After Effects:
Chapter 1
Time had slipped away in a twist of shattering, splintering colours as everything came apart. As everything ended.
Shepard slipped away into oblivious exhaustion. Peace... at last. She felt her body embrace it heavily.
And yet something, somewhere, deep within refused to be still.
After minutes or hours, she slowly became aware of the searing pain across her chest as she involuntarily sucked in air and her lungs began to churn on, breath after rattling breath.
After that, everything went dark.
** *
“Garrus.. I need you up on the flight deck” Joker flickered across the cabin com system
“Now is not a good time....” he growled, low and deep into the desk intercom
He was already half a bottle of brandy down, holed up in Shepard’s cabin running his finger again and again over her name plate, sounding cold and metallic against his touch. He had confined himself to this room since they had recovered and taken off from their crash landing.
He was not ready to accept it just yet. Not until there was proof. The brandy burnt all the way down and he embraced it like an old friend. The edges began to turn fuzzy.
“Garrus... it’s important.. K? I need you up here”
The edge of urgency in Joker’s voice roused Garrus from his reverie. He pushed himself up, shook his head and squared his shoulders. Everyone knew how much pain he was in and if he had to go out now, he wanted to retain some of his dignity.
He slowly made his way down to the flight deck, staring resolutely ahead and not quite meeting anyone’s eyes.
“Ok Joker, I’m here.. now what’s so damn import..” he stopped dead.
Joker’s face was pale, as he strained around looking intensely into Garrus’ eyes. The stress of the last few days had taken its toll on him. His complexion was sallow and drawn with dark circles spreading beneath his eyes. It struck Garrus that Joker was fighting with loss as well.
“Garrus. There’s a tracking signal. It activated, maybe 10 minutes ago.”
Joker’s statement caught him off guard and his centre tilted unexpectedly “What.. tracking signal... where?” His breath caught in his throat.. if he thought it meant...
“Citadel wreckage” Joker paused, staring hard.
Garrus’ voice caught. He took a moment to steady himself and clear his head. “We should expect the worse Joker.. it could be...” he said it slowly, heavily.. but gradually new light blazed in his steely blue eyes.
He considered their current situation, inbound for a temporary command centre in London to regroup and debrief with Admiral Hackett.
Screw that.
“Re-route” commanded Garrus suddenly, a hard edge in his voice. “If there is any chance, any damn chance at all, we’re going in to look”
“My thoughts exactly” echoed Joker.
Garrus leaned across to activate the shuttle bay intercom. “Cortez, there has been a change of plans. Prep the shuttle.. and hurry”
“Yes sir” the reply came back.
He immediately sent a message to Liara and Kaidan. “We’re dropping off at the Citadel.. Joker has a signal.”
They’d both know what this meant.
He returned to the cabin and made himself busy suiting up, keeping his mind from reeling at the possibility. There was tingling all the way down his spine and his mandibles twitched impatiently. The smell of brandy wafting up from the opened bottle still on the desk made him feel tense and irritable. Things had turned so suddenly, a swift and tangible glimmer of hope like steel radiating in the sun. His body was responding with sluggish and imprecise movements thanks to the drink, but his mind was urging for action.
He was halfway ready when Liara appeared at the door looking agitated.
“Garrus, what does this mean?”
“I don’t know yet, that’s why we’re going in”
“But... do you think.... could it be Shep-“
“Liara!” He closed his eyes and turned away from her.
She struggled to contain herself restlessly. She understood. Hoping too much would only hurt him more. She turned swiftly and left.
It seemed a lifetime, before Joker echoed through the cabin
“inbound.”
Garrus made his way down to the shuttle bay and climbed into the shuttle behind Liara and Kaidan.
They sat in a tense, closed silence within the shuttle. Garrus kept his head down, resting forwards on his knees, while Liara paced. Kaidan opened his mouth several times, but finally sat back and closed it again, resting his head on the wall behind him.
Cortez circled twice and determined a clear area for drop off.
“It’s not too far from the signal.” He said “Maybe half a click to the East of here. “
“Move out” was Garrus’ tense response.
The three of them moved as quickly as possible, picking their way through twisted rubble and debris. His injuries momentarily forgotten, Garrus surged forward taking the lead.
As they neared the signal he slowed, casting his eyes around. “Spread out and search” he commanded.
It only took a few moments and then he was at her side.
“Shepard?!... Shepard?!” His voice was low, stern and tense. He hurriedly cleared the rubble from around her body.
After a hanging pause, he felt her stir, slightly but definitely. His eyes bore into her face, urging with all his will that she would wake.
Wanting to cling to the quiet, hanging peace she resisted. Until that gravelly, baritone summoned her from it. Suddenly, her conscious light up and the connections fired.
Garrus.
With extreme difficulty she peeled her eyes open against the dust and blood that glued them shut.
“Garrus?” she croaked
All he could do was stare.
“Got that.. drink..?” her voice was barely more than a raspy whisper and she spluttered and coughed.
And then his gaze softened as he wiped at the dried blood on her cheek.
“Sorry Shepard... the bar is closed today...”
Suddenly Liara was kneeling at his left. “Garrus, I’ve made the call through to the Normandy. Dr Chakwas is readying the medical bay and Joker is sourcing the closest operational hospital. We need to move her..we cannot spare a moment!”
He gazed at Shepard’s face for a moment as her eyes fluttered shut again. Kaidan appeared at his right, ready to help pick up her broken body.
“Leave it” Garrus growled. He slipped his arms under her head and thighs and struggled to his feet. Her armour weighed a tonne, but the pressing weight made him remember that this was real and not a dream. Or another nightmare.
Kaidan trailed uncertainly behind as Garrus marched, head held high through the blackened ruins toward the shuttle as Liara ran ahead. She and Cortez had assembled a stretcher by the time Garrus reached them, breathing heavily but with a fire of determination in his eyes. He lay her down with such tenderness that Liara could not contain her tears any longer. She knelt beside her commander and friend and grasped her hand as she reached for the medi-gel pack on the floor. They lifted off.
Cortez relayed their ETA to the Normandy over the coms channel, and Liara and Garrus knelt over Shepard, their eyes meeting.
“Liara.. give it to me straight”
Her eyes flickered down to the stretcher.
“There is.... hope.” It was all she could muster. She could see that the injuries were severe. Shepard’s armour had been blacked and torn away in places, with deep, charcoal burns underneath. Her right arm and leg appeared to be twisted at a slightly unnatural angle but her armour did seem to have taken the bulk of the damage across vital areas. She could hear a rattle in Shepard’s shallow breathing though, which meant there had to be some internal damage.
It was nearly impossible to consider anyone could have survived the blast that had left the Citadel so badly damaged. But Shepard, if nothing else seemed to have an extraordinary will to live. And the Cerberus upgrades probably didn’t hurt either. She steeled herself. There was still hope.
Back on the Normandy, Dr Chakwas met them in the shuttle bay and exchanged rushed comments with Liara, as Garrus and Kaidan ran the stretcher through to the medical bay.
“There is a hospital operational on the outskirts of London. They are well over capacity, but the Alliance is co-ordinating with the head Doctor there to ensure she is triaged for priority on arrival” Dr Chakwas relayed as they positioned her in a bed. “It is about all we can do at this stage” She reached up to lay her hand on Garrus’ forearm as he stood gazing down on the silent body of their commander. “I’ve sedated her for now.. she won’t regain consciousness before we arrive. There is hope, Garrus. It’s more than we had yesterday” She said in a softer voice and he nodded once in reply. She didn’t bother suggesting that he leave the medical bay as they began their descent over London.
** *
The hospital was chaotic as Kaidan and Cortez handled the stretcher while Dr Chakwas and Garrus charged ahead to co-ordinate Shepard’s admission. Bodies of the injured covered the walkways and corridors, laying on stretchers, chairs and even sheets spread across the ground. It made it difficult to find a clear path and the air was thick with coughing and moans of pain. It was clear that many would not be seen to in time.
“ We need the head physician over here.. Now!” Garrus stormed and pointed at the young female Doctor who had hurried over to attend to them.
‘Garrus, please.. you’re not going to fix Shepard by yelling at everyone that comes to help..” Dr Chakwas said placing her hand assertively on his shoulder and taking the lead as a team of Doctors approached.
“We have Commander Shepard here with the Alliance, her body was just recovered from the Citadel wreckage and is severely wounded. I believe Admiral Hackett called ahead?” she said firmly but politely.
“Yes, that is right” replied a stoic, tall Physician with thinning sandy hair and spectacles perched on his nose. “As you can see, things are not good here – to say over capacity is an understatement.. but we understand that Commander Shepard requires priority. We will take her immediately for assessment and prep for any surgery that might be required. We have some of the best Doctors from London here, ma’am – she is in good hands with us.”
The small group from the Normandy stood uncertain, lost and aimless in the white, cold corridor surrounded by clusters of injuries bodies. Liara slipped her arm through Garrus’ and rested her head on his shoulder, exhausted. There was nothing to do now but wait.
Modifié par MoonRubies, 18 juillet 2012 - 10:33 .
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