This chapter took a while to write. The direction of it changed a few times. Then the site wouldn't upload for whatever reason. Kept showing Network error 2. So sorry for being late and here it is. As always please enjoy and review.

Edited on 29/05/2021 for grammatical, stylistic and logical errors.

Jack was standing in front of me ready to fight. I didn't doubt that I could knock her out but I didn't want to do that. I had to get her to come with me of her own will. To give her a choice, let her regain some control over her life and actions. It was going to be dangerous. More for her than for me. As powerful as she was I knew that whatever was done to me made me more than a match.

"I am going to take off my helmet" I said and moved my hands slowly to my collar and unclipped my helmet.

"Look, I am not one of them." I said as I pulled it off and I saw her hesitate, after all her entire life she had only seen the people at this facility. I doubted they rotated often or at all given what they were doing here so I hoped an unfamiliar face would be enough.

"Jack, you can be free of this place. I can take you where you will be safe. I have a shuttle ready on the roof. The other children are already waiting there." I said and extended my hand. She looked at it puzzled at first but hearing my last words launched herself at me with a shout. I evaded easily.

"Calm down Jack. I am not going to hurt you. I am not going to let the other children hurt you either." I said in a soothing voice and I saw that she hesitated again before leaping at me. Evading again I tried again.

"Jacqueline. Look at me." I said putting as much authority in my voice as I could. Surprisingly she did. Straight into my eyes. Not surprisingly I saw a mix of anger, pain and fear and it seemed like she was using anger to push the other two away. Considering what I knew about her that seemed to be about right. Hopefully I could get her help that would change that.

"I came here to rescue you." I said calmly still looking straight into her eyes and she stopped. Her entire body froze apart from her eyes. I saw a tiny tear roll down her cheek, so small that anyone else would have missed it or would have mistook it for sweat. I didn't know why but she seemed to believe me at that moment. I did come here to rescue her. As horrible as it seems I didn't know the other children, I had not heard of their horror stories. But Jack I knew. I knew what would have been in her future if I had not come here. I had to try to change that. Give her a chance.

"Why?" she asked looking down at her fists as if seeing them for the first time. Seeing the blood on them.

"Because that is why I exist. To save people. As many as I can." I replied seriously. And it was true, I was here to fight against Reapers, to save as many as I could. I didn't know if I actually would succeed, if I would even survive until the Reaper war. I was fairly sturdy, maybe up to krogan level but without the secondary and tertiary organs and I didn't know if my regeneration ability would be good enough to regenerate severe injuries. Not that I was complaining. I was far sturdier and with higher chances of survival than practically any other human in the galaxy.

"Who are you?" she asked her voice hoarse and quiet as she wiped her bloodstained hands on her trousers.

"Sam Knight." I replied.

"Did you kill them?" she asked surprising me. It was not just the question but also the tone, flat as if she was asking about the weather.

"The scientists and guards? Every single one I met." I said honestly and surprised myself at the satisfaction I felt saying those words. Of course logically I understood that killing was wrong. But it was also necessary. Every single human and alien I have killed since my arrival in this universe was for logically sound reasons. This time however both my logic and my emotions seemed to be in total agreement that killing them was not just justified but also right.

"Good." she said in a voice that made it seem that she didn't know herself how to feel about it. And how could she know. Her entire life had passed in these walls, being experimented upon, being forced to fight.

"Will you come with me now?" I asked the crucial question. I couldn't allow her to continue on the same path as in the games. It might have made her a compelling character in a game but this was now real. And I would do everything I could to stop her from going through that. Even if I had to stun her and carry her away. I just hoped that I wouldn't have to do that.

"Sure. Why did you call me Jacqueline?" she nodded glancing at the eviscerated body on the floor and then the broken one by the wall.

"It's a female version of name Jack. You are girl, so..." I said lamely, I just blurted it out without thinking it and I couldn't really tell her that it was the name that she used to write poetry in her hopefully now prevented future. And that I knew that because I read though the files Shadow Broker had on the crew.

"I like it." she said and looked at me again and I could see that somewhere there behind the slowly dissipating anger and the pain she was trying to hide was a shadow of a smile.

"Come on, we don't want to stay here longer than necessary." I said suppressing a grin and putting on my helmet I walked away. Moments later I heard her bare feet slap the floor behind me.

Arcturus Stream/Arcturus/Arcturus Station

Ray Shepard was just putting on the finishing touches on the family breakfast he was cooking when his omni-tool buzzed. He and Hannah had taken a temporary leave from their duties aboard Einstein while it was getting getting maintenance in Luna shipyards to visit their daughter, Kate who had been assigned to Arcturus as an aide to an admiral. Ray knew it was not what Kate wanted but after the surge in recruitment following the First Contact War and Mindoir they had more people than ships to assign them to. Her turn would come soon enough as the navy was growing faster than ever and new ships were entering service by the dozens every month. So it was a rare thing for all three Shepards to be in the same system for longer than a few days and Ray was going to take advantage of it to the full extent without interruptions.

Which meant that if the message got through the rather sophisticated filter he had one of the techs on SSV Einstein set up for him the contents must be truly important. Switching off the power to the cooker he opened his omni-tool. When Hannah walked into the kitchen to find Ray reading something on the omni-tool with the kind of expression that she only saw him use when treating injuries from victims of Mindoir raid. She knew that this was one of those moments when you discover something that you never wanted to know.

"What's wrong Ray?" she asked her voice full of concern which only grew when Ray looked up.

"We...h" he started to say but choked on the emotions, he had seen a lot of things during his service, things that would have made anyone lose sleep but reading what Sam had sent him was too much even for him. "Sam Knight sent me a list of patients with their medical history." he said distancing himself professionally. He needed to start acting and feelings right now were a detriment to what he needed to do.

"Sam Knight? You mean..." Hannah said surprised. She knew that Sam had been recruited for something so secret that captain had asked Ray to alter official records so that Sam Knight would be recorded officially as dead en-route to Arcturus. She understood of course why Sam had been recruited, you simply didn't get people like him. With his physical abilities and the calmness he had displayed during his brief stay on Einstein she was sure that he would make an excellent soldier. Captain must have thought that his talents were better used in a more covert role. She understood the reasoning behind it and the necessity but she did not approve. Hannah Shepard did not like deception, as a commander in Alliance she had her fair share of run ins with people from Alliance Intelligence Service and Office of Naval Intelligence. She had seen them work and she preferred a straight up fight every time.

"Yeah. Him. I can only guess but it seems like he found another lab engaging in amoral experiments. He rescued the children and is bringing them here. To us." Ray replied his voice wavering as he spoke, his emotional control still not fully regained

"Children?" Hannah said horrified.

"Yes, early teens and younger. 18 survivors. He said we are the only ones he trusts enough to ask for help." Ray said and turned to his wife, his own expression mirroring hers. A mix of grief, horror and anger. And in that moment the door opened and Kate walked in carrying freshly baked bread rolls from the bakery down on the promenade.

"They didn't have any bagels this morning Mom so we will have to do with bread rolls." Kate said as she walked in but then noticed the expressions on both of her parent's faces. "Mom? Dad? What's wrong?"

"Kate, we need you to get us an appointment with Rear-Admiral Katsuragi. Before you do however let me tell you why." Hannah said putting a hand on her husband's arm with a slight shake of her head when he was about to stop her. She knew that Ray wanted to protect their daughter from the world and in this case from the shadowy side of the Alliance but Hannah knew that Kate was good enough that sooner or later she will draw the interest of the people from the shadowy side of the Alliance. It would be better for her to glimpse it now while both of them were here to help her and with Sam Knight, someone that Hannah was sure would be the better example of that side of humanity.

"Sit down, we might as well eat while the food is still warm." Hannah said and gestured towards the table. She didn't doubt that Kate would have many questions and she didn't want to let Ray's efforts in preparing this meal go to waste. Having strong stomach was also a necessity for an Alliance marine.

18 hours later. 18/08/2173

Kal'leena guided the shuttle expertly into our assigned landing spot in one of the internal Arcturus station bays. I was surprised when we requested docking that it was granted immediately and in one of the internal bays too that were usually reserved for Alliance ships.

But I was astounded by the reception committee when I opened the cargo bay doors. Walking down the ramp I saw three people standing in front with easily more than thirty people behind them. Alliance medical by the look of their uniforms with a few security sprinkled in. I recognized two of the people in front immediately. Ray and Hannah Shepard and I knew who was the third when I took a closer look. That red hair, those determined emerald eyes, those sharply angled eyebrows. Kate Shepard. The future hero stood in front of me. As a nineteen year old 2nd lieutenant straight out of training. She hasn't yet gained the sharpness and hardness of the version I used to see and that made me feel as if I was seeing something forbidden.

"Good to see you Sam." Ray said and extended his hand once I walked down the ramp.

"You too Ray. Wish it was under better circumstances too." I said as I shook his hand, "you know more than I do about treating cases like this so go ahead do your thing. We can talk when they are all safely in a hospital. I suspect most of them will need prolonged stays."

"After reading what you sent me I agree. But don't worry these children will get the best care Alliance can give them. We owe it to them. Excuse me." Ray replied giving the signal to the people behind to follow him into the shuttle. I had talked to the children before we got here explaining what was going to happen so I was glad to see that none of them were fighting back. Including Jack.

I saw Jack walk out with two medics trailing behind, I could see the tension in her posture and as she looked at me I gave her a reassuring seemed to calm her marginally and she let herself get seated into one of the ambulance cars waiting outside the landing area.

"How did you find that facility?" Hannah asked

"It's complicated." I said and wondered for a moment if there would actually be a point in my life here where I would be forced to explain how I know things that I know. And if people would understand the choices I had made. Hopefully that won't be soon.

"Classified?" Kate asked before her mother could do the same.

"Something like that. Kate I assume?" I replied trying to sound like it was a 'yes but I can't really talk about it' answer instead of 'no but if I tell you the truth you will think I am crazy'.

"2nd Lieutenant Alliance Marines Kate Shepard." she said crisply and then she grinned,"I wish I could say I heard good things about you but my parents only told me you existed yesterday and were rather vague with details. But considering what you did you are not a bad guy."

"I shall settle for that. As an old proverb says A man is judged by his deeds not his words. And since I can't say many of the things I know..." I replied and couldn't help but grin in return, hers was infectious, radiating charm and youthful energy. I was about to say something else when my omni-tool chimed.

"Excuse me, I need to take this." I said and looked at the message. It was a two tone chime I set up for mission assignments. Quickly taking a look at contents of the message and responding with the confirmation I turned back to Hannah and Kate.

"I am sorry but I have to go. Take care of the children and watch Jack, she might get into fights with the other children. I will be in touch." I said and walked briskly back into the shuttle and run up to the cockpit.

"Kal'leena, can you take this shuttle back to the Citadel? I will meet you back there in a week, maybe two." I said as I grabbed my go bag. It had everything I needed for my next mission. What it did not have I would acquire on the spot. I didn't want to leave the kids and run off to get shot at again but I didn't have much choice in the matter. I doubted that going rogue would be looked upon favorably by whoever my mysterious superiors were. They wouldn't invest so much into training someone if they didn't have some kind of way to keep them in line. And considering my training I knew the methods they would employ. Even my reinforced skull would not withstand a high powered rifle shot or an accidental power cell explosion in an aircar for example a thousand meters in the air. But that was just my paranoia talking. The training and my assignments so far made me think that the Unit recruited only the most highly motivated people and the first assignments were geared towards entrenching an idea that Unit only gave missions for all the right reasons.

"A mission?" she asked and I simply nodded. I considered briefly if I should ask her about the Unit. She should know more about it, she has worked for it much longer than I have. But it's also possible that she was given a cover story. I would have to ask her but now was not the time. It would require a lengthy conversation and my ride to Terra Nova was leaving in less than 20 minutes.

"Yeah. The urgent kind. See you later." I said and waved her a goodbye as I walked off the shuttle and headed out of the landing bay. Kal'leena was an asari huntress so she understood that the mission takes priority. I was about to weave into the foot traffic that is always present in public access transport terminals like this when I saw Kate Shepard and she waved me over. I couldn't resist and walked towards her.

"You are not leaving on your shuttle?" she asked curious.

"No, I need to use a passenger ship. Is there anything you need? My ship leaves in 17 minutes." I replied keeping my tone neutral. I had noticed that her voice sounds different than the one in game. I didn't know whether it's some kind of age thing or if the version of Shepard currently standing in front of me was simply different.

"Oh, nothing urgent, just wanted to talk to you. Let's make a deal, I will show you a shortcut to the passenger terminal and you answer a few of my questions." she proposed with a small satisfied smile. She knew that I had no real reason to refuse her.

"I can't promise that I can answer every question but let's not waste time. Lead on." I said and gestured for her to go

"I can live with that." she said and grabbing my arm led me into some kind of side path or technical corridor

"So...are you really a supersoldier?" she asked about a minute later as we squeezed past an electrical conduit and trying to sound nonchalant still holding my hand. I was usually good with directions but I doubted I could repeat it on my own, we have been turning left and right, squeezing past all kinds of machinery. Also I have to admit that I was a bit distracted by her holding onto my hand and how her uniform seemed to hug her every curve. I mean sure both Kal'leena and Erinna wore tight-fitting asari clothing, something in between what Aria wore and the commando leathers. But they were asari, and I had found that the whole head crest thing bothered me more than I thought it would. Or at least it made it immediately clear that they were not human, I guess my subconscious just found it weird enough. It's one thing to see it on screen and another thing to really see it with your own eyes. Kate Shepard however was beautiful, young and human. I couldn't help it. So I admit that I was a bit too distracted to follow where we were actually going.

"Depends on what you define as a supersoldier. I am sure that by the you would also qualify, same as most Alliance soldiers by the standards of the time before gene therapy. All those subtle genetic mods that you get when you join are a significant boost." I replied as we stepped over an open floor panel.

"Well sure, but Dad said that you are more than that. By a lot." she said unsatisfied with my answer

"That is true. I am not sure actually on the level of modifications done to me. The most obvious ones are my increased strength, my skin that has roughly the same level of protection as light combat suit without the kinetic shielding and my healing factor." I replied and catching myself on a thought that really I shouldn't be telling her this. I was behaving like a typical guy who gets asked by a girl to tell her about himself. I was bragging to a pretty girl with a hope that she would like me. Kal'leena was right back then to give me that test. Now at least I knew precisely what one of my biggest weaknesses was. Women. At least I shared that fault with a large part of sapient beings in the galaxy.

"Does it still hurt to get shot?" she asked as we plunged into a stream of people going perpendicular to our direction.

"Yes, but I can't really compare. I was never shot before I got this body. It hurts but it's more like hitting your toe against a sharp edge than anything." I replied and we stopped in front of a large gate separating a passenger embarkation area from the rest of the docking area.

"And here you are. Delivered in 6 minutes. You still have plenty of time to check in and get to your seat." Kate said sounding chipper and pivoted on her heel to face me, "I hope we see you soon. It will be good if you can visit the kids. Dad was assigned as their primary doctor so he will be on station for a while too."

"I will try and I would have stayed longer but I have orders. I am sure you understand. It was nice meeting you Kate. Ray has my contact details if anything comes up." I said and giving her a sloppy salute turned towards the gate. I really didn't expect to meet Shepard that soon. Or see her before she becomes the Reaper kicking badass. I thought about what kind of changes was I already bringing to this version of Mass Effect universe. Rescuing Jack, meeting Shepard. I didn't regret my actions but I also knew they would have consequences. I hoped that they would be the kind that I could live with.

Boarding the ship I put those thoughts away for later. Now I needed to concentrate on the mission. I had terrorists to track down and kill.