull. Normally, that would be pretty useful in a fight.

"Commander."

Jane's voice caught Zavala's attention as he turned to her.

"Please. Garrus trusts me. It's not like he'a asking for warsat codes. Just to speak with you."

His gaze turning to the surface of his desk, he sighed heavily in defeat. Both women made a valid argument, so there was no point fighting it.

"Alright… We'll meet Garrus Vakarian's request. I will speak with him, and Jane Doe will be present to keep him at ease."

Jane's lips curled into a smile of relief. Thank goodness.

"But he will be faced with not just me, but the other leaders of the Coalition as well. We'll all decide unanimously as to whether or not his presence here a danger to the city."

That smile soon faded as Zavala turned to Jane and her team with disappointment smoldering from him.

"Don't think any of you will be excused for your utter disregard for Vanguard authority either. As of this moment, Fireteam November is hereby suspended from active duty until further notice. Your ships will be confined to the hangar and each of you are barred from traveling beyond the reaches of the city walls."

"Wait! Yet punishing' us for savin' a fellow Guardian, Commander?!" Questioned Ur in outrage.

"That factor is the only thing keeping me from throwing the seven of you into the brig and being done with it!" Zavala harshly stated.

"So basically, we're being let off with a slap on the wrist." The Doc said, his arms crossed.

"What about Amanda?" Asked Crow worriedly.

Though Amanda was not a Guardian, that did not exclude her from the consequences of following Fireteam November through The Anomaly. Crow feared for her citizenship as, whenever a civilian is charged with a high-level offense, it can mean banishment from The Last City.

"I'll decide on her punishment once this matter with our new guest is dealt with." Zavala replied. "Until then, hand in the access fobs to your ships. All of you."

The team was reluctant. They would rather not be punished for helping their fellow Guardian, but eventually, they all submitted. One by one, the Guardians surrendered their fobs to Zavala; Jane being last. Hers had a small metal insignia attached to it. N7.

She was always unsure as to why she found herself drawn to those two characters. Perhaps Garrus knew.

"Now head back to your homes and think very, very hard on what will happen the next time the lot of you decide to go renegade. Dismissed!"

The team, with the exception of Crow, all glared discontentedly at the commander before leaving the room. One Hunter was the last to leave.

"Whiskey."

Zavala called out. Whiskey turned around.

"Regardless of how, I am glad you're home safe. We would have hated to lose the Hero of the Red War." He said truthfully.

The Exo cowboy's mechanical face put on a resentful scowl. The nerve. His hand tightened into a fist. The same that tossed the knife that killed Reeka. He marches up to Zavala, getting right up in the Titan's face and staring right into his eyes angrily.

"If you meant half the shit yer spoutin', then you would'a sent in people to rescue me. Instead, a kid's blood is on MY hands."

Shock overcame Zavala upon hearing those words. Whiskey tsked and walked away, swatting his arm off as he stomped out of the room.

A gentle hum resonated from the energy coursing through a barrier that sealed the holding cell shut. It illuminated the otherwise dark cell slightly, but not enough to light it up like daytime. Garrus was found laying on top of the cott at the opposing side of the cell, gently singing to a song.

After being interviewed by Ikora and refusing to answer her questions, he was escorted here until otherwise. He informed the Vanguard of his demands and was now patiently awaiting their response. Garrus wasn't exactly a fan of being cooped up like this. Any other day, he could easily hack his way out of here. However, there would be nowhere for him to run to. That, and they confiscated his Omni-Tool upon his arrest, leaving him trapped like a pyjak.

So the only thing to do now was just sit back and hang tight until someone came down. Garrus continued to sing.

"There's a starman waiting in the sky

He'd like to come and meet us

But he thinks he'd blow our minds

There's a starman waiting in the sky

He's told us not to blow it

'Cause he knows it's all worthwhile

He told me

Let the children lose it

Let the children use it

Let all the children boogie"

He positioned his hands to make it look as though he was holding a guitar and started making sounds with his mouth to mimic the sounds created by the instrument.

A human song, and a rather famous one at that. Garrus' fondness of this music was mostly due to Shepard's own love for rock n' roll. He remembered her having a rather large poster of KISS in her cabin back on the Normandy when she was around. Garrus personally thought that the band looked ridiculous, mostly due to their bizarre outfits and wild hair and facial markings, but Shepard loved them. Eventually, he developed mutual feelings for the music genre himself, often listening to more soft rock songs during his workouts or to calm his nerves.

"Haha. Never thought I'd see an alien play air guitar to David Bowie."

A voice snapped Garrus out of his pretend concert and back to reality. The avian alien turned to the cell's barrier and saw Jane Doe was standing before it, smirking. She clearly found Garrus' little performance amusing.

Garrus chuckled. "I have you to blame for that. You love your rock."

Jane's eyebrow cocked and her head tilted to the side. "I was a rocker even before I became a Guardian?" She asked.

"Almost every time I came up to your cabin, you had AC/DC playing at full blast while you worked on model ships… and neglected feeding your fish."

"*gasp* I'm a fish killer?! How can I ever live with myself now?!"

The two of them laughed softly. Garrus stood up from his cott and approached the barrier until he was face to face with Jane. The two smiled warmly at one another.

"How are you holding up?" Jane asked, genuinely concerned for his well being.

"A little bored, but I'm managing." Garrus replied nonchalantly.

That was a relief. Doe was thankful Ikora wasn't too hard on him.

"I take it you've been acquainted with Ikora by now?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Interesting woman, and a lot nicer than your Commander Zavala was… She wouldn't give me a mirror. How bad is the eye?"

Jane took a good look at Garrus' lovely new shiner. It was a dark color and very swollen. Given Zavala's strength, it was a miracle Garrus didn't… Well, die. She crossed her arms and grinned in humor.

"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face paint on there and no one will even notice."

Despite the joke's poor taste, it instead brought comfort to the turian. That was the exact same thing Jane had said to Garrus after picking him up on Omega, after the Blue Suns blew half his face off. Jane even had that exact same smile on her face as she did back then. It warmed his heart.

"What about you? That blue behemoth seemed pretty mad at you and your team."

Jane scratched the back of her head as she looked away out of embarrassment.

"We all got grounded for disregarding Vanguard authority. I'm not even supposed to be here talking with you right now, but I needed to see if you were okay and the Hidden weren't mistreating you."

"Well, no need to worry about that." Garrus assured. "I'm sorry you got benched. I feel like this is my fault for coming with you. Maybe you would have gotten in less trouble."

Jane shook her head in disagreement at Garrus' claim.

"This isn't on you, Garrus. I lead my team into The Anomaly. I told Zavala that I'd take full responsibility for my actions."

Garrus smiled wholesomely. Just like Shepard, taking the fall for her team. That woman was like a mother bear when it came to her crew.

"Speaking of Zavala, he's agreed to your terms. He'll meet with you tomorrow morning with the other Coalition leaders… and I'll be there too."

His smile grew brighter with relief, though he was curious as to what else Jane mentioned.

"The Coalition?" Garrus questioned.

"The united human and non-human military in charge of protecting the Sol System from enemy forces. They're like your Alliance in a way." Jane explained.

Wait. Another galactic alliance? And humanity was part of this one too? This was the first Garrus had heard of it.

"Okay Shepard, now I just have more questions than before." He said, rubbing his aching temples as he tried to process this new information.

"I know, and I promise we'll have all the time in the world to talk once we convince the Vanguard that you're not a threat to the sanctity of the city."

Slowly, Jane raised her arm up to the barrier and gently pressed her hand against the energy field. It was causing a repelling effect against her palm, similar to that of a magnetic field when two poles of the same side move towards each other.

"Five years… All five years since I was resurrected, I've spent trying to find you. Trying to learn who you are and where I came from." Jane spoke softly. Her voice was low toned, almost somber, but it had a hint of joy and relief mixed into it. "I went against all Vanguard protocols and Guardian creeds in order. I was the biggest thorn in Zavala's side, but even still, I didn't give up searching, and Light… It was worth it."

She thought back to the past five years. Everything she had endured throughout her second life. Erasing Panoptes from history, slaying the Worm God Xol, hunting down the Scorn Barrons, solving the mysteries of the Lunar Pyramid, mastering Stasis and defeating the House of Salvation… Savathûn, and… The Disciple… So many hardships. Especially…

"Now, here you are. After all this time… and I'm sorry that I got you in this mess, Garrus."

The turian's heart skipped. Even though she had no recollection of who he was or of their relationship, Jane's words were kind, almost loving. It almost brought him to tears. Garrus' mandibles twitched as he smiled.

"I should be the one to apologize, Shepard. Not you."

Jane looked at him in confusion.

"Why?"

Garrus raised his hand to the barrier, right over where Jane's was.

"Because I gave up." He said, his voice trembling. "I gave up on trying to find you. Instead, I just left you behind and drank myself into a stupor. You were out there, alone and afraid, right up to your death… again."

Now the tears started to flow from his eyes as he thought back to Shepard's first death when the original Normandy was destroyed. Just the knowledge of being spaced was already too much to bear, but to experience death, yet again, after the second chance one is given at life. Garrus could only imagine the fear.

"I failed you when the Collectors killed you. I failed you when you activated the Crucible. No matter what I do, I just keep screwing up and making things worse for everyone. It's like everything I touch turns to shit. I'm sorry, Jane… I'm so sorry..."

As the tears fell, the turian softly wept. His pain now finally surfacing. Seeing Garrus like this brought Jane a great pain. She may have only just met him hours ago, she felt unusually attached to him. Jane felt as though she could trust Garrus completely. The feeling was confusing, somewhat unnerving, but at the same time assuring.

"Don't. Don't do that."

Garrus whiled the tears from his eyes and gazed at Jane. The Guardian looked straight back at him with a sad expression.

"Don't blame yourself. Garrus. You were going through something so painful. No one would blame you for digging that hole you got into. Besides… Life… It isn't about holding on forever."

A memory flashed through Jane's mind. The memory of an Exo. A Hunter.

A hero.

"I mean… I was gone. Mourned. At peace. Now, I'm... I'm here. Opening up old wounds, filling them with salt. Eventually, you need to learn to let go…"

That was when she thought for a moment. She thought about her goal of finding Garrus and her past. How it practically consumed her. What she had just said to the turian. Had she now finally realized?

"Maybe… Maybe that's what Zavala was trying to teach me all along…"

The two looked into each other's eyes. They didn't dare look away, not even for a moment. Jane's eyes, a deep shade of green, like the purest of emeralds. Garrus', the purest blue, as though looking up into the sky on a clear day. Both the human and turian seemed almost hypnotized by one another.

"Shepard… I…"

Before Garrus could finish, the sounds of footsteps echoed through the halls. It snapped Jane out of her trance as she knew who those footsteps belong to.

"Guards. I can't be down here." She said with a hasty tone. "I'm sorry, Garrus. I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

Jane backed away from the barrier. She was about to walk off until Vakarian called out to her.

"Hold on."

She turned back.

"Go to the food tray window."

Jane complied, striking over to the small opening in the cell's wall. Garrus slid something through it to Jane. It was a broken dog tag necklace. Her dog tag necklace.

"Figured I should give that back to you. It's yours, after all."

The Titan picked up the adornment, almost fixated on it. She clenched it gently in her palm before looking back up at Garrus with a warm smile.

"Thank you." She said.

Garrus smiled back. "I'll see you in the morning."

With one final nod, Jane hurried away before the guards could find her. Garrus leaned against the barrier as he watched his former lover move further and further from his view. Eventually, she was gone.

"I love you." He muttered.

"Aww. I could cry."

A new voice suddenly entered the fray, and one laced with sarcasm. Garrus turned towards the cell across from his. A barrier was up to contain its resident, yet he couldn't quite see who was inside as they must have been further back and away from the light.

"Finally done that little soap opera of yours? Good. I can catch some sleep finally."

The voice was female, and rather rude at that. Vakarian narrowed his eyes and stared into the cell with a look of irritation.

"Oh, I'm sorry we woke you. You want me to read you a story to help you get back to bed?" He asked rhetorically.

"Bite me."

A hostile growl reverberated from his throat. The voice didn't seem intimidated by it however.

"So what did you do to end up down here anyway?"

Garrus crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall. "Nothing. They're just holding here until they decide what to do with me."

"Oh, I know what that means. Off with their heads." The voice darkly jokes.

Though the turian was not able to make out who he was speaking to, he couldn't seem to shake off the feeling that he knew that voice. Regardless, Garrus scoffed. "I'm not in the same boat as you, lady. You're probably down here for a very good reason."

The voice let out a scoff at that claim. "Oh, cut the righteous indignation bullshit. You think you're so perfect?" She questioned.

"No. I'm not." Garrus admitted. "But I don't have to justify my choices to some random scumbag I just met. Say what you want about me, but I'm not going to let it stick."

A slow, sarcastic clapping noise echoed throughout the cell block. "What a response. I'm impressed. Now if only you could have saved your merc squad back on Omega with that kind of conviction."

Garrus froze up. He felt a jolt of shock overtake him as his eyes went wide.

"What..?" His blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you?"

The voice chuckled. Footsteps were heard from inside the cell as the figure approached the barrier, finally revealing herself. Much to Garrus' surprise, the voice turned out to be an asari. She was tall, her skin a light shade of purple, eyes as blue as his own. She carried herself like a commanding boss, someone who knew what she wanted and would take it without question. The asari smirked at Garrus from across the row.

"Long time no see, Archangel."

By the Spirits… It was the last person in the entirety of the galaxy that Garrus, or anyone on the Normandy would ever hope to see again. The person Jack once referred to as, "What you would prevent using Preparation H.".

"Aria..?"