Investigating

Jak hated this feeling. More than anything else in his life, he detested feeling out of control. The slavers had taken control from him, control of his body. This was worse.

Doctor Hernandez wasn't happy just restraining Jak's body with straps to the couch Jak was occupying. No. He was trying to take control of Jak's mind.

"Once more, Lieutenant Collains." The doctor's tone never altered, not once displaying nay emotions whatsoever. If Jak didn't know better, he would think the doc a robot or something. "What are your feelings about your mother?"

"Once more, Doctor Hernandez." Jak refused to let the doc get him riled up, it always seemed to make the man...well, not excited, the man didn't do excited. It made him far more energetic when Jak lost his temper in the sessions, almost as if he was trying for just that. "I never knew my mother. I have no feelings for her either way. Positive or negative. This Freudian stuff is not going to work on me because of that."

"You are an amateur playing with things you do not understand." The doctor wasn't fazed at all. "We will get past this and see what the truth is eventually." Jak couldn't help it he laughed. "Something funny, Lieutenant Collains?"

"Hilarious, doc." Jak couldn't stop chuckling. "An Alliance spook talking to me about 'truth'." He just kept chuckling. "Do you even know what truth is? Do you care?" He fought hard to keep his tone civil. Getting angry with the doc never helped things.

No matter how much the man deserved it.

"Derogatory terms will not distract from the facts." Doctor Hernandez said with a shrug.

"What facts?" Jak asked slowly. "You have sat there every day for the last month and asked about my parents. I never knew my parents." He shook his head as far as the restraints would let him, which wasn't far. "Is this how you derive your satisfaction? By torturing people?"

"This is not torture." For the very first time since Jak had seen him, Doctor Hernandez looked a bit put out.

"No?" Jak asked, looking down at his restrained body. The lack of clothing did not bother him, and the doc had always insisted, saying that his scans were thrown off by clothing. "Then this is a standard practice for psychologists. Funny. I haven't seen these methods anywhere else. With anyone else." He reached for the safety pull that was supposed to released the straps. He had flatly refused to be restrained until such was installed, but when he pulled it, nothing happened. "Figured. Who do you really work for, doc?"

"This is not about me, this is about you, Lieutenant." Doctor Hernandez was still so maddeningly calm. "We will talk about your mother."

"Will we?" Jak looked at the doc and then smiled a little. "Is that so? Well, let's see how your fancy scanners handle this." Jak took a deep breath and started to sing. His voice was bad. He knew that. He had spent too long screaming and too long hurting for his voice to be even remotely musical. He didn't need to be.

'Weigh hey and up she rises, weigh hey and up she rises, weigh hey and up she rises, early in the morning! What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor? What do you do with a drunken sailor, Early in the morning? Weigh hey and up she rises, weigh hey and up she rises, weigh hey and up she rises, early in the morning!'

Jak watched through slitted eyes as the doctor's eyes narrowed and his heart jumped. The man hated that song. It had taken the soldier three sessions to realize that the music messed up the brain scanners that the doc always attached to Jak's scalp after he was restrained.

"Lieutenant, stop that." The doctor said calmly. Jak ignored him.

'Chuck him in the long boat 'til he's sober. Chuck him in the long boat 'til he's sober. Chuck him in the long boat 'til he's sober. Early in the morning.' Jak smiled as the doctor's face finally took on an expression of distaste. He had finally cracked the man's iron control!

'Lieutenant." Doctor Hernandez said with a shake of his head. "That is not helping."

"It is helping me." Jak retorted and continued to sing. He knew he was off key, he didn't care. 'Shave his belly with a rusty razor. Shave his belly with a rusty razor. Shave his belly with a rusty razor. Early in the morning!'

"You do realize I am your last chance to stay in the Alliance, don't you?" Doctor Hernandez calmed himself visibly. Jak stopped singing and eyed the man.

"What chance?" Jak demanded. "You made your opinion quite clear, doc. So did the last review board. What was it they said and you quoted when you arrived?" He thought for a moment. "Ah. Yes. Alliance soldiers are expected to serve. To be fit for service at all times. The fact that I refuse to take the pittance you bastards allow and discretely vanish to be forgotten gets you all upset. You want me gone, I get that. I embarrass your dumb asses."

"You were an exemplary soldier, Lieutenant." Doctor Hernandez said with a small shake of his head. "But that is over. Now? You are a drain on Alliance resources."

"So, what?" Jak demanded. "Going to slip me a Mickey now? Dose me with something to give me a heart attack? That is what you Intelligence types do, is it not?"

"You are going to resign." Doctor Hernandez said calmly. "And you are going to do it now."

"Really?" Jak asked, calming.

"Lieutenant, the Alliance has been more than patient, more than fair." Hernandez didn't move at all.

"Right." Jak shook his head slightly. "Fuck you. You do this and all hell will break loose. Do you really want it publicized that you are tossing out a bona-fide hero because you are tired of him?"

"That is not my call." Doctor Hernandez said with a shrug. "My report is going out today. You won't see me again."

"Good!" Jak snarled. "Then let me out of this torture get-up!"

"I have recommended that the funding for this hospital be cut." Hernandez said with a nod as Jak froze. "It serves no useful purpose."

"You son of a bitch..." Jak inhaled. "You would cut off all of these people from any support at all just to screw me?"

"Contrary to your popular belief, this is not just about you. The rejects and cast offs here serve no purpose." Hernandez said flatly. "This place is a drain and that is what I have reported. It needs to go. You will serve, but not the Alliance. You will sleep and when you wake, Cerberus will have a place for you." He went still as Jak strained in his bonds. "Tearing things up, even hurting me will change nothing."

"Oh, I am not going to hurt you." The doc went still as Jak looked at the ceiling. His voice suddenly went cold and hard. "Is that enough?"

"Yeah."

The doctor froze as the door opened and two forms in Alliance uniform walked in. Well, one walked. The other stalked in. That one was in armor and held an Avenger rifle in a professional grip. But it was the man with the long scar down his face that caught and held both men's attention.

Admiral Steven Hackett was not a happy man.

"Doctor Michael Hernandez..." Hackett said slowly as the man with the rifle took aim at the doctor who blanched. "This is an interesting interpretation of your orders from Alliance HQ. Then again, taking our orders was never your thing, was it? Not since Banes."

Hernandez rose from his chair and opened his mouth, maybe to protest, maybe to spout something. The man with the rifle was having none of it. He slammed the stock of his rifle into the doctor, tossing him to the floor. The doctor was probably not even aware as the soldier bound him and started searching him quickly. Hackett sighed and bent to release Jak's bonds.

"You okay, Lieutenant Collains?" Hackett asked as Jak sat up, massaging his wrists where the straps had cut in.

"Sir, with all due respect… I do not want to do that again." Jak said slowly as he tore the sensor studded head covering off and tossed it aside with a grimace. "Do you have any idea what the hell all that was about my mother?"

"I am not a shrink." Hackett replied, but then shook his head. "Best guess? He was mapping your brain using well known input, trying to figure out how the damage occurred. The Illusive Man's evil knows no bounds at times and we have seen him and his using such slaver implants as were put in you. They likely wanted to know why it had malfunctioned."

"Didn't the Alliance figure that out? It hit my pilot implant. Why not just steal my medical records?" Jak eyed the fallen doc who moaned. He had precious little pity for a Cerberus agent though. "That is more Cerberus' thing from what I understand."

"They are getting bolder." Hackett sighed. "Which is not a good thing. The Illusive Man has always been about control. If Cerberus could figure out how to do what was done to you to any Alliance soldier, think of the damage they could cause." Jak shivered and nodded. Hackett looked at him and smiled a little. "You would stand there all day starkers, wouldn't you? Get dressed, Lieutenant."

"Sir." Jak bent down to pick up his folded robe and undergarments. He started putting them on. "Was he right, sir? Is the Alliance going to cut me loose? This place?"

"There has been pressure to close the hospital. But this is the main Veterans Affairs psychiatric facility." Hackett blew out a deep breath and shook his head. "Such pressure goes nowhere when it gets to Parliament. No matter what some may say, there are those who know about the sacrifices made in the name of the Alliance. Who remember. This place does help people. You are better."

"I am never going to fly again, sir." Jak sat heavily on the couch he had recently been restrained to and slumped.

"About that..." Hackett nodded to the armored man who nodded back. He grabbed the semi-conscious doctor and stalked out of the room. Only when the door hissed shut did Hackett speak again. "I know you talked to Ryder. I know you turned him down."

"Sir, he wasn't clear about what he wanted to do." Jak protested.

"Did you let him explain, Lieutenant?" Humor peeked through Hackett's stern visage.

"Ah, no sir." Jak admitted. "The doc with me spoke of AIs and that freaked me out."

"With reason after Eden Prime and the Citadel." Hackett agreed. "Thing is, the civilian sector does have access to things the military does not."

"You don't say, Sir." Collains wasn't normally one to joke with a senior admiral, but he knew Hackett better than many. He had actually been the man's personal pilot for a while before Jak had gone to into Special Forces. After Jak's misadventures, ordeal and rescue, the two had remained in touch. After Doctor Hernandez' unorthodox techniques had raised Jak's hackles, he had sent discrete messages to Hackett who had promised to investigate. Which brought them to today.

"None of that lip, Lieutenant." Hackett said repressively, but then both chuckled and Jak relaxed. "Cerberus won't stop, Lieutenant. You have piqued their interest and that is not a good thing."

"I don't want civilians caught in the crossfire, sir." Jak said slowly. "Should I leave?"

"Lieutenant..." Hackett sighed deeply and sat beside him. "I checked your records when I arrived and we were waiting for the doc to get in. You are a lot better."

"Still have nightmares, sir." Jak said slowly. "Probably will for the rest of my life."

"Yeah. They suck." Hackett slumped a bit. "Point is, the Alliance is leery about you because you are missing time. That is probably the other reason that Cerberus was interested."

"Yes, sir."

It was not common knowledge that Jak had not been found immediately after his ordeals. He and a number of other slaves had been found by an Alliance cruiser during a routine patrol. The slaver ship they had been found on had been a complete wreck except for one deck that -coincidentally- had maintained enough power for life support. The marine boarding party had been more than a little surprised to find almost a hundred former slaves cooped up in what amounted to a cargo container. What was even odder? Jak had been in the worst shape of all of them and none of them knew what had happened to the slavers. There hadn't been any sign of the crew. Only a few spots where gunfire had torn up fragile ship systems and those had been few and far between.

The Alliance did not like mysteries and Jak had spent years with people trying to help him remember what had happened. Jak's memories had been expertly sifted by Alliance shrinks for years afterwards and he simply did not remember what happened after he rammed his Mantis Gunship into one of the main support struts of a slaver transport as it tried to escape with its load of cargo. The impact had shorn off a critical component and had prevented the transport's escape. Jak had been captured by the angry slavers and his torments had been enough to drive more than one Alliance shrink to drink.

"Ryder's compatriots are very closemouthed about their plans, but I can tell you this." Hackett offered. "The expedition they are planning is not for anywhere in this galaxy." Jak's head shot up and he knew his eyes were huge as he stared at Hackett who nodded.

"Another… galaxy?" Jak breathed. He wasn't sure if he was intrigued or horrified. Maybe both.

"I know more than most, but I can't talk about it." Hackett said quietly. Jak nodded. As an admiral, the man was bound very tightly by secrets and the need to keep them secret. "Thing is, if they can help you, Lieutenant… Jak..." He laid a hand on Jak's arm. "You are not going to get any better, Jak. Not with any conventional treatment. The docs here and elsewhere have done everything they can."

"I know, sir." Jak hung his head. "They are talking about bringing in another asari, but the last one… She screamed, sir." Jak said weakly. "I hurt her."

"No, you didn't." Hackett corrected Jak grimly. "I read her report. She wasn't ready for it. She was only an intern for god's sake. But she was willing to try. She did help. She was clear on what she did and how, but her terminology didn't make a lot of sense to us. Still doesn't."

"Yes." Jak admitted." Yes, sir, she did help. It was...weird. So very weird and there really are not any words to describe it no matter what Intel and the docs wanted."

"They are never satisfied no matter what." Hackett stood up and nodded to Jak. "There is one other thing."

"Sir?" Jak rose and braced to the best semblance of attention he could while not in uniform.

"The colony built a memorial." Hackett said quietly, but Jak still recoiled. The admiral nodded. "They want you to be at the dedication."

"Sir..." Jak wilted a bit. "I..."

"You know your team would want you to get on with your life, such as it is." Hackett said with a nod. "I could order you to go, but you would probably resign in a fit of temper and ruin all the hard work you have put in to keep your uniform and rank." Jak looked at him and the admiral scoffed. "Tell me I lie."

"You don't, sir." Jak admitted. "I… I will think about it. One thing on my end. There is a girl here who has fixated on me, sir. She says she knows me, but I don't know her. Maybe in the time I am missing." Hackett nodded. "Has the Alliance looked?"

"We have looked." The admiral shook his head. "No record of this Lara or her DNA exists anywhere the Alliance can find. Intel debriefed her as best they could. She wouldn't communicate with them."

"Do you want me to ask, sir?" Jak wasn't entirely comfortable with such a thing, but if the admiral asked, he would do it. He owed the man a great deal. "She communicates with me. Somewhat."

"Intel would appreciate it." Hackett made a face that Jak shared. Both had a limited appreciation for Alliance Intelligence. "I don't know what to tell you. About Ryder or her. There are possibilities outside the Alliance, Lieutenant Collains. Whether they will pan out or not? I don't know."

"Would you trust Ryder, sir?" Jak asked after a moment.

"With my life." Hackett replied instantly. "The man has no quit in him. Mind you, he has the social graces of a drunk grizzly bear." The admiral qualified. "But if he sets his sights on something? Get out of his way."

"Would he lie?" Jak asked.

"Not without a damn good reason." Hackett's instant rejoinder made Jak relax. "We all have limits, Lieutenant and Ryder was pushed past his. The Alliance had no choice but to cast him out when he refused to stop his work, but..." The older man shook his head. "I can't say what he was doing. But I can say why. He was trying to save his wife's life."

"Holy shit." Jak felt a surge of emotion rush through him. "He failed?"

"Yeah." Hackett gave himself shake and smoothed his uniform almost unconsciously. "But when an N7 -even a former one- starts on an impossible task..."

"People tend to get out of his way if they have any sense at all."