Shepard glared at the Blue Suns security guard and the turian withered like a vorcha. "I don't give a vorcha's arse about your security measures. The only things I'll relinquish are my bullets, at high velocity. Where do you want'em?" she whipped up her pistol, aiming it between his eyes. She was already angry with Kurill and she was not about to hand over her guns to his people.
The turian's face went gray in the turian version of going sheet white as the blood drained away from his face in fear.
"That won't be necessary Commander Shepard but it is a requirement for all visiting persons to disarm, this is a prison facility after all." Warden Kurill made his presence known and the guards relaxed marginally.
"It's Spectre actually and that will not be happening so you'll either let us in armed or bring Jack to us." Shepard's glare bore into his predatory eyes and after a bare moment he faltered and nodded.
"Our facility can certainly handle two armed guests. If you would follow me." He gestured for them to follow then turned and walked through the security doors.
Shepard followed with Miranda right behind her. The Warden led them along a route that was obviously designed to impress 'buyers' as he'd explained that some of the less violent criminals could be sold and there were occasions where others were bought just like Jack was being. Shepard had grimaced at the notion of 'buying' Jack and it made her anger towards the turian simmer closer to boiling point.
Miranda could feel Shepard's anger, her biotics were unsettled and swirling around her like a storm. She could almost see waves of air moving around Shepard like heatwaves off a sunbaked road and knew that Kurill was moving closer and closer to being on Shepard's Shit List. Until they had Jack in their custody it was not wise to risk Shepard losing it at him or letting on to the turian just how mad Shepard was getting with him.
Shepard jumped a little at how close Miranda suddenly was and bit her lip when Miranda's hand lightly brushed the small of her back. It wasn't the physical touch that affected her, as she was wearing her armour after all, but the biotic caress. Looking to Miranda sharply she found her eyes locked with those intense cobalt blues.
Calm down Steph.
Shepard blinked as Miranda's voice whispered in her mind. "What the hell?" she murmured, wide eyed in shock.
Kurill assumed she was talking about the prisoner containment system below that had just separated two inmates. "We try to use non-violent methods against displays of aggression as violence only provokes them further in these situations. Quite effective is it not?" he smirked.
Shepard cleared her throat and nodded, breaking eye contact with Miranda, "Indeed." she drawled to the turian.
"So what happens if a government chooses not to pay the maintenance fee for an incarcerated individual?" Miranda asked smoothly, not sure what had shocked Shepard but the anger had definitely faded substantially at her touch.
"We inform the government that we will return their prisoner at an undisclosed time and location." Kurill kept walking, "They always pay."
"So it's an extortion racket." Shepard observed a little more heatedly than intended but given how he'd forced them to come it was hardly far from the truth.
"You can question my methods but not my motives. We do the hard things to keep bad people locked up." He grunted at her though didn't sound overly fussed as though he'd heard it many times before.
"And yet you're eager to sell off Jack. Why's that?" Shepard demanded firmly.
Kurill just chuckled, "You really don't know much about Jack do you." he stated confident in his knowledge of what they would have gotten themselves into. "Jack's in processing, down the hall take a left. I'll make sure the credits have come through." he nodded to them and disappeared through the door beside them before Shepard could argue with him.
Miranda glanced at Shepard as she made no move to follow his directions.
"Miranda did that not strike you as odd? Him leaving us here with no escort when all it would take to confirm payment is a simple comm check?" Shepard asked her softly.
Miranda frowned, "Indeed." she glanced back to where Kurill had gone.
Shepard touched her comms, "Joker, I smell a rat get the ground team ready on the double."
"Aye-aye Commander. Extermination team will be ready on the double." he returned promptly.
For anyone watching the two women making their way through the clear plastasteel hallways none would have guessed that the pair were on high alert as their strides were relaxed and their outward demeanours calm. Neither of them had their hands lingering near their weapons nor where they looking around in a manner that expressed anything more than mere curiosity.
"So what was that back there?" Shepard asked softly, glancing at Miranda.
"What? You needed to calm down before you ripped him apart..." Miranda responded calmly.
"Yes but you told me to calm down in my mind." Shepard whispered to her, not wanting any of the guards to overhear.
Miranda frowned and looked to her in confusion, "Pardon?"
"I heard your voice whisper clearly in my mind 'Calm down Steph' and your biotics... goddess they... you felt..." her casual swagger suddenly became more awkward.
"Perhaps we should discuss this back on the ship." Miranda suggested softly, not sure what she could say to that, she knew she had thought those exact words but how was it possible that Shepard had actually heard them?
Shepard sighed, "You're right." she nodded and let the matter drop for now.
At the outer door of processing Shepard stopped and glanced at the technician.
"Jack's in that module over there." the guy nodded, making no move to head over there himself.
Shepard bowed her head slightly, activating her biotic vision and looked through the walls to see... nothing. "Willing to stake your life on it?" she purred, her pistol up in a flash and pressed between his eyes.
"Oh shit!" he gulped, eyes wide and pissing himself quite literally.
"Where is Jack?" She asked softly, her husky voice taking on a dangerous sexy tone.
"C-c-cryogenic s-storage. D-down the hall." He stammered, pointing the right direction.
"Now was that really so hard?" Shepard moved to leave.
The man began to relax.
It didn't last long as Shepard pistol whipped him, knocking him out cold.
"How the fuck does a coward like that work in a place like this?" Shepard muttered as she strode out the door. She had determined already how she had to behave towards Jack whose rap sheet indicated had a problem with authority and a penchant for violence so she was already mentally preparing herself.
"I wouldn't be surprised if most of the... staff here are cowards. Give them a uniform, a gun and people they can bully and it makes them feel stronger than they truly are." Miranda suggested conversationally, pausing mid sentence as a more demeaning description for the 'staff' had come to mind first.
Shepard could have turned it into a jibe on Cerberus but opted not to, "You get soldiers in the Alliance like that. They don't make it far out of boot camp and if they do they're just sadists."
Their conversation was halted by a dozen guards with weapons out and looking momentarily surprised at their presence.
"Warden Kurill did say down the corridor, left then right didn't he?" Shepard posed thoughtfully to Miranda.
"They've taken down Jocham. Subdue them, they're both valuable." Kurill's voice suddenly sounded over a loud speaker.
Shepard and Miranda acted before the mercs could even raise their weapons. Two powerful shockwaves tore through the hallway, shaking it rather unnervingly as it was a long drop down to the prison section below.
A minute later they jogged passed the mercs, not a single man left standing.
"Shepard, we're picking up alarms what's going on?" Garrus's voice filled her ear piece.
"I think Kurill's decided he'd make more money selling Miranda and I off than selling us Jack." Shepard mused, walking into the control room for the cryogenic holding cell Jack was apparently in. Looking at it biotically and smirked, "Huh, Jack's a she." she commented out loud.
"What do you want us to do Shepard?" Garrus asked quickly.
"Garrus make sure no one gets on the ship, secure the perimeter so we can make a clean exit. Miranda and I'll get Jack and blast our way out, making a quick detour to put my boot up Kurill's arse before we leave." she growled.
Miranda was checking over the controls and grimaced.
"Got it. Establishing a perimeter." Garrus acknowledged the order.
Miranda looked back over her shoulder and was once again surprised by the energy radiating from Shepard's eyes, "So what do you see?" she asked curiously.
"Jack's biotics are... substantial but chaotic, she's emotion driven, anger mostly. She's going to be one pissed off bitch when she thaws, I'd better get down there before you unlock her." She didn't bother going for the door, instead she blasted out the window gaining the attention of two heavy mechs below that were not going to be happy about her presence.
Miranda felt breathless at the sheer power Shepard unleashed as she crushed the mechs while they were still trying to get a lock on their target above them, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you weren't that strong on Freedom's Progress or Omega."
"I'd been awake how many hours on Freedoms Progress? And I'm still... healing." Shepard pointed at her face that was still scarred.
"But that doesn't account for..." Miranda began but Shepard cut her off.
"Focus Miri, you can study my biotics later. Right now Jack." Shepard nodded, powering up her biotics in readiness to drop down below. Chakwas would be pissed off at her for getting into a fight when technically she wasn't restored to active duty yet, she'd only been 'allowed' out by the good doctor because there wasn't supposed to be any fighting.
"If I hack this terminal every cell in this block is going to open." Miranda warned her.
"Prison riot, that'll keep the mercs busy." Shepard nodded in approval, "Do it." she ordered before she jumped through the shattered window.
Miranda sighed, "It'll keep us busy too." but she obeyed the command and began hacking.
Shepard waited and watched as the cryonic cylinder rose up from its holding, the mist of the thawing of Jack washing over the machinery giving an air of mystery and increasing anticipation. Alarms were blaring as just as Miranda had predicted the whole sector was beginning to go up in flames with the prisoner release. Her brows rose slightly as Jack was finally revealed.
Shaven bald, literally covered in tattoos from head to toe, or so she assumed, wearing nothing but a nipple band on top and black cargo pants with heavy boots she was most definitely a sight. Jack was small not quite on the petite side but shorter than Shepard, slender as most biotics were and her features were actually delicate and pretty. Until she began to wake and the peaceful expression on her face was replaced with an ugly mask of rage.
Shepard held up protein bars in both hands in an attempt to show she wasn't hostile.
Jack snarled, her brain wasn't yet fully functioning. All she saw was an armoured woman, a guard, alarms were blaring and she was still restrained. Ripping herself out of the restraints that were strong enough to hold a krogan she charged up her biotics.
"So now's where I say naptimes over, we're busting you out?" Shepard spoke quickly but clearly. But it wasn't enough to get through to Jack just yet.
Jack roared and charged at her.
Shepard was quicker, side-stepping the biotic punch she sent Jack sprawling to her knees and was on her in a heartbeat.
Jack tried to push herself off the ground but the biotic field holding her was far too strong and she was weak from the freezer.
Shepard crouched in front of her and held out the bars again, "Here, it'll help get your metabolism moving and stabilize your biotics."
"Who the fuck are you?" Jack snarled, managing to look up at the scarred face of the brunette, she was glowing with biotic energy in holding her down at the moment.
"Name's Shepard. I'm on a critical mission and I need your help, but first we need to get off this station. Kurill decided it was more lucrative to keep my XO and I to sell so we're going to show him the error of his ways." Her expression hardened, "Pissing me off is painful, betraying me is fatal. He's done both so is going to die painfully. Wanna help?"
Gunfire erupted upstairs adding the pressing need to get moving quickly.
"Miranda?" Shepard queried, not taking her eyes off Jack's deep brown eyes that were so full of anger and hate they were just about black.
"We need to leave." Came her business toned response.
Shepard chuckled, "That is the plan you know, of course I have no doubt it will also entail a few explosions. You know you can't take me anywhere without something blowing up in our faces."
Miranda huffed, "We're on a space station. Blowing things up is hardly conducive to our own survival."
Shepard scoffed and rose to her feet, "It's a big station. It can hold together for a few good bangs, I don't really give a shit what happens when we leave though." she lifted Jack up biotically, not releasing her yet. She flicked off her comm so Miranda couldn't hear her, "Now Jack. I don't know anything about your history or what fucking connection you have with Cerberus,"
Jacks face contorted with rage at the mere mention of Cerberus and she snarled like an animal.
"but I am in command of this mission and make no mistake, you pull any Cerberus shit with me or my crew and you'll wish I'd just space you. Got it?" she growled at Jack fiercely.
"Cerberus can die! They fucking experimented on me and if you're working with them I'll fucking rip your face off!" Jack snarled, writhing as she tried to get free, her biotics surging but not strong enough to break from the strangers hold.
Shepard was stunned and blinked a couple times in disbelief until realization dawned on her, "That's why your biotics are so anger driven. Cerberus fucking screwed you over to try and amp you up." she breathed.
"Put me down bitch!" Jack roared at her.
Shepard tightened her grip, "Look at me!" she demanded firmly.
"Fuck off!" Jack snarled.
"I am Commander Shepard, first human Spectre. I've blown up six Cerberus bases, killed over one hundred Cerberus personnel and totally fucked up at least three of their major projects." She asserted, barking out her words as though she were a boot camp Commander breaking in new troops.
It was Jack's turn to blink without comprehension.
"On my last mission with the Spectres I was fucking spaced. Cerberus, for some really fucked up reason, spent over two years putting me back together. Guess they really didn't get the message first time round that I'm the last person they want on one of their bases." she scoffed and continued quickly, "I'd have ripped them apart already but there are bigger issues right now. Since I died the Council and Alliance trashed my name meaning Cerberus are the only ones with the guns I need to pull off my mission. Now the fact that you fucking hate Cerberus just makes my day Sunshine."
"Don't fucking call me that!" Jack hissed at her furiously.
"I'll call you whatever the hell I like because I'm in charge and as you can feel I can wipe the floor with you, your biotics are nothing compared to mine and if you want to get off this station alive you're coming with me." Shepard snarled back at her, stalking up and getting right in her face.
Jack grimaced as Shepard's field tightened around her, crushing her a little more with every passing second.
"Now I didn't come here to pick up some pansy arsed, whining, little school girl." Shepard's voice was low and dangerous.
To say Jack was offended was a massive understatement.
"You're gonna need to earn your place on my ship and if you're fucking lucky when my mission is over I might even let you come along when I rip the Illusive Man limb from limb." She snarled.
"Who's the fucking Illusive Man and why should I give a fuck?" Jack snarled at her.
"He's the guy in charge of Cerberus you dumb arse, Cerberus is his organization and everything they did to you was done in his name." Shepard was a little surprised Jack didn't know that but the lights went on in Jack's eyes.
"You promise to take me with you and give me all their files on me and I'll be your fucked up crazy bitch." Jack growled at her.
"Deal. Just keep that first bit to yourself, I need Cerberus playing nice until I have everything I need." Shepard released the field and held out her hand.
Jack glared at the offered hand but shook it, "Now we're done with the fuzzy shit we gonna blow shit up?"
Shepard smirked, "Hell yes." she flicked her comm back on.
Jack ripped off the wrappers to the protein bars Shepard had given her and began to chow them down. She might be a badass but she wasn't stupid and the fact that this Shepard had overpowered her so easily pissed the hell out of her.
"Jack's in. Let's kick this party up a notch. EDI locate Warden Kurill then get me the quickest route to his arse, it's got a date with my boot." Shepard growled, glancing over to the door on her left as Miranda strode through.
Jack went to hit her with a biotic shockwave but was stopped as Shepard grabbed her wrist and jerked her back around.
"My XO, Miranda Lawson." she introduced firmly with a nod in Miranda's direction.
"You never said shit about a Cerberus cheerleader!" Jack snarled at her, her eyes wild with hate instantly not just for being Cerberus, as her uniform declared even without their customary logo, but that goddamn sexy figure and the confident stride as though she hadn't just taken out a bunch of mercs.
"You really think Cerberus would just hand me the keys to their latest and greatest toy without someone keeping an eye on me? Play nice." Shepard growled, gripping her wrist so hard she felt the bones crunch beneath her fingers.
"Shit, fuck it fine! Lemme go already." Jack swore at her, tearing her eyes off the sex goddess to glare at Shepard who was also a fucking sex goddess in military armour.
"Warden Kurill is preparing a defensible position in section D. Sending coordinates and route to your omni-tool." EDI chimed in.
Shepard activated her omni-tool at its beep.
"You better not screw me over Shepard." Jack snarled at her, cradling her wrist.
"Suck it up Jack, whining's for little girls." Shepard shot back with a growl to her husky voice.
Miranda hid her surprise at Shepard's handling of Jack.
Jack muttered murderous threats under her breath but Shepard could see in her energy that the tough bitch act was actually warming her up in a good way.
Shepard's eyes narrowed as an alternate route came to mind, "Alright Jack, I want a hole in the wall right there." she gestured.
"What the fuck for!" Jack demanded.
"Aw too hard for you? Miranda show her how it's done." Shepard glanced at Miranda.
Miranda's eyes narrowed but she took a step forward, powering up her biotics.
"Fuck that! Never said I couldn't." Jack snarled and she lunged, surging for the wall and blasting a massive hole through it into the maintenance corridor behind it.
Shepard winked at Miranda indicating that's what she'd expected.
Miranda rolled her eyes but wisely said nothing.
"Alright EDI, recalculate your route." Shepard drew her pistol and jogged into the darkness.
EDI sent another route through that was definitely faster but would take them through two prison sections that would be in full riot mode by now. "Spectre this route is highly dangerous, I recommend my previous route." EDI sounded concerned.
"I'm making a point EDI, no one screws with me. We're going to cut through his pathetic defences and he can watch his death approaching." Shepard growled, the adrenaline was pumping through her and her cybernetics were glowing now.
The first section they entered was ablaze with gunfire, shouts, screams, fires and machinery falling apart as explosions ripped through the systems. It was bloody chaos and Jack was thriving on it. She didn't need a weapon, she was a weapon. The violence fuelled her and the more she killed the more alive she felt.
Shepard tactically pointed her in a particular direction and gave the simple instruction of 'let'em have it.' while she got a feel for the woman. Jack was a powerful menace and drew everyone's attention to her meaning they were wide open for the precision assaults from Shepard and Lawson.
A YMIR mech lumbered out of its holding station too far away for Jack to rip it apart but meant she was exposed, without shields or armour and no guns.
"Miranda, swarp." Shepard raised her arm and called a singularity into being.
"Swarp?" Miranda raised her brow at Shepard.
"Quicker than singularity/warp." Shepard shrugged.
Miranda sighed and lashed out her warp.
Jack threw herself behind cover as shrapnel began to strike around her, "Fuck! Who the fuck did that!" she yelled back at them.
"Jealous?" Shepard yelled in return.
"Some fucking warning next time!" Jack yelled, she actually was a little jealous. She was supposed to be the biggest, meanest biotic bitch, that's what Teltin had been about, torturing her to make her the most powerful human biotic. Teltin had obviously never gotten their hands on these two.
As they worked through the second section Jack paid much closer attention to the super bitch and her cheerleader.
Super bitch was obviously military, she could drill a man between the eyes with that pistol of hers at just about any distance in this tub, she also had some pretty nasty tricks in that omni-tool of hers as she fried mech systems, dropped shields and shocked idiots who got too close not to mention her biotics were way off the chart.
The cheerleader was also a fucking badass, more than decent shot, she too had some omni-tool tricks and her biotics while not as strong as either Shepard's or hers she used them in tandem with Shepard's attacks making them appear stronger. On closer inspection Jack realized that the pair were actually fighting more like one entity, even their biotics were in sync. She shook her head at them as she relieved a very dead guard of his shotgun.
Shepard stopped them at the next checkpoint door. "Kurill's in there." she murmured, studying the wall intently.
"Think you can glare him down from here?" Jack snorted, "Come on..." she went to go through the door.
Shepard stopped her with softly spoken words, "Open that door and you die."
"What the fuck's your problem!" Jack turned on her wildly.
"They've got two dozen assault rifles and shotguns all pointing at that door, as soon as it opens you'll be stepping into a wall of bullets." she pointed out.
"How the fuck d'you know that?" Jack frowned, moving a step away from the door warily.
"They're also scared shitless." Shepard smirked, "Ready Garrus?"
"Always ready to make a great entrance Shepard." Garrus returned lightly.
"Ha, you know what I like handsome, give'em some Vakarian style." Shepard chuckled and prepared her biotics, "Garrus and the others are gonna blast through the other entrance catching them off guard. We're all gonna hit the idiots with shockwaves, Jack stick right, Miri left, I'll take straight down the centre. Wait for my order." she ordered swiftly.
There was a loud explosion and they could feel the vibrations from it.
Jack was itching to go, her biotics already flaring in anticipation.
Shepard waited for the gunfire and smiled darkly, "Let's dance."
Warden Kurill was cursing most vehemently. How had one human female caused so much trouble? It was supposed to have been simple. He had an entire station of hardened mercs at his command for spirits sake. Yet she, Miranda Lawson and Jack had cut through his forces like a hot knife through gel. He turned as movement at the door they were expecting trouble to come from caught his eye. His eyes widened as the three human females, all glowing with powerful biotics, strode through with arms lashing out almost in unison. Waves of dark energy swirled along the ground and when they struck his troops they were thrown like dolls.
"Damn you Shepard!" Kurill bellowed, "You had to make this hard didn't you." he shook his fist at her, "You're too much trouble, at least I can recapture Jack!"
"Like hell asshole!" Jack roared back at him, her newly acquired shotgun blasting the head off a human merc.
"Yeah can so see that happening! What happened to all that bullshit about serving the galaxy?" Shepard spat at him as she picked up a batarian and threw him at the shield that was surrounding Kurill.
The batarian screamed in agony as the energy of the shield burned him alive.
"I do the hard things civil governments won't do!" Kurril screamed at her, the screaming, writhing batarian blocking his view of her.
"You are nothing but a barefaced, two bit slave trader and I don't have time for your shit." Shepard's voice dropped dangerously low.
Jack and Miranda both felt the changing vortex of her biotic energy shifting to something else.
"Garrus, Miranda, Kasumi take out the generators!" She called to the three who were the closest to the glowing pillars that had tentacles of energy feeding the glowing sphere around Kurill. Bowing her head slightly she released her grip on the dead batarian, letting his body crash to the ground below the raised platform Kurill was firing down from.
In seconds the trio had permanently deactivated the generators leaving Kurill exposed with only a thin guard rail to duck behind.
There were only two mercs left alive, pinned down and not for much longer as Grunt closed in on them gleefully, the blood of turians, humans and batarians colouring his armour, blue, red and orange running in rivulets.
Shepard had never attempted what she was about to do but with the boost in her biotics she was given the opportunity to really put some of the prothean biotic techniques to use and the prothean's put the asari to shame. Her movements were seemingly slow and filled with grace, like a martial arts master greeting their opponent. Only instead of calling her opponent to fight she was tearing him apart at the cellular level.
Kurill screamed hideously in agony, losing all control of his body. The pain was beyond description, blinding, burning, boiling him alive in his own scales.
Everyone from the Normandy stared, slack jawed as Kurill seemed to expand, his screams like nothing anyone had ever heard from a turian. Then all of a sudden he simply exploded into a cloud of blue and gray mist, his armour falling to the ground uselessly.
After the screams the sudden silence was deafening, not even the muted klaxons of the alarms penetrated it. Until Shepard spoke in a voice that carried throughout the chamber.
"I am nobodies slave or pet." she was looking to Miranda.
Miranda paled, was that a threat? Her eyes were still glowing, her anger still flowing around her.
"And neither are you Miranda." Shepard finished with a nod then strode towards the entrance Garrus and the others had burst in through.
Miranda relaxed, not a threat against her personally but definitely a warning for the Illusive Man as she recalled what Shepard had had to say about him during several of their more heated discussions. Now they had Jack and the station was ripping itself apart with explosions it was really time to go so she followed Shepard quickly.
Jack shivered, that was a really nasty piece of work. This Shepard was no soft touch and if she kept her word could even be useful. She sauntered after the woman, taking in the newcomers who fell in with her new ride. It was a strange bunch, turian, salarian, krogan and a few humans, definitely not a typical Cerberus squad with all their anti-alien bullshit. Hell the older guy was most definitely a lifetime merc not some pencil pushing science freak. The dark skinned guy screamed Alliance but wore armour in the same colours as Cerberus though he'd scrubbed off the logo's, confusing. It was gonna be one hell of a ride.