Survivor

Chapter 26

Garrus
"Strike HQ, this is Archangel," Garrus radioed in.
"This is Strike HQ, go ahead Archangel."
"Has Safe Haven seen anything yet?" Garrus referred to the call name of the hotel, anxiety eating at him as he walked through the streets of London.
"Negative, Archangel. They're on full alert watching for Prodigal One and Prodigal two."
Garrus rolled his eyes, remembering as Vega threw in the call signs for Greyson and Shepard as a touch of humor to lighten the situation. Waiting for the prodigal son and daughter to return kind of humor.
"Copy, Strike HQ. I'll continue on the search. Archangel out."
Garrus let his mind wander as he walked the streets with his visor scanning for life signs.
He had learned how the humans radio back and forth during the repairs. He would listen to them as they used their radios to communicate during repairs and search and rescue missions.
It was common for him to volunteer for S&R missions during his time here after the destruction of the Reapers. He preferred to work than let his mind dwell on the loss of Samantha. It was better for everyone if he used his time to be productive than take the time to let his grief eat at him.
Now it was anxiety eating at him and he couldn't help but worry that maybe something had happened to her.
She always came back. Always made an effort to make contact or go where there would be extraction...
Garrus stopped suddenly.
She would go where it's familiar.
He turned and ran toward their first landing zone.
He wasn't far, maybe 5 blocks east of it and 2 north. His long legs carried him as fast as he could run there.
As soon as he got into the lot he skidded to a halt, his eyes and his visor scanning the area. "Samantha!" He called out.
There was only silence to greet him and his heart sank a bit.
Maybe she just hadn't gotten here yet.
Or maybe she kept going.
Garrus turned and began the walk to the park.
He could only hope that it would lead him to Samantha.
He was aware of the shuttles behind him in the distance, but getting closer. Garrus didn't have time to dwell on wether it was Alliance shuttles or former Cerberus, though.
As soon as he entered the park, his eyes worked furiously to scan everywhere they could see clearly.
He refused to give up hope on her. He knew her, he knew she would try to find her team, she always did. She always tried to find him.
Finally, as he came closer to the burial site of Admiral Anderson, his visor detected a life form. It was faint from this distance, but it was enough for Garrus to quicken his pace.
As he got closer, he could see the curled form of a human next to Anderson's headstone. Garrus knew in his heart that it was her.
"Strike HQ, this is Archangel. Prodigal One has been located! She is at the burial site of Admiral Anderson."
"This is Strike HQ, we are dispatching extraction."
Garrus took a knee next to Samantha and laid a hand on her shoulder as he took in her condition when she startled.
She gasped as she woke and shuffled backwards away from him, bringing her arms up in a defensive manner as well as tucking her legs close to her body.
"Samantha! It's just me! You're okay now, I've got you," Garrus soothed, his heart twisting at the sight of her.
Finally, Samantha's eyes adjusted and took him in and she relaxed, slumping over to prop herself up with her hand.
  Garrus approached her again, his visor aiding in making him aware of her injuries.
  She smelled of blood, though not just simply blood... She smelled a bit strange.
  He gently pulled her close so she could lean against him, her raspy breaths at least comforting him that she was still alive.
  "Where the hell have you been," she breathed.
  Garrus chuckled, more relieved than anything. "I could ask you the same damn thing."
  He could see the tired smile that graced her lips as he activated his radio again.
  "Strike HQ, this is Archangel. Be advised that Prodigal One is in need of immediate medical attention."
  "Copy, Archangel. There's already a medic on board the shuttle. ETA is 7 minutes."
  "Acknowledged. Archangel out."
  Garrus noticed Samantha staring at him, a grin on her face as she stared.
  "What?" He asked, confused.
  "You sound like you've been in the ground forces of the Alliance Navy for decades. Or were Earth born and raised in a military family."
  His eyes widened. "Spirits, don't say that. I'll have to go back to Palaven to clear myself of that!"
  Samantha sputtered a laugh before she broke into a coughing fit, then gave him a smug smile. "We've got you now, Vakarian."
  Garrus chuckled and kissed the top of her head gently. "No, only you've got me, Commander."
She hummed in response, her rasping breaths shallow and quick as they waited silently for the shuttle to arrive.
"There was a man with me," Samantha said suddenly, breaking the silence. "His name was Tom, he didn't tell me his last name but maybe someone will know who he is, his family needs to know-"
"Thomas Greyson," Garrus murmured, rubbing her arm gently to soothe her. "We knew he went missing around the same time you did, was in the same group that had to retreat."
Samantha bit her lip and nodded, looking troubled. "Yeah. He was taken with me..."
She trailed off before she broke into a coughing fit and settled back into him again.
"Strike HQ this is Archangel."
Samantha looked up at him, curiosity in her tired eyes.
"This is Strike HQ, go ahead Archangel."
"Prodigal One has informed me that Prodigal Two is deceased. Be aware that we're no longer looking for a live package."
Samantha relaxed back into Garrus again with a sigh.
"Copy Archangel. You should be seeing your extraction any moment now."
As if on cue, a spotlight shined on them as a shuttle approached for a landing.
As soon as it was on the ground, Alliance Marines jumped out of the shuttle and rushed toward them, four guiding a gurney next to him and Samantha.
A medic shined a light in Samantha's eyes, making her squint and glare at him as he continued his quick exam before he gave the order to set her up on the gurney.
She cried out but bit it back quickly, simply clenching her fists instead as the Marines adjusted the power on the gurney to keep it at easy guidance height for them.
Another Marine pulled Garrus to his feet and together, they boarded the shuttle and shut the door before the pilot lifted the Kodiac into the air.
Garrus watched as the Medic worked on Samantha, already exposing wounds and applying Medi-Gel to the smaller scrapes and cuts.
He closed his eyes as he wondered how much more they could take. How much more they would have to endure before peace was theirs.

((A/N: Hey guys! So here's chapter 26! I can't believe Survivor has reached 785 reads! It's amazing! Thank you all for the support and votes here! I can't say enough how much this means to me! It's not only sharing my love for the best trilogy game created, but being able to share my love for writing with others! Every single read is like a little bit of encouragement happening! Thank you guys so much!
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