The upgrades went smooth. Using money funded by Cerberus and savings that Shepard still had from swiping any credits he could during Saren's hunt, they managed to aquire new guns for the Battery - Thanix Cannon that Garrus liberated from hands of his friends on Palaven. Max ordered additional plating to Normandy's hull armor. An asari design that should greatly enchance durability. Tali pulled schematics of Cyclonic Bariers. All three expensive and worth every credit. With a crew and operatives all working around the clock, specially Max being madman with welder, working on the armor, they finished all upgrades in less than two days. After that Shepard ordered rolling out and set course on Pragia. As Jack wanted.
/.../
Jack went to the Armory. Maybe the crazy guy there would take her mind of things.
Jester as always was busy tinkering with something. Jack walked over and saw it was an armor. Black and red, looked like damn clown's or...When she realized what it was she laughed. This guy was bat-shit crazy.
"I take it you like it huh?" Jester looked at her. "A true Jester must have his uniform!" he roared making Jack laugh
Similar to current one, plates and elastic fibers, only now upgraded, sturdier and colored like harlequinn's outfit with white toothy smile painted on the chest. Death by laugh. Literally.
"Yeah, looks good for a dumbass like you" Jack smirked.
"A Fool, Jack"
"Huh?"
"Other name for Jester is Fool. He's fooling himself to entertain some douchebags. But when I start to juggle with my toys, heads roll..." Jester flashed a crazy smile.
"Whatever, you're still a dumbass." Jack laughed. "Got something new? I'm bored."
"You bet. Got your new armor. Straight from asari homeland." Jester pulled out a big box from a stack in the corner. "Let's see, label says: Serrice Council approved for kick ass biotics with tattoos...Yup definietly made for you" Max opened it and put whole set of jet black parts with blue accents on worktable. "Try it on"
As Jack was buckling up, Max finished fiddling with his own armor. As she was done he looked at her critically like a fasion designer. "Feels good?"
"Yeah it fits right."
"Good, take it off and let's change this 'blank asari hoe' to 'Jack's kickass' "
Jack flashed teeth at him. Guy was crazy, but he better don't try to get to her by his weird pickup lines.
"Lemme add some flavour to it" Jester took the painting gun and quickly free handed a menacing silhoutte of skull written inside omega letter, all in blood red color right on chest plate.
"Fuck yeah, that's badass" Jack smiled.
"It's not only sexy but will withstand any of yours biotics. Should let you recharge faster a bit."
"Nice."
"Yup. Also made neat little bomb that will level whole facility to the ground and anything in 20 click radius. Even made a fancy detonator for your pleasure." Jester pointed at little cylinder with big red button on top. "You'll get it when loading up. Now go scare somebody or something, I'm busy..."
/.../
Shepard decided to go with Jack alone but Tali ran from engineering to the shuttle bay and scolded him for lack of common sense. She insisted on going along. Jack only shrugged so John surrendered.
/.../
Kelly went into Kasumi's lounge for a little talk. She could use some kin spirit to gossip about morning incident.
"Hey Kasumi" Kelly seated across little thief.
"Hey Kells. 'Sup?"
"So what do you think about morning show?" Kelly asked bluntly trying not to giggle.
"You mean Max?" Kasumi tried to keep her usual tease.
"Yup, quite a view it was" Kelly mused recalling. Kasumi went back to her date and supressed a giggle. If she only knew...
"Think he's, you know...available?" Kelly slightly blushed. "Maybe not a Commander Shepard but still a handsome Shepard he is..."
"He's Commader too Red" Kasumi grinned. Being stone cold inside.
"How would you know?"
"Heard few talks between them. They keep it tight I admit. Lot of brotherly bromance" Kasumi giggled as she saw Kelly's reaction. Priceless sight.
"Maybe I could talk him out for a little shore leave somwhere?" Kelly was fully in her flirting mode. "I already had a nice chat with him, maybe he would open up a bit more..."
"Tell me Kells, you like bad boys right?"
"Not just plain bad, but those who know what they want, sometimes are jerks but sometimes sweet...Alpha's top to bottom..."
"And prancing Jester is serious all-alpha?"
"Oh it just makes him sweet...I'm sure he can be rough"
"Well then go for it girl, no harm in trying" Kasumi smiled mischieviously. Either Kelly will get a lesson for flirting with everything on board and being nosy...Or Max will regret using her trust. Win win.
/.../
Kelly fixed her hair and entered the armory with her best flirtatious smile. Max was working and music was blaring.
"Max?" She cleared her throat and repeated. He turned around.
"Do you have minute to talk?"
He only nodded.
"I was hoping for another chat with you."
/.../
30 minutes later Jester was still applying some changes to his new armor when suddenly something broke him from his zone.
"Hello 'Sumi" He only said smiling.
"Okay, how this time you knew I'm here" sweet chirp made him turn around.
"I can't tell you all my secrets right? Not at once at least." He didn't have the heart to tell poor girl to switch her unique flower perfumes to something more neutral. He liked them though.
A pair of thin arms wrapped around him.
"Kelly just finished ranting on my shoulder. She was gunning for you really hard." Kasumi shooked her head. "She'll be fine tommorow I guess but I kinda wonder what you told her."
"She tried to make me tell exactly what girl I like and all so she could put her moves on me but she shouldn't be doing this with flirting grin and lust in her eyes. Not my style. I have a focus already in your sweet person. So I just stated that I've found a girl I consider great and I'll stick to her no matter what. I'm off the market." Max stated and kissed Kasumi.
She laudly sucked breath and hugged him closer. "You're so unbelievable sometimes Max. I just can't not like you." She stood on her toes and kissed him back.
" 'Sumi?"
"Yeah?"
"Somebody will come in here in a moment" Jester gently shoved girl from him and the same moment Shepard and Jack entered with Tali on their tail.
"So as you can see, those are more potent but heavier, you want fewer of those at once or the old flashbangs were enough?" Max asked unfazed like picking up interrupted conversation while pointing at some device at the table.
"I...think I'll manage with the old ones. Anyway, thanks Max."
Kasumi made a few steps and activated cloak. Then she ran to her place to catch her breath. good thing Max was aware and not getting lost in the moment like her. She tried to scold herself but it felt so good...
"Aw go pout Kelly, Max is mine!"
/.../
Shepard gave a wink to Jester and left quickly. Jack and Tali had some insights though.
"This armor is kickass, I thought I'll burn out but this shit just cools down my amp. And the bomb was awesome!" Jack mumbled storing her guns. She looked happy, realy odd state for her.
"Hey Tals! Mind telling me what the hell happened there? Jack got hit in the head and now she's happy and not murderous?" Jester motioned to quarian who was very careful with storing her gun.
"Well I suppose I can tell you..."
/.../
Walking through abandoned Teltin facility was a constant flashback for Jack. She walked like hypnotized, talking to Shepard about things she experienced there. They even found a few consoles still operational that cleared some detail about Jack and raising her as a Subject Zero. Logs talked about torture and brutal experiments conducting on other children in order to find perfect solution to turn Jack into strongest biotic possible. A culprit for mass production.
When Shepard looked at her he saw little girl. Not a psychotic ex-convict but a girl. Scared, abused and lost.
Reconnectic with the past was cut when they stumbled upon bunch of mercenaries led by a krogan. Their appearence there was explained by a man that was standing in old cell-room that used to hold Jack.
"Who the fuck are you?!" Jack yelled and flared her biotics.
"My name is Aresh. And I know you Subject Zero" man replied looking at Jack without fear, disconnected from surroundings. "We all knew you, they did such horrible things on us...so they can use the best methods on you..."
"Bullshit! I survived 'cause I was the strongest!" Jack yelled at Aresh.
"Why are you here?" Shepard asked the man.
"I came here over a solar year ago...I'll restart this facility...I'll finish their work"
"WHAT?!" Jack lifted Aresh with her biotics and slammed him against the wall.
"They must've had reason for those things! We can't let it go to waste!" Aresh cried.
Jack pulled out her gun and aimed at Aresh. "Jack don't!" Shepard hold her hand. "This guy's crazy, there's no way he'll do anything here, and we're blowing it up anyway." Jack put her gun down hesitating. "You're better than him. Let go of the past, move on."
"Yeah...You're right" Jack took a step back.
"We're nuking this shit sky high, you have two minutes to get outta here" Shepard sad to Aresh. He broke into sprint and ran out through the doors. Jack took few minutes glancing over her old room while Shepard was setting up the bomb trying to remember the directions from Max.
"It's done. We can go when you're ready Jack." Shepard spoke to biotic.
"Yeah, I'm good. No more wallowing." Jack shooked her head and took detonator from Shepard.
They were flying in a shuttle. John carefully watched distance. Once they passed 20 kilometers he nodded to Jack, she stopped playing with detonator and pressed the button. shuttle trembled so hard that Tali unknowingly clinged to Shepard for second.
"Thanks for helping me burn it out. I owe you one Shepard" Jack spoke and smiled.
/.../
"Wow, that's a grim shit you know..." Max nodded when Tali finished her story. "Still I don't think that Jack would be all cuddly for more than an hour. She should find herself someone who would hold her close..."
"Maybe you?" Tali teased giggling at this image.
"Nah, I like sweet crazy not I'll-murder-you-in-your-sleep crazy. Besides I'm off the market." Jester replied and regreted saying the second part.
"Oh really?" Tali was now trying to pull Kasumi on him. She loved gossip too.
"Yeah...Oh look! Logan!" Jester raised his voce and pointed behind her. She immediately stiffened and turned around. Nobody was there.
"I think you're reserved too, huh Tals?" Max used John's nickname for quarian girl.
"N-no?" Tali stuttered.
"Aw come on. You only stutter when my brother is around. Guy's a bloke with head thicker than a bulkhead, but he comes around. I know what's going on here. Go for it!" Jester finished with a laugh and left armory setting course onto Kasumi's lounge.