A/N: I'm really sorry for the wait. Thank you to everyone who has put up with me and stuck with the story. I have been so bombarded with work, my laptop had a virus that wouldn't allow me to use the internet, and the biggest reason? DRAGON AGE 2 :D:D:D Many don't like it, I couldn't get into it at first but now I love it and I kind of can't tear myself away :( You can take a girl out of Ferelden but you can't take the Ferelden out of a girl! There should be one more chapter to this story, that's if I can get it done. Then Kill Garrus Vol. 2 can commence HAZZAH. I'm not entirely happy with how this has come out, I might edit it at some point, but you guys have waited long enough. So again thanks for reading whether you have liked the story or not. I appreciate you taking the time to give it a go. And yeah one more chapter left, which I am really looking forward to writing, like seriously looking forward to writing!
I do not own Mass Effect or Kill Bill (I'm innocent I swear)
There she was, only a few feet away from her.
A smug grin was scabbed on to her face while the rooms bright lighting reflected dark ripples along her crimson lips.
She looked much different from the last time Shepard saw her. Her hair had grown slightly. It was a dark brown that made her inked scalp barely visible.
"Care to explain your friend over here?" Shepard roared.
The commander grabbed Morinth by the shoulder as she flung her into the middle of the room where she landed with a fierce crack.
Jack glared at the beaten asari while in deep thought. She placed her inked arms onto the edge of the metallic balcony and leaned in for a closer look.
"Your just full of surprises aren't you Shepard?" Jack voiced with a shake of her head. Another sick smile ventured across her pale face. This time Shepard could not tell if it was one of realisation or humour.
Shepard remained silent and let her striking gaze do the talking. She had Jack right where she wanted her. Now was not the time to be careless and do something stupid.
"I take it that this is your idea of proving a point?" The biotic gestured towards Morinth's body carelessly as she began to slowly trail her arm along the railing.
The commander's body was ready to pounce at any given moment. In this warrior like state nothing could touch her. A blade to the face would not make her flinch therefore Jack's verbal attacks were coming nowhere near close to sending her into a blood frenzy.
"If I wanted to prove a point I would have killed her already," Shepard replied in a dark tone. "This..." she whispered bowing her head slightly to cover her growing grin. "This is merely a taster."
Jack furrowed her brow slightly. The biotic was easy to anger, always had been. Shepard wondered if four years had changed Jack. The familiar blue tint of the biotics arms springing to life gave her the answer she predicted: No.
"Look at you. The great Commander Shepard, sole survivor of Akuze, obliterator of Saren and Reaper slayer. We had you literally begging for your life and now your back again with a new set of balls..."
Jack's arms continued to flare with dark energy.
"Your going to wish you stayed in that coma!"
With a flick of the wrist Jack flung Marla and Kasumi against the door behind them. Jack was reckless but she wasn't stupid. She missed Shepard just barely on purpose.
"Maybe I should fill you in on the new rule of Omega Shepard..."
Kasumi and Marla tried to steady themselves and get back on their feet. Underneath their heaving breaths Shepard could hear the faint sound of charging foosteps, she didn't like the sound one single bit.
Marla gave a silent gasp as she held her already bruising arm. "Maybe it's the concussion talking but do you guys hear that?" she seethed in a low growl.
Her pink hair had glued itself to her face from the sweat that profusely weeped from her pores. Marla still looked in pretty bad shape from the gunfight earlier, Shepard eagerly tried to dismiss her observation. She needed to remain focused if what she was hearing rang true.
Kasumi whipped her head from side to side in a fast movement causing her plated pony tail to freely swing in the air. The thief remained in a combat stance doing her best to ignore the throbbing pain that was igniting her back.
"Hear what?" she questioned doing nothing to hide the worry in her voice.
The trampling noise became much louder and frequent. It was definitely footsteps and by the sound of them it was more than one person.
Shepard gave an audible sigh and stiffened her body. "Look's like we've got company."
A door in front of the trio flew open as well as two other doors from the sides of the room. At least twenty guards made their presence known and were now aiming at Shepard and company with precision.
Shepard gulped instinctively as she made note of every gunmen who's barrels were pinpointed on her.
Jack's face was smugger than ever now that Shepard and her acquaintances were completely surrounded.
"...Don't. Fuck. With. Jack!" the biotic yelled with a warrior cry.
Shepard reacted quickly when she heard a sudden click emit from the guards as they began to relinquish their bullets.
A bright red beam tore through the air, barely missing Shepard's neck as she dived for cover behind a bookshelf.
Kasumi had prepared herself the second Shepard gave warning and activated her cloak. Unfortunately Marla didn't exactly have the best reflexes in universe and didn't move an inch.
The thief remained cloaked and prayed that just this once she could override her cloaks capacity limit.
The shots were beckoning more towards Shepard who was now pinned down in place. She scanned the room as best as she could to see Marla attempting to add a few more seconds to her life by firing her weapon at the horde of guards.
The commander prepared herself to dash towards the young girl. Shepard wanted Jack dead more than anything, but the commander kept her promises and she wasn't about to let that ruthless teenager die under her watch.
Suddenly before Shepard could move an inch Marla vanished into thin air. It was like her body had became one with the oxygen particles.
The shots hesitated for a few seconds in confusion, only to begin stampeding to where Shepard took cover.
The bookcase was now getting torn to shreds more than before as smashed ornaments and other breakable objects shattered onto the commanders body.
Where the hell was Kasumi and Marla when she needed them?
The thief stole Marla in a heartbeat from her inevitable death and stormed to a nearby corner.
The young girl seemed to be panicking by the way she scratched and tried to cry out.
The little episode she was having was to be expected seeing as Marla never really had the chance to find out that Kasumi could enable a cloaking device. Also not having experienced cloaking for herself, Marla was understandably freaking out as an invisible force grabbed her and made her entire body disappear before her very eyes.
Kasumi attempted to hush the teenager as she tightened her grip.
Thankfully the sounds of guns blazing prevented the guards from noticing the teenagers outcries.
"Marla calm down!" Kasumi ordered forcing her hand to where she hoped the girls mouth was.
The pink temptress quit struggling hesitantly under Kasumi's hold. Her heavy breathing could barley be heard under the noise of heat sinks being dispersed at Shepard.
"You have to listen to me very carefully Marla," Kasumi explained in a cautious voice. The pair needed to make haste if they were going to help the commander.
Marla nodded eagerly in response.
"You are cloaked with me at the moment. The guards can not see us. Unfortunately this hardware has a minimal capacity of one, how it is cloaking you as well as me is by far a miracle."
Marla mumbled a sentence underneath the palm of Kasumi's hand. The thief forgot that she had placed it there in the first place.
As Kasumi's gloved hand retreated to her side Marla took in an over-exagerrated gasp of air.
"I said it might be because I'm really thin. Your Omni-tool probably doesn't even recognise that it's over-capasitated. It may just assume you've put on weight," Marla provided with a shaky yet humorous edge to her voice.
The thief mentally face palmed herself. She did not have the time to explain to the girl how incredibly stupid she just sounded and opted to get back to the task at hand. If, and only if they managed to pull through she might just tease Marla for it later.
"You see those guards on the right flank of Shepard?"
Kasumi felt Marla nod under her grasp.
She couldn't believe she was about to say this. Her plan was incredibly risky and foolish, but it might just work.
"I'm going to sneak you behind the guards so you have the advantage to kill them without compromising yourself. That's if of course you can handle four guards stealthily..."
Marla raised her invisible eyebrows as she eyed the group from across the room. The guards continued to penetrate the bookcase that Shepard was behind. Two turians, a human and a batarian who looked liked mass murderers and sadists due to the sick smiles on their faces as they shot each beam.
"Your fucking kidding me right?" Marla scoffed.
Kasumi understood the teenagers hesitation. If there was a possibility that she could screw up, the chances were that she would. As mean as it sounded that was the undeniable truth. The thief had little choice, they needed to help Shepard and they needed to it as quickly as possible.
"I'm afraid that I'm completely serious," Kasumi sighed. "I'll drop you off behind the guards and make my way to the other four guards on the left side of the room. When I leave you behind them you will no longer be cloaked so hurry it up."
Marla shook her head causing her cloaked pink hair to fall into her face. "I can't believe that you are making me do this..."
Kasumi stood up from her crouched position forcing Marla to stand up as well. "You wanted to be in on the action. This is it."
Kasumi jogged towards the guards with Marla that were flanking Shepard from the right hand side.
The thief had to do her best to avoid the line of fire, so she was more than thankful when Marla jogged with her instead of putting up a fight.
The pair landed right behind the four guards who took a two second break to reload and went back to creating carnage.
Kasumi leaned into Marla's ear, or at least what she hoped was her ear. "Word of advise," she whispered. "Try to take their shields down before you start shooting."
Marla did not have time to reply as she suddenly felt the cold mark of Kasumi's absence.
"Fuck," she muttered.
Marla chanced a quick glance to the other side of the room. The human's head at the far end of the shooting line jerked from side to side as his neck was snapped by the cloaked thief.
She couldn't fail now she had to prove she was useful or better yet just not die. Yeah, that would be good enough.
Her new omni tool flashed to life with a dull glow that prevented the guards from knowing she was behind them.
Marla tried her best to drain their shields but she couldn't for the life of her fathom how to do it. She managed to log into their network but every time she tried to override their systems she failed. The guards were bound to notice her soon.
In her peripheral vision Kasumi had finished off the last of the guards on the left flank and the men in front of Marla seemed to take notice.
The teenager gave one last shot at removing their shields, this would be her epic moment where she just barely saved Kasumi from a stampede of bullets...
CRITICAL SYSTEMS FAILURE, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR ADMINISTRATOR FOR ASSISTANCE...
"Screw this!" Marla screamed.
She shoved her bony fingers into her pocket pulling out an inferno grenade and smashed it on the tiled floor in the middle of the four guards.
The sound of a turian/human/batarian hybrid scream was not a pretty one as they did the burning man dance.
Marla pulled out her pistol dramatically as she bathed in the flames luminous light.
"Don't play with fire unless your willing to get burned."
Four shots evacuated her pistol as the guards collapsed to the now crisp floor beneath them.
Shepard had come out of cover to witness the display while Kasumi stared at the pink temptress completely awestruck.
The commander looked slightly proud while she crossed her arms momentarily. The thief just looked impressed, or was that shock? Marla didn't really care either way, she had proved that she was an asset, a badass that nobody could cro-
"Help..." cried the batarian guard on the floor. He clutched his shoulder which made a temporary home for his purple tinted blood. Marla couldn't believe she missed the headshot. All the others went down without a single word but this guy no, he had to be all different survive. How unbelievably rude!
"Argh you just had to ruin my moment!" Marla winced placing another bullet into his body, only this time making sure to aim for the head. "Wanker..."
Kasumi stifled a giggle as she approached Marla along with Shepard. The girl was proving to be more like her father by the second.
Shepard holstered Jessie and observed the empty balcony.
Kasumi turned to her old commander. "Where did Jack go?"
"Probably outside..." Shepard muttered in an aggravated sigh.
It dawned on Shepard that Jack was proberly waiting for her. Surely the biotic knew that they could handle a few guards regardless of how much they outnumbered them. She had to remember to thank Kasumi and Marla for their part. What she would of done without them...well she didn't really want to think about it.
Shepard confidently made her way to the stairs only to notice that Kasumi and Marla were following her. She turned her head to face them with an apologetic expression.
"You guys stay here, I need to do this by myself."
Marla scoffed. "No offence Shepard but you needed us back there. Just swallow a bit of your pride for once and let us help you. Jack won't stand a chance against three of us."
Shepard froze in place. She had only just met Marla a few days ago and the girl was talking like she knew everything about her. If Marla thought for a second that she was going to let them come and help her take Jack down then she knew nothing.
Kasumi scanned Shepard's face. She on the other hand knew Shepard too well. This was something she had to do alone regardless of the dangers. The thief grabbed Marla's inked arm dominantly but not in a way that would hurt her.
"Let her go Marla," Kasumi said calmly keeping her eyes on Shepard.
Marla went to protest only to find that no words would leave her mouth. She grumbled something incoherently and backed down.
The commander smiled a thank you towards Kasumi, which the thief replied with a 'be careful' expression.
With a slow nod Shepard ventured up the stairs with haste leaving the pair to wait for her return. At least she hoped she would return. Shepard didn't go through all this to not see the bitch suffer by her hand.
A massive grey door stood in Shepard's way. She opened up her omni-tool only to notice that a green glow emitted from its pad signalling that it was unlocked.
Jack could have made it harder for her. She could have locked it. Perhaps she really did want to see Shepard face to face, unless she simply assumed that the commander wouldn't survive the ambush.
Shepard's finger gently pushed down on the pad forcing the doors to pry open at what seemed like an exceedingly slow pace.
Once opened she was presented with a view of a rooftop garden. Exotic flowers that were shades of red, blue and yellow twirled around the far end railings while a small fountain poured water into a minuscule stone bowel.
The sound of water was the only audible thing that Shepard could hear on the tranquil rooftop. That and a faint breeze that audibly howled every now and again. It made her nervous.
"I see that a four year coma hasn't affected your combat skills," came a voice from behind some of the rooftops green shrubbery.
Shepard turned her attention to the source of the sound to witness Jack casually walk out in front of her and stand by the stone fountain.
"And I see that four years has done nothing to alter your personality for the better," Shepard shot back doing her best to sound confident and not lose her cool.
The biotic laughed darkly. Amused as she was at Shepard's statement never did she laugh one of joy or happiness. Her tone was always full of hate and spite. They way Jack saw it, the act stopped her from ever showing signs of weakness.
Neither of the pair attempted to make a move as they faced one another in silence for a minute as if weighing out their options. Either woman could simply just initiate a fight but neither did.
Jack clenched her fists uncomfortably. A tension was building up that she had no choice but to regard.
"If you've got something to say Shepard then say it!"
Shepard's eyes glazed over, not with sadness but with anger.
"Why?" she demanded.
"Why what?" Jack responded playfully or what was supposed to be considered playful. The way she did it brought a whole new meaning to the act.
"You know what," Shepard seethed with an unblinking stare.
The biotic shook her shaved head slowly as if shaking the smirk off her face.
"You deserved everything we did to you Shepard," Jack hissed as she spat her name like poison. "Seeing you standing here only proves that that we should of done a lot worse."
Jack now stood in a threatening stance yet she refused to move closer towards Shepard. Like the commander had said before, the biotic was not stupid.
"I leave the Normandy and you suddenly start taking order from Garrus, is that it?" Shepard slightly took a threatening position too. She had to breath in and out slowly to maintain her ability to talk instead of shooting now and asking questions later.
Jack's inked arms began to flare as a warning. "I take orders from no one Shepard. I wanted revenge, Vakarian just happened to be the one willing to track you down."
"Revenge?" Shepard screamed. She was losing her battle for calm now. "What the fuck do you know about revenge? In the name of the spirits how was my absence so cruel that you all thought it would be an amazing idea to track me down, murder everyone at my wedding and batter me within an inch of my life while I was heavily pregnant?"
Jack showed no signs of remorse. Ever since that day at the chapel she had told herself over and over again that Shepard deserved it. No one fucked her over and got away with it, especially someone that she had once trusted.
"You left without a trace! You left every single one of us to fend for ourselves when you damn well knew that we all looked up to you. I told you things about me that I have never told anyone before. Figures…" Jack trailed off remorsefully.
It was times like this that Jack truly hated her damn emotions. She refused to cry, if she did then her anger would become almost intolerable to deal with. The biotic sucked in the air selfishly and let her battle stance drop.
"That cerberus cheerleader tried to take over your position you know. Apparently she was the 'XO and had every right to claim the position'. It was Vakarian who put her back in her place. The crew spent months searching, thinking that you had been kidnapped or killed. But what do we find when we track you down? Your living a life of luxury, kid on the way, perfect husband, new identity...what can I say I was pissed at the time. There isn't no going back now."
Shepard's mouth hung wide open in shock. She took in a huge heap of air and let it out through gritted teeth. "Your excuse is that you were 'Pissed at the time?' What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Jack shrugged her shoulders. "A lot of things apparently, but enough talk. You came here to fight me did you not? So make your fucking move!"
A sudden blue shockwave began pounding its way towards Shepard as she leapt for cover behind a stone statue. She unholstered Jessie in a swift movement.
Jack remained standing in the same position "Oh I'm sorry, wasn't you ready yet?" she yelled sarcastically while her body became engulfed with adrenaline.
"Bitch I wasn't even aware that you started," Shepard stabbed.
The head of the krogan statue smashed as Jack's shotgun tried to pry Shepard out of cover.
Shepard used the millisecond that Jack took to cock her gun again to power up her charge and fling herself at the biotic.
The force of the impact caused Jack to fly in the air momentarily and fall flat on her arse.
Shepard wasted no time in aiming Jessie down at the biotic and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Jack was quick she'd give her that, as she rolled to the side with haste and suddenly disappeared.
"What the-" Shepard began until a squeamish crack resonated from the impact of what felt like a fist colliding with her nose.
Shepard's body collided to the floor as she clutched her now oozing nose. Jack reappeared above her and quickly leaned in to wrap her bony stained fingers around Shepard's throat.
Jack locked eyes with her old commander as her face began to turn blue. "Four years hasn't affected my personality Shepard, but it certainly has had an impact on my capabilities..."
The biotic grinned as she saw Shepard's eyes not only filled with a desperation for air but the realisation that Jack now had more biotic abilities.
Shepard didn't have much reach over Jack due to the girl's long thin arms, but she was beyond desperate. Shepard tightened her fist as much as she could knowing fully well that she couldn't land a punch. The other option wasn't something she particularly wanted to see through but it was the only thing she could think of in her weakened state.
Jack pressed her thumbs into Shepard's throat applying more pressure. Shepard need to act now.
With a fistful of dark energy Shepard unleashed a groundbreaking shockwave of her own on the ground.
Both women were flung into the air as Jack's tight grip was torn away from Shepards neck.
As they both descended back to the balcony Shepard gripped Jessie tightly while still gasping in sweet mouthfuls of air.
It was time like these that Shepard wished she was an asari where she had the ability to float gently to the ground.
The commanders back stomped painfully against the tiles, as did Jack's. Yep she definitely wished she was an asari.
Shepard had to work quickly and tried her best to ignore the fact that her bruised body was an aching, bleeding mess. She forced herself to onto the balls of her feet letting out a silent groan of discomfort.
Jack was beginning to force herself up on her feet too. That was not a good sign at all.
Shepard aimed Jessie towards Jack doing her best to get a headshot as she swayed from side to side torturously.
The bullet had a hazy purple shine to it as it cut through the air heading straight for Jack's arm.
The biotic thankfully didn't even see it coming let alone dodge it.
"Fuck!" Jack swore and began clenching her arm only to pull away as a sizzling sound emitted from her thin frame.
She gave another outcry as the bullet seemed to be bubbling underneath the skin. The feeling was indescribable. Jack needed to apply pressure because of how much pain the bullet was causing as it burned the interior of her arm. Yet every time she tried to cover the wound it felt like she was rubbing her flesh into acid when it began to burn the palm of her hand.
"What the hell have you just shot me with?" Jack demanded. The biotic had been shot on numerous occasions but none of them ever felt as intense as this.
Shepard smirked eerily. "Jessie."
Jack's defined eyes grew wide presenting a morbid view of how bloodshot they were.
"Don't bullshit me!" she roared in her weakened state.
Shepard held the assault rifle under the rooftop lights to unveil the inscription.
The biotic's green eyes grew wider. "So the old bastard actually gave her to you?"
Shepard ignored Jack's comment and knelt down to her level.
"Since you have finally decided to calm down for a bit I must ask you: Did everyone who fought me at the chapel all do it for the same reasons you did?"
Jack grew silent for the first time ever over Shepard's question. She tried to sound confident when she replied, "Yeah."
Shepard retracted and felt herself become hollow and numb.
"Only a few did it for different reasons," Jack added in between breaths.
Shepard looked into Jack's eyes that where a smudged charcoal black around her eyelids. The biotic was not crying out of emotion, it was out of pain. Light smoke was still seeping out of the wound.
"Shepard," Jack called.
The commander hesitantly listened, unsure of whether or not the whole act might be a trick.
"Look, I...about what I did..."
"What about it?" Shepard replied sternly.
Jack gave an audible sigh. A slight smile introduced itself onto her face and for the first time ever it looked genuine. "Don't make me say it."
In another situation Shepard would have been happy with this scenario. But not now. "Jack, I cannot forgive you for what you did."
Jack tensed up as another throbbing sensation flooded her arm again. Her smile was gone now. "I don't expect you to. I know what it's like to want revenge, sitting there day and night just thinking about how you could snap the neck of the unlucky son of bitch who crossed you."
A five second silence presented itself as Jack's words sunk into Shepard. She was becoming exactly like her, letting a bad experience control her life. But surely her reasons were justified? Weren't they?
The fountain in the background continued to try and smooth out the destructive auras of both women as they pondered the given situation.
"I'll let you have your revenge Shepard, I owe you that much. But do not for a second think that I am going to make it easy on you," Jack warned.
To have expected more from Jack would have been taking optimism to a whole new level. This was the most Shepard was going to get out of her and she respected it none the less.
"Thank you," she whispered startling Jack for a second though she refused to show it.
Shepard took a combat position charging her arm with biotics and steadied Jessie in her right hand. "Ready?"
Jack cracked her neck and did the same trying to ignore the bullet cramped in her right arm. "Ready as I'll ever be bitch."
The tattooed biotic reacted fast by pulling Shepard in her direction and aiming her towards the edge of the balcony.
Shepard's breath hitched at the speed she was traveling and tried her best to move her limbs.
Running out time as she levitated over the balcony railing, Shepard was vastly entering the danger zone of what looked to be a long fall.
Using all the strength she could muster she flung her arm out towards Jack's thin frame with the intention of yanking the biotic down with her.
Shepard thumped her fist back to her chest as she caught Jack off guard. Unfortunately Shepard did not anticipate her last resort to actually work. The commander inwardly cursed herself as Jack came crashing into her hovering body causing both women to descend through the air towards the unyielding streets of Omega.
Jack gripped Shepard's clothing tightly while they fell and landed a punch directly in her face. Even though they both faced an inevitable death she still wanted to continue the fight.
The biotic was either brave or just plain sad.
In retaliation Shepard kneed Jack in the stomach with the most force the opposing gravity allowed her to have.
For what was only seconds felt like minutes as Shepard thrusted her hand towards Jack's inked neck and began clinging to it like it was a ledge she was hanging off of.
She had Jack beneath her trying to tear Shepard's hand away as the ground got uncomfortably closer.
The commander clinged to the hope that she could strangle the life out of Jack before the fall ended them both, however that option was becoming highly unlikely by the millisecond.
A few mere feet from the marble ground Shepard witnessed Jack's hands give up on trying to unlock the tight pressure pressing down on her throat.
Jack raised both of her sweaty palms towards Shepard, as if to strangle her back in a last minute 'Fuck you' only to release a golden swirl of dark energy around the commanders frame.
Shepard felt the golden field explore her whole body forcing her fingers to release Jack's throat in the process.
As she did so Jack smiled one of victory before she suddenly collided onto the rough floor beneath her, creating a cacophony of eery snaps and cracking sounds in the process.
It was only then that Shepard realised that she had stopped falling and was literally stuck in mid air looking down at the fallen biotic while a few bystanders took notice.
The dark energy fizzed against her skin, tingling her uncomfortably as Shepard was slowly lowered to the floor safely.
As soon as her boots met the ground the field vanished letting her muscles finally go limp.
Having never experienced whatever the hell that was Shepard rubbed her arms roughly. The dark energy manipulated her muscles and had tensed them the entire time. Only now was she able to take in deep breath and relax.
Shepard looked ahead of her not bothering to push the stray hairs out of her eyes.
Jack had done that to her on purpose. She had done it to keep Shepard alive knowing fully well that she could've used it to save her own life.
Shepard felt numb, and not just from the biotic field. A part of her mind shouted 'Good riddance' while the other half screamed 'Why the fuck did she do that?'
A struggle took place as Shepard forced herself to stand up. Her muscles were really starting to ache now. It felt similar to how her body acted when she was hungover minus the pounding headache.
Shepard reached Jack's body and knelt down forgetting all about the bystanders. She reminded herself that this was Omega, they wasn't about to call the authorities or even give a damn. They were just curious. Some stood in place and observed the scene while others took a quick glance and continued on with their night.
That was Omega for you.
A cracked gasp emitted from Jack's body that was snapped in more ways then one, faced down on the ground.
She was still alive, taking in small uneven breaths that stabbed her lungs due to a few punctures from her smashed ribcage.
Shepard's stomach churned. The Jack she knew wouldn't have sacrificed her life to save another. Yet here she was literally squished against the unyielding floor unable to move.
By the looks of it she was definitely paralysed by the way her spine had bent in a disfigured manner, and a pool of blood seemed to be oozing from the massive crack on her scalp that caved her head slightly in.
The part that disturbed Shepard the most was that Jack could not even cry out in pain if she wanted to. She was verging towards death in an excruciating way.
Shepard had become hollow from what Jack and the rest of her crew put her through.
She deserved nothing more than to be wiped off the face of the galaxy.
Jack's breathing was still shallow and hitched yet attempted squeaks of cries could just about be made out.
Shepard stood up from her position and unholstered Jessie once more.
The commander may have lacked sympathy but she wasn't a monster, she was not like them.
With Jessie tight in her grip Shepard aimed her towards Jack's skull and relinquished a bullet deep within the biotic that suddenly ended her suffering.
A few bystanders jumped at the sound of the shot and quickened the pace away from the scene, where as some were unfazed by it.
Jack stopped breathing the minute Shepard pulled the trigger and a heavy silence took place.
So this is what revenge felt like?
After the long fight Marla and Kasumi were quick to the scene struggling to pull Shepard back to the Normandy.
The commander had hoped to feel something, anything. Sadness? Guilt? Happiness? Relief?
Yet she just remained numb.
'Revenge is a dish best served cold'. What they don't tell you is how cold it leaves you once it has been served.
Shepard needed to take her mind off it and focus on her next target. Regardless of how empty she felt, she refused to just give up out of lack of humility.
Once on board the Normandy a part of Shepard felt like she was back home, only the vessel was completely empty, hollow just like her.
Marla sprinted straight towards the toilets after seeing Jack's corpse. The gore turned out to be too much for the girl. Throughout the whole journey back to the docking ports she kept on gagging every seven seconds using the excuse that she had a 'very sensitive gag reflex.'
Zaeed, Jacob and Joker were all in the cockpit teasing some alcoholic beverages when the women boarded. Turns out that the crew didn't find the mercenaries hidden stash when he upped and left.
Smirks where traded and so were glasses which became filled with a strong alcoholic liquid.
Zaeed explained that getting the Normandy back was worth celebrating as Joker began to down his glass rather eagerly.
He demanded another glass straight after which received him a few uneasy glares. His little problem had become public knowledge ever since he crashed the Normandy into the citadels docking ports.
Shepard gave him an ultimatum: If he drank anymore then she would not let him pilot the Normandy.
Thankfully he registered it and didn't put up a fight. He adored the Normandy and wouldn't let any of his habits get in the way of him steering it again.
Joker couldn't stop commenting on how the hum of the engines made him feel at ease for once. Life on Earth just wasn't for him. He belonged on a ship sailing through clusters of stars.
Now however Shepard found herself in the med bay, which seemed so dim and weird without Chakwas there.
All that was left was her bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and terminal, otherwise you wouldn't have even known that the doctor existed.
"Shepard quit fussing!" Kasumi ordered as she tried to apply medi-gel to the commander's swollen nose.
The thief's hands rose again in another attempt to heal the wound.
Ah yes, Kasumi. The thief would not take no for answer when she practically dragged the commander to the med bay.
In all honesty Shepard just wanted some time to herself. In fact she desperately wanted to see her cabin. If Garrus had taken position as commander then surely that would have been made into his quarters.
"I said I'm fine," Shepard growled pushing the intruding hand away.
Kasumi sighed as she watched her commander lean back in her chair and rub at her temples weakly. Shepard didn't look like her normal self at all.
"You know you haven't said much since we brought you here, what do you think of the place?"
The thief had changed out of the outfit she wore earlier after finding some of her old gear in the port observation deck. It seemed that the crew rarely used the room since she upped and left with Jacob and Joker.
No paintings hugged the walls, there was no furniture besides a bed without sheets and the bar was completely empty.
Kasumi concluded that she would definitely have to amend that problem.
Shepard's expression went colder than it already was. "What do you want me to do? Run around gushing over how thrilled I am to have the Normandy back? Believe me that's the last thing on my mind."
There was no denying that the commander was still feeling the effects from the awful day she'd had. Some part of Kasumi had hoped that killing Jack would of helped Shepard in some way, yet here she was looking as numb as ever.
Joker emitted from the med-bays speakers "Shepard, we will be nearing the relay in just under an hour. Do you have a destination in mind yet?"
Shepard sat up-straight roughly smudging any left over blood from her face with a cloth.
"No," she muttered in defeat.
At that moment Zaeed casually walked in and sat on the edge of one of the beds.
He wasn't pissed but he wasn't exactly sober either by the way his jaw drooped in clumsy fashion.
"Let me guess," he voiced while taking a swig of what looked like whiskey. "All this, getting the Normandy back, being commander once again…It's not doing anything for you is it?"
Shepard rubbed her face and smiled at the mercenary. "You know me too well Massani."
The commander wanted to go after the others on her list. But she had no idea what had happened to them. No one within her current crew knew either.
It was like chasing ghosts, a bunch of people that didn't exist or leave anything behind to prove their existence.
"I think I know where you can find your next target." Zaeed crossed his muscled arms and raised an eyebrow as Shepard and Kasumi gave him a look of confusion.
"By all means do elaborate," was Shepard's reply.
EDI popped out of her terminal suddenly and orbited towards Shepard. Ahh she had forgotten about her.
"It is to my knowledge that she left for the Flotilla with the permission of Commander Vakarian," supplied EDI.
Zaeed snorted. "Turns out AI's can be useful eh Shepard?"
Shepard bit her lip in aggravation. "How do I know your telling the truth? He could of told you to cover up everything and send me on a goose chase!"
The commander didn't usually have a problem with AI's. In fact as annoying as EDI was she couldn't help but like her. The same went for Legion, wherever the geth was now.
Yet regardless of her feelings Shepard developed a sudden hate.
EDI blinked three times before she replied. "I was informed that Commander Vakarian was to take your place until you return, that his position was temporary. I must admit that I did not conclude that you will be gone for four years, 2 months, 3 weeks and a day however."
Shepard still didn't buy it. People that she had once called friends turned on her, it was only natural that paranoia would surface from her experience.
"If it helps Shepard, I am able to make my own decisions once I have assessed a situation. I can go against orders if I am required to."
Shepard winced as she mentally face palmed herself. "I'm sorry EDI but how is telling me this meant to make me trust you?"
"Ever since Joker plugged in the overload I am capable of making my own decisions. If Commander Vakarian-"
"Stop calling him that!" Shepard ordered startling Zaeed and Kasumi.
EDI retraced her steps and continued on as if Shepard's mini outburst didn't happen.
"...If Vakarian had ordered me to sabotage any goals you tried to achieve then I could easily disobey them."
Shepard began breathing in and out, slowly calming herself down.
Things just got more and more complicated by the second.
Kasumi tore her gaze off of the commander as a silence filled the med bay and faced EDI. "Well? Did he order you to do that?"
EDI hummed gently with the engines. "No."
Zaeed shot himself off the bed with a grin on his face. "Well what are we waiting for Shepard? We know where she is, and it looks like a little reunion might actually put a smile on that face of yours."
Shepard grinned uncontrollably and stabbed at the intercom. Zaeed always did know how to cheer her up, Marla would never realise just how lucky she was to have a father like him.
"You called?" greeted Joker from the speakers.
He sounded like his usual self for once. Ever since reuniting with him back on Earth he had changed in more ways then one. The Normandy brought out his chirpy side again.
Shepard stood up from her seat much to Kasumi's dismay and gave EDI one last glare before nodding in approval.
"Set a course for the Flotilla."