After the Reapers (my ME3-ending) CH. 2

CHAPTER 2 – THE NIGHT OF VICTORY (GarrusxFemShep)


That night had been incredible, the Earth on fire under the deadly beams of Reapers had suddenly turned into a theater of cheerful shouts and tears of joy, kisses and hugs.
The machines had suddenly collapsed thunderously to the ground like inanimate puppets, smashing buildings and crushing other victims, but abruptly ending a nightmare from which it seemed impossible to wake up.

Garrus and Liara had followed Shepard, running with her at breakneck speed and watching her back, up to the moment she was hit by the beam.

After the impact Garrus had run towards that point, sure to see before his eyes the last thing he wanted to see, then a column of white light had blinded them.

But she had vanished into thin air, there were neither traces of carbonized organic material nor of deformed and melted eezo.
Garrus just finished shooting the semi-synthetics surrounding him, then slumped amid the rubble in shock.

Then the Reapers had suddenly begun to collapse. And in that very moment Garrus had realized that she was alive, and had won!
Oh and he was so proud of her!
But then there was a huge glow in the sky above them. The Citadel had exploded ... And Shepard with it!

The individual sacrifice for the sake of all is a common rule among turians, only one among the many duties a good soldier must fulfill, nothing more.
But Garrus was not an ordinary turian, and the cry of pain coming out of his throat had surmounted the roaring fires.

Noooooooooooooooooooo ...

Turians don't cry. It's not known if by culture or physiology, or both, the fact remains that their way to cope with sorrow had always been the subject of misunderstanding on the part of other species, especially humans and asari. It made them look cold and emotionless.

Garrus, however, was lying down on his knees in the ruins, his hands clutching convulsively his Viper, still hot for shots recently fired, and his body was shaken by something quite similar to violent sobs.

And then ... then again, a fleeting ray of light, such as the one that had transported Shepard towards the Crucible.
A muffled gasp.
She was there, wounded and burned, her face covered with dried blood, her eyes bruised, her body dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

---

"Shepard! Shepard!"

Her name was shouted over and again by so many different voices. But in her head reigned just a big confusion.
'Should I not be dead?'
She couldn't open her eyes, her mind was dazzled by a bright, white and cozy immensity that didn't help to restore her will to move.

"Her breath is weak! We must take her away from here, now!"

"South is the nearest outpost"

"Soldier, is the southern outpost equipped for this kind of injury?"

"B-but ... how do we take her there ..."

"Garrus ... she will be all right"

Someone started to take care of her body. Soon Shepard felt free from the heavy weights that were crushing her . In exchange, however, the pain became so strong that a little moan came out from her mouth.

"Shepard" she could still hear, then her mid fell into oblivion.

"The Commander is dying, search for a stretcher or anything suitable for the transport!" shouted a voice stirring a few yards away.

"But ... shit, Rodriguez! Come over here!" Jack and some of her students encircled Shepard creating a force field to protect her from further trauma.

Jack leaned forward to watch her closely "How are you?"

"She looks unconscious ..." replied Garrus with a disconsolate voice.

"Shepard, try not to die right now that I'm defending  your hero-ass!" Jack was trying not to look worried but her voice broke.

"Shouting at her will not help!"

"Silly turian! Take care of that that thing over there, before it turns and shoots us, killing us all for good!"

Jack was referring to the marauder that a moment before had appeared in the area.
Harbinger was gone, but there were groups of mutants that occasionally reappeared to attack.

Garrus aimed at the marauder's head and a moment later it was lying on the ground dead.

In that very moment a radio-communication was heard:

"Vakarian, Anderson here, do you copy?"

"Yes Admiral"

"Is she alive?"

...  "Uh ... y-yes .. but she's unconscious, she needs intensive care, or she's not gonna make it "

"Then hurry to the hospital, I'll send you a hammer, then come here because my men will not be able to hold the line for much longer! Mutants are overwhelming us!"

"Roger that, we're coming! Vakarian out!"

---

War wasn't over yet.

Garrus gently stroked Shepard's forehead trying not to panic.

"Don't give up! Please!"

"Was it the Reapers to waste her body like that?" asked Jack.

"Yes, the Harbinger hit her before we could reach the Citadel" answered Liara.

Meanwhile,  reinforcements arrived, announcing a Hammer was coming to take them to the nearest hospital, so Liara began the rescue procedures.
She wrapped Shepard's body inside a field of biotic energy that lifted her gently, without causing further injuries. Thus, to save time, they began to move toward the south outpost, where the Hammer was arriving to rescue them.
They knew they weren't safe yet, and they knew they had to do as quickly as possible to help Anderson and his men.

Jack and her students were following them step by step keeping their biotic shields around them.

"What a fucking situation ..." said Jack, laughing nervously.

"There isn't much to laugh" Garrus was beginning to get annoyed by her attitude.

Liara froze Jack with a cold look.

"Ah, well,  I can start screaming instead of keeping the shield that's protecting your pretty blue ass. Don't tell me that ..."

"Mutants!"