The Hybrid | Book 1 | Garrus Vakarian | Mass Effect ✔

The Hybrid: Chapter Eight

It's been two days now.

Two long days.

They have heard nothing from the Alliance.

They can no longer get to Joker.

Their armor. Their weapons. Gone.

Shepard had gotten her head stitched up when she arrived at the facility, the vehicle door splitting it open. They were in a prison located under the turian military base where they weren't cruel to them but they weren't the nicest either. They tried to reach anyone on the ship or with the Alliance. Garrus told her several times that they wouldn't be here for long but she had yet to see results. She wanted to believe Garrus, he hadn't been wrong yet. Thane sat in the corner of their cell meditating. He hasn't said much in the last two days. It didn't worry Shepard; his calm presence helped settle the room.

"Looks like someone is here to pick you up." A turian entered the room with keys at his waist. Sheperd went up to the bars, gripping them until her knuckles turned white. She tried to look past the turian but instead, she got shocked by a black stick through the bars. Shepard stumbled back into Garrus' arms. Garrus glared at the fellow turian who had a smirk on his face. Garrus had a hard time believing that his race could do something like this. Why would they side with this madman in creating hybrids with humans? Why would the Alliance betray them like this? Garrus helped Shepard to her feet while the turian opened the cell door. The man behind the turian cleared his throat and Shepard's eyes sparkled when she heard the man speak.

"Anderson!" She exclaimed. Garrus chuckled at her excitement. He too was happy to see a friendly face. He would love to be back on the ship. A nice hot shower and a good meal would help him feel better. If that didn't happen, he might just start killing everyone's ass on Palaven. Thane stood after hours of meditation, his hands clasped behind his back, observing his surroundings. He noticed Shepard beaming a smile towards the Lieutenant. She went to shake his hand, but Anderson pulled her in close and muttered something in her ear.

Her demeanor completely changed.

"Let's get you back on your ship." Anderson gave a fake smile. Garrus and Thane followed suit, Garrus glaring at the other turians as they walked out of the military facility. Guards shook their heads as Commander Shepard and her crew were getting their belongings back. At the front desk, a turian woman slammed the Commander's gun onto the counter. Shepard thought it was odd behavior, making her hesitant to grab her weapon. The turian then spat on her gun. Shepard looked down at her gun and then at the turian woman.

"Filthy human," She growled.

Shepard said nothing in return. Instead, Garrus grabbed the Commander's weapon, eager to take the safety off. The turians behind her all looked at the Commander and her fellow officers in disgust. They felt betrayed by the human race once again and seeing Shepard was like seeing a ghost of the past. The humans have once again proved to them who was the better species. They were put under the Alliance's thumb and no one knew, and were even more so when the Alliance agreed to work with Dr. Heart after sending Shepard on her mission.

"Let's go." Anderson broke the tension between the human and turian. He had hoped to have done the same with the Alliance but it seems that they have chosen the side they were on. Anderson had stepped down from all the propaganda non-sense. He heard about Shepard's whereabouts through Joker; Anderson as the only man Joker could trust in a situation this dire. A lot had changed since they were in lock up for 2 days.

As they exited the building, Shepard noticed their shuttle. She was happy to see them again. They all crawled inside, closing the doors beside them. Shepard sat between Thane and Garrus while Anderson took the front. Once they were in the air, Anderson started to speak.

"A lot has changed since you were gone," he sighs, looking at the rear-view mirror to meet Shepard's gaze.

"How so?" Shepard rose an eyebrow. Garrus noticed Shepard's hand on his thigh and put his hand on top of hers to comfort her. Whatever Anderson has to say, it wouldn't be good. Thane examined the vehicle; he could sense something was off and kept his eye on the driver. He was a new one, not the same one for their usual missions.

"The Alliance's agenda has changed. They are now working for the Doctor. They're working for him because this whole Reaper situation has everyone with their backs against a wall."

"So they want these fucked up hybrids?" Shepard didn't caring much about who she was talking to. She knew she needed to stay professional, he was a higher rank than her after all. But being in the car with Garrus, Anderson and Thane, she felt like she could unwind a little.

"If the population decreases, this may be the only way to save humanity."

She didn't want to hear that come from the man she looked up to. She was starting to question if she had woken up in a different timeline. Maybe this was an alternate timeline someone had made up while they were piecing her together. Shepard squeezed Garrus' hand, attempting to calm herself. Anderson sigh; he knew this wasn't going to be easy on Shepard and it wasn't easy for him either. Hearing that the Alliance was willing to fund the Doctor stirred something inside of him.

"I can't..." Shepard was lost for words. How could the Alliance do something like this? It was logical but it wasn't the right thing to do. They were stealing children from their homes. Experimenting on them. Doing God knows what else to them. Shepard didn't want to think too far ahead about it. Garrus sighed.

"What do we do now, Commander?" Thane questioned. He wasn't expecting the Alliance to do this either. They were meant to save the galaxy, not create new species. Thane was beginning to wonder if not only turians and humans were doing this but others species like his own. Thane decided not to dwell on that question, as there was a chance that they were doing it at that very moment.

"We leave the Alliance and stop this ourselves."

Shepard blinked. Garrus brought his thumb over her hand, gently rubbing the back of it. Her stomach filled with butterflies and she cleared her throat.

"You want us to..."

"Become pirates," Anderson laughed, "if they want to side with the enemy then we let them."

Shepard wasn't sure what to say about it. She looked over to Garrus who had an amused look on his face and then over to Thane who looked as if he was zoned out, muttering under his breath. Shepard sighed, removing her hand from Garrus'. Garrus frowned; it felt odd without her hand in his.

"We're going to go against the Alliance?"

"I don't see any other way."

"We're going to he hunted." Shepard grunted.

"That's why we have a team, Shepard. A damn good one too."

Garrus cleared his throat, "What happens after we take care of the doctor?"

"We do what we need to do. Stop the Reapers. No matter what the cost."

Shepard straightened her posture. The pressure she had on her shoulders slowly began fall off. If she was no longer apart of the Alliance, she can start to do things her way. She can damn the code, damn the consequences about going against orders. She knew that her crew would follow her till the very end. Cerberus wouldn't be able to track her down again. If they told a giant lie to the Alliance, things can start working in her favor. They could quietly hunt down the doctor, kill him, and save the galaxy. She was starting to like this plan more and more.

"What do you say?" She asked Garrus to which he smiled, at least as best as turians could smile.