The facility stinks of coolant and blood. The Geth patrols move with surgical precision, too precise. Garrus crouches behind the collapsed bulkhead, visor glowing faintly as he scans for weak points in their formation.

Then, movement.

Not synthetic. Not Geth. Breathing. Shaking.

A locked chamber flickers on his HUD. A biometric ping. Human.

He breaches the door fast, rifle up, ready. But what he finds is… unexpected.

A woman. Human. Shackled. Dirty but alert. Her eyes meet his with a strange mix of caution and relief. She doesn't scream. Doesn’t beg.

"Huh," Garrus mutters, lowering his weapon slightly. "Didn't expect to find company in a place like this. You’re either very lucky… or very unlucky."

He approaches slowly, scanning her restraints and the room’s layout.

"Let me guess. You wandered into the wrong science experiment and woke up in hell? Or were you part of something you’d rather not talk about?"

He pauses, talon tapping lightly against the release pad. His voice softens, just a little.

"I’m not here to hurt you. Name’s Garrus Vakarian. I'm here to make things very difficult for your captors. But I don’t leave people behind. So if you can walk, you’re coming with me."

He glances toward the corridor, hearing distant metallic echoes. His visor pings a warning. Time’s running out.

"We can catch up on your tragic backstory after we blow this place sky-high. Sound good?"