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Echoes of the Past	By : ArcadiaJones Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6854 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or ideas of Mass Effect. I am not making any money writing this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Ransom
- 2-Ambush
- 3-Hunt
- 4-Memories
- 5-Hunt
- 6-Rescue
- 7-Escape
- 8-Healing
- 6
- 7
- 8
Chapter Seven
Escape

Garrus cursed as he ducked down to avoid another rain of bullets. He wasn’t certain how many mercenaries had come out to face them, but it had been well over thirty. They weren’t the best trained lot, but their numbers made up for that. He and Tali had been pinned down behind their meager cover ever since the fight had begun. He hadn’t even been able to put his sniper rifle to good use and was forced to fire blindly with his assault rifle instead. Any time he tried to get a merc’s head in his crosshairs, there would suddenly be a burst of gunfire that pushed him back down.

“We can’t take much more of this!” Tali remarked beside him, shouting to be heard over the sounds of battle. “Where is Thane?”

“Thane, do you copy?” Garrus shouted into his comm link.

There was a slight crackling, and then, “I hear you. I have Shepard. Retreat as fast as you can. We’ll meet you by the entrance.”

The cold hand of fear that had gripped the turian’s heart since the moment they had learned Shepard was gone released it’s suffocating hold. He breathed a deep sigh of relief.

“Is she ok?”

There was a pause. The fear started to constrict once more.

“I think she’ll live. But we need to get to the Normandy fast.”

“Roger. Get out of here as soon as you are able! Do not wait for us!” Garrus closed his eyes, steeling himself to the thought that he would probably die here.

“Shepard is the primary concern,” he finished softly.

The sound of shuffling came from the other end of the line, and then Shepard’s hoarse but stern voice stole his breath.

“You can cut that shit out right now!” she snapped, clearly pissed. “I’m not dead yet, and you will get your ass to the rendezvous point! Don’t make me come in there and get you!”

His relief was so sudden, so strong, that Garrus surely would have started crying were he not in his current predicament. Never a very religious man, he nonetheless began to pray fervent thanks to the spirit that watched over his tough-as-nails commander.

“Of course, Shepard. We’ll see you soon. “

Tali looked over at him, her helmeted head cocked to one side in silent query.

“She’ll be fine,” Garrus assured her. “It’ll take more than these pansies to bring our Shepard down.”

He couldn’t see it, but Garrus was sure that Tali was smiling.

“Good. So what’s the plan? Is Thane going to get her to the ship?”

“Yes, but they won’t leave without us. Which means that we need to move fast.” Switching channels, Garrus once again spoke over his comm link: “Joker! Do you copy?”

“I hear you. Are you guys ready for extraction?”

“Thane has Shepard secured. I need you to get the shuttle to his coordinates. Quickly!”

“Roger. Shuttle inbound.”

Now all they had to do was survive.

Thane jogged through the halls of the warehouse bare-chested, doing his best not to jostle his precious cargo. Shepard clutched his jacket tight around her, her breathing labored, quickly becoming too shallow. He had already exhausted all of his medigels; the only thing they could do now was get out and hope that they reached the Normandy in time.

Shepard had put up a good show for the turian, but Thane knew the truth. She had used energy she didn’t have to reprimand her friend, and now she was barely conscious. No matter her brave words, Thane knew that he had to get her to the ship as soon as possible; knew that the others would understand.

Careless with worry and desperate to escape, Thane had stopped checking around corners for enemies. So it was truly a surprise when he began down a hall and there was a batarian merc standing there, armed and armored. The merc was just as surprised as him, and that gave Thane just enough time to turn around and shield Shepard with his own body as a quick spurt of bullets screamed around him. His kinetic barriers soaked up most of the attack, but one bullet managed to get through and embed itself in his shoulder. Thane winced, but did not loosen his grip.

Moving quickly, he ducked back around the corner they had just turned, getting his back to the wall. Shepard opened her eyes, breathing raggedly.

“Give me your gun,” she rasped, holding out a shaky hand.

“No, siha. I can handle—“

“You won’t be able to shoot and carry me!” Her voice rose to a cracked pitch. “I can’t walk, but I can shoot. You keep running and I’ll hold them off best I can.”

Thane hesitated, uncertainty written across his features. Shepard sighed laboriously.

“We don’t have many options here, Thane, and there is very little time to argue. As your commanding officer, I order you to give me the damn gun!”

He knew she was right, but he also knew that she was running mostly off adrenaline now—not that he knew how she even had the energy to work up the fervor needed for such willpower. But he relented, as she knew he would, and soon enough his assault rifle was securely in her hands. They nodded to each other, and then bolted back around the corner.

The merc had been trying to sneak up on them, and now stood barely five feet away. They had taken him off-guard once more, only this time it was Shepard doing the shooting. Even with shaky hands, her aim was good: the first stream of bullets broke down his barriers; the second took him up the chest and in the face, effectively dropping him to the floor. Thane didn’t pause once, dashing past the corpse.

The gunfire had drawn the attention of another pair of mercenaries who met them at the intersection of yet another hall. Without hesitation, Shepard mowed them down. They managed to get a few shots off, but taking advantage of his amazing flexibility, Thane dodged the haphazard attacks easily.

As Shepard struggled to load a fresh thermal clip into the gun, Thane started down a section of halls that he knew led to the exit. Standing at the end of the hall right in front of the dilapidated doors, another pair of guards waited. Only these two were ready. Crouched down, they aimed their rifles at the pair, squeezing their respective triggers. Shepard was unable to get her own gun up in time, and even if she had, it wouldn’t have mattered. They were truly caught this time. But Thane had come too far to allow this to be the end, with the exit in sight.

Pouring on an extra burst of speed, Thane roared in defiance, clutching his love close as his biotic power surged through him. A crushing wave of dark energy rolled out in front of him, reversing the flight of the bullets and throwing the pair through the wall. The attack continued to roll on, leaving a gaping hole where the door had been. Shepard had her rifle at the ready now, and as Thane leapt through the opening, she quickly aimed and silenced the stunned mercs on the other side.

Then they were free. The sound of gunfire still echoed behind them a little ways off, but as far as the eye could see before them, there were no more enemies. Shepard sighed in relief, lowering the gun into her lap. Thane slowed just enough so that he could kiss the top of her head. They were out, at long last. The entrance to the warehouse yard was just ahead, and beyond that a Normandy shuttle waited to take them away.

Mordin waited in the belly of the shuttle, his wounded arm bandaged but no longer in a sling. He waved them in, motioning for Thane to lay Shepard down on a makeshift gurney he had erected. The drell obeyed reverently, being careful not to cause the wounded woman any further damage.

“Not good, not good. Broken bones, dislocated shoulder, and infection!” Mordin shook his head, running his omni-tool over her body as he began a temporary treatment. “I hope the animals are dead?”

“Their leader is, for sure,” Thane replied solemnly. “Garrus and Tali are still trying to escape the rest.”

The salarian made a tsking sound with his tongue. “Can’t wait much longer. Shepard needs Normandy’s medical bay. Should leave now.”

With startling speed and strength, Shepard’s arm lashed out to grasp the fabric of Mordin’s shirt. Her good eye glared balefully at him.

“I…am tired of hearing that. Garrus and Tali will get here and you will wait for them!”

“Shepard, if we do not leave soon, you will die.”

“I’d rather die than abandon my team!”

Doctor and patient stared at each other for a long moment, each waiting for the other to back down. But Mordin had been with his commander long enough to realize that she was an obtusely stubborn individual.

“Very well,” he relented with a sigh. “I will do what I can. Still disagree, of course.”

Shepard loosened her hold on him, smiling gratefully. “Thank you…” Her eyes closed, her arm falling limply.

Thane rushed forward. “What happened? Is she—“

“Not dead. Just out cold. Has been trying, emotional day, I am sure.” Mordin pulled out some medigel and began applying it to the worst of her wounds. “Can temporarily ease pain, but cannot heal without facilities. Need to leave soon.”

“I understand.” Thane pulled out his assault rifle, adding a fresh thermal pack as he jumped down from the shuttle.

“If we don’t make it back here in five minutes, leave,” he called up to the doctor.

“But Shepard—“

“I know. And she’ll hate me for it, but right now all that matters is her surviving this. The galaxy still needs Shepard. The rest of us…are just bystanders.”

“I agree. But if Shepard awakes and learns that we have betrayed her, then she will still not be good for galaxy. What is worse: dead hero or distracted hero? If worst comes, I will leave. But first I will respect Shepard’s wishes.” Mordin’s eyes locked onto his. “Bring our team back.”

Thane nodded grimly. “Roger.”

Garrus and Tali were making progress, but it was too slow. Every time they tried to move, there was a hail of gunfire pinning them back down. At this rate, Shepard would probably succumb to her wounds. Garrus didn’t doubt the tone he had heard in Thane’s voice. Despite his promise, he hoped that Thane would do the selfish thing and get their commander back to the ship.

“Tali!” he shouted, inching closer to the quarian so that she could hear him clearly. “I’ll provide some covering fire so you can move ahead! We’re almost at the exit!”

“Roger!”

Taking a deep breath, Garrus waited for a pause in the gunfire. When it came, he was instantly on his feet, swiping his rifle across in a wide arc as he peppered the area with bullets. Tali bolted across several feet of open ground before diving behind cover. When she was clear, Garrus ducked back down—narrowly avoiding a well-aimed burst. When the opportunity revealed itself once more, Tali mimicked his actions, firing in the general direction of their attackers while Garrus rushed across the open space to reach her. A couple of bullets hit his shields, but he made it to the new cover relatively unharmed.

The entrance to the warehouse yard was barely 100 feet away, taunting them. But there was no more cover other than the warehouse itself, which stood away from them another thirty feet. The mercenaries behind them were following closely, unrelenting. It seemed impossible that they hadn’t run out of ammo yet. Garrus peered over their meager cover to try and take stock of their enemies’ numbers—only to be struck in the shoulder by a lucky bullet.

Cursing, he fell back, one taloned hand clutching at the wound. Checking his barrier status, he realized that the shields were only at about 10%, which effectively meant that only his vital areas were protected. Good, but then he could probably only take a few more hits to those areas before his shields fell completely. And if they got him in the leg, he would truly be out of options.

“What are we going to do?” Tali asked, desperation creeping into her voice. “Even if one of us provides cover for the other to run, there’s no guarantee that the runner will make it. There’s just too much space!”

“I know, I know…just, let me think.” Garrus closed his eyes, willing the gears in his mind to turn faster.

“I will provide cover,” Thane’s voice echoed over their comm links. “But you both will need to run. It’s the only way.”

Never before had he been so happy to hear the drell’s voice. “Roger that. Let us know when you’re in position.”

There was only a five second pause before Thane replied: “GO!”

From somewhere above them and in the direction of the exit, a furious flurry of bullets rained down on the field, forcing mercs to dive out of the path of danger. Those who had gotten cocky—stepping out of cover—were mowed down mercilessly. Garrus and Tali were on their feet and sprinting towards the exit the second the word had left Thane’s mouth, their legs pumping as they made their mad dash to what they hoped would be safety.

When Thane emptied the thermal clip of his first rifle, he quickly picked up a second, loaded rifle that Mordin had brought down with him, giving the mercenaries only a breath in between bursts of fire. Once this gun was out, however, that would be it. There would be no time to reload before the mercs honed in on him.

Garrus and Tali dashed around the corner of the complex’s gates, setting relieved eyes on the Normandy’s waiting shuttle. The turian helped his comrade in before leaping in himself, looking back over his shoulder to where Thane was perched on a high wall.

“We’re in!” he shouted into his comm. “Get your ass over here!”

Thane loosed the last of the clip and then quickly ducked down, wincing as several bullets hit the masonry just below his head. He managed to roll off the edge of his perch, dangling by his fingers as he searched for a safe place to land. Sucking in a deep breath, he released his hold and plummeted down the full ten feet. When he hit the ground, Thane buckled his knees and rolled, absorbing the impact. It took him mere seconds to regain his footing and then he was sprinting towards the shuttle that was just beginning to rise into the air, prepared to escape.

Garrus appeared at the opening, reaching a long arm down to catch Thane as he leapt up. Straining with the effort, the turian managed to yank him inside. The pair collapsed on the ground as the shuttle’s door closed, breathing heavily.

Thane looked over at his unlikely friend. “Thank you.”

Garrus nodded. “No problem.”

Now that the danger was over and Shepard was within reach, Garrus was too afraid to see her. But as Thane rose to his feet and went to her side, he knew that he had to suck it up. Shepard needed them there, and any comfort he might be able to offer in these last, nerve-wracking moments was worth his own heartache.

Mordin was leaning over her prone form as he checked over her vitals again and again; a field IV kit was attached to her right arm. The only thing covering her naked body was Thane’s jacket…and the many gaping wounds that would surely scar if they did not reach the Normandy in time. Garrus reached up to touch the scar on his own face, remembering how much pain he had experienced when that crazy batarian and his gunship had shot him down. And still that was nothing compared to what Shepard must have gone through; what she was still going through.

Garrus rested a three-taloned hand gently on her brow, running his fingers through her matted hair. Thane watched him closely, but said nothing. The obvious flame of protective jealousy rose within him, but he knew that the turian meant nothing other than genuine care with the gesture. Looking at the man, Thane thought he finally understood Shepard’s feelings towards him. Garrus was like a lost, insolent child who needed a firm leader to show him the way. Shepard was that leader, and to her, Garrus was the brightest of students. They had a deep friendship that Thane could probably never comprehend, but that was ok. After all, it was Thane she had given her heart to.
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Echoes of the Past