"So where are we headed?" Jane had to practically jog to keep up with the turian's long strides.
Garrus paused, pulling up his omni-tool. "Uh… it's called Ralph & Son's Creamery. A little messenger told me you'd enjoy the place."
"What's the occasion?"
"To say thanks for saving me and my men, twice. And to show you a bit of Omega. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I'm sorry I didn't do something like this earlier. You don't deserve to be locked up in the base all the time."
Jane shrugged. "Can't complain."
They arrived at the shop which was tucked away in an alcove, but clearly a well-known haunt. There was a line out the door brimming with children eagerly pulling at their parents in anticipation. Jane opted for a cone, vanilla strawberry swirl, and much to her surprise, Garrus placed an order for a double-chunk chocolate sundae. "Won't you get sick?"
"Nahh. They have a dextro equivalent for a lot of human foods these days. I have to say, chocolate may be your specie's greatest invention."
Jane reached for her credit chit, yet before she could pull it from her pocket, Garrus stopped her. "My treat. Like I said, this is a thank you."
As they moved towards the back, opting for an out-of-the-way booth, Garrus noted how Jane subtly observed the room, gaze darting towards each window, door, and even a ventilation shaft. Perhaps it was a reflex, a remnant of whatever brutality she survived, or the fact that she was on Omega – a place where letting one's guard down often meant death or enslavement. Either way, he approved of her vigilance. "You know every entrance and exit to this place, don't you?"
Jane nodded. "Also took stock of the crowd. Almost everyone here is armed, even a few of the kids." Her eyes flicked sideways before sweeping across the room once more. "At least I think… I know batarian clothes, the signs, I suppose that applies to humans and asari as well… but turians are a bit more difficult to read. The clothes are certainly... um… colorful. Is that part of the disguise? Distract people so they don't realize you're packing?"
"Nahh." Garrus chuckled. "Most turians are hopeless when it comes to style, your present company excluded of course. Our society is militaristic, not as much development in the finer points in life."
Before she could respond, their order arrived and he was rewarded with a hilarious moment where Jane, all too eager, swallowed the top half of her swirl only for her features to contort, eyes watering.
"Brain freeze?"
"I forget… every time…."
"I have to say, why is it cold? Wouldn't this desert be better served hot? Well, obviously it would melt but in 2184 one would think we could find a way around that." He huffed. "Maybe that's just me though, turians really dislike the cold, we're not acclimated for it. But I've developed something of a penchant for chocolate, it's difficult to resist."
Having recovered, Jane went in for a much more modest lick. "Nalah had me try hot chocolate once. It was pretty awesome."
"Wait, they have hot chocolate? Why wasn't I told?" Garrus whined while pulling up his omni-screen. "Ah, it's a drink…. And of course there's no dextro-version. Such a travesty." He loosed a dramatic sigh before continuing. "So, I wanted to talk to you about joining up and your role on the squad."
Jane's fingers clenched, causing bits of ice-cream to ooze out of her cone. "Did… did I do something?"
"No! Nothing like that." He passed her a napkin. "I simply like to get a feel for everyone on the team. Fighting in a unit is significantly different than solo or even in pairs. Everyone on this team is here for a reason. Frank lost his children to the gangs, and Ripper? Ripper just wants to atone, the man's done some terrible things in his life, made some bad choices and he wants to make up for that. Mierin and Weaver are simply burnt out cops like me, and Krul I cut a deal with. He gets a place to lie low, and I get unfettered access to his considerable technical expertise. I know you want to kill slavers, and that's enough for me, except it'll be something you're unaccustomed to and I might seem like a different person as a commander. I'm tough, but I'm no martinet. The base isn't just a base of operations, it's also our home. And I've made a point to…"
There was an abrupt crash in the distance, metal on metal, shards of glass tinkling as they hit the pavement, an eruption of gunfire was quickly followed by a cacophony of screams and squealing boots as civilians scattered. In the seconds between switching from 'normal' brain to 'killer' he saw Jane seamlessly transition. If she froze, even for half a second, he didn't catch it, and in his own slow-motion moment, the soldier in him marveled at it. She moved like liquid fire, cold and austere. In one fluid movement, she fell to the ground, upending the table for cover. They knelt side by side quietly assessing the situation, allowing a few moments for his omni-scanner to tally heartbeats.
"I can head to the front door, you in the back or … what are we doing here?" Jane whispered.
"We're not splitting up. Let's take the back exit, there are so many life signs scurrying around the main plaza I lost count."
They peeled around their make-shift cover and behind the counter, nodding in the direction of the shop-keep. For a civilian, he was remarkably calm. He aimed a double barrel shotgun at the entrance to his establishment, hands steady. Without moving his gaze from the door, he muttered to them, clearly identifying two well-trained combatants in an instant. "Blitz attack. It's a slave grab. Either get out, get help, or do it your damn selves just don't get in my way."
Garrus clipped his helmet on, motioned for Jane to fall in step at his back, and raced into the street. He could feel biotic pulses vibrating around him as Jane thrust herself forward at break-neck speed.
They sprinted through the streets, dodging frantic people of all species and sizes, desperately attempting to flee. He had almost no presence in the Tulhi district, mainly focusing on the areas where the Blood Pack was most active. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he couldn't be everywhere at once. Omega was improving, but it was a slow, methodical process as they mopped up scum district by district.
When they reached the catwalks, he moved for his grappling hook only to watch, slightly stunned, as Jane biotically vaulted onto the overhanging platform. Half a minute later, he was standing beside her, both panting from the exertion.
"Slow poke!" She teased.
And they were off again. When they finally reached the source of the commotion, Garrus's heart sank. It was bad. The Blue Suns had cordoned off the area, grabbing whatever poor fools weren't fast enough to retreat and a large contingent of batarians had gathered. He recognized the armor immediately. Slaver caste. Large, electrified pens were setup along the far side of the warehouse, its inhabitants mewling and howling in vain. However, there were at least thirty well-armed, trained militiamen – too many for the pair of them. He sent out a signal to the rest of the team, tagged with a GPS tracker, yet it'd still take time.
And that's when he felt it – a menacing shift in the air not originating from the grisly scene below but the woman beside him. If there was ever a doubt in his mind that Jane was a very dangerous individual, it vanished in that instant. He too was dangerous, as were his men. But it was at odds with his mental image of Jane, even after the Talon's base, every time he looked down at this little woman, his brain screamed protect. But this was a dark, visceral reaction – something he'd only felt in the most hardened fighters. Without so much as a glance in her direction, he knew what was about to happen.
"Jane stand down."
Her head whipped around, eyes cold as ice. For a moment, he wondered if she were about to leap into the fray anyhow.
Stepping forward until they were mere inches apart, he drew on his command-peremptory voice. "That's an order."
And praise the spirits, she listened. Her shoulders dropped. Shuddering breaths passed through that small frame. Allowing his voice to soften, Garrus continued. "The team will be here soon, twenty, thirty minutes tops."
For awhile she didn't answer, remaining perfectly still and rigid. When her voice came, it was low and rough, unlike anything he'd heard from her before. "They'll break them first." She spoke only this curt, simple sentence before retreating to a dark corner amid the scaffolding.
Caught between concern for his friend and the need to keep a lid on the situation, he positioned himself so that he could check his omni-tool for the team's progress while keeping an eye on Jane.
Mere minutes passed before he understood exactly what she was referring to and he almost wished he'd let her tear into them, they certainly needed killing, but springing an ambush with just the two of them was far too risky. As her fight-or-flight instinct died down, her eyes pulled inward, skin jumping with each whip crack and blood-curdling scream, but her stare was set and distant. Nothing. There was nothing there.
Yet, when the men arrived, she drew in a few even breaths, steadied herself, and immediately joined the huddle, alleviating his concerns somewhat. He was grateful for the grace Jane displayed as she fell in line with his men. The first mission with a new team member was always the roughest. And this would be a tough fight, especially since they had to watch their fire or risk hitting the people they were trying to liberate. He quickly compiled a cohesive battle-plan, which relied on his usual tactics – crush the enemy with overwhelming force then stomp, repeatedly, for good measure.
"Jane? Krul tells me you can generate biotic bomb strikes. This true?"
"Might be a little rusty, but yeah."
"How precise?"
"I can keep it within a five foot radius, or spread it out to ten, give or take a few inches. But it's been years since I tried."
"I want you to open with our initial attack by nailing that large cluster of guys to the east." He turned, motioning to the rest of the squad. "Butler, Sensat, Krul, and Jane – the four of you are to remain on the catwalks sniping or, in your case Jane, dishing out some biotic power, knock 'em out whenever they try and take cover. Ripper, Weaver, Mierin and I are on the ground. Alright everyone. Hit them fast. Hit them hard. Give them everything you've got and don't give them the chance to recover."
Although she was clearly less than enthused when he informed her of her roll in the back ranks, she took up position without a single word of protest. It was better this way. Her natural fighting style was a bit terrifying. Where Shepard was calculating, cold, and a physical force of nature, Jane was a tiny, rash, slip of a woman. She threw herself into melee without a second thought, relying solely on her powers to keep her alive. One good hit to the head, a face-full of biotic-knock out powder, and that'd be that.
A glowing orb rapidly grew in the palms of her hands, even from several feet away he could feel the power crackling. When it was unleashed, crashing through the Suns, sending ripples of electric blue cascading over the entire unit, Ripper whooped in excitement. "We's got a Jedi now motherfuckers." The four of them descended, taking advantage of the chaos, while their enemies futilely attempted to recover and discern what just happened.
After deploying his drones, Krul crawled over and prodded Jane. "You okay?"
"Fine. Why?" She pulled a pair of slavers out of cover, their shrieks echoed across the warehouse floor as Garrus and Ripper's rifles tore into them.
Krul gave her an odd look. There was no doubt in his mind that this was the child Datmar set upon his men all those years ago. The tactics. The bone-chilling smile that spread across her face every time she lashed out, sending slavers screaming. It was all hauntingly familiar, the same face that peered back at him through his men's body cams was standing before him. But something was off. Her biotics lacked the precision and metal-bending force that he came to dread. While she successfully blasted a dozen guys, sending them sprawling, not one perished under the torrent, not even the asshole standing smack in the middle of the onslaught.
Over the years, her powers should've grown, not waned. Bits dripped from her as if she'd been dunked into a vat of blue, viscous liquid. Something was wrong. Yet, with the battle raging below, there was no time. So he filed it away for later.
When all was said and done, when the suns and the slavers laid dead at their feet, Garrus immediately went about releasing the captives. Grundan kept a close eye on Jane, searching for any semblance of insight. Maybe it was simply rust, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Even now, blue hung around her. It wasn't a barrier, merely remnants of power that hadn't been properly dispersed. If it were anyone else, he'd assume it was gaps in their training. Yet, Jane's immense powers would've placed her in the top tier at Datmar. She was more than just a lab specimen to them, they invested in her, cultivated her abilities to serve their purposes. And they were nothing, if not thorough.
He watched as she released the lock on one of the cages, saw how she flinched and jumped backwards when one of the women, beaten and bloody, reached for her. Garrus walked over, mumbled something, and placed a hand on her shoulder before returning his attention to the captives. Jane remained still, staring absently for a few seconds. And when she walked off, he could see a trail of blue foot prints in her wake.
A/N: For reasons I can't recall, I changed Jane's age in chapter 62 at the last minute. She was stated to be 16 in the chapter yet her entire timeline is built around her being 14 at the time. Thankfully, I had a nagging feeling it was wrong and went back and checked. Anyhow, just wanted to give you guys a heads up. :)