Chapter 3: Jack Shepard!

We were pulling into the cargo hold when I felt something was stiffing my muscles. "Miranda, I can't move my legs."

"What?"

"I can't move, it feels like weights are tied to them."

"Has this happened before?" she asked. I closed my eyes to sort my memories, the last time something similar happened when I was on Elysium. It wasn't to this degree but at that time I had willingly let my other half take over, whereas this time she was forced out and she wasn't happy. I start to go deeper into my mind when I start to pull myself back. My other self looks at me from her space in my mind and nods, telling me to get somewhere else before trying to comfort her. I open my eyes and look at Miri.

"The last time something like this had happened was when I was on Elysium doing the blitz. Except that time I let her out..."

"And this time she was forced to come out." Miranda finished. I nodded which she returned, before she leaned down to start removing my armor.

"Hey, what are you fucking doing Cheerleader?" Jack yelled.

Miranda snapped up dropping my chest plate to the ground. She turned to Jack with a frown, "Jack, I have to get her up to her cabin quickly so she can recenter herself. I need to remove her bulky armor to do that. So why don't you shut up and take a shower, cool down, and eat. I will call you and Samara later to go over everything." Turning to Kasumi, "Miss. Goto could you take what data you could salvage and work with Miss. Zorah to clean it up. I'm sending old Cerberus ciphers to your Omni-tool."

Kasumi nodded, cloaked, and left. Jack growled and stomped over to the elevator, Samara just bowed slightly and followed behind Jack. Miranda sighed and mumbled under her breath while she returned to freeing me from my armor. I just smiled and sat quietly, letting her do so. When she finally freed my right foot from my boot she reached into one of the many discrete pockets of her catsuit, and pulled out one of my gloves and placed it over the blue hand. For most people I meet they think something happened to that hand and that's why I always wear a glove on just that hand, that's not the case, beside hiding that fact that my hand looks like an asiri's, it can be used as a link from a person's mind to my own. She looked down at me after she stood up from the floor, the was a calculating look in her eye, I looked at her questionly. "I suppose biotics would be a bad idea, wouldn't they?" she asked. I nodded.

"Grunt will you come down here and help me?" Miranda spoke into her radio.

"Yeah, I'll be down in a second." He replied.

Indeed a few seconds later my krogan 'son' walked over to Miranda and I. "What's going on?" He asked.

"I need you to carry Shepard up to her cabin. Her other side came out and her body is going into lockdown." He nodded and gently scooped me into his arms. With some of my remaining strength I patted the side of his face. He looked down at me and nuzzled the hair at the top of my head. Once the three of us got into the elevator Miranda pushed the button to my private quarters.

Slowly Grunt carried me over to my bed, then carefully set me atop the blankets. Miranda walked into my bathroom, most likely to get a wet wash rag to help me get the blood out of my hair. Grunt went to my couch to get out of her way, but watched me with worried eyes. "Don't worry Grunt, I'll be okay. I just need to go into my head and sort myself out. I'll be fine in a few minutes." I assured him. He nodded and I closed my eyes, just as Miranda came back with the cloth.

Inside Shepard's head

Entering my mind-space I see my other half holding onto the door way that lead to her part of my mind. Running over to her I catch her just as she starts to collapse. No words are needed to be said as I throw her arm over my shoulders and slowly walk into her space. Her eyes are still black pits and as she holds a clawed hand to her head. I get to our cushions that are placed on the ground side by side. As one we lower ourselves onto them, I hear 'What the fuck happened?'

'We knew that Morinth was there, we just didn't think her pheromones had doused that place so much that it literally seeped into the walls and stayed intact for all these years it had been abandoned."

"I know but still, to affect us like that..."

"I know, I wasn't expecting it either. What needs to be done to get us back into harmony."

"I think just a joint meditation will do." I nodded as both of us got into position, where we faced each other, clasped our hands together and focused our biotics into a ball between our clasped hands and our eyes went pure white.

Outside Shepard's mind

Miranda gently wiped Amari's scalp to get rid of most of the blood that was slowing clumping up. Watching her as she did so, she was surprised when Shepard's eyes flashed open and that they were pure white, then Amari's hands rose up and formed a ball inbetween them like she had seen Samara do. Grunt lumbered over, worry could be seen on his face. "Don't worry Grunt, she's just meditating. She should be done in a minute." Miranda said as she continued to clean Shepard's hair. He nodded and went back to his seat.

The both of them turned when they heard the door open, Kasumi walked in slowly fiddling with something in her hands. "Yes Miss. Goto, what do you need?" Miranda asked.

"Nothing, Shep asked me to keep a lookout for this." She replied as she held up a small chain necklace with a medium sized pendent, that was only slightly larger than a dog-tag and it was the same shape. "I had forgotten to give it to her before we got on the shuddle. I noticed there is some damage to the side, like someone tried to open it." Kasumi walked to Miranda's side and placed it into Miranda's open palm. "I need to get back to Tali and sort out that data, it's not a lot as most of it was corrupted over the years that hell was abandoned."

Miranda nodded and Kasumi left. She looked at the pendent stoking it with her thumb, she could feel the tears welling in her eyes. It wasn't just saddness she felt, but releif that after two decades of searching, it was finally coming to an end. She stood with the rag and took it to the bathroom, to rinse it out and hung it over the side. Grunt watched on as she moved. He could tell something was going on but he didn't know how to ask.

Miranda looked over to the young krogan, and could see the question in his eyes. She sighed, "This necklace belongs to Amari's cousin. She was kidnapped over twenty years ago." She explained, " You'll know the rest when she wakes up again." She was going to say more when Shepard sat up and the door to the cabin rushed open again, this time it was Jack and Samara standing there.

Return to Shepard's Pov

"Ow, my fucking head!" I exclaimed as I brought my gloved hand to my forehead. I can feel the crustyness of blood through my glove and I grimace at the feel. Finally looking up I see Jack and Samara, both standing at the steps, while Miri and Grunt are on the couch.

"Okay Shepard, what the fuck is going on?" Jack asked.

I slowly push myself off my bed, sticking my arms out to catch myself, just in case. I turned toward them and walked over, or tried as my legs gave out on me. Luckily I was able to shift my weight so I could land back on my bed. "Okay, walking is a bad idea." I shifted myself until I sat at the bottom of the bed. Miri walked over to me and placed something into my hand. Looking down I see it's a necklace, the one I had Kasumi look for. I gestured for Jack to come closer, when she did I held out my hand, "Give me your hand, Jack."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Just give me your hand." I replied. She huffed but gave me her hand. With the pendent I slide the secret panel down to reveal a fingerprint scanner. I pressed to her index finger gently, and heard a vi speak.

"Print accepted, Hello Jennifer." it said in a monotone voice. Then the locket popped open, I placed it in Jack's palm.

"What is this?" she asked.

"That Jack, is proof for Miri and I that we finally found what we were searching for, for the last twenty years."

"What?"

"My cousin was kidnapped twenty years ago, when my aunt had taken her to the clinic for a routine check-up. I had gone along with them because my little sister was constantly sneezing." I can feel my eyes burn with tears, "They stole you from us, and I couldn't stop them. Miranda had just joined them, for protection, I told her and she was pissed. She has been helping me ever since."

"So, you mean...?" Jack asked with uncertainty.

"Yes, your full name is Jennifer Jackson Shepard. My cousin."

Jack sat down beside me in shock.

Well there you go. Reviews and Comments make the world go round.

Losa136