I know that not a lot of people are reading this, but I still want to continue the story thus another chapter.
Note: I don't own Bioware or the Mass Effect series, but I'm going to preorder ME3 next month when I get enough cash.
Chapter Two
Something's off. Jason Sterling thought as he walked along with the commander and his XO down one of the many hallways of the Blue Suns maximum security prison starship Purgatory. They temporarily stopped for Shepard whom decided to converse with some guards beating a prisoner; he claimed that they were lowering themselves down to the same level as the detainee.
He reflected back to the exchange between Commander Shepard and Warden Kuril, the turian warden of the prison ship. He remembered the lack of facial markings on the turian. Barefaced… It was the term turians used to refer to an individual not to be trusted; his familiarity with the cultures of the known races was all thanks to receiving the Shadow Broker's thoroughly strict education in-between the numerous kill orders and additional covert assignments.
A prisoner called out to the commander as they made their way down the hall, pleading Shepard to buy him as well. When Miranda stated that they were there for Jack, fear became evident on the criminal's face as he backed away from the thick glass that held him inside his cell, his hands up in withdrawal. "Whoa, Jack? Forget what I said. I'm not going anywhere with that maniac."
"What do you know about Jack?" The commander asked, wanting to know more about the man he was to recruit; he hoped there would be something new for him to learn.
"A whole lot of crazy mixed up with the worst kind of violent urges and way too much biotic power. I'm not saying anything else." The prisoner replied before retreating further inside his cell, not wanting to be close to anyone who sought the psychopath.
Shepard nodded and moved on down the corridor. It matched what he had learned from the dossier the Illusive Man had sent him, though he was marginally disappointed with the absence of new information regarding Jack given to him by the prisoner.
The team proceeded to the outprocessing room where a technician had directed them. Once they made it to the far side of the room, the door they had entered through shut closed whilst the one in front of them opened. Jason frowned as his prediction about the warden became true.
Kuril's voice sounded over the intercom, "I'm sorry, Shepard. You're far too valuable as a prisoner than a customer. Drop your weapons and proceed to the open cell. You will not be harmed."
Fucking knew it, he thought as he automatically joined the XO in taking up their positions on opposite sides of the commander. The door slid open to admit a pack of Blue Sun mercs, weapons drawn as they flowed into the room. Shepard knelt down behind the protection of a desk as he retrieved his favored M-92 Mantis sniper rifle prior to activating his tactical cloak, which instantly rendered him invisible to everyone.
With the commander gone from sight, the Blue Suns began to target the two others with him. Miranda raised an arm towards one of the mercs, firing up her biotics and spawning a blue rapidly shifting mass effect field, which began to shred her now shrieking target apart. She then took out her M-4 Shuriken submachine gun and released a number of consecutive shots at a merc moving in too close for her comfort. She failed to notice the FENRIS Mech close in on her as it prepared to pounce until she heard a nearby shot, causing the mech to deactivate. She watched as her fellow squadmate vaulted over his cover from behind her, wielding his M-23 Katana shotgun while an electrifying azure aura enveloped him; she shuddered a little as he passed her, feeling the strength of his biotics from her position.
Jason initiated his biotic shockwave, toppling the mercs and FENRIS Mechs in front of him before he took cover behind the desk closest to the door where his shotgun and biotics would be most effective. He felt a bullet fly over his head followed by the sound of a body collapsing onto the ground; momentarily revolving his head around, he found the commander visible again as he reloaded his sniper rifle.
Shepard left his cover while he spotted Miranda leaving hers as Jason stretched after they had finished off the last merc. He smiled at the nonchalance the latter possessed as they moved out of Outprocessing, turning left into another hallway. His team easily defeated more of the Blue Suns and the couple FENRIS Mechs that met them in the corridor before progressing into the room at the end of it.
The door unsealed itself to reveal a technician unsteadily pointing a pistol at the commander, clearly frightened by their company. Again, Jason was immersed in a vivid azure blue as he propelled himself biotically towards the technician, who lost consciousness brought on from being charged at. He went on to pull the knocked out technician aside afterwards as the commander stepped in front of the control panel.
"It's the only way to Jack, Commander." His statement was exactly what Shepard's thought process had concluded to; the commander hit a few keys on the console, eliciting the release of Jack from his cryo-cell as well as the thousands of other prisoners on Purgatory.
Oh shi- His eyes were glued on the scene through the window before them: three daunting YMIR Mechs slowly approached Jack's cell, ready to subdue the convict. How in the hell are we going to fight those? I don't have any heavy weapons on me.
"Shepard, what are we -" Miranda stopped mid-sentence, her attention drawn to the large mechanical arm that went over to undo the seal in the floor and secured itself on; the pod was pulled up and opened, releasing the frigid air it held as Jack's body slumped down.
"So Jack… is a girl." Jason stated the obvious; out of the corner of his eye, he saw the commander nod as his interest was caught by the convict. She was scantily clad in what appeared to be one or two straps attached together to cover an important part of her chest while a large pair of russet pants hung low on her hips. He noted how she was covered from the neck down in countless tattoos and how her head was shaved. Well, it works for her. Through the window, they witnessed Jack's sheer rage manifesting on her face as she gripped the sides of her cell before throwing herself forward, consumed by biotic blue energy once she attacked the YMIR Mechs.
"Let's go." Shepard declared, exiting the room with his sniper drawn; Miranda and Jason followed in suit.
"Warning, warning." The ship computer announced as they made their way down the stairs. The sounds of destruction grew distinct as they moved. When they entered the room that had once held Jack, taking in the fragmented remnants of the YMIR Mechs, they took notice of how the other side of the room bore a hole where their soon-to-be teammate had driven through, following after her easily by simply trailing after the wreckage she left in her path.
Warden Kuril's stressed voice ordered through the intercom, "All guards restore order. Lethal force authorized, but don't kill Jack! Techs, lockdown. Lockdown!" His broadcast was followed by Purgatory's computer declaring in its artificial voice, "Sectors Seven, Nine, and Eleven have lost life support. No survivors."
With one final shot from the commander, the warden's lifeless body fell to the floor. Jason frowned at the tear Kuril made earlier when his shields were down on the close-fitting dark bodysuit the Illusive Man had recently given him. This is why I can't own nice things, he thought as he moved along with the rest of the squad while checking the tear. The bodysuit fitted him so perfectly; it was almost as if the Illusive Man had somehow gotten his measurements for it to be made. Wouldn't be surprised if he did.
Jack had finally gotten out of the cryo-cell that held her for who knows how long. Running down the hallway, she spotted two Blue Suns mercs, a turian and a batarian; one of them yelled her to stop, but she was too engaged with the thought of killing them. She raised the batarian up biotically before slamming him roughly against a window, cracking it slightly as the merc died from a broken spine. Turning around, she slaughtered the remaining turian with one movement of her arm to activate her biotics, crashing him into the wall behind him. Her biotic glow slowly faded as the large ship out the window drew her interest.
"Cerberus." Jack growled loudly from her infuriated state as she strode back and forth, trying to think of some way out of the fucking prison ship. "Aargh!"
Noticing another merc starting to aim at her, she spun around at the sound of gunshot landing on the batarian's head to face the man who fired and two others with him. She stood, knees bent, ready to fight them off if it came to that. "What the hell do you want?"
"You're in a bad situation, and I'm going to get you out of here." Shepard said calmly, putting away his pistol; he frowned once he become aware that the convict in front of him was not listening.
"Shit, you sound like a pussy." Jack was not interested with anyone with the organization she loathed with an incomparable passion. What she really wanted was to get off Purgatory immediately. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're Cerberus."
"I'm here to ask for your help." Jason yawned in the background as he heard the commander's firm reply. Just join us already, he thought.
Looking through the window at the Normandy, she replied. "You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere. You think I'm stupid?"
"This ship is going down in flames. We can get you to safety, and we're asking for your help." Shepard reasoned with her, wishing she would agree.
"We could just knock her out and take her." Miranda's suggestion produced a silent chuckle from Jason, finding her deadpan somewhat humorous.
"I'd like to see you try." Jack glared at the woman in a Cerberus uniform then at the man who chuckled. She disliked them even more regardless of not even knowing their identities.
"We're not going to attack her." The commander stated, trying to reassure Jack that they were on the same side. His squadmates weren't exactly helping to his frustration, hoping they'd be more helpful when it came to recruiting.
"Good move." She advanced toward Shepard, sizing him up. "Look, you want me to come with you, make it worth my while. I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases. I want to look at those files. See what Cerberus has got on me." She crossed her arms before resuming. "You want me on your team; let me go through those databases."
"I'll give you full access." Shepard replied tersely, more than willing to accept her demands especially when it came at the expense of the extremist Cerberus group.
Miranda voiced her disapproval; the commander was stepping over boundaries. "Shepard, you're not authorized to do that."
"O-o-oh, it upsets the cheerleader - even better." Jack sneered before taking a step forward to get her point across, facing Shepard with an unsmiling face. "You better be straight up with me." With the commander's nod, she stepped back. "So why the hell are we standing here?"
"Move out." The squad made way towards the docking hangar while Jack hanged back for a moment, looking at the Cerberus frigate as she contemplated.
Jason viewed the scene in front of him with interest from his position leaning against the table with his upturned palm propping up his chin; Miranda's even voice began to clarify to the tattooed woman that she was to follow orders aboard this ship, much to the already existing resentment Jack possessed for her.
When it looked like a fight was about to ensue as he noticed the usual biotic blue had flickered around Jack's hands, Shepard entered the room, acquiring both of the women's notice. The commander, who had changed out of his armor for casual wear, recognized them with a curt nod before speaking to Jack. "I'm true to my word. EDI will give you access to any information we have."
The rumble he felt from his stomach took his interest away from listening to the XO's protests against Shepard's unauthorized sanction while Jack gave her a smug look; he made his exit unnoticed, no longer hearing the voices coming from the room as he made his way to the elevator in the CIC.
I should probably change, too. He hadn't changed out of his suit yet, though it was very comfortable, it made him appear like Jacob and Miranda. Like one of Cerberus. I need to get the rip fixed too. He passed by the redhead Yeoman Chambers at her station beside the galaxy map, where the commander would plot the course to who-knows-where. At least this bodysuit doesn't have the Cerberus emblem.
His omni-tool pinged while he actuated the elevator; it was a secured message from a friend who still worked with the Shadow Broker. Hmm… Not surprising. The broker had learned of him joining up with Commander Shepard and Cerberus, and he was not pleased at all. The SB has sent a kill order out for him, but it was greatly hinted that he also would be pleased if one of his operatives managed to persuade Jason back into his forces.
He spent a short time at the mess hall, successfully convincing Mess Sergeant Gardner to part with an armful of protein bars of various flavors and a carton of vanilla soymilk. The food should be enough to keep his hunger at bay for now, but with a biotic's metabolism, he was going to be back for more, much sooner than later. The elevator brought him down to Engineering, the Normandy's fourth deck, while he began consume a protein bar that claimed it was Cookies & Cream flavored. Ugh. This tastes like cardboard.
For the past couple weeks, he had inhabited the small room in the bowels of the deck down the stairs that were outside Main Engineering. The Normandy engineers Kenneth Donnelly and Gabriella Daniels both grew accustomed to his visits at their work space; he occasionally joined them for a game of Skyllian Five poker as a result of the commander purchasing T6-FBA Couplings that had made their maintenance work much easier, thus giving them more free time. They would make a great couple. He chuckled knowingly at how dense the two were when it came to how well they complemented each other, unconvincingly asserting that they were just friends to anyone who asked.
Jason almost choked on his protein bar when he saw Jack rummaging through his few belongings, not that he was concerned; they weren't of any value to him and could be easily replaced. "Can I help you?"
"I came here to find a place where I can stay until this whole mission thing is over. Didn't expect my prime choice to be taken already." She answered gruffly, identifying him as the guy who was alongside Shepard and the Cerberus bitch when they recruited her. "Who the fuck are you anyway?"
After taking a long swig from his carton, he shrugged. "Just some guy the commander picked up." He didn't feel like answering the question with the tone the woman in front of him was using, wholly forgetting that she had taken down three YMIR Mechs by herself.
"You must be Cerberus too, huh? Shit." Jack scowled at him, but to no avail as the man disinterestedly ate another protein bar. "Or not." She mumbled to herself, speculating as to why he wasn't leaving her alone whilst she took a seat on the cot nearby.
Running his fingers through his hair, he looked at the tattooed woman when he remembered that she was a biotic as well. He held out his remaining protein bars along with the mostly full carton of soymilk and asked, "Want some? You took down three YMIR Mechs and all, so…"
She eyed at him suspiciously before relieving him from the bars without so much as a 'thank you.' She began ravenously eating one bar after another, clearly starved from all the biotics she used.
Jason yawned as he gathered his belongings into his military-issue duffel bag; he knew it wouldn't do the crew any good with Jack being situated anywhere other than this room that was secluded from the rest of the ship. She was clearly not a people person. She seems comfortable here anyway.
"What are you doing?" She asked through a mouthful of protein bar while she watched the strange man collect his things; she still felt conflicted about whether he was Cerberus or not. His suit was like a male version of the catsuit the cheerleader wore, but it didn't have the emblem on it, which threw her off.
"I'm going to look for a new place to stay. This place is too quiet." He smiled insouciantly at Jack whom remarked that he was a weird fucker then set off to down the rest of the soymilk. "I'll see you around then."
Miranda Lawson generally spent her period on the Normandy in her office/room; she seldom left it seeing as there was always a considerable amount of various reports she had to compose regarding the progress of the mission, updates of the commander's performance, or insights about certain crewmembers. When she did have free time, she would spend it reading or perusing the regular updates her contact sends her about her younger sister, Oriana. Her routine was not often disrupted.
Though, there she was out in the unoccupied mess hall, dining in silence since the crew tended to avoid her presence. She hardly touched her food tray, owing to her recently purchased vid book that she found herself reading absorbedly, but mostly it was mostly unmoved because of the odd quality it had. She glanced at her tray and sighed at the tasteless military provisions that Cerberus had provided for the Normandy.
"Men are from Omega, Women are from Illium?" She turned her head to trace the voice to its owner; the man wore an interested smile as he stood beside her, looking over at the datapad she held. "Is it a good read?"
From her seated position, Jason towered over her. If she stood beside him, he was still considerably taller; his height being 6'4" according to the dossier that she was provided by the Illusive Man, which was remarkably thorough compared to the one she had forwarded to the commander. Presently, he was leaning down as he read over her shoulder. She answered, "I like the concept that the author is conveying."
He took a seat at her table, letting his duffel bag fall to the floor and placing his food tray in front of him. "That men are from Omega and women are from Illium?" He smiled at the XO as he began to eat his late dinner.
"Yes." Miranda returned the gesture with a smile of her own, albeit faint, before she proceeded to finish her serving of what appeared to be some sort of stew.
The XO was surprised at how much time had passed during her chat with Sterling, but she didn't know what to think of it. He was the only one on the entire ship who spoke to her with such ease, behaving like he had known her for years although even those who have still found it difficult to talk to her informally like the man beside her has since his arrival on the Normandy. Also, the Illusive Man planned for him to enter the organization seeing as the man would make an invaluable ally, and Miranda Lawson was not one to fraternize with her coworkers, excluding that brief tryst she had with Jacob.
He leaned forward from his chair as he examined the distant gaze of the woman before him. It was only a moment ago when he had elicited a laugh, although quiet, from the seemingly humorless Cerberus operative for the first time with a witty remark that was quickly forgotten as soon as he had heard the lovely sound. He believed he had made a breakthrough with the XO when, in a flash, she reverted back to her impersonal demeanor. He tilted his head as he waited for her response, "You okay?"
Her train of thought broke when she heard his concerned voice. "I am. Thanks for asking." She took notice of how he didn't attempt to hide the flicker of disappointment that showed on his face when she answered in the professional manner she learned to use; bemused as to why she allowed her guard down around Sterling, she went back to her aloof tone to keep consistency with how she treated the rest of the crew.
Jason got up, slinging his duffel over his shoulder before gathering the empty tray that held his dinner about two hours ago. "No worries. Oh, wow, it's late… You better go catch up on some Z's. You're working too hard." He chuckled as he gave Miranda a polite smile, which hid the incomprehension he held towards the woman, before he turned to discard his tray before heading towards the elevator. Without breaking his pace, he stated over his shoulder, "Have a good night, Ms. Lawson."
Thanks to whoever is reading this; it'd be great to hear what people think so review.