"Shit, Jacob…" The lay-out of the room was exactly the same as in the previous one. Impenetrable one-way glass kept Shepard apart from Jacob, who could not see or hear the commander. Only the vid screen had a table next to it with a couple of supplies.

A note was taped to a small packet that Shepard knew all too well from his days in the field.

"A gift, for making it this far. IM."

Medi-gel!

The moment he applied it on his wounds, most of the pain subsided. The wounds on his ears and mouth stopped bleeding and started knitting together much faster than regular medi-gel ever would. It wasn't as good as surgery, but it would definitely keep him alive for a little while longer.

Also on the table were two cups, filled with a strange orange liquid. Shepard kept his fingers off until he knew what they were meant for.

He turned around to face Jacob again, noticing that the man was wearing a steel armor that covered his entire upper body. It was not a good sign. He touched the monitor.

"Shepard. The man you see before you has always been quick to change allegiances. Whether it was Cerberus or the Alliance, or high school sweethearts, he always chose the side that served his own best interests.

"Tonight, you will pick his poison for him. The armor he is wearing contains spikes that will turn inwards in ten minutes. The only key to unlock it sits inside one of the two cups on the platter. Which one, you wonder? I will tell you. The blue cup contains pumpkin soup and the key. The orange cup contains a rapid poison that will cause a heart attack within seconds.

"But beware, the door to the next room will not open until both cups are empty , and if any fluid is spilled onto the floor, it will lock permanently and trigger the spiked harness. I told you I was going to test your loyalty, Shepard. Jacob would have gladly died for you inside the Collector Base, volunteering for a suicide run inside the thermal vent. Will you do the same for him? Upon your death, I will release all who have survived so far, alongside those who have not been tested. Who lives and who dies, Shepard? Where does your true loyalty lie? Make your choice."

"Oh, you fucking bastard," Shepard whispered, until the one-way glass sank into the ground, obviously triggered by the end of the video message. Jacob sprang to his feet when it happened and immediately walked over to the man he had followed into the Omega 4 Relay.

"Shepard! What the hell man, what is this?" He knocked on the armor and then pointed at his commander. "And what the hell happened to your face?"

"It's difficult to explain," Shepard began. "Look, the armor you're wearing is going to kill you." Shepard turned over to the table and picked the two cups. He tried to make sure his hands didn't shake, but that was easier said than done. "We both have to drink this." He wanted to give Jacob one of the cups, but he froze. It was time to make a choice. Kill Jacob, or commit suicide and free all the rest.

He didn't want to betray Jacob. The man was brave, powerful and an invaluable member of the team he had led to the Collector Base. But unlike Garrus or Tali, Jacob had never been a close friend. He was more distant, more focused on getting the job done, more of a subordinate than a man you would die for.

He handed the orange cup to Jacob, who sniffed it and frowned. "Why?" he asked, carefully stirring the liquid.

"At the bottom of that glass is a key," Shepard lied with a straight face, cursing his own treason and cowardice. "It'll unlock that armor of yours."

"You sure? It feels quite light and I don't hear any tinkling or anything…" He held his ear to the cup as he swirled the poison around.

"It's taped to the bottom."

"Can't we just… take the key out?"

"Do that and your armor will be activated. We'll spill some drinks once we get back to the Citadel, but don't do it now!"

Jacob's frown only went deeper. "How do you even know all this?"

"Don't you trust me?" Shepard asked. He knew he was a hypocrite for asking it. Jacob was right to distrust him, but he hadn't gone through hell, mutilation and torture just to commit suicide now.

"I don't know, Shepard, you're acting kinda weird. As if there's something you're not telling me."

"Look…" Shepard brought his own cup to his lips and downed the drink in one big gulp. It actually tasted quite nice. Pumpkin soup, as the Illusive Man said. His heart jumped a beat when he saw they key lying on the bottom. He tried his best to hide it from Jacob. "Now it's your turn, buddy. The door will open and we can get through if you drink that."

Jacob sighed. "All right man, I trust you. I have no reason not to. You always did right by me."

His team mate's honest words pierced Shepard with pangs of regret that hurt more than any blade could. As Jacob imbibed the poison he wanted to reach out and stop him, but he just stood and watched while Jacob sank to the floor with accusing eyes. He mouthed some words, but Shepard didn't understand them. Shame flooded over him like the perfect storm, destroying his spirit. He sat down on his knees and closed Jacob's eye lids, unable to further bear his look of accusation and disappointment.

"I'm sorry. So fucking sorry," he whispered. He knew he was going to have to live with this for the rest of his life and already regretted sending Jacob to his death. This wasn't war. This wasn't a mission. It was a sick game of vengeance, and Shepard had just killed someone to save his own skin.

I had a choice… There's always a choice.

Behind him, the door unlocked. He knew he had to press on, if only to still try and save Garrus who was still bleeding out.

But even after all he had just been through, Shepard was nowhere near prepared for the horror that awaited him.