Shepard stretched her legs until she heard the satisfying "pop" of her joints. Idly wiping the sleep from her eyes, she glanced over at the clock. 6:39am… Though it wasn't late in the morning her years of military service had her trained that anything after 5:30 was too late. She was just about to drag herself out of bed when she heard Kai Leng's voice call from the doorway.

"About time you're up."

"Fuck off," she groaned, shoving a pillow over her face. Though the obstruction made the air hot and stifling, at least it might do to get her point across.

"The Illusive Man wants to see you," Leng muttered irritably.

"Of course he does," she hissed through her teeth. "Why else would his dog be nudging me out of bed?"

She didn't even have to remove the pillow from her face to know he was grimacing, and frankly, she didn't care. After sensing he had finally left, she hopped out of bed, quickly dressed, and took a quick dose of red sand. Though not completely necessary, the red sand helped take the edge off when meeting with The Illusive Man. He had his ways of getting under your skin.

As she entered the dim room, faintly lit by terminal holos and the red-hued glow of the system's star, he'd noticed her presence immediately.

"Shepard," he greeted her in his usual pleasant manner, of which she could never really decipher was genuine or not.

"Kai Leng said you sent for me," she said in the most mono-toned voice she could muster.

"Ah, yes… Kai Leng," he said, giving her a rather knowing look. He took a drag on his cigarette, only looking away from her to tap the ashes gingerly into his waiting tray. "I hear you two have been getting along quite well."

Clearing her throat, she straightened her stance. Calm down, Shepard. Now's not the time to get defensive. "I wouldn't say that," she replied evenly.

"Then the rumors are false?" He tilted his head, examining her curiously. The silver strands in his hair caught in the dim light, providing a shimmery pinkish illusion.

"What rumors would they be, sir?" She knew her occasional use of "sir" did well to stroke his ego. Sometimes it seemed to play in her favor.

"You two are intimate, are you not?" he asked, eyebrow lifting curiously.

It had taken all her years of training to maintain her stonewalled expression. "My… relationship with Kai Leng is nothing more than necessity." Easy enough; there were no falsities in that admission. She slept with him to quell her biotic highs, when the red sand drove her into overload, and that was all. The last time had been merely to take out her frustrations at seeing Kaidan again, but cases like that would not become habitual.

The man smiled broadly at her response, the action taking on a slightly flirtatious air. "That's what I like to hear."

Her dark eyes narrowed warily. "Is this why you called me here?"

"Not at all, Shepard," he said, shifting in his chair, his gaze still lingering on her. "I just like to know my operatives… a little better." He casually flicked more ashes into his tray.

"Is that so?" She was both surprised and curious. He'd never seemed to cave to her suggestive actions before, so why the change? Could it be she was successfully building his trust? If she continued to play her cards right, this could possibly make a positive turn in her direction. That she could use. "I can think of other ways that don't involve talking," she purred, baiting him.

He allowed himself a smile, clearly amused that he'd gotten the desired reaction from her. "There will be plenty of time for that later. First we must get down to business."

"What did you have in mind?"

He promptly pulled up and image of a station on his terminal. Though she felt recognized the place, she couldn't place a name on it. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"Grissom Academy. A group of our finest… troopers took it just a few days ago."

She knew what he meant by "troopers" and it sent a chill down her spine. Volunteers genetically enhanced – or mutated – by Reaper tech. Seems he had been utilizing them quite a bit as of late. "And… What does this have to do with me?"

"The academy was" – he enunciated the word clearly – "a school for biotics… There were many bright students there."

"Not anymore, I assume?"

"Some were lost in the fight to take the station, but plenty others were escorted back to Cerberus, including an instructor you may know…" The look he gave her was mischievous, to say the least.

"Who?" She knew a lot of people, but she wasn't aware of any associated with his particular school.

"We know her as Subject Zero. You may know her as Jack." The image on the terminal changed to one of her ex-squad mate. The familiar pretty face stared back at her hauntingly. She hadn't seen Jack since after the Collector base. She, and the rest of the team, parted ways afterwards and it was likely most of them didn't know Shepard still took orders from Cerberus.

"Jack?" Shepard swallowed hard. "You managed to capture her alive?"

"We lost a few of our own in the struggle. But I would say the outcome was quite worth it."

Shepard tried hard to keep her knees from shaking. She'd always liked Jack, and she'd be lying if she said they didn't share some moments here and there. Jack approved of the way Shepard did business and the two had developed quite the interesting bond that had involved drinking, harassing the local cheerleader, and casual sex.

"What are you going to do with her?" she asked, displaying as little emotion as possible.

"Subject Zero is a perfect candidate for the Nemesis. Her biotic skills are more than exceptional."

Shepard laughed, more out of irony than actual humor. "Jack won't join Cerberus. They – we," she corrected, "made her what she is and she hates us for it."

"I don't think it'll be a problem once the processing is complete," he stated with a grin.

"What do you mean, 'processing'?" The word made her spine prickle disturbingly.

"Do you know why the Nemesis are so effective in what they do, Shepard?" When she remained silent he continued. "It's because we've cut their ties with their past lives. Gone is what made them what they were. And what they are… Well, you've seen what they can do."

"You wipe their memories?" Though her voice was steady, her toes curled in her boots. His nod confirmed her suspicions that his man didn't care about preserving human life. He wanted to control it. Sacrifices had to be made, sure. But wasn't this going a bit far?

"Why not let me talk to Jack? See if I can convince her to join Cerberus willingly?" She suggested. There's no way it would work. Jack was stubborn, and already had a deep-rooted hatred for Cerberus. Depending on what went on at Grissom, her odds may have just hit the level of impossible. But she had to try.

"And how will we benefit from that?" he inquired, turning his head curiously before taking a sip of scotch.

"I know Jack. Her biotics are intensified by the fact she's always pissed off. You take that away and she won't be utilizing her full potential." Shepard hoped she sounded convincing. The idea of Jack's mind being wiped bothered her more than she would have thought. Unfortunately, she did always have a soft spot for her team.

"You can go ahead and try. However, if you fail, we'll be left with no other choice."

"Deal."

The Nemesis Processing facility was just as creepy as Shepard had imagined it. Many solid, small windowed doors – archaic in their technology, or lack thereof – lined the near-empty passageways of the facility. It was eerily quiet; the only sound was the echo of her heavy booted footfalls coupled with those of her escort.

Her eyes quickly examined the man that led her through the facility. His long, dark blonde hair was pulled tightly back in a rubber band. His nose, faintly crooked, stuck out from his face like it didn't quite belong. From the look she had seen in his leering blue eyes, she wouldn't doubt he sometimes had his way with some of the patients here.

"She's in here," he said finally, stopping at a door halfway down the hall. When he made to follow her in he was met with a strong glare.

"Stay," she ordered.

The man nodded, indicating for her to proceed on ahead. The fact that he hadn't argued meant he was clearly made aware that she reported directly to The Illusive Man.

When she entered the mid-sized room, she was immediately greeted by the sight of Jack, strapped to an examination chair and apparently sedated. Leaning over her Shepard could tell her friend had changed slightly since she'd last saw her. Her hair, grown out into some type of mohawk style, was tied back. The new style complimented the tattoos on her scalp while making her appear a bit more feminine. Her clothes were slightly less revealing, but still maintained Jack's iconic grunge look.

As if sensing a presence above her, the woman's heavily lined eyelids opened, revealing the dark brown of her irises. "Shepard?" she asked seeking strength in her raw voice.

"I'm here, Jack."

A weak but genuine smile crept over the woman's deep red lips. "Bitch. It's about time you showed up."

"Yeah…"

She shook her head, trying to knock the sedation from her vision. "Where the fuck am I?"

"A Cerberus facility."

"Cerberus… Shit." Jack managed a scowl as she remembered the events leading up to her present situation. "Where are my students?"

Shepard ignored the question, clearly aware that any answer she gave would throw the other woman into a frenzy. Jack had never had a concern for anyone but herself. For her to immediately question the whereabouts of the students meant she cared for them in some way or another.

Jack tugged on the restraints that held down her wrists. "You gonna get me the fuck out of these things? We need to find them and get the hell out of here!"

"I can't do that Jack… Not yet."

"Why?" The biotic eyes widened with her answer. "What the hell's going on, Shepard?"

"Cerberus thinks you'd be a valuable asset, but only if you don't remember who you are. I didn't want them to wipe your memory so I convinced them to let me talk to you."

"You convinced them?" A scowl crept over the woman's face, her features hardening by the second as she rose out from her sedated haze. She shook her head as if she didn't want to believe the dark thoughts that rushed through her mind. "No… No, you're not fucking working for them are you? Tell me you're not fucking working for them!"

"Jack, you need to see the bigger picture. This isn't just about Cerberus. It's about the Reapers. I can use Cerberus to destroy them."

"Nobody uses Cerberus, Shepard. Not even you." She sighed, trying to calm down. "Look. You know they've been using you since they brought your ass back from the dead. You can't trust them."

"That's where you're wrong, Jack. I have plans. You can help me to achieve those plans; to achieve something greater."

"Forget it, Shep. Those bastards took everything from me once, and since that wasn't enough, they did it again." She tugged harder at her restraints, finding strength in her growing rage. "No. Fuck Cerberus. And if you're working with them, fuck you too!"

"Jack…" Shepard said softly, trying to soothe her. Her patience was waning but she needed to stay focused.

"Where are my students, Shepard?" Jack demanded, her eyes wild with desperation and fury.

"I can't help them. I'm only able to help you." It was the truth. Rescuing them would only destroy everything she'd worked so hard for. She'd gotten this far… There was no turning back. "Forget about them, Jack. They belong to Cerberus now."

"You bitch! When I get out of here I'll destroy you!" A faint light of biotic power flared over her body before fizzling out, suppressed by the biotic dampeners. It only seemed to fuel her rage even further as she screamed and tugged against the fetters that held her down. Her expression held nothing but pain, betrayal, and loathing.

Shepard closed her eyes. It was as she feared. Jack would never come to see reason in an alliance with Cerberus. Her hatred for the organization was too deep, buried into the skin like festering barbs. Her gaze suddenly shot up to the man who burst through the door. He stared at her, steeling a questioning glance at the woman raging in the chair.

"She's a lost cause… Do it," Shepard growled, waving her hand dismissively. She didn't bother turning around as she stepped out of the room. She couldn't trust herself to leave without Jack if she did. Still hearing the other woman's shouts of rage echoing in her skull, she leaned against the hallway wall, sliding down until butt hit the cold floor. It wasn't long until the new sedatives kicked in and the shouts died down. Unfortunately, the sensation of needing to vomit did not.

My aim is to keep this renegade Shep from being a complete asshole, therefore maintaining some likeability. Hopefully I'm doing a decent job with that!

Don't forget to review! I value your feedback :)