Chapter 14
2170
John walked into his room after a long workout in the ship's gym, and dumped his bag on the floor. The rooms were empty, thankfully. John knew his mother's schedule, and had become extremely good at avoiding her.
He crossed to his terminal, and opened his messages. He skimmed them lightly, and then shook his head. A recruiting email from an OCT he was sure his mother had requested on his behalf, or something.
The final email in the inbox caught John's eye. From his dad.
John opened it.
From: Major Shepard, F.
To: Shepard, J.
Hey son,
Your mom tells me things are still stressed between the two of you. Her words were something to the effect of "he's turned into a ghost, I never see him." She worries about you, so just… let her know you're ok, ok?
Hell, kid, I worry about you, so send me a reply and let me know you're ok. Please?
You're reduced your dad to begging, John. It isn't a pretty sight.
Love,
Dad
John shrugged, and deleted the message. He'd reply later in the week. Maybe.
A new message popped into his inbox, and John's eyes widened. It was from the private investigator he'd hired in New York.
He wasn't going to be able to keep paying him for much longer, so John hoped that the PI had found something.
John's eyes widened as he read the contents of the message. The PI had found something.
A diner owner had made a phone call to the hospital administration the night Janey had gone missing. The Homeland security branch of the Alliance had been investigating the hospital for fraud, and all the administrative staff was under surveillance. This particular call hadn't been flagged as pertinent to the fraud, as the hospital hadn't been under investigation for losing a child.
In the recorded call, the PI explained, the diner owner asked about a little boy named Johnnie Singer and his sister Jane. In the background of the conversation, you could hear the faint protests of a little girl.
A known associate of that diner owner's, a prostitute named Patricia Legemones, had been known for taking in children off the street, and had in her possession two girls that were Jane's age. The diner owner – a woman who went by the name of Mama – was also long dead, but a fry cook at the diner recalled the young girl with red hair quite clearly.
John's heart rate spiked when he read that, but fell instantly at the following line. The prostitute Patricia had been murdered while tricking, and the two girls in her care had gone missing after that. The trail was cold, and the amount the PI was requesting John pay was way more than he'd be able to afford any time soon.
The information was enough for now, though.
With a heavy heart, John wrote the PI back, thanking him for the information, and asking for the raw footage of the call to the hospital. He checked the time, and shut off his terminal.
John lay back on his bed, and used his omnitool to turn off the lights in his room. In moments, he heard the front door to their rooms open. Right on time, as always. John closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
And again, as always, Hannah opened his door, and stood just inside for several long moments.
As always, John continued to pretend he was sleeping, until he realized that Hannah was making a strange sound. He opened his eyes, and saw that her hands were pressed to her face, and she was shaking violently.
"Mom?" He asked, sitting up. "What's the matter?"
"Oh, John," Hannah sobbed, running to his side.
As she neared, John saw the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Jeffries just got the call. Frank…" She shook her head violently, then took several long, deep breaths. "Your dad died this morning in a small skirmish in the Skyllian Verge against a troop of batarian soldiers. I just got word."
John stared at Hannah in shock. "That doesn't make any sense. He just sent me an email."
"I'm so sorry, kiddo," Hannah said softly. "Oh, god. Frank," she suddenly cried, and pulled John into her arms, sobbing into his shoulder.
John forced down his first reaction to stiffen, and reluctantly hugged her back. After a moment, he relaxed into the hug, needing the comfort she was offering.
"It'll be ok, Mom," he said quietly. "It'll be ok."
The Einstein docked at the Citadel to reclaim Frank's body and personal effects two weeks later.
"John and Hannah didn't want a ceremony; they just wanted to send Frank off into the Serpent Nebula from the Einstein's cargo bay. They both believed Frank would prefer it that way.
They'd sent the coffin into the nebula through the cargo bay doors as soon as the Einstein disengaged from the Citadel. Hackett, and the six marines he'd chosen personally to carry the casket to the shields set it free into space were the only people who attended other that John and Hannah.
It was almost peaceful for John, watching the gleaming silver coffin drift into the pink of the Serpent Nebula. Memories of Frank ran through his mind. Of the man he looked up to. The one he wanted to model his life after.
For all his anger and rage at his parents, Frank Shepard was still John's hero. Would always be John's hero. His eyes filled with tears that never spilled over before he managed to get himself under control again.
John had needed Captain Hackett to help him carry Hannah back to their rooms afterwards. She'd broken down and sobbed into John's chest when Frank's coffin finally faded from view, and no matter how much he'd tried to coax her, she wouldn't respond or move from the cargo bay.
He'd never seen her look so fragile or broken as when they'd tucked her into her bed, deep in an emotionally exhausted sleep. John paused in Hannah's door for a moment, and watched her sleep in a strange parallel to his mother's habit of watching him pretend to sleep every time she came back from her shift.
Her state instinctively made him want to protect her from harm, at war with the deep resentment he felt towards her.
He shook himself slightly, and turned to see Hackett out.
"Your father was a great man, John," Hackett said in parting. "And he was very proud of you."
"Thank you, sir," John replied quietly, his gut twisting with conflicting emotion.
He walked into his room, and saw a box of what he assumed were his father's things sitting on his desk. Glancing inside he saw several datapads, some books, and… John's jaw dropped. An Avenger line sniper rifle!
He pulled the sniper rifle out of the box and admired the firearm before him. There was a datapad attached to the rifle's trigger lock. John turned on the datapad, glancing down distractedly at the text on the screen. His eyes widened when he realized it a message from his father.
Son,
I think every soldier has a few of these stashed away. The "if I die, please make sure so-and-so gets this" message.
Well, this is mine for you.
This Avenger was the first rifle I was ever given. It isn't very much like the original – I've spent the last few years fine-tuning it for you. Whatever you decide to do when joining the Alliance, the Hahne-Kedar line is standard among soldiers. This one is a superior weapon with the modifications I've made to it, so you won't be forced to spend your first few years in the Alliance with a weapon that isn't as good as the one you've learned on.
I plan on giving this to you when you turn 18, if I survive until then. If not, then I will rest easier knowing that this weapon is the one you're using. It will serve you well. I promise.
Knowing that you'll only read this if I'm dead, I can be honest with you. We never talk about it, but you know as well as I do that the way you joined our family was… suspicious, to say the least. I'm ashamed to admit that at first, I thought it was a mistake. That's why I was so distant.
But I've watched you grow, watched you turn into this strong, intelligent, capable young man. One I am proud to call my son. And I believe that a father should be straight with his son. So I have to tell you the truth about your sister.
Your sister… she is a missing child, not necessarily a dead one. She was never found, because no one knew to look for her. The hospital kept her disappearance a secret from the police, and never filed a missing persons report. She just … completely slipped through the cracks.
Your mom doesn't want you to know anything about it. She feels so much guilt over the circumstances, and she can't see that you deserve the truth. Try to be gentle with her, John. She did it because she loves you so –
John threw the datapad across the room in rage. How dare he write this message? How dare he make excuses for her? For what they did?
He glared in the direction of his mother's bedroom, then looked back at the Avenger sniper rifle he'd put on his desk when he'd started reading the message. John picked up the weapon, evaluating it. The blue cammo on the body was faded and graying, but the stock was polished and gleaming. It had been scrupulously cared for, modified and adapted.
John could see where his father had upgraded the various components of the weapon. The scope was completely replaced, firing mechanism completely unlike Hahne-Kedar's stock model.
It had to be worth something, John decided, putting the rifle back down on his desk. The scope alone was worth a few hundred credits. It would get him at least enough to pay for the private investigator to continue his search for Janey for another few months. At least.
John slowly calmed himself, taking several deep breaths. What mattered now was finding Jane. Everything else was trivial.
2186
"Commander."
John's eyes snapped open to the stars zipping by overhead. "Yeah. EDI. What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, Commander, it is simply 0800," EDI replied. "You requested I let you sleep until 0800, and to give you a status report when you awakened."
John nodded, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Right. Ok. Hit me."
"Your sister boarded the ship at 0330, and as I accounted for the presence of the rest of the crew, per your orders, we readied the Normandy and began our journey to Utukku," EDI reported. "We are scheduled to arrive in approximately 17 hours."
"Thanks, EDI," John replied. "Where's Jane now?"
"Your sister is currently sleeping," EDI replied. "After XO Vakarian left her quarters, her biometric readings indicate that she lay awake until approximately thirty minutes ago."
John's eyebrows raised. "Oh? Garrus went to go see her? What happened?"
"Commander, you did insist I not spy on the crew, especially in their quarters," EDI chastised.
"Yeah, yeah, what happened?" John waved his hand. "Come on."
"I am not telling you, Commander," EDI replied archly. "The depth of Lieutenant Singer's current sleep indicates it is necessary, and I would recommend you leave her to it. Should you demand answers, XO Vakarian has not slept since he left her quarters, and is currently blowing off some … steam in the cargo bay."
"There are two definitions for blowing off steam, EDI," John said dryly. "I hope he's sparring down there."
"XO Vakarian is currently making good use of the punching bag," EDI replied, and John swore he could hear the laugh in her voice.
"Tell him to stay put," John pushed himself out of bed, and quickly pulled on his sparring gear. It was time to kick Garrus's ass. And get the dirt about what happened between him and Jane.
The ride to the cargo bay flew by, and John arrived cheerful and ready to beat on Garrus. The turian was wailing on a punching bag across the cargo bay, shirtless.
John paused next to James, watching Garrus unleash another flurry of punches on the heavy bag. James, who had been servicing weapons in the armory, was watching him with unveiled interest.
"Something's really buggin' Scars," James observed, big arms crossed over his chest.
The commander glanced over at the young marine, and grinned. "Not so much a something as a someone."
"No shit?" James laughed. "Who has him riled up like that?"
"Singer," John replied.
"No shit, Lola's got him tied up like this?" James snickered. "I never woulda seen that one coming."
"Lola?" John asked, amused.
"Yeah, you know," James shrugged. "Some people just don't fit their names," he explained. "So I give 'em new ones. Like you, Loco."
John grinned. "I like Loco."
"You should," James laughed again. "The name fits better than Commander, or Shepard, or John." He shrugged. "You're pretty crazy, Loco. If the shoe fits…"
John waved at James and walked towards Garrus.
"What's bugging you, Garrus?" John asked seriously when he was close enough.
Garrus froze, and glanced over his shoulder. "Your… Lieutenant Singer is going to drive me… She's… I'm…" His head drooped, and his wrapped hands lifted to steady the punching bag. Garrus's forehead dropped to the vinyl surface, and he heaved a sigh.
John stifled the laugh that tried to bubble out of him, and patted the turian on the shoulder. "It'll be ok, Garrus," he finally managed. "Really. Spar with me, and tell me what happened."
Garrus spun away from the punching bag, and ducked into a fighting stance with frightening speed. "Sure, Shepard," his gaze was instantly cold, avian and predatory. John had no trouble envisioning turians as the top predators of their planet. "I'd love to spar."
"You have to talk to me, too, Garrus," John snapped. "Those are the terms."
Garrus let out an annoyed huff, rolling his bright blue eyes, but finally nodding. "Fine."
John raised his fists and readied himself. Garrus's first punch was easy to avoid, and he danced back. "What happened?"
"Nothing," Garrus snarled. John jabbed forwards once, twice – Garrus moved his head out of the way at the very last second for each – and waited. "I went in there, she had … a bruise," he sighed, and shrugged, then dodged John's kick, and stepped back. "Look. Do you want me to talk to you or fight you?"
"You can't do both?"
"Don't really want to right now, Shepard, if it's all the same to you," Garrus admitted, crossing his arms.
"Let's grab breakfast, eat in the loft," John suggested.
Garrus nodded, and followed John to the elevator. They were silent as they exited the elevator and strode into the mess.
They both saw her at the same moment. Jane's back was to them, and she was slumped over the table, face inches above a coffee mug. She'd only see them if she turned around, John was sure. She was sitting across from Liara, who was animatedly discussing something, pointing excitedly at a datapad that lay between the two of them.
John glanced at Garrus, and shrugged.
The two made their way into the kitchen, grabbing food. John helped himself to a large mug of coffee, and finished filling it with sweetner and cream before heading back to the elevator.
Jane's back was still to them, but Liara was staring at them with a glare that was partly accusatory, and partly curious.
"Let's go," John encouraged, and the two fled the area. As they piled into the elevator, John sighed. "Did we just run away from her?"
Garrus nodded, looking sheepish. "Spirits, I'm so frustrated," he growled, talons tightening on his dishes.
John was quiet as the elevator arrived in the loft, and he led them towards to couch. They sat, and John relaxed back, holding his coffee under his nose.
"I pretty much ran away last night, too," Garrus admitted quietly, looking deeply into his dish of bright purple noodle-looking things. "I could tell she… I didn't think she'd turn me away, you know?" Garrus looked at him sideways, checking John's reaction. John gestured for Garrus to continue. "Instead of saying all the things I'd planned on saying as soon as she got back just disappeared from my head, and I told her to get some rest, and that I'd see her tomorrow, and left her standing in the middle of Life Support."
"Coward," John accused, then laughed at himself. "Pot, meet kettle."
Garrus gave him a confused look. "All I could think about all night was the asshole who hurt her, and how much I wanted to kill him."
"She's ok, though?" John asked, eyebrows raised, forcing down his concern when Garrus shrugged.
"She didn't need to go see Chloe, she said," Garrus replied. "It looked pretty bad, if I know anything about human injuries. But she said she was fine."
"Did she say what happened?"
Garrus gave John a long, even stare. "If you want to know what happened on her mission you're going to have to talk to her," he reprimanded John quietly. John felt a moment of shame.
He rolled his eyes, and shrugged. "Whatever. I have a more important question for you, anyways."
Garrus looked at John, his head cocked to the side, indicating he was paying attention.
"Who should we bring with us to Utukku? I was thinking about James, but the two of you boast so goddamned much, it drives me fucking nuts," John complained. "Liara stinks underground – all she wants is to look for evidence of ancient races."
Garrus snorted. "You should know who I think already, Shepard."
"Stop playing favorites," John rolled his eyes, and grabbed a piece of reconstituted bacon off his plate. "Maybe we could give Javik another try?"
"Not a chance in hell, Shepard. Thanks, though," Garrus shook his head. "Ok. Would you like to bring EDI? If we do go up against rachni, her incinerate would probably take out those little creepy rachni crawly things from Noveria, don't you think? From your report, they sounded fragile, but overwhelming in large numbers. We'll need someone with a good area attack. Crowd control."
John nodded slowly. "Yeah, maybe. Wish we had Jack," he mused. "Her shockwave would be useful against those little fuckers."
"We do have the next best thing to Jack's shockwave," Garrus mused, putting a forkful of what looked like bright purple noodles in his mouth.
"Jane would be useful," he continued. "Her tactical cloak would provide us a clear advantage, and we know her electric slash is useful when it comes to crowd control, especially for weaker enemies."
"I know, but I haven't really been giving the other members of the ground squad a chance," John sighed.
"Then bring three of us with you," Garrus suggested. "James, Jane and me. You don't have to stick to convention."
John pondered the idea, nodding. "Yeah. Besides, Janey'd never forgive me if I didn't take her with me to kill rachni."
"I'd never forgive you if you didn't bring me along, either," Garrus informed John. "Not after you left me behind on Noveria."
"Come on, Garrus, it just made sense," John protested. "In hind sight, do I wish I'd brought you? Sure. But you were the one who reminded me I should probably bring Liara. I was perfectly content to bring you along through to the very end of that mission – just like every mission before and after it."
"And only now you're worrying about playing favorites with your ground squad?" Garrus joked lightly before his countenance turned severe. "Seriously, though. You're bringing me this time. Or Wrex will never let me live it down."
"James and Jane, huh?" John pondered, sipping his coffee idly, then pushed himself to standing. "I think they'd add a lot to the team."
"And me," Garrus stressed seriously. "Shepard. You can't leave me behind again. Come on. Shepard?"
John wandered away, coffee in hand. "Doubling up on frag grenades would be pretty damned useful, too."
"Shepard? Come on. Don't fuck with me, you're taking me to Utukku. Shepard? Shepard?"
Jane was silent, wearing her full armor including her recon hood, sitting in the second seat in the cockpit next to Cortez. As always, she was waiting for them when James, John and Garrus boarded the shuttle, but unlike always, she didn't greet them as they boarded, instead maintained a chilly silence.
John rolled his eyes at her back, shrugging it off even though her actions pissed him off. As long as she followed orders and killed what he told her to, John didn't care if she was quiet and bitchy.
As they left the Normandy's sheltered cargo bay, John watched Jane from the back of the shuttle. He could only see part of her shielded face – the curve of that damned recon hood.
James and Garrus were chatting amiably, comparing weapons and telling tales. As they tried to one-up the other, John steeled himself with resolve and marched into the cockpit.
Jane's hooded head turned swiftly towards her brother, then back to the view screens in front of her again. "I didn't forget to come debrief, but I did forget to tell you I got too busy before the mission to come see you," she explained without prompting, her tone carefully neutral. "I figured if it was important you would have asked me to come see you after breakfast this morning. When you grabbed food and went up to the Loft right away, I didn't think it was a big deal."
John winced. "Garrus and EDI told me you were back and ok. I believed them. How's the bruise?"
Slowly, Jane pulled the hood off, and turned her head slightly to the side. John whistled. The bruise covered her jaw and part of her cheek, her left eye puffy.
"Really did a number on you, huh?" John said, wincing in sympathy.
"Shit, Singer, what happened?" Cortez exclaimed, glancing over.
"It's fine," Jane muttered. "I got careless. It looks worse than it feels, anyways." She pulled the hood back on over her head, and slumped down in her chair.
"Still hurt?"
She shook her head. "No. Dr. Michel gave me some topical stuff, and I don't even feel it. She cleared me, anyways."
"I know," he informed her. "I asked her. So. You ready to take on some rachni, Janey?" John asked.
Jane jolted and craned in her seat to look at him, pulling the hood off again. "Wait, what?" Her eyes were wide, and she looked excited.
"You heard me," John replied. "Real, live rachni. At least, we're pretty sure that's what we're going to find. I'd be surprised if we didn't find rachni, I guess."
Jane stared at him silently for a long moment. "How are you so nonchalant about rachni?"
"Remember how I told you about the rachni on Noveria?" John replied. "Old hat now."
"Yeah, I remember," Jane replied faintly. "One of these days all the shocks that come along with being part of the Normandy's crew are going to be too much for me to process and I'm going to have a breakdown."
"We're all mad here, Janey," John said fondly. "You'll fit right in, then."
John felt his uneasiness grow as they left Aralakh company behind. The sunlight was fading faster than he expected as he, James, Garrus and Jane made their way deeper into the cave where the krogan team had gone missing.
"Shepard, there's something up ahead," James observed. "Hard to see down here."
"I see it," John replied, and jogged forward. It was the body of a krogan scout. "Hey, Grunt," he activated his comm. "Found the body of a scout here. Been dead a few days."
"Yeah? If he has his weapon, grab it," Grunt said shortly. "He won't need it anymore."
"Jesus, is that webbing?" Jane gasped, her tone disgusted. She was standing in front of a thick wall of black, sticky webbing that was blocking their way ahead.
"Looks like it," John hefted the krogan scout's weapon, examined the fuel bottle attached to it and literally opened fire on the webbing. A ball of fire bubbled out of the gun, and burned up the webbing blocking their way.
"Awesome," John chortled in amusement.
"We should stay close down here," Garrus said quietly. "It's easy to get separated."
"Agreed," John replied, clicking on the flashlight mounted on his assault rifle. "Everyone be ready," he warned quietly as he led the squad deeper into the caves.
The sunlight was now completely gone from view, but John's eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly. Thank god for Cerberus upgrades, John thought to himself.
Jane shrieked, causing John to jump in surprise. It was high-pitched, purely reactionary, and deeply disgusted.
"What?" John snapped, turning to face her. He couldn't see her face under her recon hood, but her body language was screaming discomfort.
"Sorry!" She gasped. "I'm sorry. I was just startled. There are… alien cave spiders," she shuddered delicately, then aimed her flashlight into a dark corner.
John stared at her for a long moment. "Alien cave spiders?"
"Yeah." Her tone was defensive as she turned back to look at him. "What do you want to call them?"
"Dios," James breathed, drawing John's attention away from his sister.
The heavily muscled marine had wandered away from the siblings, deeper into the cave, and was shining the flashlight mounted on his assault rifle at a field of grey pods sitting in swirling mist. "What the hell are those?"
"What? What the hell is what?" Jane snapped, spinning on her heel to look at James, then twisting to look down the back of her legs, before brushing her hands up and down her arms reflexively.
"Relax, Jane," John said quietly. "I won't let the alien cave spiders get you."
"Fuck you," she muttered quietly.
"They're some kind of pod," Garrus wasn't paying attention to Jane's antics, stepping closer to one of the strange pods and leaning down. Suddenly, the pod swelled and exploded, showering the turian with gore.
"Euch," Garrus muttered quietly, looking down at the slime being held at bay by his shields. Shields that were fizzing, popping and sparking.
"That shit's eating through your shields, bro," James informed the turian.
Garrus sent the young marine a glare. "Thank you for letting me know. Would you like to wipe it off for me?"
James laughed.
"You lot are like teenagers," John sighed. "Keep a healthy distance from the pods."
"Let me try," Jane pulled out her sword, and fired up a program on her omnitool. "Just let me widen the wave," she murmured, typing quickly into the orange interface keyboard.
"Widen the wave?" James teased. "Sounds like a tantric move."
"It's a cascading shockwave of electrical energy," Jane explained absently. "Like a biotic shockwave – "
"A HA! You admit that it's like a biotic shockwave, then! So why won't you call it an electric shockwave?" John exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips.
"Because biotics don't use a sword to release the energy," Jane muttered. "If I tried to release it with my hands, I would suffer third degree electrical burns. And, you know, I programmed it myself, wired up my sword and suit to have the appropriate voltage… The N7 Demolitionist on my team helped me upgrade the slash, so now I can switch between a slash that can jump through walls – less effectively, though – or widen the area of effect…" Jane trailed off in concentration. After a few moments, Jane straightened, and swung her sword to the right, looped back over her right shoulder, then over her head. As soon as the sword moved in front of her face, the energy was released right into the middle of the spore pods.
Wave after cascading wave of electrical energy danced over the pods. It didn't look to have had an effect, until suddenly all the pods swelled up and started bursting.
"That's disgusting," Jane said decisively, before moving through the field of gore.
"Why do you need the choreography?"
"Momentum," Jane replied. "It throws the wave in the right direction. Sometimes I misfire, though."
"You make it look like space magic," James snickered. "Doesn't look like it should work."
"That goo still eating away at your shields, Garrus?" John asked, burning away some more webbing..
"No," Garrus's omnitool activated and he passed it over his arm. "Looks like it loses its toxicity and causticity after it has been exposed to the atmosphere for a while. Now it's just drying on my armor," Garrus replied, using a talon to pick at the some of the goo now hardening on his hardsuit as they moved deeper into the caves. "Stinks, though."
"Holy shit. Reaper tech," Jane breathed, standing before a seemingly never-ending field of spore pods. This cluster was clearly sitting on masses of thick, silvery wiring. "Look at those wires."
"Maybe," John reluctantly agreed, wishing she was wrong.
Rachni he could handle. Reapers, no problem. But rachni pumped full of reaper tech? It just didn't seem fair. Brutes were bad enough.
Jane took care of the spore pods as John continued clearing the webbing out of their way.
"Huh," Garrus clicked off his flashlight before clicking it on again. "The water and walls are glowing."
"Press on, people," John ordered, burning away yet more webbing covering a short ledge. Jane and Garrus jumped down first. From above, John watched them both turn amusingly towards a faint sound, Garrus dropping down to one knee and pulling his Indra seamlessly up to his eye, Jane's sword suddenly crackling with energy.
"Rachni!" Garrus shouted. "Two o'clock."
"Finally," John breathed, grinning, as he watched the rachni brood warrior climb down a cliff face. Then his eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary brood warrior.
The rachni warrior looked different from the ones he remembered from Noveria. These ones had swollen pouches instead of narrow body segments, and what appeared to be –
James grunted as he was struck in the chest with a shot from the weapons affixed to the rachni. Yes. Definitely heavy weaponry growing out of their carapace.
"Grunt, we got company," John shouted into his comm, running into cover.
"Light 'em up, Shepard!" Grunt shouted through the comms.
"James, on my three, Garrus, my six, Jane take my nine," John snapped. "Jane, I want you to prioritize those rachni workers, Garrus, you and I are going to take out that brood warrior, James, keep your energy on those husks."
"Got it, Commander," James shouted, throwing a frag grenade into a mass of husks. They exploded in a shower of black blood, and James howled with laughter. "Always wondered what they looked like when they blew up!"
John fell back to Garrus, pulling out his Black Widow.
"Let's take care of this asshole," John muttered to Garrus, and started trading off shots with the turian sniper.
After several minutes of hammering on the brood warrior to little effect, John looked at Garrus and rolled his eyes. "Tougher than the brood warriors I remember."
"I'm getting swarmed!" Jane yelled. "Turning on my tactical cloak and repositioning!"
She disappeared under her cloak, and released an electric slash into the cluster of the swarming workers. They dissolved under Jane's attack and she relocated, not even a ripple marking her path.
Then a single, panicked gasp flooded their comms.
"Jane!" Garrus and John both called at the same time, neither losing the accuracy or the timing of their shots. The rachni brood warrior stumbled, the second pouch of swarmers breaking open in a disgusting burst of green ooze.
"Vega," John snapped. "Can you get to her? Fuck, where is she?"
The Indra's quieter, faster shots peppered the air between the deep, hollow boom of John's Black Widow.
"She's fine," Jane snarled over the comms. "Take that, you motherfucker!'
With a final shot from John's rifle, the brood warrior dissolved into a ravaged pile of ooze and reaper tech.
"Clear," he stated.
"Clear," Garrus repeated back.
"Clear," James chirped back.
"Almost clear," Jane grunted.
"There," Garrus pointed, then jumped down from their vantage point, heading towards Jane. John set his sights on his sister, across the large open cave.
She'd been buried under a pile of husks, he could see. Husks who were now mostly scattered around her in pools of black, glistening blood. The only one left alive was soon impaled on Jane's sword, legs and arms twitching as its black blood poured over her hands and arms.
"Ha. Clear," she finally snarled.
"Take five, people," John announced into the comms the moment he knew Jane was safe. Holstering his rifle, John looked around for the Firestorm weapon that he'd discarded at the beginning of battle.
Out of the corner of his eye, he was Garrus reaching Jane's side seconds later, but his words were lost to John. The turian must have turned off his comm, John determined. Secretive bastard.
John spotted the bright yellow weapon several feet away.
James wandered over to the commander, and pointed his chin at the couple.
"So, that's really happening, huh?"
Garrus was pulling impatiently at Jane's hood. Finally, she whipped it off, irritation evident in her every move. He gently took her head in his hands, and turned her face to the light before taking her hands and removing her gloves. He examined her hands for a long moment, then took some medigel out of his own suit, spreading some onto the back of her hand.
John looked back at James, distracted. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Lola and Scars?"
He laughed. "Yeah."
James shrugged. "I'm unobservant. I kind of thought you were shitting me this morning."
"You weren't interested in her, were you?"
James laughed. "In Lola? Naw. Well. Not seriously anyways. She's a good looking woman though, so can't deny I've looked once or twice," the muscular man laughed again, and checked the break of his shotgun. "Romance ain't for me, Commander. Least not now. I'm keeping my eye on the prize."
"The prize being… ?"
"My own command, my own crew," James nodded, and gestured the butt of his gun towards Jane and Garrus. "That's nice for them, but when I'm with a woman? I want to be all in. I don't have the attention span to be saving the galaxy and kicking ass in a relationship."
John struggled – and failed – to keep a straight face. "I see, James," he observed.
"Doesn't mean I don't chase some tail now and again," James grinned at John, and nudged him in the ribs. "But Lola? She's a relationship girl. You don't just roll around in the sack with that one. You make a commitment."
"What makes you say that?" John asked, narrowing his eyes at the young marine.
James, completely unaware of his commander's intense focus, went back to looking inside the break of his weapon. "She comes from a rough background. She's had a rough life. Shit's gone wrong for that one. She doesn't deserve some asshole who just wants to sleep around."
John turned to watch Garrus and Jane. Jane no longer looked annoyed, instead she was… glowing, John realized. He'd never seen her look so radiant.
Jane looked happy,John realized, and was suddenly struck by how rarely he saw that look on her face.
"Vakarian's that guy," James continued. "That loyal, dedicated guy. You know? He won't screw her around."
"You're more observant than you think," John replied quietly, and activated his comm. "Ok. Let's go, people."
Jane jumped away from Garrus, yanking the hood over her head stiffly, before yanking her gloves back on her hands while walking away from Garrus quickly. Garrus followed closely, the look on his face absurdly self-satisfied.
"This way," John ordered, leading the way. He spotted a Firestorm weapon on the body of another dead krogan, and ditched the old one for the new. This one's fuel cells were full. He nodded to the krogan who lay dead at his feet in mute thanks, and moved along.
John headed up a ramp, and was greeted with another field of spore pods. "Well, at least we know we're headed in the right direction. Jane? Would you mind taking care of this, please?"
Jane unsheathed her sword. "As always," she said grimly. "It is my pleasure, commander dear."
As she went through her elaborate swinging motion, Garrus snorted, the second half of his snort covered up by the whomp whomp whomp of Jane's electric slash.
"It is terrifying that the rachni have been targeted by the reapers," Jane observed as she looked down at the mess of reaper tech and rachni guts.
"Can you imagine what a queen reaper would be like?" John laughed. "Those things are huge."
"Wouldn't know," Garrus replied, his tone annoyed. "Remember how you didn't take me to Noveria the last time?"
"Give it up, Vakarian," John raised his eyebrows at him.
"Just tell me that if you went back, you'd make a different choice," Garrus pushed.
Jane was kneeling in front of the gore, her omnitool fired up. "They are literally giant bugs. Caustic, though. The stone is smoking."
"Yeah, they're ravagers, alright," John replied.
"Ravagers, huh? Looks like you might have the gift of nicknaming, too, Commanders," James looked at the carcass of the brood warrior and raised his eyebrows. "We got brutes, husks, cannibals and marauders… why not add a ravager to the mix?"
"Works for me," John answered, shrugging. "EDI? Update our logs. Rachni brood warriors infected with reaper tech are now to be referred to as ravagers."
"Understood, Commander," EDI replied. "What would you like to call the rachni workers infected by reaper tech?"
"Swarmers," Jane shuddered, and straightened. "Can we move on? The smell is making me sick."
"Sure thing, Janey," John laughed. "EDI, update the logs. Rachni workers infected with reaper tech are to be called swarmers."
"Understood, Commander."
"Janey?" James howled with laughter. "She's nothing like a Janey!"
John and Jane both glared at James, who laughed on unaware.
John rolled his eyes and activated his comm. "Grunt, rachni presence confirmed. Modified and very dangerous."
"Finally! Something to kill," Grunt snarled.
The team made its way further into the caves, John leading the way, Garrus covering their six.
"Whoa," Jane breathed. "Barrier ahead. Looks like reaper tech."
John looked at the barrier for a moment, then saw a faint purple glow out of the corner of his eye. "Ha," John snarled, his pilfered weapon spewing a fireball out of its muzzle, and John watched the webbing burn away to reveal a barrier generator.
Two shots from Jane's Paladin took care of the generator, and the barrier opened silently, revealing another layer of webbing. John, noticing another dead krogan with a fully charged weapon nearby, grabbed the firestorm, and carelessly shot more fire into the webbing.
As the webbing burned away and the team stepped through, an ominous rumbling sounded through the cavern, then a sharp cracking sound. John looked up and saw rapidly growing cracks in the ceiling.
"Look out," Garrus yelled, grabbing Jane around the waist and running hard, deeper into the caves. John, adrenaline spiking in his veins, rolled forward, dodging the cave-in as their surroundings disappeared from view, flashlights blinking off.
"Shit!" James cried out.
"Is anyone injured?" John asked, turning on his flashlight, and shining it on James first, then Garrus and Jane.
"Nothing worse than usual," Garrus replied, clicking on his flashlight.
"All good, Commander," James replied.
John walked over to the cave-in. "Looks like we're finding another way out of here," he said dryly. "Come on," John turned to the tunnel in front of him, and burned away the webbing he found at the bottom of the tunnel.
"What was that noise, Shepard? Sounded bad."
"Cave-in," John replied to Grunt. "We're all alright."
"Good. Didn't want to have to dig you out," Grunt laughed cheerfully.
"That hurts my feelings, Grunt," John said, amused.
"Yeah, yeah," Grunt muttered, signing off.
"I love krogan," Jane said fondly. "They're so unabashedly and cheerfully violent."
"I prefer violently cheerful. Let's find the central chamber," John ordered, and gestured his squad along.
It wasn't long before Jane and James were in the thick of battle against reaper forces, and John and Garrus fell back to support them with their rifles again.
"Shit, Lola, you're a fucking bad-ass, you know that?"
"Remember what I told you about you and my ass, Vega."
"Hey, I know it belongs to Scars back there."
John tuned out the mid-fight banter, tag-teaming ravagers with Garrus.
"James isn't…"
"Into Jane?" John replied absently, before picking off a husk that got too close to James. "Nope."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. Garrus. Reapers. Kill them."
"Right, yeah," Garrus said, sounding worried. "Reapers. Killing them. Got it."
"Will one of you hotshots take out that barrier generator?" Jane yelled into the comms, sounding irritated. "They're strong – " she grunted " – and I'm getting tired."
"You ok, Janey?"
"Just take out the stupid generator," she replied.
Garrus killed it in a single shot, then went back to taking out the ravagers.
Once the barrier generator was down, taking out the reaper forces was relatively easy. Jane sliced through the remaining husks with ease while John and Garrus worked together to finish off the ravager. James punched the last cannibal into a pulpy mess, then hooted.
"That's livin'!" He crowed. "Hoo boy!"
John crossed the cave to Jane's side, took her arm forcefully, pulling her hood off with his other hand. "What the hell, Jane, are you ok?"
She glared at him for a moment, and jerked her arm out of his grip. "Stop treating me like I'm glass. Freaking out every time I hiccup. God, you're worse than Garrus."
"You said you were tired – "
"I am tired, John," Jane explained heatedly. "Barriers. Lots, and lots of barriers. And they were regenerated every two fucking seconds. I'm hammering away at six fucking husks at once, and I can hardly do anything to them because every time I manage to wear down their shields, they move back into the barrier generator's reach, their fucking barriers would come back up, brand spanki' new and I'd be back where I started."
"So why the hell didn't you ask for help sooner?"
"I did, Commander," Jane snarled. "But you and Garrus seemed to be studiously ignoring everything James and I were saying, so my request took a while to get through to you."
He blinked at her. "Shit, Janey. I'm sorry, I didn't … "
"It's fine," she said, still annoyed. "Let's go."
Helpless, John could only lead the way.
As the squad exited the caves, Jane was flagging, John could see. Exhaustion flavored her every move.
But she was alive, at least. And so was the rachni queen.
John glanced back at the cave mouth, and waited.
"Shepard, the shuttle is – "
"We're waiting for Grunt," John snapped.
"Shepard, come on," Garrus coaxed the commander. "For all that he was the perfect krogan, even Grunt couldn't have survived that many ravagers."
"We're waiting," he repeated in a tone that brokered no argument.
Moments later Jane was by his side.
"We're waiting," John informed her tersely.
"I know, John," Jane said softly, putting a hand on his arm. "Don't worry. We won't go until he gets back."
He glanced down at her – she'd taken off her hood, showing the dark bruise-like shadows under her eyes. She was looking forward, towards the mouth of the cave, her expression… expectant.
He felt a rush of affection and gratitude towards her.
"John," Jane's face broke out into a huge smile. "Look."
John turned back towards the cave mouth, his own face breaking out into a wide grin. "Grunt!" He ran towards the krogan, catching him as his legs collapsed and Grunt pitched forwards.
"Anyone… got something to eat?" Grunt laughed, sounding almost drunk.
"Come on, big guy," John laughed fondly. "Let's get you back to the ship so Mordin can patch you up."
"My small lizard friend?" Grunt yelled, excited. "The salarian! I miss my small lizard friend!"
The ride back to the Normandy was loud. Grunt, caught in the midst of his bloodrage, was yelling and slamming his fists down on the decking of the Kodiak.
Jane retreated to the cockpit, one hand pressed weakly to her temple. Garrus's visor was audibly pounding tinny music. James, being James, was egging Grunt on, and having fun with the cheerful, dopey krogan.
Shepard moved to the cockpit, closing the door behind him.
"Jane, we have to talk," he said baldly. "And it's just gonna have to be in front of Cortez. Sorry."
Jane glanced back at him, wincing slightly at the pounding sounds from the rear. "Ok."
"Are you still pissed at me?"
Her stare was long and hard, and John had to fight not to fidget under her hard glare. After a few long moments, Jane's face softened, and she shook her head. Grunt started yelling I AM KROGAN! repeatedly, and John almost missed her quiet reply.
"I must have gotten over it. Can you handle that?"
John nodded, overcome with sudden relief. "I can handle that."
She nodded again. "Ok, then."
He laughed quietly. "That's it?"
"That's it," she answered, shrugging, turning back around.
John, bemused, opened the cockpit door and wandered back, closing the door behind him. He patted Grunt fondly on the head as he walked by to sit on a bench across from Garrus. The turian gave the cockpit a rather significant look, and cocked his head to the side in an obvious question.
"She forgave me," John replied, shrugging his shoulders and making a face. "No idea why she was mad in the first place, but she forgave me anyways."
"That bodes well for you," James said to Garrus said in a cheerful tone. "She wasn't exactly pushing you away in the caves."
The turian's mandibles fluttered in a way that was obviously pleased, followed by a wince as Grunt started singing a krogan drinking song.
Mordin was waiting for the shuttle when it flew through the cargo bay doors. He was hopping eagerly from foot to foot, a wide grin on his face when John opened the Kodiak's doors.
"Young Grunt," the salarian greeted, crossing swiftly to Grunt's side. Swiftly, Mordin injected something through the krogan's tough hide using a giant needle. "Good to see you again."
He let out a loud howl of pain, but seconds later, Grunt's pupil's dilated, and he grinned happily.
"Lizard!" He chortled, reaching for Mordin's glowing omnitool. "My small lizard friend! Heh heh heh."
"Not a toy, Grunt," Mordin said absently, lifting his omnitool out of Grunt's reach.
A figure appeared in the Kodiak's doors.
"Ah, good, Dr. T'soni," Mordin nodded his head as Liara stepped into the shuttle. "Need biotics to life Grunt down to medbay."
"I see," she nodded. "Of course."
Jane stepped out of the cockpit, and stepped around everyone. "May I be dismissed?" She asked John, who nodded, and gestured for James to depart as well.
"Wait!" Mordin lectured John. "Need help carrying Grunt, do not dismiss everyone. You, and you," Mordin pointed at Cortez, then Garrus. "Stabilize."
"I could probably get him there myself, you know," John offered.
"Not with drugs just administered," Mordin shook his head, then gestured at James and Cortez. "Lift!"
"Lizard! My friend!" Grunt boomed, laughing heartily, and reached for Mordin's omnitool again.
"Stop that," Mordin snapped. "Bad krogan."
Grunt frowned, growling menacingly.
"Stop that," Mordin chastised again.
"Grunt," John said warningly.
"Fine," he grunted petulantly, laying back on the stretcher. Then he grinned up at Mordin. "Will small lizard friend sing?"
Mordin paused, and glanced down at Grunt. He kneeled down next to the krogan. "Yes, Grunt, once in medbay."
"I don't like salarians," Grunt said loopily. "But I like you!"
"Yes, yes, like you also. Now, lift!" Mordin instructed Liara, James and Cortez, and led the way to the elevator.
Wrex was sitting in the mess, picking at a massive pile of food that looked singularly unappetizing to John. The big krogan looked unhappy, so John changed his destination and headed into the mess instead of into the Main Battery.
"Something on your mind, Wrex?" John asked, sliding into the seat in front of him.
Wrex grunted and jerked his chin towards the medbay. "The young one in there? He's the best of us. And he almost sacrificed himself to save rachni." Wrex spat on the floor in disgust. "Shepard… Don't make him do that again."
"First? Saving the rachni queen was the right thing to do, Wrex," John shrugged. "Kind of like… oh, I don't know… how I'm fighting to cure the fucking Genophage because it's the right thing to do. Even though it hasn't really gotten a warm reception. And second, you're going to wipe that up."
Wrex growled quietly.
"My ship, my rules, Urdnot," John hardened his gaze slightly. "Do I make myself clear?"
"Why do you have to bring right and wrong into it? Just don't sacrifice my best soldier to a giant space bug. Got it?" Wrex grumbled as he picked up a napkin and wiped his spit off the floor.
John regarded Wrex calmly for a long moment, waving to Cortez as the shuttle pilot crossed the mess towards the coffee pot.
"Can I get you a cup of coffee, Commander?" Cortez offered from the kitchen.
"Thanks, Cortez, that'd be great," John replied. "And Wrex, I'll have you know that those giant space bugs are helping to build the Crucible," John informed Wrex. "Saving them wasn't just the right thing to do, it was the right tactical decision to make."
"Bugs are meant to be squashed," Wrex muttered.
"Save it for the ones infected with reaper tech, at least," John rolled his eyes.
Cortez walked across the mess, two mugs in his hands. He handed John one, and took a seat next to the krogan warlord. "Wrex," he greeted the krogan next to him. "How are things going with Eve?"
Wrex started growling again, and pushed back from the table. With a snarl, Wrex stalked away.
"Was it something I said?" Cortez asked, alarmed.
"No, he just got scared," John answered, before taking a sip of the coffee. As the coffee hit his tongue, his eyes widened in surprise. It was exactly the way he liked it, and better than he'd ever made his own. "Thanks, Cortez. This is really good."
"No problem," Cortez replied. "I noticed the other day you take it the same way my husband did. It's kind of soothing to make his coffee." He froze, and gave John a sideways look. "I hope that's not creepy, or anything."
John laughed. "Little bit, but I don't mind when the coffee is this good." He pushed back from the table. "Excuse me, I'm off to go see a coward. Thanks for the coffee," John said, and walked towards the battery, coffee in hand.
"See ya, Commander," Cortez called.
The doors to the battery opened to reveal Garrus, hunched over the control panel. The turian was muttering quietly to himself, tapping his talons rhythmically on the console.
"What the hell are you doing in here?" John asked flatly.
Garrus looked back at John, his expression sheepish. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Get the fuck out of the Battery, you coward, and get your ass to Life Support," John said, his tone dangerous. "Or wherever the hell Jane is." He took a sip of his coffee. "Damn, this is good."
"Lieutenant Singer is currently in the Starboard Observation Lounge with Lieutenant Vega," EDI supplied helpfully.
"EDI, order James to meet me in the Cargo Bay when Garrus gets to the Lounge doors," John ordered, taking Garrus by the shoulders with one hand, and forced him out of the Battery.
"Shepard, I'm not sure that this is – "
"Shut it," John snapped, propelling him further down the walkway.
Cortez was still sitting in the mess, now with Liara. The two watched John and Garrus with interest.
"What do you think is going on?" Cortez asked.
"I've given up on asking on this ship," Liara replied, her tone amused.
He gave Garrus one final push towards the Starboard Observation Lounge. Garrus spun instantly, but John merely crossed his arms.
"I really liked working with Jane and James. Maybe it's a good idea to leave you behind on the ship when I'm not aboard," John mused quietly, almost to himself. "You know, just in case something happens to me, someone competent to lead will be left behind. So that I know that the Normandy and her crew are taken care of."
Garrus's mandibles flared in surprise, then he scowled deeply.
"Just sayin'," John shrugged innocently. "I'm going to head down to the cargo hold to wait for James. You decide what you want to do."
He left the turian standing, stunned, in front of the ladies' washroom, and stepped into the elevator.
"Well played, Commander," Joker whistled appreciatively over the comms once the elevator doors closed.
"Joker, do we have to have another conversation about spying on the crew? Me in particular?" John asked dryly.
"Come on, Shepard. You spy on people and eavesdrop on their conversations more than anyone else on this ship," Joker shot back unapologetically.
John snorted with laughter as the elevator doors opened in the cargo bay. Nodding to the two crew members huddled in the corner of the cargo bay over a datapd, he made his way over to Vega's workstation.
"Do you want to know if he went into the Lounge, or not?" Joker asked, his tone cranky.
John was silent for a moment. "Shit. Yes, I do."
"James is getting in the elevator right now," Joker reported gleefully. "Garrus went in as soon as he left."
"Yes," John crowed. "I wish I could hear what they were saying."
"EDI disabled the comms in the Lounge," Joker complained, but his tone was now playfully annoyed. "I'll bet he's being all 'I was Archangel. That makes me sexy,'" Joker mimicked Garrus's deep voice. "'Oh, Garrus, you make me swoon,'" he squeaked, then made obnoxious kissing sounds.
"I think you should get out more, Joker," John teased. "I'm pretty sure this is the first sign of insanity."
"Whatever Shepard," Joker signed off the comms.
"Jeff wished me to inform you that he," EDI paused for a moment. "Flipped you the bird after he disconnected."
"Thank you, EDI," John burst out laughing.
AN: Hey all! Just a quick note to let you know that John and Jane's back stories won't be consistently in sequence anymore - this flashback, for instance, takes place chronologically before Jane's flashback in the last story, but John's journey to the Alliance takes a bit longer than Jane's does. They'll catch up to each other over the next few chapters, and I'll try to remember to point out when they aren't in sequence any more!