+TOS+
(SSV Normandy)
Shepard stepped of the elevator feeling much better after a few hours rest, he headed straight for Joker's station at the front of the ship, he knew they were close to Grissom now and soon they would once again drop into the fire of war.
"How we doing Joker?" he inquired.
"We're ten minutes out and EDI has already locked onto four Cerberus vessels in close proximity to Grissom" Joker responded without his usual sarcasm as he knew right now Shepard was focused on rescuing their friend and ally Jack and just as importantly the kids who had been assigned to Grissom and Anderson's friend as well. "It's not going to be easy getting the team in" he warned.
"Jeff is correct Shepard, even with the element of surprise the Cerberus cruisers will react quickly and they are heavily armed" EDI pointed out over the comm. "Multiple guardian lasers and javelin torpedo tubes detected on all ships more than our own" she added.
"Do they have any sort of match for our Thanix cannon" Shepard inquired as he listened to EDI's report on what they faced.
"Negative Shepard" EDI answered.
"Patch me in to Captain's Halenbeck and Steins" Shepard ordered as he quickly came up with a plan.
"Channels open Shepard" Joker said quickly opening a link to both their support ships.
"When we drop into real space Normandy will take the lead and open up with our Thanix cannon, hopefully it will take out one of the Cerberus ships guarding Grissom" he stated. "Once that shot is fired you will break and focus on one cruiser each whilst we deal with the third" he added knowing it was a simple plan but all he could think of to break through to Grissom so quickly.
"What if your shot misses or fails to destroy the forth ship Shepard?" David Halenbeck asked from aboard the Avenger.
Shepard knew Halenbeck well having gone through the N-7 trials with him and both had passed; in fact he was one of only three men to complete the trials in their class.
"Four on three are not good odds Commander and there is always a chance Cerberus will have reinforcements close by" John Steins put in from the Majestic.
"There is one possibility Shepard" EDI cut in. "Once we exit the relay we drop all shuttles and use them to even the odds, though the shuttles weapons are minimal combined together they may weaken the enemies shields and allow us openings to destroy them" she explained.
"Risky especially for the pilots in the shuttles but EDI makes a good point" Shepard said as he considered her idea. "How many shuttles do we have between all three ships?" he asked.
"Nine, three on each ship" EDI answered having already checked each ships inventories.
"We'll need one shuttle to get us into Grissom and that leaves us eight, perhaps if they keep together and fire all on the same target they might just weaken the shields or at the least distract them from firing on us" Shepard mused.
"I don't have a better idea but the risk for our pilots is great" Halenbeck reluctantly agreed.
"Nor do I, I suggest you don't miss the first shot Shepard" Steins agreed before sighing off.
"EDI get two of our shuttles manned and ready to deploy, tell them the plan and then have Cortez ready the third to get us to Grissom" Shepard ordered knowing it was possible he was sentencing good men to their deaths as the shuttles were lightly armoured and armed, their only advantage was their speed but it was their best chance of winning the fight ahead.
"This is a risky gambit for the men in the shuttles" Joker couldn't help but point out.
"I know Joker but EDI was right they might also give us an edge even if it is just by distracting the Cerberus ships" Shepard agreed with a nod of his head.
"Shepard before you leave I would like to request that I be allowed to accompany you to Grissom, I have taken control of the Cerberus synthetic that injured Lieutenant Williams and repurposed it to use as an extension of my matrix thus allowing me to see the world outside the confines of the Normandy" EDI requested somewhat hesitantly for her.
"Joker" Shepard began but was cut off by EDI.
"Jeff did not know what I had done and neither was it my intention to do as I did, Doctor T'Soni requested I continue to study it and during my study a backdoor program tried to take over my matrix and transmit the rest of the data to Cerberus however it was not a match for my anti-intrusion software and I quickly destroyed it and gained control over the synthetic" EDI explained.
"How secure is your control over the damn thing EDI?" Shepard demanded to know a little annoyed she had taken the risk but if she had full control then it might give them a bit more of an edge in missions.
"I do not believe there are any other background programs within the synthetic Shepard however I do want Specialist Taylor to help me run a full diagnostic to make sure, however I believe the speed and durability of the synthetic will be of great use during this mission and once we are back aboard we can run the diagnostic then" EDI answered.
Shepard contemplated the risk of taking the synthetic along before ensuring there was no risk of its former programming reasserting itself, it was a big risk but he trusted EDI to know whether it was a risk worth taking and as she had said the speed and durability would be of great assistance in getting to Jack, Sanders and the kids as fast as possible.
"Can you control both it and the ship without interference or loss of focus EDI?" he inquired.
"I will only need a small part of my matrix inside the synthetic to control it Shepard, the greater part will remain within the ship and I can multitask at a quantum rate hence there will be no lack of focus I assure you" EDI responded confidently.
"Power it up EDI and meet us at the shuttle bay but I want you to shut it down the minute you detect any problems no matter where it comes from understood" Shepard decided as he Joker stated there was only two minutes left before they dropped out of the relay next to Grissom.
"Understood Shepard" EDI assured him before focusing on powering up the synthetic.
"Good look Shepard and say hi to Jack for me" Joker said as Shepard turned to head for the shuttle bay.
"You're in charge Joker, keep the ship as safe as possible and do not take any risks unless nessacary" Shepard told him as he signalled for James, Garrus and Liara to meet him in the shuttle bay.
"Don't worry I know the plan" Joker called back before taking a breath and focusing on the task at hand. "EDI power up the cannon and take over targeting, as soon as we drop into real space target the first Cerberus ship we find" he ordered as he prepared to take over the helm once more.
"Cannon is powered Jeff and targeting is ready for lock on" EDI reported.
Down in the shuttle bay Shepard arrived fully armoured and ready for the mission to find Cortez finishing his prep on the shuttle, the other two shuttles were also ready for the drop and he quickly noted Cortez had chosen the rather mangled one to take them to Grissom. Hopefully he had repaired it enough to get them to the station and back, Garrus and Liara soon arrived and following them was James and finally EDI in the synthetic body that used to belong to the Cerberus A.I.
"Shepard what is going on?" Liara asked in surprise.
"EDI has taken control of the thing and wants to use it to help us in the mission and speed is going to be nessacary here, we have to reach Jack, Sanders and the kids as fast as possible and that synthetic may help in that regard" Shepard explained. "Captain Steins made a good point that Cerberus could have reinforcements close by, so we need to move quickly as they boarded the shuttle once Cortez had signalled it was okay. "But once we get back I want you and Taylor to run every kind of diagnostic you can on that thing, if it checks out EDI can keep it" he added.
Liara nodded actually looking forward to running the scans as she was very interested in how Cerberus had created such an advanced looking synthetic, A.I construction was prohibited due to the dangers involved in using them. The fate of the Quarian's showed how dangerous A.I's can be; they had created the Geth to aide their species only to find themselves almost extinct due to them rebelling.
+TOS+
(Space)
The Normandy, Avenger and Majestic dropped out of the relay and shot straight towards Grissom, as soon as the Cerberus ships were in range Normandy opened up with its cannon blasting the closest cruiser to ruin as it ripped through the ships weaker armour. Avenger and Majestic broke off and swung towards the second and third cruisers which along with the forth moved to meet them as they raised their shields and prepared to fight. The shuttles all dropped from their respective bays and took up positions behind their ships ready to shoot out and attack, lasers and torpedoes lashed out as the battle began between the six ships. Normandy flew right passed Grissom releasing the last shuttle that contained Shepard and his team before turning and flying straight for the remaining Cerberus cruiser engaging it with lashes of laser fire, the shuttles broke from cover and began to harry the Cerberus ships with their own minimal weapons distracting them as planned. Shepard's shuttle quickly docked at Grissom releasing the team into the station, once unloaded Cortez broke away and headed into the fray to aide his fellow shuttle pilots. Avenger banked to avoid several torpedoes fired towards it before swinging back around and unleashing a hail of laser fire towards its attacker, the lasers smashed through the weakened shields of the enemy cruiser blowing holes in its armour.
The cruiser tried limping away but Avenger kept on it and continued to fire on it before finally destroying the shields, allowing it break the ship in two from several well placed torpedo hits. The Majestic however was not doing as well and had taken several bad hits which had weakened its shields, and allowed two big hits to strike to weaken its armour plating near the rear. It dodged several more shots as Normandy passed by firing its cannon and almost striking the enemy cruiser which just managed to dodge the shot, the third cruiser was right behind Normandy trying to strike its engines but Normandy was too fast and quickly banked away even as Avenger circled around to head to Majestic's aide even as the shuttles moved to help as well even as one of the them was blown apart was a well-timed laser strike. Normandy twisted to avoid another barrage of laser fire only to be hit in the side by a torpedo but its advanced armoured skin absorbed the hit easily, diving wildly it executed a wild turn before banking upwards to come up behind the cruiser and unloaded another shot from its cannon. Joker watched in satisfaction as the cruiser exploded as the cannon shot ripped through the shields easily, nodding he turned to see Avenger unload on the remaining cruiser as it tried to destroy the Majestic. He watched as Majestic suffered another blow to its port side before escaping the enemy barrage, even as he guided Normandy around to help Avenger destroyed the cruiser with several well placed torpedoes which first destroyed the engine and then turned the ship inside out.
+TOS+
(Grissom)
Shepard waited as the rest of the team boarded then watched as the door was shut behind them and he heard the tell take sound of the shuttle leaving, he could already guess where Cortez was going and he approved of the loyalty to his fellow pilots especially in a busted up shuttle.
"EDI can you open up a secure channel to anyone in Grissom who is still alive?" he inquired as they began moving through the hanger only to come to a communications terminal.
"I believe I can break into the stations communications array Shepard but I do not know if I can keep Cerberus from overhearing us if they have already gained control of the array itself" EDI answered before focusing on hacking into the communications system. "Channel open" she reported after a minute.
"This is Commander Shepard of the Alliance to any remaining members of Grissom academy, do you read me Grissom?" Shepard stated into his own com.
"About bloody time Shepard, we're mostly pinned down in Orion Hall although I am missing at least five of the students" Jack reported only a short pause sounding really pissed off. "Hopefully they are hiding somewhere, keep an eye out for them and if they are in trouble you better help them or you are a dead man" she warned making Shepard smirk.
"We're on our way Jack just keep yourself and your group safe, we'll keep an eye out for your missing students" Shepard assured her. "Payback time Jack, get ready to rip these fuckers to pieces" he added before the line was cut clearly by Cerberus. "Damn it, move out" he ordered.
They quickened their pace and moved forward until they came to the door that would get them into the station proper, Garrus and James each took up positions on the doors sides whilst Liara moved forward ready to raise a biotic barrier. After a brief nod James hit the button to open the door, three Cerberus troops near another door they were clearly trying to force open spun and opened fire but Liara had already raised the barrier and their shots bounced of it. Liara dropped the barrier as the troopers moved to reload and James, Shepard and Garrus all opened fire cutting all three troopers down with a hail of fire. Once the firing stopped James and Garrus moved to secure the small section of corridor whist EDI and Liara moved to examine the door the troopers had been trying to force open, Shepard brought up the rear.
"I wonder why they were trying to force their way into this room" Liara mused.
"This is the secondary security area on the station, it is possible one of the Grissom students have locked themselves inside" EDI speculated.
"Commander Shepard, my name is Kahlee Sanders I heard your call but did not dare believe it was you at first" a voice spoke up over Shepard's comm. "I am the one inside the room you are currently outside of, I managed to escape the capture team sent after me but I was separated from the three students I had with me I just hope they had the luck to hide as well" she explained even as Shepard felt relief as he realised Anderson's friend was okay and he would not be forced to inform his friend and mentor he had failed to save her.
"Miss Sanders, do you have any control over the security systems from that room?" Shepard inquired.
"Some and I also have access to the security cameras and I can see where the main body of Cerberus troops are" Kahlee responded. "They are trying to corner Jack and the majority of the students in the main atrium, the rest are spread out through the station all searching for any student's not in Orion Hall" she informed them.
"I want you to stay inside there Miss Sanders until we clear the area, do not open the door until I send someone back for you is that understood?" Shepard told her.
"Of course Commander, there are several soldiers outside the corridor you are currently in some armed with shields" Kahlee warned them.
"Thanks for the warning, okay people you heard her" Shepard said as he turned to stare at the door leading to the next area of the station. "Liara we'll need another barrier, once they've unleashed their first barrage we strike hard and fast and we keep moving forwards" he told his team. "Jack and those kids will only be able to hold off Cerberus for so long" he pointed out.
"To be honest Shepard I feel sorry for the fools trying to hurt anyone under Jack's protection" Garrus mused as he exchanged his assault rifle for his sniper rifle.
"Indeed Jack has great anger management issues or she did when she was on board, I still remember her and Miranda's biotic show down which could have holed the Normandy had you not intervened" EDI agreed. "She is an expert on using that anger to fuel her biotics; she did rip through the majority of the prison guards including meks on her own when you went to recruit her" she reminded him.
"True but even the most skilled and powerful person can be brought down by enough force of arms" Shepard countered. "Point in fact had we not gone after Garrus on Omega he would have eventually succumbed to weight of numbers when all the merc groups wanted his alter ego Archangel dead" he reminded them.
The others nodded and conceded his point especially Garrus who well knew he had been facing his end had Shepard, Miranda, Jacob and Kasumi not come after him. Even his skill had a limit; no one could win every battle no matter their skill. Jack was good, perhaps one of the most powerful biotics he knew bar Liara but even she had her limit. James hit the panel opening the door and Liara instantly raised a barrier once more absorbing the first barrage of enemy fire, once it died down Shepard and the others moved forward and opened fire taking four of the troopers down with their own barrage before taking cover where they could as the Cerberus troopers finished reloaded and opened fire once more even as two more troopers advanced under the cover of battle shields. Shepard let out a curse and pulled his sniper rifle from his back letting his assault rifle fall to the floor, taking careful aim he focused through the scope to find the slit in the shield. Opening fire he smirked as he watched an eruption of blood, before the shield fell along with the trooper's body which was missing its head. The second shield fell as Garrus struck him first in the foot which was showing as he walked then fired a bullet that ripped through his head as his stumbled and his shield dropped.
Liara let lose a biotic wave that shredded two more of the troopers as they tried to run forward, James flung a grenade as a group five that appeared from around the corner before catching a bullet in the shoulder as he moved to duck back behind a pillar. The grenade exploded killing three of the troopers and wounding the other two but Garrus and Shepard quickly picked them off before they could recover, EDI used the enhanced speed of her new body to run forward and engage the last three troopers who all were going for grenades strapped to their belts. Before they knew what was happening one was killed with a bullet to his brain, the second was sent reeling by EDI's powerful arm almost snapping his head. Even as the last trooper turned to attack the new threat EDI fired her pistol again and send a bullet plunging through his throat sending spurts of blood down his body as he fell, Liara moved forward quickly and finished off the last trooper before he could recover ending the fight.
"James you okay?" Shepard called back as James came up from cover holding his shoulder.
"I'm good loco, just need to treat the shoulder with a bit of medi-gel" James called back as he did just that quickly gaining a relieved look. "Bastard must have used armour piercing rounds" he spat.
"Shepard over here, I've found three of the students Jack reported missing" Liara called out from what looked like a hidden room connected to the corridor.
Shepard hurried over along with Garrus to find the three students were all unconscious and tied up, but other than that they were at least alive.
"I think they've been drugged" Liara suggested.
"Miss Sander's we've located three of your missing students, tied up and possibly drugged unconscious" Shepard reported over the comm. "Jack said there were five missing, can you see where they are?" he asked.
"I'm glad you've at least got them out of Cerberus hands" Kahlee responded with a very audible relieved sigh. "I've located Reiley and Seanne in the next corridor, they are using their biotics to keep the Cerberus troopers at bay but they will not be able to keep them back for long" she reported after a few minutes.
"EDI scout ahead and report back" Shepard ordered and watched as the advanced synthetic took off to carry out his orders as they all reloaded and he retrieved his assault rifles. "Next time Liara hit them straight off with a warp field" he added turning to his Asari friend who nodded.
"Understood Shepard" Liara nodded in agreement knowing her abilities had increased over the years since she had first encountered Shepard, these days she could kill with a warp field where as before during the fight against Saren she could only wound.
Clearly they were not going to be taking any prisoners not that she felt inclined to after they had tried to murder her back on Mars, plus she well remembered the evil committed by Cerberus whilst they were hunting down Saren. And considering what they had found out about what they were doing to their own people perhaps it was a mercy to kill them, she could not imagine what it would be like to be so transformed. Were they even capable of been normal after going through the grafting transformation they had been subjected to she wondered as EDI returned.
"There are several more Cerberus troopers in the next corridor Shepard leading to the main atrium" EDI reported. "I also noted three mounted turrets" she added. "I also located the two students Miss Sanders mentioned in the back corner surrounded by a biotic field, several troopers are close to them waiting for their strength to fail and the field to drop" she added.
"Turrets could be a problem" Garrus pointed out.
"Change of plan Liara" Shepard decided. "We'll need another shield, target the turrets with grenades to bring down any shield or amour they have and then take them out with a full barrage of pinpoint fire, we'll take cover from the return fire then unleash our response starting off with Liara" he ordered. "Garrus, take out any more of the shielded troopers as you can whilst we go for the rest" he added to which Garrus nodded. "Whatever we do we must draw those troopers away from the kids" he added as he checked his weapon whilst the others nodded.
Now they had a plan they moved forward towards the door and prepare to enter the next corridor, once they were ready James once more hit the button to open the door and as expected a hail of fire pelted the doorway and surrounding area. Liara's biotic shield easily absorbed the hail of fire which died down as the Cerberus troopers began to reload, Liara dropped the shield allowing the others to lob their grenades at the turrets which destroyed two of the turrets and damaged the other. EDI rushed forward to hide behind a barrier before taking careful aim and destroyed the final turret even as it tried to reacquire her as a target, the troopers lobbed their own grenades but EDI had already moved again even as Garrus took down two more shield troopers easily finding the slits of the shields through his scope. Shepard and James rushed forward and took up cover behind pillars; they exchanged multiple shots with the enemy even as Liara let loose a powerful warp attack which ripped through three troopers like they were paper ripping them apart in a shower of blood.
The remaining troopers took cover throwing their last grenades as they did almost injuring James as he moved forward once more; Garrus took out another shield trooper as he tried to rush EDI who had pushed forward even more. Shepard flung another grenade and watched in satisfaction as three more troopers went flying as the grenade exploded, EDI took down another with a pin point shot between another troopers eyes sending splattering blood down the man's face as he dropped. James managed to catch another as he tried to retreat whilst two of the last two were ripped apart by a second warp attack from Liara, whilst Garrus managed to take down the last shield trooper as Shepard rushed forward and slammed his omi-blade into the last trooper's chest as he tried to throw a grenade at them.
"Clear" Shepard shouted as he looked around the corridor for any more signs of threat, the others moved up to join him before moving to the two students still encased in a biotic field. "Are you okay?" he inquired.
"Stay back" Reiley ordered nervously.
"Calm down my name is Commander Shepard of the Normandy, we are here to rescue you" Shepard responded backing off.
"How do we know that?" Seanne demanded to know.
"Because I will vouch for him Seanne" Kahlee Sanders said through the comm system. "This is Commander Shepard and his team, now drop the barrier and pay attention" she ordered.
Seanne and her Brother both exchanged surprised looks before dropping their barrier and looking sheepishly at Shepard, he smiled not taking offence in the least considering the circumstances.
"Sorry Commander, we weren't sure whether to trust you or not" Reiley said with a shrug.
"It's okay, EDI I want you to escort these two alongside Liara back to Miss Sanders, they can also help you move the three we found unconscious to her as well" Shepard ordered as he turned to face them. "Once they are secure behind the door return here, James Garrus reload and get ready to hit what I expect will be one of the main groups of enemy troops" he added as the students followed EDI and Liara out. "Miss Sanders do you read?" he inquired into his comm
"Yes Commander I am here" Kahlee responded quickly.
"I am sending all five students to your location but do not open the door until EDI or Liara gives you the go ahead, once the students are inside and safe close and seal the door until I send someone back for you" Shepard told her.
"Understood Commander" Kahlee responded sounding very relieved all of the missing students had been found and were been sent back to her where they could wait in a secure location until Grissom was cleared of Cerberus troopers.
"Can you tell us what is going on in the Orion Hall?" Shepard inquired.
"The students are bunkered down in the office at the top of the atrium using their biotic fields to keep them at bay, Jack is on the main floor fighting off Cerberus troopers but I also see two Cerberus meks approaching from the other side Commander along with a fresh wave of troops" Kahlee informed him. "Also your team mates have just arrived am opening the door now" she added.
"Joker, what's the status out there?" Shepard asked as he changed frequency.
"All Cerberus ships destroyed Shepard but Majestic took some bad hits and we lost a shuttle as well" Joker reported quickly. "But we might be on a time limit here Shepard, EDI detected a short burst transmission from the last cruiser before it went up so reinforcements might be on their way" he warned.
"Roger that, tell Captain Steins to keep Majestic close to Avenger if any more trouble shows up and if he protests remind him we can't afford to lose any more ships" Shepard ordered.
"Copy that Shepard, have you reached Jack yet?" Joker couldn't help but inquire.
"We're right next to the hall where she is, just waiting until EDI and Liara getting back from securing some of the students" Shepard responded before he switched frequency again as EDI and Liara ran back into the corridor.
"The students are safe Shepard and now sealed behind the door of the security door" Liara reported to which Shepard nodded.
"All right we go in and secure the area but be warned Miss Sanders has reported heavy reinforcements including meks are in coming so be careful" Shepard reported.
James led the way to the door that led into Orion hall and slammed his fist on it; as soon as the door opened they rushed inside to find Jack facing off against a damaged Cerberus mek and several troopers. Shepard also noted the floor was littered with the bodies of those troopers who'd already tried to take down Jack; unsurprisingly they were dead just like back in the prison they'd rescued her from. Loading a grenade into his launcher which he had pulled off his weapons backpack he pointed it at the mek, the others took cover as he fired striking the meks cockpit and twisting it around so its shot at Jack went wide. Jack risked glancing over her shoulder and smirking at him, before firing up her biotics and slamming into the mek before it could recover almost ripping its left arm off. Garrus took more one trooper that tried to charge Shepard as he reloaded whilst James charged another sending the trooper to the ground.
Before he could recover EDI put a bullet into his brain killing him, Liara sent a shockwave at another two troopers as they rushed down the stairs to help their comrades. The shockwave twisted them in half allowing Garrus and James to finish them off with a burst each, the last trooper turned and ran aiming to get help only to receive several bullets in the back as he went even as Shepard fired another grenade at the mek as Jack shot out a blast of power that sent it reeling backwards. The grenade slammed into the reeling mek and ripped a hole in its cockpit exposing the pilot, Jack grinned at the opening and unleashed a huge blast at the same time Liara did. The combined power of two powerful biotics ripped the pilot part in a messy shower of blood, the mek jerked around for a few seconds before it toppled over and exploded leaving he room in silence.
"James, Garrus watch the door for those reinforcements and give us a yell when you see them" Shepard ordered James and Garrus both nodded and moved to comply.
"Bout bloody time Shepard, what you stop to look at the gift shop?" Jack sarcastically inquired as she moved over to face him.
"Sorry got delayed in traffic" Shepard replied easily as he switched his weapons around again. "How you doing Jack?" he asked.
Jack did not immediately respond, instead she punched Shepard across the jaw sending him stumbling backwards; Garrus let out a chuckle and shook his head.
"Nice to see you haven't changed much Jack" he shouted from his position at the door.
"Blow me Scarface he had that coming" Jack shot back with a short glance at him. "I told him dealing with Cerberus was going to come back and bite us in the arse" she spat.
"I know Jack but it was the only way to stop the Collectors and you know that over wise you would not have stayed on the Normandy and helped" Shepard agreed. "You were right, but given the circumstances working with Cerberus was our only option" he told her to which she reluctantly nodded in agreement. "However what is happening now might be due to Cerberus's stupidity in messing with Reaper tech and not just because they are evil to the core" he added.
"What do you mean, how did they get hold of Reaper tech?" Jack asked as she calmed down, part of the reason she had punched Shepard was anger at her students been threatened.
"They copied the Reaper IFF we used to go through the Omega relay and went to what remained of the Collector base, whatever wasn't destroyed by the self-destruct they brought back and studied it" EDI answered as she stepped forward. "Hello Jack" she added with a smile.
"Holy shit EDI?" Jack asked as she recognised the voice coming from the synthetic in front of her. "Where did you get the body from?" she couldn't help but inquire.
"In Kasumi's vernacular I stole it from Cerberus" EDI answered. "They clearly created it to advanced their goals but it proved not as advanced as my own core systems and I destroyed its former matrix and took it over to aide in stopping the Reapers and exploring the world" she explained.
"Wicked" Jack said with a grin as anything that gave Cerberus a headache was good by her.
"Shepard we have incoming" Garrus shouted in warning.
"Ok get into cover and you kids stay behind that barrier" Shepard ordered. "You ready to let rip Jack?" he inquired turning to the former convict who had clearly changed since he had last seen her.
"Hell yeah I'm ready" Jack shot back as she took cover behind a pillar as did Shepard as Garrus and James moved away from the door and ducked behind an overturned table.
A few minutes later the doors was almost blasted apart as two heavy meks stormed through them followed by a half dozen troopers, the meks were clearly the main threat so Shepard ordered them to focus on them first. Jack and Liara unleashed a combined wave of power from their biotics whilst the rest opened up and flung what grenades they had left or scavenged from the corpses of the Cerberus troops, one of the meks exploded from the combined pulse, the other was rocked backward but kept coming. Several troopers was caught in the hail of fire and died instantly the others moved to take cover where they could, from the upper floor the biotic students unleashed their own attacks where they could whilst still keeping the shield that protected them up. Two more troopers went down as they managed to find cover of their own and opened fire back, EDI seemed to vanish before appearing next to a trooper who let out a startled cry before dying as EDI fired at him before returning to her place next to James.
"How did you do that EDI?" Shepard shouted in surprise.
"I believe the Illusive Man has adapted the same cloaking tech Kasumi uses on this synthetic, I am still learning how to use its full capabilities but this one seems to be one of the most useful" EDI responded.
"Wonder why EVA did not use that when she was trying to escape" Liara couldn't help muse as she listened to EDI'S response.
"Right now it doesn't matter, push them back" Shepard ordered.
They unleashed a hair of fire at the enemy as they tried to rush them cutting most of them down, combined with the biotic attacks launched from the students this made the fight somewhat one sided. The few survivors tried to fall back only to die as EDI again used her new cloaking tech to take them out, just as they fought the fight was over a Mek smashed through the wall and advanced on them. Jack let out a yell as she noted it stopped and then moved to attack the biotic shield keeping her students safe, charging headlong at it just as a second Mek appeared through the hole the first one had made. She smashed into the side of the first Mek using a powerful biotic punch to send it sideways and away from her students, Shepard and the others focused their fire on the second mek unleashing what that ever they had left in the way of heavy ordinance. Jack growled as she leashed another biotic wave at the Mek ripping its left arm off as it tried to recover its footing, smirking she dodged an attempt to squash her with its remaining arm. The pilot was not very nimble at the controls she thought as she jumped up boosted by her biotics and ripped into the canopy and threw the pilot out of the Mek to the floor, Shepard seeing this pulled his pistol and snapped his arm sideways and put a round through the pilots head just as he tried to pull his own weapon to shoot Jack. Jack turned to help with the second Mek now the first one was taken care off and charged into it just as Liara unleashed her own biotics; the combined might of the two ripped the Mek in half with only a slight scream from the pilot marking its passing. Jack smirked at carnage feeling satisfied at finally making Cerberus pay for daring to come after her students, she took her job as their teacher and protector seriously.
"That was fun" she said with a wide grin.
"Glad to see you haven't lost all your fire Jack" Garrus stated with his own smile.
"EDI check if the cost is clear, we need to move faster and get out of here before anymore reinforcements arrive" Shepard ordered as he reloaded his rifle. "We can use this damaged Mek to help thin out whatever Cerberus presence is left, Liara you and James go back and retrieve is Kahlee and the students with her" he added and the two nodded and quickly set of back the way they had just come. "Okay listen up we will be moving fast from this point forward, time your shots and shield one another as you move" he instructed turning to the watching students.
"Hold up Shepard, its better if they take the upper levels and reign down their shots from above on anyone we encounter" Jack countered knowing her students were not yet ready for combat on the front lines.
"I agree Commander" Kahlee stated having quickly run in and hearing Jack's suggestion. "I'll go with them and perhaps one of your team as well just in case we run into anyone" she added.
"Done, Liara you stick with Kahlee and the students" Shepard agreed not doubting Jack's opinion as she knew what her students were capable of.
Some of students went to protest but a glare from Jack cut them off before they could start, Shepard headed for the Mek and quickly got into the pilots seat and found the thing still worked even with the damage it had sustained. One arm or not it still had a powerful cannon on its remaining arm and a missile launcher on the shoulder mount, it would do enough damage before it was taken down.
"Okay Liara take Kahlee and the students up and flank us as we go" Shepard ordered. "Cut any Cerberus trooper down you see, do not hesitate as time is more than likely against us" he added as he turned the Mek around and headed out through the hole it had made coming in with Jack and the rest of his team bar Liara following.
He headed straight down the passageway towards where Jack told him was where one of the emergency docking areas were, it was also according to EDI where a Cerberus shuttle was stationed and that was there ticket out of here.
"Joker we are going to hijack a Cerberus shuttle to make our exit so please relay that to the other ships so none of them blast us out of the sky" he said into his comm.
"Roger that Shepard, is everyone okay?" Joker's inquired clearly wondering if Jack was alive.
"Everyone is accounted for Joker including Jack, just gotta get through the last few troops if any they still have in here" Shepard informed him and not missing the slight yell of relief Joker let out at this. "Any signs of those reinforcements?" he inquired.
"Not yet, it possible they are either not coming or something has gotten in their way to slow their response" Joker answered. "But I would not delay leaving to much" he warned him.
"Don't intend to Joker believe me" Shepard assured him with a smile even if his friend couldn't see it. "Be ready to pick us up and then get us out of here" he stated before signing off.
He charged into the emergency docking bay and began opening up with everything the Mek had, Cerberus troops who had been setting up their last ambush were cut down in rows, from above Liara and the biotic students rained down blasts of power which shredded others. Two enemy Meks soon appeared and Shepard instantly moved to intercept them whilst he left the surviving Cerberus troops to his team, he fired whatever left over missile he had at the left sided Mek and let out a sigh of relief as they ripped apart the pilot area and killed the man inside. Before he could turn to fire on the other with the cannon his Mek was blasted by a direct shot to its already damaged side, realising the Mek was about to explode he unhooked himself and dived out of the pilot bay. Seconds later the Mek exploded violent coating his back with shrapnel, he let out of hiss of pain as he rolled into cover and pulled his rifle from his back.
"Shepard you okay?" Garrus shouted seeing his friend was clearly in pain from the exploding Mek.
"I'll live" Shepard responded knowing he'd have to let the Doc pull the shrapnel out of his back once back on board the Normandy. "Jack, I need you and Liara to take out that last Mek" he ordered switching to comm. "Do whatever you have to, we'll cover you" he added.
"Understood Shepard, I advise a combined warp pulse not just from me and Jack but the students as well" Liara responded from the upper levels. "It should rip the Mek to shreds" she added.
Jack grinned and told Liara to give her a count even as Shepard and the others began to pick off the few remaining troopers as they tried to rush them, not one of them got close as suddenly Jack shot forward and unleashed another biotic blast at the same time Liara and the students unleashed their own. The Mek was about to fire on Shepard's position before been literary ripped part by the combined biotic attack, silence descended as the fight ended with not one Cerberus trooper left alive to get in their way. Garrus quickly moved to help Shepard, whilst Liara quickly set about leading her ground down to the docking bay ground floor. As one, they boarded the shuttle as the sounds of more troopers sounded behind them. Before they could arrive the door was sealed and shuttle blasted out of the now vacant academy but hopefully they would return if they managed to win the war.
"Joker, we're coming out now" Shepard said over the comm. "Pick us up, let us disembark then dump the shuttle and then get us out of here" he ordered.
"Roger that Shepard, on our way now" Joker instantly replied.
The shuttle docked with the Norman two minutes later and once those inside disembarked the shuttle was dumped back into space, Shepard was taking no chances with anything connected to Cerberus. He had everyone head to medical except for EDI who he ordered to take the synthetic to the A.I core and power it down completely so a full battery of tests could be run on it, if nothing pinged as a danger he agreed to let her keep it. Normandy Avenger and Majestic turned and shot straight into the mass relay headed once more for earth, twenty minutes later four Cerberus frigates arrived unware they were too late.