Chapter 2

They hadn't given her a window. After everything Miranda had done to protect the galaxy and despite the fact that she'd surrendered herself peacefully into their custody, they'd still tossed her in a windowless cell in the underground detention facility below Alliance command. Miranda had spent most of the two months that followed the Reaper's defeat in isolation and misery inside that damned room.

The bed was uncomfortable, the temperature always a bit too cold, and the sole human contact she'd had outside of her debriefs were the occasional threats and taunts that her guards shouted at her through the meal slot on her door. About the only things she'd had to pass the time had been what little of the extranet was still functioning and a low-grade comm device. She'd used it twice to speak with Oriana at the beginning of her incarceration, but ever since it, had been left dormant.

It wasn't as if Oriana bore any ill-will towards her older sister but the girl had a real family who needed her. The family who had raised her, not the strange woman who'd showed up out of nowhere one day. She was happy for Oriana; she had the normal life that Miranda never could, and trying to be too close to her now would only ruin that.

Miranda sat down on her stiff bed and took a moment to collect herself. At long last, her time in this hell was coming to a close. Her personal effects had been returned and she had wasted no time changing into her old white catsuit, even allowing herself the simple pleasure of doing her hair before leaving for good. While the circumstances were hardly ideal, at least she'd be out of the cell and have someone to keep her company. Even if that person was Jack.

How bad could it be?

Before she had the time to ponder what a stupid thought that was, her cell door suddenly swooshed open and Miranda jumped to her feet and offered her wrists. A large, balding marine stepped inside, greeting her with a wordless scowl. He slapped a pair of omni-cuffs around her wrists and yanked her forward. Miranda didn't bother giving her quarters a final look.

The marine escorted her to the elevator and they rode the lift in silence until they reached the roof of Alliance command. When the doors opened however, she was surprised to see that a crowd had gathered, lining the pathway to the landing pad where a modest transport ship was waiting. Miranda took a deep breath before the marine shoved her forward, forcing her to walk through the mob of Alliance soldiers who'd come to see her off.

"Bitch!" The insult was thrown from somewhere in the back of the crowd.

"Traitor! Terrorist!"

Ever more verbal attacks, some of them obscene, were hurled from the angry throng but Miranda didn't react. She walked towards the ship at a steady pace, a practiced, cold detachment on her face. Several news crews had apparently been invited as well and a small camera drone suddenly flew out from the crowd and hovered in front of her face. She imagined further hordes of misguided idiots sitting by their vidscreens, watching her with hatred in their eyes. In that moment she felt the full weight of an entire galaxy's anger resting squarely on her shoulders. It wasn't just humanity who loathed her. Cerberus had given nearly every race a reason to want blood and now, those lucky enough to survive the Reapers had their scapegoat, the target they had all been desperately searching for. The Alliance was giving the people what they wanted; an enemy.

Keep your chin up, dammit. Don't give them the satisfaction.

More cameras and vid-recorders documented her walk until, after what felt like an eternity, her guard had finally led her to the ship's extended cargo ramp. Admiral Harris stood in the center of the ramp with his arms crossed, stepping forward and gently taking her by the elbow.

"I have it from here, son."

The admiral dismissed Miranda's guard and, after a salute, the marine slipped back into the crowd. Without saying a word, Harris lead her up into the cargo-bay so they could have some privacy.

"I apologize for the side-show."

Harris gave her a sympathetic look as he said it, but it was hard for her to control her frustration. "What the hell was that? You said this mission was off the books."

"It is. Officially, the Alliance is transporting you to a detention facility on Luna to await trial. We couldn't just have you vanish without an explanation, now could we? Especially with all the scrutiny your case is under."

Miranda narrowed her blue eyes in disgust; she had made a deal with this man in order to help solve the navy's troubles and he still offered her to the wolves. At the same time, she understood the decision. Frankly, she doubted Harris had much say in the matter at all.

She raised her cuffed wrists. "Can we dispense with these now?"

"Not my call. From now on, you answer to Jack. If she wants you uncuffed, it's her decision."

"Under Jack's command?" Miranda repeated like it was a joke. "I still cannot believe you think that letting Jack lead an Alliance mission is a wise decision. She can hardly string a clean sentence together, let alone give proper orders."

"Between the two of you, she's the only member of the Alliance. I pulled a lot of strings to get you this shot but there was no way I could ever get the rest of the brass to agree to put you in command. As for Jack's qualifications… we figured Shepard's endorsement was qualification enough. Jack is a capable soldier, and hell, on the Normandy alone, she probably saw more action than most of our marines. Besides, according to Shepard's reports she's better motivated than anyone to complete this mission. Once we brought her in, she volunteered without a moment's hesitation."

"She's a bloody liability."

"I'm aware of your history with her but I trust that you're both mature enough to move past that."

"I'll complete the mission, with or without her help."

"Glad to hear it. From here on out, it's up to you two to complete your objective using any methods you see fit. However, I will warn you, you are to send all intel you can on Typhon back to the Alliance. The biochip we installed will ensure your vitals are monitored at all times and so as long as your heart is still beating we'll expect you to keep in regular contact. Otherwise, we'll have to assume you've gone rouge. If that happens, there won't be anything more I can do to protect you."

Miranda looked down at the raw flesh on her inner forearm where a team of navy doctors had implanted the tracker last night. "Is there anything else?"

"Yeah… good luck. Believe it or not, I'm rooting for you to succeed, Lawson. Shepard spoke highly of you. I hope for your sake his faith in your abilities wasn't misplaced." Harris gave her a nod before he walked down the cargo ramp. It rose up behind him, sealing the ship, and her inside of it.

Miranda took a deep breath before she climbed the narrow staircase that connected the cargo-bay to the ship's common area behind the cockpit. When she arrived at the top, the door opened and Miranda was confronted with the sight of Jack.

The convict was leaning back in a mess hall chair, a bottle of beer in her hand and a half empty six pack resting on the room's central table. Her brown hair was slicked back on the top and ran down the back of her neck while the sides of her head had been cut short. The biotic's Alliance uniform had been abandoned in favor of a ratty looking white tank-top that left her tattooed stomach exposed and her small but pert breasts practically in plain view through the nearly see-through material. Miranda was hardly surprised that the girl's wardrobe had not improved in her absence but she fought the urge to gawk at the sight further and instead cleared her throat.

Jack looked down from the ceiling she'd been staring at and her contempt was instantly clear. Her full lips twisted into an expression of disgust before she took another swig of her beer.

Might as well start things off civil.

"Hello, Jack."

The convict rolled her eyes and jumped to her feet. "Don't even start with that bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

Jack grabbed the studded black leather jacket she had draped around the back of her chair and shrugged it onto her shoulders. "There is no fresh start between you and me, cheerleader. I'm here to do a job and that's it."

"I am too."

Jack took another sip of beer. "Yeah. Real convenient how you've decided to turn your back on Cerberus now that they're toast."

"I'm not doing this with you." Miranda raised her wrists to the woman. "Now get these off me."

"Why the hell should I?"

"Because someone needs to fly the bloody ship."

Jack shrugged. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, princess. You're so superior, right?"

Miranda tried to fight the urge to snap back but Jack had a way of pissing her off like nobody else. "You really want to do this? All right. Why don't we get it all out in the open before we leave?"

"Gladly." Jack sounded positively giddy at the prospect of a fight, and Miranda could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in response.

"Fine. To begin with, I didn't leave Cerberus because it was convenient, and you bloody well know that. I left at the same time Shepard did, after the mission to the Collector Base."

That stupid, smug grin didn't leave Jack's face. "Yeah, well, some of us didn't need Shepard's dick to see Cerberus for what it was. Must've really burned you up when he dumped your ass for Williams the first chance he got. I guess the big tits and genetically engineered bubble butt only get you so far."

Miranda's face tightened at the string of insults. Jack's words hit far too close to home. Her attractiveness had conditioned her to think of herself as irresistible but the first man she'd ever really loved had ended up choosing someone else. Lacking a proper comeback, she changed tactics instead. "I really don't know what I ever did to you, Jack. Yes, I was a member of Cerberus, but I didn't know anything about the Pragia facility, and I left once I realized the full extent of the Illusive Man's plans."

Jack spat. "And you think bailing wipes out all the shit you did for him?"

"What I did? What about you? I've seen your dossier and the list of crimes you committed makes whatever I might have done in Cerberus' service pale by comparison. You're an animal. The Alliance should be keeping you on a short leash, not putting you in charge of missions."

"Really? Well, if I'm so terrible, why are you the one in cuffs, and I'm the one with the key?" Jack reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small electronic device that Miranda assumed could be used to deactivate her restraints, waving it in front of her.

"Yes, because other people's opinions always determine the truth of the matter. I'm sure you really believe that. Now, will you just let me out of these damn cuffs?"

Jack spun the key around on the table before putting it back in her pocket. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, cheerleader. You'll get out when I'm good and ready."

She crossed her arms under her chest, shooting her most withering look at Jack. "Then I suggest you get ready, Jack. Not only do I need my hands free to fly this ship, but I seriously doubt that having one of us bound will improve our odds of surviving this mission."

All that statement earned her was a roll of Jack's big, brown eyes. Miranda had always found them to be odds with the rest of the convict, the one pretty part of a woman who insisted on being anything but. Now, though, they were just as irritating as the rest of her. "You really think we're going to survive? God, you're even dumber than you look. Harris sent you on this mission to get rid of you. You actually think he expects us to pull this off?"

Miranda sat down across from the convict. "If you really believe that, than why are you here? Surely, even you wouldn't find the opportunity to torment me to be worth dying for."

Jack shrugged. "Ain't got shit else to do, I guess."

The convict was clearly trying to give her excuse casually, but Miranda wasn't convinced. There had been a hollowness in her voice, and as she examined Jack more carefully, she could see that same weariness on her face. Jack didn't look as if she'd been sleeping well, and the angry arrogance she usually carried herself with had felt forced.

"And why is that?", she asked. "What became of your job at Grissom Academy? Were you fired from it already? I can't say I'm surprised."

Jack's face suddenly changed, twisting into a mask of rage. "Fuck you, cheerleader. That's none of your goddamn business."

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I thought that we were clearing the…"

Before she could even finish her sentence, a blue light filled her field of vision, and Miranda found herself thrown to the ground. Jack was looming over her now, the biotic glow surrounding the convict making her seem far larger than she really was. "Do not fucking talk about Grissom! Next time I have to remind you, it'll hurt a lot more." She spun around on her heels, but not before tossing the key on the ground next to Miranda. "Let yourself out and get us moving, Cerberus. I'm through talking to you."

As Jack walked away, Miranda picked up the key, shaking her head. Not only was she stuck on what appeared to be a suicide mission, but apparently her partner had found a way to go even crazier than before. A part of her wondered why the mention of Grissom Academy had set her off but she pushed the thought from her mind. There was nothing to be done about it for now, and so she unlocked her wrists, rubbing them to help the circulation return.

Jack had stormed off into the ship's cockpit and Miranda did her best to ignore her when she stepped into the room herself. The freighter was nothing fancy and the controls were simple enough, taking her only a minute to get a handle on. She sat at the helmsman's chair while Jack positioned herself in the co-pilot's seat with her back facing Miranda. The operative returned the silence as her hands fell to the ship's controls. A lurch of acceleration accompanied their departure from the ground, and she spared a final glance out the window at the crowd on the ground below, many of whom were looking up with what she could only imagine was seething hatred.

Will they ever accept me, even if I do this?

She shook her head. Her time with Shepard had made her go soft. Miranda didn't require these people's acceptance, only that they leave her alone. The rest she could figure out for herself, assuming she actually survived this cluster fuck.

Danger was not going to be hard to find; even the trip to Typhon would be fraught with peril. Though the relays had been largely repaired from the damage caused by the Crucible, they were not yet as reliable as they'd once been. The mission dossier she'd been given to study contained reports of drift an order of magnitude or more greater than usual. There was no telling where the ship was going to come out, and that could be dangerous, especially with the space lanes in disarray from the fighting.

After a couple of silent hours of travel, the relay was growing larger in her view and Miranda took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the jump. She charted the course to Typhon's nearest relay and strapped herself into the chair. It might have been easier to simply ignore her partner but she had to make some effort to be the grown-up here. As much as they might dislike each other, there was no way they would survive this without a measure of cooperation.

"Brace yourself. I'm about to take us through." Jack only grunted in response.

Tendrils of blue energy shot out from the relay and latched onto their ship as they drew near. Seconds later, there was a sickening lurch and for an instant, the whole world turned white before the scene outside of the viewport suddenly changed.

"Shit!" Jack cursed as Miranda's hands jumped for the transport's steering controls. The planet's orbit was littered with the wreckage of dozens of ships and even intact Reaper corpses, creating a sort of minefield around the world into which they had just been spat. As the remains of an Alliance frigate hurled towards them, there was little more Miranda could do other than brace for impact.

Notes- Thanks for reading! Jack and Miranda's adventure is just getting started and I hope you'll share your thoughts on the chapter with us in the reviews. Have a great day!