(13 minutes ago)

More a product of War than Nature, the wind that touched her face carried both the scent of the city and the ash it had become, but more importantly it squalled from the direction of the great beam, the direction along which Shepard had fallen.

Her students' sacrifice.

Miranda's death.

Her own…loss.

Jack needed to burn herself clean of those pains. To follow the wind, get to Shepard, and finish this, she would need to be the fastest she'd ever been, the strongest she'd ever been, and the best she ever would be. Encumbrances could not hide in the hollows of her heart; she had to become what Cerberus had always wanted, a weapon fueled on rage.

Still…her view of the burning beam and the titanic Reapers flanking it could not eclipse the image playing over and over in her mind, the image of a small hand lovingly squeezing both her's and Shepard's.

'Isn't like she'll ever have kids.'

Tears ran anew down her cheeks.

'Ah, sir…er, ma'am, did you…um…did you hear me?', a high, careful voice asked from over her shoulder.

Leaving the tears where they fell, Jack turned to address her companion.

'And that will work?', Jack questioned the slight Salarian in front of her.

'Yes,' he said with a certainty that did not extend to his eyes. 'Once the image is mapped it won't be effected by any additional, umm, modifications to the host. If I knew exactly what you were planning, I could better assi…ma'am, are you o…?'

'You don't sound too goddamned sure of yourself,' she snapped, ignoring his concern.

'Well,' the nervous Salarian stuttered, 'I've never actually done anything like what you're sugg…'

'Then why the fuck are you telling me it will work?!', Jack exploded.

'I-I…read a study once,' the Salarian sheepishly admitted.

'A study?! You are giving me info you gleaned from a fucking textbook!?'

'N-not exactly,' the Salarian raised his hands defensively as if he truly believed Jack was ready to attack. 'It was a field report from one of our more eccentric STG operatives. I believe you knew him…Mordin Solus.'

Instantly Jack's mood changed, and her face calmed.

'Leave the shit and go.'

The Salarian looked as if he misunderstood.

'I…so you…we're all done here then?'

'We are,' Jack snapped and turned her back on him.

A few seconds slipped by, as Jack waited for the Salarian's footsteps to disappear.

Looking at what the young operative had left with her, Subject Zero spoke even though she appeared alone,

'You're not as sneaky as you think you are, Goto.'

Right beside Jack, the air distorted until a small hooded figure in black materialized. Ignoring the obvious jab at her abilities, Kasumi Goto instead answered the question Jack had posed to the Salarian.

'Mordin was right, It will work.'

'You sure?' Jack asked skeptically.

'Absolutely, just be sure to allow the Salarian's device to do its mapping before you activate my cloak.'

Kasumi's statement brought a slight grin to Jack's face.

'Didn't even have to ask you for it; charity from a thief, it must be the end of days.'

'I am not giving my tech to you, Jack, I am giving it to you and Shepard…big difference. And honestly I don't see it as a charitable act as much as it is a business investment. If you two fail, my bottom line is sure to suffer.'

'So that's what you get out of this, Goto? Profit?'

'Lets just say I find myself aiding you and Shepard to protect my…valuables,' the thief's barely visible chin trembled slightly in the deep shadows of her hood.

'I fear,' Kasumi continued, 'that they are all rather irreplaceable.'

Miranda's sightless eyes flashed through her thoughts but was quickly banished.

'That they are,' agreed Jack. 'Now, tell me how to use this thing.'

(8 minutes ago)

'That's why I need one person to come with me,' Jack addressed the gathered sons and daughters of the Normandy.

'Shepard took his soldier in Vega and a machine in EDI. Whether subconsciously or deliberately, he picked the two that would follow his directions…and the two he felt best suited for a suicide run. You could even argue that in EDI, he selected a being incapable of 'death'...well, 'death' in the normal sense.'

'That's not necessarily true,' Tali interjected. 'With the Reapers jamming transmissions, EDI wouldn't be able to link with the Normandy. Her immortality would depend on how much of 'herself' she had placed in her mobile platform.'

'My point is that was Shepard's mistake. Sometimes you don't just risk something you can afford to lose…you must risk something you can't.'

Jack turned and cocked her head at Garrus Vakarian,

'You up for a stroll, Archangel?'

Whether a product of his species or simply a universally brilliant poker face, Garrus did not seemed the least bit surprised by her decision.

'If he's alive, and that's a mighty big 'if', how do you know I won't throw him over my shoulder, bring him back here, and tell you both to go to hell? I don't take orders from you, Jack, and Shepard, if he lives, won't be in any shape to stop me.'

'I don't know,' Jack answered honestly.

'Then why risk it?', the ex-lawman pressed.

'Because when the moment hits, I trust you more than anyone else to see this through,' she said softly.

'Again…'why'?', Garrus's voice lowered as well.

'Two reasons, Vakarain; one, you stood with me and Shepard on the Collector Ship…you know what's at stake, what Shepard is trying to do.'

Garrus snorted,

'Despite the frequent use of the term 'suicide mission' that little soiree made sense. This seems pointless, and I think Shepard knew that…that's why he left us behind. You haven't convinced me, Jack.'

Subject Zero stepped closer to the Turian, and for the briefest of spans, her features softened,

'I'm not done, Vakarian.'

'Fine,' Garrus snapped, 'what's your other reason for trusting me to dance to your tune?'

'You love Shepard just as much as I do.'

This time Garrus's mandibles twitched, his emotionless mask collapsed, and the soldier stood before his comrades defenseless. For several beats, the Turian simply stared at Jack, measuring a woman he had known both 'in' battle and out. Finally, he gifted her with a nearly imperceptible nod, the largest showing of respect he had ever publicly given the ex-con.

Grabbing his sniper rifle, he moved to the bulwark leading to the battlefield and shouted without turning.

'Well, quit wasting my time then. I always wanted to see London.'

Jack allowed herself a slight grin, before turning to the rest of the gathered group.

For several seconds she simply stared at the gathered heroes; finally, she spoke, her voice a strange mixture of plea and politic,

'Don't even think about it. I know you assholes. When the shit starts slinging sideways, you'll want to jump in face first.'

Subject Zero's eyes hardened,

'Don't. For this to go right, we all have to stick to the plan, and you all need to play your parts…back here. If we fail, it will be up to you.'

Several of the group moved to argue, but as had been stated and restated, Time was an enemy even greater than the Reapers, so no contradicting voices sounded.

Jack's gaze travelled over the bulk of the group toward the shadows in the rear. There her eyes picked out those of Liara T'Soni's and together the two shared their last moment. The human's face told many things but the loudest and surest of those tales rested on one absolute…

'Tell our story'

Liara nodded, and another tear slipped down her cheek.

Spinning on the heel of her combat boot, Jack joined Garrus at the bulwark and without further pomp or circumstance, she leapt over.