Jo was still in the mess hall after Joker left, trying to relax her eyes. She constantly felt like there was sand behind her eyelids from the lack of sleep, but she was much more afraid of falling asleep and experiencing the nightmare. Karin had given her a strong sleeping medicine today but it hadn't worked.
"Commander, there is something in Engineering that you need to see," EDI spoke up.
Oh? Interesting. Jo got up and went to the elevator without asking further questions. If EDI spoke up to her, it must be important.
"It might be better if you take a quiet route down the ladder, Commander," EDI suggested.
"Ok, now I'm intrigued," Jo said and did as suggested.
When she emerged in a dark corner of Engineering, she heard Kelly talk to someone.
"…I suspected as much, but I wasn't sure. It opens up a lot of new possibilities."
"Use this information to our advantage, Miss Chambers, and see that you bring order into this mess again."
It was the Asshole.
Jo's insides tightened. She'd forbidden any communication with him under the threat of immediate death, yet here Kelly was, on a direct line with him.
"Also, please remind Mr. Taylor that he still owes Cerberus and it would be in his best interest to make sure Miranda is free again. I didn't send one of my best operatives to oversee this mission just to have her locked up."
"I understand, Sir. I'll get on it right away."
"I expect a report in another week. Do not wait so long to get back to me again, Miss Chambers," he said with iron in his voice. Well, at least it seemed that this was her first contact with him since Jo took over the Normandy. EDI was truly a very proficient observer.
"Yes, Sir. I'm sorry, Sir."
The Asshole disconnected and Chambers started a protocol on the console to wipe all traces of her activity. Jo watched her, as she thought about what she'd heard. What kind of information had the Asshole given her that opened up new possibilities? Damn, she'd arrived a minute too late.
Finally, Kelly took her OSD out of the console and turned around to see if anyone had noticed her. When her eyes met Jo's, the red-haired woman squeaked. For a moment she couldn't decide if she wanted to run or faint.
"Resistance is futile, darlin'," Jo told her. "EDI, replay that whole conversation for me, please, I seem to have missed some crucial points."
Kelly looked at her with blank terror, as EDI played the dialogue. In it Kelly told the Asshole about her drinking, screaming, PTSD, and the purge of Cerberus clothes, along with her speculations about Jo's ability to lead the mission. In return he told her that Jo was in love with Joker. That raised the little hairs on Jo's neck.
"What makes him so sure of that?" She asked Kelly.
"I don't know, Commander."
"And truthfully?"
"I really don't know!" The girl wailed in panic and tried to run towards the elevator. Jo was on her in half a second, twisted her arm behind her back and dragged her after herself.
"EDI, sound a ship-wide alert and gather everyone in the CIC. Then follow the protocol Interception-B." During one of her sleepless nights Jo devised several courses of action in case of a situation just like this and EDI knew what she had to do now.
A siren blared across the ship, throwing soldiers off their bunks. Within four minutes everyone was gathered in the CIC, most of the day crew only half-dressed. They were blinking at the bright light and frowning in confusion.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jo said, still holding Kelly by her wrist in a bent-over position. "On the day I took over the command of this vessel, what did I say would happen if I found any of you in contact with Cerberus?"
After a moment of general confusion Jacob spoke up:
"You said you'd put a bullet in the person's head."
"I did. And so far to the best of my knowledge all of you have kept your end of that bargain. I wish to express my gratitude for that and to inform you that Miss Chambers has sadly not been so wise. Five minutes ago I caught her speaking to the Asshole. Now, I won't be putting a bullet to her brain. I have too much compassion with the people who would have to clean the mess afterwards. I have a better idea."
Twenty four people stared at her, not quite sure what was happening. Newer crew members hadn't seen her go ballistic on Miranda on her first day, and the rest of them probably still didn't believe that Jo would actually murder anyone of them in cold blood.
Jo let go of Kelly's wrist and stepped aside to give the shaking woman a little space to collect herself.
"Kelly Chambers, you disobeyed a very strict order from your captain, you betrayed us to our greatest enemy and you compromised the safety of this ship. I hereby declare you guilty of treason and sentence you to immediate termination. Start walking that way," she jerked her chin towards the cockpit. Kelly looked behind her in panic, confused for a moment, until she realised what was right next to the cockpit.
The airlock.
"No. No, I won't!" She collapsed on the floor, tears and panic shaking her violently. By now even the onlookers around them were shivering a little. It was dawning on them what was about to happen.
"Stand up," Jo ordered, but Kelly curled into a foetal position and screeched in panic:
"No, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please, don't…"
Jo unfolded the whole power of her personality. Her voice got that depth that always sent shivers down people's spines, her eyes shot fire bolts and her whole body started pulsating with the energy of her unbending willpower. It was a schooled, practiced display and Jo knew very well its effect on people, N7 made sure of that.
"Get up now, Kelly, and stop embarrassing yourself." The words cut off the girl's cries. "You knew the risks of what you did tonight, didn't you?"
"Y… Yes…"
"And you did it anyway. You were prepared to deal with the consequences."
"Ye-hes…" She started crying again.
"Get up. At least in the last moments of your life have the greatness to walk with your head held high. You believe in Cerberus, don't you?"
"I do," Kelly said a little bit calmer.
"Then have the courage to die for what you believe in."
"I don't wanna die!..."
"Who does? But this ship is on a suicide mission, so I don't know why you're here in the first place if you want to have a happily ever after. We're all going to die very soon. But you get to do so proudly, standing tall for what you believe in from the bottom of your soul. For Cerberus. Come on, Kelly, get up now and show us what you're made of."
"I can't…"
"You're a loving person, Kelly. You're keeping all these lovely people from their sleep and work. Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
Kelly actually got up at that point, even if only to give Jo a glare for a stupid remark like that.
"Now, start walking."
She tried to protest, even tried to run, but Jo was towering over her, physically as well as mentally. She subdued the young woman with the sheer power of her will into actually willingly walking towards the airlock. The crew watched the scene with blank terror.
Kelly protested once more when she stood right in front of the decontamination chamber. She was trembling violently, sweating like it was raining, her face was somewhere between sheet-white and ash-gray. Her knees almost gave in, but Jo gently held her elbow, helping her to stand.
"Come on, Kelly. Step in. Face the consequences and be proud of yourself."
The whole crew was now gathered around the airlock, watching, sweating, pale. Jo was fascinated that nobody had said a single word to stop this.
Kelly started weeping like a garden hose, but eventually she broke. She knew what was happening when she submitted to Jo's superior willpower and made that final step. Voluntarily. She couldn't refuse.
The door closed. Jo turned to the crew:
"Her orders were to remind you, Jacob, of your loyalty to Cerberus. You are to make sure Miranda is free and in control again. Would you like to join Miss Chambers?"
"I'm good, Commander," Jacob said. He tried to look brave, but his voice was a little high-pitched.
"Is no one going to interfere with this execution?" Jo asked the others, her eyes landing on Joker. "Even you? Last time you stopped me from killing Miranda."
"You warned us all, Commander," the dishevelled, pale man said. He didn't wear his cap and his green eyes sparkled in the light of the room. "If she's stupid enough to go against you, God help her because I won't bother anymore."
"All right, then. EDI, you know what to do. Run the protocol."
The outer door of the decontamination chamber hissed and Kelly, knowing her last hope to survive was gone, threw herself against the inner door in a fit of panic. Her wails and screeches could be heard all across the ship.
Gabby gagged and turned away, burying her face in Ken's shirt. Dr. Chakwas closed her eyes and bit her lips like she was in pain. Hadley flopped down in the pilot's chair like his legs couldn't carry him. Mordin looked indifferent. Jack lifted an eyebrow. Grunt bumped his fists together.
The screams stopped suddenly with a loud thump against the door.
"EDI, that should be enough. Open the door."
"Yes, Commander," the AI said and the door they were all staring at hissed and opened. The outer door was shut, the air was still in the chamber and Kelly lay unconscious on the floor, breathing erratically, with a giant bruise forming on her forehead after she'd thrown her whole body against the door in a last fit of panic.
"What?.. What happened?" The crew burst out in incredulous questions. Jo crouched and gathered Kelly's unconscious body in her arms.
"Let's hope she's learned her lesson," she said to the crew. They were all staring at her in shock. "Next time that door really will open."
She carried Kelly past all the people to the med bay. Nobody followed her. Nobody said a word.
The crew was too shocked to go back to beds or work again. But there was no talk, either. Each of them had to come to terms with what they'd seen on their own. Jo could bet her right hand that none of them would ever forget how she'd talked a person into willingly stepping into an execution chamber.
In the meantime Jo sat at Kelly's side in the med bay, wiped the blood off her forehead gently, waiting for her to regain consciousness. It didn't take too long.
"What… where am I?"
"What does it look like?" Jo smiled. Her presence was probably worse than hell to the red-haired girl right now.
"You fucking bitch," Kelly breathed out, too drained by the experience to do anything more than whisper.
"You're only stating the obvious, Kelly."
"You made me think you'd kill me."
"No, honey. I talked you into voluntarily walking out of the airlock. I promised you I'd show you what makes me who I am, didn't I?"
"You… you…" Kelly had no words. The hysterics finally caught up with her and she collapsed in another fit of weeping and wails.
"Shhh, baby, it's okay," Jo gently patted the girl's back while she cried and trembled.
"Why?" Kelly finally asked, when she could talk again. "Why didn't you kill me? Why are you sitting here, comforting me?"
"Because you amuse me, Kelly. You're so young, stupid, helpless and naïve, I'm just having too much fun torturing you."
"Or maybe you're not such a ruthless murderer as you pretend to be, Commander."
"Uhuh, yeah, have you seen me in action? Ask Joker tomorrow what I did to a guy who used to run in the same gang with me when we were kids." Jo laughed. "You know, many people play chess or poker or even football for recreation. Those games are boring to me. I play mind games for fun. It's such a joy seeing you squirm and wail in panic while I'm not even laying a finger on you. The moment you stop amusing me I really will kill you. I still have Jacob and Miranda to torture. I want you to know one thing for sure: the minute you stepped onto my ship, you sealed your fate. One way or the other, I will not let you walk free ever again. You're mine now, my toy. If you betray me again and make me kill you – nice. If we survive this suicide mission and I let everyone else go back to their lives, I will find you in some dark alley and slice your throat. There is no escape for you. There is only my amusement."
Kelly stared at her with such horror that Jo thought she'd made the girl suicidal.
"Leave me alone…" Kelly begged. She was broken. Jo looked at her and wondered why she enjoyed destroying someone so profoundly. She wasn't always this cruel, was she?
Not always, no. But the cruelty was a part of her, always had been. Yet unlike most humans out there Jo had no problem seeing the viciousness as a valid part of herself, not as a flaw. It had its uses.
"Oh, you're too much fun to torture. Well, sweet dreams, darlin'," she got up and left Kelly alone in the bay.
Some people were giving her odd glances when she stepped into the mess hall, but not all of them. Grunt seemed a bit disappointed that no death had occurred tonight. Zaeed looked at her with a new kind of appreciation, and so did Jack. Garrus gave her a pat on the shoulder and went back to sleep without comment. Mordin was telling some crew members of the necessity of her actions. Joker stood at the kitchen counter, sipping water from a tall glass. She came up to him, took the glass from his hand, drank it empty and filled exactly as much water back before giving the glass back to him. He just watched her with a half-grin.
"You're a real bitch, aren't you, Commander?"
"Yep," she nodded. "And you like that about me."
"No, I don't," he tried, but her raised eyebrow silenced him. "Damn it. Guilty as charged."
