This choice: Jack discovers that weight has a direct correlation to a biotics power. • Go Back... It had been one hell of a ride for the crew of the Normandy. Between all the abductions and Collector attacks and suicide missions, it was a welcome relief when the base was finally blown to bits and they could all put this chapter behind them. There was still work to do of course given the coming threat of the Reapers, but that didn't mean the crew didn't deserve a break from all the action and peril. Thus when Shepard put a skeleton crew on and sent everyone away for some R+R before the next assignment, it was a welcome relief. While she and Garrus stayed behind, no doubt to perform some "calibrations" on the nearly empty ship, the other crew members all went to see their families and friends to spend a nice week or so together before reuniting for the next mission.
The lone exception to this was of course Jack, whose idea of relaxation was to track down a tiny cell of Cerberus grunts and level the place. It was a lot of fun, but the ruckus attracted the attention of the local militia, and she was only saved from another long jail sentence, or perhaps worse, thanks to the intervention of an old ally.
"Thanks again for pulling my ass out of the fire back on Jiro, by the way," Jack said to her companion.
"No trouble at all," Liara replied with a knowing smile. "I was owed a couple of favors, saving one of Shepard's friends is well worth the cost."
"Can I get you two anything to drink?" the waitress asked the two ladies politely.
"Hmmm...I'll have the White Akantha tonight," Liara decided.
"Uh, same thing," Jack said quickly, not making heads or tales of the drinks menu. The waitress shot her a suspicious look before obediently trundling off. Jack couldn't blame her; she put on a nice shirt for this place but Jack still looked a little out of place in a fancy sunlit restaurant on the nicer side of Illium. A little too punk rock for all these stuffy blue aliens.
"I would think that after the Collector mission you'd be taking a break," the Asari information broker said coolly.
"Compared to those bugs, turning Cerberus goons into hamburger is a break," Jack laughed, drawing more annoyed gazes that prompted her to lower her voice somewhat. "Besides, now that the Pragia facility is a hole in the ground, I have nothing else to do, unless I want to spend the next few weeks trolling for a good lay."
"I see," Liara replied, her tone rather impenetrable. "I imagine after a while though even tearing through Cerberus facilities may get a little boring, however."
"Yeah, no shit," Jack grumbled. "But what the hell else is there?"
"Well if you are in need of something to do, I may have...an option," the Asari mused, a slight smile forming on her lips as the waitress arrived with the drinks.
"If it's helping you deal with some dirty laundry or whatever information brokers do, I'm not interested," Jack said coolly, giving her wine glass a suspicious look.
"Actually it's an experiment of sorts," Liara explained. "One of my colleagues is running a study on how to enhance the power level of biotics, independent of increased focus or implants to help augment powers and abilities."
"You have my attention," Jack said, sipping her drink with a rather puzzled expression.
"Well, to be blunt," Liara said, choosing her words carefully. "She wishes to study the effect of...excessive adipose tissue on biotic energy."
Jack was never one for an education, so it took a moment for those words to process. When they did, she nearly choked on her drink.
"Excessive adipose...you mean, like, fat tissue?"
"Yes," the Asari said bluntly.
"Fuck off."
"Actually it's not as ludicrous as it sounds," Liara said defensively. "Asari with health defects that cause them to be a little heavyset can sometimes push their biotics a bit further, my friend is only pushing it to its logical conclusion."
"So what, your friend wants to fatten me up and see if I throw shit harder?" Jack said. "Yeah, no thanks."
"If it doesn't amount to anything I'll help you get back to normal, I promise," Liara pleaded. "And if it does...well, just imagine the possibilities that it could have for you. Not even a human bred to perfection could hope to match your power, to say nothing of the Cerberus agents you're so fond of assaulting." The Asari may have sounded desperate and hopeless, but she was far from it. She really wanted Jack to be in on this project, and if there was anything that could convince Jack to come along, it was the idea of beating up on Cerberus and potentially being better then Miranda Lawson at something. And that one-two punch caused Jack's expression to soften considerably.
"...and if it doesn't work you'll help to fix it?" Jack asked cautiously.
---
"Jack Zero, so nice to meet you!" the overenthusiastic Quarian in the red, stripey suit said, violently shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you too. And uh, it's just Jack."
"Right, Jack, sorry!" the Quarian said, rubbing her wrists awkwardly. "It's just...wow I've heard so much about you, I'm excited to meet you at last! Wow! I'm Mana'Vafin vas Needir, by the way!"
"Cool," Jack said noncommittally.
"Hehe, I've never been called cool before!" Mana squealed giddily. "So, you've been briefed on the experiment, I have your biometrics...right! I'll get the first meal!"
"And I thought Tali was a dweeb," Jack muttered to Liara as the little Quarian dashed off into the corner of her lab.
"She's just excitable, real sweet when you get to know her," Liara said encouragingly. "You're doing a really nice thing for her too, thank you."
"Well, so long as it makes me a better biotic then Miranda," Jack shrugged. "I think it will be worth the...what the actual shit?"
"I'm sorry?" Mana asked, struggling to lift up a salad bowl full of some sort of mashed potato dish. It looked tasty, but it was huge! A tubby varren could have curled up in the bowl if it wanted to!
"You're not making me eat all that, are you?" Jack said, biting her lip as she slowly lowered herself into a seat.
"Oh of course not!"
Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
"There's a drink to go with it!"
Jack shot a look at Liara that was a desperate cry for help as the Quarian dropped the bowl in front of her with a heavy thud as she produced a massive cup with a thick looking beverage. Subject Zero resolved to herself that she would never again be bored turning Cerberus troopers into hamburger ever again, if she survived this.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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