Mass Effect, New Shadows

Glowing lights. Every little dot on the holo-screen was another sun, another system, surrounded by worlds, each holding life. Saying it was massive did the universe no justice. Saying it was vast, even infinite, still didn't capture it. From where she stood, she could look over the depth and breadth of all known space, at the wave of a hand, she could see the sum existence of any known planet.
And glowing before her, glittering like a little jewel suspended in air was a distress beacon. One of many she had seen and investigated; but this one was somewhat different. It was suspended in a areas of dead space. No planets, no trade routes, not even a vague hint of life anywhere near it, even in the very relative terms of space travel.
"Right, crew, set a course. We're the only good guys in the neighborhood, might as well help these guys out."
"And if it's yet another slaver ship?" Jack's dry sarcasm was only sharpened by the rather large wound she was still nursing from their last encounter with slavers.
"If it's a slaver ambush; I'm sure we can take care of it," She allowed herself a small smirk, and nodded over to Grunt, "You feel worried?"
"Slavers come, slavers die." Grunt shrugged, going back to busying himself with a small holoscreen.
She turned to stare Jack down, lifting one eyebrow in silent challenge.
"Any other objections?"
She turned to the rest of the crew, the silence was hard to read; weary, uneasy, but at the same time, she could feel the determination of her friends, her compatriots.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
The air of the ship was thin, too thin to breathe safely, and a thick and heavy fog of dust caught the light, filling the empty husk of a ship with an eerie, ghastly glow. After the initial docking, she chose to pull Garrus, Tali and Legion for this op. The first for his expertise in combat, and the latter for their technical skill; places like this were a deathtrap if you didn't know what you were doing, and the last thing Shepard needed was a reactor to go critical, or some ancient security system to decide to lock them in.
"Shepard, I'm detecting low-power energy signals; the ship's reactor looks as stable inside as it did outside. If anyone is alive they'll likely-"
"We detect a singular heat signature 300 meters from our location."
"You don't need to interrupt me."
"Opinion information seen as irrelevant. Location of possible survivor found."
"Garris, go with Tali, check the engine and look for any hint on how this thing got here. Legion, you're with me; let's get that survivor."
"Shepard, do you think that is wise?"
"Better than hearing you two argue all the time. Keep in radio contact."
Legion took the lead, moving in it's, usual, noiseless way. Shepard had to admire it, or them, or whatever it wanted to call itself; it was good at it's job. Snapping back to the task at hand, she scanned the walls and floor, looking for tripwires, panels, anything out of place. The hulk may have been deserted, but that didn't mean it was harmless.
"We believe we have found the correct door."
"Excellent. Can you hack it?"
"We cannot. The power is disabled; and the door appears to be welded shut."
Shepard cursed under her breath. Always a complication.
"Alright, well, lets hail B team and see if they've got anything for us."
"We calculate a 25% chance that Tali has found something."
"Still it's better than no-"
"We also calculate a 70% chance of Garrus finding something useful."
"I heard that." Even through the crackle of the static, Tali's voice was sharp with irritation.
Shepard allowed herself an exasperated sigh, "Do us a favour and calculate the possibility of cracking this door open."
"We would require a cutting tool."
"Joker, can you hear us? We need a cutting tool to get this door open. It's too dangerous to use shaped charges."
"I'll see what I can find."
"Tali, got anything for me?"
"The ship appears to be a mining vessel, Commander, though there are no signs of any kind of malfunction."
"Then the question is, what stranded it out here?" She turned to shine a light down the hallway. Something about it felt off.
"Could the ship have been breached? Asteroid, maybe?"
"That certainly would explain the low air pressure, but no, sir." Garrus' voice crackled over the comms, "I'm looking at the ship's manifest, there's no sing of any damage; and the ship lists 18 crew."
Behind her, she heard Legion shift a panel. Reaching in, it extracted a odd device, covered in what appeared to be a mixture of grease, rust, and thick dust.
"What that?"
"Scans indicate device is labelled as a 211-V. Device contains a high density energy charge in stable form. We believe it is some form of mining equipment."
"What kind?"
"We will check."
"Tali, Garrus, we got some kind of mining gear here, got anything in the control computer about a 211-v?"
"Hang on, I'm looking it up right-"
"211-V, Plasma cutter, used for mining and repair operations. We believe it to likely have enough charge to cut open the door."
"Well, anything else you want us to look up?"
"We think you have completed your mission, return to the ship."
"Legion, cut it out. Tali, Garrus, I may need your help here."
"We're on our way, Commander."
"Good. Legion, got any clue how to use that thing?"
Legion regarded the device for a moment, tilting it's headstalk slightly.
"The device appears to operate similar to a handgun. We expect it could be operated by this armature with little difficulty."
"Great. Joker, tell Chakwas to ready the medbay."
"On it, Commander."
She turned, nodding to Legion
"How's our friend on the other side doing?"
"Vital signs impossible to detect through solid wall, but heat signature is stable, but fading."
"Commander, I've retrieved the remainder of the ship's data. We're headed down the hall to you now."
"Right. Legion, blow the door. No time to waste."
"We would suggest you stand back, Shepard."
Even in the thin air, the keening bark of plasma on metal was startling. Legion paused for a moment, regarding the effect, before firing again, repeatedly, methodically. With the final shot expended, the silence that settled over the two of them was ominous.
"The door is unsealed. Manual operation is necessary to open it."
"Right. No time to waste, then." She muttered as her hands pressed against the metal door and gave it a hard shove. Old, worn bearing grouned in protest, but the door slowly shifted aside, leaving enough room to get through. She slipped into the room, pitch black and apparently empty, as she scanned the walls first and then the floor. Finally her light rested on a small figure, huddles in a far corner. she ran up, gun still trained, eyes still scanning.
"Legion, get my back, I've got our passenger."
"Affrimative."
"Tali, Garrus, you got the way back clear and covered?"
The crackle of the radio and two curt replies gave her all the impetus she needed. she holstered her pistol, and scanned his vitals with her Omni. He was alive, if barely; on the verge of starvation and dehydration, severe bone mass loss, and some physical trauma. He was wearing some kind of space suit; it's integrity had been ruined years ago and tatters of the fibers that comprised it clung like dusty cobwebs to him.
"Up you go, soldier." She muttered, lifting him. He was surprisingly light.
"I'm sending my Omni's scans to you guys; he's banged up real bad. Lucky him, if we had missed him by a few days, he'd be a goner."
"How's our patient, doc?" Shepard sat, reclining in the medbay, eyes absent-mindedly reading over the new passenger's vitals.
"He appears to be physically fine, now. We were able to slowly bring up his bone density, his weight and body mass have both gotten to much safer levels. But I'm concerned by his physical trauma."
"Why's that?"
"It appears that some of these injuries," Dr, Chakwas turned, regarding her patient with a small sigh, "They appear to be self inflicted."
There was a leaden pause, before she gestured to him again, "I've decided, for the sake of safety, to keep him sedated and restrained for the length of his healing; though he appears healthy enough now to take him off of sedation, I would prefer if we kept him restrained for the time being."
"I've got no problem with that; if this guy is a danger to himself, or any of us, I'd rather be safe than sorry."
"Did you have any luck with the ship's records, Commander?"
"Not really; we're still analysing it, but it looks like a dead end. There's irreparable damage to any recording systems, Tali thinks that the ship might have somehow short-jumped from a mass relay. No identification on him, and we checked the rest of this ship; no bodies. 17 people just up and vanished into nowhere."
"Unnerving, maybe they-"
The screaming took them both by surprise; there was no build up, no gradual change from silence to the man's current roaring fury. He had wrested himself upright as he could letting out a wordless, pained wail, as if his very soul was being cut from him. For a moment, Shepard could swear she tasted blood, as a wave of unease washed over her.
"Sir! Calm down, you're safe!" Chakwas dashed to the man, pressing him down into the bed as he convulsed, now soundless, eyes wide and lolling in his skull. "Damnit, Commander, hold him down!"
He was still weak, too weak and tired to put up any resistance, still he thrashed as best he could against the firm hands keeping him in place, as Chakwas grabbed a syringe. He muttered wordless syllables, now, low, angry, guttural mumbling that sounded almost like a language.
"Wait, doc. I think he's saying something." she leaned in closer, trying to catch his madly swiveling eyes, "Hey, can you see me? Can you hear me?"
He continued for a moment, blubbering silently, skipping about, face contorted in a mix of pain and fury.
"Hey." She shook him sharply, and he stopped, eyes finally locking onto her face, "What is your name?"
He stared for what seemed forever, his empty, wide eyes boring through space, as they slowly came into focus. His face slowly softened, eyebrows still furrowed, a permanent grim scowl planted on his face.
"Isaac. My name. Is Isaac." He seemed to be trying to remember; whether his own name or the way to speak it, he talked in a jilted manner, "Where. Where?"
"You're safe. Rest for now, you've got a lot of people who want to ask you questions, but right now, doc says you're injured. Can you do that, Isaac? Can you understand me?"
"Safe? Safe?!" He tried struggling again, "Nobody is safe, damnit! Get me away from here! you fucking idiots don't know what you're messing with! It's all a lie!"
"Isaac, look at me. Look. At. Me." She shook him again, his shoulder was so thin, skin stretched taught over bones, "Whatever happened, you're alright. We've got you safe and sound. This is Dr. Chakwas. She's in charge of making sure you're ok."
"It won't work. It won't. I told you..." He seemed lost again, in his own mind.
"Hey!" She gripped him tighter, he yelped, eyes refocusing, "Calm. Down."
He stared at her, breath ragged and short, eyes trying desperately to focus through whatever fog was invading his mind. Eventually his breathing slowed, and his eyes shut.
"My name is Isaac Clarke, and you should have left me to die."
"Right, Mr Clarke, we found you in deep space, in an empty sector devoid of life, can you talk about how you needed up there?"
Shepard scanned the holoscreen before her; Kelly had requested a chance to talk to their passenger, one on one. She didn't like the idea of leaving one of the Normandy's crew members in a room with an unpredictable stranger, but she had insisted. For the last few minutes, they'd been talking in circles, Isaac always seeming to shut down at any question, instead insisting he needed to be left alone.
"I was trying to be alone."
"And so you flew your ship into empty space?"
"Yes."
"With a crew?"
"No. No crew. Me, alone. I was, I was trying, you understand? I can't be near anyone. It's not safe."
"Why isn't it safe? You seem perfectly fine."
"It's inside of me. I've got something in me that I can't,"He swallowed hard, shifting, "I can't control it."
"And does this something make you do things?"
"No. Yes-well, no. No it wants me to, but I'm stronger. Stronger than it."
"What is it?"
"I can't."
"Can't what?"
"I won't say it. You can't make me say it. You're trying. Trying I can see it. You want me to say it. To bring it back, but I won't. It's gone. I've locked it away. I don't even know what it is, and you can;t make me remember."
"You don't remember?"
"No. I remember not to say it. I remember to forget it, to ignore it on the edge of my mind. You can't make me bring it back."
"Why do you not want to remember."
He paused, and looked away.
"I'm sorry, what was that?"
His head snapped back, straining against his bonds, "You. Would. All. Die."
"I'm sorry but-"
"You are all going to die if you keep me here. Look at me, now. I'm done playing. I was out there for a reason. I can't keep it away forever. If I remember, then something will happen. Something bad. You will all die. I don't care how safe you think you are, how good you think your intentions are. You. Will. Die."
"It's ok, Isaac."
"NO IT ISN'T, NICOLE! EVERYONE DIES!" He roared, body writhing as he strained in frustration against his bonds.
Kelly waited; Shepard had to hand it to her, she was unfazed in the face of this madness. He grunted for a few seconds, still shifting around, eyes now again wildly scanning the room. He eventually tired; his body still not recovered from his extended stay in micro gravity, and near starvation.
She set down her notebook; she hadn't written a single line in it.
"Who is Nicole?"
He looked up, confused.
"Nicole?"
Slowly, his eyes widened.
"Oh god."
"So, how's our patient, Kelly?"
"Schizophrenic. Not violently; but he appears to have some kind of paranoid delusions about some impending doom that exists in his head."
"Here's the thing; Isaac Clarke isn't on the crew roster of the ship we pulled this guy from. We've got no clue who he is; and right now the running theory is that he hitched a ride on this ship as a stow away, killed everyone in the ship, and jettisoned them."
"I don't think that's likely. His delusions seem rarely violent in nature, and he appears to have concern for the lives of others."
"How comforting, so he's not a violent psychopath, just a psychopath."
"I would suggest putting him in the care of a acceptable facility as soon as possible; being here isn't good for his health."
"We agree on that, at least. We're at least a few more days out, so we shoul-"
"Cap, we've got trouble! Something's on our ass and whatever it is, it isn't friendly!"
"Joker, report, how the hell are they tailing us?"
"I don't know, we should be totally out of sensor range!"
"Unless." EDI's voice intoned softly, "Docking may have partially damaged the jamming systems."
"Damn. Alright, everyone to battle stations! We've got someone who just knocked on the wrong door!"
"Right, correction, make that three somethings."
The unmistakable rumble of weapons hitting the shielding system reverberated through the entire ship.
"And they are -definitely- not friendly. I'm going for evasive maneuvers; someone needs to repair whatever the hell went wrong."
"Can you shoot them down?" Shepard shouted as she stumbled from where she was to her usual post.
"Cap, I can't even get a bead on 'em. EDI's scanning and they barely show up on the system."
"Great. Tali, please tell me you can fix the problem."
"Not without shutting down the whole ship, or going to the hull and fixing it there."
"Damnit. Joker, can you get us out of their range?"
"Trying, trying. EDI, girl, you better not kill us all."
"I calibrate that I will likely be able to avoid any significant hull damage for approximately 15 minutes."
"Damnit, Joker, why isn't it showing up on our scans?"
"Hell if I know! I'm trying to figure that out right now!"
Another soft thud filled the air as weapons fire raked the ship again, then a second, harder hit that sent half the crew stumbling.
"Commander Shepard, the patient-" Shepard turned, it was Dr. Chakwas, leaning heavily on one of the control consoles as the whole of the ship swayed, "He's saying he can fix the ship!"
"Great for him, let him know I'm sure he'd do a great job after venting all of us into the void!"
"Damnit, what the hell are we getting shot at by?" Joker's hands were a blur at the consoles, initiating every scan he could, "They show up on the electromagnetic and thermal sensors, but barely, and only in short bursts, they aren't showing on visuals at all, and the only readings I get are from their weapons fire!"
"God damnit, keep us out of the line of fire, I apparently have to go talk to a nutcase." Shepard roared back, moving as fast as she could as the ship was pelted by light cannon fire.
Isaac was sitting upright, arms and legs still bound, but he looked different. Colder. More determined. Maybe even a bit more sane.
"Doc here says you can patch up our ship."
"I can."
"And what makes you think that?"
"Your docking mechanism is newer than the one my ship used."
"You-" the latest volley shook the ship so hard she nearly went face-first into the floor, "What's you point, damnit?"
"either my ship over-volted and shorted out some of your systems, or part of the docking unit didn't fully disengage. I know how to override the short."
"Tali, you hearing this?"
"Yes, but the only way to reroute it is from outside!"
"Let me out there."
Shepard looked up, agape.
"What?"
"Give me a suit, some mag-lock boots, and a toolkit. I'll rewire short and clear the docking unit."
"That's suicidal!" Tali's voice came in sharp.
Shepard looked up at the man bound to the bed, "You heard her."
"I've dealt with worse. Either let me fix the ship, or we all die."
"Tali?"
"Well...it is possible."
"Goddamnit. Chakwas, untie him."
"I'm sorry, what?!"
"Now."
It was strange to not be alone. It was noisy, and a tired ache in his bones told him that nothing in this world would be preferred above sleeping. Even the dark things in his mind were quieter, only silently blinking their nefarious intent through the shuddering glare of the lights. He had been alone so long, his own voice was dull-sounding. Like a flatline tone, but his words had to be guarded. If he wasn't careful, not sure, he could remember. And then everyone dies. The suit they lent him was too light. It felt thin, unprotected. The mag lock boots stuck hard; someone had never bothered to modify the control chip. He'd fix it later. The sharp whoosh of air being ripped from the room gave him a thrill, as hefted the toolbag in his hand. The crew has suggested using an Omni-tool; but with time pressed and little resource, this was a faster option.
The echo of his breath was nostalgic in his ears, as he quietly made his way across the whipping, whirling hull of the ship. Through his feet he could feel the ship shuddering with every blow; and above him the canopy of shield was quickly faltering.
No time like the present.
His head pounded, trying to sift through his cluttered thoughts.
"I wasn't wrong. Nicole. I was right about them."
His hands moved on their own, as he tore free a hunk of steel. The pain in his back surged again.
"I always thought they were no good. I hope you knew that."
Another piece was wrenched free, despite his knees protesting, shaking. There was a panel in the way. He leaned back gasping for breath as a cannon round ripped through the void near his head.
He raised one leaden boot, unsteadily.
The mag lock engaged, sending it crashing into the panel's face, denting it. He lifted his foot again, and tore at the remains with his gloved hand. The wires hand't just sorted, they had all but combusted; likely thanks to the higher oxygen content. One hand dug into the mess, bringing forth a small cascade of warning lights on the panel display. He gave it one last tug and ripped the whole connector module out. They'd have no chance of docking without it, but it was the cause of the short circuit.
Somewhere he heard screams.
His hand dove again into the mess of wires, shaken loose from their neat homes by every bump in the road.
The wire was too short to reach.
They were going to die.
He was going to-no.
He cursed under his breath and grabbed a hammer, and some tape from the toolkit.
Gingerly he tested the hammer gingerly, not aware of the shield, now critical and flickering dangerously above him.
He tore some lengths of tape from the roll, plastering it among the exposed metal of the hull.
Then, with all the casual regard of a man tossing out a half-eaten sandwich, he flicked the hammer into the panel.
A violent spray of sparks erupted as the metal welded itself to either side of the circuit, bridging the gap.
The screams stopped.
It was the comms. Someone left the comms open. What a waste of batteries.
"Holy shit, the crazy bastard did it."
"You insane bosh'tet! You could have shorted out the entire power system!" He was being sworn at by an alien. It had taken some explaining by Kelly to get him to understand what they were, but that's what he essentially took away.
"It'll last until I see the ship's blueprints and make proper repairs."
"You-" She paused, incredulous, "You nearly get us killed, fry our docking system, and expect to be allowed to do anything on this ship?"
"And I thought I was crazy."
He looked over at Jack, a moment of confusion on his face, "Are you an alien, too?"
"Commander, letting someone of his condition do something that dangerous is bad enough; but he's still under the effects of the sedative. He really could have killed us all."
Shepard looked to Chakwas, nodding his head toward Isaac, "I took a gamble, sure. But not that much of one. He managed to seal a room in that ship shut from the inside without succumbing to asphyxiation."
"And your point is?"
"Legion checked it out. There was no welder in the room. He manually rerouted enough power through the doors to arc-weld them closed."
"Oh."
"Whoever he is; whatever else is going on in his head, that guy is some kind of genius."
"You surely aren't suggesting-"
"I'm suggesting we take him to a clinic in the Citadel and have his head checked out. If he's willing."
"And for another thing, how to you expect us to go anywhere for repairs? You killed the docking system!"
"Whattaya mean I 'look like an alien?'"
"I can fix the docking-"
"No really, what's your deal, am I too scary for your brain-fried head to wrap around?"
"I was-"
"I can't even imagine what you may have done to the power system-"
"How about to come a little closer and I'll wrap that fried-ass brain right around the railing!"
"Guys. Guys! Hey!" Shepard shouted getting between them and Isaac, "The guy's been isolated for who-knows how long. and yeah, he nearly killed us-"
"And the ship." EDI's voice chimed in.
"And the ship. But he saved our asses. How about we let him rest before we give him each a piece of our minds?"
Jack looked away, stifling a chuckle.
"What?"
"No, nothing."
"What?"
"Commander, you might want to...turn around."
Behind him, Isaac was standing still, but weaving unsteadily, eyes closed, and now that she was aware of it, he was snoring.
He had slept. For how long, who knows, but he was beginning to feel better. Or, at least, less weakened. The call was louder now that his mind was no longer clouded, a thrumming beat that shook his whole body to the very bones. It hurt to stare at a holo-screen, the lights would dance in his eyes and contort into unnerving symbols; symbols that seemed to incessantly pound at his soul, battering it into exhaustion.
He was confined to the med bay, not that he minded, it was utterly unnerving to see some alien walk past him. It brought up some old feeling of terror, with deep rooted pangs of hatred.
Besides, he had work to do. He had saved the docking unit; it had shorted itself out, but with the right replacement parts, he could at least get it partially working. The wiring was complex, moreso than he was used to, but any deficit in his understanding was made up for by the vast amount of information the ship had stored. The entire blueprint, down to the smallest transistor; it was a gold mine. As he read each careful drawing, he became aware of how well-designed it really was. "A interspecies effort,"Shepard had called it; and he wasn't going to argue with the results.
"Doctor, can you hand me that wire? my hands are full."
"Hm? Oh, yes, here." She was startled at his level of activity; normally it takes days, even weeks to recover from the severe condition he was in, but here he was, standing unsupported, save for a brace he only used to walk around with.
"Is something the matter?"
"Lacerations, contusions, low-pressure sickness, a burst left eardrum, two broken ribs, severe bone loss, and emaciation and dehydration. My boy, you should be dead. Sit down and rest."
"Me resting is useless if we don't-ow, damn. Hang on." He returned to his work, carefully slotting a replacement chip in place. Most of the chips were merely programmable base units, meaning the ship had tons of spares.
"As I was saying," He said, wiping his hands off on his shirt front, "Even if I rest, it won't do us any good if the docking system is broken to all hell. Besides the one girl was pretty damn adamant about me being some idiot.
"And why is that your problem?"
He smiled, just a bit, "I like proving people wrong."
"Well, you surely have recovered, mentally, at least."
He paused, and shrugged wordlessly.
There was a polite knock at the door.
"Am I interrupting?"
"No, Commander, we were just discussing Mr. Clarke's miraculous recovery."
"Yep, and I owe it all to you. Thanks, Shepard."
"No need for thanks. We saved your ass, you saved ours."
"That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't saved me in the first place. But I'm glad I could help. Speaking of, can you do me a favor?"
He held out the repaired docking control panel, smirking wryly, "Care handing this off to miss, what's her name again? Taki?"
"Tali."
"Right. She seemed a bit bothered by my work, I'd like to give this as a peace offering."
Shepard took the device gingerly, looking it over. It was a mass of solder joints, wire, jumper cables and found electronic bits.
"It's not pretty, but it'll function until a real repair can be made. I'd go out there and fix it myself-"
"You certainly will not!"
Isaac flinched, "But Dr. Chakwas is of the opinion that I should stay and rest."
Shepard nodded, "Yeah, I'll let her know you got it working. Meanwhile, listen to the good doctor and rest up. We're going to take you to a clinic at the Citadel to make sure you are alright."
"Citadel?"
"Yes, the Citadel."
She was met by a blank, slightly confused stare.
"Big satellite?"
Still no response.
"Hub of all intergalactic civilization?"
Now the look was less confusion and more interest.
"Commander, a word, if you would."
"Ah. One moment, Clarke." She nodded, following Chakwas out.
"I'm concerned for Mr. Clarke's mental stability. Kelly performed further sessions with him during our down time here and; I believe at the very least he is suffering from some neurological damage. He had both physical and mental signs of such trauma, and he has no memory of himself or much of anything else. For now, we are unsure if this amnesia is temporary, caused by stress, or if it may be permanent. I'd advise avoiding over-stimulation, if he becomes too stressed he may suffer another psychotic episode."
"So, we should make sure not to freak him out."
"Essentially, yes."
"And what about when he comes to the actual Citadel?"
"Ah, well...we were thinking of sedating him."
"Doctor, this man saved our lives. He's either sane enough to know what's going on around him, or crazy enough to fool me, either way, I don't approve of drugging him because we're worried he might get a bit touchy. If you're worried about him getting violent, we can always send him down to the cargo hold with Grunt.
"Yes...Commander."
She walked past Shepard, as Shepard slipped back into the room with a smile.
"Doc tells me you've got some memory loss; no memory of the Citadel, or pretty much any events before we picked you up."
"About that much, yeah."
"Well, have a seat, we've got some explaining to do."

"It appears you are perfectly healthy, Mr Clarke." The doctor, an Asari, looked over the top of her clipboard, "though it appears you have a somewhat...unique physiology."
"Pardon?"
"After hearing of your rapid recovery, I performed additional tests on you; your genome, and physiology lies just outside the standard deviation for categorizing humans."
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear that right," Shepard looked over the Asari's shoulder, scanning the chart, "Are you saying Clarke's an alien?"
"No more than you are, no. You're still human, Mr. Clarke; rest assured of that. you merely lie outside of the standard deviation." Her face drew into a comforting smile as she continued, "and you should feel lucky; your life was likely saved by your unique traits."
Isaac let out a low, tired groan, "You don't know the half of it."
"Moving on to the amnesia; sometimes such things are a secondary symptom of trauma, or even a sign of a parasitic infection,"
Isaac went rigid, suddenly shock with fear as all color drained from his face.
"But I see no indications of such a thing in your bloodwork; it's very likely this was caused by the trauma you received."
"Well, that's a releif, at least. Is there any chance of him getting his memory back?"
"With careful therapy we may-"
"No."
Both of them looked up; Isaac stared back, determined.
"The procedure is painless-"
"No."
"But-"
"I said NO." He slammed one fist into the table before him; his eyes unfocused, far away, breathing uneven, shoulders quaking. Whatever was in his mind, something told him he didn't want any of it coming back to him. The lights flickered and danced before his eyes again, and a migraine started rooting it's way into his eye-socket.
The Asari, shocked, took a small step back, regarding Shepard with concern.
"If he says no, I say no. It's not like you're going anywhere, right doc?"
"N-no. The procedure is, um," she glanced back at Isaac, who in the meanwhile had turned away, one hand pressed to his forehead, "It's both noninvasive and in most cases can be done in any time. Though memory recovers better the more prompt the treatment is."
"Well, there we go. If he changes his mind it's one trip back to here and he's right as rain."
From behind her she heard a chuckle.
"Jack, do you have something to say?"
"I know crazy, boss, and he's more twisted than a box of screws."
"And who are you to make that determination?" Isaac stood, glowering.
Jack stepped forward, ducking around Shepard's attempt to block her.
"Um, excuse me-" The Asari behan, flinching away from Jack.
"I know crazy when I see it. and you've got it, Clarke. It's in your eyes."
"Fuck off, skinhead."
"It's that one, isn't it?" She gestured to his left eye sharply, he flinched away, covering it. "Somebody fucked with your brain, I bet."
"What makes you think that? What the fuck do you know anyway?"
"Look me in the eyes, crazy boy." She growled, stepping closer.
"Jack!"
She stood there, face to face with Isaac, eyes boring into him.
"Are you afraid of me, crazy boy?"
"Jack, so help me if you don't cut this shit out-"
"Get out of my face."
"Make me."
Jack was expecting plenty of things, a punch, a kick, hell, a foot-stomp. She, however, wasn't expecting a headbutt. The crunch of broken bone echoed off the sterile, clean room, accompanied by a gasp from the doctor on hand.
"You fucking shitstain!" Her roar of anger was combined with the noise of Isaac's body being slammed into a wall, "You think you're some big badass, well get scared of this!"
the room was already coming apart at the seams, Shepard had started moving a second too late, and a biotic shield pushed her back.
"Jack! Put him down!"
"Fuck this asshole! He's hiding something in that crazy head of his, and I'm not letting him lurk around me until he spills it!"
Over the din, a voice could be heard, soft, strained. Jack leaned in, lessening the whirling vortex around her. for amoment, she faltered, before setting him down.
"Fuck this." She muttered as she walked away, past the flinching Asari.
"Jack, don't you fucking-Jack!" Shepard ran out the door after her.
"Jack, you better start explaining what the hell that was all about, now."
"He's fucked up, Shepard. Not just kinda crazy like Mordin or anything."
"What?"
"You can't see it, I know you can't, but there is something broken in that head of his."
"He was malnourished and injured, Jack, of course he was mentally unstable-"
"I know that look, Shepard! That's the look of the ones who didn't make it! The ones who got so messed up they died inside their own minds!"
Shepard was surprised. She'd never seen Jack this pissed, this unsettled.
"They weren't right in the head, especially at the end, even the ones who were quiet, they all had that look."
"then you know what's going in with him."
"Yeah."
"Then ask yourself, Jack, was doing what you just did, in any way at all helpful?"
Jack stared back at her, fists clenched, blood slowly dribbling out of her broken nose.
"You were pretty well broken when you found your way to us, Jack. Are you saying you didn't deserve the chance either?"
Her shoulders slumped, and she wiped her face before turning away.
"I guess I am."
"Well, lucky for you, you aren't the Commander, and you don't make the decisions. I decide when someone deserves a chance. That includes the one I'm giving you, right now, to go apologize to him."
"Apologize to-"
"Last chance. Take it or leave it, Jack."