AN:- A word to the wise, when you're out of university and looking for a job, make sure that when you do take one that it is what you think it is. I just quit the job I got after four and a half days. Man was taking it a mistake.

Anyway, as always you aren't here to read about my rambling life, so enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter Thirteen: The Convict

"Well you're fit for duty Shepard, but I want you to take it easy."

Shepard rolled her shirt back down, "You know me doc, I like the quiet life."

Chakwas merely hmmed as Shepard pushed herself off the examination table and smiled at her. "So if I'm fine for duty, why are you looking at me like there's something wrong?"

"We need to talk properly Shepard, about what Cerberus did to you, how they brought you back."

"Okay," She sat opposite the doctor, "What do we need to talk about?"

"You're aware that when Cerberus brought you back, they implanted things inside you? You might have seen the results already. Your reaction times are better, your muscle strength, your stamina, your ability to take in data and process it."

Shepard had a vivid memory of the rocket she had managed to dodge, "I've noticed some things."

"Well the idea behind them was to make you into something more than human. A super soldier who would be capable of taking on the Reapers head on." Chakwas sighed and toyed with a clipboard, "By all accounts they succeeded, but you woke up too soon, so they didn't have time to give you all the details on how your new body would work, or your new brain."

That was unexpected, "My new brain?"

"Well, not exactly new, but upgraded. Memory implants for weapons statistics, strategies, enemies. They should remain dormant until you need them, but you don't have any control over your access to them right now. They happen whether you want them or not. And your reflexes and strength will fluctuate as well based on need. You have enough strength to flip a mako over right now, but it won't be readily available to you."

"So why do I need to know this, if it'll only come out on cue then surely it'll only ever work when I need it to."

"You need to know because the human body isn't designed to work this way. Those Cerberus doctors were so concerned about whether they could make you better they never stopped to wonder whether they should."

"Could I be in danger if it continues?"

"If you don't learn to control it, yes. Taking in information at the rate you now can could overload your mind. Pushing your muscles and bones to their new limits will weaken them. And no one really knows what long term effects memory implants can have on a person."

She must have noticed the horror creeping into Shepard's expression, because she stopped toying with the clipboard and smiled kindly, "Don't worry; I'm going to help you with this. I've read your file front to back enough times to know what I'm dealing with; I suggest you start by doing the same."

"And in the meantime?"

"Try not to get into any situations where these responses might be triggered. A gunfight, a foot chase, a fist fight. These are all things your body is capable of dealing with naturally, it's only when you find yourself trying to outrun a rocket or hand to hand with a krogan that the defences will kick in."

"Understood," Shepard stood and forced a smile, "Thanks doc, I get the feeling I'm going to need a lot more of your advice."

"I'm always here Shepard."

xxx

"This is Normandy SR-2 requesting permission to board."

Purgatory was an unpleasant looking place. A station floating in the middle of bugger-all and nothing, grim and grey and more than a little grimy as well. Shepard had seen a lot of space stations, and even the worst of them had tried to look a little appealing. Omega had their neon lights everywhere, the Citadel seemed to always be sparkling and clean. This station looked like what it was.

"This is Normandy SR-2 requesting permission to board."

Joker had been hailing them for nearly fifteen minutes, which usually wasn't a good sign. Shepard tried to hide her impatience as she stood behind Joker listening to the creak of her team's armour. Kasumi was sitting the mission out on Chakwas' orders, but she had Garrus, Miranda and Taylor with her. Garrus in particular was shifting every few seconds.

"Stay calm people," Shepard muttered, "It doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's just a busy day for them."

"They've known we were coming for over a week now," Miranda sounded tense, "This shouldn't be taking that long."

"Maybe the long arm of Cerberus doesn't extend this far."

The comm crackled and a brusque turian voice issued from it, "Normandy SR-2, you are cleared for docking; you will meet with official representatives before proceeding into the facility."

"What charming people." Joker took them in, "Kinda like our reception committee on Noveria."

"Different time, different people Joker," Shepard nodded to her team, "Let's get ready to move out."

xxx

There was a squad of four waiting for them, clad in Blue Suns armour. Shepard had read the files, she knew that the mercenary group ran the prison, but it was still an effort not to draw her gun on sight.

"Welcome to the Purgatory Shepard. Your package is being prepared, and you can claim it shortly." One of the turian guards stepped forwards, "As this is a high security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed."

She let her left hand drop to rest on her pistol, hearing the scrape of Garrus' boot as he shifted into a combat stance. The mercenaries around the room tensed, but didn't go so far as to raise heir guns. "I can't do that," She said calmly.

"Everyone stand down," Another turian came marching into the room, authority radiating from him, "Commander," He gave her an insincere smile and his voice turned gentile, "I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out, you must realise this is just a standard procedure."

She shook her head slightly, "It's my standard procedure to keep my gun." She fixed him with a look, which was difficult as he seemed to be avoiding her eyes despite keeping his face to her, "I am a SPECTRE Warden, in Council space I have the power of the Council behind me."

He nodded grudgingly, "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests." The smile was back again. She couldn't figure out why, but there was something about him that was very disconcerting. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo, as soon as the funds clear you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to out-processing for the pickup Commander."

She returned his smile with one of her own, just as bland, "Lead the way."

As they followed the warden into the prison, Garrus stepped up next to her and bent low, his voice so quiet she could barely hear it. "In my culture, turians without facemarkings are known to be untrustworthy. There's something off about this guy."

She nodded, finally realising the source of her discomfort, "Good advice, but then again, he is a mercenary."

"I know, but this whole setup feels off to me."

"Well be on your guard, I know I'm going to be."

xxx

"Cellblock two," Warden Kuril's voice had lost its sleazy undertone, but was now filled with genuine pride. "As you can see we keep tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self contained, modular unit." He turned to her and smiled, "I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example." He moved on, leaving her to stare at the blocks on the wall, looking more like storage spaces than anything else. "The ship is made up of thirty cell blocks identical to this one, we house thousands of criminals."

They kept walking down the rows, Garrus twitching more and more as they got deeper in. She wanted to tell him to calm down, but she didn't want to alert the warden that they thought something was wrong. Kuril was still going through his tour, "We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice, nothing goes wrong here."

Shepard could hardly believe that, "Have you had any escape attempts?"

He laughed out loud at that, "We're in space, they have nowhere to go and they know it." His entire manner shifted in a heartbeat, "But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals. We have many ways to control the population." They had reached an intersection, and he waved them down one route, "I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Outprocessing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing."

She nodded, "Thanks for the tour, it's…" She forced a smile, "It's quite a place you've put together."

He returned the smile and headed off.

Miranda stepped up to her and gripped her arm, "I don't like this Shepard," She hissed, "He's hiding something, and you know about turians and face markings, right?"

"I know, but what other choice do we have? We start shooting and this whole place will be on us in seconds."

"So what do we do?"

"We follow the hallway, and we get Jack, and we get the hell off this tub before something bad happens to us."

"And if something bad happens before we get Jack?"

"Then we improvise." She glanced up and down the hall and bent in close. They all leaned in as well, and she muttered, "Stay ready, Miranda, can you keep your biotics up, but low enough that no one can detect them?"

She nodded, "I can, but not for too long."

"Good, Garrus, maybe you should turn that little eye scope thing on now," She looked up and saw that it was already activated, "Okay, one step ahead of me there, Taylor, just, be ready."

They all nodded, "All right, let's go."

They carried on down the hallway, Garrus stopping halfway down to smack one of the guards over the helmet. Shepard stopped and stared at him, noticing that the guard was watching one cell in particular, where another guard was beating a prisoner heavily.

"This is degrading, for you as much as him. You can't even get good information this way."

The guard squared off to him, "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"Yes I am."

"Garrus," She stepped slightly in front of him, meeting his eye until he looked away. She turned to the guard, "Stop this, it's not worth it."

She saw it in his eyes, and after a second he broke, "Yeah, it is kind of hard to watch." He banged a hand on the glass, "Knock it off, he's had enough."

They moved on, Shepard trying hard not to look back. She knew that Garrus was, and as they rounded the corner she paused for a second to breathe deeply before leading them through to the supermax area.

They were almost out the other door when Kuril's voice came over the loudspeaker. "My apologies Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than as a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell, you will not be harmed."

Idiot, She whirled round, her pistol already filling her hand. Miranda was glowing a vibrant blue and Garrus had his rifle in hand. Taylor was a step behind them, but he was ready in a second. Should have waited until we were in the cell. Moron. Guards and technicians were advancing on them.

"Maybe I can change your mind," She said, smiling a little.

One of them opened fire. Maybe not then. She didn't even have to fire a shot, her team did all the work, and as the door at the other end opened to reveal a small group of FENRIS mechs, Miranda waved a hand and slammed them together, creating a little heap of metal and sparks.

"I hate to say I told you so…" Garrus growled.

"Oh shut up and follow me."

xxx

They sprinted back the way the warden had gone, blasting the guards on the way. The resistance was minimal, but Shepard had seen the files on Purgatory, and if the warden could get the signal out then there would be thousands of them.

They skidded into a control room and Shepard shot a technician through the neck. She paused for a moment to marvel at the shot she had just managed, then hurried to the console and worked her way through some menus until she managed to bring up the containment unit. A label appearing that identified her as 'Jack.'

Miranda pushed past her, "I can open this."

"If we hack that control, every door on the cellblock opens." Garrus didn't exactly sound worried about the idea.

"Well it certainly would distract the guards…" Shepard considered it, staring down as the cryo unit came into view.

"It's the only way to get Jack out of cryo," Miranda looked up at her, "Should I?"

"Well we can't exactly leave her here," Shepard sighed and drew her pistol; "Let her out."

Miranda nodded and typed in some controls, then stepped back and drew her submachine gun, "All hell is about to break loose."

Below them they saw Jack stirring, and a squad of YMIR mechs shifted into place, their cannon arms focusing on her. Shepard drew her pistol and fired a few bursts into the window, but it was bullet proof. Need to find a way to help her before she gets turned into a puddle of goo.

The others rushed to help her, Garrus taking the old fashioned route of slamming on the glass with the butt of his rifle while Miranda fired up her biotics again, but before she could strike there was an explosion below them. Shepard looked down, expecting the worst, but all she could see was a blue blur and the smoking legs of two of the mechs.

"That's impossible," Miranda actually looked shocked. "No one's that powerful."

Shepard gave her a look, "You mean, you're not that powerful."

Miranda glared at her, "It's the same thing, I was made to be perfect, she cannot be that good."

There was a massive crash below them and they looked down to see bits of metal flying off into the room. "No way…" Taylor sounded somewhere between afraid and appreciative.

"Alright then, looks like she is more powerful than you," Shepard brought her gun up and aimed it at the door, where she could hear someone trying to get in. "Better get ready, looks like they figured out where we are."

xxx

They fought their way through the Blue Suns, Shepard wishing she didn't feel quite so good about being able to take out the prison. Maybe the prisoners here were bad enough to deserve it, maybe they were political prisoners or innocents offloaded by their governments, but one way or another, the whole place felt rotten.

Periodically they heard Warden Kuril over the speakers, quite helpfully informing them of where he and Jack were. The only problem was that Jack's route seemed to be self-sealing, what with the collapsing bulkheads and massive destruction she was causing. Following Kuril was much easier, since all his troops were trying to reach him along the same route Shepard's team were going.

After several minutes of tense firefight they eventually burst into a wide open concourse, Blue Suns managing to draw themselves into regimented lines, taking cover behind blast shields and mowing down the prisoners who had managed to get this far. Most of the prisoners were poorly armed, nothing more than the shivs they had fashioned, but one or two had managed to lay their hands on assault rifles, likely taken from dead guards.

Shepard paused for a moment and scanned the room. If this was where the Blue Suns were massing then it made sense that Kuril was there. She spotted him a second later, a massive sniper rifle in his hands as he raced towards a semi-circle of control panels. Before she could raise her rifle and fire he made it to cover and with a deep electric throbbing a force field surrounded the warden.

"We need to bring that down," Garrus was at her side, picking off prisoners and mercs alike with deadly precision.

"Those towers would seem the obvious choice," Miranda gestured to the two massive pylons that had risen out of the deck and were sending streams of energy arcing into the force field. "I know those generators though; they have redundancies on top of their redundancies. Even if we took both down, there would only be a couple of seconds before they re-established the connection."

"Alright," Shepard pulled them down behind cover and worked over the situation. After a second she had a solution, "It seems simple enough." She told them, "Garrus and Miranda, you take the generators. Taylor and I stay here and cover your approach. The second the field is down, I take Kuril."

"Can you make that shot?" Miranda sounded very uncertain.

She nodded, "Of course I can."

Garrus nodded in support of her, "She's a better shot than me, and that was before you put all that auto-aiming junk in her head."

Bullets peppered their cover; "Move out," She ordered, "We may only get one shot at this."

As her team moved out, Kuril's voice came echoing over the loud-speakers. "You're valuable Shepard, I could have sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble, at least I can recapture Jack!"

She stood, swung her rifle round and blew the head off a human merc in one fluid movement, then yelled, "Not happening. You're a two bit slave trader and I don't have time for it."

He kept on talking, "I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to. This is for the good of the galaxy."

"The good of the galaxy?" Shepard could see Garrus and Miranda were almost in position, if Kuril just kept talking for a few seconds longer… "You're completely insane. You're not even a mercenary, you're just a petty criminal."

"Lesser minds are always jealous of what they can't understand. Why can't you see that what I'm doing here is beneficial to everyone?"

Shepard was saved from having to answer when the domes suddenly exploded, and the field dropped. She stood, ignoring the warden's wild shot, which flew over her should close enough that she heard the whistle of the round. In her sights his head was magnified to the point where he could have been standing right in front of her. It was the sort of shot she made in her sleep, and she only wasted an extra second breathing out to the point where she could hear her blood flowing in her head.

The rifle jerked and the warden dropped in a fine dark blue mist, his body obscured as the shields came back up. The remaining mercenaries jerked round to see what had happened, and when they caught a glimpse of his body through the shifting energy patterns most of them panicked. Shepard signalled to let them go, there was no reason to chase them down, especially with all the other mercenaries on the prison ship. They regrouped in the centre of the concourse.

"How do we get back to the ship?" Taylor asked.

Miranda was checking her omni-tool's map. "There should be a cut through somewhere around here, as long as Jack hasn't destroyed it."

"Can you locate her on that thing?"

"No, but there's a security alert going off in the docking bay. I'd say she's found the Normandy."

They sprinted through the corridors and arrived at the station overlooking the ship just as a short human skidded to a halt and stared through the glass.

"Cerberus." They heard her mutter. Shepard slowed to a halt, and the sound seemed to bring the convict to her senses, "What the hell do you want?"

Shepard had spoken to a lot of people who had seemed more riled up before. She held up her hands and spoke calmly, "You're in a bad situation, and I'm gonna get you out of here."

"Shit, you sound like a pussy." Shepard felt her eye twitch. Some of her crew weren't the most formal, but a life of naval discipline sometimes made it hard to listen to people who swore so easily. "I'm not going anywhere with you, you're Cerberus."

"I'm here to ask for your help."

"You show up, in a Cerberus frigate," She flung a hand out to indicate the ship, "To take me away somewhere? You think I'm stupid?"

In as many words, yes, "This ship is going down in flames." She said instead, "We can get you to safety and we're asking for your help."

Miranda stepped up to Shepard's ear, "We could just knock her out and take her."

Evidently Jack had heard, "I'd like to see you try."

"We're not going to attack her." Shepard fixed Miranda with a look until she had stepped back, which seemed to make Jack a little happier, or at least less hostile.

"Look," She said, arms folded, "You want me to come with you, make it worth my while."

"That would be easier if I knew what you wanted, but I'll do what you ask."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." She seemed to be considering it,. and finally came to a decision, a slow smile spreading across her face and making her look more like a big cat than a human, "I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases, I want to look at those files, see what Cerberus has got on me. You want me on your team? Let me go through those databases."

Shepard nodded, Two birds with one stone, "I'll give you full access."

"Shepard you're not authorised to do that!" Oh, maybe three birds with one stone, I get to annoy Miranda as well. Shepard kept her face carefully blank, watching Jack for signs of agreement or argument.

"Aw, it upsets the cheerleader, even better." For a split second Jack's corona flared a deep and unstable blue, as if just to remind Shepard what she was taking on, "You'd better be straight up with me. So why the hell are we standing here?"

AN:- I don't like Jack very much.

I thought I'd just get that out of the way so people knew what to expect. There were just certain characters, as in ME1, that i never got on with. In Mass Effect 1 it was Wrex. I could never quite get to love the big lug like everyone else seemed to. I didn't use him in my teams, except when I had to, I didn't talk to him unless I had to, so when it came to writing Into Greatness I really wasn't that adept at using him as a character.

Same here. Although I', being quite anti-Miranda right now, I actually love her character, and I love the way she changes through the story, because to me that's fascinating. Probably the best indicator of why I like or dislike characters is their capacity to change. Wrex doesn't change in ME1 (he changes in the interim period) he leaves it exactly the same as when he arrived.

In ME1: Liara becomes more confident, Tali becomes more at ease with leaving the Migrant Fleet and more assured of her decision to return, Garrus goes from believing in getting the job done no matter what the cost to believing in the right way of doing things, Kaidan becomes more open about his problems, Ashley becomes much less xenophobic. Wrex... doesn't change.

In ME2: Tali wrestles with being banished, but eventually comes to accept her new life and you as her captain, Garrus is drawn slowly out of the depression he fell into and again has to lose some of his vigilante spirit. Miranda realises Cerberus isn't as good as she thought, Mordin accepts that the genophage has caused great damage to the krogan, Legion learns to work with a quarian and with humans. Grunt realises his purpose in being born.

But there are a lot more static characters as well, Thane doesn't change, Samara doesn't change, Taylor doesn't change, Jack is on the border (she changes a lot more if you're a male character romancing her). Some of this of course comes down to whether you romance them or not, but even then, the question is always 'does their base personality alter significantly from the norm?' And I don't think it does, this makes them, to me, less interesting.

Feel free to correct me in your reviews, I take everything you say on board.