Chapter 12

Citadel Docking Bay – Presidium – Citadel

"So, what are your plans?" asked Shepard as she eyed the asari woman. They had stayed a short while on the Citadel after Grunt received his regular clothing.

"Are you keeping an eye on me, Spectre?" asked Rana curiously as she eyed the woman.

"Of course I am. Thus far you've appeared in two mad scientist's labs that I've had to blow the doors off of," said the spectre as she glared at the woman.

"Fair enough," said the asari as she raised her hands defensively. "I think I'll be going to Tuchanka. After all, Okeer's work didn't end with his death. He planned for so much more for his people."

"I don't imagine the krogan are going to start letting an asari meddle with their politics," said the woman suspiciously.

"Oh please," said Rana as she waved her hand dismissively. "I'd never try to butt heads with Urdnot Wrex, especially after our encounter on Virmire." She chuckled lightly. "I'm probably going to help out however I can with the female clan. They always need volunteers to watch over the young ones and give the clan maidens a rest."

"Well, at least you're committed to a good cause. Just do me a favor and quit working for power hungry tyrants with a pension for genetics. I'd rather not have to shoot you the next time we meet," growled the woman with a sigh.

Grunt stood behind her wearing his new robes and nodded to her as well. "You were a good teacher."

"Hopefully the rest of the krogan youth agree," said the asari in a friendly tone before bowing her head. "I'm glad we met again, Spectre. And I hope you and Grunt grow together," she finished before finally heading towards a nearby passenger ship.

Medical Bay – SSV Normandy SR2

She leaned back in one of the spinning chairs of the medbay as both Doctor Chakwas and Doctor Solus chatted animatedly at one another, the giant krogan occupying their conversation and the medical table. Shepard eyed the table, wondering if it was about to buckle beneath the goliath mass of Grunt's frame.

"Done bloodwork, cell examination, genetic material, examined down to very core," said Mordin as he reached up and scratched the hornless side of his head. "Incredible work. Best I've ever seen as far as embryology. Extensive writing of genetic coding, inclusion of alien genetic material from other krogan. Impressive."

"How is that possible?" asked Karin as she shook her head. "Without direct conception, the inclusion of fragments of other fully developed krogan seems unimaginable."

"Has happened before. Mostly benign," said the salarian as he waved his arms around. "Celebrities buying genetic code to add into own body or even children. Mostly for vanity. Never seen foreign genetics contribute to overall growth. Must be result of technology acquired from collectors. Even has same birthmark of Shiagur."

"They appear to be more advanced than we realized," said Shepard with a heavy sigh. "Anything else interesting in there?"

"Indeed…" said Karin as she turned and eyed Shepard firmly. "I don't know exactly how to tell you this, Jane. But your DNA was also added to the mix."

The spectre's eyes widened and her jaw dropped for a moment. "Pardon?"

Nodding, Mordin smiled at her before placing a hand on the side of the krogan's head and turning him to face her. She looked directly into his eyes. "Eye color specifically. Very small addition, of course. But good to know technology even works cross species."

"Wait…" said Shepard as she held her hands up. "Are you telling me someone could use collector genetic technology to create cross species hybrids?"

"Indeed. Looking at one now," said Mordin as he released Grunt from his hold.

"Can I go now?" complained the krogan as he groaned at all the prodding he had gone through.

Doctor Chakwas nodded before holding up a sucker for him. He eyed the treat momentarily before taking it, ripping the paper off and heading for the door. "I suppose this means you're the closest thing to a mother he has," said the older woman as she watched him go. "All of his other genetic contributors are dead."

Shepard leaned back in the chair and rubbed her forehead. "What about the genophage?"

"Still fully intact," responded Mordin cheerfully. "Even shows markers of updated genophage strain."

Shepard looked up at him curiously. "Updated strain?"

"Indeed. Krogan biology very adaptive. Similar to humans. Began to develop countermeasure to genophage. Had to counter the countermeasure. Participated myself years ago," said the salarian, any cheer in his voice now gone.

Shepard's surprise was plain on her face. "I don't imagine the krogan would be happy to hear that."

"Outrage was likely outcome. Kept secret from everyone, including Council. Was decided necessary by Turian Primarch and salarian STG. The less who know, the better," he said as he turned and eyed her with his wide gaze. "No doubt wondering why I'm telling you this now."

"Very much so," she said, appalled at how casually he just dropped a potential declaration of war on her shoulders.

"Not a lot of time left in galaxy. Entered my golden years four years ago. Want you to know I trust you with information. Want you to be able to trust me," he said holding his arms together in a familiar fashion to Valern.

She sat up and eyed him coldly. "If you trust me, then tell me. Are there any more plans to update the genophage? Or any other plans to tamper with the krogan?"

"None that I am aware of. Would probably be told. Still asset to STG. But can't say for sure. Will tell you if topic every crosses my desk," he said firmly.

Sighing to herself, she clenched her head as she felt an ache growing inside it. "Thank you." Then she dropped the subject. "Have you made any progress on the collector bioweapon?"

"Reverse engineered. Have created both neurotoxin and countermeasure," he said, his smile returning to his animated face.

She stared at him in surprise. "That was quick. Has it been tested?"

"Only way to truly test is in field against collectors. But have tested samples. They show promise. Bribed sergeant Gardner with scotch whiskey to be test subject. Could barely remember bargain after applying neurotoxin. Took full twenty-hour day to get over effects," he said in amusement. "Still gave him whisky. Was confused as to why, however."

"Please don't use neurotoxins on the crew without consulting me first," she said incredulously. "What the hell did I just have to say?" she asked, getting a jovial chuckle from Karin.

"I made sure Rupert didn't have any lingering side effects. He's made a full recovery and I'm keeping a watch on him," she said, giving the spectre a charming smile.

"Thanks," said Shepard, returning the woman's grin. "If you don't mind, I'm gonna go see what fresh hell I have to go through next. You two try not to nerve gas the entire ship."

XO Quarters – SSV Normandy SR2

"Alright. Give me the rub," said Shepard as she plopped down in the chair across from Miranda's desk.

"I assume you're asking about the next dossier and not soliciting me for sex?" asked the XO as her gaze narrowed at the spectre.

"You're charming Miranda, but I'm married to my work right now," said Shepard as she let out a heavy sigh. "So, what's the situation?"

Miranda picked up the datapad and immediately her entire tone muted. Her sass, her cold demeanor, her stony expression, all of it vanished as she gazed nervously down at the datapad. "May I ask a question?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Yes?"

"Do you trust me, Shepard?" asked Miranda curiously.

Her brows shot up in shock. "That's pretty sudden. Where is this coming from?"

Miranda let out a sigh of her own as she brushed her raven hair out of her face. "I know we've had our clashes about you bringing random crew members onboard. I haven't exactly put my trust in you to run things the way you see fit. So, I suppose I'm asking that we start over."

Shepard sat her chin in her hand. "I'm fine with that. But you're very practical, Miranda. You wouldn't be making this offer unless you were worried about something."

The XO glared at Shepard for reading her like a book. "It's frustrating working with someone as intelligent as yourself, sometimes," she commented in annoyance.

Shepard smirked lightly. "Let's hear it."

Miranda laid the datapad face down on the desk. "You run things on this ship, not the Illusive Man. I understand that now, and I respect it even. But now I've come into conflict with myself. The Illusive Man is making a recommendation that I myself would not allow on this ship, or any ship that I'm staying on."

"You think they're that dangerous?" asked Shepard curiously.

"Yes…" she started, then her eyes looked down as she considered not elaborating further.

"We just started trusting each other, Miranda. Don't hold out on me now," ordered the spectre.

"Right…" said Lawson before she placed her hands on the desk and stared directly into Shepard's eyes. "She is a biotic that goes by Jack, but her Cerberus designation is Subject Zero."

Shepard's expression hardened. "Why does she have a Cerberus designation?"

"Because a rogue wing of scientists at Cerberus… kidnapped her as an infant and tried to turn her into a super biotic," started the woman. Immediately Miranda felt her spirit shrinking in front of the fiery wall of anger that she felt emanating from the spectre.

"Continue. If we're going to trust each other, then I don't want anything left out," commanded the woman.

With her hands clenched, she just let it out. "A rogue wing of the Cerberus R&D department thought they could get into the Illusive Man's good graces by going behind his back and trying to make a superhuman biotic. They predicted they could give a human the same potential as an asari matriarch if they applied the correct training from birth instead of waiting until adulthood."

Shepard's glare never left her face as she listened sharply. "Were they successful?"

"In a manner of speaking. She is powerful. More powerful than any human on record so far. But we never got to see her full power on display. Once the Illusive Man found out what they were doing, he sent a squad to shut the facility down," she said apprehensively. "But the squad he sent never returned. A second recon team found the entire facility covered in bodies of children, guards, and the recon team."

Shepard winced lightly at the claim. "Was it all her?"

"We believe so. Anyone and everyone in that facility was annihilated without mercy. Then she used the shuttle that the first team arrived on and fled," said Miranda as she finally looked to Shepard again. "So, you must understand. If you ask her to fight with us, she isn't going to assume there's a difference between the people who tortured her as a child and us."

"Is there a difference?" asked Shepard coldly, getting a heated glare from the XO.

"Of course there is," snapped Miranda as she clenched her fists.

"Here's the thing," said Shepard as she sat up in the chair and grabbed the datapad. Looking down at the young woman in the photo, her gaze hardened again. "You have full reign to question my authority, but not act against it."

"What's to stop her from killing you the instant she smells Cerberus?" asked Miranda, almost angrily.

"Me," said the spectre firmly. "If she's a threat to me or my crew she won't last long here no matter how strong her biotics are. And I think you know that."

Miranda's brows furrowed as she saw the lecture incoming. "That shouldn't be a risk you're willing to take on such an important mission."

"The thing is Miranda, I don't think you're worried about safety. After all, you've grown comfortable around a mercenary responsible for more ships exploding than anyone else on record, a krogan genetic juggernaut, and Garrus who notoriously hates criminal organizations. So, if safety was your thing, this Subject Zero would be the least of your worries," said the spectre as she leaned back in her chair.

Miranda sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "And what then would be my motivation for not wanting a powerful human biotic like her on the team if not for safety concerns?" she asked sourly.

Shepard stared at her for a long moment before finally answering. "I think you don't want to see what Cerberus is capable of doing to humans."

Bewildered by the accusation, all the XO could respond with was, "What!?"

"None of the other crewmates have an association with Cerberus like she does," said Shepard as she leaned forward onto Miranda's desk and stared her down. "Despite your best efforts to convince people otherwise, Miranda Lawson, you aren't the cold, uncaring, ice queen you want people to believe you are. I know you're empathetic as well."

"Oh really?" asked the woman in annoyance.

"Yeah. And I think having Jack around means you're going to have to see what Cerberus does to people. What it's always allowed to happen to people," said Shepard as she shrugged. "Look, I'm not a psychologist or a therapist, Miranda. But your caution here makes little sense beyond the initial meeting. She's human just like me and you, and if she doesn't want to work with us, then she doesn't have to. But I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to have someone like her on the team."

Miranda slid the fingers of both hands into her hair before gripping it tightly in anger. "As you wish, Shepard," she said sitting up and returning to her stony expression.

The spectre glared at her briefly. "Don't even try it, Lawson. I've already broken through the ice once, and I'll do it again."

"Look Shepard, not for nothing but you and I aren't going to agree on this. So, if you don't have anything else to add then I'd really like to get back to my work," said the woman sharply.

Shepard smirked at her and nodded gently. "As you wish." She then stood and left the office.

Miranda watched her go. As soon as the door slid shut, she slammed both her fists on the desk. "Fuck!" she shouted angrily as she stared down wildly at her throbbing hands. "First the Illusive Man and now her! Will nobody in this goddamn galaxy take me seriously!?" she seethed as she leaned her head into her hands. "I need some rest…" she said before getting up and heading off to the back where her bed lie.

Captain's Quarters – SSV Normandy SR2

She reached up and rubbed her neck gently to assuage some of the soreness that had built up over the last mission. She eyed the datapad Miranda had given her curiously, noting that Cerberus had literally bought the young woman's freedom from a space prison run in the Terminus Systems. All she had to do was go and pick her up.

"What are the odds that I get out of that one without blowing it up?" she asked as she set the datapad aside and stared up at the ceiling. She felt tiredness inside her similar to when she had been having nightmares that the beacon had implanted into her brain. It was then that she realized she hadn't been having them anymore, regardless of Liara not being around. "Be thankful for small mercies."

Then her thoughts shifted to the asari. She leaned forward onto the desk and looked over at the picture next to the terminal she sat at. It was a picture of her old crew. Garrus, his face unmarred stood behind Shepard and Tali while Wrex stood stoically behind Kaidan and Ash. And Liara stood next to Shepard, a giant grin on her gorgeous face. Shepard smiled as she saw the picture, then let out a heavy sigh. She hadn't thought about them in a while. Ash was out doing work for Anderson and Udina, Wrex was wrestling control of the krogan clans from the warlords on Tuchanka, Tali was doing work for the Migrant Fleet beyond the Perseus Veil, and Liara. Liara was an information broker. Seemingly the only one that could have time to spare for her and she still hadn't contacted her. She began wondering if she had an excuse, or if she was avoiding it because of the long period of her death.

Groaning to herself, she rubbed her face and sat up. "I need to call her when I get back. We have a lot to catch up on…" she said to nobody in particular.

"I will add this to your itinerary, Shepard," came EDI's voice from the door.

"I've got it, EDI. Thanks," she said as her glare hardened. "Speaking of calls," she said as she opened her terminal and sent a call out immediately.

Within moments, Admiral Hackett's face appeared on the screen, his eyes showing as much surprise as he could show. "Spectre? Did you need something?"

"Yes, Admiral, I do. I need you to head to the QEC on your ship so we can have a private conversation," said the woman with a firm stare. Her father eyed her for a moment, but likely knew when she was being serious.

"Alright. I'll be there momentarily," he said before cutting off the call. She was at her own communicator in the ship within moments, and it wasn't much longer before his visage appeared once more standing before her. "What can I help you with, Spectre?"

"I'm calling you first because you're higher rank," said Shepard sternly as she crossed her arms. "Which one of you was suppressing my medical information about the biotic nodes in my nervous system?"

Immediately, the statuesque man as flexible as iron suddenly flinched. "Oh hell…"

"Yeah…" snapped the spectre as she glared at him. "I feel like that's something you should tell your damn daughter."

"Look…" started the man as he looked around, seemingly for a way to escape. "It wasn't our intention to hide anything from you."

"Then why?" she asked impatiently.

"Because we were scared," he responded firmly. Her features softened. "We had heard about biotics, but we didn't know enough about them to commit you to that life."

"I still feel like you could have told me something about it," she said with her arms akimbo.

"I understand what you're saying. But the more we learned about biotics, the less we wanted anything to do with it," he said almost desperately. "We heard the Alliance had created some kind of biotic training compound out at Gagarin Station in order to train children of a young age. But we didn't trust the Alliance with your life. Especially after the extranet suddenly stopped working there," he said sharply before he straightened up again. "And after hearing what happened with that damn turian instructor, I'm glad we didn't put you through that. I never would have forgiven myself if you had gotten hurt."

She softened more, but kept her stare on him. "I get it, you didn't want the Alliance locking me in a cage and prodding me with sticks. But that still doesn't exactly explain why you didn't tell me. I likely wouldn't have had an issue playing ignorant about the whole thing."

"Partially because we didn't want to burden you with something like that at such a young age," he said getting a glare from his daughter. "And partially because we wanted you to have plausible deniability. If you knew you were biotic and hid it from the Alliance, they could charge you with something. But, if they investigated and saw that me and your mother were the ones having the data altered, then we would take the blame instead of you. That was more a problem when you were with the Alliance, but I suppose now that you're a spectre, we don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Something like that," she said with a heavy sigh. "Are there any more surprises about me that I'm not aware of?"

"Well, I don't know if you knew this, but you kinda have a thing for aliens," he said with a stony expression that caused her to both glare and smile at the same time.

"Very funny, Admiral," she jabbed as she gave him a look he recognized from her mother.

"I understand if you're angry with us for not telling you. We had talked plenty about telling you as you got older. But every time we did you got a new promotion that could have potentially been throttled if we let the information slip. And then…" he said with a shrug. "Out of nowhere you get inducted as the first human spectre. After that it seemed like the information couldn't hurt you anymore. But at the same time, you had other things going on at the time."

"Alright," she said waving the explanation away. "I get it. I wouldn't trust the Alliance with my child either."

The older man cocked an eyebrow at her. "Your child? Are you trying to tell me something, Jane?"

She gave him the stink eye before suddenly she stiffened. Something began nagging at the back of her mind. Ignoring her father for a moment, she stared at the ground as she felt a voice emerging in her head. "Jane, do you think now is a good time to have children?" What followed was a mess of static as if she were experiencing visions from the beacon once again. But she didn't recall any of it. "All women- responsibility- we do-" Between each word was broken static just like her visions of the Conduit and the prothean key.

"What the hell?" she asked as the vision finally cleared. "I'm even starting to think like a damn prothean now…" Despite the sudden interruption, she felt elated. She didn't exactly know why as the vision was broken like it had been before. But these blockages were likely caused by her death instead of faulty prothean equipment.

"Everything alright, Jane?" he asked curiously, having watched the entire display.

"Yeah, I'm fine. As far as I'm aware, no. I'm not… a… parent…" she started before slowing down and stopping.

"Jane…" growled the man as he gave her a glare in return.

"Look, it wasn't my choice. Some madman krogan scientist used my DNA in the making of a krogan super soldier. So, I'm kinda like his mother," she said with a shrug. The man simply reached up and began rubbing his temples tiredly.

"I'm fine with you adopting a krogan, all things considered. But do me a favor and try not to bring them to Christmas dinner. I don't know if we'll have enough food to feed a rampaging krogan warlord," he responded only half joking. "If there's anything you need from me or your mother to help with your… er… new abilities I guess, then please let us know."

"You'll be the first to know," she said as she ran a hand through her blazing long hair.

Purgatory Intergalactic Isolation Prison – Osun System – Hourglass Nebula

The doors to the station opened and out walked Shepard, Grunt, and Garrus fully armed and armored. Miranda followed along behind for logistics in making sure the transaction went through. Shepard wore her Sentinel armor once more. While she surmised that stealth might be a good option if things went south, she also knew that her invisibility would be next to useless in the cramped hallways of the prison barge they were currently on. So, she instead opted for the armored defense.

She doubted anything was going to happen, especially with a massive heavily armored krogan at her back wielding a brand new Claymore shotgun. But she didn't like to take chances with bloodthirsty thugs like this Warden Kuril. As the group stepped up to the entrance, she hit her comm and signaled the Normandy. "Alright Joker, we're in. Go ahead and meet us at the loading dock for pickup. We'll be there once we cross our Ts and dot our lowercase Js," she said as she approached the pair of guards at the front. Both had rifles that looked like they had seen use.

One of them signaled for her squad to stop. "Welcome to Purgatory Prison Facility, spectre. Your package is being prepped as we speak. We just need your signature and the liaison's signature on the release form, and you'll be good to go."

"That package is a person," she growled at him. "Whatever. The faster I get out of here, the better," she responded as she went to take a step forward again, but the turian man stopped her.

"Apologies spectre, but this is a high security vessel. I'll need you to relinquish your weapons," he stated casually as he signaled the other guard to collect them. The second man was clearly nervous as he stepped up to the squad, his eyes never leaving Grunt.

"We're not relinquishing our weapons. If you try to take them, I'll be relinquishing a single round right between your eyes," she said threateningly as she placed a hand on her pistol.

"Heh heh heh," chuckled Grunt from behind her.

Both of the men looked at each other nervously before Shepard ignored them and simply walked past the pair. As she approached the front door, it slid open and a tall turian in dark red armor stood in her path. Unlike the two cronies, he had no helmet on showing her his familiar face. "Spectre, I'm Warden Kuril and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out, but you must realize this is standard procedure."

"There's nothing standard about this, Warden. You insisted that we come aboard your ship to sign the documentation instead of sending it to us electronically," she said as she stood up to him. If the man was intimidated, he didn't show it at all. "Let me make something blatantly clear here. My time is valuable, and I don't intend to waste it here. You have someone I need, and I don't care if I have to walk over your corpse to get her."

She could hear Grunt rolling his newly armored shoulders behind her. The two men behind them looked at each other nervously. Finally, he snorted out of his nose. "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle three armed guests should they try anything." Almost in relief, the two guards lowered their weapons and went back to their posts. Kuril simply waved for her to follow and began walking down the corridor. Sighing to herself, she followed after him. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo. Once we have your signatures, we'll release her into your custody."

She said nothing as she continued through the hallways, her eyes catching as two inmates began to fight on the deck below. As soon as the men made contact with one another, a tower activated nearby and the two inmates flew away as if by magic. "Electromagnetic collars," remarked the woman as she saw one of the men tumble across the floor.

"A necessary element of any prison, but especially ours. We don't have your typical pickpockets and vandals locked up here. Every homeworld sends us their worst in order to keep them away from the public," said Kuril as he led them through the halls of the ship.

"Out of sight, out of mind as humans say," remarked Garrus as he shook his head.

"An apt sentiment," said the warden as he stopped and entered a number into a keypad door. "It takes a lot to keep these bloodthirsty animals in line. That comes with a cost."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "You're trafficking is what you're doing."

Kuril stopped and eyed her sternly. "Spectre, you don't have to like my methods. But you can't argue with my results."

"Warden, there are three types of people who, if given the choice, I'd bury in a hole for the rest of their lives. One of those is prison profiteers. I don't like you, and I don't trust you, so save me the morality garbage and let's get this done before I lose my temper," she snapped as she walked past a cell with a guard mercilessly beating one of the inmates.

"As you wish, Spectre," said the warden in a cool tone as he approached another hallway. He stopped and waved his hand down the hall. "You'll find the paperwork through that door. Once it's signed, the guard inside will escort you to the docks for pickup." Shepard walked past him without acknowledging him, getting one last line. "It's been a pleasure, Shepard."

As she entered the doorway she looked around curiously. Her XO almost immediately noticed the same thing she had. "Didn't he say there would be a guard in here?" asked Miranda curiously.

"Shepard," said Garrus as he pointed up towards the ceiling. "This looks exactly like the cell blocks we passed to get here."

Immediately, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Reaching down, she activated her omni-tool and broke into the console of the door. It took minimal effort given the prison used to be an animal ark, and the warden was obviously too cheap to upgrade anything. "Let's find the paperwork," she said cautiously before signaling them on a private line. "Something isn't right here. Pretend you're looking around for the paperwork."

They did as they were bid, and as she predicted, seconds after they all entered the room, the door sealed behind them. Shepard turned towards the door in surprise before she mimicked trying to open it via the console. "What the hell is going on!?" asked Miranda worriedly as she approached the door.

Shepard looked to her and noted she didn't have much worry in her eyes, despite her tone. "The door just sealed! We can't get out!" she snapped as she continued to type away at the console.

"Ah, Shepard. I'm afraid you were right not to trust me," came the warden's voice over the loudspeakers. They all looked around curiously.

"What the hell are you talking about, Warden?" asked Shepard as she stopped worrying about the console.

"I'm not a very trustworthy person. When an opportunity presents itself, I can't help but take it. And you are one hell of an opportunity," he purred over the speakers. "See, what Cerberus, the Alliance, and even you weren't aware of is that the collector bounty on your body is still active. They're paying me to capture you, and in return, they'll be giving me enough godlike weapons tech to annihilate the Citadel Fleet should I please."

"So…" started Shepard as she crossed her armored arms. "Was this your plan from the beginning? Did you hunt down Jack just so you could lure me here?"

"Of course not. It was just happenstance that she fell into our lap right as Cerberus was looking for her. Call it destiny," said the man in amusement.

"Sorry Warden, I don't really believe in destiny," she said before dropping all pretenses. Reaching up, she activated her communicator. "Joker, alert the rest of the crew and get them onto the prison armed and armored. If any ships try and leave, turn them into photons."

"Understood, Spectre," came his response .

"Warden, you've just made the worst mistake of your life," she growled before swiping the console with her omni-tool. The door immediately slid open, and she grabbed her heavy battle rifle off her back. "Now sit tight, I'm coming to you," she said before sprinting through the door with her group behind her.

Immediately, any casualness in his voice vanished as he barked orders over the intercom. "Shepard has broken out of Block 30! All forces immediately subdue her!" he snapped angrily.

Two guards immediately sprinted down the hall towards them but skidded to a halt as Grunt plodded forward. They began to back up immediately as they stared up at him. "Heh heh heh, that's the reaction I'm looking for," he grumbled before letting out an earth-shaking battle cry. The guards sprinted back the way they came, and Grunt followed them.

Garrus stepped up to Shepard who just shook her head. "Is he even going to need any help?"

"He's getting it regardless. Let's go," she ordered as she too began to jog down the long corridor. She flinched as she saw one of the prison doors cave inwards as Grunt smashed headfirst into the guards that were trying to open it.

Within seconds the krogan was inside the next block of cells. Shepard entered large chamber and looked around at all the faces of the worst people in the galaxy. "Any of you move to attack us and my krogan friend here will eat you whole!" she snapped as they all simply stared down at the intrusion. "Let's get out of here before they get any funny ideas."

Using the electronic approach this time, the door slid open and they left the pair of guards crippled on the ground in the middle of the cell block. Almost immediately more guards flooded into the tube-like hallway, and almost immediately they began running back. This time they aimed their weapons and fired. But Grunt soaked up most of the gunfire with his own heavy shields and armor. Shepard and Garrus both flanked him on either side and blasted through the flimsy armor the guards used within seconds while Grunt annihilated one with a single blast from his shotgun, sending their legs tumbling down the hall.

"Careful with that shotgun in here, Grunt. Try not to hit the wall and space us," said Garrus as he shot another of the guards through the face shield. Shepard couldn't see his face through his helmet, but she knew he was smiling.

"You got it," he said as he slid the weapon onto the back of his waist and slammed his fists together. Charging forward the titanic figure wrapped his arms around three of the remaining guards before hoisting them into the air and squeezing them so hard that the sound of their spines crumbling was audible.

"How is he more lethal without the gun?" asked Garrus as he looked between Miranda and Shepard. They both shrugged and simply followed in his destructive wake, leading to another cell block. Unfortunately, they had already heard the announcement, and were in the process of rioting.

"Good news, the prisoners have potentially killed the guards. The bad news, they'll probably want to do the same to us," said Shepard as she eyed the mass of violence within the next room.

"Shepard, it's Taylor and Massani. We just boarded the prison ship. Some girl named Kasumi is here too. I'm not sure if she's with us or not…" came Jacob's voice over the comm.

"She's definitely with us. She'll get you through the doors. If you find Warden Kuril, keep him alive for me if you can. If not, oh well. In the meantime, the guards and prisoners are hostiles. Clear an exit for us at the landing zone," she ordered as she finally opened the door. The prisoners immediately turned towards her. "Anyone makes a move on us it'll be the last thing they do," she shouted as she raised her rifle.

One of the braver of the prisoners with tattoos from head to toe smirked. "You think you can scare us with those weapons?"

She sighed to herself and shook her head. "You're right. What was I thinking? Grunt?"

The krogan brushed the group aside and his effect on the prisoners was almost immediate. The mouthy one at the front stumbled back as he saw the goliath stepping towards them. "All aboard the Grunt train!" he shouted before he charged headlong into the fray.

Shepard and Miranda followed him in and launched prisoners across the room with their biotics as they tried to get the jump on them, leaving Garrus holding off the prisoners that they had left behind. The XO lifted a group of five people that tried to leap on her into the air before slamming them into the ground with sickening force. "How the hell did we once again end up in an all out war on a diplomatic mission!?" she shouted in exasperation.

"I feel like people should start getting combat patches once they finally ask that question," said Garrus as he kept the prisoners heads down from the last cell block.

It finally seemed like the inmates had learned their lesson and had all gone back to their cells instead of trying to take down the krogan that was currently carrying around the body of one of their fellows by the arm like he was dragging a doll behind him.

Shepard noticed after the inmates had evacuated that there were some guards left bleeding on the floor. Grabbing one of them by the collar, she pulled him up so that she could glare directly into his terrified eyes. "Where is Subject Zero?"

The batarian man had a leg twisted entirely in the wrong direction as he grabbed Shepard's arm desperately. "S-Subject Zero was immediately sent to the cryo wing. It's block 5 at the end of the main hall!" he cried as he pointed towards the door into the hall in question.

"Good. Let's get going," she ordered before the loudspeakers lit up again.

"Shepard is currently in Block 26! Activate all security measures! DO NOT LET HER LEAVE THIS FACILITY!" came the shout as she shook her head. But almost immediately she became alert as a familiar sound hissed around the block.

"Shepard!" snapped Garrus as he aimed his rifle high.

"She looked up and immediately dove out of the way as a heavy mech dropped from a crane hook on the ceiling, putting a crater in the floor and obliterating the man she had just interrogated. Grunt spun around and shouted in glee as he charged directly for it. Meanwhile, smaller mechs clung to the ceiling and fired down on them with guns.

"That's a hell of a security system!" shouted Miranda as she shoved two men aside in their own cell to get out of the rain of fire. Shepard's shields soaked up the shots that actually hit, leaving her unharmed. Instead, she focused on the big one that was currently wrestling with Grunt.

The krogan had grabbed its arms and in retaliation the automaton had unleashed machine gun fire directly into his torso. But the combination of his shields and armor prevented them from leaving even a dent. Instead, the krogan gripped it around its torso and lifted it from the ground. Every inmate watched in terror as the hulking juggernaut slammed it through the doorway and into the main hall. Just as they both hit the ground, the YMIR fired a stray rocket sending it flying down the hall before shattering one of the unbreakable panes of plasteel glass a block down and showering the inhabitants with deadly shards.

"Spirits I hope Kuril has a warranty on this thing," said Garrus as he and Miranda made it out of the block.

Grunt grabbed one of the mech's arms and wrenched it to the side, causing an audible groan as the fabrication buckled under his immense strength. Finally, he tore the limb clean off before raising it and slamming it over the machine's head, caving it in and causing it to go silent.

Shepard eyed the inmates from the open door as they watched the battle. Once it ended, they all began to cheer madly for the krogan. Shepard groaned to herself as she waved for the others to follow. "Let's find block 5 and get out of this hellhole."

It took only minutes of Grunt scaring the piss out of every guard that tried to halt them before they finally found the block in question. As they approached, it was Miranda who spoke and surprised Shepard. "If you want to free her you'll have to access the controls from the tower. With cryo prisoneers you can't just rip them out of stasis. It could potentially kill them."

"You're surprisingly helpful," said Shepard as she busted into the door to the tower in question next to the block. "Grunt, watch the door. Make sure nobody enters the block."

"I've given you the warning, the consequences are yours. I also know there's no point in stalling. I'd much rather get it over before the life support systems start crashing and we get blasted into space debris," she said firmly as she followed the spectre up the ladder.

Almost as soon as the door at the top of the tower was opened, Shepard's shields began to ping as rounds were fired at her. She rolled her eyes at the pointless effort of the human hiding behind the console. Grabbing her pistol, she aimed at his foot which he had failed to hide and blasted through the thin suit. The man went down screaming before Shepard walked over and gripped him by his shaggy hair. "Find Jack and unthaw her. Now," she ordered as she slammed the side of his head into the console.

The frantic man did as he was told and accessed the records before ordering the machines to unthaw cell C33. Shepard tossed the man away from the console and stepped over to the window to watch as a small tube emerged from the blocks where normally there would be cells. Within moments, thawing agents were pumped into the tank. The casing finally popped off, showing her unconscious form.

Shepard's brow furrowed as she eyed the young woman. Her head was clean shaven, and she had tattoos from the neck down with the exception of a barcode-like halo circling here cranium. She barely had any clothing on, and what she did have could barely be called clothing. She wore rags that wouldn't look out of place on Omega's homeless alleys.

Finally, the young woman began to stir. Shepard watched her dutifully as she looked around nervously. Suddenly, the loudspeaker activated again. "Shepard is in the cryo wing! Marshal security now! I don't care how many inmates die! DO NOT LET HER RELEASE JACK!" shouted the warden in panic.

Shepard smirked before she looked back down at the prisoner. "Oopsie. Too late," she said in amusement. But her mirth vanished when she saw another mech drop right into the chamber where Jack was currently freeing herself. "Dammit! We have to help her!" snapped the spectre.

But Miranda held up a hand. "Hold on, Shepard. Watch," she ordered as she continued to watch Jack.

The redhead eyed the woman curiously before looking down. With both arms freed, the convict was now prying her neck bar open with her bare hands. Once it was finally done, she fell to her knees in front of the heavy mech. As she looked up, Shepard swore Miranda was just doing this to get the young woman killed. But her own eyes widened as a biotic aura exploded from her.

The mech lifted from the ground as Jack's face warped from confusion to pure rage. Then she reached up with her hands as if she were gripping the mech herself. Finally, she used her biotics and tore the machine in half with no more effort than if she was holding tissue paper. Shepard's jaw dropped as she watched both halves of the machine smashed through the supposedly impenetrable walls on either side. "Wow…"

But before she could get another word out, Jack fled out of her sight and underneath the tower they were standing in. Almost instantly, an explosion rocked the tower, nearly knocking her off her feet. "Perhaps we should have kept her in cryo until we got her out of the prison!" shouted Miranda over the alarms that were now blaring.

"Hull breach in block 3, block 5, and block 7. Ship integrity at 98%," came the voice of an automated announcer.

"Shit, she may have run into Grunt!" shouted Shepard back to the operative before sprinting for the door. She gripped the ladder and slammed her feet onto either side, allowing her to slide down quickly. Finally, she hit the ground and exited the tower to find Grunt standing and staring down the hallway as the ship shook again. "Grunt!? What happened? I told you to watch the door!"

"I did watch it," he said, turning to her with a look of surprise. "It was awesome!"

Turning from him, she looked at the damage Jack had done to the block doorway and her breath hitched for a moment. "We've got our work cut out for us," she said somberly as she saw the entire wall missing from the cell block hallway.