Author's Note:
Apologies for the late posting, real life inserted itself into the creative process. GAH!
Thank you to those who are following this story and especially to those who have left reviews. Your feedback spirals within rising crests of inspiration and motivation.
Chapter 5
"The Alliance must be fucking desperate if they allowed you in here."
Miranda turned sharply, giving a callous assessment to the individual who just waltzed into the medical lab. "Jack," she said sardonically, "nice to see you, too."
The mobile lab was a rectangular shaped one-room building sparsely furnished with three long tables housing various medical equipment, a work bench with electronic tools, and industrial shelving lining the walls that was being used for medical storage. The entrance was located on the longer north wall near the corner where it met the shorter east wall. A cot had also been arranged in the room along with a table with food—dry rations, energy bars and bottled water. The space was brightly lit by the recessed ceiling fixtures which added to the sterile atmosphere when combined with the plain slate grey walls. The lab wasn't extravagant, but the equipment was state-of-the-art, as promised.
"Bet that hurt to say," snorted the heavily tattooed woman who had grabbed a bottle of water and downed it as though she hadn't drank in days. When she finished, she tossed the empty container in the recycling bin near the food table.
"Not as much as you may think." Miranda stood next to a table lined along the south wall adjacent from the entrance. Although still clad in her slightly tattered black and gold jumpsuit, she had taken the time to clean up and tend to her injuries before commencing work on finding Shepard. Returning her attention to the console in front of her, she stated, "Your childish attempts to 'get under my skin' lost their bite long ago."
Strutting to the middle of the room, Jack leaned back on another table just behind the former Cerberus officer and then defiantly crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Bullshit."
"Save it for someone who cares." The stress of the last eight hours rang through Miranda's sharp, but fatigued voice. "I don't have time for you or this interruption."
"I'm here to help, Cheerleader, so take that pom-pom out of your ass and tell me what's going on?" Jack's lean body was covered head to toe with elaborate tattoos and scarring, remnants from her childhood as a Cerberus test subject, but instead of wearing next to nothing as she had a year ago; now she wore close to nothing. Low rise camouflage tan pants, a skintight white "shirt" resembling not much more than a bikini top and a short hemmed black leather coat lined with metal studs. The tight fitting fabric and exposed midriff left little for the imagination. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but the sides of her head remained shaved, a reminder of a time when she chose to shave it all off.
"Help?" Miranda turned her head slightly, catching the younger biotic's form in the corner of her eye. The extra clothing gave Jack's overall appearance a less severe look, but her eyes still held the spark of unbridled rage. "Who asked for your help?"
"Nobody asked me," Jack growled. "I heard Shepard was missing and I heard some ex-Cerberus princess was looking for her. Doesn't take a genius to put two and two together."
Miranda rolled her eyes. "Obviously."
"I gave you that one."
"Just because it's free, I shouldn't take it?"
"I thought that genetically engineered brain of yours was smarter than that."
"Right now I'm focused on finding Shepard!" Miranda made a dismissive gesture with her right hand, then began punching commands into her omni-tool. Although she sympathized with Jack's brutal upbringing and the horrors she had to endure, the former Cerberus officer knew they would never be termed as friends. They were too alike in some ways, too different in others and their individual ties to Cerberus muddied the waters beyond redemption. Nonetheless, Miranda did appreciate the hard-won mutual respect that now existed between them, even if it was bound in hostility. "If you're just here to piss me off, then get the bloody hell out!"
"Relax," said Jack, the normal harshness of her tone uncharacteristically missing. "I'm here for Shepard, too."
A regal, yet soothing voice sounded out from the doorway. "As are we all."
A flash of annoyance rippled through Miranda who hated interruptions, but when she recognized the voice, the feeling dissipated immediately. "Samara?"
The asari Justicar entered the room walking over to a large window on the west wall showcasing the dilapidated state of London. "Hello, Miranda." Her intense blue eyes left the brunette and coolly glanced at the other woman in the room. "Jack."
Tilting her head in an informal greeting, the tattooed biotic said, "Well, if it isn't the Normandy's former super cop."
While Samara's reticent features added to the calm, dignified aura that she naturally projected, the worn, dull marring on her crimson red armor imbued a sense of weariness. Turning her full attention to Jack, she stated, "Your affiliation with the Systems Alliance seems to agree with you."
Jack grinned. "Free room and board, blowing Cerberus and the Reapers to hell. It's been fun."
"And your students, are they well?"
"Yeah, the little shits did good. They were mainly staged in support roles, reinforcing barriers, modding ammo, that kind of thing… but they got their fair share of ass kicking in. Then that red energy wave came through, dropped every one of those fuckers we were fighting." Turning to Miranda, Jack said, "So… what the hell happened?"
The former Cerberus officer shrugged her shoulders. "Nobody knows exactly."
"I bet Shepard does," Jack said wistfully. "She always could find the best fights."
After keying in a few more commands, Miranda turned around and addressed the other women in the room. "Which is why we need to find her."
Samara stood straighter, her hands clasped behind her back. "And how will this goal be accomplished?"
"I've created a tracking program to find her."
A tiny crease on the Justicar's forehead betrayed her puzzlement. "Wouldn't the Normandy be better equipped for such an undertaking?"
Miranda nodded in agreement. "It would if it was here, but it's not. So I'm working with what I've got."
"And what's that?" asked Jack, sarcastically. "A big fucking sign that says 'Shepard get your ass back here'?"
Ignoring the mocking commentary, the ex-Cerberus officer explained the key aspects of her tracking program. "I've used the unique density of Shepard's body, the magnetic resonance of her cybernetics, and the harmonics in her armor's biometric signature to pinpoint a specific signal. Right now the program is able to interface with an omni-tool." Sighing in frustration she added, "There are squads canvassing the city now."
"Shit! That could take days." No longer able to sit still, Jack began to pace through the center of the room.
"I know." With her right hand, Miranda rubbed the back of her neck in an attempt to knead out some of the tension that had built up over the last four hours. "I'm working on a way to adapt it to a comm. buoy."
The tattooed biotic spun around, both hands on her hips and asked accusingly, "How the hell is that going to help?"
"If we set them up along the perimeter of the city," explained Miranda, "then I'll be able to scan large triangulated sections one at a time. I'll be able sweep the whole area in a matter of minutes."
Before Jack could comment, Samara interjected. "How long will it take for you to make the necessary adjustments to the program?"
"Another twenty minutes… give or take."
"Then perhaps we should get started positioning the buoys." Taking long and graceful strides, Samara headed toward the entrance. "You can inform us when you are ready to begin the scans."
"Hold on a minute," said Miranda. "Let me load the program to your omni-tools. You can actively scan for Shepard while you're traveling through the city. You might get lucky." She stepped next to the other two women, activated her omni-tool and copied the program to theirs. "Signal me if you get any hits."
Just as the data transfer completed, another figure entered the room. A much bigger and bulkier figure. "Need help with the heavy lifting? Heh. Heh. Heh."
"Grunt," said Miranda, unsurprised by the new visitor who walked toward the group. She heard he was in the compound and asked Lieutenant-Commander Weiss to send for him. "I'm glad you made it." The statement's double meaning was intended.
Jack turned to the young krogan and looked him up and down. He hadn't changed much in the year since they worked together on the Normandy SR-2; he was still a seven foot tall, one-ton reptilian mass of muscle, hide and piercing blue eyes. Though she thought his hump might have gotten bigger since that time fighting the Collectors. "Damn! The tank bred baby MAKO made it through with only a few scratches." The affectionate tone of her voice took any sting out of her words.
Grunt gazed down at Jack narrowing his eyes as though contemplating how to squish the tattooed biotic. "You've always been small, but you taught me how to blow things up." He grinned broadly, his voice a low rumble. "Exploding the Collectors and now the Reapers into the Void was fun. Heh-ha-ha-ha!"
"Hell yeah!" encouraged Jack. "That's what I like to hear!"
Miranda turned back toward the computer console, hiding the tiny smile on her face. During the time they were solving the mystery of the disappearing human colonists, she thought Shepard was crazy to take these two raw—and at the time undisciplined—squad members into battle together, but it turned out that they played well off of each other. Grunt's pure unrestrained physical prowess and Jack's violent biotic power matched perfectly in their brutality when combined with Shepard's strategic guidance. Little could stand in their combined might's way. And there were remnants from the Collector base still floating around in space to prove it.
Offering her own formal greeting, Samara said, "I am glad to see that you are well, Grunt."
The krogan looked at the asari and then smashed his fists together. "Kept myself busy by crushing the Reaper army one husk at a time. That is, until Shepard took them out."
"Shepard?" Miranda looked up from her work. "Grunt? Do you know what happened?"
"Don't need to know. Shepard hunts Reapers and now the Reapers are dead. "
Samara tilted her head as an almost imperceptible smile curled on her lips. "A simple but nonetheless astute reasoning."
Grunt looked around the room. "Where's everyone else? No way Liara and Garrus would miss this."
Miranda walked over to the medical supplies on the shelves and began looking over the contents. "The Normandy is still in the Dakka System. They crash landed on Pragia."
"Fuck," said Jack, once again leaning back on the table and crossing her arms. "They're in that hell hole?" The Cerberus facility where she had been imprisoned and subject to years of inhuman physical and mental experiments had been located on Pragia. The jungle planet still existed, but with Shepard's help Jack had blown the facility to the four winds. She shook her head as if to clear her thoughts, then repeated, "Fuck."
After finding the case she needed on the bottom shelf, Miranda said, "The damage must not have been too severe because the ship is back in the air and waiting for the all-clear to be given so they can use the relay." She could tell everyone was curious where she'd gotten her information so she added, "The Alliance officer who has been keeping a watchful eye on my progress has also been keeping me up to date on the Normandy."
Jack chuckled. "That's handy."
"I think she was hoping the Normandy would be back by now so she could escort me out of the complex."
"Shit. Someone should have warned her. Shepard's like your favorite pet project. No way you'd leave without finding her first."
Miranda raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "While not entirely accurate, the significance is the same. I'm not deserting Shepard."
"We all share the same sentiment," said Samara as she returned to her parade rest stance with both hands clasped behind her back.
"Fuck yeah," agreed Jack whole-heartedly. "Just try to get rid of me." She walked over to the food table, grabbed an energy bar, ripped open the wrapper and began to eat. "So, how long until the Normandy gets back to Earth?"
"Unknown," said Miranda, tapping in a few more commands into her omni-tool. She had always excelled at multi-tasking. "From what I've heard, they are sending a VI controlled ship through the Sol Relay to verify the relay system is intact."
"That's been done," said Grunt. "The Relays are working. Wrex is headed for Tuchanka now."
"I imagine there are a lot of people who are trying to get back to their home worlds." Samara's tone was soft and reverent. Thessia, the asari home world, the former "crown jewel of the galaxy" had been hit hard by the Reapers and news of its current state was as yet unknown.
"Probably a nightmare trying to coordinate all of those ships back and forth through the relays," said Miranda reflectively, voicing the thoughts streaming through her head.
"How long's Shepard been missing?" asked Jack.
The former Cerberus operative took a deep breath and refocused her attention on adapting the tracking program. "Sixteen hours. A video feed from a soldier's helmet cam showed the exact time of her disappearance just seconds before the red energy was initiated."
"Where are the buoys," asked Samara, getting right down to business.
"Lieutenant Commander Weiss left a crate of them just outside the lab's doors."
"Come on, Grunt," said Jack. "I'll race ya. Let's see who can put the most buoys up."
The krogan grinned and then excitedly smacked his hands together. "Point the way and I'll tear it up."
"Remember," said Miranda absently as the three walked out of the lab, "they have to be in one piece to work."
"…"
"Miranda, the array around the city is now complete. We shall keep this comm-link open and await your instructions."
"Thanks, Samara."
"…"
"…"
"What the fuck? Why isn't anything happening?"
"Jack, I just finished loading the program to the last buoy. Give me a minute to run the scans."
"…"
"Your minute is up, Cheerleader. Damn. It's so dark out here I can barely see five feet in front of me."
"That won't matter. I'll be able to get you within ten meters of Shepard with this program."
"…"
"…"
"Okay, I've scanned a third of the city. Nothing yet."
"You sure this is going to find Shepard?"
"It damn well better, Grunt, because we are out of opt… Hold on. I've got something. One hundred meters north of your current position."
"…"
"…"
"Yes, keep going in that same direction. You're closing in on the signal."
"…"
"We will have to travel the rest of the way on foot. There is too much debris to navigate with a vehicle."
"Samara, there should be a medical kit in the rear compartment."
"Yes, I found it."
"And I got the damn flood lights."
"Reminds me of the Rachni caves. Dark. Can't see in front of you. Creepy crawlies jumping out at you."
"Shut it, Grunt!"
"Oh… Jack is scared of the dark. Heh. Heh. Heh."
"The hell I am! I just-"
"HEY! You two! Cut the chatter! Shepard's position should be ten meters to the east of you."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Well… fuck."
"Goddess."
"This is not going to be as easy as the Rachni."
"What? What is it? What do you see? Do you see Shepard?"
"..."
"Miranda…"
"Samara! Do you see Shepard?"
"Yes, but the commander is going to be difficult to reach."
"Difficult to reach? What does that mean?"
"It means she has half a building on top of her, dumbass. If we move it, the whole damn thing is going to collapse. Grunt, where the fuck are you going?"
"To get Shepard!"
"Shit! Samara, I need your help!"
"What's going on out there? What's Grunt doing? Jack? Samara? Somebody answer me!"
"…"
"Grr….argh…"
"Jack, help Grunt brace the debris with a biotic field. I'll climb down and get Shepard."
"…"
"What's happening? What's going on with Shepard?"
"..."
"Argh…"
"Keep lifting it up, Grunt, I got your back… Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…"
"Jack, what happened? Samara, where's Shepard? What's going on? Answer me!"
"I am almost to her."
"Samara, fucking hurry up! She's fucking bleeding out."
"I. Am. Krogan!"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"What the hell is going on out there? Do you have Shepard? Samara? Jack? Grunt? Would somebody please answer me!"
"…"
"…"
"You're going to be okay, Shepard. I've got you. It's going to be okay."
"…"
"We've got her, Princess. Samara's got her."
"How's Shepard? Is she-"
"She's alive. But shit… she's in bad fucking shape."
"Bad shape? What does that mean? Samara?"
"She is unresponsive and I am unable to ascertain all of her injures, they are too numerous. However, I have encased her in a biotic field to maintain pressure on all of her wounds, this will slow down her bleeding until a medical unit arrives. It is not safe to move her. You will have to send someone to us."
"Lieutenant-Commander Weiss and a medical crew are already on their way."
"..."
"Stay with us, Shepard. Your time has not yet come. This is not a time for farewell."
"Goddamit, Grunt! You ever pull a stupid stunt like that again I'll-"
"Your deeds are not yet done, my friend."
"-hit you so hard with a shockwave that you'll bounce to the Void and back again!"
"Those who care for you are here, Shepard."
"Worked didn't it? Heh. Heh. Heh"
"That's not the fucking point!"
"The medical team will be there in less than two minutes. Keep her alive!"
"You are safe."
"…"