The Hero Rises

by Random Equinox

When time has run out and the Reapers come to consume all in their path, then a hero must rise to lay old conflicts to rest, rally allies and enemies alike and challenge fate for the sake of the galaxy itself. A novelization of Mass Effect 3.

11. Final Exam

Chapter 11: Final Exam

I was back on Eden Prime. Walking through the tall grass, stepping around the roots of the trees that stretched towards the sky. In the distance, a small scattering of buildings could be seen, the start of a new colony—a new beginning. It seemed almost peaceful. Tranquil.

Then the trees started rotting. The grass became choked with weeds. Plumes of smoke poured from the buildings. The skies themselves caught fire.

I broke into a run, somehow knowing what would come. Knowing that it wasn't right, that it wasn't supposed to be this way, but that it would happen nonetheless. That it was inevitable. The story was written, the outcome had been determined, the fates would not be denied.

But still I ran.

I ran around the dragon's teeth, each one bearing a human body that was still twitching. Still in the midst of their death throes. I couldn't look at them. I couldn't bear to watch their skin turn grey or their eyes start to glow. I couldn't look at all the people I'd failed.

So I ran.

That respite only lasted until I tripped over a root and fell to the ground. Coughing, spitting, I wiped the dirt from my mouth. I pushed myself up. Lifted my eyes.

And then I saw him.

Corporal Richard L. Jenkins stared at me, his body ridden with bullet holes, each one bleeding crimson rivulets of blood. His eyes full of accusation. "Why did you let this happen?" he asked. "This was supposed to be my first mission. My first chance to prove I had what it took to be a soldier in the Alliance. You were my team leader. The Hero of Elysium. Why didn't you watch my back? Why did you let me die?"

Then Ashley staggered up, the remnants of her hardsuit clinging to her, dangling by a few straps. Every square centimetre of her body was burned. Charred. Blackened chunks of flesh fell off as she came towards me. Her eyes were full of accusation. "What was the point, Shepard? Why save my ass here? Save my ass on Therum and Feros and Noveria, only to let me die on Virmire? I was right there at ground zero when the nuke went off. My family didn't even have a corpse to bury! Couldn't you have given them that much, at least? Why couldn't you have saved me one last time, Shepard? Why did you let me die?"

I turned away, desperately closing my eyes. Clamping my hands over my ears as hard as I could. But the questions—the accusations—kept coming. Worming their way in, echoing through my mind. Screaming in my head. "Why?"

"Why did you let me die?"

"Why did you let me die?"

"WHY DID I DIE INSTEAD OF YOU?!"

---

I went from lying down to sitting up so quickly I almost gave myself whiplash. Certainly my head was spinning. I closed my eyes and waited for the room to settle down.

A bullet-ridden Jenkins and a charred-black Ashley were staring at me, their eyes full of anger and accusation.

With a start, my eyes popped open again. As the room came into focus, I realized that I'd tossed my blankets aside. My heart was pounding. I was sweating up a storm despite the air conditioning. And I couldn't stop gasping for breath like someone who'd just finished a marathon or two.

It took some doing, but I forced myself to breath slower. In and out. In and out. In. Out. I closed my eyes and tried to reassure myself that it was all just a really bad dream. Yes, they had died. Yes, I regretted their deaths. But surely they wouldn't have blamed me. At least, I think they wouldn't have. I never got to know Jenkins that well, but he didn't strike me as that kind of guy. He was young and eager. Too eager, in the end. That was all. And Ashley was an Alliance soldier. A professional. She knew what she'd signed up for and that she might be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice—which she only did after all other avenues had been explored, all options exhausted and every effort had been made to achieve some other outcome. And we'd fought together for months while chasing Saren's trail, so she knew that my choice wasn't made lightly.

She wouldn't have blamed me. None of them would have blamed me. (1)

That's what I kept telling myself for the rest of that long, long, sleepless night.

---

I took my coffee black. Not because I was feeling moody or dramatic or artsy, mind you. No, I just wanted to get the maximum amount of caffeine, undiluted by anything like sugar or milk or cream. To be honest, I wasn't sure if it worked. Still, I was able to keep my eyelids open while suiting up.

By the time I made my way up to Deck Two, we had entered the Vetus system—home to five planets and Jon Grissom Academy. Commissioned about ten years ago, it was known for teaching students—ranging from their early teens to the mid-twenties—math, science and liberal arts. It also had classes geared for students with biotic capability, as exemplified in the Ascension Project: something that wasn't exactly advertised. (2) I'd never had the chance or reason to visit before. Now I did.

"There's Grissom Academy," Joker said as we approached. "And there's the folks who answered the distress call. One Cerberus cruiser for all your faux-humanitarian needs. Plus at least a dozen fighters for moral support—and the odd bit of blockade duty." He glanced at me, suddenly serious. "Too many for us in a straight-up fight. They must want this place bad."

"Receiving incoming transmission," EDI reported.

"Let's hear it," I said.

"SSV Normandy, this is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy. We need immediate assistance."

Kahlee Sanders? Anderson had mentioned a Kahlee Sanders once or twice. The first was recounting the old days and his initial encounter with Saren. The second was more recently, following his recent change in position from Citadel Councillor to Alliance Admiral. As I recalled, he seemed to have a soft spot for her.

"Cerberus is attacking the facility. They're after my students."

"This is Commander Shepard," I said aloud. "We're blocked on a direct approach."

"I know. They've taken control of our docking bays."

Well that was good to know. Even if we were able to somehow circumvent the Cerberus ships, we wouldn't be able to dock normally. "Any alternatives?" I asked.

"There's an auxiliary cargo port I could probably open," Sanders suggested.

"Sounds good," I replied. "We'll come in by shuttle and get your students out of there. Shepard out." I closed the comm channel and accessed the intership comm controls. "This is Commander Shepard. The mission is a go. Lieutenant Cortez and all squad members; report to the shuttle bay."

I stepped aside to make way for EDI as she got up and left. "Joker, you're right: a straight-up fight's out of the option. On the other hand, that cruiser's an awfully tempting target and I'm guessing it's not as tough as that Collector ship."

"Pretty good bet, I'd say," Joker agreed, a grin spreading across his face. "What do you have in mind?"

I quickly laid out my plan. "Whaddya say? Think you can pull it off?"

Joker laughed aloud. "Boy, can I!" he grinned with delight.

"Just wait until we actually clear the Normandy before pulling any mad stunts," I grinned back.

---

Joker followed my instructions to the letter. According to Miranda, he waited 2.6 seconds before making his move. It took a couple shots from the Normandy's Thanix cannons to take out the cruiser—boy, did it have some good shields or armour—but the result was quite satisfying. Especially since the explosion took out four of the fighters as a bonus. After that, he put on a burst of speed, bolted forward and buzzed the fighters, almost colliding with two of them. Small wonder that five of the fighters immediately broke formation and tried to pursue. Not that they succeeded.

The remaining three fighters adjusted their position in a vain attempt to compensate for their losses. Between the ridiculously large gaps in their blockade and what passed for the Kodiak's stealth features, we were able to easily slip through and dock at the cargo port. "Keep the shuttle in position," I told Cortez. "We'll be back."

"Roger that."

The interior looked like every other space station I'd visited: decent lighting, lots of grey metal from the ceiling, walls, support bracings and floor. Only exception was the odd scorch mark from weapons firing. Otherwise, it was almost like home.

"Commander," Sanders said over the comm, interrupting my trip down memory lane. (3) "I'm locked in the Security room right around the corner. Cerberus troops are trying to get in."

"EDI, Liara; see if you can find and tap into the Cerberus comm channels," I ordered.

Clearly they were successful, as the next thing I heard was one of TIMmy's goons: "Get ready! I've almost got the door."

"All right," I said. "All teams; get ready."

I should explain.

After Eden Prime, I'd been forced to change the lineup of the teams ever so slightly. Team Two—Miranda and James—could remain the same. But Javik presented both some opportunities and some challenges. I didn't want him to be on the same team as Liara because I wanted to spread out our biotics, I didn't want Liara to pepper him with questions and I didn't want Javik to open his big fat mouth and make another insensitive remark. Given his suggested antipathy towards synthetics, I definitely didn't want him on the same team as EDI. So I kept Liara on Team One with me and moved EDI over to our team. That meant Javik would go to Team Three. Or, as Garrus put it, he got the new guy while I seized the opportunity to stack my team with 'babes.'

Miranda insisted afterward that the biotic pulse that sent Garrus flying into the wall was entirely coincidental. Garrus seemed skeptical. I kept my mouth shut.

On a more positive note, Javik was willing to share the benefits of Prothean technology. Specifically, the schematics for the particle rifle I'd seen him use in my visions. An energy-based weapon, it was developed after the Reapers tore through the Prothean Empire's warships and made any remaining supply lines iffy at best. Miranda and EDI ran a few tests. They'd determined that it was basically a weaker version of the Collector particle beam weapon I'd used last year, only with a regenerating power source instead of relying on ammunition. The only downer was that if used too often, it would overheat—just like how weapons used to be before the introduction of thermal clips.

Naturally, Javik selected the particle rifle as one of his weapons. Garrus and James were quick to follow suit. I believe James's exact words were: "A ray gun? Awesome!" (4)

So with Prothean tech augmenting our already battle-hardened squad, we prepared to spring an ambush.

Naturally, that didn't work out. One of the Cerberus goons was looking our way and warned his buddies. Instead of getting the drop on them, we wound up exchanging a whole lot of gunfire and energy beams while frantically doing our best to avoid getting hit. Some guy neatly rolled out of the way just in time to avoid my fireball, though it looked like he wound up getting hit by EDI's. Lucky shot, I'm sure. In any event, Liara hit him with a biotic blast that re-ignited the plasma while Miranda and James pulled off a biotic-concussive round combo that sent the other hostiles flying. A couple energy beam shots and a sniper round from yours truly and it was all over. We went halfway down the corridor before spotting a door on the right that was slightly ajar. "Sanders, we're clear," I called out on a hunch. "It's me. Shepard."

The door opened and we carefully walked in. A blonde woman in an Alliance uniform was waiting for us. "Hi," I said to the business end of an assault rifle. "We're here to help. Please don't shoot us. That would be awkward."

"Commander, thank you," Sanders said warmly, lowering her weapon. "Admiral Anderson always said you were the best."

"He has a bad habit of lying," I deflected. "But thank you anyway."

Sanders's eyes crinkled as a brief smile floated across her face. "With Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best. Lies or no lies."

I quickly introduced the rest of my squad before getting down to business. "How many of you are there? We never got any numbers over the comm channel."

"Fewer than twenty," Sanders replied, sitting down in a nearby chair. "Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread. But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for the Alliance. Others are biotics. They've been training for military operations, working together as biotic artillery."

I motioned for the squad to secure the area. As they scattered, I leaned against a table. "You know, Anderson mentioned you a few times. The two of you met a while back, didn't you?"

"Yes. We met—God, what's it been?—20 years ago, when he was a Spectre candidate. I was there when Saren betrayed him. David saved my life that day. He's a good man."

"The best," I agreed. "He was on Earth when the Reapers hit. He..." I hesitated, not sure if this was the kind of thing she should be hearing, given what I suspected about their relationship. "He stayed behind when I got offworld," I finally admitted.

As I'd feared, Sanders's face slackened. "I hadn't heard..." she said quietly. "We've been cut off from most news. He's alive?"

"Alive and fighting," I lied. I didn't know for sure, but I had a feeling Sanders needed some certainty at the moment. (5) "He was going to gather survivors and head up some kind of resistance movement."

"Good." Sanders breathed a sigh of relief. "If we get out of here... well, just tell him to stay alive."

"Roger that," I nodded. "Now, about the students: what did you mean about 'biotic artillery?' I mean, a few months knocking over practice dummies can't prepare your students for war."

"Agreed," Sanders nodded, "but the Alliance needs every resource it can get. Not that I'd call my students 'resources,' but..." She broke off and rubbed her eyes. "They wanted to help, Commander. They wanted to do something. How could we say no with the entire galaxy falling apart?"

I guess I could sympathize with that. People feeling helpless, wanting to do something to establish some semblance of control again. But still: sending a bunch of kids into combat? They hadn't formally enlisted with the Alliance, they hadn't gone through Basic training… they were just kids. I know, I know: after everything I'd seen and gone through, there are a lot of people who would seem like kids. But still…

My train of thought was interrupted by some stuttering static that came from the speakers. Sanders immediately began tweaking controls. "Hang on. I've been trying to get communications working." She entered in a series of commands. Nothing. She entered them again. Still nothing. Shaking her head, she smacked the console with the heel of her hand.

"This is Froeberg! There are students trapped in Orion Hall! Cerberus has us boxed in. They're closing fast!"

Sanders cursed. Everyone immediately began prepping their weapons. "Orion Hall?" I prompted.

"Back out the door and down the hallway," she instructed. "I can get the door open."

"Are you going to be okay by yourself," I wanted to know, "or should I—"

"I'll be fine," Sanders said firmly. "The students are what's important."

"I'll bring them back here and we'll make a run for the shuttle," I told her. "Watch yourself: if something happens to you, Anderson would never forgive me."

"Well we can't have that, now can we?" Sanders smiled briefly. "I'll stay put and keep my head down. With luck, maybe I can regain control of some of our systems."

---

True to her word, Kahlee got the doors open. We entered some kind of lounge with scattered datapads and thermal clips. There were large floor-to-ceiling windows, through which we could see some two Cerberus goons dragging a student by his heels. A third Cerberus agent was following them. All the goons were ignoring the student's screams.

The windows were too thick to shoot through, so we had to take the long way around. I was able to take the lead, scoop up some weapon mod and listen to some Cerberus spokesperson—spokesgoon?—all at the same time. And they say women are better at multi-tasking.

"Attention, all students. Cerberus troops have taken control of this station. We have no desire to hurt you. Surrender and you will not be harmed."

"Reiley Bellarmine, drop the barrier! Now!"

Someone clearly didn't get the memo. Activating my cloak, I snuck forward. Not the same kid we'd spotted earlier, but someone else. He'd managed to get loose and erect a biotic bubble that was blocking the nice, friendly Cerberus goons. "Nobody's going to hurt you," one of them rasped. "The file says we need you alive."

All right. Maybe not so nice or friendly. I popped up, lined up a shot and fired a bullet right through the hostile on the right. EDI's plasma and Garrus's concussive round took out the other guy. Meanwhile, Miranda and James had turned the third guy into a messy smear on the wall. Then Miranda walked over, rolled her eyes and wordlessly handed me a datapad full of credits. I smiled gratefully at her. Javik looked confused.

"We understand that you're scared. Your teachers have filled your heads with Alliance propaganda."

"Hi there," I said. "I'm Commander Shepard. I'm from the Alliance."

The kid dropped his biotics. Chalk one up for Alliance propaganda. "There may be more nearby," I told him. "Play dead or find cover until it's safe, then get to Kahlee Sanders. You'll find her in Security."

"But Cerberus can keep you safe. We're the only ones who can."

"Okay," Reiley nodded, "but my sister Seanne is out here somewhere, too."

Who names their daughter Sean—so not the point right now. "I'll keep an eye out for her," I promised. "Now go!"

Looking around, I spotted another datapad. Ooh! More credits! I picked it up and turned it on.

Tactical Analysis Review: Student ID # 275668

Unshielded opponent approaching at two o'clock—shielded opponent approaching at twelve o'clock. Both holding heavy pistols. Most effective way to take them down?

You chose: Shockwave

Correct Answer: Singularity followed by Warp

Instructor Comments: Shockwave inadequate against shielded enemy. Your barrier would hold long enough against heavy pistols for a Singularity to catch both. Warp on the unstable biotic field created by the Singularity results in an explosion neutralizing both enemies.

This was definitely not like any class I'd ever taken before. And who knew that biotic manoeuvres actually had names? (6) Though I could attest that the tactics were sound.

"The Alliance has failed you. Earth has fallen."

Boy that was starting to get really annoying. Ignoring the relentless Cerberus pep talk, I resumed my search of the room. I managed to find another weapon mod and another datapad:

Instructor's Log:

The kids are getting better at this shit, but I'm worried. I don't think we've got enough time to pull this off and there's just no way they could really survive out there without way more training. Not without any field experience at all.

Doing my best to get them ready. Didn't think I'd ever care this much. But I won't let anyone hurt 'em. They're my kids.

MINE.

Yeesh. Someone was a bit possessive. Though it was good to see I wasn't the only one with reservations about throwing kids out into a warzone.

"Fighting now only dishonours your family… your friends."

Anything else was drowned out by the sound of gunfire. Quickly moving into the next room, I selected firing positions for each team with my HUD.

"Watch the headshots! Orders are to take them alive!"

At least the hostiles weren't completely trigger-happy. Moving up to a new vantage point, I restocked on ammo. My sensors picked up some kind of equipment up ahead. Analysis concluded it was a shield generator of some sort. For what, I wondered?

"Check the file. Who was it?"

"Honaker. Some kind of math genius. Low priority."

"Good. No loss. Next time, remember to check the file."

Okay. All this talk of prioritizing kids and files was starting to piss me off. Popping up, I fired off some plasma. "Armed hostiles!" one of the Cerberus goons yelled, throwing down a smoke grenade. Good move, but ultimately futile thanks to the scope on my sniper rifle.

"You are the best and the brightest that humanity has to offer."

I'm sure the announcer didn't mean to praise my sniping skills, or the way Team Three spotted another pair of Cerberus goons trying to flank us and took down their shields with EMPs and particle beams. One of the now-shieldless goons tried to sneak towards the generator.

The generator. Goon with no shields. Shield generator. Connection? I think so. Raising my sniper rifle, I blew it to smithereens. Well, actually I just winged it, thanks to a sudden burst of gunfire, but it was enough to knock it over and shut it down.

"Cerberus can give you the tools you need."

Okay. That guy was really starting to annoy me. But he wasn't here for me to shoot, so the hapless goon on my left would have to do. The other hapless goon took a burst from James's awesome ray gun to his face and dropped like a sack of potatoes. That left one more goon. I launched another fireball. He dove out of the way. I waited until he got back to his feet and drilled a hole through his head.

"You need us and we need you..."

Is that like 'I love you, you love me, we're a happy family?' (7)

"…if our work is to succeed."

Guess not. Two more Centurions came in. I sent the first one staggering with a sniper round. Then I set him on fire while Garrus shot him with his awesome ray gun. Then Liara used her biotics to ignite the plasma. The second Centurion ducked to avoid all the flying meaty chunks, but still got hit by Miranda's WarpShockwaveSingularity whatever the biotic kids are calling it these days. I shattered his helmet with a shot from my sniper round. The second shot blew his head up like a ripe melon.

Ducking down, I quickly reloaded and waited for the next wave of hostiles. Nothing. Checked my HUD. Still nothing. So I led the squad forward. "There are Alliance soldiers on the station now. They claim they want to help you. But all they're doing is threatening your safety."

Assuming you had a high enough priority in the file, of course. I was about to head out of the room when I spotted a shotgun lying on a sofa. Doubling back, I quickly scanned the schematics for future use before leaving the room.

"Please. Don't risk getting caught in the crossfire. Surrender now."

The next room was a large, spacious arrangement with lots of greenery, gently-sloped walls with water running down them, comfortable looking sofas and various weapons and gadgets strewn around. I know: it doesn't make sense. Welcome to my life. While I was scanning them all, I bumped into a frightened girl crouched in a corner. You see: kleptomania can come in handy every now and then. "Stay back!" she whimpered. "I'll… I'll…"

"Holly Merizan, can you hear us? We found your mother and father. They're safe at a Cerberus sanctuary."

Oh, that was sneaky. Using someone's parents and claiming they were safe in your custody to lure her out of hiding. We really had to get a move on. After we took care of this girl. Garrus ran a quick medical scan—from a reassuringly safe distance—looked at the results and cursed. "Crap, she's hurt. She needs help now!"

Crouching down, I slid over a packet of medi-gel. She looked at me warily, but took the medi-gel. "What's your name?"

"Seanne."

"Seanne Bellarmine?"

She started. "How… how do you know my name?"

"My name's Commander Shepard. I'm from the Alliance. I saved your brother, Reiley. He's with Kahlee Sanders at Security. Can you get to them?"

"Yeah." She administered the medi-gel and slowly got to her feet. "I just need to rest for a minute."

I'd say: she was still pretty wobbly. But she managed to straighten up. "Thanks," she offered.

If I had more troops, I'd assign some escorts. Hell, I'd assign that Reiley kid some escorts too. But I couldn't spare anyone. All I could do was keep the squad with me and take down the Cerberus force. The sooner I did that, the sooner I could save the kids.

"Reiley Bellarmine, if you're out there, we know your parents are on Earth. Come with us. Show us how to use the prototype mechs you've been working on."

I quickly finished downloading the credits I'd found on a datapad and hurried back to Seanne. "Don't listen to that guy," I told her. "Reiley won't. Just get to him and Sanders."

"Yes, sir."

"Commander."

I waited until Seanne got moving before activating the comm. "I'm here."

"I just got an emergency message from the students in Orion Hall. One of our instructors is with them, but they can't hold out much longer."

"We're on the way," I replied, breaking into a jog. "I'm sending one of the other students your way. Seanne Bellarmine?"

"Good. Her brother's already here—thanks to you, I take it. Now get to Orion Hall. Hurry!"

"Hang on," I said, suddenly slowing down. There was a large viewscreen above the door in front of us. A viewscreen displaying a rotating Cerberus logo. A viewscreen with a thin optical wire dangling from one of its input slots. I traced the wire down to a laptop, which was plugged into a generator. On a hunch, I set the whole thing on fire.

The image on the viewscreen switched to the blue logo of Grissom Academy against a white background. "Is this thing working?" Sanders asked. "Shepard, you're a miracle worker."

I have my moments.

"Students, if you can hear me, this is Kahlee Sanders. I am still alive and help is coming. Commander Shepard and an Alliance squad are here to rescue us. Stay safe. Get to me if you can or send me a message if you need help."

"That's our cue," I told the squad."Let's go."

---

We opened the door and double-timed it down the corridor. "Orion Hall is right ahead," Liara reported, "through the next set of doors."

When we burst in, two Cerberus hostiles were advancing. The only thing standing between them and a pair of students was a lone woman. "Eat this!" she snarled before sending a wave of biotic energy ripping forward. The goons were sent sprawling into the wall behind them, hit it with a pair of loud cracks and collapsed to the ground.

With a start, I stared at the woman. I knew that voice. "Jack?" I asked in disbelief.

The woman stared at me. I almost didn't recognize her, mostly because she actually had hair. But the tattoos and the angry look were definitely Jack. "Shepard?"

Before we could say anything more, Jack's head whipped to the side. Following her gaze, I spotted an Atlas mech crouching down, trying to slip through another door into Orion Hall. Jack sprinted forward, slid to a stop between the mech and the students and raised a biotic barrier. The mech fired a single deafening shot…

…which was completely blocked by Jack's barrier. Entering the hall, the pilot straightened the mech to its full height and raised its weapon arm towards Jack. She defiantly stood there, glowing spheres of biotic energy blazing around her fists.

"Fire at will!" I yelled. Our barrage of bullets, particle beams and EMPs hammered the mech. At last, the Atlas turned towards us, its pilot clearly sensing a more immediate threat. "Everyone get down!" Jack shouted. "This thing's outta your league! Shepard, keep it off us!"

That almost sounded like an order. Good thing I knew how to keep my priorities straight. As Jack and the students ran up a flight of stairs, I began giving orders of my own. "We need to take that Atlas down ASAP! Miranda, Garrus, EDI; stagger your EMPs. Everyone else, open fire!"

The squad complied. After the first couple zaps, the Atlas's pilot dropped a smoke grenade. Again, the smoke was no match for my sniper rifle. Double-checking that the disruptor mod was active, I fired a shot. Anything to help weaken the Atlas.

Several more shots bounced off my shields. And they definitely didn't come from the mech. "We're being flanked," I warned. "Team Two, focus on the Atlas. All other teams; target the other hostiles, go back to the Atlas when you can."

I started things off by setting one of the goons on fire. Liara turned the flames into a raging inferno with a biotic blast. Meanwhile, Javik and Garrus used biotics and concussive rounds to send another Cerberus hostile flying into the wall. Miranda and James were doing what they could to slowly whittle down the Atlas's shields with EMPs and concussive rounds. EDI pitched in too, whenever she wasn't zapping the shields of any human-sized hostiles.

And Jack? She and the students were sending biotic blasts streaming down at any Cerberus sucker who happened to be exposed. Unfortunately, the Atlas pilot seemed to figure that out, judging by the way he was swivelling his mech around. Had to stop him before he opened fire, so I tried to hack into his weapon systems. Don't think it did anything. EDI's fireball probably had more of an impact, judging by the size of the explosion.

While Liara caught a couple Cerberus goons in a singularity, Miranda and James took another chunk out of the Atlas's shields. That got the pilot's attention. And then we discovered that with something as tall as the Atlas, it didn't take much for it to clear any obstacles and establish a line of sight. "Team Two, move!" I warned. To buy them some more time, I raised my sniper rifle and fired off a shot. Then I switched to my submachine gun, which was better at damaging shields anyway.

The Atlas let me get off a couple free shots before it fired a single shot. To my credit, I was still standing when the smoke cleared. Sure my shields were gone, my armour had at least a half-dozen hairline cracks and my vision suddenly became blurry. But I was still standing.

Having gotten bragging rights for that feat, I allowed myself to duck down and give my hardsuit a chance to administer some medi-gel and do some basic auto-repair. Unfortunately, the Atlas pilot was really determined to dig out my squad, actually squeezing between two pillars to move into our corner of Orion Hall. "All teams; scatter!" Garrus barked. Taking his advice, I activated my cloak. At the moment, getting some distance under the veil of invisibility was well worth the cost of short-circuiting any healing or repairing.

By the time my cloak had worn off, the students had hit the Atlas a few more times with biotic blasts and Miranda, Garrus and EDI had zapped it with their EMPs. One last zap and its shields were finally drained. Now it was time to start tearing its armour plating apart. Which meant it was time to do what I did best—set things on fire.

As Liara reignited my plasma with her biotics, I pulled out my sniper rifle and fired off a quick snapshot. For good measure, I grabbed a grenade and lobbed it over. (8) It exploded just as Miranda and James deployed their biotics and concussive rounds in a one-two punch. To my surprise—and delight—Javik and Garrus did the same.

"Get ready! More on the way!" I heard Jack warn. Oh goody. Just what we needed. On the bright side, the Atlas was visibly damaged from the constant onslaught it was enduring. Spotting a crack in its armour, I widened it with a sniper round before sending a stream of plasma in to barbeque the circuitry. The resulting explosion put a smile on my face. What can I say? I'm a simple man with simple pleasures.

"Shepard, keep them off us!"

All right. Enough pleasure. Time to bring on the pain. As I moved into position, I saw Garrus and Javik driving a Centurion back with their particle rifles. Miranda was trying to squish a poor assault trooper's head with her biotics before James put the poor guy out of his misery with yet another concussive round. Raising my sniper rifle, I spotted a Centurion with his back turned to us. Maybe he was looking at Jack and the students. Or maybe he was trying to take a leak. Whatever he was doing, EDI zapped his shields and Liara sent him spinning around in another singularity. EMP… biotics… just one thing missing.

Not bothering to watch him light up like a bonfire, I looked around and saw another Cerberus goon. He staggered left… right… forward… right into the sights of my sniper rifle. One shot. One kill.

And that was that.

---

Jack had relocated the kids to the second floor of Orion Hall. She grinned down at me as the squad approached. "Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS," she called down. "I had no idea the King of the Boy Scouts would show up." (9)

"Neither did I," I called back. "Let me know when he shows up."

She gave a brief laugh before turning to the students. "All right," she barked. "Amp check—now." As the students reached to the back of their necks or activated their omni-tools, she stabbed a finger at the boy in front of her. "Prangley: those fields were weak. Cerberus isn't gonna lie down out of pity like that girl you took to prom."

Prangley was shoved by a girl behind him, one with a smirk on her face. He didn't look amused.

"Is it just me," I asked, "or does Jack have hair?"

"Is it just me," Miranda wondered, "or is Jack wearing clothes?"

"Is it just me," Garrus asked, "or is Jack interacting with those students like a teacher… or a drill sergeant?"

"Grab juice and an energy bar," the object of our attention said. "We move in five." With that, Jack vaulted over the balcony and dropped down, using her biotics to slow her descent. She landed in a crouch and rose to her feet.

Now that I had the opportunity, I took a good look at her. She really had grown her hair out into a ponytail, though she still shaved the sides of her head. She wore a black leather jacket covered in metal studs over a tight low-cut white top that showed her stomach, her… neckline and all the tattoos that covered them. To complete the ensemble, she wore baggy pants and combat boots. I watched as she strode towards me…

…and slapped me right across the face. Ow.

"Hey!" I protested. "What was that for?"

"Being such a goody two-shoes that you had to turn yourself in. Six months, Shepard. That's how long we spent worrying about what those f—fools on Earth were gonna do to you."

"It was the right thing to do," I insisted.

"Like I said," she said. "King of the Boy Scouts. Dumbass."

"As charming as ever," Miranda sighed.

"Bite me, Princess," Jack snapped. (10) "Better yet, bite him. Probably how he likes it, anyway."

No comment.

"Grissom Academy is for the best and brightest of humanity," Miranda sneered. "Which begs the question: what are you doing here?"

"I'm teaching the best and brightest!" Jack snapped. "Which doesn't include you."

"You're teaching them? Teaching what, dare I ask? Cursing as a second language? The fine art of tattoos?"

"Biotics. They put up a job posting. I applied. Unlike you, I made the short list and I got picked. Whaddya think of that, Little Miss Perfect?"

"The Alliance must be more desperate than I thought."

"Listen, Princess: I—"

"Ladies," I finally interrupted. "I hate to interrupt this… chat… but we do have all those Cerberus goons running around Grissom Academy and tons more inbound. We need to go."

"Okay," Jack relented. "Fine. Much as I'd love to smear the walls with your fu... buddy here, Right now, all I care about is getting my kids outta here."

It was incredible, if you thought about it. Jack spent her childhood being drugged, tortured and experimented on, just because of her biotic potential. And then, after years popping in and out of jail, she wound up at a place full of kids with biotic potential. Now one might think she'd go from abused to abuser and continue the cycle. Instead, she was determined to make sure they had the training, attention and care that she never had.

There was a lot I could say about that. But all I offered was a simple "'Your kids,' huh?"

Apparently that was enough. She turned around and looked up at the students, now scarfing down bars and gulping down juice. Her face softened as she smiled fondly at them. "Yeah," she whispered. "I guess so."

"I can't think of anybody who could care about them more," I said sincerely. "How did this happen, anyway? Was there really a job posting?"

"Nah," she laughed. "I was just messing with Princess over here. Truth is, I had some free time when you were off cooling your heels in lockup," Jack shrugged. "Alliance brass got in touch. They knew I helped you and offered me this… and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style."

Jack raised her voice near the end, knowing without turning around that said students were eavesdropping. "The psychotic biotic!" Prangley shouted. The girl who shoved him followed up with "I will destroy you."

"Jack: shaping the biotic youth of the Alliance," Garrus murmured.

"The mind boggles," Miranda muttered back.

Ignoring the comedy routine, Jack looked up. "Drink your juice, Rodriguez," she drawled. "Right now, you couldn't destroy wet tissue paper."

That was when the comm crackled to life. "Cortez to extraction team. We've got some good news and some bad news."

Naturally. "Give it to me," I sighed.

"Good news, the Normandy managed to pick off a few more fighters chasing it. Bad news: one of them must've sent out a distress signal. Two more Cerberus cruisers just entered the system."

"How long have we got?" I wanted to know.

"The cruisers began scanning as soon as they arrived. They've already launched about two dozen fighters between them. Maybe a minute thirty until the fighters reach us. Two minutes, tops, Commander. Cruisers'll be within weapons range in three minutes. After that, we're in for a fight. And before you ask: EDI already ran the odds. Between all that firepower and the lack of surprise, we won't come out ahead. You've got… well, now you have two minutes and sixteen seconds to evac. After that, there's no way we'll get past them."

I looked at the squad. We could make it. So could Jack. Then I looked up. The students were still eating and drinking, exchanging excited conversations, completely oblivious to what was going on. By the time we got them organized, Cerberus would be all over us. Even worse, it was just dawning on me how many kids there were. It would be really tricky packing everyone into one shuttle. "Get out of here and back to the Normandy," I ordered. "Tell Joker to do what he can to stall them once you've docked. We'll find another way off the station."

"Roger that. Good luck, sir."

As soon as Cortez got off the line, I opened a new comm channel. "Shepard to Sanders. The students are safe, but the shuttle's a no-go. Cerberus just got a lot of reinforcements: two cruisers, each with a full complement of fighters."

"Understood," Sanders replied. "I might know another way off the station, but I need station-wide camera access. Can you disable the Cerberus security override? Looks like it's routed through Orion Hall, so you should be able to disrupt it from there."

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"We need to reach the Cerberus shuttles, the ones that brought all those soldiers over. The cruisers and fighters won't auto-target friendly ships, which gives us a fighting chance to escape. Get me back the cameras, and I'll find you a path to the shuttles that'll keep Cerberus from boxing you in."

Really? Good to know. Note to self: if and when we got to the shuttles and escaped in one piece, find a way to duplicate the Cerberus IFF signal. (11) Could come in handy next time.

"Standby," I said, closing the channel. "Listen up, people," I said to the squad—and Jack,"We're gonna need another way outta here. Sanders has an idea, but she needs to bypass the security override Cerberus set up. She thinks we can do that from here. Jack: you and I'll take care of that. Everyone else; split up and cover the doors."

Everyone moved off on their assigned tasks. Well, they were about to until Jack started asking questions with her usual amount of tact. "Who's the metal chick wrapped in leather?"

Oh. Right. For whatever reason, Miranda loaned EDI some clothes. No, don't ask me why. I had too much on my mind as it was. "A… mech that EDI's borrowing to walk around, fight, help us on missions. That sort of thing." Somehow, I had a feeling I should downplay the Cerberus origins.

Javik made a noise of disgust over the idea that I could let EDI tag along. That drew Jack's attention. "What the hell are you?" she asked him.

"Fifty thousand years older than you."

"This is Javik," I quickly introduced. "A Prothean we woke up on Eden Prime."

"No shit," Jack said. "Shepard always did find the weird ones."

"Shepard's standing right here," I reminded her.

"Hooray for you. C'mon: let's find that override whatsit."

As Jack and I searched for the whatsit, I took back my rightful position as the Avatar of Pathological Curiosity. "I have to say, Jack: you look good."

"Tired of the princess already?" Jack snorted. "Finally figured out that I'm a better lay?"

"You know what I mean."

Jack seemed to relax ever-so-slightly. So did I: the last thing I wanted was for Miranda and Jack to resume their old animosity. "Yeah, well… maybe some of your attitude rubbed off on me."

I leaned over and picked up a med-kit. "Yeah?" I asked as I rummaged through it.

"You know about my past. I never had a family. And these guys…" She looked up at the kids and gave that soft smile again. She clearly cared about them. More importantly, she was happy here. Like she'd finally found a purpose in her life. Then her face morphed into the angry, hostile scowl I was more familiar with. "Anyone screws with my students, I will tear them apart."

"Copy that," I said. Having emptied the med-kit and determined that there was no override inside, I dropped it to the floor and kept on walking. It wasn't long before I spotted a datapad. Ooh! Credits.

Turned out, it had something more important. Information:

Student ID: 12-5D-Prangley

Status: Capture Priority Alpha. Bring back alive at all costs.

Vital retrieval subject due to high-level biotic abilities paired with high leadership testing scores. Considered prime candidate for indoctrination and high-level enhancements for subsequent long-term infiltration relocation.

"This isn't the first place Cerberus has hit," I said, lowering the datapad. "And judging from all the guys we've seen so far, the Illusive Man's now rounding up anyone he can find and stuffing them full of Reaper tech."

"The fuck?" Jack sputtered. "Why?"

"Upgrading them up the wazoo and brainwashing them to do whatever he wants."

Jack paled. "And he wants to do that to my students?"

"Looks like," I confirmed. "What's so valuable about them? Biotically, I mean. Obviously, Cerberus thinks they're good. What do you think?"

"What's scarier than a pissed-off biotic attacker?"

"A pissed-off biotic attacker with tats from head to toe."

For that, I got a punch to the shoulder. Good thing I was wearing armour. "A whole bunch of them working together," Jack corrected. "It's like a biotic artillery strike. Any asshole gets in our way; we'll rip 'em to shreds."

"Doesn't that exhaust them?" I frowned.

"Yeah, sure," Jack agreed. "But we've been working on conditioning, improving endurance. Whenever they complain, I tell them about the Collector base. Throwing husks around, making shockwaves all over the place…" She rolled her eyes and added "I kept thinking 'Damn, let the salarian handle this! He can talk 'em to death."

"That was Plan B," I stage-whispered.

"How are the students handling things so far? With the war, I mean?"

"How do you think?" Jack replied bitterly. "They're a bunch of teenagers. Until a few months ago, their biggest concern was getting laid."

"Do you think they're ready?"

"I don't think they have a choice," Jack sighed.

"So… all this talk about biotic artillery strikes…" I trailed off.

"Let me guess: you wouldn't shut up until Sanders told you everything." Jack rolled her eyes when I nodded. "Figures. It's great in theory. Maybe they'll get it together once they've seen some action."

"I hear a 'but' there," I observed.

"But they'd be better off as support," Jack reluctantly admitted. "Don't get me wrong: they're eager. They can't wait to show everyone what they've got. But if you put them on the front lines, all hell will break loose. Only a few of them have actually held a real weapon before. Everyone else just tried out some bootleg sims. Some of them—like Rodriguez there—are okay in a classroom, but would freak at the first explosion. And they still exhaust themselves way too fast. It'd be better if we put them in the back ranks, help with barriers and shit. I don't know. Something."

I was really grateful that Jack felt the same way, but had some facts to back up my gut reaction. "Have you told them that?"

"No!" Jack said immediately. "They need me to believe in them while I try to figure this out. I did pick up a few things listening to your damn speeches."

"Well, now we're gonna figure this out," I told her. "I'll save you the speech and skip to the punch line: you're not alone. Not anymore."

"Good."

A minute later, I found a laptop underneath one of Orion Hall's many benches. Opening it up, I saw a program running. Didn't take long before I confirmed this was the source of the security override and shut it down. "Sanders, you should have access now."

"Got it. Hang on… All right. The fastest way is through the Atrium, but Cerberus has sealed the doors. You'll need to disable the magnetic locks. The overrides should be directly above the door."

We moved to the second floor and passed some of the students, most of whom were quietly talking amongst themselves. Some of them were talking about me—though none of them mentioned that Elysium statue, thank God. Two of them had finally figured out that they wanted to try going out on a date when things settled down, to which Jack muttered "About damn time." Finally, I found a computer terminal. It took a minute to play around, but I managed to access the magnetic locks Sanders had mentioned. I patched Jack into the squad's comm frequency before contacting Sanders. "I think I got it," I reported.

"Good. You should be able to force open the doors now. I'll get to the shuttles ahead of you with Reiley and Seanne and get a pair ready to fly."

"See you there, Sanders." I waited until Sanders got off the comm before continuing. "All teams; rendezvous at these coordinates. Jack, get the students."

---

By the time Jack and the students arrived, my squad had managed to open the doors. Well, I opened them. The squad watched. Group effort, I guess. "Everyone be ready," I announced. "We'll go in first and draw their fire."

"We'll shadow you from the second level and hit those fu…" Jack broke off and rubbed her head in frustration. "…those guys from above," she finished.

"A good strategy that protects the students from direct fire," EDI approved.

"Yeah, but if they bump into just one of those Cerberus squads…" I muttered. Aloud, I said "Listen up, ladies and gentlemen. Garrus and Javik will be joining you. Their job is to help you coordinate your movements with ours." And keep them in one piece, I didn't add. "Your job is to listen to them and Jack, time your shots and stay safe."

I could've chosen Team One, but I was acutely aware of my reputation. Jack didn't need to be overshadowed by my hero crap. Team Two would mean putting Miranda and Jack together. While both of them had grown over the last year or so, that was a bit too dicey for my liking. Especially after that little spat earlier. That left Team Three. Javik was still a bit of an unknown, but he'd shown a willingness to follow Garrus's lead. Garrus, for his part, used to be Jack's team leader when we were fighting the Collectors, was probably a better strategist than I was and knew how to give commands while pretending to be an advisor. Besides, having him run on the second floor meant giving him the high ground to deploy his sniper rifle. I almost envied him.

"All right," Jack snapped. "I didn't bust my ass training you so you could die now. Keep low, pick your targets."

That was when the omni-tools of every single student lit up. "Students of Grissom Academy: the station is sealed. The Alliance soldiers cannot save you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully and you won't be harmed."

You'd just be dragged down the halls kicking and screaming. "Asshole," Jack hissed.

"Damn it, they're messaging everyone," Sanders said over the comm. She must've added another frequency, because her next words were addressed to everyone in Orion Hall: "Students, this is Sanders. Cerberus is lying: the station isn't as locked down as they think and the Alliance forces can save you. They've done it before; they'll do it again. Now I want you to switch your omni-tools to privacy mode so they can't track you."

Damn. They'd been doing that all along? Good thing we were putting a stop to that now. Otherwise, they'd see our escape route from a mile away and put a stop to that in short order.

One by one, the students complied. Rodriguez bit her lip. "What if… what if they're not lying?"

"It's Rodriguez, right?" I asked. Yeah, I already knew that. But exchanging names never hurt when it came to talking people around to my way of thinking. "Cerberus is trying to mess with you," I explained when she nodded. "Make you doubt yourself. Make you forget that you've already held your own against Cerberus. Remember: you've been trained for this by one of the best. Jack's one of the strongest biotics I've ever met. You can't tell me she hasn't taught you one or two nasty tricks."

"Try a dozen," Prangley grinned.

"Come on, Rodriguez," Jack coaxed. "They're only asking nicely 'cuz you scared 'em in that last fight."

"They're probably pissing in their pants right now," Garrus added.

"So take your balls outta your purse and kick. some. ass," Jack finished.

Rodriguez straightened up. "Yes, ma'am," she said.

That seemed to settle things. "Let's go," I ordered. Team Three followed Jack and the students up some stairs on the side and disappeared out of sight. That left the rest of us to go through the doors, down the halls and into the Atrium.

It was one of those urban planning wonders. A ring of modern architecture—walkways, ramps, barriers, railings—surrounding an oasis of nature—trees, sprawling grass—all culminating in a wide, open-spaced sanctuary.

"Open fire!"

"Take cover!"

"Affirmative!"

Well, it was a sanctuary—with all the peace and tranquility that implies—until the Cerberus forces clustered there noticed us and went all trigger-happy. The first thing I did, once Teams One and Two had found cover along one of the walkways, was jam the weapon systems of the Atlas I saw. Our shields could handle a lot of things, but not a direct hit from that beast. Some quick-thinking Cerberus goon threw a smoke grenade our way. But the obscuring smoke worked both ways: I cloaked, snuck up the ramp until I cleared the smoke and looked for a target. Aha! Mr. Guardian, do you think that shield's gonna protect you? You thought wrong. Dead wrong. Get it? Because you thought the shield would keep you alive and now you're… okay, this is why I don't moonlight as a comedian.

I do, however, moonlight as a sniper when I'm not the Universe's Playtoy. One shot dropped a Centurion's shields. Miranda zapped the guy a second later—guess my bullet beat her EMP. Still, it meant that James's concussive round fried the shields of everybody within a couple metres.

"Shepard, up here!"

I paused to snipe a helpless goon before replying. "Ready for action?"

"Hell, yeah!"

Pulling up my HUD, I saw that Liara had caught a couple hostiles in a singularity. Not to be outdone, EDI had set them on fire—she really was learning from my example. One of them was already a charred corpse. Another lost his head from my sniper rifle.

"There they are! Put them down!"

A barrage of blue spheres started raining down on the Cerberus goons as the students used their superior vantage point and their intensive training to devastating effect. Now the goons had two flanks to worry about. I took advantage of the breathing room to look around.

My attention focused on the Atlas. Looked like it had actually lost its shields at one point and had taken some damage to its armour, but had since managed to partially regenerate the former. Teams One and Two immediately deployed a devastating series of zappy goodness, biotic wizardry and all-around pyrotechnic fun. Spotting some movement out of the corner of my eye, I turned, braced myself and fired a bullet right through the slit in a Guardian's shields and into his eye. The Centurion right behind him took a fireball to the face. Didn't do much damage since his shields were up, but it certainly provided a visual distraction until EDI could zap his shields. Then I tried to pop his head like a melon. I missed. Oops. So I settled for watching him writhe in agony as my fireball lit him up.

"I'm gonna rip you in half!" Jack promised. (12)

A large plume of smoke erupted at the top of the walkway. Clearly someone was there and was trying to stay hidden. Team One fired a couple shots while Team Two kept an eye on the Atlas. When the smoke cleared, I spotted an injured Guardian who I put out of his misery. Peering through the scope, I found a couple lightly armoured Cerberus hostiles next to an automated turret. By now, Alliance Intel had pegged them as combat engineers. I fired a shot at one of them. All that did was drain most of his shields and attract his attention, along with his compatriot. I waved cheerfully at them before hacking the turret. A minute later, there were a few less Cerberus goons and—after a burst of plasma—one less turret.

As I moved up, I could see the students continue to bring down the biotic hammer. Which was a good thing considering there were more Cerberus hostiles entering the atrium. Looked like they were jumping down from the second floor, using boot thrusters to cushion their descent. Thankfully, none of those hostiles had managed to make a beeline for the students. I was just about to spring a surprise attack on the Cerberus party-crashers and the turret when I got hit by a skycar. Well, it's probably more likely that the Atlas managed to score a hit, but it sure felt like a skycar collision. I quickly ducked down, but not before I hacked the turret. By the time the turret was destroyed, my shields had mostly regenerated and there was only one goon left. That guy had soaked a lot of bullets from the turret and yours truly, plus the occasional fireball, so it only took one headshot to finish him off.

Looking back, I realized that there was a faux-rock façade lining one of the Atrium's walls. Or maybe it was real rock. Who knew? Wish I could've sat back and enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I was too busy setting a Centurion on fire after EDI zapped his shields. Or I was trying to snipe an assault trooped, missed, set him on fire, watch him get hit by James's concussive round and finally land a headshot. Or I was watching various hostiles float up in the air, legs kicking and arms flailing helplessly. Or I was getting hit by the Atlas—again, ow. Or I was landing two headshots on the same combat engineer. Or I was watching a Centurion get barbequed in slow motion. Or I was getting the high ground so I could kill another combat engineer.

You get the idea: there was a lot to do.

Seeing that there was no one left to shoot at the top of the walkway, I began heading down. As I passed some kind of generator, my shields suddenly returned to full strength. Belatedly, I realized that the generator must somehow regenerate the shields of anyone in its vicinity. Another Cerberus trick, judging by the big-ass logo stamped on its side. I'd have to remember that.

Taking cover by EDI behind a real/faux boulder, I helped her take out a Centurion. Then there was nothing left but the Atlas, who was suddenly facing an entire squad—firing with biotics, plasma, particle beams and bullets from three different positions—plus a class of students who'd been taking Biotic Artillery 101 and a seriously pissed-off instructor. Needless to say, it didn't stand a chance.

We quickly restocked and moved into a winding hallway. I'd only taken a few steps when I spotted a datapad. Again, less on the credit goodness and more disturbing intel:

Mission Brief
High-priority targets: 12-5D-Prangley, 26-2B-Rodriguez

Other subjects are to be retrieved alive if possible. If unavoidable, bring back bodies for use as genetic-testing materials.

Addendum to original brief: Subject Zero is to be retrieved for further testing and possible conditioning. Current psych profile indicates that holding students hostage likely to be most successful tactic.

So Prangley and Rodriguez were high on TIMmy's shopping list. The other kids were wanted dead or alive. And TIMmy wanted to play mad scientist with Jack and possibly turn her into one of his obedient goons, using the students as leverage. I quickly passed it around. When the datapad got to Miranda, she didn't say a word. I just saw a sudden blaze of emotion in her eyes, a blue flash around her hands and the remains of the datapad rain from her fingers.

"Kahlee, we've entered the Atrium," I reported, motioning for the teams to continue. (13) "We're clearing it now."

"Understood. I'm taking a back route to the shuttles. I'll meet you there!"

I continued down the hall, pausing only to loot a med-kit and a computer. The hallway ended at a door, which opened into another part of the Atrium.

"Nice one, Prangley!" Jack called out.

Looked like the Atrium wasn't clear anymore. I quickly filled Kahlee in before finding cover. I assigned a combat engineer to Team Two and a Centurion to EDI and Liara. As for yours truly, I had an assault trooper whose head needed removing. Violently.

"This ain't dodgeball, Rodriguez!" we heard Jack scold. "Keep your damn barriers up!"

Spotting an assault trooper drop down, I readied my sniper rifle. His head exploded just as he was slowing to a nice, soft landing.

"Damn it, Rodriguez. I told you to watch your barriers! Prangley, slap some medi-gel on her!"

"Team Three, report," I said as I hacked a turret. "How're things up there!"

"As James would say, it's like shooting fish in a barrel," he replied. "Jack's having the time of her life."

"And the students?" I asked, after sniping a combat engineer.

"Don't worry about the kids; they're doing fine."

"I'm okay!" Rodriguez protested, loud enough for me to hear her.

Jack's reply reached everyone's ears: "Like hell you are! Stay down! If you die on me, I will kick your ass!"

"They just need to survive long enough to make use of all the lessons they're learning today."

As Garrus said that, James and I took out another combat engineer. Meanwhile, EDI and Liara were setting hostiles on fire and spinning them around in the air, not necessarily in that order. Miranda zapped the shields of another combat engineer. I was starting to track his movements so I could snipe him when I noticed shots ricocheting off my shields.

Turning around, I looked up and to my right. Two Guardians, slowly advancing down a flight of stairs. I took my time and managed to drop one of them. A combination of biotics and plasma seriously injured the other. Unfortunately, I couldn't take advantage of that because another hostile had flanked me and had emptied a full clip in my general direction. So I found some cover and waited. After some tweaking, I managed to quick-start my shield regeneration—just in the nick of time, as some goon had tossed a grenade my way. I darted to a new hiding spot just before it went off. Once my shields were restored, I launched some plasma and sniped another hostile.

One of the smarter Cerberus goons tried to sneak up on us. Thankfully, EDI and Liara were on the case. Brushing off some bits of flaming… something, I blew up the last turret. I quickly scanned the room for more targets, but that was the last one. "Everyone okay up there?" I hollered.

"Rodriguez took one in the arm… because she didn't watch her barrier!" Jack angrily replied.

"Other than that, we're all fine," Garrus added.

"Commander, I've reached the Cerberus shuttles without being detected," Kahlee called in. "They know what you're doing, though. You need to hurry."

Switching to a secure channel, I contacted Jack and Team Three. "Kahlee's at the shuttles, but it sounds like Cerberus isn't calling it quits. If you guys are ready, we need to move."

As soon as I got the confirmation, I led Teams One and Two towards the exit, pausing long enough to administer some medi-gel. I felt it kick in while I hacked a set of door controls.

"Damn it, all units fall back to the shuttle bay!" we heard as the door finally opened. That would've spurred some movement if I hadn't been watching my HUD. Instead, I crouched down and carefully looked around the corner. There were a couple Cerberus goons standing in front of a dome-shaped energy field that was protecting a handful of students. "That's an impressive shield, Octavia," one of the goons rasped. "Our file says you've been working on shield technology."

"It's a handheld multicore solution based on cyclonic barrier technology, jackhole," Octavia spat. "And it's pronounced Oc-tah-via."

"Impressive," Miranda murmured.

"Shh," I hissed.

"Why don't you come on out peacefully?" the Cerberus goon continued.

"Why don't you bite me?"

More of Jack's influence or typical teenage behaviour, I wondered?

"You cousin Joanna's already on the shuttle, Octavia. Don't you want to make sure she's safe?"

"Bring her here."

That confused the heck out of the goon. "What?"

"Bring her here so I can see her, you damn liar! You think I'm gonna take your word for it?"

Oops. Smarty-pants outwitted the indoctrinated doofus. Time to spring a little surprise. I sniped one of the hostiles, EDI and Liara blew up the second, Miranda and James took out the third.

"I don't know who you are, but stay back!" Octavia warned.

The only reason I appeared to comply was so I could swipe some credits from a nearby datapad. Then I slowly approached the students; weapons holstered and hands out in the open. "I'm Commander Shepard with the Alliance," I greeted them. "I'm here to help."

Two of the students were standing up. One of them—Octavia, I guessed—glared at me. "I didn't buy it from the last guy and I've got no reason to buy it now."

"The square root of 906.01 equals—"

"30.1," I finished. I looked a little closer and saw a bald guy crouched down by a piece of equipment behind the two students. "David, is that you?"

He looked up. "Hello, Commander Shepard."

The third student, who hadn't said a word so far, started. "David, you know him?"

"Yes," David nodded. "He rescued me from Cerberus. Sent me here. He made it quiet."

Yeah, because that's what happens when you rescue someone who'd been subjected to Cerberus experiments by his own brother, unplug him from a miniature geth collective, unplug dozens of wires and cables from every part of his body, and send him to people who actually gave a damn about his wellbeing.

The other students looked at each other. Octavia shut down the shield. "You did a great job keeping yourselves safe," I complimented. "I've got a couple of my people with Jack and the biotic students. Link up with them and stay close. They'll keep you safe."

I raised a hand to my ear and turned the comm on. After some chatting, it was decided that Garrus would meet the students and bring them back to Jack and the others. I relayed that to the kids. "Okay," Octavia said. "Uh, thanks."

Octavia and the other kid began heading off to the rendezvous point. David stayed behind. "He looks much healthier," EDI observed.

Miranda didn't say a word. She just nodded, a suspicious amount of moisture in her eyes. (14)

"I remember you," David said. "The Normandy computer." He paused, remembering how he tried to hack her while in the throes of the Overlord cell. "Sorry."

"No apology is necessary," EDI assured him.

"Has Grissom Academy been all right?" I wanted to know.

"Yes," David smiled. "I've been counting."

"Anything in particular?"

He smiled. "The number of days you lengthened my life."

Okay. That seriously made my day.

David looked at the door behind him. "The security office," he explained. "I hacked the lock. Guns. Lots of guns. Goodbye."

With that, he went to join his fellow students—and Garrus, who'd shown up by that point. He was also delighted to see him again, by the way—and we went to check out the security office. There weren't as many guns as David had made out, but I did pick up an M-96 Mattock, which we'd used extensively during our preparations for and our assault on the Collector base. I also found a weapons mod for sniper rifles. I'd say that was a decent haul.

As we headed to the docking bay, I stopped the teams to check out a computer, mostly because of the file it was displaying on the screen. "Miranda, is this what I think it is?"

"Schematics for amp interfaces," Miranda identified. "From a preliminary evaluation, it's not as good as the amps we already have. It may still be worth a look, though."

"Good enough for me," I declared, downloading the schematics. "Let's move."

We continued on, pausing only to scan a chest piece that could be worth replicating for my own hardsuit. The room after that, though, scared the crap out of us. Well, me. You'd be freaked if you had tangled with two Atlas mechs within the last couple hours—and then came face-to-face with a third.

Thankfully, the Atlas was empty. Its pilot was listening to a conversation on the comm. It didn't take a lot of effort to tap in. "They're at the shuttles! Do not let them escape!"

Uh oh. Good news: we were almost home free. Bad news: Cerberus knew that all too well. Activating my cloak, I snuck up and stabbed the pilot with my omni-blade. James shot him with his particle rifle. I finished him off with my submachine gun.

"We have to move," Miranda insisted.

"I know," I said thoughtfully. "Two things first." I hurried over and grabbed some medi-gel.

"That's one," Miranda said. "What's the second?"

I looked at the two teams, grinned, and looked up at the Atlas. "I have an idea."

---

It took a minute to figure out the controls. A sofa became the first victim to my attempts to learn how to make a grappling move. Another sofa became target practice. And the former pilot got squished during my impromptu driving lesson. But after that… "I think I got it," I announced.

"Splendid," Miranda replied. It was at that point I realized that she—and the rest of Teams One and Two—had retreated to the room's doorway. "You will be going first, I presume? Perhaps we'll give you a head start."

"Or maybe we should go first," Garrus suggested. "Just in case Shepard loses his balance and falls backward."

The speed at which everyone suddenly rushed past me was a little insulting.

Stomping up the stairs after them, any irritation quickly disappeared. I couldn't help but feel the sheer power of the mech in every footstep. Was this what it felt like to pilot an Atlas? Was this what the Cerberus goons experienced? Were they even capable of feeling anymore?

Enough philosophical questions, I decided as I reached the top of the stairs and entered the docking area. There was already a lot of fighting as Jack, Team Three and the students were pinned down by a small army of Cerberus hostiles. "Team One on my left, Team Two on my right," I ordered. "Let's do this." Reaching down, I turned on the loudspeakers. "This is my Atlas!" I declared, squeezing the trigger. A fiery round flew out, soared across the room and blew a Cerberus goon to smithereens.

"There are many like it, but this one is mine. Mine, you hear me? Mine!" A combat engineer was my next target. The only reason he lasted so long was because he was so damn fast and slippery.

"My Atlas is my best friend." (15)

"Hey!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Miranda. Sorry, Garrus." Two shots took out the shields of two different Centurions and put a serious dent in their armour.

I should explain.

My little ditty served a couple purposes. First, it identified me as being the pilot of the Atlas, thus discouraging any accidental friendly fire from Jack, Team Three or the students. Second, it would draw the attention of the Cerberus goons. The more they focused on me, the more Teams One and Two would be able to get the drop on them—and yes, I realize that that's the latest sign that my self-preservation instincts had flown the coop.

Third, it was just a whole lotta fun.

Almost as much fun as watching the Cerberus hostiles get shredded by yours truly. Guess Cerberus shielding isn't that tough. One or two direct hits were usually enough to turn a hostile into mush. With that much firepower on our side, it wasn't long before we turned the tide. "There's the shuttle!" Jack yelled. "Head over two by two! Prangley, Rodriguez; stay close!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Shepard, watch your ass!"

Following the direction of the barrage being laid down by the students, I slowly clomped around a support column. A new wave of Cerberus forces was streaming through a door at the far end of the hall. Eschewing the stairs, they simply hopped over the rail and used their boot thrusters to safely descend to the floor below... just in time to get blown to smithereens by the Atlas's guns.

"Someone take out those damned biotics!" one of the goons cried out.

"Someone take out that damn Atlas!" another one insisted. Hee.

"But we're supposed to bring them all back!"

"Fuck that and shoot some—ack!"

"Language!" I scolded over the Atlas loudspeakers. "No swearing in the classroom, boys and girls!"

Just as I mopped up the last of the hostiles, the Atlas sensors picked up a fresh wave coming in through one of the ground-level entrances. Teams One and Two were already in position, pinning them down and keeping them contained so the students had a target-rich environment. One that I promptly muscled in on. I didn't kill them all, though. I just ripped their shields apart and knocked them around, leaving them vulnerable and ready for someone else to finish off, biotically rip to shreds or set on fire. I'm generous like that.

"Hostiles up top!" James warned.

"We're on 'em," Jack replied.

So was I. Run right into my weapon sights, you little Cerberus meatbags. Run, run, run! I'll get you and you and you and you and you and YOU! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! (16)

Since Jack, Team Three and the students had the high ground, they could see where the hostiles were. It was easier to follow their fire than to analyze the sensor readings from the Atlas. That's how I got the drop on a hapless trio of goons.

"The shuttles are almost ready," Kahlee reported. "Just hang on."

Team One had a pair of hostiles pinned down. I sneakily—well, as sneakily as you could when you were stomping around in an Atlas—snuck around and flanked them. Boom. Boom. Two hostiles down. And I was still in one piece—a miracle considering the window covering the cockpit was shattered.

Then I saw another Atlas. Shields intact. Smoke grenades deployed. And the pilot was definitely Cerberus. "Guys?"

EDI, Miranda and Garrus immediately launched EMPs. The students laid down another barrage of biotic blasts. I fired a continuous series of shots, using a statue of Rear Admiral Jon Grissom—sorry, sir—as cover. We probably set a record for the shortest time taken to blow an Atlas to smithereens.

"Okay, we're clear!" Jack shouted. "Move your ass before backup arrives!"

I slowly clambered out of the Atlas and looked around. No loot in sight, though I did pause to admire the statue of Jon Grissom.

"Hurry, Commander!" Kahlee urged. "The Normandy has pulled the cruiser out of position. We need to leave now!"

Oh. Right. I joined Teams One and Two, ignored a few knowing looks from Miranda and Garrus. Jack, Team Three and the students arrived a few seconds later. Kahlee practically sprinted by all of us and screeched to a stop by a computer station. "Kahlee, how's it coming?" I asked.

"Shuttles are unlocked," she reported, just as the hatches to two shuttles hissed open.

"Take the controls and get the students aboard!" I ordered. Team Two ran for one shuttle while Team Three got the other. The students split themselves up—alphabetically, I later learned—without any prompting.

"Wait!"

I turned back. Jack did a headcount and started looking around frantically. "Where the hell's Rodriguez?"

"There!"

We followed Liara's arm and saw her still in the docking area. Somehow she'd fallen behind. A trio of Cerberus hostiles were hot in her heels. As we watched through the window, they opened fire. Rodriguez fell down, slid to a stop and hastily ducked at the end of a bench. She shivered as the trio slowly advanced, keeping her pinned down. I hammered at the window with the butt of my sniper rifle, but the glass was too thick. "She needs covering fire!" I yelled.

"She needs more than that!"

I looked back, saw the look on Jack's face and quickly stepped aside. A shockwave burst out from her hands, sweeping forward to shatter the glass and knock the goons clean off their feet. EDI and Liara immediately raised their weapons to cover me as I vaulted through the window, ran to Rodriguez, lifted her to her feet and dragged her towards the shuttle. The hatch closed as we clambered aboard and the shuttle took off.

---

"Joker, we're flying out in a pair of Cerberus shuttles," I reported. "Watch your fire."

"Right, I've got you on sensors," Joker replied. "Should just be a minute."

"Thank you, Commander," Kahlee said. "We'd have never gotten off that station if you hadn't come."

"F—forget that," Jack panted. "We kicked some ass. "Next place we dock, you're all getting inked. My treat."

"'Inked'?" Javik repeated.

"I'll fill you in later, Buggy," James laughed.

"'Buggy'?"

Ignoring this little side conversation, Jack continued. "What do you guys want? Ascension Project logo? "Glowing fist? Maybe a pretty unicorn for Rodriguez?"

"Screw you, ma'am!" Rodriguez cheered.

Kahlee made her way over to me. "I can't believe we got them out alive," she said.

"It wasn't easy, but we pulled it off," I replied. "The students were a big help."

"I know," she nodded. "I was going to suggest that they stick to support roles, but maybe they're ready after all."

Jack jerked her head towards me. She didn't say anything, but her eyes told me what she was thinking. And honestly, I couldn't blame her. I meant what I said to Kahlee, but I also still believed in my earlier assessment: "They're definitely ready… but the Alliance needs them in a support role."

Prangley overheard me. "What? We trained for artillery strikes!"

"And you'll have plenty of opportunity to make use of that," I soothed. "But we don't need another artillery unit. We need stronger barriers for our front-line squads."

"Guys who can warp-mod weapons on the fly when supply lines get cut," Garrus added.

"Protection for command posts so senior officers can plan their next move," Miranda continued.

"This is bullshit!" Rodriguez protested.

"It's true," I said firmly. "Jack's told you guys about how we took on the Collectors, right? There was this one point where we had to go through an area filled with seeker swarms—flying clouds of miniature robots that could paralyze you just like that. No way to shoot them, no way to outrun them. So we had to walk through them. How did we do that? By having a biotic go on support. She generated a barrier that kept us all alive. No one else could do that. But she could. And so could you."

"If that's where they need us, that's where we go," Jack said firmly. "Besides, I'm sure we'll get some shots in."

"It's you, Jack," I offered. "How could you not find trouble?"

"I'll agree to that," Miranda said.

"What's that, Princess?" Jack glared. "You wanna say that a little—"

"Commander," Joker came in, interrupting just in the nick of time. "We've got a visual on you now. Preparing to transmit docking instructions. Hey, Jack, now that you're military, you gonna wear a uniform? Or are you just getting the officer's bars tattooed on?"

"Screw you, fffffffffffffff-flight lieutenant."

Everyone turned to stare at Jack. Well, everyone who knew her. That was a surprisingly… tame response, by her colourful standards. And come to think of it, that wasn't the first time she'd refrained from dropping a swear word or two.

Joker agreed. "Uh… what the hell was that?"

Kahlee smiled. "Jack promised to watch her language in order to maintain the necessary professionalism we need from our teachers."

Everyone stared at Jack again. She blushed. Swear to God, she actually blushed. "Well wonders never cease," Miranda muttered.

"What, does she have a swear jar or something?" Joker asked. "'Cause I bet if we emptied that thing, we could afford another cruiser."

"Cover your ears, kids," Jack said. The students obediently complied. Jack looked up at the speakers. "Hey, Joker…"

---

(1): While I also lacked any significant encounters with Corporal Jenkins, I am confident that he would not have blamed Shepard for his demise. I am certain that Ashley would not have held any ill will towards him.

(2): Despite the significant advances and progress made over the years, there was still a great deal of misunderstanding, ignorance and prejudice regarding biotics amongst humans.

(3): This was over the same encrypted frequency she'd used to contact Shepard, not an open channel that anyone—such as Cerberus—could easily intercept.

(4): He also made some noises that sounded like 'Pew, pew! Pew, pew!"

(5): Another example of Shepard's keen observational skills when it came to dealing with others.

(6): One of the few instances of Shepard's ignorance.

(7): A reference to a song from a singing, overly friendly and optimistic anthropomorphic purple dinosaur named Barney that was the star of a human children's vid-series called Barney and Friends. The series ran from 1992 to 2009—well before humanity discovered mass effect technology. Naturally Shepard was aware of it.

(8): In between missions, Shepard had experimented with the grenades he'd retrieved during the evacuation from the Sol System. He was able to modify them so they could stick to a target before exploding and reduce their weight so he could carry—at the time—four of them on missions.

(9): A youth organization designed to encourage the physical, mental and spiritual development of young people—with a particular focus on exposure to the outdoors and the nurturing of survival skills—so they might play a constructive role in their society. While it was initially intended for male adolescents, and one of the earliest incarnations was the 'Boy Scouts', it eventually expanded hence the name—it quickly grew into a large conglomerate of organizations that catered to different ages and genders while adapting to local influences and historical/societal changes. The term can also be used as an insult towards someone with moral standards by one who considers such concepts as outdated or impractical.

(10): Jack was subjected to Cerberus experimentation as a child and numerous hunts as an adult. When they first met, Miranda was the senior Cerberus representative. As such, their relationship was especially confrontational. Jack used to call Miranda 'Cheerleader' until the latter cut ties with Cerberus, at which point she adopted the equally insulting moniker of 'Princess'—a reference to her exacting standards rather than any high-maintenance requirements.

(11): Identify Friend or Foe.

(12): I suppose it was reassuring to see that, despite all the chaos in the galaxy, some things would remain constant.

(13): The shift to a first-name basis was undoubtedly due to the shared experience of rescuing the students.

(14): Given how hard she worked to keep her sister safe, it was a shock for Miranda to discover that someone else would be willing to turn his brother into an experiment for Cerberus goals. That revelation dealt a critical blow to her beliefs and forced her to re-evaluate the organization she'd aligned herself with.

(15): A modified version of the Rifleman's Creed, a basic part of doctrine originally stemming from the United States Marine Corps that was adopted by the United North American States and later by the Alliance.

(16): This experience would be a rare one, as it was generally faster and safer to destroy Atlas mechs rather than hijack them. As for Shepard's… running commentary, he never said any of that out loud. I leave it to readers to decide whether this is more or less disturbing.