Disclaimer: The wonderful world of Mass Effect isn't mine…blah, blah, blah…you all get it. Eira is mine.

I'm so sorry for the delay with this chapter! Just after I posted the last chapter, I lost a member of my family quite suddenly. Needless to say the last thing I wanted to do was write. I'm just getting back into the swing of things now so forgive me if I'm a tad rusty. I hope this is worth the wait! Your patience, dear readers, is deeply appreciated! – Fallon.

Chapter Twenty-Five

"As a child I never imagined that all of the real monsters in the world would be humans." – Mobeen Hakeem

Eira woke early, dressed, and headed for the med-bay. If she was going to stand a chance of going planet-side she knew she had to have Chakwas sign off on her as being fit for active duty. Even then she knew deep down it was unlikely Shepard would consent but she was determined to at least try.

She was eager for the opportunity to shut Jack down but also to quiet the whispers in her own mind that prompted her to wonder if perhaps the tattooed biotic was right. As the thought returned to her, Eira cringed and picked up her pace.

There was no way Jack could be right.

She thought back to Nafna and Corinne, the woman she'd be raised by and whom she thought of as her mother. She tried to imagine the space station as her prison, Corinne as her jailor, but the image it conjured was so distorted she scarcely recognized it.

Hurrying from the lift the moment the door hissed open; she bypassed the few crew members lingering in the mess hall and made for the med-bay.

Chakwas was alone when Eira burst through the door, sitting at her desk with a coffee in one hand and a data pad in the other. She was surprised at the sudden intrusion but smiled warmly when her gaze settled on Eira.

"Good morning, my dear."

"I…I need an exam."

Clearly confused, Chakwas regarded her with furrowed brows.

"Are you well?" she stood and beckoned Eira to sit on an examination table, "any headaches or trouble with the bandages?"

Eira hopped up on the table, "Just a minor headache last night, nothing I couldn't sleep off."

"Burns giving you trouble then?"

She shook her head, "Doctor…I…I need medical clearance for a planet-side mission."

Chakwas stopped what she was doing and looked at Eira.

"You what?"

"I need –

"Eira, where is this coming from?" Chakwas asked, "You've only just returned and the commander has made no mention of wanting to bring you into the field."

At the mention of Shepard, Eira sighed and began nervously fiddling with one of the cuffs of her long-sleeved shirt.

"He hasn't said a word to me since I got back. I don't think he'd ever bring me along on a mission again if I don't push the issue."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is," she cast her gaze downward, "I know it is. But I have to be a part of the ground team for the Pragia mission."

"Pragia?"

Eira nodded, "Jack convinced him to take her there so she can blow up some facility."

"Ah, so Jack put this idea in your head," Chakwas gave a heavy sigh, "Eira you're not ready."

"I need to be," she insisted, her tone more forceful than Chakwas had ever heard.

"You nearly died."

"I feel fine," Eira countered, "and I need to be there, I need to see that facility for myself."

"Why?"

Eira shuddered and took a deep breath, blinking away the tears she felt welling in her eyes.

"I have to know I'm not like her," she said finally, her voice little more than a whisper.

Chakwas's expression softened and she unfolded her crossed arms, "Oh, Eira…"

"She says I am," Eira admitted, "but I'm not. I'm not, doctor. They experimented on her, tortured her –

Chakwas raised her hands, biding her to stop.

"Eira, your physical condition aside, how can I give my consent to subject you to potential emotional trauma?"

It was a fair question, Eira supposed, but one she didn't have a real answer to.

"Trust me," she said instead, meeting Chakwas's gaze, "please just trust me on this."

There was a moment of tense silence between them before Chakwas ultimately sighed and fetched a pressure cuff from a nearby cabinet.

"Pass an exam and I'll clear you but I can't promise the commander will consent to have you along."

Eira smiled and when Chakwas neared to take her blood pressure, she reached out and grabbed the woman's hand, giving it a firm squeeze.

"Thank you," Eira said with profound sincerity, "truly."

Suited up and armed, Eira stood with Jack near the shuttle awaiting Shepard. It felt strangely good to have her pistol on her hip again, to feel the tight binding of her armor across her body. It had been awkward getting the tight pieces on and painful at first when the thick material pressed against her wounded back, but after a few deep breaths the pain had subsided.

Jack had said nothing when Eira rounded the corner to join her. She'd merely grinned, gave a short chuckle, and leaned against the wall. But it wasn't Jack's reaction she had been anxiously anticipating. As far as she knew, Jack had said nothing to Shepard.

There was no way he wasn't going to react when he saw her.

She began nibbling on the inside of her cheek as the waiting dragged on.

Not ten minutes later, she saw Shepard hurry down the stairwell into the loading bay and approach the shuttle. She felt her breath catch in her chest as nerves tore through her. As he neared, she saw his expression change as his gaze fell on her.

There was an awkward silence as he stopped a few paces from her, one eventually broken by Jack.

"I extended the invite," she said dismissively, as though it were the only explanation needed.

Shepard's gaze snapped to her, "Oh really?"

Jack snorted, "Really."

"I've been cleared by Chakwas," Eira said, watching Shepard carefully, "She said I'm fit for duty –

"You approached her for clearance behind my back?" Shepard snapped angrily, icy blue eyes fixed on her.

She wanted to back down, it was her first instinct, but she forced herself not to look away from him and held her head high. Her need for answers and to see the facility remained.

"If I didn't you wouldn't bring me along," she said evenly, "on this or any other mission. Jack asked me to come and I want to help."

Shepard cursed under his breath, turned on his heels and shouted to Joker over the comm to have Chakwas meet him in the loading bay.

He paced near the stairwell as they waited for the doctor to arrive, leaving Eira with Jack near the shuttle.

"Well," Jack said with a light laugh, "he took that well. Sure you still want to come?"

"Of course," Eira said without hesitation.

Chakwas arrived not long after and was ushered to the side by Shepard. They spoke in hushed voices initially, but it quickly deteriorated to yelling; at least on the part of Shepard. Chakwas maintained her cool and calm composure, which seemed to only enrage him more.

Eira felt horrible. She'd begged Chakwas to help her and now she was the one bearing the brunt of his anger.

Before she could second guess herself, Eira hurried across the loading bay floor to where the two were arguing. Chakwas saw her coming and made a subtle gesture with her hand, trying to dismiss her.

Eira ignored her and grabbed Shepard by the arm.

He turned and the anger immediately drained from him at the sight of her. It was replaced by confusion.

"I went to her! I begged her to clear me for active duty! And I agreed to Jack's invitation," she professed, "and your yelling at her? What is wrong with you?"

Both Chakwas and Shepard were rendered speechless.

"I was brought on the Normandy to help, wasn't I? Let me!"

Shepard jerked his arm free of Eira's grasp, glanced at Chakwas, and headed for the shuttle.

She watched him go and when he was far enough away, Chakwas spoke up.

"My dear, he's worried about you."

"Sure," Eira scoffed, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. You didn't deserve that from him."

"Eira –

"I should go before he leaves without me out of spite."

She left without sparing the doctor a second glance, her focus entirely set on the shuttle and the promise Pragia held.

Jack stepped onto the shuttle as Eira neared. Shepard had stayed back and eyed her as she approached. Eira stubbornly refused to look at him and made to board, confident she'd ended the debate on the issue.

Much to her surprise, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back before her boot hit the platform. Shepard half-led, half-dragged her to the front of the shuttle; her weak attempts to break free doing nothing to halt him. When they were more or less concealed, Shepard backed her up against the spacecraft and stood before her. He was so close she felt that if she were to take a deep breath her chest might press against his.

She looked up at him, her previous confidence faltering only slightly, and was surprised by the raw emotion she was confronted with. Anger was there, but she was flabbergasted to see something akin to real concern in his eyes.

It pissed her off.

After Alchera and Tuchunka he didn't have the right to pull that.

"Yes, commander?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, seemingly taking a moment to compose himself.

Finally he spoke.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He spoke in a whisper that lacked the bite of anger she had expected.

"I'm going with –

"How," he started with a shake of his head, "do you think that is a good idea?"

"Don't pretend you give a damn," she bit back, "What does it matter, anyway? I'm expected to pull my weight as a member of this crew. I intend to do that."

"And I'll find a way for you to do that," he hissed, "I'll bring you along on another mission, I promise. But Pragia isn't it. I know you think it is, but it's not."

"I don't believe you," Eira hissed, nudging him a step back with a shove of her hand, "and I'm going on this mission regardless of what you say."

Shepard was silent. He simply stared at her for some time before ultimately stepping back and giving a curt nod of consent.

Victorious, Eira slipped away from him and boarded the shuttle, taking a seat beside Jack.

"Personal shit dealt with?" she prodded, eyeing Eira as she buckled in.

Eira nodded.

Shepard stepped aboard and took a seat across from the two women. He didn't look at either of them. Instead, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, keeping his gaze fixed on the floor between his feet.

It was a long, quiet ride to Pragia.

"I forgot how much I hate this place."

Eira looked at Jack and was surprised to see her fidgeting in her seat.

"Landing pad has to be on the fucking rooftop; else the trees would overgrow it in a few hours…"

"Sensors indicate thermal signatures in all areas save your landing zone, Shepard," EDI's voice advised through the shuttle's intercom, "Readings continue to fluctuate."

"Cerberus pricks," Jack spat, "built their equipment to last…assholes."

Jack toyed with her belt and stared out the window.

Her reaction surprised Eira. Jack had shown no weakness since coming aboard the Normandy, no emotion save blind anger. To see her anxious now, to see her squirm in her seat and sweat glisten on her brow…it was bizarre.

"It was a mistake coming here, Shepard," she said shakily.

"Get a hold of yourself," he said in a calm, even tone, "It'll be okay."

Jack took a deep breath, slowly exhaling it and closing her eyes before finally responding.

"I'm fine. Okay…let's just get on the ground."

The shuttle slowly approached the landing pad, giving Eira a clearer view of the long-abandoned facility. Part of her expected it to look exactly like Nafna, although deep down she knew that was foolish. It appeared to be sizable, with various sections splintering out into the wild vegetation of the surface. Row upon row of shattered skylights lined the roof of the complex, but beyond that there was little remarkable about it.

The moment the shuttle touched down, Eira unbuckled and drew her pistol, checking her clip for what had to be the hundredth time.

Jack was the first onto the landing pad.

Eira joined her without sparing Shepard even the slightest of glances.

"Let's just do this," Jack said firmly, "Plant the damn bomb in my cell and watch this place burn."

Shepard said nothing, leading them down the walkway and into the complex.

Much to her surprise, the door opened with little fuss, revealing a darkened corridor lit by a single flickering light. Water leaked from the ceiling and a light dusting of moss covered the floor.

Despite advanced technology, Pragia itself was trying to take back the space.

The first room they came to was sizable, filled with strange containers and desks strewn about.

"I never saw this room," Jack mussed, "I think they brought new kids here in these containers…"

Eira's gaze snapped from the container she was examining to Jack, who had a solemn look on her face.

"They were messed up and starving…but alive, most of the time."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, the sight shook her. The containers, while sizable, were short and seemed the right size for transporting children. She strained her mind, trying to think of anything on Nafna that resembled the room she found herself in. Nothing rang a bell, but the ominous feeling that struck her upon arrival and the sick feeling in her stomach remained.

"Eira, come on," Shepard said, his voice breaking the reverie Eira found herself in.

She blinked and turned to see him waiting for her near an open doorway.

Jack passed through the doorway Shepard stood by first and he stayed, allowing Eira to pass through before him. He watched her closely as she passed him, though she was far too engrossed in her surroundings to take notice.

They descended a flight of stairs and saw Jack standing before a playing hologram.

"…The Illusive Man requested operation logs again. He's getting suspicious. We get results; he won't care what we've done. But if he knew…"

Shepard turned the hologram off.

"Sounds like they went rogue…" he said quietly.

"Be easy to think that, wouldn't it?" Jack snapped, "Fucker didn't say what they were hiding from the Illusive Man."

"True," he conceded, "let's keep moving."

Another tight corridor and a broken flight of stairs brought them to what appeared to be a small atrium. A walkway wrapped around the area, though large sections were falling apart.

Jack looked up, to the numerous broken skylights and tensed.

"I remember this room. I fought my way here, saw sunlight through the cracks in the ceiling…"

Eira followed Jack's gaze. The cracks in the glass let rain through, which lightly struck her face. She vaguely recalled seeing a similar sight years ago, when Nafna was her whole world. A large room…glass on the low ceiling that was tinted so she couldn't see through it…crates piled high around her…a single chair on which she sat…

She swallowed hard. When was that memory from? Where had she been?

Shepard nudged Eira lightly and gestured forward.

She followed him, weapon raised but mind a million miles away.

She's wrong; Eira growled inwardly, she's fucking wrong.

They descended the staircase and came upon concrete barricades pushed to form a crude circle. As she was pondering their purpose, Shepard spoke.

"An arena?"

Jack nodded, "They used to stage fights. Pit me against the other kids. I loved it…only time I was let out of my cell."

"They…made you fight?" Eira said as she eyed the splatters of old blood stains on the floor, "why?"

Jack snorted, "Hell if I know, princess. Guess it was how they got their kicks."

"Did…did any of the children die?"

"I couldn't afford to hesitate," Jack said coldly, "I got shocked when I hesitated. The drugs fueled me too…gave me warm and fuzzy feelings when I fought."

Involuntarily, memories of her training in the lab surfaced. Hot lights beat down on her, sweat slicked her hair back and stuck her clothes to her skin. Her body ached, she'd been going for what felt like hours…and still the training mechs came. Afterwards, there would be the calmly touch of Corinne patting her head as she injected something into her arm. Something that took the edge of the pain and made her feel as though she were underwater.

Jack watched Eira and seemed amused by the sickened look on her face.

"Bring back any memories?"

Shepard saw Eira flinch and stepped between the two women, glaring at Jack until she got the idea and kept walking. When she was far enough away, Shepard turned to Eira.

"You okay?"

Eira nodded quickly.

"Stay close, alright?" he said quietly, "You'll be fine."

Eira looked at him and he saw a far-off, dazed look in her eye. Concerned, he clasped her shoulder and gave her a slight shake.

"Hey? Stay with me, Eira."

She shook off his hand and nodded, "Yeah, sure, I'm here."

"Good," he gave a small smile, "come on."

Varren greeted them around the next bend. Eira picked off two that charged her with relative ease, reloaded her pistol and followed Jack to the far end of the room, stepping over their carcasses as she went. The woman had found another communications link and quickly located and pulled up another hologram.

"Security Officer Zemkl, Teltin facility. The subjects are out of control! They're tearing the place up! Subject Zero is going to get lose! I need permission to terminate, repeat, permission to terminate! All subjects besides Zero are expendable, keep Jack alive!"

Jack slammed her fist down, ending the hologram. Before Eira or Shepard could say anything, Jack left the room. They followed her, and found that she had stopped in her tracks in front of the still-warm body of a skinned varren.

"This place was supposed to be abandoned? Who the fuck shot it?" she kicked the varren, "it's a fresh kill."

Eira looked to Shepard, who had a grim look on his face.

"Guns up, we're not alone."

Shepard was proven right not long after they found the varren, when they entered a large room only to come face to face with vorcha. He barely had time to shout a warning when gunfire broke out.

Eira slid behind an overturned desk, steadied herself, turned and fired. She took down a snarling vorcha crouched nearby and another who was firing at Shepard. Jack let out a fierce shout and ploughed through the cover two vorcha shared, sending them both flying.

It was over as quickly as it started.

Eira reloaded and approached Shepard.

"This is a morgue," he said quietly.

"This was a small facility," Jack added, "why would they need a morgue?"

Eira felt bile rise in her throat.

"The other children…" she murmured, "when they died…they…"

She trembled as the words left her.

A horrific thought crossed her mind - what if there had been others like her at Nafna? Hidden away in other wings of the station? Her blood ran cold.

"Bullshit," Jack spat angrily, "I had the worst of it and I made it out!"

Eira's gaze lingered on one of the exam tables. It was short, child-sized, and tarnished with a combination of rust and long-dried blood.

In another life, one far from Nafna, could she have been one of those children?

She took a deep breath and tried to will the thought away.

"Shit," Jack muttered, "let's just go plant that fucking bomb."

Vorcha continued to dog them as they progressed through the facility. As they descended a tight stairwell, she clipped one as it emerged from cover on a ledge above them and another as they reached a long corridor dotted with numerous doors.

Curiosity got the best of her as they made their way and she peaked inside one of the rooms to find a stark, modest bedroom. A single bed, a small desk, and a bedside table…

"They kept the children here…"

"Roomy, ain't it?" Jack sneered, "Bet they gave you better digs on that station, didn't they?"

Eira just stared into the small, dark room.

"Jack!" Shepard snapped angrily.

"What?" she demanded, rounding on her heels to stare him down, "You can't keep her blind to it forever, Shepard! She has to wake the fuck up!"

"Lower your fucking voice," he hissed, "there's bound to be more vorcha out there!"

Jack laughed, "Like I care! Bring it!"

As Shepard and Jack bickered, Eira stepped into the cell. She scanned the room, her gaze falling upon a filthy stuffed bear near the overturned bed. Memories of her own childhood, spent largely confined to her bedroom, rushed back to her. She thought back to the stuffed hanar toy she had clung to as a young girl…

She gagged as a wave of nausea hit her, turning quickly from the room before her stomach betrayed her.

She hurried briskly past her comrades and continued down the hallway, her gaze fixed forward. Shepard called after her, but she ignored him.

She had to force herself not to look into any of the rooms she passed but the weight of knowing they were all the same hit her like a blow to the chest. Much to her anger, she felt tears welling in her eyes.

"Eira, stop!"

As horrific as this place was, she had to remind herself nothing she had seen proved the two facilities shared anything in common. She never saw any other children. There were no deadly experiments or cruelty from the technicians. It might not have been an enriched upbringing or a traditional one at that, but there was no way Nafna was anything like Teltin.

And there was no way she was anything like Jack.

Eira slowed only when she made it past the cells.

Jack continued past her without a backward glance, but Shepard lingered with her. He said nothing but kept pace with her as they walked, allowing Jack to take point.

The group continued in silence, winding around a walkway over a greenspace built into the complex as they headed deeper into the facility. They ended up in a darkened room filled with toppled desks and broken monitoring equipment. A single reclining examination table stood in the center of the room, surrounded by waves of tangled cords.

Jack stopped near the table.

"This is a bad place," she said.

"Do you remember it?" Shepard questioned.

She shrugged, "Passed through when I escaped."

"We're close then?"

Jack nodded and gestured towards the only other door in the room.

"Just through there…let's end this."

Surrounded by a dozen vorcha corpses, Eira watched in silence as Jack repeatedly kicked the krogan's corpse. She grunted a curse each time her boot connected with the mercenary, hitting him repeatedly until she stumbled and fell to her knees. She gave a primal scream, her biotics flared, and she punched the krogan hard enough to crack his armor.

Jack had always appeared angry and erratic to Eira; but what she saw before her took her by surprise.

Jack was hurting.

Eira didn't know what to do. It felt wrong to stand and gawk at the vulnerable woman, but the moment she realized what she was seeing she couldn't look away.

What she was seeing was a woman momentarily stripped of all defences by the shadows of her past. Gone were the tattoos, bruises, and pure fury. In their place was a traumatized woman being forced to confront the hell she'd escaped as a youth, someone who had been shaped completely by what had been done to her within the walls of the facility in which they now stood.

Eira felt her chest tighten.

How different was she really from Jack?

The makeshift arena in which she had been forced to fight, the cells that were home to terrified children…and the dark room that held a single examination table – how different were they from what Nafna held?

Eira wasn't sure anymore.

Panting, Jack finally stood; slowly, swaying as if completely depleted of energy.

"Piece of shit," she sneered, spitting on the krogan as she righted herself, "Gettin' in my way…"

"Your cell," Shepard said as he approached her, "are we close?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah. Bet that guy the krogan spoke of is hiding there. There's nowhere else to hide."

"Stay smart," he cautioned, "for all we know Aresh isn't alone in there."

"Good, I'm not done. Not by a long shot."

She stormed towards a reinforced door the vorcha had tried to obscure with crates. With a flick of her wrist, the crates soared through the air and slammed into the far wall. She used her biotics to force the door open, bending the metal of the doorframe back until it curled over itself.

"Coming?"

Jack didn't wait for a response. She raised her pistol and stepped into the darkened corridor without as much as a backward glance.

"Jack!"

Shepard swore under his breath and hurried forward to follow her.

"Eira, come on!"

Eira heard him but made no attempt to follow.

A shiver ran down her spine and she felt all warmth and color leave her body. She felt weak, but somehow managed to remain upright despite her knees buckling.

She could hear his voice and although she wanted to listen to him, the very thought of taking another step forward was horrifying. Everything she believed about her life, about herself, was built upon a foundation that was now compromised. Eira felt that taking one more step, however small, would shatter it entirely.

And she wasn't ready for that.

"Eira!" he urged, remaining in the doorway but quickly glancing down the corridor Jack had gone down.

She just shook her head.

"Eira! Eira, listen to me! I need you to follow me!"

A pained gasp left her and she vehemently shook her head as she took a step back.

"Eira…"

He was torn.

Jack had run head-first into danger, into what was almost certainly a trap, but Eira was in no condition to defend herself.

Eira…

Shepard took a step toward her, only for a single gunshot to break the silence.

"Fuck, Jack," his gaze snapped from Eira to where Jack had run, back to Eira, "Eira stay there, get your gun up!"

He bolted down the hallway, leaving Eira alone.