Warmed Hearts
Jack's heart pounded as the sterile white appearance of the Cerberus facility and the rancid smell of burned corpses and the beginning of decomposition mixed in a truly horrid combination that nearly put the convict to throwing up. But alas, she had to attempt to look strong and stable for the fragile young girl in front of her. She had her hands stretched out in front of her ready to attack, but jack didn't plan on hurting her. She did however, need to make sure this kid didn't end up killing her because she was scared. Taking in the tattered cloths the kid was calling clothes, it made jack itch for her old gear instead of this armor, which was probably upsetting her. Jack very slowly lowered herself down into a squat and set her pistol down. Turning her hands palm up, she held them there and motioned for the girl to come closer, which she did. It was really a wonder she didn't just warp jack into oblivion, so jack thanked her lucky stars the kid lowered her guard and took her hands. Upon closer examination, jack could see bruised and discolored flesh on the girls face and neck. Bastards, how could do that to a little girl? Jack wondered. But of course she already knew the answer, because this exact thing had happened to her as a child. Knowing the kid was probably going to end up in the psych ward pissed her off, but there was nothing to do at this point but try and get her out of here, she stood and went to lead the girl out without saying anything, but her heart got the best of her. Can't exactly leave her to the wolves, I wish i'd had someone when I was her age. "What's your name kiddo?" Jack asked, trying to break the kid's barrier down and get her trust. "It's Isabelle, my name is Isabelle." She replied. Well there's a start, time to take the leap though. Jack mused to herself. "Well Isabelle, My name is jack and I was just like you once upon a time. And I'd love to get to know you better, but right now we need to get out of here, there are monsters coming and we can't fight them off like we did these guys okay? Will you come with me?" Jack asked, holding out her hand to lead the girl to the alliance shuttle and marines that would escort them out of the facility that brought far too many memories for the both of them.
After a quick nod, Jack led Isabelle to the shuttle, but it was far too late by then, because the shuttle was destroyed and the marines were dead, swarmed by reapers. With a growl and a scowl, Jack unleashed a shockwave that toppled them all. But she was soon rendered useless by a brute that slapped her into a nearby wall and left her dazed and confused. She looked up expecting to clock out her ticket and was utterly and completely shocked to see Isabelle coated in biotic energy and beating this monstrosity into submission. The brute must have weighed more than their shuttle, and was nothing anyone short of a krogan had the balls to take on in close combat, but even then, even krogan knew never to engage in hand to hand with it but that's what this young biotic girl did. She simply batted away it's fists and struck it hard enough to knock off it's armor plates. Once it was wore down and just about finished, she ended it's life with a hammer blow to it's misshapen skull, taking a quick breather, she looked over at jack with tears in her eyes, afraid her new friend and savior had been killed by the reaper. Jack cracked her neck and stood up, taking the girl close to her and trying to comprehend what she had seen. She was going to call in for support, but before she could even transmit, Shepard, the queen of the girl scouts showed up and whisked them away to the citadel.
During the ride there jack tried to reconcile what had happened in her mind but it was all too confusing. How could a kid that young wield such power? There were asari matriarchs that had lived for centuries that could only dream of wielding such violent and destructive power to use against their enemies, yet this toddler absolutely wielded it as though it was nothing but an extension of herself. This was a troubling development, as the alliance and everyone she came into contact with from here on out would attempt to use her to further their own goals and self interests. Jack ended up finding her tucked away in the starboard observation deck watching space pass by as they traveled in FTL. She was in the corner, still in the medical gown that doctor chakwas had donned her in. Jack grabbed a small blanket and wrapped it around her shoulder and sat down with her as the blue light whizzed by and the ship hummed quietly around them. "So Isabelle, do you like the people you've met on the ship so far?" Jack asked her curiously. Shepard and her crew were good people, and Shepard herself was just a goddamn magnet, she attracted people of any affiliation or species naturally like it was a parlor trick she pulled. After a moment of silence, Isabelle responded to her in a quiet sing-songy voice. "They don't understand." Jack's head became downcast as her emotions and memories surface from when Shepard she broke out of pragia, when she stopped being "Subject Zero". She nodded silently in agreement because nobody would ever know if they hadn't went through it. But that was a good thing that nobody but them understood, because that meant the good guys were majorly succeeding at their assigned jobs and duties right? Well, jack certainly hoped so. She turned to comfort the young Isabelle before an alarm klaxon rang out and she heard something that chilled her to the bones. "All personnel find the Sole Survivor and lock her down immediately."