Compiling. [OPEN *]

[cmdr_renegade]

who ; Open to anyone supposed to be in the building or has been invited.*
what ; Sitting, planning, maintenance.
where ; Garrus's Apartment: Base, R01-Kurzweil.
when ; Early evening.
warning(s) ; None so far

Comments

[savor_last_shot]

As strange as it might sound, Garrus felt comfortable. Which was bad. He shouldn't feel comfortable. He was on an alien space station with a crazy AI in charge. But Shepard was here. And if Shepard was here, then this was just another day in the life of the Normandy crew. He still hated the fact that it felt comfortable. Comfortable meant he was going to get complacent. The last time he'd gotten complacent, a lot of good men and women had ended up dead. So he drilled himself.

He'd just finished another perimeter sweep. Still nothing - which was both reassuring and rather disturbing at the same time. He slipped back into the main apartment, rifle slung over one shoulder. He gave Shepard a nod and settled down into his seat near one of the windows - far enough back so that a sniper wouldn't pick him off and close enough to get him a decent view without exposing himself.

"Perimeter's clear. Still, just wanted to make sure. You know how it is."

[cmdr_renegade]

"Tell me about it," she agreed without looking up from her work. It was strange how easy it was to identify Garrus by sound alone, or conspicuous lack thereof, she hadn't even tensed when he entered the room. Maybe she was losing her touch, though the residue in her gun casing argued otherwise.

The omnitool was still chewing through the tasks she'd set to it. It beeped a few times and the bar actually moved back a tick before progressing again. Hell, it was going to take all night at this rate.

"Hard to believe this place is this empty," she added as she started cleaning the clip feed. "Half expect a swarm of Collectors are going to drop down on us."

[savor_last_shot]

"I know what you mean. It's like Horizon - except here it's like no one even lived in any of these buildings," he replied, watching her work for a moment. Then he shifted his attention outside again. He'd seen her break down the pistol before. He'd done it himself. He could probably do it in his sleep at this point.

Garrus looked thoughtful for a moment. "So, potentially crazy AI and a whole bunch of people from all over the galaxy. How do we get out of this one? I doubt Joker is just going to swing by in the Normandy and pick us up. It's never that easy."

[cmdr_renegade]

"Not a lot of intel floating around here," Shepard replied dryly. "I think our best bet at real information, unless one of us guesses an admin passcode, is going to be Lev."

She didn't like it. He smacked all over of the same kind of bullshit that all covert operators did. He was smooth, self important, and, more irritating, he was self-righteous. She hadn't pegged his game yet, but that didn't rule out his usefulness.

She turned in her chair, idly polishing the interior of the case as she did. "If we can get outside, we could get a location fix, send out a signal."

It wasn't anything near a whole plan, but it was a start.

[woobietrope]

[WALL-E is rolling along here, pretty conspicuously in the middle of the street. He looks like he's in a hurry, because he is! Commander Shepard! A new directive! Something to do besides be confused!]

[He has his toolbox on his back and his cockroach on his box and is still kind of trailing dust everywhere but he rolls up to the right block! He pulls up the holo-map and double checks the building again (it's the right one!) then rolls right on up to the steps of the building and starts pulling himself up the stairs to the door of the lobby.]

fwoooo...

[cmdr_renegade]

Shepard's combat sensor, currently disengaged from her armor entirely, went off in silence and was completely ignored. In fact, Shepard had no idea anyone was even in the building until the floor shook and the sound of an explosion drifted in from the hall.

She was out of her chair in a heartbeat, hand already around one of her utility knives. The south stairs. Before she was even at the door, a second explosion went off and then a third. Whatever it was, it was moving quick. It had already triggered all three traps on those stairs.

"Shit," she seethed and drew the knife. No one on her team would have set those off. The door at the end of the hall parted, creakily, and triggered the fire system. The smoke that poured out was thick, black, and vanished into the vents along the ceiling with a rapidity that was actually pretty fucking impressive.

[woobietrope]

[Aaaaaaand WALL-E is over here sideways on the opposite side of the street, clamped up tight in his box and GLOWING BRIGHT RED after absorbing the heat of SEVERAL EXPLOSIONS. Also, shaking like crazy. What the heck was THAT? Stairs aren't supposed to explode!]

[His toolbox is lying open a few feet away where it landed, and everything he's collected in it spilled out across the street now. Some acorns, some leaves, a piece of newspaper that's still on fire, a couple of dinosaur teeth, and a daisy. Clearly the weapons of a dedicated assassin.]

oooo...

[Then he suddenly bleeps in a panic and starts trying to lever himself back onto his treads, sticking his head out and looking around. Oh no! Where did his cockroach g -- oh. It's over there by the railing, okay.]

[Cautiously turtles back up again.]

[cmdr_renegade]

There was nothing on the other side of the door. Shepard had approached cautiously, knife drawn and at the ready, but there was absolutely, without question, and beyond a shadow of a doubt, nothing waiting for her in the stairwell. She stopped and stared.

Had they all triggered on accident? No, Garrus had set them up, sloppy wasn't in his vocabulary.

Something on the floor caught her eye. Tread marks? They were in the soot, though they jumped a large number of stairs at a ti--wait, wasn't that bot supposed to be coming to find her? Shit, had she just blown it up?

Shepard holstered the utility knife and jogged down the stairs, followed after the treads. It looked like it'd made it all the way outside. There was...stuff all across the street and--was that it?

"Huh," Shepard proclaimed from the threshold of the lobby. "You're smaller than I thought you'd be."

But damn, it could take a blast like a champ, assuming it wasn't broken.

[eighttotwelve]

Inside, he remembers. Mapping out the vents, the backdoors, the windows, the many ways to come through and get to where he needs to be. Hell, he could make his way through the floor up if he needed to.

Sometimes he even walks in the street. Imagine that.

For now, he prefers the quieter path. It's interesting, the people he's met in this place, but it's hard to say whether or not he trusts them. There are so few that he places complete faith in; Shepard is one of the few, fortunately.

Eventually, he finds his way, gently popping the door off and slipping into the apartment in complete silence.

Humble abode; he sees nothing wrong with it. Except for the four different ways he could break in, should it be necessary.

[cmdr_renegade]

Shepard hated small parts, with a passionate vehemence that could only be properly expressed by throwing them out a window. Unfortunately, she needed these small parts to keep her pistol working, and throwing them out the window wasn't an option. She didn't exactly notice Thane, but something in the back of her head registered his presence. It probably had more to do with the subtle smell of leather than some overblown biotic sixth sense, but Shepard had never really considered it.

In any case, she wasn't sure why she flinched in surprise when she saw his reflection in the table, but she did. So much for thinking she'd been alert, fucking tiny screws.

"Thane," she offered as she put down her tools and sat back in the chair. He obviously wasn't trying to hide, standing there in the middle of the room. How long had he been standing there, anyway?

[eighttotwelve]

Few people would notice him. Of the amount of intelligent organic creatures he expects to detect his presence, Shepard is one of them. The list isn't terribly long, either.

If he were easily spotted, Thane would be ashamed.

When she speaks, he approaches. Although his stride is quiet, it's clear that he makes no conscious effort at this point to conceal himself.

"Shepard. It's good to see you in person."

Even if he wasn't expecting the gender switch, but that's hardly an issue. Everything else is spot on to his memory. The speech pattern, the personality, and even the physical movements seem right.

[cmdr_renegade]

"Agreed," she replied as she turned in the chair and looked at him properly. There was something novel in the situation: that it was Thane walking in on her doing essentially nothing at a table, but she didn't dwell on it.

"How long you been here?" She hadn't known he was present until he put out that video, and it was unlikely he'd just spontaneously paged for her on an unsecured network.