Shepard walked down the stairs as she descended, she saw Jack walking up to her while looking angry.
''You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?''
Shepard watched her closely. ''I'll listen to anything you have to say, Jack.''
Jack walked towards the stairs behind Shepard, sitting down, Jack looked at the floor. ''Your pal, The Illusive man? Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base.'' Jack looked at Shepard. '' They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. What ever chance I had to be normal they stole it by trying to turn me into some super-biotic. The doctors...the other kids...Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer.''
Shepard known that Cerberus was a bad news but this? Shepard angrily asked '' What did they hope to gain by torturing a little girl?''
'' It was something about pain breaking down mental barriers, and how it might clear the way for a more biotic power. I'm sure there was a payoff due at some point, but i wasn't going to see it. I was wired up in a cell.''
Even so Shepard could understand that they way Jack act, she loves her power it make her strong, unbreakable, intimidating. ''You loved the power they gave you.''
''They never give me a choice!'' Jack said angrily back.
To Shepard something just wasn't adding up...''They tortured you just to see if they could make a strong biotic? That's it?'' Shepard asked Jack suspiciously.
''Wasn't in position to ask Shepard. All I know is, a little girl crying in a cell, begging the pain to stop...''
''There were other children in the base?''
''I didn't know much about them I was kept separate. They hatted me just like everyone else there. When I broke out, I had to fight through them all, I showed them , but there's a loose end I need to deal with.''
''How did you get out of there?''
''There was some kind of emergency and I made a break for it. The other kids come out of their cells and attacked me. So did the guards. I just killed everything in my way and ran. Guess my biotic had developed faster than they thought. I managed to get a shuttle of the ground. Drifted until a freighter picked me up. The crew used me, then sold me. That's my uplifting escape story.''
Shepard took a military stance. '' You obsoletely certain that Cerberus was running the facility?''
Jack snorted. ''I was a kind but I wasn't dumb. I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was. They though they were so clever. Turns out, mess with someone's head enough and you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots.''
Shepard was angry, torturing children, experiments on humans? Children? ''I'm going to talk to the Illusive Man, and he'd better have some answers.''
Jack shook her head in negative ''He'll just deny everything. That's not what I am after anyway. I found the coordinates in your files, I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me.'' Jack Angrily walked towards Shepard snarling in her face. ''I want to go to the centre of the place, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes.''
Shepard shook her head. ''Attacking our allies is going to derail our mission. Not a smart move.'' Not at all, even if they deserve it.
Jack narrowed her eyes behind her visor. ''The files say it was shut down after my escape. It's been abandoned for years.'' Jack pointed out. ''They going to care if i blow up a garbage dump?''
Shepard wondered how much of this is truth, and why now of all things? ''You lived with this your whole life. Why do this now?''
Jack just shrugged her shoulders. ''Like i said, i found the coordinates in your files. You can't expect me to just sit on information like that.''
Shepard nodded her head. '' I'll set a course for Pragia.'' As Shepard started to turn around and walk away, she heard Jack softly say.
''I owe you, Shepard.''
Shepard walked towards Med Bay, seeing Chakwas walking out , she called out to her. ''Dr. Chakwas!''
Chakwas turned towards the Commander, ''Commander something I can do for you? ''
Shepard smiled at her. ''Agent Rose need your assistant Doc. IF you could check up on her, I would greatly appreciate it. She is in my quarters. And please keep me inform about her status.''
Chakwas nodded her head. ''Thank you Shepard.''
Shepard watched her go, before turning towards Miranda office.
As she walked in, She saw Miranda at her desk, looking at her consol.
''How is she?'' Miranda asked her, no looking up from her consol. Shepard did not even need to know who she was speaking off. Even She could tell that Miranda care deeply for Bellona, even if she doesn't show it. She just could not understand those two sometimes. They both care about each others, even she could see the tension around those two. As far as Shepard could see Miranda was not someone who back down from a fight. So what was the problem between those two?
''She's doing better, if she managed to run all the way up to my quarters, in her condition. But you already know that.''
Shepard saw Miranda smile. ''True. What can I do for you Shepard?''
Shepard opened her Omni tool, ''There are some files I want to share with you. Bellona showed them to me, she said that Illusive Man send them to her.'' As she showed the files to Miranda she could see her eyes narrow as she read through them.
''May I take a copy of this?'' She asked, not taking her eyes off the text.
Shepard did not think if it was good idea, after all Bellona entrusted this to her. '' I don't think it be such a good idea. Bellona asked me to keep those.'' Miranda smirked as she looked up from her reading.
''What Bellona doesn't know, won't kill her.''
''Do you know about this? Just who is Guardian anyway?'' Shepard asked as Miranda scanned the Shepard Omni tool with her own.
''Guardian is not a who, Shepard but a what.'' Miranda finished downloading files from Shepard Omni tool.
Shepard narrowed her eyes at Miranda. ''So it a thing?''
Miranda took a sit at her table, '' More of a program then that.''
''Program for what?'' Shepard asked, when she read the text all she could see was a request for help, and some numbers that she could not understand.
''That's a good question, and unfortunately I don't have an answer for it. All I am sure of it's a program for some kind of lock. You said that Bellona got this from Illusive Man?'' Miranda asked looking up at Shepard.
Shepard nodded her head. ''That's what she said. She also said that she need to break into Citadel Archive for some reason.'' Shepard crossed her arms as she sat down.
''Shepard, I promise I'll find out more about this, its unusual for Illusive Man to give something to Bellona.'' Miranda whispered softly.
''How so?''
Miranda sighed, ''As you probably already know Bellona doesn't trust Cerberus, and Illusive man she hates. She tried to find out more about him, and almost got herself killed because of it. She think that she was close to the truth behind the name of his, before she got almost assassinated by some rogues. She think it was Illusive man who made a deal with Shadow Broker men to get her stop digging around. After that, she made sure to disobey him as much as she could, until Illusive Men send her to me, and from there we worked together,'' Miranda looked at the photo on her desk of both of them at their ceremony, the picture that she took from the colony. ''After that she worked for me and only me. Any order that was from him to her, I made it look like they were my own.'' Miranda turned back to Shepard. ''So it unlikely for Illusive Man to send something like this to her. He never did before.''
''So why not of all things?''
Miranda shook her head, ''I don't know. But I plan on finding out.''
Shepard nodded her head, as she stood up to leave. '' Good. Keep me updated. Oh and Miranda? ''
''Yes?''
''There is a mission, so I'll need you to come with. It has to do with Cerberus and Jack.'' As she left, she her Miranda's last words before the doors shut.
''Lovely.''
Shepard walked back towards her quarters, as she walked in she saw a funny picture that was happening between Chakwas and Bellona. She could clearly see Chakwas slap Bellona hand each time she tried to scratch herself.
''Ow!'' Bellona yelped out while holding her palm after getting slapped.
''Stop scratching it. You only make it worse.'' Chakwas scolded Bellona, while scanning her with Omni tool. Bellona tried to scratch herself again as she got slapped once more.
''Ow! It itches!''
''Its healing. Don't touch it.''
Bellona rolled her eyes and ignored Chakwas started to scratch her back once more before getting slapped again.
''OW!''
SLAP!
''Will...''
SLAP!
''You''
SLAP!
''Stop''
SLAP!
''THAT!'' Bellona screamed at Chakwas before getting slapped once more.
SLAP!
''OW! What was that for?! I was not even scratching myself!'' Bellona glared at Chakwas, while rubbing her hand.
''A Reminder young lady...Your back is healing nicely, and you scratching it will only make it worse. Unfortunately your muscle on your back was deeply severed, so it will take time for it to heal back, Try not to run around to much or the pain in your lower back will flair once more. If it does, come back to me and ill give you some medicine from the pain.''
Bellona lied down and nodded her head as she listen to Chakwas opinion. Notice Shepard by the door, Bellona blushed.
''Shepard! How long were you there?''
''Not long ago. Thank you Doctor, for checking up on her.''
Chakwas nodded her head, he Omni tool flashes before disappearing, she narrowed her eyes at Bellona , ''No scratching! '' Before leaving the room.
Bellona laughed a little, ''Sorry abut this, and thank you for letting me rest here.''
Shepard moved towards her coach, sitting down, she smiled a little before her features turned hard. ''What do you know of Pragia?''
Bellona eyes widen at the cold look Shepard Send her way. '' Not much I am afraid. Why?''
Shepard narrowed her eyes, slightly relaxing her shoulders. ''How much do you know About Cerberus experiments?''
Bellona features turned hard. '' I never saw them, my field of work was undercover, if you really like to know, you should ask Miranda.'' Bellona kept silent of others experiments that she know off, it was not her place to tell, about them, the last time she did , she got slapped and almost left Cerberus. ''I told you before Shepard, I don't work for Cerberus, I work for Miranda.''
Shepard nodded her head, yes Bellona told her as much. '' There is this facility on Pragia where our mission going to be, It seems that facility was Cerberus and they experimented on kids.''
Bellona kept silent as she listen to Shepard talk about her meeting with Jack and of her past. Bellona know of experiment on Treshar Maw, experiments with AI, and others. But this was a first. She never liked Cerberus, now she Hated it. How could Miranda stand it? How could she work with terrorist that kidnaps girls and boys and experiment on them? This facility she has to see.
Bellona slowly took a deep breath as she asked. '' I'm coming with you. I need to see it wit my own eyes.''
Shepard shook her head. ''No. You are not ready for combat.''
''But!''
Shepard raised her voice. '' No Agent. That's an order!''
''Yes ma'am.''