Chapter Fifty One: Grissom Academy
Jack was an incredible biotic, one of the best humans with that unique skill. She had achieved this by going through hell, and tireless hours of practice. Shepard was an even better biotic. This skill was given to him through money, and Miranda Lawson's skill. He had not earned it, and was subsequently a more unstable biotic. Liara blew them both away. The asari people were naturally more gifted with biotics than almost any other species. Liara was better than any normal asari, though. She had attained this through an unbelievable amount of time with biotic masters as a child. She possessed Jack's discipline, but discarded her repetitive maneuvers. She had Shepard's raw power, and the finesse he lacked.
As the leader of an elite squad of soldiers, it was Commander Shepard's job to know these things. Several times he caught himself watching Liara's impressive biotic skills, and was struck each time by her prowess. He had been clearly showing off to Jack's kids, but Liara should've been the one doing it. Jack even nodded to Liara once, something Shepard had only gotten after getting everyone out alive on the Collector Base.
After a rather impressive fight involving the three biotics, Shepard decided to chat with Jack. After all, he hadn't seen her in over six months.
"So Jack... how's-" Shepard was interrupted by punch in the face. A very, very hard punch.
"Jack, it seems like you haven't given up on being a charmer," Liara said calmly, while assessing Shepard's face for damage.
"Never have given up on it, and never will," Jack turned her attention to Liara, while Shepard tried to reconstruct his jaw.
"What was that for?" Shepard rubbed his poor face.
"You were in jail too long," Jack said, like he had any control over the time he spent in there.
"It's not like-" Liara placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and gave him a warning sign. "Whatever, we can talk after we get all these kids safe," Shepard sealed his helmet, and got ready to kill some Cerberus troops.
...
All the students were safe. Jack was okay, and Liara was good. So why did Shepard keep hearing someone? He might actually be legitimately going insane. No one else seemed to notice, but it was getting worse. He could hear faint screams, and cries. They were loading up on the shuttle, and this was Shepard's last chance to make sure everyone was out of Cerberus' hands.
"Hey Liara, do you hear something?" Shepard was the last one to get on the shuttle.
"No, not at all. Why?" Liara looked at him with curiosity. Shepard was not going insane. Someone needed help.
"EDI, can you hack into security cameras and see if someone still needs help?" Shepard scanned the large room they had just come out of.
"Commander Shepard, my brother isn't on the shuttle!" A panicked human girl grabbed his arm.
"What?! Where is he?" Shepard started pulling his helmet back on.
"Shepard, I have found the boy's location. He appears to be in a loft in the room to your right," EDI's voice captured his attention from the girl.
"The one that was infested with Cerberus troops?" Shepard knew the answer.
"Yes," EDI apparently didn't feel the need to elaborate further.
"Shepard, that's too dangerous. You have almost everyone, that's a success. Just go," Garrus' voice came over his comm. system this time.
"Please save him. Please save my brother," the boy's sister screamed and cried. Besides the poor girl, everyone was silent. It was like everything was waiting with bated breath for his decision. This time the answer was an easy one.
"I don't leave people behind," Shepard shoved his helmet on, and was off. People called after him, but no one followed. He would be quicker alone.
The room leading to his destination only had a few Cerberus troopers that were easily picked off. He slid to the door leading to the room with the boy in it, took a deep breath, and charged in.
His cybernetic legs took him to incredible speeds as he wove his way around Cerberus troopers. Occasionally he would shoot one, but there were too many to stop. His biotic barriers held up against the onslaught of bullets that rained upon him, but it was getting dicey towards the end of his trip.
Shepard wished he could say that he made an impressive entrance. He wished fireworks went off behind him, bullets blazing past him, and he wished a slight breeze had made him seem even more majestic. Instead, he stumbled into the loft and fell on his face. There was much laughter from the boy who was in the far corner.
After Shepard picked his face off the floor, he approached what appeared to be a twelve year-old. The kid was injured, blood was seeping from his leg. "I'm Commander Shepard, and I'm here to save you," he had said the words several times before, and it seemed to work. "What's your name?" Shepard asked.
"Alex," he replied. Of course his name was Alex. "Is my sister okay?" He looked up through tearful eyes.
"She's safe. Now it's your turn," Shepard kneeled down next to him, and started applying omni-gel.
"I can't walk out of here," the boy looked so ashamed.
"Don't worry. I'll carry you. It's called a fireman's carry. You have to hold onto me, okay?" Shepard finished up the omni-gel, and looked at Alex square in the face.
"I don't know if I can," a fresh batch of tears welled in his eyes.
"Hey, I have to hold onto you, too. I won't let go, if you won't," Shepard looked him in the eye.
"I won't let go," the Alex said, finality in his voice. Shepard was satisfied with the answer, and placed the child over his broad shoulders. Hopefully this child would have more luck than the other Alex.
They left the gloomy loft in a glow of blue. This fight was different, though. Very different.
Before, Shepard had surprise on his side. He had come bursting through the doors with guns firing, and letting his swift feet take him. There had been confusion, and blind firing. Now they were organized, and expecting the pair. In less than thirty seconds Shepard's shields had been completely depleted. Shepard's aim was off, since there was weight on his shoulders, and he only definitely hit four troopers.
Shepard didn't actually feel the bullet, just cold liquid on his thigh. The wound wasn't too bad, just a graze, but running was making it worse. Each step sent a wave of pain up his leg. Cerberus blocked their way out, and Shepard knew they wouldn't make it. It was similar to the calm feeling he got when he realized he would suffocate above Alchera - alone.
Blue swirled around Shepard's body as Alex made a shield. It would help, but not for long. This situation was disturbingly similar to a past incident involving another Alex, but that was on Elysium. Shepard prayed that Garrus or Liara would be able to take his place in the Reaper War.
"I'm here," Liara's voice rang clear in his comm. He turned to see her coming through the door. He could see the inferno in her eyes even from a distance. She wielded deadly biotics that made his earlier biotic use look like child's play. In a couple of minutes she had turned the Cerberus troopers into paste. "Thought you might have needed help," Liara gave him a victorious look. She had come around the corner of his hiding place, surprising him a little.
"I could've handled it on my own," Shepard grumbled, but gave Liara a thankful smile. She knew that without her help he would've been dead.
"Jack, and Sanders are waiting. Let's go," Liara turned, and headed for the door. He was a bit star stricken with her at the moment, and followed willingly.
When they arrived back to the shuttle, the girl gave Alex on of the biggest hugs he'd ever seen. "Thank God you're okay Harrison," Shepard almost stopped clambering onto the shuttle when he heard Harrison.
"Wait, what's your name again?" Shepard blinked at the pair.
"It's Harrison," his name wasn't Alex. Harrison and Alex were so far apart. Why did Shepard think his name was Alex?
"While you were gone, I gave a couple motivational speeches. Looks like I've learned the art of bullsh-," Jack glanced at Kahlee Sanders, "motivation from none other than Captain Courageous."
"Hey, what can I say? My lovely personality rubs off on everyone," this comment earned a few snickers from the teenagers.
Jack looked like she was about to strangle him, but Sanders stepped in. "Commander, based on what you've seen of these talented biotics, what do you think an appropriate place for them would be? On the front lines, or in a support role?"
Shepard remembered when he was the around seventeen, just like these kids. He was on the street, and his life was shitty. Then he remembered some of the terrible things he had seen over this brief war already. He knew that if he were seventeen he would not want to see those things. Jack was also a problem. She was attached to them, and she wouldn't ever work the right way again if one of them died. The galaxy did not win wars by putting kids on the front lines.
"Support. They'll do best in a support role," groans were already echoing through the shuttle before his sentence ended. The relief in Jack's eyes made it worthwhile.
"Now none of that. It's my job to know where people will do their best in. This is the right decision," Shepard said this with authority. Sanders looked like she agreed with him, too. She gave him a small smile. He would talk to her more later. If Anderson liked someone, they're a good person.
"So Jack, it seems like you've toned down your image," Shepard looked at her jacket, and her hair.
"Ya, well the Alliance doesn't let me run around with leather straps as a shirt. Plus it was cold on that godda-," Jack looked at Sanders again. "Silly training academy, so I grew hair," Jack's speech made Shepard seem like a horrible captain.
"Hey, I believe in a little freedom on the Normandy," Shepard didn't want people to think that he let people run wild on his ship.
"Ya, thanks for letting me be what I needed to be at the time," Jack seemed to realize that she said something emotional, and quickly changed her tune. "If any of you get the idea that I'll let you do what you want, you're horribly mistaken. I'm not as nice as Spectre Softy," Jack turned back onto her usual persona. Dammit, she was good at nicknames!
"Now I hope you've all learned how to be a better biotic," Shepard was about to make a joke about his own biotic skills, but he didn't. Liara and Jack deserved recognition. "From Doctor T'Soni here, and you're very own Jack. You're lucky to have witnessed two biotic masters," Shepard looked at the teenagers seriously. Liara gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat.
"Hey Jack, what's with your hair?" Joker piped up over the intercom on the shuttle. Too many emotional things were being said, so somebody had to interrupt.
"You know what Joker? You can go fu," Jack stopped, "have fun. You useless piece of pilot meat," Jack said back.
"Aww, Shepard! Why can't we keep the crazy biotic?" Joker asked.
"Because we've already got our very own crazy biotic," Liara announced, and looked at Shepard suggestively.
It took him a moment to realize what had just happened, "Hey!"