HELLO! I just wanted to say thank you to those who sent me messages asking about the rest of the story; I'm so glad you enjoy it!

I apologize profusely for the delay; as my sh*tty excuse mentioned, I first got sick in the spring, and then kind of lost the story and was afraid to add to it since my head wasn't really in the universe fully. I didn't want to publish something that I didn't put 100% in. I finally got the motivation to get back into it (I still have the full story in my head, just need to play it out in writing), and have been adding to this chapter in bits and pieces when I get the confidence.

I wish it was more of an interesting chapter (ie let's get to the adventure stuff already!) but Garrus promised his crew he would take them out, and a Turian never forgets! It's a bit of fluff mixed with some synthesis detail updates, and a fun surprise at the end!). I feel like now this chapter is finally done and published, I'll be more motivated to move on with the rest of it, as the biggest issue for me was a motivational block.

I've revisited this chapter so many times to add to it, please accept my apology for any inconsistencies or mistakes; please don't hesitate to send me a message letting me know something doesn't make sense. I still need to get my head back into the funky details of the ME universe, and try to use the game's plot holes to my advantage. Anyway I'ma shut up now; please enjoy!

The ward floor was spectacular. The walls on either side were made completely of crystal-clear glass which allowed visitors to see all the way up the presidium park ring. The "sky" lit up bright blue, accompanied by the synthetic projection of white fluffy clouds. The lake stretched down each side until it disappeared behind the bend of the presidium ring. The manicured gardens were particularly lush and vibrant that day; it's as if the Synthesis positively affected every living organism; even the shrubs, trees and flowers.

Garrus and Tali approached the reception desk; a young human male was vigorously typing at his console and didn't look up at the pair.

Tali waited patiently for the receptionist to notice her, wringing her hands nervously. Garrus cleared his throat and stepped forward, leaning on the counter, "Hi there...My friend would like to see a doctor about removing her enviro-suit."

The receptionist still did not look up at him, but answered "There's a 3 month waiting list. You'll have to sign here to make an appointment. Someone will contact you when they've found an available opening." The young man slid a datapad over the counter towards Garrus and went back to his typing.

Garrus cocked his head and drummed his claws on the counter surface, "Huh. And what's your policy on making room for a quarian Admiral of the migrant fleet and a squadmate and close friend of Commander Shepard?"

Tali gasped, "Garrus!" She turned to the receptionist who was scanning Tali with his green eyes, "I am. So. Sorry. Look, I'll sign the waiting list; we just finished a war and I'm sure the hospital has better things to do than to worry about me and my suit right now." She stepped to the counter and picked up the datapad.

The man placed his hand on the datapad Tali was holding, and lowered it. "Wait...You're Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy?" he shot a glance back to Garrus, "And you're…Garrus Vakarian? No, no. We will find time for you." He tapped at his console a few more times.

Tali placed the datapad back on the counter, "No, you don't have to do that! I don't want to be any trouble. I heard there were quarian and volus taking their suits off at the hospital, but I'm not here to pull rank or throw my name around. Please, I can come back when there is time."

The receptionist shook his head vigorously, "No, absolutely not. Look, there have been some quarian and volus coming for treatment and removing their suits. Even though we're just fresh out of war, the Synthesis has essentially healed and cured most wounds and ailments of the troops and civilians. We found a 97% recovery rate of injured patients after being synthesized; it's been remarkable to say the least. To tell the truth, most of the doctors and scientists involved in the medical field have been focusing on researching Synthesis and it's apparent benefits. Technically the project of removing enviro suits is still experimental, but we've treated many quarian and volus over the last week, and every one has left the hospital in perfect health. We've been monitoring them closely over the week and the reports have been astounding. Admiral, we would be honoured if you were to use our services. Provided you are comfortable with the fact the project is still technically in beta."

Tali looked down, "I wouldn't want to push myself in front of other people who are to wait 3 months just because I'm an Admiral."

Shaking his head again, the man smiled warmly at Tali, "Not just any Admiral. You were one of Commander Shepard's own. You were with her when she first defeated Saren all those years ago. Someone that important to the preservation of our galaxy merits a couple hours of our time."

Tali looked up at Garrus, obviously unsure of what to say. Garrus only raised his eyebrows and shrugged; he was purposefully leaving it up to Tali to make the decision. She turned back to the receptionist. "How many volus and quarian have tried this experimental procedure so far?"

The receptionist typed some words into his console, "Roughly 150 volus, and 85 quarian."

Talis eyes lit up, "And they've all successfully removed their suits without issue?"

Nodding the man smiled at Tali again, "That's right. The only reason it's still in beta, is because the doctors have never allowed a procedure like this to fully launch within a week. Despite the amount of success they've had, it's all been in a controlled environment; but they expect that any volus or quarian should be able to take their suits off in any environment...provided it's moderately clean of course!" It was obvious the receptionist was getting excited for Tali, "There's no pressure; if you're not comfortable with it, we understand; you can wait until we've released more quarians from their suits. We will fit you in as soon as you contact us."

Tali thought for a moment, but then gave the receptionist a curt shake of her head, "No. If you can fit me in, I'll go through with it. The first quarian to ever try it must have been terrified; I can put up with a little tension. We're in a hospital, and there will be help for me if something were to go wrong, correct?"

Nodding, the receptionist tapped his console, "Absolutely. Alright, you're cleared. Please go straight down that hall, your doctor will be in the room on the far left. Good luck, Admiral, and thank you for all you've done."

Tali clasped her hands, and it was obvious she was beaming behind her environmental mask. She led Garrus down the hallway to the doctor's office; Garrus swore she snuck in a skip or two while they made their way down the corridor. He let out a quiet chuckle, relishing his friend's excitement.

When they stepped into the office, the doctor turned around to greet them. Garrus recognized her immediately; it was Dr. Chloe Michel, a human female doctor well known to Tali, Shepard

and himself. There had been a time in the past when Shepard assisted Dr. Michel with a stressful situation, which was Shepard's M.O. afterall. Cloe had also treated Kaiden when he was attacked by the Cerberus AI body on Mars back before EDI had claimed it for herself. She even treated Tali for a spell after Saren tried to...intercept Tali and stop her from reaching the Citadel with some sensitive information about his motives with the Geth.

"Dr Michel?" Garrus was somewhat surprised to see her as one of the lead doctors overseeing this project.

"Garrus?! Tali!" She stepped over to the turian and quarian and pulled them both in for a hug. "Jed sent your information not even 30 seconds ago; I'm so happy you came to us. The Synthesis has altered our DNA to improve the physical aspects of health and regeneration. It's been astonishing. We've been relearning our biology all over again. Everything we considered weaknesses have been strengthened. Every ailment, every disease has rapidly become benign. At this rate, the only thing we'll eventually have to worry about is overpopulation as our mortality rates are going to start plummeting."

Garrus smirked, "Try telling the Krogan that."

Dr. Michel chuckled, and then turned to Tali. "My dear...I honestly have to admit that I cannot wait to see you out of your suit. My imagination and the other quarian are the only reference I have to go by...I can only expect you will be most beautiful."

Tali blushed under her mask, "Dr. Michel…" she was too bashful to finish.

Garrus's attention was drawn to the hallway outside the office. He peered through the glass and saw a very odd looking alien walk by. This made him accidentally let out a humourous snort and pointed out the window with a claw, "I don't know, Tali. It looks like you have a run for your money."

Dr. Michel and Tali stepped over to the window to see what he was talking about. A stout, very robust looking alien was speaking with an exasperated looking doctor. The alien wore no clothes whatsoever, and seemed to be making a fuss. The creature was a sickly flesh colour, and his torso and back were overlapping with several spongy,vflat flaps of skin. His arms and legs had some visible muscle definition, but primarily seemed to be constructed of rolls of skin and fat. His beady green eyes peeped under a thick furrowed brow, the top lids heavy and the bottom lids drooping which gave the creature a comical look of being very tired and unimpressed. Several whiskery hairs poked out from the top of his head; the colour of dark pale pink colour of his skin gradually transitioned to a bilious green around his hands, feet, armpits and the crown of his head, in addition to a line from his neck to his crotch, which also sprouted some coarse moss-green hair (thankfully hiding whatever alien-like genetalia he had underneath). His nose was a meaty skin-flap which started in a point between his thick, hairless brows and forked downwards in two points that hung down freely, leaving the nostrils in the center of the fork. Beneath his nose, another very thin flap of skin hung down over his mouth, forking again but the ends dangled comically as the alien spoke. The closest thing Garrus could relate the image to was perhaps a human male's long handle-bar mustache...only except it was made of pinkish skin with green tips. Only his bottom teeth were visible under the "moustache" flap, reminding Garrus of the time Traynor showed him a vid of a common domesticated animal humans used for pets on Earth; he recalled it was called a "pug." Though he'd never heard of that word before, he believed the term was quite fitting for the alien in the hallway.

Tali gawked in awe until the creature noticed the trio starting. He furrowed his brow and waved a hand dismissively at them, marching away on small meaty feet. Tali turned to Dr Michel, obviously traumatized, "Was that...was that a volus?"

Dr Michel cleared her throat and tried to sound professional, "Ye...Yes. That is what the volus look like without their suits. Though it's not apparent why that particular one refused to wear the clothes he brought with him."

Garrus gave a sad shake of his head, "So tell me you tried to convince them that the project wouldn't work anymore after seeing that."

Dr Michel gave a timid giggle, "Well I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. Perhaps we can try to encourage them to implement some sort of culture that revolves around masking themselves as a status symbol."

This idea made both Garrus and Tali chuckle heartily. Dr Michel turned to Tali. "Alright Tali. I'm sure you want to get started. If you'll come with me down the hall to a special sanitation lab, we can begin the process. It shouldn't take more than 15 minutes at this point. Garrus you're more than welcome to wait here in my office if you like." She again cleared her throat, but nervously this time, "I store some dextro-amino chocolates in that jar over there if it please you."

"Thanks doc," Garrus replied, leaning on the desk.

Tali gave the turian a concerned glance, but Garrus shot back a nod of reassurance, "I'll see you in 15, Tali. Extra points if you come back with a better mustache-flap than that volus." He popped a chocolate into his mouth while grinning.

Putting her hands on her hips and glaring at Garrus, Tali let Dr Michel lead her out of the office and down the hall.

While the pair were gone, Garrus brought himself over to the wall-length window and glanced down at the Presidium. It was so vibrant. The residents were bustling back and forth looking serene and peaceful, almost as if the war never happened. He wasn't sure how that made him feel. He knew the Citadel was well-known for acting ignorant of the war during the build-up to the Reaper invasion. This was understandable, as nobody would really be comfortable with accepting the Reapers were about to demolish an entire galaxy. The Citadel distracted itself as long as it could until the war showed up at its doorstep; a common theme Shepard and her crew encountered over the last few years. The only reassurance Garrus had that day was the attention he and Tali received when stepping onto the Citadel. The residents and visitors had flocked around them to give their thanks for their service, and Shepard's. He didn't mind the attention, but he'd prefer the focus would have been directed at the lost lives, broken families and Shepard herself.

He then thought perhaps the bustle and high spirits was a way of coping with the immense loss. Who was he to say how people handled the aftermath of a war? Afterall, the Synthesis had essentially healed and cured anyone suffering from wounds and health problems...he supposed it did merit a celebration. Perhaps admitting to himself it was selfish, Garrus desperately wanted the Council to admit their fault in not listening to Shepard all those years she tried to warn everyone. They did acknowledge her as a hero now, but he wanted them to revere her for the patience she put into everything they asked of her while she worked to raise awareness. It felt like they spent the last few years on a wild goose chase; a scavenger hunt, following clues from one demand to the other in the hopes that the outcome would convince whoever it was at the time to join the fight. Even though the Reapers were no longer a threat, would history repeat itself? If a nameless threat were to arise, would the Council and the fleets disregard it only because they truly refused to believe it was true? If they did, then the efforts and sacrifices of Shepard, and all the people lost during the Reaper war would be for naught.

Garrus furrowed his brow at the thought. He supposed he could just hope that going forward the galaxy would learn from their mistakes, and grow only for the better of all. He did make himself a pact at that moment, however. As tired as he was of trying to convince people to believe, if history began repeating itself, he would do everything in his power to do exactly what Shepard would have done; to convince the leaders and councillors of the galaxy to act fast, and not wait until a threat were kicking down their door.

"I don't know how you did it, Shepard," Garrus whispered to himself, "Staying so focused on your mission all that time. Through doubt and impending doom...that spark inside of you kept burning, no matter what. No matter how exhausted you got. This galaxy didn't deserve you."

"Garrus?" Dr Michel's voice startled Garrus from his thoughts. He spun around and saw the doctor at the door; it was obvious she hadn't heard what he was saying.

"Doctor...how is Tali? Did everything go okay?" He checked his omni-tool for the time, "That went so fast. She's alright?"

Dr Michel grinned, "The procedure went fine, Garrus. We did some simple tests, scanned and re-scanned before and after she removed the suit. She's in perfect health. She's getting dressed now and will be out shortly"

Garrus raised his brow, "Huh! I guess yeah...she took the suit off, she's gotta find something to wear."

Dr Michel nodded and gave a dreamy look, "Indeed. I find the quarian civilian clothing to be most elegant. I wonder if we'll get to a point where they will let humans wear their traditional cultural robes…I do envy how they cling and flow to a female figure in the right places."

At that moment, Dr Michel's omni-tool blinked. She glanced at it, then Garrus. "Please excuse me." She left the office and returned down the hall towards the sanitation lab.

Garrus felt a twinge of concern; what if by chance Tali was the one out of 86 quarian to develop an infection within minutes of taking off her suit? He reassured himself it would be alright, as they were right in the middle of the most prestigious hospital in the galaxy.

Dr Michel returned and gave Garrus an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Garrus. Tali thanks you immensely for bringing her here; she apologizes for not being able to return back with you for now."

Garrus cocked his head, "What's wrong? You said she was fine; is she not feeling well now?"

The doctor shook her head reassuringly, "Good heavens, no! After having a chat with Tali, she's volunteered to allow us to investigate the effects the Synthesis has had on quarian. We have some theories, and Tali's fairly...adamant she be the one to assist with the project."

Garrus furrowed his brow, "So you'll be doing experiments on her? What will that entail? Does she even know what she's getting herself into?"

It seemed the Doctor Michel couldn't hide her grin, "Your concern is admiral, Garrus. Tali knows very well what we require of her, and it's not as sinister as you may have come to assume. We will be taking some small tissue samples, such as hair and a vial of blood, as well as some more intensive scans of her insides. We believe that the Synthesis has promoted what once were considered barriers of biology to be taken down. Essentially we think that any race can consume any type of food without negative repercussions, and even receive the nutritive value of said food. I only mentioned it to Tali, but she demanded I tell her more; she said something about contributing to the greater good of her people and the galaxy...as well as something else about French Sushi…? She said she will meet you at Purgatory tonight."

Garrus rolled his eyes but allowed himself a chuckle, "Alright doc. Well you be sure to let me know if something comes up; send it straight to my omni-tool."

Dr Michel nodded, "Thank you Garrus. I'm glad to see you well. I do hope you enjoy yourself while on the Citadel; goodness knows you deserve it." She stepped to Garrus and gave him another hug. He squeezed her back and left the ward and decided to make his way down to the shopping district; he needed a new set of armor, as he only had one that wasn't scorched to all hell, or had a hole blasted by a rocket.

Garrus made his way over to the Kassa Fabrications installation, observing the people around him during the walk over. At a closer look, the residents and visitors of the Presidium seemed warmer to each other. Where before people would walk by without saying a word or even providing a quick glance, the tone of the environment was more friendly and genial than he remembered. It didn't seem in any way that people forgot about the losses; he overhead many people in conversations, asking people they obviously don't know more about their families and how the war affected him. Garrus wondered if this war had brought everyone together in a way he couldn't have imagined. He also wondered if the Synthesis had something to do with it. Even though there was no evidence of the Synthesis "assimilating" or indoctrinating anyone, it seemed like at a glance, more people saw eye-to-eye, rather than silently judging others based on race, status or appearance. It was only a quick observation, so he didn't put too much weight into it, but deep down it felt very satisfying.

The Kassa Fabrications vendor greeted Garrus ecstatically; requesting a photo-vid be taken of them together. He also insisted Garrus have a fairly heavy discount applied to whatever he wished to buy. It made Garrus feel somewhat sheepish about purchasing his armor and a new sniper rifle (with mods included), but the look on the vendor's face reassured him enough that he was just happy Garrus was in his presence. Garrus almost chose a mid-line set of armor so as to not try and take too much advantage of the overly-enthusiastic vendor, but the man insisted Garrus choose one of the top-of-the-line armor sets. Garrus browsed through them; they were very, very pricey. But with his "heros" discount as the vendor exclaimed, they lowered the cost to a fraction of the original cost. Garrus chose a handsome dark blue and maroon set that included an inlay of blue light embedded around the collar, chest, and shoulders. He assumed it would be a decent set to wear at the summit for when the Normandy crew received their commendations the next day.

"I could get used to this," Garrus chuckled to himself as he arranged for the items to be sent to the apartment.

Garrus made his way back to the flat; he was no longer on the Presidium as he had decided to walk down the ward for a while before hailing a cab to take him the rest of the way to the apartment. The scenery was vastly different than that of the Presidium; pristine porcelain-white structures, immaculately manicured gardens and elegant clothing was replaced with angular, caving lines, bright, vivid neon advertisements, and more casual, versatile attire among the bustling crowd. Garrus heard a familiar giggling from one a boutique as he passed. Upon investigation, he saw Traynor holding a comically large pile of clothing, and EDI wearing what looked somewhat like asari exotic dancer's body suit, and some sort of cropped fur jacket. Traynor was giggling like mad, and EDI was twirling in place, seemingly enjoying Traynor's attention.

Garrus stepped in and decided to interrupt the girls, "I'm sorry ladies, but I already picked out that outfit for tonight, and only one of us is going to pull that off."

Traynor and EDI shot around and greeted the turian with laughs. He walked up to them, trying to eye the mount of clothing Traynor had picked out for EDI. They all seemed to be very revealing and only suitable for a certain female figure.

Traynor took note of Garrus's look, and shrugged, "Hey, it's not every day I get my own life-sized fashion doll! Just look at her!"

They turned to EDI, who struck a pose, but then held it unmoving. She held it for some time, until an asari customer walked by and began trying to take EDI's jacket off. It was obvious the woman thought EDI was a mannequin. Before the asari could pull the fur jacket over EDI's shoulder, EDI rapidly pivoted only her head to the woman, "Excuse me, but I believe you will have to find another jacket, as I am currently occupying this one." The asari screamed and clutched her chest. EDI relaxed her pose, and bent over to face the asari, who was leaning against a display case, heaving. EDI continued, "I apologize for startling you, miss. It was not my intention, however it may be advisable to ask next time."

The asari nodded, obviously not sure how to respond. She managed to collect herself and stumble over to the next display. An actual mannequin resided there, and the woman approached it cautiously, muttering under her breath, "Excuse...excuse me...can I please try this?" The mannequin didn't move, and the asari flinched as if it were going to spring to life and startle her. She then backed away slowly to the other side of the shop.

Garrus was absolutely dumbfounded as to what he saw, he wasn't even sure he could find a laugh; he just gawked in amusement. Turning to the girls, he clicked his tongue, "I wonder if you'll give Joker a heart attack too if you show up at Purgatory wearing that."

EDI nudged the jacket back onto her shoulder and Traynor busied herself around her, fluffing the fur collar. EDI spoke first, "Perhaps I will not wear it out to the club tonight, but I do think Jeff may find it visually appealing, which pleases me."

Garrus nodded, "In all honesty, EDI, you can wear whatever you want wherever you want; you're your own person! Though I don't think I'd permit that on the Normandy during missions."

This made EDI smirk, which warmed Garrus inside; it was a unique experience watching an AI truly grasp the concept of humor...though he supposed she wasn't an AI anymore, but rather a living organism with synthetic parts.

Garrus let Traynor and EDI play around with the outfits for a while longer while he browsed the men's section of the boutique. He didn't expect this place would have anything that appealed to him, but after sifting through some turian uniforms, he landed on a suit that he liked. He pulled it from the rack, and hung it behind the preview projection mirror. He stood in front of the mirror, and it projected the suit back to him as if he were wearing it. It was dark blue and black, and he decided it suited him quite well. "Hmm…" he muttered to himself, "why the hell not." He purchased the suit and arranged to send it to the flat. He then walked over to the girls again.

"You ladies want to grab some food before we head out tonight? We still have about four more hours before we meet the crew at Purgatory." Traynor and EDI nodded, and Garrus realized he may have been rude asking EDI to go for food even though she didn't have the function nor need to eat. EDI however did not seem to take any offense; in fact she seemed happy that he included her regardless of her needs.

The trio found a cozy nook not far from the boutique that noodle bar that served dishes of various amino types. Garrus and Traynor ate their noodles in silence while EDI explained the origins of the chopsticks used for eating the noodles (though with only 3 digits on either hand, Garrus had to use a general forked utensil). Garrus realized he knew nothing about the historic cultures of Earth; it wasn't really something that was ever required of him. Humans were known to be one of the most diverse races in the galaxy, with a long colourful history with thousands of cultures and languages. He decided that once he found Shepard, he would learn more about the history of Earth and her cultures.

Garru, EDI and Traynor took a taxi back to Shepard's appointment, and began to get ready for the night at Purgatory. Garrus tried to put the twinge of guilt he felt out of his mind; going out to a club wasn't really something he considered productive as far as it came to looking for Shepard. Though he did promise the crew drinks, and he knew that being around his friends would be good for him. If he let himself, he would march right into the Council tower that moment and demand the information they needed on the Vendetta VI.

Arriving at the apartment, EDI and Traynor ran up to the washroom and began getting ready. Cortez, Joker and Vega each found a sofa and were napping soundly. It seemed they had ordered some sort of human cuisine as there were flat boxes scattered over various surfaces, containing what looked like a disc-shaped bread with an array of toppings. The whole apartment wafted the scent of warm cheese, and Garrus was surprised to find himself enjoying the aroma. Levo-amino food never appealed to him before, but he had an urge to pick up one of the slices from the box and sniff it. He refrained however, and took himself to his room to find the items he purchased earlier placed neatly on his bed.

After some time, the crew started to collect at the elevator to make their way to Purgatory together. They all cleaned up quite nicely, Garrus thought to himself. Instead of military uniforms, the team donned their semi-formal civilian clothing. Cortez wore black slacks with a white shirt and formal vest under a dark-crimson blazer. Instead of his usual grey tank, Vega had on a charcoal button-up tucked into a sleek belt and dark blue jeans. As a rare sight, Joker had taken his hat off and styled his hair into an effortless scruff; he wore a white t-shirt under a cream-coloured cardigan and blue jeans. Liara replaced her lab-suit with a dark-violet elastane dress with a plunging neckline held together by a sheer sliver of chiffon. Javik, seemed to have managed to find something suitable to him besides his battle armor; it looked as if he took a thick black linen and twisted and wrapped it around him to produce a very similar shape as his armor itself. It did look quite comfortable, and it suited the Prothean quite well and Garrus thought Javik had a much more comfortable, relaxed air about himself. Traynor arrived last with a flapper dress of glittery white and gold followed by EDI. Joker made a funny sound in his throat.

EDI walked in wearing an outfit the crew had never seen her in before. She made her way down the stairs, a red bandage dress fit snuggly around her synthetic curves. A strap of black elastane material stretched across her collarbone (or where it would be if she had bones) and over her shoulders, leaving a diamond cut-out reveal of her chest. To say the least, she looked miraculous.

"Wow, EDI. You look gorgeous!" Liara stepped over to EDI, touching the material of the dress.

"Thank you, Liara." EDI seemed pleased with herself, "Samantha assisted me with selecting a dress. I was afraid it may have been too bold for my tastes, but then I realized I have yet to develop my tastes in fashion; why not start now? My goal with this one was to produce a pleasant reaction from Jeff."

Joker emitted another odd sound from his throat. Garrus nudged him and whispered, "That's the first time I've ever seen you speechless, Flight Lieutenant."

"Where's Tali?" Traynor asked, turning to scan the apartment behind her.

Garrus scratched his neck, "Tali chose to stay and volunteer at the hospital a bit longer. She said she'll catch up with us at Purgatory in a bit."

Traynor seemed content with his answer, "Well then, let's go! I'm dying for a drink."

Muffled techno music resonated through the air as the team arrived at Purgatory. Garrus approached the bouncer and was about to pay admission for the team, but Traynor pushed passed him. "The group for the Normandy has arrived."

The turian bouncer checked his datapad, "Alright, everything is in order, please proceed to the VIP area."

The group funneled through the doors and made their way to Purgatory's VIP area. Garrus caught up to Traynor and furrowed his brow at her, "Traynor, we didn't help save the galaxy to throw our names around and get VIP access."

Samantha smirked back at him, her green eyes glowing in the dim hallway, "Maybe not, Captain, but why not take advantage of the perks?"

The doors to Purgatory hissed open and a blast of music wafted in; the bass thumping. They walked by a hall of booths; asari danced on each table, moving and twisting in liquid motion. A booth at the end of the room had no walls; it opened up to the rest of the club so whoever sat there had a view of everything. It was spectacular; the multi-level club had much more to it than the group had ever seen before from the lower level. The circular booth was spacious, with enough room for the seven team members and then some. The group slid into the booth, but Garrus walked to the railing and looked down to the dance floor below; he could see some ensigns from the Normandy dancing and mingling.

"Garrus!" Traynor called at him over the pounding music, she was pointing at a waitress who had arrived at the booth. She held a tray of nine identical alcoholic shots. The group all grabbed one for themselves (even EDI), and the waitress stretched out the tray, offering one to Garrus. He took it cautiously, and sniffed it. It smelled wonderful and exotic; he couldn't pinpoint what it was; it was foreign to him. It smelled sweet as fruit, but with a spice he's never smelled before.

He nodded to the human waitress, "What is this?" he called over the music so the rest of the team could hear.

The waitress smiled at him, "It's called a Hot Apple Pie. Flavoured after a famous human desert. Try it!"

Garrus shook his head cautiously, "Sorry - so the Synthesis really allows for any species to digest any type of food?" though Dr. Michel stated earlier that the digestive barriers posed by amino types in different species was uplifted by the Synthesis, Garrus did not feel like spending the rest of the night in a medical ward getting his stomach pumped.

The waitress nodded confidently, "We only serve drinks cross-species that have been approved by the Citadel Medical Association. I'm a pre-med, I've been volunteering at the clinics during the day. The synthesis essentially shared the strengths of all species amongst one another. You could dig into some Krogan cuisine if you felt like it, big guy." She provided Garrus a flirty smile.

"I think I'll take baby steps," Garrus said, but still picked up the shotglass and raised it up to his nose for another sniff. Something about the sweet and spicy aroma made him feel warm and comfortable. "So you can guarantee that my insides won't melt from this?"

The waitress smirked at him, "I haven't had any complaints from the other three hundred or so turians and quarians we've been serving since the news broke out. I'll tell you what," she said when Garrus hesitated, "If that shot gives you a little tummy ache, I'll ask my friend Aela over there to make you feel better." She nodded towards a particularly flexible Asari who was dancing on one of the booth tables across from them. Instead of a pole protruding from the table like the ones you would see in a human establishment, there was a long strip of material that fell from the ceiling. Aelia was using this to twist around her limbs which allowed her to spin and tumble in the air with an amazing display of grace and strength. The asari took a moment to peer over to Garrus and the waitress, and granted Garrus a sly grin.

Garrus cleared his throat turned to the booth; his friends and squadmates were now smirking at him along with the waitress. "Well, I guess it's a win-win situation in that respect," he raised the glass, and the rest of the team followed, "To the Synthesis, and whatever other fun surprises it has in store for us." He was almost going to toast to Shepard, but he felt it would have turned the mood of the night sour for himself and the crew, which was not his intention.

The squadmates in the booth whooped, downed their shots, and slammed the empty glasses on the table. Garrus followed, letting the warm liquid pour down his throat; it tasted just as it had smelled. The spicy sweet taste warmed his throat on the way down, and coated his stomach with a soft, pleasant tingle.

Garrus ordered another round of drinks for the table which loosened everyone up to talk, and then made his way down to the main floor of Purgatory. He found the large group of crew members, who greeted him enthusiastically. He ordered a round of drinks for the ensigns, who seemed to stumble over one another to bump their mugs, glasses and bottles with his. Garrus assumed that bumping drinks was solely a human tradition, as he'd only seen humans perform it during social events. He even recalled Shepard clinking her glass with his while they shared some whiskey together in her quarters once. The ensigns were significantly more rowdy than the officer table upstairs, and many approached Garrus to pat him on the back and attempted to compliment his leadership skills through slurred speech. Garrus thought to himself that if he were in this position when he first met Shepard years ago, he would have been repulsed by the sight of the ensign crew; dancing sloppily, hanging off each other and over-laughing loudly. In those days, Garrus was wound tight; stressed and tensed by his military upbringing and the limitations and strict rules demanded by C-Sec. As his time on the Normandy passed, along with his near-death experience on Omega, Garrus decided that he had come to appreciate letting loose once in a while. Shepard had also greatly contributed to Garrus' attitude towards life in general: hold fast, don't give up, dance like a maniac. Garrus caught himself laughing outloud at the memory of Shepard's awful dancing. He loved it, and he wouldn't have had her any other way. He silently thanked her for making him the turian he was that day, and tipped the rest of his drink down his throat.

While Garrus made his way back up to the VIP floor with the rest of the squad, he glanced over at a dark corner where one human female sat with a dangerous amount of empty glasses for just one woman scattered across the table. Squinting into the darkness, Garrus realized he recognized her; she slumped back in her booth seat, swirling the last remnants of her drink around in the bottom of her glass. Garrus made his way over to her.

"I was going to offer you a drink, but it doesn't look like that will do you a favour," Garrus joked as he approached the table. Khalisah al-Jilani looked up and squinted at him, attempt to focus on his face; it was very obvious she was overly intoxicated. She did recognize him though, and her eyes widened.

"Garrus Vakarian...I didn't think you'd be out...I'm not…presentable" it was obvious she was uncomfortable and gave the impression she was guilty or embarrassed. She shifted in her seat and attempted to string together a sentence, "What can I...What do you want? How can I help you?" It was obvious she wasn't sure how to address him; her tone jumping from confused, to bitter, to guilty.

Garrus allowed a thin smile, "I wanted to thank you."

al-Jilani squinted comically at him, "For who...what? For what? You know what, it's fine, whatever you're thankful for...you're welcome. I need to go home." She began to slide out from her seat, but Garrus slid into the one opposite her.

"I wanted to thank you for not publicly releasing that vid of Shepard. It's...painful. For a lot of people."

Apparently this sobered al-Jilani up a bit, and she froze, gawking at Garrus.

Garrus continued, "I saw it. The vid of her at the Crucible, thanks to that recording drone you snuck in. You could have released it for shock value but you didn't. Thank you."

al-Jilani gave a sad, defeated look and crossed her arms, resting them on the table. "I didn't...know what to expect. I thought it would have been some amazing show of heroics, or she wouldn't do what she said she would...I don't know. I mean it was heroic...just not the way I thought. I was sick watching it. Sick about what happened to her, but mostly sick with myself."

Garrus gave a slight nod, encouraging the journalist to continue..

al-Jilani sighed, "All these years I spent so much time hounding Commander Shepard. I saw her as this hero-wannabe, galavanting around the galaxy with all the Spectre authority she could want. Then being rebuilt by Cerberus and working for them; all the while convincing the Council and the Alliance that she's doing Humanity a favour when really she was just using their resources for flashy, grandiose entrances and exits. She was the perfect villain, you know? Concealing her real motives with her famous heroic demeanor. I just couldn't sit by and let her take advantage of everyone like that."

Garrus said nothing, but Khalisah wasn't waiting for his response; she continued, "I know that's all bullshit though. I was so hung up on trying to get an angle that I thought was more interesting...when she was truly the most sincere, modest and noble human being in the galaxy. No, not human being...being...in general. Nobody…. nobody else could have done what she did. Nobody."

Garrus raised his brow, "I can't say I don't agree...but you sure that's not the alcohol talking?"

al-Jilani snorted, "I wish. I would give anything to go back and change the things I said about her. I don't even care about what my viewers or producers think; it's about what was right, you know?"

Garrus nodded, "But you can't change the past, you can just learn from it and move on."

Khalisah grabbed her glass again, swished it around and tipped the rest of the liquid down her throat. "Yeah," she agreed, putting the glass back down on the table.

Garrus was about to leave the reporter her thoughts, but an idea held him back. "What if you could redeem yourself? You know, start fresh, clean slate."

Unsure of how to respond, al-Jilani simply looked for Garrus to explain. Garrus leaned forward, "Look, if your regrets have you slumped in the corner drinking your woes away, what if I told you you had another chance? Would you put your money where your mouth is?"

The reporter didn't break eye contact from Garrus, and nodded slowly, "Garrus, I would do anything to shake this fucked-up feeling of self loathing and regret, but how many human spectre commanders available for saving the galaxy do you have hidden away?"

Garrus smiled at her, "There's only one. And she's very much alive."

al-Jilani gawked. She didn't say anything for a long time, like she was awaiting a punchline. "Okay, Vakarian. I understand I fucked up; I pay for it every day that goes by since Shepard turned that damned Crucible on. Why are you doing this to me?" She was getting upset, and the alcohol wasn't helping. Khalisah began sliding out of the booth again.

Shaking his head, Garrus put up his hand to stop her from leaving, "I'm serious. I know it, her team...her friends know it. Were you serious about what you were just telling me? Or is saying you regret the past that just your way of making what you did and said easier on yourself?"

al-Jilani stopped for a moment, and then slid back into the booth. "Are we even talking about the same vid? Did you watch it? Did you see what happened to her? ALL of her?" al-Jilani looked a bit ill from the memory.

Garrus went sullen, "I saw very well what happened, but we know she's alive, out in some unknown void somewhere. The crucible didn't destroy her; it transported her somewhere."

A look of pity slowly formed upon al-Jilani's face; she looked at Garrus apologetically. "Garrus...I know it must be hard to accept…"

Garrus pounded the table with his fist impatiently and the array of glasses jumped and rattled loudly. It was only noticeable to al-Jilani however, as the loud music drowned out the thump. "It's not just me; it's the entire crew. She somehow reached out to me in my dreams." Garrus noted the anxious expression on al-Jilani's face; "I thought I was crazy at first too; I didn't say anything, and I thought it was some sort of symptom of Post Traumatic Stress or something. But then...we did some...research. Liara, she's an asari scientist and friend of Shepard. They have this way of melding with your mind and we managed to connect with Shepard together. So it wasn't just me that saw her, and felt her...There are also a lot of questions unanswered in regards to the Crucible and that creepy reaper AI kid Shepard was talking to when she made her choice."

al-Jilani was now grasping on to every word Garrus said, "Say what you're saying is true...and the crucible in fact teleported her somewhere instead of killing her; why? Why even bother doing that? If the crucible had all these runtime events; you know, choices that change the fate of the entire galaxy, why take Shepard after she chose?"

Garrus frowned, "I intend to find out. The Prothean VI we found on Thessia had information about the reaper attack on the Protheans, and even indicated that the plans for the Crucible existed before the Prothean empire. The Reaper AI kid said in the video avoided answering the question about when the plans for the Crucible were created, so that leaves two tangible options."

al-Jilani's eyes lit up; despite the obvious amount of alcohol she consumed, she seemed more or less fully sober now. She had her datapad out and was tapping at it vigorously while Garrus spoke. She stopped abruptly now as she caught on to what the turian captain was saying; "Oh my god. If the Reaper AI Child didn't know when the Crucible was made, either it was programmed not to know, or the Crucible was designed even before the Reapers were ever created by the Leviathans. Which means the Leviathans didn't know either; as they created the Reapers to gather intelligence on essentially everything in the galaxy...it wouldn't make any sense for them to leave that out of the AI programming. Jesus Christ, Garrus, then unless information about the Crucible was intentionally left out of the Reaper's collective programming, or the Crucible was created for something besides destroying the Reapers."

Garrus grinned; he was glad the journalist was not only catching on, but her passion for the story flared and sparked her motivation. "That's why I need you. I want you to do what you can to promote this. I know it sounds far-fetched, and it will be hard to cover without hard proof, but I, along with the entire Normandy crew believe Shepard is still alive out there somewhere. I want the galaxy to know. Shepard has spent years trying to convince the galaxy that the Reapers existed, and then that they were coming after us. She spent an entire year trying to get all nations to prepare for the Reaper attack, but they didn't listen until it was too late. The galaxy owes her this, and I won't stand by and watch them brush her off any longer."

al-Jilani flushed with guilt, and nodded, "I understand. I'll do what I can, Garrus. I'm at the point in my life that this needs to be my priority; I can't live with myself otherwise. I'm covering the summit tomorrow; it will be the most watched news channel on Earth and throughout the human colonies. I even know a few popular Asari and Turian reporters that owe me some big favours...I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Garrus said with sincerity, "This is about finally getting the galaxy to listen. As insane as all this may sound, there are questions that need answering. And if there is even a fraction of a chance that Shepard is out there, and we can find her, I'm doing it, and I'll never stop."

"I believe you," al-Jilani returned with a respective nod, "Now if you excuse me, I have a story to re-write for tomorrow's summit coverage." She slid out of her seat one last time, and lay a hand on Garrus's shoulder as she passed to leave the booming club.

Garrus stared into space for a while, thinking about Shepard: how far away was she? How did she have the ability to connect with them through dreams and melding? He could barely wait until tomorrow; he'd be able to request the Prothean AI files from the Citadel archives. Garrus decided that he would also request information about the Reaper AI; if it was still functional, he wanted what information it had on the origin and true function of the Crucible.

Standing up, Garrus began making his way back upstairs to the officer's VIP booth. On his way however, he noticed many club patrons had stopped mingling and dancing, and were buzzing about something near the main entrance of Purgatory.

Peering through the crowd, Garrus saw what all the fuss was about. "Tali!?"

Tali caught met Garrus's eyes and waved vigorously at him over the crowd. Some of the patrons who were focusing on her turned to see who she was waving to, but quickly spun back to bask in Tali's presence. She was free of the confines of her environmental suit, and it was the first time Garrus, or anyone for that matter, had ever seen Tali without her mask. Her vibrant, soft lilac skin shimmered under the dim light of the club. The mark of the synthesis glittered gently over her features like a delicate phosphorescence. She was flashing a stunning smile at Garrus, and began making her way over to him.