To say Miranda Lawson was scared would be an understatement. She was frightened and it was for the big turian lying unconscious on the Normandy med-bay. His blue armor was badly damaged, not to mention the punishment he received physically.
Miranda Lawson was never scared. She was confident in everything, always. Because that's who she was. But when it comes to people she really cared about, she was like other normal people, and she cared for the big turian greatly. When she first met him as Alicia during the hunt for Saren, she was indifferent about him like the others. But then she observed and learned that the big turian was no doubt extremely loyal to John and no matter what happened, he will always be there for John. Not as his team-member but as a brother. She had watched their bonds develop over time, from being teammates to friends, to brother in arms. Miranda, who herself was a loner, had no problems getting acquainted with Garrus Vakarian. He was an easy person to approach with an open mind set, most importantly he always gave unknown people the benefit of doubt. Just like he had given her.
She saw how much Garrus really cared for John. The turian could've easily went for the Spectre position, but he didn't. He was broken when John died. He was angry, felt betrayed and took it as an insult to John when the council disregarded everything about the existence of the Reapers.
He had left Citadel space and went to Omega. He had nothing to do with the Council or politics anymore. But when the Illusive Man ordered her to bring John back with the help of Liara, she knew Liara would need help. And who could she trust to help them more than Garrus? He had helped them to fight back against the Collectors and Shadow Brokers army to get John back. He had trusted her that if there is anyone who can bring John back, it would be her.
Now, she could see John standing outside the med-bay, his expression full of concern for his turian brother. Miranda trusted Dr. Chakwas, she had seen first-hand that the good doctor was an expert in her field. Miranda was here just to be sure and help. That's the least she can do for Garrus.
After doing treatment on Garrus for several hours he was at last stable. He was out of danger and would sure make a full recovery. Dr. Chakwas let out a sigh of relief, her expression and body language were full of exhaustion. Miranda couldn't blame her. She worked on Garrus without any break.
"Thank you, Miss Lawson. Without your help, I wouldn't be able to save him." Dr. Chakwas said, looking towards Garrus unconscious form on the bed.
Miranda showed no emotions on her face but inside she was glad that she could help. If something happened to Garrus, John would have been devastated.
"You are welcome, Doctor. Your gratitude is not necessary. Garrus Vakarian will become an important member of the team. I did what I had to." Miranda lied easily. Well, it was not a lie, because she Garrus would be one of the most vital members of their team against the Collectors. She just hid the real reason behind her desperation to help Garrus recover.
"Still…." Dr. Chakwas murmured, looking at Garrus' still form. "When he first came on board the Normandy SR-1, John knew he could trust Garrus. It was true, the two of them formed a relationship much more than friendship. Though not related by blood, and of two different species they are brothers in every sense." Dr. Chakwas paused and smiled slightly. "There was no one in the crew who didn't like Garrus. He is dear to me too…"
Miranda looked at Dr. Chakwas then at Garrus. "You talk like you all are…."
"Family?" Dr. Chakwas completed for Miranda. "Yes. I never had a family. John is my son, and Garrus he is too."
Miranda cleared her throat. The subject was getting too emotional, and she really didn't want to talk about John right now. "I should inform the Commander about Garrus conditions. He was very anxious earlier."
"I am sure, he would appreciate the gesture, Miss Lawson." Dr. Chakwas said.
Miranda nodded and left the med-bay leaving Dr. Chakwas with Garrus.
After exiting the Medway. Miranda, Miranda. Begin. to walk towards the elevator. She contacted EDI.
"EDI." Miranda called. EDI's hologram appeared immediately. "Where is the Commander?"
"The Commander is in his cabin, Miss Lawson."
"Is he alone?"
"Yes. Miss Lawson."
"That's all EDI."
"Logging you out Miss Lawson." EDI's hologram disappeared.
Miranda went straight to John's cabin. She saw the door was locked from inside. She could've easily override it, but she didn't.
"Commander, can I come in? It's Miranda." She knocked on the door from outside. She heard footsteps inside the room and the door chimed open, revealing John. He had discarded his armour completely which was lying scattered on the floor.
Old habits die hard. When she used to stay with him on Mindoir, she was the one to clear his mess. It was alright though, she never minded. She stared back at his handsome but worried face. You may have become the Commander Shepard to the world, but you are still the John I knew. You haven't changed.
He was now wearing a jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket. Miranda had to admit that he looked good in it. Realizing that she was staring, and he was looking at her questioningly he cleared her throat and looked in his face.
John realized that he was being rude and invited Miranda inside his cabin. "Come in, please."
As she stepped inside and went past the aquarium to her left, John sat down on the bed, and gestured her to sit on the sofa.
She did so.
"I am here to personally give you the news about Mr. Vakarian's health condition, Commander." Miranda informed. Her statement caused him to stare back at her anxiously and with a hopeful expression on his face. At that moment Miranda was more than glad about her gifts. "He is stable and will make a full recovery. We had to use cybernetics to fix some of his damage though. The side of his face was badly damaged."
Surprising her, John took both of her hands in his own and held them with a grateful expression on his face.
"Thank you, Miranda. You don't know what this means to me. First you saved me, now Garrus too. I just can't thank you enough." John expressed his gratitude to her with open heart. He was really concerned about Garrus. Although he didn't trust Cerberus, he got a feeling that he could trust this woman sitting in front of him. He didn't care about her attitude or lack of emotions. He was just glad that she was there to help Garrus.
Miranda was really surprised at his behaviour. "I… Dr. Chakwas treated Mr. Vakarian. I have only helped."
"I know what I saw Miranda. The combined effort of you and Dr. Chakwas saved Garrus' life today. I am glad that you were there to help him, and I know Garrus would too." John said, still holding Miranda's hands.
"I just did my job, Commander." Miranda replied evenly, although it was hard to keep her face neutral at this point. "Mr. Vakarian is an important member of our team." She gave him the same reason as she had given to Dr. Chakwas.
And he believed it.
"You are welcome, Commander." Miranda smiled slightly. Then she cleared her throat when she realized that he still hasn't let go of her hands.
At first, he was confused then he looked down and the tip of his ears turned pink at embarrassment. He instantly let go of her hands and apologized. "Sorry."
Miranda holds on to her laughter with great effort at his embarrassment. She was right, something never changes.
John cleared his throat, and his expression became serious once again. "Now can you explain how you know Garrus and Liara?" He asked looking at her.
Miranda decided to answer him truthfully. "After your death…" Miranda's voice shook slightly. "…Illusive Man gave me the intel that the Collectors are after your body. And the Shadow Broker was involved in this. Dr. T'Soni was already looking for you, so I had met her and gave her every intel we had. Since, this was a very secret operation Cerberus couldn't provide assault forces. I knew the two of us weren't enough. I found Garrus and when he found out that I was trying to recover your body, he agreed to help me and Dr. T'Soni. That's how I knew them, Commander."
John nodded in understanding, "Thank you for telling me."
Miranda stood up from the sofa. "If you have any more questions, come visit my office. I will be happy to answer them for you."
She stepped towards the door, but John stopped her again.
"Miranda wait." He called her. When she stopped and turned around to look at him, he spoke again. "There's something else, I need to talk about with you. Perhaps you could explain."
Miranda returned to her position on the sofa and looked at him questioningly.
"What is it, Commander?" She asked. Miranda saw he was hesitating to speak.
"I just…." He couldn't say.
Miranda placed her hand over his as comfort. "You can trust me, Commander."
"I know. It's not that. You may think I am being weird. I never spoke about this to anyone. I just thought that you could help me." John paused. He saw Miranda was looking at him expectantly. "Since I saw you first time, I am having these dreams occasionally where I saw myself looking at a girl about my age. But I can't see her face clearly, it's always hazy. In my dreams she would say that she is waiting for me."
Miranda was clearly excited inside now. But she didn't show it. "How can I help you, Commander?"
"I don't know. You might think I am delusional, but I think the girl I see every time in my dreams acted a lot like you." John looked at Miranda. He was hesitating. "Was it you, Miranda?"
Miranda's eyes widened. At that moment she wanted nothing more than to tell him everything and take him in her arms, never letting him go again. But she couldn't. If she'd tell him he would become more confused and would try to remember his past by putting more pressure on his brain, which she didn't want. She still didn't know the after lasting effects on his brain after what Wilson did to him.
When she didn't answer, John explained again, "These dreams they keep on coming back every day. I can't remember her name or face, no matter how hard I try. They are making me restless."
Miranda knew what she must do, and she hated herself for that. But it was best for John. Perhaps he would understand one day, if his memory returns.
"I am sorry, Commander that these dreams are making you restless. I would suggest not to dwell on these dreams much. Your memories would come back normally. And one day you would remember her." Miranda said. She never said though that the girl he sees in his dreams wasn't her. She couldn't tell that lie. Not to him. "After what you went through temporary memory loss is not abnormal."
"I… I am sorry. I just thought… no felt that she and you have some sort of connection." John apologized.
Miranda smiled slightly. "It is alright, Commander."
LATER
Miranda was lying on her bed trying to get a much-needed sleep after completing and sending all her reports to the Illusive Man. But sleep won't come. Her eyes were opened and focused on the ceiling of her room. Her mind was completely elsewhere.
She thought about her conversation with John. He had begun to connect the dots, and she could've easily helped him to do that, but she didn't. Her emotional side wanted to, but the doctor in her knew that it would be better to let him remember him on his own and not put stress on his mind than he already has.
At this moment she wanted nothing more than to hug him while laying beside him. She cared for him.
But she was not the only one who had the same feelings for him.
There was one another.
On Mindoir.
SEVERAL YEARS AGO, MINDOIR
"Take this!" A girl yelled and punched a boy in the face, dropping him to the ground. The girl looked skinny, had short jet-black hairs on her head and she was wearing a t-shirt and a short.
While the boy was lying on the ground clutching his bloodied face, the girl bent down and picked up the football that was lying there on the ground. She looked no older than fourteen or fifteen. Although she was dressed like a boy, one could tell that she was quite attractive.
"Don't fucking mess with me again, Roy!" She yelled at the boy lying at her feet.
At that moment she heard footsteps approaching from her left. And then she saw him. Her eyes narrowed in anger.
She marched towards him and gave him a hard shove on his chest with her free hand.
"You're an idiot!" She scolded him.
John held his hands up in surrender. He had a small smile on his face.
"And don't smile! Dammit! Why don't you fight for yourself?" She yelled at him again.
"Hey! It was not that bad. You know I like to avoid any kind of violence." John explained himself.
She huffed. "If I didn't know you, I'd have thought you are a pu…." She couldn't finish her sentence as John had put his hand over her mouth, preventing her from continuing.
"Language." He warner her.
She didn't move, nor did she made any attempts to move his hand from over her mouth. She just stared at his face, at his lips, just watching him. She didn't hear what he was telling though.
She knew the adorable dimwit doesn't even realize what he does to her, what no one could. She never liked to be girly, she preferred sports, often get into fights with boys. Her temper was something to be reckoned with. Often her parents wondered whether she was really a girl or a boy. She never wanted to go on dates or flirt with boys. That was not her cup of tea. She never felt those things which a normal girl of her age would feel for a boy. These things never ever crossed her mind.
But this buffoon changes everything about who she was.
Her heart rate rises every time, he gets close to her. And sometimes she even considered about giving damn to everything and smother him senseless. Maybe then only the idiot would understand how she felt. Then again, she knew there was someone else – Miranda.
John and Miranda are very close, much closer than to her liking. They are always attached to hips one could say. And she had to admit that girl do care about John but in what way she didn't know. Was it platonic or something romantic? But she'd never saw anything romantic between them. Maybe she'd have a chance? She knows her parents will support her choice if they find out, and she knows they would be glad. It's not only because they look upon John as their son but also because finally their daughter has started to have feelings like a normal girl.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"What are you smiling about?" John asked looking at her face.
"Not your damn business!" She replied, he flinched but his smile returned immediately because he was used to her acting like a bitch all the time. She threw the ball at him which he caught easily. "Anyway, what are you doing here?" She asked with her eyes narrowed.
"I was looking for you, J. Mr. Levinson said he saw you coming this way." John replied.
She rolled her eyes. "It's Jennifer to you, John." She insisted.
He looked at her confused. "I thought you hated that name and would punch anyone who would call you 'Jennifer'."
She poked him on his chest with her finger. "Hey! I have never said that. To everyone I am 'J' but to you I am just 'Jennifer'."
"Jennifer Levinson." John called her with a smirk, knowingly. He knew she hated that.
"Alright! That's it!" Her eyes narrowed in anger again. "You are fucking dead, John!"
With a yelp he turned around and ran away from her.
She followed suit, but damn he was fast. She was not going to give up though. Today she was going to kick his ass. But catching John was not easy. He was fast. The good thing was that she was faster and knew his routes.
She was waiting for him in a corner and as she heard footsteps she jumped on him, without really seeing who it was. She tackled the person on the ground with a cry and the person screamed in surprise.
But it was not him.
It was Miranda.
And she was carrying a cream cake which was now completely ruined. The two of them had creams all over their body.
Miranda looked at Jennifer with an irritated look on her face. "Why did you do that? See what you have done?"
Jennifer helped Miranda up on her feet. "I am sorry. I didn't mean to."
Then she saw the remaining of the cake and she could still see the icing written on the cake.
"HAPP… BIRT…..Y
….IFFER"
Oh! Now she remembered. Today is her birthday and that cake was meant for her, and she was the one who ruined it completely. Then she heard laughter. Miranda heard it too.
It was him, laughing at them while clutching his stomach.
John was laughing looking at the state of Miranda and Jennifer. They were both covered in creams. But he didn't notice the look both Miranda and Jennifer shared. And next he knew a mound of cream slapped on his face. Next second, he felt someone tackled him to the ground. And someone else came to the aid, and splashed more creams all over his face, head, shirt, pants, etc.
Now it was their turn to laugh at his state.
And he deserved it.
But John was not angry he began laughing with them.
A few days later Jennifer was at the school ground. She found John in the stands watching others practising the game of football with sadness in his eyes. She approached him quietly and sat down beside him.
"Hey!" She greeted him.
"Hey!" He returned the gesture, but he still looked sad.
"What's up, John? You look sad." Jennifer asked.
"It's nothing." He instantly dismissed her concern.
Jennifer's eyes narrowed again. Next second John felt a sharp pain on his arm. "Ouch!" He let out a yelp and held his arm with his other arm. "What was that for?" He asked slightly angry.
Jennifer glared back at him. "Don't fucking lie to me, John. Now tell me what happened."
He still didn't say anything. But Jennifer understood.
"They didn't let you play, did they?" She asked knowingly watching towards the ground. Dave the captain of the football team was a big bully and belonged to a rich family. His father has most of the teachers in his pockets. He would basically get away with anything he does wrong in the school. She knew that Dave liked Miranda, and he didn't like the fact that Miranda never gave him a second glance while she gave importance to John always. Out of jealousy he didn't let John enter the team.
John nodded slightly at her question.
"Come with me." She grabbed his hand and got up.
But John shook his head. "Leave it. I don't wanna play anymore."
"Yes, you do!" Jennifer fired back. "Now come!"
John followed her or he could say that she had dragged him along with her to the office of the principal in the school. There she explained everything to the principal. He listened calmly to her complaints without saying a word.
"Is it true?" He asked John.
"Yes, sir." John confirmed.
"Very well, follow me." The principal said, while getting up from his chair.
They followed the principal to the playground where Dave was training along with his team and the Coach was also present there over-looking their training.
"Where's Miranda?" Jennifer whispered to John suddenly.
"Oh! Well, she tried talking to the Coach earlier, but it didn't work. She wanted to stay and find a way to get me into the team, but I knew she had an important class today. So, I insisted her that she should attend the class." John explained.
Jennifer rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Miss Perfect." She had no quarrel with Miranda, or she hated Miranda. She just didn't like the fact that John paid so much attention to Miranda, instead of her. It was also true that she never hinted in any way that she liked him as more than a friend, but she also knew that even though she'd hinted the idiot would have never caught her hints.
"Do you think we are doing the right thing by confronting the Coach like this?" John whispered back to her.
"He is an ass-hole." She mumbled angrily. "Dave bought his way into the team, but John you don't have to. You have the talent. They should select you based on your talent."
"I don't like this." John mumbled.
She punched him hard, again, on his arm. "You are a fucking pussy!"
John just shrugged off her comment casually because he knew she didn't mean it.
The principal insisted the Coach that he should at least give John a chance to try out. Reluctantly the Coach agreed, and later John was even selected for the team. Jennifer watched from the stands and saw him play. There was a benign smile on his lips as he played. He was happy. Often, he'd look at the stand, towards her and wave his hands. Every time he'd do that, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Unknown to her, a blush would form on her cheeks. She was happy to that she was the one who made him happy, and it was not Miranda.
She felt someone's presence beside her, and she knew who it was – Miranda. She took a seat beside Jennifer while staring towards the ground.
"John got selected. How?" Miranda asked looking at Jennifer.
"He was selected based on his talent unlike Dave, who bought his way in." Jennifer intentionally mentioned Dave. She knew that Miranda has nothing to do with him. But her jealousy was making her do things which she never even dreamt about.
"I know that." Miranda replied with slight irritation in her voice. "I know John has talents to play but the Coach wouldn't let him. How did he persuade the Coach?"
Jennifer was about to reply but at that moment John arrived.
"Hey Miri!" Instantly he was near Miranda and hugging her. He didn't even noticed Jennifer as if she'd never existed. He pulled back to look Miranda in her eyes. "I got selected Miri." He said still holding Miranda in his arms which Jennifer was itching to move away from around Miranda's body.
Miranda grabbed his face with her hands. She was smiling too. "I am happy for you, John."
"You know how I got into the team?" He said with excitement in his voice. "It was because of her." He indicated towards Jennifer. "She was incredible."
Miranda looked at Jennifer and then back at John. The revelation that she'd helped John didn't seem much appealing to Miranda, which she noticed.
Then John explained to Miranda what Jennifer did for him.
Miranda extracted herself away from John's embrace much to Jennifer's relief to face her. "Thank you. For what you did for him." Miranda showed her genuine appreciation to her.
Jennifer shrugged, "It was nothing. We are friends. That's the least I could do."
They parted ways there, and it was the last time Jennifer saw him and later her parents. She'd never even got the chance to tell him how she felt. The words remained unspoken. Because the next day the entire colony was raided by the slavers, and she was taken away from her parents. The Slavers handed her over to an organization named Cerberus. That's all she could remember.
PRESENT TIME, DE-BRIEFING ROOM
"Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he looks a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedures and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but…" Jacob stopped as the door opened and to his surprise Garrus stepped in.
"John." Garrus greeted.
"Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet." Jacob said in amazement.
"Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?" Garrus asked.
"Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly. Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice." John joked.
Jacob looked at John in surprise. He couldn't believe that the Commander is saying those things to his friend. Then he looked at Garrus and he was surprised again when he saw the turian was laughing. Jacob thought that it would be best to leave the two of them alone. So, he left after saluting John.
"Ha-ah!" Garrus moaned in pain. "Don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding it together as it is. Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it." Garrus joked. "Jokes apart, but frankly, I'm worried about you. Cerberus, John? You remember what they were doing?"
"Right now, they're a necessary evil. I need their resources to get this done." John answered.
"So, what is this all about exactly?"
"I told you about the abduction of human colonies by the Collectors. They are an unknown species. We only have minor information's about them. The problem is we are defenceless against them. They use technology to freeze their enemies and take them away alive without leaving a trace."
"I have met them." Garrus said and looked at John. He nodded telling him silently that he already knows everything. "And you thought of anything which can help us against them?"
"So far none. But Mordin is working on it."
"Mordin?"
"A salarian scientist. He is genius. Hopefully we will hear some good news from him."
"Interesting. But why is Cerberus interested so much? I mean they spent millions of credits and resources to bring you back and then build another new Normandy. Top of that they are also funding this mission."
"The Illusive Man claims that he has the humanity's best interest in his heart. But there is something more he wants. I am sure of it."
"Yeah, that's for sure. So, what is our next step?"
"We are building an unusual team here Garrus. We have already recruited Mordin. Next on the list is Jack."
"Why this new team John? What about our old team? Haven't you heard from any one of them? And who is this, Jack?"
"No, I haven't heard from anyone except Tali. We met on Freedom's Progress." John sighed. Garrus nodded.
"So how did she take the news? I mean first you appear to be alive after two years and top of that you are working with Cerberus. That must have been quite a shock to her." Garrus asked.
"No, she didn't take it that well. At least she was happy to see me alive and said that she trusts me." John replied.
"Well, that was expected. Anyways so who is this, Jack?"
"We don't have much information about this 'Jack'. But her bio says she is the most powerful human biotic to ever exist. Right now, she is held as a prisoner."
"So, our mission is to break in and get Jack out?"
"No. Not break in. Apparently, Cerberus has made some kind of agreement with the Captain of the Purgatory, and they have agreed to free Jack. All we have to do is go and pick her up."
"Sounds simple. But I have a bad feeling about this."
"We will be armed. Miranda, Zaeed and Jacob will come with us. If they try anything we will give them hell."
"Just like old times, John." Garrus said.
FEW MINUTES LATER, DOWN TO CIC
"How is our newest turian member doing? His injuries looked painful." Kelly asked John as soon as he exited from the elevator.
"He's a soldier. It'll take a lot more than that to keep him down."
"There's something about him. I just want to hold him close and whisper, 'It will be all right'."
"It will be nice of you to do that, but Garrus doesn't need anyone to hold him."
"True." Kelly nodded.
"Thanks for your concern, though, Kelly." John gave her a small reassuring smile. She just blushed in return and turned back to do her work.
THE PSYCHOTIC BIOTIC
"Things are not looking good." Joker mumbled absent minded. He had both of his elbows on his knees and his chin was resting on his palms. His gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him.
"You are right Mr Moreau. In the last 30 minutes several reinforcements arrived in there." EDI appeared beside Joker.
"How many EDI?" Joker asked looking at EDI.
"Actual number is unknown. At least two hundred." EDI replied.
"Damn. That's not good. Not good." Joker said.
"What's going on Joker?" John arrived with Miranda and Garrus in tow. This caused them few curious glances from the crew, but they ignored it.
"Commander! You are here!" It was more of a greeting than a statement. "Well EDI kept watch on this space prison and according to her many reinforcements arrived in the last few minutes."
"Reinforcements for what? Was there a prison break?" John asked.
"Negative, Commander. The prisoners are all secured, and I have found Jack's location."
John's brows furrowed. If there was no prison break, then why the reinforcements? Something is not right. He turned to EDI. "That was impressive EDI."
"I always work at my optimal capacity, Commander." EDI commented and vanished.
"How many reinforcements Joker?" Garrus asked.
"At least two hundred. According to EDI." Joker replied.
"But why the reinforcements?" Miranda said.
"I think they are for us." Garrus voiced his opinion.
"For us? We aren't going there to fight with them. We just need to get Jack from them. All the credits they demanded has already been transferred to them. The Illusive Man himself saw to that." Miranda argued.
"I can't be sure Miranda. But I think Garrus is right. This is looking suspicious." John agreed with Garrus. "Let's talk in the debriefing room. Get Zaeed and Jacob." He added. Miranda nodded and left.
As John and Garrus turned around to left, Joker's voice stopped them. "Don't get killed out there, Commander. And you too Garrus."
"I am not planning on dying again Joker." John replied calmly and left the cockpit with Garrus in tow.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
"Two hundred reinforcements? Damn! That does not sound good." Jacob said.
"But we are not sure that they will betray us." Zaeed said.
"No but it is better to be ready." John said.
"So, what is our plan, Commander?" Jacob said looking at John.
"EDI you got a map of the Purgatory?" John asked.
Next second a holo-map of Purgatory appeared in front of them in which the place where Jack is imprisoned is marked.
They all looked at the map carefully.
"There are two ways to get to Jack's cell." John said. Everyone nodded.
"What are you suggesting?" Miranda asked.
"For this mission we need a diversion team." John revealed.
"And…..?" Miranda asked narrowing her eyes.
"Zaeed, Garrus and I will be the diversion team. Miranda and Jacob will come in on my signal with reinforcements." John said. "You two will wait for my signal. Once you get it get Jack out from there. We will try to hold them off. We will get some advantage in that station as they won't be able to flank us. That will give you some time to get Jack off the station."
"Don't you think you will be overwhelmed, Commander?" Miranda sounded almost angry, mostly concerned but she hid it well behind her uncaring mask.
"I don't see any other choice here." Garrus agreed.
"Perhaps I can be of assistance, Commander." EDI's holographic image appeared again.
"Yes EDI?"
In answer EDI marked a spot on the map of the prison ship. "There's a console from where you can either sabotage all the mechs or turn them against your enemy. It will even the odds." She disappeared.
"EDI has a point. Miranda. You and Jacob sneak in and get to the console and turn those mechs against them. Then free Jack." John said.
"EDI are they aware of our presence?" Miranda asked.
"Negative, Miss Lawson. Our technology is far more advanced than they have on Purgatory. They have no idea we are keeping eyes on their activity." EDI answered.
"So, they are unaware. It's good." Jacob said.
"So, we just barge in with your signal, Commander?" Miranda said.
"Yes." John paused. "Any questions?" John said looking at his team. When no one answered he told them to get ready. Everyone was leaving but John stopped Miranda. "Miranda, wait."
She turned around and looked at him questioningly.
"Tell the Normandy crew to be ready for the assault on my signal." John said. "Just in case."
PURGATORY, 20 MINUTES LATER
"Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly." One of the guards greeted John, Garrus and Zaeed as they stepped inside the prison ship. "As this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed." The guard added.
Garrus, Zaeed and John looked at each other. A silent communication passed between them. "We can't do that." John disagreed.
At that moment a turian guard stepped forward. He seemed to be the officer of the ship. "Everyone stand down. Commander, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard procedure." He introduced himself and let them know his authority. He noticed that his so-called guests were not fazed by his rules.
"It is my standard procedure to keep my gun." John retorted back meeting the turian's glare with one of his own.
The turian stayed silent for few moments before replying. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more secure enough to handle three armed guests." He said looking towards his men who nodded and stepped back. Then he turned towards his guests. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo. It will take a few more minutes. If you'll follow me to the Out-processing for the pickup, Commander."
"After you." John said.
As they walked Kuril begin to give description of the Purgatory. "Cellblock Two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self-contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out of the airlocks as an example. The ship is made up of thirty cell blocks identical to this one. We house thousands of criminals. We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice." He paused and turned towards his guests. "Nothing goes wrong here." He added.
"Let's get on with this." John said. He was not slightly interested about how things work here but if something goes wrong, they at least they get to know something which EDI didn't mention.
A whole place lockdown won't be a pleasant situation for them to get out from here if something goes wrong. He kept the communication with Miranda and others on because she needs to know when he would want them to help is the situation takes them to that position.
"Have you had any escape attempts?" Garrus asked.
"We're in space - and they have nowhere to go, and they know it. But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals. We have many ways to control the population." He paused again and indicated to his left. "Out-processing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing. I'll catch up with you later…. Shepard."
The trio walked towards the place where Jack will be handed over to them. It was a big empty room with just a table and three chairs. Adding to these there was also an empty cell at the far end of the room.
At that moment they heard Kuril's voice, loud and clear over the comm channel. "My apologies, Shepard. You're more valuable as a prisoner than a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."
"Let me change your mind." John said while pulling out his assault rifle. "In the old-fashioned way."
"Activate systems!" Kuril ordered over the comm.
"That son of a bitch….." Zaeed began.
"He betrayed us." Garrus completed for him. "I suspected this could happen."
At that time few mech and prison guards arrived there and started to fire on them. "Don't kill Shepard! Kill the others. I want him alive!" Kuril ordered over the comm.
"Zaeed! That mech!" John said.
Zaeed unloaded a few rounds of disruptor ammo from his assault rifle on the charging mech to destroy it. Garrus lobbed a grenade at the remaining enemies' feet. The blast killed the guards and damaged the mechs. Rapid fire from the trio's guns took care of them also. They wanted to leave the room, but more guards arrived including few mechs.
"We need to get rid of those mechs." Garrus suggested.
"And for that we need some help. Time to call in the cavalry." John said looking at Garrus.
"Give it up Shepard! You can't win this one!" Kuril's voice was heard again.
John placed his hand on the comm and contacted Miranda. "Miranda. It's time."
"Yes, sir." Came Miranda's reply.
Not five minutes later they heard more voices and gun fires.
Their cavalry has arrived.
Jacob followed Miranda as she walked fast towards the direction of the console that can disable all the mechs in the station. He followed her blindly because he trusted her. She maybe cold, calculating, shows people that she doesn't care about anybody. But he knew better. He was her partner for more than six years. He knew her to some extent. He also knew that she cares. She cares for him too just as a friend. He knew he liked this woman in front of him for a long time, but she never returned his feelings. She always stayed away from any kind of relationships. One day he asked her why. At first, she was harsh. She pushed him away and told him that she doesn't need any man. Then he rectified her errors. He told her that he isn't here to talk about himself. He wanted to know why she always pushes everyone away. She didn't even talk with her co-workers much aside from conversations regarding work. He explained to her that he wanted to know that. Often, he watched her staring blankly at nothing, deep in her thoughts. Whenever he looked in her eyes, he only saw grief and sadness which was ready to consume her fully. After years of working as her partner he gained her trust, at least to some extent. After that he saw her once again staring blankly at nothing. She looked as if she had lost everything. Nothing else mattered to her anymore, not even her job at Cerberus which was always her top priority. At that time Jacob had enough. He decided to do something. He couldn't bear to see her in this state. Without warning he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards an empty area where they could talk. She was angry at that time at his unexpected action, but he didn't care. He confronted her directly. He still remembered their conversations-
"What is wrong with you Miranda? You look like as if you have nothing left to live for anymore." Jacob asked.
"Why do you care Jacob?" She almost yelled.
That took Jacob by surprise. She never yells at anyone. She doesn't need to. If she wanted to intimidate anyone her cold stare was enough. Besides he could see that she was acting out of emotion. That was odd because Miranda Lawson never showed any kind of emotion to anyone. She always remained in control.
"You know I care for you Miranda." Jacob replied softly.
At his answer she turned her face away from him. "What is wrong Miranda? You can tell me. I am here for you…. As a friend." Jacob asked, gently placing one of his hands on her shoulder. She still didn't answer and refused to look towards him.
Jacob gently turned her face towards his. What he saw next broke his heart. Tears were streaming down Miranda's cheeks which refused to stop. She looked more than vulnerable. He took her small hinds in his and gave a small squeeze.
"What happened Miranda?" He asked again. She tried to push him away, but Jacob wasn't having any of that. "Stop acting like you don't care!" This time he raised his voice a little.
At this she mumbled something under her breath. He caught some of her words.
"…is dead. …. Nothing left." She murmured to herself.
"Dead? Who is dead? Miranda?" He asked grabbing her forearms.
At his question Miranda looked at him with venom in her eyes. He released her arms in surprise at the display of sudden anger on her face.
"HE IS NOT DEAD." She replied coldly. In the next second she was crying again. "Can't be… can't leave me. Promised…." She begins to murmur and sob again.
Jacob was totally confused now. What has happened to her? Whatever she is talking about is making no sense to him.
"Miranda! Miranda! Look at me!" He forced her this time. "I can't help you if you don't tell me." He said grabbing her hands again.
She detached her hands from his and looked at him angrily. "You want an answer?" She asked gritting her teeth.
"I do and I want to help you." Jacob said honestly.
"NO ONE CAN HELP ME! YOU UNDERSTAND? NO ONE!" This time she yelled with grief and sorrow in her voice. "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? WELL JACOB, MY HEART IS BROKEN. YOU GOT IT? DO YOU?" She turned away from him and stormed away from there trying to hide her tears which were refusing to stop.
From that time Jacob was more than sure that she also cares. She cares more than anybody. She makes people around her believe that she has no heart, but she has a big caring heart. She is one of the most caring people he can think of. He came to this belief not only because of her confession but also some other things. Whenever anyone asked for her help, she refused to help them in front of public, but she did help them when no one was around to see that she has a heart, and she does care. Why she wanted no one to see her true self was a mystery to him. She earned his trust when she saved him on few occasions, risking her life in the process. He begins to admire her at a certain level. Well, truthfully, he was attracted to her from the beginning. And who wouldn't? She is breathtakingly beautiful. Pale and perfect skin, blue eyes, pink lips, raven hair and a perfect body which screams for attention from both sexes. But as they started to work together in missions, he was able to get past his lust for her and begin to admire and respect her as an exceptionally talented, kind, caring, brave, and loyal person. And he still does.
He looked at her. She has her back to him while trying to manipulate the mechs through the console. The two of them managed to sneak past the prison guards making the battle as a distraction process. He had to admit that the Commander's plan is good but risky. Very risky. And she is concerned for him. She didn't say anything but her actions like pacing around near the cockpit and constantly checking her comm proved it.
She stepped back away from the console and indicated Jacob to follow her. He did so wordlessly. They countered few guards who were no match for them. Bullets combined with their superior biotics easily took care of them. Luckily, they didn't face more guards as most of them were busy in the battle. He hoped Shepard, Garrus and Zaeed was alright. The three of them can stand their ground but there are too many guards. The Normandy crew is standing ready to help them, but they may get outnumbered. The two of them reached the console which could get Jack free. There was a man in front of the console. He pulled out his pistol when he saw them. Miranda didn't give him any chance. She smashed him against the glass wall with her biotics and the man slid down to the ground, unconscious.
She immediately began tapping on the console while Jacob stood guard. They needn't communicate. After years of working together they understood each other easily. But within a few seconds she turned back to him.
"We have a problem." She spoke.
"What?" Jacob asked.
"It looks like this console is connected to every prison cell in this ship. If I release Jack, then all the prisoners will be free as well." Miranda revealed.
"Great. That's just what we need. More chaos." Jacob mumbled.
"Commander. Do you hear me?" Miranda said in her comm.
It took few seconds for Shepard to reply. "I can hear you, Miranda. The mechs are causing havoc among the guards. Excellent job." He praised.
Miranda didn't even acknowledge his praise. "We have a problem here. It seems the console is connected to every cell in the ship. If we free Jack, we are going to free every single prisoner on this damn ship."
"If this is the only way to free Jack, then do it." Came Shepard's reply.
"Alright, Commander." Miranda said and began to work on the console to free Jack.
After a few strokes of her fingers on the console a containment cell slowly came over the surface, free from cryo. The two of them saw Jack for the first time through the looking glass.
"That's Jack? Jack, is she?" Jacob said to himself.
"It seems so." Miranda replied looking at the figure of Jack. The woman was bald headed and had numerous tattoos on the upper part of the body and adding to that she was barely wearing anything except a thin leather strap to cover her breasts which was barely doing it. The woman looked not much older. She looked like same age of Miranda.
Then the alarm went off. All the prisoners started to escape from their cell, but Miranda and Jacob could see that they were getting caught by the guards immediately. But Jack was exceptional. Four guards approached her containment chamber cautiously with their guns raised. Suddenly she opened her eyes and with a single biotic blast she killed the four guards in the blink of an eye. The force of the biotic blast was so great that it created a large gap in the wall where it impacted.
"That's some crazy biotic power." Jacob said, his eyes wide. "Now I can understand why she is on our recruitment list. Her powers are too great. More than any of us."
"She is no match for Commander. Truthfully no one can match his power." Miranda replied.
"I have seen Shepard's biotics, Miranda. They are outstanding but even he can't do what Jack did." Jacob argued.
"You have seen nothing Jacob. What you saw back at Freedom's Progress was nothing compared to what he can really do." Miranda said.
"Then if he is so powerful why did he need the Normandy crew? He can wipe out the entire enemy squad within a matter of a few minutes." Jacob asked.
"He can't control it. He is trying to learn but he has failed always. So, he can't rely on his biotics." Miranda explained.
"I have never heard of anyone like Shepard you know. He is not….." Jacob said.
"Ordinary?" Miranda finished for him.
"Ah… yeah! Tell me Miranda have you seen or heard of anyone like him?"
"I know, Jacob. He is unique." Miranda said with pride in her tone. Jacob noticed a small smile was tugging at the corner of her lips. It was a smile that displayed pride, respect and admiration.
'FREE! I am free at last! Won't let those bastards catch me again.' I said in my mind repeatedly. The joy of freedom feels good, and this new feeling is totally new to me because for my whole life I was abused, tortured, raped repeatedly and imprisoned. Once I get out of this damn prison, I will find the ones who ruined my entire life. I will kill each and every one of them with my bare hands. Every last one of Cerberus.
I could still feel the pain when they tied me down on a bed and put several needles in my skin. I was nothing but a fucking tool to them. They used me for their sick experiments and when I grew up a little, I was forced to fight against other children like me, who were also imprisoned there. But before they forced me to fight, they tortured me, which made my anger boil in my veins. Sometimes they even raped me for satisfying their hunger. I was helpless. I could do nothing. I just kept staring at the ceiling of my room as they abused me, violated my body to their own will. After years of going on like this I made myself not to feel anymore although every time those bastards touched me it used to make my skin crawl at disgust.
This was one of their techniques apart from torture to bring out my anger which I could spend on the other children. They succeeded. I used to be so angry that I never thought twice before attacking other children like me. No one could stand up to me. I was the best. My biotic powers surpassed all the others. For every kill I painted a tattoo on my body. The only means of survival was to remain as their best tool which I did. Sometimes I wanted to die but I couldn't kill myself because I swore to myself that one day they will pay. Everyone who has caused me pain will feel pain ten times more than what they made me went through. But later I regretted killing those children. I always did. I had no choice though. But they didn't allow me to regret over anything. I was their experimental tool whose goal was to become the ultimate killing machine who won't thought twice before killing her target. They knew how to cover up my regret with my anger.
I slowly began to lose my sanity and begin to turn into something which they wanted. But I don't want to be something like that. I want to be free. I want to be loved. I want to be cared for by someone or a family. I still hazily remembered my parents, a few of my friends and the one I loved. Their faces were never clear in my dreams. But those feelings were all gone, long lost within my pool of anger. Now all I knew is rage and violence.
But now I am free. No one will touch me again. Whoever will stand in my way will receive only one thing from me. Death. That's the only thing I can offer.
So, when I opened my eyes and realized that I was free, I was overjoyed with the feeling of freedom. Then I saw them. Four guards approaching me with their guns pointed at me. They stood no chance. No one can stand up against my biotic powers. With a wave of hand, I squashed their body against the wall on my front and created large hole there for me to escape. I went through the wall and saw more guards coming towards me. I felt angry. Angrier than ever. So, I used all my anger, rage and frustration on those guards. Within seconds my hand was stained with their blood as their mangled bodies lay scattered on the ground before me. I walked past them without a second glance. I felt good. Really good. Satisfied. And this time I didn't regret killing those sons of bitches.
As I proceeded further in search of exit, I had to face more guards. I felt pleasure in killing them. One single biotic punch shattered a face. Next a biotic blast crushed three more against the wall. One was lucky enough to fire a shot at me, but my barrier easily absorbed the impact of the bullet. Giving no more opportunity, I grabbed his hand and broke it with a mere twist. I took hold of his gun and shot him point blank in his forehead. He was dead instantly. Throwing the gun aside I ran forward.
After searching for the exit for some time I still couldn't find it. I was frustrated. Then I heard a voice over the station or wherever I am.
"Stop Shepard and his team you fool. Kill them."
I deduced this must be the voice of the head of the prison guards. I really don't give a fuck about him. But who is this Shepard? I got curious. Then I heard gunfire and several voices at a distance. It seemed someone was causing chaos over that area. But I didn't dwell on that matter for long because I have more important things in my mind.
I must escape from this prison.
So, I ran. Kill. Ran again. Killed more. And ran again. Then I realized. I can't escape. I am in space. There is nowhere to go. I am trapped. Again. But something else caught my eye. A star ship. I felt hope. Then I saw it. The emblem on the ship. I recognized it very well because that sign ruined my life.
Cerberus is here.
I felt frustrated and angry also. I won't let them take me. Not this time. I let out an angry growl and started pacing at the docking area. I heard commotion at my left and saw more guards approaching. I summoned my immense biotic powers and blasted them away. I saw their broken bodies with satisfaction. But for running for so long and using my biotic powers constantly I was feeling exhausted. I held on to the wall beside me for support and trying to get past the dizzy feeling that was trying to overwhelm me. Then I heard something behind me. More guards and this time I knew they wanted to kill me. I knew I would be too late to stop them for killing me. My barrier also faded from exhaustion. Is this my end? No. I can't die like this. Not now. Not before I kill each and every one of Cerberus. But my fate is telling me otherwise. I decided to turn around towards the guard and die like a fighter. Then I heard a gunshot, but no bullet hit me. But the guard was dead. There was a bullet wound on his forehead. I turned around to face my saviour. And then I saw him.
He stood there in front of me holstering his gun. He wore a black and red armour. He was well built, I can tell that by his physique, although his body is covered by his armour. He is taller than me by at least six inches. He has short hair, tan skin and a pair of piercing blue eyes. I felt as if those eyes were gazing at my soul, if I have one. He looked military and if I say that he is handsome that will be more than an understatement.
And at that moment I also realized something else. I knew this man. From somewhere because he felt extremely familiar.
"You Jack?" He asked.
"What do you want? Who are you people?" I countered instead of answering.
"I am Commander Shepard. I am here to get you out from here." He replied calmly.
I relaxed a little. Just a little. From his body language I can tell that he means no harm. Then my eyes fell on the four figures standing behind him. A turian in blue armour, a one-eyed mercenary, a dark-skinned man with well-built figure and lastly a woman. And at first glance towards I got the same feeling again that I knew her too. I had to admit that this woman is beautiful although I don't want to. But there was a coldness in her eyes which I can see. That was no problem for me but then my gaze fell on the emblem on her chest.
That sign again. Cerberus.
Immediately my body tensed, and I flared up my biotics. White, hot anger begin to run through my veins. I saw red. Letting out a battle cry I lunged at the woman, ready to kill.
ABOUT 60 MINUTES EARLIER
"Miranda. Can you hear me?" Miranda's comm came alive.
"I hear you, J… Commander. We are pursuing Jack." Miranda replied while moving towards the direction where jack went. It was easy to follow because there was massive destruction along the path which she went through.
"Alright. Rendezvous at the marked location, ETA 5 minutes."
"You got it, Commander." Miranda ended the connection.
"The Commander is okay?" Jacob asked while following her.
"Yeah. He is. Come on Jacob." Miranda hurried forward.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
The team met again at the destined location after five minutes.
"They are all dead. EDI was right. There were at least two hundreds of them. We have no casualties but some of our crew members are injured." John answered to Jacob when he asked about the situation.
"We lost track of Jack, Commander." Jacob said.
"We must find her, before it's too late." John said. He heard about Jack from Miranda.
"Where should we go? This place is so big. She could be anywhere." Zaeed said.
"She should be near the docking area. I think she will try to escape this station." Miranda suggested.
"Miranda is right. That's the most logical thing for Jack – trying to escape." John said. "Let's go."
They faced few prison guards on their way. They went down within minutes. At last, they faced a large door in front of them. They could hear gunfire past that door. They readied their weapons and moved forward cautiously.
Opening the door, they came inside and saw Kuril. He had a powerful shield around him which was fueled by four generators. He was taking down the escaped prisoners one by one. They were no match for him because his shields were not penetrable.
"You're valuable, Shepard. I could've sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble. At least I can recapture Jack." Kuril said.
"Not happening! You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it." John said angrily.
"I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!" Kuril replied.
"Tell me Kuril. Who wants me?" John asked.
"Don't try to mess with him Shepard. You are no match for him or his soldiers." Kuril warned.
"No one threatens me, Kuril. Who is he?" John asked.
"The Emperor." That's all Kuril revealed, and the prison guards started to appear from a far door. Immediately the battle began. They had to avoid Kuril's bullets and keep on fighting with his men. Garrus shot two in their head splitting their skulls.
"Night! Night!" Miranda said after tearing apart one of the guard's body with her biotics.
Jacob used his biotics to pull two enemies out of cover. Zaeed shot them point blank, killing them instantly.
"You and your team are proving to be much more trouble than I have expected. It's time for you to die, Shepard. Meet my secret weapons, a gift from the Emperor." He said and tapped on his omni-tool.
Another door opened and fifty human soldiers emerged from it. They were all fully armoured and armed to teeth.
"Who are these people? I don't recognize them by their armours. Doesn't look like any group of mercenaries." Zaeed said.
"They are not mercenaries." Garrus said. Zaeed seconded him.
"That's a strange logo they have on their armour." Jacob noticed. It looked like a planet with an aura surrounding it.
"Meet my backup, Shepard." Kuril laughed.
In answer Garrus destroyed one generator with a single precise shot from his sniper. Kuril became furious. "Kill them. All." He ordered the strange soldiers.
Those soldiers started to rain bullets on John and his team. John peeked out and fired a sniper shot combined with disruptor ammo. He took a few bullets, but his shield managed to absorb them. His shot was perfect as the bullet from his sniper hit one of the soldiers right in his forehead, through his helmet. He fell back on the ground immediately.
"One down, forty-nine to go." Garrus said.
The team couldn't fight effectively because Kuril was aiming his sniper at them. "We need to take down Kuril first." Miranda suggested.
John nodded. "Miranda. Destroy the generators. We will give you cover." She nodded.
They gave her covering fire so she could sneak past Kuril's eyes to get near the other three generators. She used the distraction and quickly slipped away from Kuril's eyes.
The team were against overwhelming odds. The soldiers were much greater in number, and they were much more efficient in combat than the prison guards.
Meanwhile Miranda has already destroyed two generators without Kuril noticing it. He was so observed in mocking John and his team that he didn't even see that three generators are destroyed and one of the members of John's team is missing. He did notice when Miranda destroyed the last generator and his shield dropped down completely. But it was too late.
John immediately fired his sniper. The powerful sniper shot blew his head off.
Kuril was dead but the real threat remains.
John turned towards Zaeed. "Zaeed you have grenades?"
"Don't go anywhere without one, Shepard." He said and lobbed one at their feet. The blast threw apart few soldiers. Some even lost their hands and legs.
"We are pinned down, John. What can we do?" Garrus asked.
"Let me try something, Garrus." John said and closed his eyes. He concentrated on the immense biotic powers inside him. At first nothing happened. But then his body started to glow with dark energy, his eyes started to glow blue.
Suddenly he knew what he had to do. He got out of cover and faced the remaining soldiers. Seeing an open target, they fired at him, but their bullets couldn't reach him. They vanished in mid-air. He thrusted his hands forward and a biotic blast struck the soldiers hard scattering them everywhere and killing them instantly.
They all took breath of relief when Miranda joined them.
"Where do you think these soldiers came from?" Garrus asked. "You know the sign Zaeed?"
"Never. Who is this, Emperor? At this modern time, I don't think there is an Emperor. That bastard was lying." Zaeed said.
"Maybe. Maybe not. If it is true, then this Emperor is after me. But why?" John said.
"Maybe we will never know. I checked Kuril's omni-tool for some information's, but it seems he has wiped out everything before dying." Miranda said. "We should take one of these soldiers' dead body with us. For some information." She added.
Zaeed bent forward and opened one of the dead soldiers' helmets. He immediately recoiled in horror and disgust. "Shepard you need to take a look at this."
"What is it, Zaeed?" John immediately came to Zaeed and he instantly knew why Zaeed acted that way. The dead soldier's face was not like any human across the galaxy. They looked like they were mutated.
"This soldier looks like the husks we encountered on Eden Prime. He was indoctrinated and turned into a mindless creature." John inspected.
"You are right, John. But this means that somehow the Reapers are involved in this." Garrus said.
"Yes. But how? And why? Where did they come from?" John murmured. There were several questions they needed answers for.
"We still need to get to Jack. We can't afford any distraction here." John said and proceeded towards the dock area. Jacob carried one of the bodies of the dead soldiers on his shoulder. His team followed him without any words. They just crossed the door and reached the docking area when they heard a massive explosion behind them and the whole ship shook.
"What was that?" Jacob said.
"Looks like Kuril had somehow set the ship to self-detonate." John said.
"Then we better hurry." Miranda suggested.
They hurried forward and after few minutes they saw Jack. She was standing with her hand against the wall. John saw a guard behind her with his gun raised ready to shoot her on the back. Within the blink of an eye John had his pistol in his hand and with a perfect shot he took the down the guard.
Jack looked at them with surprise. She immediately got tensed seeing the gun in his hand, so he holstered his gun silently telling her that he is not her enemy.
"You Jack?" John asked the woman in front of him.
"What do you want? Who are you people?" She asked with suspicion in her eyes.
"I am Commander Shepard. I am here to get you out from here." John answered.
With his answer the strange woman relaxed. But just for a moment. Suddenly her whole body tensed and begin to glow with biotics. With a battle cry she lunged directly at Miranda.
John reacted automatically. He tackled Jack to the ground before she could touch Miranda.
"Jack we are not your enemy." He tried to reason with her.
But she didn't listen. With a biotic shockwave she sent him flying and crashing against the pile of crates.
"John!" Miranda and Garrus exclaimed in fear.
Zaeed tried to hit her with the butt of his gun. But she hit him across the face with a biotic punch which threw him a few feet away. Jacob also flared up his biotics.
"I will kill each and every one of you." Jack snarled angrily.
"You bitch!" Miranda attacked Jack with her biotics. Even with her enhanced biotics she was no match for Jack.
"Die! Cerberus whore!" Jack attacked.
Miranda narrowly avoided Jack's attack. "Miranda watch out!" Jacob warned. Miranda stumbled on the ground while trying to avoid Jack's attack. She had to admit that her opponent's biotics is far more superior to her own. Now hearing Jacob's warning, she looked up to see Jack preparing for the killing blow. Her intelligent mind tried to form a plan to survive the attack, but her mind failed her this time. There was no way out. At that moment Jack unleashed a powerful biotic attack on Miranda which would've surely killed her, but it never hit her because a body intervened the attack. She had closed her eyes momentarily preparing for her death to arrive but when it never hit her, she opened her eyes to see John was standing in front of her, with his back to her. And Jack…. Well, she just stood there with her mouth hanging open.
"How… you used Nova?" That's the only thing Jack managed to utter. Jack looked at the man standing in front of her. She just hit him with her full power, but he didn't even flinch, and he used Nova. Nova. That technique is so rare. Even the most powerful among the asaris have difficulty in performing this technique and he did it with ease. What surprised her most was his eyes. His blue eyes were shining with a powerful aura, and she could feel the strength of it. His eyes were cold, there was no warmth present in there as he stepped towards her slowly. Jack wanted to defend herself, but she stood there shock still. As he stepped near her, she flinched but he did nothing.
"Don't ever do that Jack. I told you we are not your enemies and believe me you don't want me as your enemy." He said in a cold but calm tone.
"Why should I believe you? You are Cerberus." She argued hesitantly.
"You have a choice. This ship is going down. Either you can come with us, or you can go down along with this ship." He replied.
"I have one condition. I want everything that Cerberus has about me on that ship." She demanded.
"Deal." John agreed and stepped past her towards the Normandy. Jack quietly followed him.
Jacob stared at Miranda. His eyes were still wide with shock. "How did he do that?"
Miranda gave him a look which said 'I told you so' before following Garrus and Zaeed into the Normandy.
NORMANDY, DE-BRIEFING ROOM
Three persons were present in the de-briefing room – Commander Shepard, Miranda Lawson and their newest recruit, Jack. John stood near the wall with his back against it, watching Jack with interest. She is different from anyone he had ever seen. He wanted to know what made her like this. But Miranda as always got straight to business.
"Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Shepard's second-in-command. On this ship we follow orders." She stated firmly with her hands clasped behind her back.
Jack glared at Miranda. She stared at the brunette with nothing but hate in her eyes. She looked at John. "Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off, Shepard. I'm here because of our deal."
"Miranda will let you into the system. Let me know what you find." John said.
Jack smirked and looked Miranda straight in her eyes. "Hear that precious? We're going to be friends. You, me and every embarrassing little secret." She mocked Miranda who remained calm.
"I'll be reading down in the hold or somewhere near the bottom. I don't like a lot of traffic. Keep your people off me. Better that way." Jack stated before leaving the room.
When Jack left, Miranda turned towards John. "What was the Illusive Man thinking? She may ruin everything."
"Don't worry. I'll talk with her and try to reason with her." John said.
Miranda was content with that. She has trust in the ability of John, to calm down the most hostile people out there, even Jack. But something else was nagging her at the back of her mind. She knew who Jack really was. She was none other than Jennifer Levinson, her and John's childhood friend.
In the game Liara only mentioned Jack's real name but we got no description of her background. I gave Jack a background here, hopefully you will like it. Let me know whether you like the development of the story or not.
