AN: Hey everybody, and welcome back to another chapter of Avenging Normandy, and I'm sure you all know by now who's next to be added to the team's roster if you've read the title for this chapter and the preview from the previous chapter. Anyways, not much else for me to say this time, so I won't keep you guys from reading another installment of my genius for any lon...[cut off when explosion throw from seat] WHAT THE HELL! Okay, who's the wise guy who tried to...[pales when he sees who did it, and that said person is clearly very angry] Oh, hey Hulk. Big guy. Gamma Bud. What're you doing...
Hulk: [grabs AN in his massive hand] You made Hulk not be in this story. I WANTED TO SMASH SOME KROGAN! Hulk smash author now!
AN: Now, now, Hulk, let's try not to let the Hulk Rage think for us. If you smash me, then I won't be able to update any of the stories that you are in, so before you try to...AAAAAAHHHHH! [runs out of room like crazy]
Hulk: HULK SMASH LYOKOMARVELANIME! [runs into door just as it is sealed shut and locked from the outside]
AN: Thank goodness I went for a door that would hold against a Hulk...at least for a while.
Spider-Man: Hey, what's going on, lyokoMARVELanime?
Garrus: Everything okay?
AN: No! The freaking Hulk is trying to smash me! He's upset about the fact that he's technically not in this story.
Hulk: [muffled] HULK SMASH [bangs against the door]
AN: [cringes] I need you guys to suit up and keep him busy with whoever else you can find so I can start the story.
Garrus&Spidey: We're on it.
[door blasts open and Hulk starts chasing after AN until AN is cornered]
Garrus: [fires a shot with his sniper rifle between Hulk's eyes] Well, that should've gotten his attention.
Spider-Man: Easy big guy. Let's just try to keep it cool. After all, us Avengers have to stick together.
AN: [stares at Spider-Man for a minute] Uh, Spidey, wrong costume.
Spider-Man:...What?
AN: Yeah, you're wearing your outfit from Code: Avengers, and this is Avenging Normandy.
Spider-Man: Well, I just kinda figured that...
AN: Just go change so you actually stand a chance against him.
Spider-Man: Fine. [leaves to get his armor]
Garrus: Well, at least its still two-on-one, right lyokoMARVELanime...lyokoMARVEL? [looks to see the author has vanished and sealed himself in another room while he's left with the Hulk. Smiles nervously before rushing to bang on the door] lyokoMARVEL! lyokoMARVEL!
AN: Sorry Garrus, but the needs of the readers and me, outweigh the needs of you in this case.
Garrus: HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!
AN: No, he's going to smash you, and besides, that's show business. Look just keep him busy long enough for me to get the chapter going.
Garrus: [looks to the Hulk to see him slowly getting closer] Uh...Avengers assemble? [starts screaming when Hulk starts smashing]
AN: Okay, while they're hanging around out there, plot a course to the chapter!
I do not own anything from any of either of the MARVEL or Mass Effect franchises or any other franchise mentioned in this story
Chapter 6: Dossier: The Convict
After returning to the Normandy and finding that everyone who had left the ship had completed their assigned tasks, Steve immediately had Joker depart from the station's dock and then set a course for the maximum security prison ship, Purgatory, so that they could recruit the dangerous and highly unstable biotic known simply as Jack. Admittedly, Steve was not too fond of asking a known criminal for help in this mission, especially one with such a high body count, but given what they were up against, Steve could see the need for someone who's biotic abilities were as great as Jack's were reported to be. Of course, his feelings about recruiting someone as dangerous Jack was were easily shared by some of the crew, but none more so than Peter, as the web-head made quite clear when he took on a very foul mood that Steve could most closely associate with the one he had when he was nearly taken over by the symbiote, but he had to hope that everyone would eventually come to understand the need for such a person on their mission before they arrived at the prison ship.
There was also one other matter of concern in regards to their next recruitment mission, and that was the fact that Purgatory was run by the Blue Suns. No one was going to kid themselves into thinking that the mercenary gang had not spread word about the actions that the team had taken against them on Omega to their other divisions, so Steve made a strong point in making sure that everyone who would be going onto the prison ship with him would be ready for a double-cross at some point just to be safe. Cerberus may have paid for Purgatory to release Jack to them, but Steve knew full well that it was usually a very bad idea to take such dangerous, known criminals at their word alone in such matters. Once he was certain that everything they would need for that mission was ready, Steve moved on to speak with some of his newest crewmembers one-on-one while he still had some time, thinking that it was long overdue in some cases more than others.
He had wanted to start by talking with Kasumi, but when he reached the port observation deck, which the master thief had claimed as her quarters, he saw that somehow, the hooded girl had convinced Peter to stop by for a minute to talk when the spider hero was able to take a break from his work with Mordin and down in the engine room. Steve figured that it would probably be better to let the two talk on their own for a moment, and instead moved over to the Main Battery to see how Garrus was doing. When Garrus heard the door open, he immediately turned to see the captain walking in, and paused his work to ask, "Need me for something, Captain?"
"Just Steve is fine, Garrus. No need to stand on formalities," Rogers informed the scarred turian. After receiving a nod of acceptance from Garrus, Steve then went on to add, "So, what can you tell me about the ship's armaments?"
"Well Cerberus seems to have upgraded what the ship carried before," Garrus explained. "Should have a bit more kick, but I still don't like our chances against a Collector ship though. Not unless we upgrade the guns, anyway."
"Think you can do that?"
"Pete and I have been throwing around a couple ideas, actually, but I think he prefers to put more of his genius into the engines and shields for the ship. Something about adapting ARC Reactor and repulsor tech to both. You'd have to ask him about it, assuming you can understand the basics," Garrus admitted.
Steve nodded in understanding of this, and decided to get to one of the other reasons that he was checking in. "Have any of the Cerberus crewmen given you any trouble?"
"I think being part of the team that took down Saren got me some points, and everyone I talk to is polite, anyway," Garrus replied. "Don't worry, Cap; we're all working together just fine."
That did ease Steve's concerns a bit, as he was actually a bit worried that some of the Cerberus crew would have a bit of a problem working with a Turian, even if it was someone like Garrus. He then remembered something that had been mentioned back when they first met on Omega, and decided that now was as good a time as any to ask about it. "You know, I don't think we ever really had much of a chance to really talk outside of business since I met you, so why don't we try to change that?"
"Fair enough, after all, there really isn't all that much I don't know about you, considering how much Peter would talk about you," Garrus shrugged before waving a hand over to an area next to the station he was working at, silently telling Steve he could make himself comfortable somewhere if he wanted to. "Of course, that's really not saying much given that he talks a lot about several different things, especially in regards to some of the people from Earth's Age of Marvels."
"And I'm guessing the two people he talked about more than anyone else would be a certain pair of women; one a redhead by the name of Mary Jane Watson and the other a blonde named Gwen Stacy, right," Steve inquired as he leaned against a guard rail surrounding the mechanisms of the ship's main gun.
"Well, you're partially right," Garrus chuckled. "He did say a lot about those two, though not as much about Gwen, seeing as that's a sensitive subject for him, but in all honesty, there was this one girl from that time period he talked about more than any other, and she was blonde. I think he said her name was something like Karen…or was it Carla…"
"Wait, do you mean Carol," Steve asked.
"Yeah that's it," Garrus nodded in confirmation. "Do you know her?"
Steve immediately adopted a nostalgic smile as he said, "Carol Danvers is an old friend and teammate of mine from the Avengers. She's had careers as a model, an air force pilot, and a few other jobs, but most people tend to remember her better for her heroic persona of Ms. Marvel, even after she took on the mantle of her late partner, Captain Marvel."
"Wait, do you mean Captain Marvel as in the same Captain Marvel who's currently a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy," Garrus inquired.
That got Steve's attention, as he immediately raised a questioning eyebrow as he asked, "You mean she's still around?"
"Yeah," Garrus confirmed. "In all honesty, I wasn't really all that sure if she was the same Captain Marvel that Peter was telling me about or not, but after hearing you talk about her, I'm pretty sure she is. Not that anyone could really tell you for certain, considering she doesn't even look like she's over a century old. If anything, I'd say she looks the same age that you and Peter appear to be. I have to ask though, were Peter and Carol ever involved…romantically?"
Steve's smile immediately returned when he heard that question, but this time it was more humorous than it was nostalgic, as he said, "I don't really know all that much for certain, but I do know that they went on a date once, and it was…disastrously awkward, or something to that effect. Anything beyond that though, I've never really seen because they always seemed to either have an antagonistic friendship or a professional one."
"I see," Garrus laughed in reply. "Still, it's always good to hear about how there were once so many people on Earth trying to do good, even when everyone including their government was against them."
"Speaking of doing good, I don't think I've gotten a full answer as to how one of the most famous turians in the galaxy ended up fighting crime on Omega," Steve then remarked.
Garrus got another laugh out of that comment as he replied, "I wouldn't say I'm one of the most famous turians, but I suppose Peter and I never did tell you the whole story." The former vigilante's expression became a bit more somber after his laughter finally ceased as he began the tale. "Before going to Omega, I'd thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in the oldNormandy's fight against Saren, but mercenary work quickly showed me otherwise, and now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot."
"Speaking of which, I really have to ask again if you are okay working with Cerberus," Steve interrupted.
"Well I can't exactly doubt your judgment on this, Steve. Not after I got my own squad killed," Garrus revealed, sadly. "Back on topic though, as I told you before, I trained to become a Spectre after the Normandy SR-1 was destroyed, but it didn't work out. Too much politicking at the Citadel, and nobody was willing to take any risks in order to get the job done. Omega, on the other hand, was filled with criminals nobody else could touch, and since there was no red tape to slow me down, it was the perfect fit. People there needed someone to believe in, someone to stand up to the local thugs, and for a while, that was me, and then it became me and Peter."
"But how did you end up with a squad? Was Spidey ever part of it," Steve inquired.
"No, I met Peter after I got my squad killed," Garrus revealed. "As for how I ended up with a squad at all, it actually wasn't too different from how Shepard formed his squad to fight Saren, actually. You prove that you get things done, and people join up. Mercs who wanted to atone, security consultants who were tired of playing by the rules, former military operatives, C-Sec agents, you name it. They were all willing to follow me so that they could live a better life and help others do the same on Omega, and I gave them hope…and now they're dead. Shows what I know."
Steve was actually rather intrigued about Garrus's team after hearing all of that, but it was clear that Garrus probably did not like talking about them that much. That would not stop him from asking a few more questions about the group though. "What did your little merc squad do? It doesn't sound like you were anything like the Heroes For Hire."
"I always did think that such a group was a bit strange ever since I first heard about them," Garrus muttered to himself before he answered Steve's question. "You saw Omega. It was full of thugs kicking the helpless, so I formed my team to kick back. We weren't mercenaries, or Heroes For Hire…at least, nobody was paying us. We made money by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far."
"Doesn't sound like you made any friends with the gangs," Steve noted.
"I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down, and that was even before Spider-Man joined up with me," Garrus pointed out. "My manager at C-Sec would be impressed even if I didn't do it alone. It was simple; we'd hit their shipments, disrupt their activities, get under their skin and make them angry, and then they'd come charging right into our well-prepared kill zone: crossfire and snipers, clean and surgical. They never stood a chance."
"No offense, but it almost sounds like you were just another gang," Steve observed.
"Well the same could probably have been said about your Avengers at one point or another, but in either case, I'd be saying it wrong," Garrus disputed. "We didn't shake anyone down. No civilian casualties; that was our rule. Every member of my team had lost someone to Omega's gangs. We weren't out to get rich; we were out to make those bastards think twice before murdering someone in the street."
Steve was very impressed by hearing all this. It honestly sounded pretty similar to how some of the heroes that came from Hell's Kitchen started out, at least from his perspective, and Garrus seemed quite proud of what they had been doing. The only problem was, there was still one question left unanswered, and as much as Steve did not want to, he knew that he had to ask anyway. "How did those mercenaries take down your team?"
Garrus look down in shame for a minute before he finally revealed, "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me; a turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, and then he disappeared. Everyone but me is dead because of him, and because I didn't see it coming." When Garrus looked over to see Steve's confused look, he knew that the legendary captain was likely going to need more than that, so he went on to elaborate. "Sidonis asked for my help on a job, but when I got to the meeting point, nobody was there. By the time I got back to our hideout, the mercs had killed all but two of my squad, and they didn't last long."
"What makes you so sure it was a betrayal," Steve asked. "Is there a chance that Sidonis was just the first one to be taken out?"
"No. I put out feelers with some old contacts," Garrus stated. "He booked transport off Omega just before the attack, and he also cleared out his private accounts before he left. He sold me out and ran."
That was definitely incriminating evidence if Steve had ever heard of it. "Do you know where he is now?"
"No, his trail vanishes after he left Omega, but I'll keep hunting," Garrus promised. "I lost my whole team except for Sidonis. One day I'll find him and correct that." That actually worried Steve a little, and Garrus was able to figure that out from the look on the super soldier's face, so he quickly said, "Don't try to tell me not to, Steve. Peter's already tried, but I intend to make sure that I find the bastard someday and make sure that he pays for allowing so many good people to lose their lives that day."
"Trust me soldier, I know what that's like, and I don't intend to stand in your way unless you give me good reason to," Steve reassured the turian. "But you know, that still doesn't explain how you ended up with Peter."
Garrus adopted a small smile of fond remembrance at that point, and revealed, "To be honest, it was actually a little unexpected and unintentional. You see, after losing my team, I made a promise to keep working alone for as long as I kept doing what I had been doing on Omega, but that started to change when the rumors about a human with incredible abilities fighting the gangs started popping up. At first, I figured it was just people smoking some really good stuff and dismissed it, until I accidentally let myself get cornered by the Blood Pack one day. I was sure that was it for me, and was more than ready to join Shepard and my old squad in death, when out of nowhere, this skinny human in bright red and blue tights literally swings in and starts throwing each member of the Blood Pack around like they're nothing and most of them were krogans. I could hardly believe my eyes; here was some small human, who was practically half the size of a full grown krogan, and he was throwing these guys around like they were nothing while leaping around and evading their attacks with a kind of grace and flexibility that I didn't think was possible for humans."
Steve had to smile a little when he heard that before he commented, "Well Peter did once tell me that his spider-DNA allows him to obtain a kind of flexibility and acrobatic prowess that most normal humans couldn't hope to be able to obtain without special equipment at the very least, and that his Spider-Sense often helps direct him when he's swinging around opponents and even the city in the way that he does."
"Yeah, he mentioned that to me later that day, too," Garrus remembered aloud. "Anyway, after seeing him do all that, I was stunned, speechless, but he still had something to say when he saw me, and the first thing he said was that I should be ashamed of myself for ripping off the name of someone in some group called the X-Men. I told him to just go home and forget trying to do the vigilante thing, but instead of listening, he just told me to shove it in his own way and followed me back to my hideout. A few idle conversations and team-ups later, and we had become full-fledged partners, and I have to admit, that I'm glad we did, because I sometimes think he somehow made me a better person than I could've been if I had kept working alone."
Steve nodded in reply, happy to hear that Garrus was another person that Spider-Man had managed to change for the better, and then decided that he had heard all he need to hear from the scarred turian. "Thanks for your time, Garrus. I'll leave you to your work. Just don't hesitate to let me know if there's anything you might need."
"Sure thing, Cap, and thanks for coming by to talk," Garrus nodded, and with that, the super soldier let Garrus return to his work on the ship's main gun while departing for his next destination: Mordin's lab.
Mordin was happily humming a little tune to himself while studying the various Collector samples that the team had gathered when Steve finally arrived in his lab, but though he did acknowledge the super soldier's presence, it was still a couple of minutes before he finally paused to look up from his work and give Rogers his somewhat-full attention. "Rogers, how can I help," the salarian professor quickly inquired, not pausing in his typing even as he did.
If he were being honest with himself, Steve had suspected it would take a little time to get used to how Mordin worked and spoke, but he figured it would likely be not that different from how Reed Richards normally worked and socialized while doing so, just a little faster in speech, so he did not mind how Mordin did not seem to really pay much attention to him. "Just checking in on how you're doing, Professor Solus. How is the lab working out for you," Steve asked.
"Quite satisfactory. Found a few surveillance bugs. Destroyed most of them, returned expensive one to Miranda. Nothing unexpected. Just need more samples, more Collector data, tissue samples, anything you can get, I can use. Find new tech," Mordin reported.
Steve nodded in acceptance, as he was not surprised that some of his crew would want to remove some of the surveillance technology that Cerberus had throughout the ship. In fact, he was not ashamed to admit that he had asked Garrus and Peter to help him remove as much Cerberus surveillance technology from his cabin just a short while before they had left the Citadel, so he was fairly certain that any area of the ship that had someone from his ground team working or living in it was free of such bugs. Steve then remembered that Mordin was also a medical professional, so he figured that the professor had more than likely taken a look at the crew's medical records much more thoroughly after he came aboard. It was not that he did not trust Doctor Chakwas to have done her job to the best of her abilities, but there was no harm in getting a second opinion, so that was why he asked, "Is there any medical concerns that you've noted that I should be aware of, at least amongst the team?"
"Cerberus personnel in excellent condition, no squad concerns to report. Always some matters, but nothing affecting immediate mission," Mordin replied.
"That's good to hear, but I was also wondering if you had a minute to talk for a bit," Steve revealed. "I would like to get to know the scientist that's going to be cooking up a countermeasure to the Collector tech for my team."
"Of course. Plenty of time to analyze Collector intelligence," Mordin nodded after he finally paused in his work. "Impressive laboratory setup. Missed working for operations with a budget, AI in particular very helpful. Spider-Man also surprisingly helpful. Did not expect scientist to be under that mask. Best work I've seen since work with Special Tasks Group."
Steve nodded in understanding, though he had to smile a little on the inside when he heard the professor had become one of the many people to admit that he did not expect Spider-Man to be a scientist. "You know, I've actually heard a few things about the Salarian Special Tasks Group, but nothing really more than just passing mentions and the things I've read from the extranet. Mind telling me about it based on your experiences with them," Steve inquired.
"Would be happy to," Mordin nodded enthusiastically. "Respected organization, clandestine, handles difficult assignments with limited oversight. Recon, analysis, occasional wet-work, identify problems, have neutralization options ready should need arise. Model for Council Spectres based on Special Tasks Group. Very similar."
"I was not aware of that," Steve commented. "How are the two groups similar?"
"Salarians lack numbers, brute strength, military prowess; have to rely on stealth, intelligence. Agents trusted given wide operative freedom. Spectres similar. Given goal, told to accomplish. Better funded of course. Didn't have to buy our own weapons," Mordin revealed, though he had to chuckle a little at the last comment.
Steve had to smile a little in response to that same comment before he continued. "It must have been rather frustrating working on Omega with such a limited facility, or are you one of those scientists who would've considered that to make it more challenging?"
"Yes, did enjoy challenge. Loved work on Omega. Limited facility did indeed present challenge, save greatest number of people using limited resources," Mordin smiled in confirmation. "Security threats, gangs, mercenary groups add additional difficulty. Quite enjoyable. Plague stretched abilities to limit, couldn't have asked for more. Also enjoyed saving people, of course. Helping the helpless, greater good, all that too. Nice retirement after STG work complete. Don't seem surprised by such thing."
"Let's just say that I knew a few scientists who are a lot like from the Age of Marvels," Steve revealed. "I get the feeling you probably would've gotten along very well with some of them."
"Yes, heard various things about Age of Marvels scientists, both from Spider-Man and from own research into the era. Would have liked to have met Mister Fantastic, personally. Maybe Bruce Banner or Tony Stark as well," Mordin admitted.
"So what kind of research did you do during your time with the STG," Steve asked.
"Not simply research," Mordin corrected. "Several recon missions. Covert, high risk, served under young captain named Kirrahe. Studied krogan genophage, took water, tissue samples from krogan colonies."
"I think I read something about an STG team that was led by a salarian named Kirrahe in my research into the Normandy SR-1. If I remember right, that same team helped Commander Shepard destroy a research facility on Virmire," Steve recalled.
"Yes, heard he was part of that," Mordin nodded in reply. "Jury-rigged explosive. Always got job done with limited resources. Good captain. Bit of a cloaca, though. Loved his speeches. 'Hold the line!' Personally prefer to get job done and go home. Probably military bravado, jargon, chest-pounding…uh, no offense."
Steve just waved it off before he moved on to another topic that had caught his interest in what Mordin had said earlier. "Why were the STG studying the genophage?"
"Krogan Rebellions bloody, dangerous, nearly as bad as rachni attacks. All species evolve, adapt, mutate. If genophage weakens, need to be prepared," Mordin replied.
That quickly got Steve rather suspicious, and as a result, he could not keep the small amount of a threatening tone from entering his voice as he asked, "And just what was the STG preparing to do?"
"Military schematics for likely krogan population growth, political scenarios for attack points. Genophage reduced krogan numbers. Species aggression unchecked, population explosion would be disastrous. STG helped check Krogan Rebellions, needed to be ready to do the same. Simple recon, nothing to worry about," Mordin reassured the captain, immediately putting Steve at ease after he heard that.
Steve then remembered something that he had yet to have looked into, and figured that he was currently with the best person to ask about the topic, so he immediately inquired, "What can you tell me about the genophage? I've been hearing a lot about it, but the only thing I've really been able to gather is that it's responsible for slowing the growth of the krogan's population."
"Yes, that is accurate. Bio-weapon designed by salarian science team, deployed by turians against krogans to end Krogan Rebellions more than a thousand years ago. Effects every cell of krogan body. Commonly, and incorrectly considered a sterility plague. Actually adjusts viable fertility rates to compensate for high krogan birthrate, stabilizes to pre-industrial population growth levels."
"I see," Steve nodded in reply, though admittedly, a lot of what he had just heard had actually gone over his head a little, but he chalked that up to the fact that he was not a scientist. "I'll just let you get back to work then. Nice talking with you, Professor Solus."
"Please, simply Mordin is fine, Rogers," Mordin insisted. "Should get back to work now. Need to study. So much data. Here if you need me. Will let Spider-Man know if require further assistance assuming he does not offer it before then."
Steve nodded in reply to Mordin and then turned to leave, just in time to nearly run into Peter as he was walking into the lab. "Sorry about that, Cap," the currently mask-less Spider-Man stated. Peter had taken a cue from Steve and elected to wear his old, iconic red and blue suit while on the ship during times when they were not in immediate danger of some kind, but unlike Steve, Peter would sometimes wear his old mask or just leave it in his cabin instead of just going one way or the other with it.
"Don't worry about it Peter," Steve reassured his young friend. "How was your chat with Kasumi?"
"It was actually alright, you know, when she wasn't trying to match Felicia Hardy in flirting with me," Peter shrugged. "A bit of a kleptomaniac, but still surprisingly friendly. You know she told me that she actually collects old novels, and I mean like the actual books, not a digital copy that you can get on a data pad. Said that her late partner used to get some for her as a present while they were on a job, and that some of the books she owns were actually more valuable than the stuff they were hired to…acquire."
Steve nodded in reply at this new information, having not really expected to learn that the master thief was a novel collector, though he had to do his best to not roll his eyes at Peter's efforts to ignore the fact that Kasumi was a professional thief that was hired to steal things from time to time. Steve then gave Peter a pat on the shoulder and moved on to the CIC while letting Peter continue into Mordin's lab so that the web-head could assist the professor in his work, both knowing that all they could really do now was wait until they had reached their next destination now.
A few hours later, the Normandy was preparing to make its final approach to the prison ship, Purgatory, and Joker was praying that his ship would not be attacked if a breakout happened while they were there as he prepared to dock the ship so that the team could board. Looking over to his current companion in the cockpit, he had to ask, "Remind me again why you're not going over there with them? You know, aside from the fact that you're not crazy about us recruiting a murdering, psycho biotic. I mean, if something went wrong, wouldn't your little Arachnid-Sense let you know before it happened?"
Indeed, despite the fact that he was now fully suited up in the armor that was now his regular suit, Spider-Man was not going to be a part of the team that would be collecting Jack fromPurgatory, not that Peter had a problem with that, but the reasons were not just involving the one that Joker had mentioned. "First off, it's called my Spider-Sense," Peter corrected. "And secondly, it's actually because of that reason that I'm staying here."
"I don't get it," Joker flatly stated.
"If something goes wrong and there is a mass breakout or something, I'll know ahead of time if they are heading towards the ship and immediately start being the guy who acts as the first line of defense against them. Considering what a group of criminals could do if they managed to take over this ship, and how dangerous a lot of the people in a place like this are supposed to be, do you really want to not have the guy who would know they're coming away from the ship?"
"No I guess not," Joker conceded. "But is that just the reason that Cap gave you for why you're getting left behind?"
"Well actually, it was that and something about how the team thought they'd like a mission without my brand of crazy making things more difficult for everyone," Peter shamelessly admitted. "I think they were just worried my sense of humor would offend everyone on the station, and considering how this place is run by the Blue Suns, I can't say that they're wrong to be cautious about that." Peter had to pause as they both got a laugh out of that comment, and after he regained control of himself, he added, "Of course, the last time I was in a prison, there was nearly a mass breakout, and I had to fight off every guy in the joint. The fact that so many of them were gunning for me due to the fact that I had put most of them in there did not help matters, because it ended up causing my Spider-Sense to be practically stuck in permanent tingle. It was blaring so many different warnings at once that I could barely think without it ringing in my head, let alone tell where an attack was coming from."
"Gotcha," Joker nodded as he turned back to his console, only to pause when he registered what Peter had just said. "Wait, did you say that you were in a prison before? Why were you in a prison in the first place?"
"I was helping to test out a new special holding cell for supervillains. It probably would've worked well against some of the more mentally challenged guys like Rhino or Sandman, but against someone who actually knows how to use their brain like me, or say Doc Ock, it never would've worked," Peter revealed. The two then sat in silence for a few minutes as Joker docked the ship with Purgatory's boarding ramp, until Peter finally asked, "So how're you handling things up here lately? Have you finally found a way to get along with our resident AI?"
"I wouldn't go that far, considering we've been having a little disagreement about the personalization of my workspace," Joker shrugged.
"Cerberus regulations are clear, Mister Moreau. Personalization does not include grease on my bridge cameras," EDI clarified for Peter as she cut into the conversation, just as she often did in most of Joker's conversations with Peter or really anyone.
"It's just mad that all its footage of me looks like a dream sequence," Joker chuckled, getting a small laugh out of Peter as well at that point. Their laughter only ceased when they heard the tell-tale clunk of the ship finally being connected with Purgatory's boarding ramp, which was quickly followed by Captain America, Jacob, Miranda, and Garrus passing them on their way to the airlock.
"Try not to make too big of a mess while we're gone, Peter," Garrus joked as he passed.
"Hold on. Wasn't Kasumi supposed to be coming with us," Jacob asked as he stopped in his tracks.
"Would you want to bring the galaxy's best thief onto a prison ship," Steve inquired in reply.
"Good point," Jacob admitted, and the four then headed out to meet with the prison ship's guards. They did not have to go all that far, as the minute they had reached the end of the boarding ramp, they quickly spotted those guards standing just down the hallway from them, and just as the team had expected, he and his companions were completely outfitted in the standard blue and white armor of the Blue Suns.
"Welcome to the Purgatory, Captain Rogers," the guard that was closest to them greeted once they had reached them. "Your package is being prepped and you can claim it shortly. As this is a high-security vessel, you need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed."
"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather my team and I hold on to our weapons," Steve informed the guard, making it quite clear in his tone that his team was not going to be handing over their weapons. For a moment, the others thought there was going to be a chance that they would have to fight the guards, until a turian stepped the door and approached them, ordering the other Blue Suns troops to stand down.
"Captain, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship," the turian said as he approached the captain, only pausing for a moment at the sight of Steve's armor. "Your weapons will be returned to you on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard procedure."
"How about this: I relinquish one bullet right after you tell me where you want it," Garrus offered as he reached for his rifle while Jacob and Miranda prepared to reach for their weapons as well.
"Easy everyone," Steve cautioned, and the rest of his team immediately backed off just as he looked his gaze with Kuril. "I understand that you're trying to be cautious, but given some of my past experiences in high-security prisons, I'm sure you can understand why I'd rather my team and I keep our weapons on us while we're here. No offense, but we'd rather not have to rely on your guards in case something happens."
"Are you saying you don't trust us, Captain," Kuril inquired, though his tone was a little too innocent for the question.
"Considering that the Blue Suns have tried to kill us every time we've encountered them, can you really blame us for not being all that trusting," Miranda pointed out with her arms crossed.
Kuril had to admit that the rather lovely human woman did have a strong point, as it was no secret that the Blue Suns had already had a few encounters with Captain America that resulted in such a way, but that did not stop him from having a small stare-off with Rogers for a few minutes until he finally conceded to the super soldier's wishes. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle four armed guests," Kuril told his men before he turned back to Cap's group. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo, and as soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to Out-Processing for the pick-up, Captain…"
"Lead the way," Steve nodded in reply, and the group was soon walking through the very large and rather impressive prison facility. The first room that the Normandy team saw was a long, metal hallway that was lined with glass windows on either side, through which they could see large the various, large cubes that made up the cellblocks. Aside from the long metal arms that were moving the various cells about the area, the place actually reminded Cap a little of the Negative Zone prison that Stark, Pym, and Richards had developed for supervillains known as Prison Forty-Two.
"Cellblock Two," Kuril announced to the team as if he were giving a tour, drawing Steve's attention to the turian. "As you can see, we keep tight control of the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self-contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example. The ship is made up for thirty cellblocks identical to this one, and we house thousands of criminals, all of them the worst the galaxy has to offer. We can put the whole place on lockdown at a moment's notice, so nothing goes wrong here. I believe that your home planet, Earth had developed a similar facility during your Age of Marvels, is that correct, Captain?"
"Something like this, yes, except for the fact that it was in a different dimension," Steve shrugged in admittance. "How'd you end up running this place if you don't mind my asking?"
"Not at all," Kuril replied with a bit of pride. "I was in law-enforcement on Palaven, and I got sick of seeing criminals escape out into the galaxy to carry on with their crimes. Eventually, I hit upon this idea: keep the criminals in space, and the galaxy is a safer place."
"So you do this because you think it's necessary," Miranda inquired in a disbelieving tone.
"Every day I see the worst sapient life has to offer," Kuril replied. "Governments are soft and unwilling to make the hard choices. Someone had to step up and make the galaxy safe."
"Can't really argue with that," Jacob admitted. "But maintaining a population this size can't be cheap, especially out in space."
"Well we can cut corners that governments can't, and each prisoner brings in a fee from his home world," Kuril revealed. "These individuals are violent, and their home planets pay well to keep them here."
"And what happens if the planet can't or doesn't want to pay," Steve inquired, though he had a strong feeling as to what the answer was.
"We explain that we can't maintain the prisoner without their help, so we'll be forced to release him back onto his home world at an unspecified place and time," Kuril said, proving Steve's suspicions correct.
"So it's an extortion racket," Garrus practically snarled in disgust.
"You don't have to agree with my methods, but don't question my motives," Kuril snapped at his fellow turian. "These are despicable people, and I'm keeping them locked up."
Garrus looked like he wanted to argue, but Steve managed to keep his teammate from doing anything rash by subtly shaking his head in the negative as if to say that Garrus should not do anything that may antagonize the warden before he decided to ask a question that he had been wondering about ever since he read the dossier. "Can you tell me anything about Jack?"
"Cerberus hasn't told you," Kuril asked.
"They only told me the basic information. Powerful biotic with a high kill count," Steve revealed.
Kuril's face became a bit nervous as he explained, "Jack is the meanest handful of violence and hate I've ever encountered. Dangerous, crazy, and very powerful… You'll see soon enough."
"I see," Steve nodded in understanding, but Kuril was sure that Cap did not really understand as well as the super soldier believed he did. Steve then looked back to the warden and said, "Let's continue on to Out-Processing. I'm sure you'd like to be rid of someone as dangerous as Jack is as soon as possible."
Kuril nodded in agreement and then quickened his pace to their destination as a result, just as Miranda voiced another question. "Have you had any escape attempts?"
"We're in space," Kuril scoffed. "They have nowhere to go and they know it, but still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals, but thankfully we have many ways to control the population."
Looking out a nearby window as they were passing, the team was quick to see one of the warden's ways of controlling the population, when a guard broke up a fight between a pair of prisoners using what appeared to be a force field generator to encase the two prisoners in separate energy spheres. No one in the group so much as batted an eyelid at the sight of this, as such a method was certainly better than trying to shoot the prisoners to get them to stop what they were doing, and they simply moved on to enter the next hallway before Kuril excused himself to make sure that the funds from Cerberus had cleared, only pausing to give them directions for the rest of the trip to Out-Processing and saying that he would catch up with them later before he departed.
Once Kuril was well out of earshot, Jacob looked to his companions and remarked, "Well he seemed like a real pleasant guy. Just the type of person who's likely going to screw us over."
"Kuril's a bare-faced turian. By definition, he's untrustworthy," Garrus agreed. After several more agreements from everyone else in the team, the group continued on to Out-Processing so that they could finally pick up Jack and just get off the prison ship as soon as possible.
They only paused in their trip to Out-Processing long enough for Steve to convince one of the guards to stop letting one of his companions from mercilessly beating on a prisoner to the point where it was completely inhumane, but aside from that, the group encountered no trouble in their journey to their destination, prompting a few silent sighs of relief from Garrus and Jacob when they finally reached the waiting room just before Out-Processing. The attendant that was on duty at the time immediately directed them to where they wanted to be, and they all moved over as quickly as they could without seeming like they were in a hurry until they were just before the door. Unfortunately, the double-cross that they were suspicious of came the minute that they opened the door only to find an empty room that was clearly a cell.
"My apologies, Captain America, but you and your companions are more valuable as prisoners than as customers," Kuril's voice said over the intercom. "Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."
"I have no intention of listening to someone who's as much of a criminal as the people he's keeping locked up," Steve stated as he moved his shield from his back to his arm while his other hand slowly moved towards his pistol. His slow movement quickly turned into a flash of speed, as the captain and his team were instantly arming themselves and taking cover to combat the various Blue Suns troops that were flooding into the room, all while Kuril's voice echoed over the intercom with orders to detain Captain America and his team. A few well placed biotics from Miranda, some quick shots from Jacob and Garrus, and a shield throw later, and the team seemed to be clear of hostiles for the moment, or at least clear enough to be able to run out of the room as they formed a new plan of action.
"So do we head back to the ship and then leave to try and bust Jack out later," Jacob asked.
"No, that's too risky. They'll probably reinforce the entire prison against such an attack," Miranda denied. "If we're going to get Jack, then we need to do it now, so we'll have to head over to wherever they're holding him and retrieve him from cryo ourselves."
"Cellblock Three," Garrus said, prompting the other three members of his group to glance over to him, instantly seeing that he was busily typing away at the terminal the attendant was previously working at before the fight had started. Seeing the questioning looks that his team was giving him, Garrus soon explained, "I hacked in to see where they were holding Jack. He's in Cellblock Three."
"I didn't know you could hack," Jacob said.
"Honestly, I don't normally. My hacking abilities aren't really that impressive, so that's why I left most of such things to Tali back when I was hunting Saren with the rest of the old Normandyteam," Garrus shrugged in reply.
"Either way, we know where to go now, so let's not waste any more time and move it out people," Steve ordered, reloading his gun as he moved towards the indicated cellblock with the rest of the squad following just behind him.
The only problem with getting to Cellblock Three was that there were a number of Blue Suns mercs and mechs barring the way, but thankfully, the team was able to blast through them all, in more ways than one. The initial strike usually came from Captain America, as he would often charge ahead and disable whoever he could with his shield, a barrage of martial arts moves, and his pistol, occasionally, and while Steve was doing all that, Miranda was watching his back with her biotics primed and ready, only switching to her SMG when those powers needed a minute to cool down. Jacob was more than able to cover Cap's other flank with his shotgun and a few of his own biotics, and if there was any that the first three had missed, they were easily dealt with thanks to some very precise shots from Garrus, either through his sniper rifle or his assault rifle.
Thankfully, the group did not have very far to go, and they managed to reach the control room for the various cells in Cellblock Three in no time at all. After making sure that the room was secure, Steve ordered Garrus to hack into the console and release Jack from cryo. The turian sniper immediately did as requested, but a few minutes later, he had to pause his work and let a concerned expression reach his face, drawing everyone's attention to him in an instant. "What's wrong, Garrus? Can you not open it," Captain America asked.
"No, I can do it. I'm just a little concerned about what will happen after I do," Garrus replied.
"What does that mean," Jacob asked, his concern over the answer showing in his voice.
"The minute I use the control to release Jack from cryo, every door on the cellblock will spring open," Garrus informed the group. "I doubt I'll need to tell you what that will lead to afterwards."
"Can't you find a way to open the cell without doing that," Steve asked.
"Sure, if I was Tali, but this is the best I can do. If we want to get Jack out of stasis, then this may be our best option."
Captain America was not willing to accept that, and he immediately tapped his comm. to radio the Normandy's resident AI. "EDI, have you been monitoring our progress," Steve asked.
"Yes Captain Rogers. I am always monitoring the ground team's progress on a mission, as is one of my primary functions," EDI replied.
"Is there anything you can do from your end to help keep us from starting a prison riot then?"
"I am afraid not, Captain Rogers. Even if I were to combine my functions with Mister Vakarian's talents, the end results would remain the same."
That was not news that Steve wanted to hear, so as much as he did not want to take any chances, he decided that if they wanted Jack on the team, then they would have no choice but to let Garrus do what he needed to do. "Open it. Everyone, be ready for when the cells open."
Everyone immediately nodded to the captain, and Garrus soon went to work on the console while Jacob and Miranda readied their weapons for action. A loud buzzer signified that Garrus had completed his work, and as the large metal arm that moved the various cells around the prison ship rose up to open Jack's cell, a trio of heavy mechs immediately came online and turned to face the cell, no doubt as an extra security precaution for when certain prison cells were opened for whatever reason. In the end though, nothing that anyone on the team could have done would have prepared them for what they saw coming out of the cryo cell when their new recruit finally came into view.
"That's Jack," Garrus asked in surprise.
"I was expecting a big guy that looked like someone you wouldn't want to come across in a dark alley with a few scars and several tattoos on his body or something," Jacob remarked.
"Well you certainly guessed correctly in regards to the tattoos, at least," Miranda said.
"Just not so much on everything else, including gender," Steve finished, his own voice holding a bit of disbelief in it as well.
Indeed, Jack was not a large man, but a malnourished-looking woman with a shaved head and several tattoos running all across her body. Her clothing consisted of a large pair of combat boots, baggy cargo pants, and a thin belt that just barely covered her breasts. From where he was standing, Steve figured that Jack looked to be in her early twenties at the very least, so to think that this woman could be the same, cold-blooded, dangerous biotic killer that they were here to recruit seemed to suddenly be a bit of a stretch for Steve, at least until he remembered how young Natasha Romanoff had often said she was when she first started out as a spy and an assassin. Shaking off the surprise at the fact that Jack was actually a woman, Steve prepared to lead the team down to the holding cell so they could attempt to talk with Jack, when he noticed her hand suddenly twitch, and a minute later, the woman had woken up completely.
Once she had woken up, Jack wasted no time in prying herself free from her restraints, and she then only needed a minute to catch her breath before she glowed with the usual blue energy that accompanied the use of biotic powers and lunged towards the three YMIR mechs that were moving towards her. Even with what little he had learned about the potential abilities of biotic powers, Steve was still fairly certain that charging the large mechs like that would be suicide, at least until Jack plowed right through the central mech with a single, biotic-infused punch that caused the mech to go up in flames the minute she hit it. When the smoke from the explosion had cleared enough for the team to see, Jack was long gone, along with both of the other two mechs.
"Well, she definitely seems to be as powerful a biotic as her file said she was, but she is really lacking on subtlety," Garrus commented as the team turned and raced down to where Jack had previously been.
"Among other things," Miranda muttered once they had crossed through the room Jack had previously been in and entered the room she disappeared into. From there, they continued to chase after Jack, only to find the trail of destruction she had left in her wake, further emphasizing Garrus's point on how she lacked any sense of subtlety. Before they could enter the next room, the whole ship suddenly shook under the force of an explosion.
"EDI, what just happened," Steve asked the AI.
"Jack's rampage seems to have caused multiple system failures on the Purgatory. A mass prison riot is now currently in progress. Warden Kuril is doing everything he can to quell the chaos. No doubt he will try to head you off eventually," EDI instantly replied.
"That's just great," Jacob moaned. "Any other good news you want to share with us?"
"How about the fact that we're about to have an abundance of Blue Suns and escaped prisoners to shoot at," Garrus asked as they entered the next room filled with just that.
"I asked for good news."
"And I gave it to you."
"Less talking and more shooting, soldiers," Steve snapped as he tossed his shield at some of the opposing forces, letting it knock out a few different prisoners and Blue Suns before it finally returned back to his arm as he leapt over the rail of the catwalk they had been on. With his shield now held securely on his right, Captain America was able to deliver a much harder blow when he came down on another enemy that he had been directly above, and he then snapped his shield arm out to the side to hit another square in the head with a hard bash from the vibranium disk before tossing the shield towards another group of Blue Suns, letting it knock them out as well while he ducked behind a pile of crates and drew his pistol. Steve then waited a moment to let a few shots wiz over his head before he finally snapped up and fired his pistol at the various enemies that was blocking their way forward, instantly taking those enemies out or injuring them enough for the rest of his team to finish them off with a single shot each.
With the room now clear of hostiles, Cap stood up from behind his cover and used the electromagnets in his armor's left arm to call his shield back to him, letting the disk snap into place on his arm the minute it had reached him. "Showoff," Garrus muttered after he found that it was the only thing he could say in reference to the carnage that Captain America had just unleashed on their enemies. "I never thought I would say that in regards to someone other than Spidey."
"Can we please not bring him up when he's not here," Miranda asked, though she would vehemently deny any accusations of her tone holding any drop of begging in it when she did ask the question.
"Captain Rogers, the warden has locked down the area behind you. You must find another exit," EDI suddenly informed the team. "He is likely hoping to force you towards him."
"Copy that EDI," Steve shouted over the Purgatory's computerized announcement on the ship's increasing damage. "We'll press on and find another route back to the ship as fast as we can, even if we have to go through Kuril to do it."
"One other thing, Mister Parker has informed me that his Spider-Sense has started tingling, and is now warning him of someone approaching the ship. I believe that it is most likely Jack, or the warden's men hoping to try and take the ship and its crew hostage as a way to keep you from leaving," EDI added.
"Damn it," Steve cursed to himself.
"Wait, did you just curse," Jacob asked incredulously. "Did you, Captain America, actually just curse?"
Steve just sighed in response as he moaned, "First Stark gets on me for reprimanding him for using inappropriate language, and now you're making a big deal out of the fact that I do actually curse when the situation calls for it?"
"Sorry. I just never expected that," Jacob said.
"Even I never would have thought you would use that kind of language, Rogers," Miranda admitted.
"Focus people," Steve snapped. "EDI, tell Spider-Man that we're counting on him and Kasumi to do whatever they can to keep the ship safe until we get there, but if Jack approaches, make sure that Kasumi knows that only Spider-Man is to engage her if necessary, and only if necessary."
"Understood Captain."
A series of nods was then exchanged between the team members, and they all immediately charged forward into the fires that were ahead of them. Whether it was the prisoners that were being held on Purgatory, the Blue Suns mercs, or a YMIR mech that got in their way, it did not matter, as the team was able to easily dispatch every single one of their enemies in little to no time at all, until finally, they had reached Cellblock One, where a number of prisoners were being taken down by Kuril's men, and the warden himself just as they had arrived. When Kuril noticed the team entering, he immediately opened fire on them, forcing the group to dash or duck behind Captain America and his shield until they reached a decent cover in response.
When he finally managed to reach cover, Steve started noting his surroundings and his teammates' current positions while Kuril started ranting on to him, not realizing that he was giving the super soldier adequate time to get people in place for a counter offensive against him. "You know, you're valuable, Captain America," Kuril ranted as he fired on the super soldier and his team's current positions at random. "Despite how you've only been alive again for a short time, the bounty on you has become quite considerable. I could've sold you and lived like a king, but you're too much trouble! At least I can recapture Jack."
Kuril never noticed that Steve was using the warden's need to monologue about his foiled plans to silently direct his team to where he would need them to be in a moment, starting with pointing Garrus to a perfect sniper position to hit Kuril with some well placed shots. "That's not going to happen, Kuril," Steve called out as he waved a hand signal to Jacob, hoping that he could distract the turian warden by keeping him talking. "You're a two-bit slave trader who pretends to be a man of justice, when in reality, you're no better than the criminals that you're keeping prisoner here, assuming all of the people on this ship are criminals."
That definitely got under Kuril's skin, as he shouted, "I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!"
"I'd ask you to forgive me for disagreeing with you, but frankly, I honestly don't care one way or the other," Steve retorted as he started giving a silent countdown from three to his team. The minute he signaled them to move, Jacob and Miranda instantly opened fire on Kuril, driving the warden right into Garrus's line of fire, and the scarred turian did not hesitate to take the shot. The minute Garrus had fired, he immediately nailed Kuril in the leg, disabling the warden long enough for Captain America to jump out from behind cover and fire a few rounds on Kuril with his pistol before tossing his shield to drive the warden back into Garrus's line of fire. Cap's shield toss did its job perfectly, as it allowed Garrus the perfect chance to literally nail Kuril right between his eyes.
"Boom! Headshot," Garrus shouted. "You all saw that, right? Because I will need someone to back me up on this when I tell Spidey about it after we get back to the ship."
Jacob and Captain America both had to chuckle a little in response to Garrus's comment, while Miranda simply rolled her eyes, but the moment was quickly brought to a halt when everyone on the team received word from EDI that Jack had reached the docking bay to the Normandy and was now engaging Spider-Man. The minute they heard that, they instantly put any further celebrations on hold and raced out of the room so that they could hopefully stop the two before either of the two did anything too reckless that they would later regret.
Even though Jack was panting a little once she had reached the docking bay, there was no reason that she could see to not feel like she was unstoppable at the moment, as every single idiot that had gotten in her way was now either dead or nursing a very serious injury like a little baby, a fact that was easily enforced by the two Blue Suns that had tried to stop her and were now dead. All she had to do now was steal a ship and she was home-free, and she quickly spotted a ship that was perfect for the job. At least she thought it was perfect, until she saw the symbol that was painted on the side of it, and her feral grin of success had instantly changed to a snarl once she had, because she knew that symbol far too well.
"Cerberus," Jack spat in anger, and she quickly roared in anger as painful memories that she did not enjoy remembering started racing back to her. Thankfully, she knew the perfect cure to make those memories subside for a moment, and that was to kill every single person on that ship without any remorse or mercy. She was so caught up in her ravings and promises of death to the people on the ship that she never noticed a Blue Sun merc trying to get the drop on her until a strange, barely audible sound reached her ears and caused her to turn towards the merc.
When she did lay on eyes on him, it was just in time to see him being hauled away by a thin, yet surprisingly strong thread of some kind, until the merc was within striking range of a man in an odd, red and blue suit of armor that was perched up on one of the walls. Once the man was sure that the Blue Sun was out cold, he folded his left hand's middle and ring fingers into his palm while keeping his other three fingers extended, almost as though he were throwing out the rock-on sign and sprayed a large amount of goop around the merc that caused the Blue Sun to be completely tied up on the wall. With his target now tied up, the red and blue clad man then leapt from his perch to stand between Jack and the airlock that led to the Cerberus ship, allowing her to see a pair of gold tinted, eye slits on his helmet and a spider logo on his chest as he stood up and said, "Okay Miss, now assuming that your name's not Jack, there are two ways you can thank me for saving your life: one is that you go back to your cell peacefully or find a working shuttle, because I'm pretty sure that this ship's going down if the various explosions I heard are anything to go by, and the other is that we play one of my favorite games. It's called Sleepy Time, and the way it works is that I punch you and then you take a nap. So, what do you say?"
"How about fuck off, Cerberus freak," Jack shouted as she threw a powerful biotic blast at the Normandy's arachnid defender.
Thankfully, Spider-Man's trusted sixth sense alerted him of Jack's attack as she was charging it up, and he immediately leapt aside to avoid it completely. "Okay, is this how you thank everyone who saves you from getting shot? Because if that is the case, then I'm going to tell you right now that you won't make a lot of friends that way," Spider-Man quipped as he just managed to slip away from a few more biotic attacks. Eventually though, Jack managed to slip past Spider-Man's guard and land a powerful blow to the web-head's chest that knocked him back a few feet, but thankfully, Spider-Man's armor had managed to take the worst of the damage from her attack for him. "Okay, if you're going to be that way, then I'm going to have to take away some privileges, young lady, starting with TV and trips to the tattoo parlor."
"Just shut the fuck up and fucking die already," Jack roared as she charged Spider-Man in an attempt to hit him.
"Whoa, you kiss your mother with that mouth," Spider-Man quipped as he leaned from side to side in order to avoid the flurry of biotic punches that Jack was throwing at him. Eventually, Peter saw a chance to retaliate and raised one of his arms forward to fire a low-level repulsor blast that knocked Jack away for a moment, giving him a chance to go on the offensive, but only for a few moments. "Seriously, that has to be one of the most colorful ways that anybody has told me to shut up, and yet it still feels like the most original version of it I've heard in a long time. It's usually just, 'It's Spider-Man! Get him!', or 'Get the freak!', or 'Somebody shut that nutcase up', so I think you can understand why I'm so glad to hear something other than the various clichés I normally hear."
Jack just roared in response and threw another pair of biotic blasts at Spider-Man, the first of which the web-head avoided while the second hit him in the side and caused him to stumble. Just as the two were about to charge each other again, a fast-moving, red and white blur whooshed between them and stuck them both in the front before returning to where it had came from, prompting Spider-Man to train a repulsor on Jack while preparing to fire his web shooter on the newest arrival, while Jack just growled in response as someone shouted, "HEY! That's enough!"
Spider-Man instantly lowered the hand that was readying a web shooter to fire when he saw that the person who had intervened was Captain America, and after the super soldier had waved for the rest of his team to lower their weapons, he turned to the two combatants and said, "Stand down, Spider-Man. I'd rather let Jack join us of her own free will rather than being knocked out."
"Wait, you mean this woman really is Jack? Jack's a woman," Spider-Man asked in honest surprise before looking between the not-so-modest woman and his fellow Avenger-out-of-time. "Okay, I did not see that one coming."
"You're not the only one," Jacob remarked.
"What, you got a problem with me being a woman, freak show," Jack asked Spider-Man.
"No! No, not at all. Some of my best friends are women, actually…when they're not trying to punch me," Spider-Man replied in what was clearly a desperate attempt to keep Jack from attacking him again. "Hey, hey look! I'm not aiming my repulsor or web shooters at you anymore, just like Cap said, so that means that I'm not going to try and attack you again. Please don't attack me again?"
"Shut the hell up already," Jack snapped before she turned to face Captain America. "And you, what the hell do you want?"
"My name is Captain Steve Rogers, better known to Earth as Captain America, and I'm here to get you out of the bad situation that you're currently in the middle of," Steve replied.
"Shit, not only do you sound like a pussy, you're also crazier than I am, but then again you're working with that nutcase in the ridiculous armor, so that probably wasn't ever in doubt," Jack remarked.
"Seriously, one of these days, someone has to tell why everyone has a problem with my outfits," Spider-Man muttered.
"He's completely sane, and serious. He really is Captain America," Jacob told Jack.
"Yeah, like I'm going to believe some Cerberus bastard," Jack snarled, instantly getting the armory chief to back off a little. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're Cerberus," Jack then snarled at the captain.
"No, he's Captain America, as has already been established, and while we're getting names out there, I'm Spider-Man, the turian with the large scar on one side of his face is Garrus, and the other two guys are Jacob and Miranda," Spider-Man quipped.
Steve had to shoot a look at Spider-Man for his joke before he addressed Jack again and said, "I'm here to ask for your help, and I can assure you that I'm not a member of Cerberus."
"And yet you showed up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere," Jack pointed out. "You think I'm stupid?"
"No, and that's why I'm sure that you can tell that this ship is going down in flames. We can get you to safety, and all we're asking for in return is your help," Steve offered.
"We could knock her out and take her," Garrus suggested. "Personally, I'd like to see her finish her little spar with Spidey just to see who would win in the end."
"Please, that freak show wasn't even making me try," Jack scoffed. At that point, Peter was not sure if she was just blustering so that she would seem tough or not, but he was very sure that he was glad that his helmet hid his face completely, because he knew that a fearful expression was now firmly planted on his face.
"Enough! We're not attacking anyone," Steve shouted. He then looked to Jack and said, "Listen, we need your help to stop a major threat to all life in the universe, though at the moment, that applies more so to human life than any other, so what's it going to take for you to join us."
Jack seemed to consider this for a moment before she finally said, "If you really want me to come with you, then make it worth my while. I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases. I want to look at those files and see Cerberus has got on me. You want me on your team, let me go through those databases."
Steve let that hang for minute, making it seem like he was considering it, when in reality, he had already made his decision. "Fine," he finally nodded. "I'll give you full access."
"Rogers, you're not authorized to do that," Miranda protested.
"Oh did I upset the Cerberus cheerleader? Even fucking better," Jack drawled in excitement. She then looked back to Steve and warned, "You'd better be straight up with me."
"You have my word, and I also promise that I'll do whatever else that I can for you," Steve agreed.
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Boy Scout," Jack replied. "Now why the hell are we still standing here?"
Steve nodded in agreement and ordered the team to head back to the ship, and everyone immediately fell in step behind the super soldier, some more reluctantly with others, with some making sure that they were a reasonable distance from Jack as they did, Spider-Man more so than others. Looking on at the group from any perspective, be it outside or otherwise, one would instantly be able to tell you that things were about to get a lot more interesting on the Normandy.
AN: Okay, so that happened. You guys all saw what I did there at the end, right? No? Seriously, you did see how I recreated that scene from The Avengers when Thor and Iron Man face-off only to get interrupted by Cap, right? I just replaced Iron Man and Thor with Spider-Man and Jack. It seemed appropriate.
Also, that little mention of Spider-Man testing out a supervillain holding facility, that's a little reference to that episode from Season 2 of The Spectacular Spider-Man. I'm not sure if that happened in the comics or not, but I'm saying it did here in this continuity. Speaking of Spidey, to all you guys who love the pairing, I hope you caught the fact that I referenced the whole Spider-Man&Ms. Marvel pairing, and yes, Carol Danvers is currently Captain Marvel, yes, she's part of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and yes, she is still around along with said group. That will come into play later on down the line, just so you all know.
Well, that's really all I can say on what happened this time around, aside from the fact that it's pretty clear that Jack's not going to be very likely to be BFFs with Spider-Man, so hope you're all glad to see that little trend of Spidey instantly becoming pals or something with every girl in this story other than Miranda is finally broken, but I will say that next time will be the chapter where I reveal why I keep saying that Hulk technically isn't in this story. You'll figure it out soon enough, I'm sure. Until then, Onto the Preview!...
After getting Jack acclimated to her new surroundings, Steve takes a moment to check in with Miranda to make sure that the Cerberus loyalist isn't too upset about how they ended up getting Jack to agree to join up with them. In doing so, the super soldier learns a little more about his XO and her past, making him feel that he's gotten a little closer to her as a result, but their next recruitment mission will depend on much more than a strong sense of trust between teammates. The hunt for the krogan warlord, Okeer is on, but what will the team find on the world he has currently set up shop on, and just what is the warlord working on that is so important and so dangerous? Find out next time.
Garrus: [from the other side of the closed door] Hey lyokoMARVEL, I think I managed to calm Hulk down.
AN: Oh hey that's great! [gets up and goes back into the room only to freeze when he sees a still angry Hulk looking perfectly fine] Wait a minute, where's Garrus?
Hulk: [points up to where Garrus is hanging limply from the ceiling above them]
AN: Damn it, Garrus! You folded under pressure?!
Garrus: Sorry. I was weak, and up against a Hulk.
AN: Oh boy. [looks at Hulk nervously until Captain America swoops down in front of him]
Captain America: Stand down, Avenger. That's an order.
Hulk: HULK SMASH LYOKOMARVELANIME!
Captain America: I SAID STAND DOWN SOLDIER!
Hulk: [immediately calms down and backs off] Okay, sorry.
Spider-Man: Okay, I'm here and fully suited up for...wait, it's already over? Aw man. I didn't get to do anything here or in the story.
AN: You fought Jack.
Spider-Man: So what's your point?
AN: Anyway...
Please read and review, and I should go, fellow true believers!