Chapter 7: Burn
Garrus was working with Normandy's main gun. An anxious tick marking it 0.25 out of perfect
range. But he couldn't help but be nervous. Annie had taken Liara and Javik to Thessia. It had
been the right call. But Garrus always worried a little when he was asked to hang back. Shepard
will be fine. And this war will be over very soo-
The doors opened and James grabbed Garrus by the shoulder. He didn't have to open his
mouth. The look he gave Garrus said everything he needed to know.
Something had gone very wrong on Thessia.
They hurried to the Shuttle Bay. The whole team was there, tense. No one said a word.
The shuttle bay opened and there was a collective gasp. From the small window the bay door
gave them, the team saw the state of Thessia. Reapers overwhelmed. Explosions reaching far
past the skyscrapers. An orange fiery dust coating the atmosphere.
The shuttle bay came in with a screech. Steve hadn't even come to a full stop when he threw off
his safety straps and disappeared to the passenger cargo. There was shouting and bangs. As if
there was a fight.
There was a flurrying of side arms firing up as the team approached the shuttle. No one was in
armour. So he could see everyone a little more hesitant to engage.
It was quiet for a moment and the passenger door slid open.
Wordlessly, Liara exited the shuttle. She swiftly walked to the elevator without saying anything.
Garrus flinched. He met her eyes for a moment. And they burned with devastation.
Garrus looked at Tali who hesitated. He nodded and she fell back and followed Liara.
"Shepard?" Kaiden asked hesitantly, taking the first step forward.
Slowly and with much struggle Javik and Cortez carried Shepard out of the shuttle. Garrus
raised his gun as his stomach dropped. Others hesitated. In almost the same moment Kaiden
reached over to Garrus's gun and pointed it down.
Garrus realized that Shepard wasn't unconscious. In fact she was wide awake. Her face was
red with rage. Almost purple. Her eyes glaring at Cortez wildly. She was kicking and jerking
trying to get out of the grasp of Javik, who had her in a headlock. His hand covering her mouth.
Cortez very calmly looked at EDI and with a lightly shaken voice mumbled. "EDI tell Joker that
he will remain in control of Normandy for a few more hours until the Commander is fit for duty.
There was another gasp. Annie gasped too. As she screamed into Javik's hand.
Javik, surprisingly, was as cool as could be. His eyes were distant and he was mumbling to
Shepard in a language Garrus's translator didn't understand.
Traynor looked scandalized and turned to Cortez. "What happened?"
Cortez's eyes watered. But shook it off. "Thessia is lost. We… lost. Cerberus was there first.
We… We couldn't save them. Shepard wanted to continue the efforts. But the military was
evacuating or dead. Liara made the call to pull out. Shepard disagreed. Javik agreed with Liara.
There was nothing more that we could do. Shepard told them to leave her and that she'd find
some solution to save Thessia. But the Reapers were swarming. So Javik stunned her and they
pulled her onto the shuttle.
At this point Javik and Annie had sunk down to the floor. Annie no longer fought. She just laid
there, her mouth still covered by Javik. He was still mumbling to her. Garrus hoped she was
listening.
Kaiden nodded "I need to alert the council. I'll do the spectre… I'll do the spectre report." James
nodded, "I'll call the muchachos in the Alliance. Hackett should pick up if I call him from the
Comm Room."
They both left. Traynor followed wordlessly. Cortez retreated to the shuttle. It was just Javik,
Garrus, and Annie.
"Javik." Garrus hesitated. Putting his weapon away. He leaned down as the main set of Javik's
eyes rested on Garrus.
"Soothe your mate Turian. She should be much more controlled in war. This was a pointless
struggle. If she dies trying to protect every civilian we have already lost." And with that he let go
of Annie. Shoving her into Garrus's arms.
He wanted to punch Javik right in his spikey mouth.
Garrus gripped Annie tight. Her whole body limp. Her eyes squeezed tight. Her face still red,
she threw back her head and let out a scream of fury that a banshee would be scared of. Then
she just dissolved into sobs.
Garrus sat on the floor and squeezed her tight. He knew this wasn't about Thessia. He knew
this was bubbling up for months. It was the wait of the galaxy finally cracking. She was only
human after all.
This would pass. And she would stand up. Brush herself off, and become Commander Shepard
again. She would console Liara. Console the ship. Rally the troops. She always did.
She rested her head on his chest as she sobbed. Her body was shaking through the armour.
Just not right now.
Garrus picked her up, thanking the spirits that he was capable of carrying her body weight plus
her armour. Carrying her to the elevator, then to her room.
She didn't fight him. Letting him cradle her all the way to her bed. He laid her out across the bed
and said in a hushed whisper. "Shepard. I'm going to take off your armour."
She no longer cried. She just stared out the sunroof. Though tears did streak down her face into
her bed.
He took over her weapons first, then piece by piece neatly deconstructed her power suit. Part of
him was surprised he knew it all. But how often had he watched her do this? Just to sneak a
glance of the soft side of the inevitable power that was Commander Shephard.
Garrus took off Shepard's Chestpiece last. Finding her under armour covered in blood. .The self
healing properties of the suit had done its job as he saw an angry new stab wound closed up
with Medigel.
His talon's traced the bruises that were blooming on her neck and face. Bruises of bullets that
surpassed her shield but not her armour. She was covered in dust and rubble. Her fiery hair
clumped with grey dust.
He sighed. "Okay." He stood over her, directly looking her in the eyes. "You are covered in
rubble dust. I would like to bring you to the shower and wash it off. Is that okay?"
Her eyes hardened, angry. Frustrated. Her brows furrowed as she glared into his eyes
searching for any ulterior motive. But found none. There was none.
"Yes." She whispered. He leaned forward, kissing her gently on the forehead. Then picking her
up as he carried her into the shower.
He undressed her, and then himself. Only then starting the water. She faced the wall. Her eyes
staring, glazed over at a wall tile.
Garrus slowly, methodically, as if defusing a bomb picked out the hair pins in her hair. Strands of
fire covered in ash fell through his fingers and onto his palms. He kept at it until the long flowing
river of fire flowed down her back.
She tilted her head forward, the water shifting her hair to the front like a veil. Garrus didn't
engage. He knew not too. He just picked up a rag that was made out of an old tshirt and gently
started wiping the blood and chaos off of her.
It was quiet, but not peaceful. He traced her wounds and scars on her back. A painting of wars
won and battles lost. Scar tissue over scar tissue. Who knew from what? He doubted even
Shepard knew.
To his surprise and terror, her hand snapped up grabbing his wrist. His heart pounded for a
second. Like prey trapped by the apex predator.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled immediately.
Silently, she turned around to face him. Stray hair sticking to her face. She gazed up at him. Her
eyes burned, her movements as precise as an animal about to strike. She was angry.
Commander Shepard had returned.
However, to his relief and surprise, she pressed her body against his. Then raised his hand to
her cheek. Leaning into it. Still guarded. Still the commander. But Annie was there.
She pushed him slowly against the cool shower wall. He felt his breath hitch as she wrapped
her arms around his neck, pulling his face within an inch within hers.
"Kiss me. Kiss me like you're trying to remind me what I'm fighting for."
This was not a request. But a command. Her eyes burned into his, setting his soul aflame.
Burning him like she was the surface centre of the universe a moment before the big bang.
And he kissed kissed her. And kissed her. But her eyes never stopped burning into him.
And they burned into him the same way now.
The hospital room was thrown into chaos. Nurses and doctors rushed in in droves. Annie's
name was called over and over. But she didn't look at them. Her eyes never left Garrus's.. She
gripped his hand lightly. Taking one breath after the other. Garrus matched her. One breath. Two
breaths.
They were saying a thousand silent words between them. His heart was pounding. His body
knew what she silently asked for. It moved without his permission.
The doctors tried to come between them, but they all fell away. What happened now was as
sure as gravity.
He leaned forward and his mouth met hers.
He kissed her. And kissed her. And kissed her.
He felt her hands rest gently on his mandibles. Slightly pushing him away. Garrus pulled away,
resting his forehead on hers. They looked at each other. She had the audacity to give him a one
sided weak half smile. It completely won him over and sealed his dark pitch black heart.
"Hey sweetie." He whispered. She wrinkled her nose slightly, but her eyes danced with delight.
"You can't escape your crazy boyfriend that easily."
It was at that point that Garrus was pulled forcefully from the room. Which is fair, he
was swiftly guided out by a whole fleet of nurses. He stared at the door and took
another couple of breaths. It was strange. The world felt like it had colour again.
There was a stampede of feet running toward him. On instinct he pulled out his weapon. But he
was met with a task force of soldiers and friends with terrified expressions. He saw everyone.
From Kaiden to Javik. Anyone alive from the crew was here. He put his gun away. His feet
pulled himself toward them. His hands were held by many. Slowly, he nodded.
It was strange. But there was a grand release of pressure. Like an explosion. Garrus wasn't
sure who had started laughing first. Or crying. Or weeping. But at some point even Jack was a
blubbering mess of belly laughs and chest tearing sobs.
They must have all looked insane. But no one cared. He didn't either. His family held each other
clogging up an entire hallway. Grunt and Wrex were gripping each other with a mix of a growl
and a warcry. Kasumi was tucked Tali's arm crying into the suit. EDI was comforting Traynor.
They were loud. But for a moment, finally, the war felt like it had been won.
Garrus' heart swelled. He looked around at his crew and just devoured the sight. His eyes met
Liara's, who was the most composed of them all. Her make up streaked down her face, but she
smiled warmly at Garrus. He smiled back. Together they took a breath. A long one, that felt like
they had mutually been holding on since the Citadel came down.
Then he looked at Joker.
He was smiling, but not at us. He was looking out the window. He slowly closed his eyes.
Listening. Quiet laughter shaking his form.
Garrus unwrapped from Jacob who had been cheering so loud it echoed. He walked over to
Joker, putting his hand lightly on his shoulder. Joker looked at him. Then pointed his chin out the
window.
The streets of London had filled. All races, blood and bruises were celebrating. They screamed,
hugging each other. Children cried. More than one of them wore cardboard fashioned into N7
armour. Grown soldiers gripped each other in celebration. The roar of celebration was huge.
Garrus looked at Liara. She smiled at him. He looked at the first news app on his omnitool.
"Shepard awake in hospital" was everywhere. The crowd, the galaxy, was celebrating Shepard.
Garrus looked upon London. It was easy to forget in times of war that the majority of the people
aren't the council, or soldiers, or political ambassadors. It's people. Normal people who did
nothing wrong. Normal people who weren't even numbers to the Reapers.
He looked at the faces of all those outside. Those who cheered for a woman they would never
meet but knew saved them.
He suddenly knew why Annie's eyes burned as bright as they did. She fought for them. For the
people. She would never let them be a number. She may not know them. But she fought for
them.
His eyes burned too. He would fight for them too.