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

The Hybrid: Chapter Fifteen

Shepard woke up the next morning with a bad headache and the sudden urge to kick Garrus' ass. She groaned, stretching as she sprawled out in the middle of the king size mattress, secretly wishing that the Turian was already here with her. That wasn't the case. They admitted they liked each other but shit hit the fan and made things a little harder for themselves. She truly did start developing feelings for Garrus, and every time she saw him she wanted to partake in letting off some steam.

She rolled on her side and faced the door, wondering what she was getting herself into. It was more normal nowadays to have interspecies relationships but with Garrus it felt different. She would be with her best friend, not that she minded it, she actually enjoyed the thought. What also killed her inside was the thought of not having a biological family with him. Then again, what Doctor Heart was doing could eventually let them have children, somewhere down the line. The thought made her feel bitter. She loathed the man who was planning on murdering them but they were going to kill the man who has the potential to save the galaxy.

A message appeared on her datapad, causing her to jump from the sudden light filling the room. She sat up, making her way towards the edge of the bed to see who had messaged her. When she noticed that it was Garrus, she rolled her eyes. She opened the message to see a heart-filled apology about the sudden kiss that took her by surprise.

Please meet me at the cafe across from the hotel. I'd like to apologize in person and give you something.

Shepard closed the message from Garrus, finding another notification before she could place the datapad down. She was scared to look at the new email. She saw that it was from Anderson which could mean anything. She hesitated...but she eventually decided to put the datapad away so she could shower and meet up with Garrus. Surely whatever was going on could wait just a moment longer. Shepard opened up her duffle bag to gather some clean clothes; a pair of black jeans and a tank top seemed to be her go to lately. Probably because her mental state was becoming worse and she was starting to care less and less about what others think. She went to the bathroom, the door hissing to a close behind her. She placed her things on the dark counter in front of her next to the sink. She turned toward the shower; it was a walk in shower with a slidding door to keep the water out from the floor. The bathroom also had a small toilet next to the shower. The bathroom wasn't anything too special but it was clean and that was all Shepard could ask for.

She turns on the water, closing the sliding door so the water could get to the temperature of her liking. As she waited for the water to heat up, she began to undress. She started noticing the various scars on her arms and the ones that went down the inside of her legs. She could see several on her feet, as if someone was putting a puzzle back together.

What would Garrus think?

The thought crossed her mind too fast. She suddenly felt judged, like she wanted to hide her body away even if she was the only one there. She wanted to tell herself something different from what the intrusive thoughts were telling her, but there was no escaping the thoughts. She wondered about what had happened to her. Before Cerberus found her, she was with Joker... they were abored the Normandy when they were under attack.

Then... nothing.

Darkness.

An eternity of darkness.

Shepard slowly knelt onto the cold-tiled floor, her mind starting to shut down. Shepherd felt numb now. Everything that felt real to her felt like a lie. She shouldn't be alive right now. She shouldn't be thinking about Garrus, she shouldn't be around to save the galaxy. Why did they choose her? Because she was a lone survivor so many years ago? What does it matter now? People have died because of her and no matter what she does the Reapers are still going to kill them all.

Shepard pulled her knees to her chest, hearing the water hit the floor behind her. She could feel the heat from the water surround her, a slight steam was starting to form in the bathroom. As much as she wanted the sound of the water or the steam to calm her, nothing did. She was alone right now and there wasn't anything she could do about it.

I am nothing but a clone. I'm not even myself anymore. I died. I shouldn't be here. Garrus shouldn't love me.

All the negativity that Shepard felt for the past year started to creep up on her. As much as she wanted to get up and get to the shower, she just sat there, letting her anxiety win over her.

***

Thane felt like he was sick. He was weak from the blood loss and from his terminal Illness. When he woke up, he felt lost and confused. The nurse came in, asking how he was feeling. Thane gave her a short answer and she went to speak to the doctor right away. This left Thane thinking about what he had seen last night. Now that he could think a little more clearly, he could have sworn he had seen Kaiden last night. But according to Shepard and Garrus, Kaiden had died nearly two years ago due to a choice that the Commander had to make. Thane wondered if the Commander was mistaken about the death of her comrade or if he was more sick then he had thought.

He needs to talk to Shepard.

Frustrated, Thane attempted to get out of the bed but instead he started to cough. His chest felt tight and he felt light headed. He swore under his breath, quickly laying back down before he blacked out. He swore under his breath, putting hands hand on the call button to beg the nurse for anything to take the pain away.

Thane began to mutter prayers under his breath, hoping that his god would hear him through his difficult time. Thane's mind slowly drifted off thinking about the scenario that was happening to the crew. The doctor, Shepard, Garrus, the mystery behind Cerberus. Was the rumors he had heard about Shepard true? How did she die? As much as they tried to keep it under wraps, it still reached the ears of everyone on the crew.

"You're awake."

Thane opened his eyes and noticed Kaiden standing there in front of him. Thane blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening.

"You are dead."

"Possibly. But you don't know me. You only know of what Shepard told you."

"I've gone crazy." Thane whispered.

"Not likely."

"What do you want?"

Thane was on edge. Was he going to die?

"I just want Shepard to learn a lesson."

Before Thane could react, Kaiden moved closer to him, hitting the side of his head with the butt of the pistol.