Subject One

Jack's eyes widened as, sure enough, an equally as naked Miranda stepped into the light, a look of concern on her face at the tattooed woman laying on the table.

"Miranda!" Jack gasped. "Fuck! They got you too?! Where's Ori?"

"She's fine. She got away safely." Miranda said as she went to work, removing the binds. "Let's just get you out of here!"

Jack watched as Miranda effortlessly removed the leg locks and tubes. A little too effortlessly as Jack raised an eyebrow. "Where are we, exactly?"

"We're in an abandoned research facility on Binthu V." Miranda explained, as she removed the collar. "About 97.953 million miles from Binthu Prime. You can save the questions for later! Right now, we need to get dressed and get a transport vessel out of here!"

"Sure..." Jack said slowly as she got up, rubbing her temple as Miranda walked over to one of the doors. "I could use a brandy after all this fucking crap, you know? Wanna hit the first bar afterwards?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Yeah, except for one funny thing..." Jack said as she grabbed the dark haired woman's wrist tightly. "The real Miranda knows that I wouldn't fucking touch brandy with a ten foot pole. Not enough ****."

The Miranda in front of Jack blinked a few times before, much to Jack's surprise, smirking as she shook her head. "Damn. And I even went through the effort of tattooing your name on my ass. What gave me away?"

"Other than the brandy slip up? You were too quick with those locks." Jack spat as she flared up her biotics... Only for nothing to happen. "What the f-"

*Whack!*

Jack fell to the ground, again knocked out as Xandra stepped out of the shadows and straightened her rifle.

"Oh well." The Fake Miranda said with a shrug, "Time for Plan B. Take her to my office."

"Garrus and I will be arriving on Earth by tomorrow morning, Shepard!" Tali said over her omnitool. "We're on our way to the shuttle port now!"

"Thank you, Tali." Jane said as the quarian hung up. She then turned her attention back to the living room where Miranda, Oriana, Ashley, Samantha, and Joker were sitting. "Tali and Garrus are on their way. Once they get here tomorrow, we'll head on out to The Normandy."

"If Joker can still fly that thing..." Ashley said nonchalantly.

"I can, thank you very much!" Joker replied in annoyance. "Not to mention I'll have the best AI as copilot!"

"Oh, you mean the one who's body you constantly bang every night?" Kasumi said as she came out dressed in a bath towel. "I have the videos, by the way."

"Uh..." Joker stammered, blushing.

"Big deal!" Samantha said, "Is Joker screwing EDI any more embarrassing than what you posted tonight unknowingly?"

"What is she talking about?" Kasumi asked Jane.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" Miranda snapped, her fist glowing blue as she slammed it against a coffee table which snapped in half.

"You're buying me a new one." Jane muttered.

"Jack is in fucking danger! Do any of you understand that?! My wife was taken and is having who knows what happening to her!" Miranda snapped as Ori tried to calm her down.

"Calm down, Miranda." Ashley said, "Jack is one of us. Of course we understand and want to get her back."

"Jane!" Liara shouted, racing into the room. "I got a lead!"

"You do?!" Miranda asked hopefully.

"Yes!" Liara explained, "One of my agents on Illium was, quote-unquote, 'staking out' Aria's club when she overheard a woman saying something about a codename of the leader of a 'secret organization'. Miranda, Ori? Does "Number One" sound familiar to you?"

"Yeah! Yeah, the chatty one asked the serious one a question when they saw Miranda and Jack, and she used that name!" Oriana replied.

"My agent tracked her down to this very planet, and she's somewhere in the city." Liara said as she pulled up a picture of the Daughter of Cerberus agent; a brunette with long hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. "Apparently a scout that this 'Number One' wanted to lay low for while."

"Well..." Miranda said coldly, "I think we should have a little chat with this Scout."

"I'm going with you so you don't **** our only lead." Jane said as she reached for the keys to her skycar... Only for Liara to snatch them away. "Really?"

"You're still no longer allowed behind the wheel." Liara stated as the three left the house.

Once they were gone, Kasumi turned to the others and asked, "So, what was Samantha talking about earlier?"

For the second time, Jack groaned as she woke up, her head hurting yet again. This time, however, she was in an armchair in what looked like an office. Looking around, Jack saw Xandra and The Blonde standing next to a desk...

And the Fake Miranda sitting on the the desk, wearing a bathrobe and an evil grin. "Have a nice nap, Subject Zero?"

"You fucking bitch!" Jack snarled as she got to her feet and tried to blast away again, letting out a growl as her biotics failed again.

"Oh, come now." The Fake Miranda said as Xandra aimed her rifle at the tattooed woman. "You didn't think that we'd be that stupid, right? We planted a biotic dampening chip under your skin."

"What the fuck do you want from me, Cerberus?!"

"I just want to talk." The Fake Miranda said with a smirk as she got off the desk and walked over to a counter with ****. "Scotch?"

Jack only snarled.

"Have it your way." The Fake said, poring a glass. "As you have already guessed, I'm not your wife. I'm a clone of Miranda Lawson that Cerberus made around the same time. Call me Maria."

"I prefer 'Cerberus Bitch'!"

"Quite." Maria said, rolling her eyes as she took a drink. "Anyway, I have a business proposition for you. See, I've been reading up on your files. The main branch of Cerberus had the right idea, using you as a biotic weapon and all. The execution, however, is where they failed. What is the better way to wipe out the hostile alien threats against humanity: One lone wild woman..."

She walked over to a large tube covered by a sheet, pulling it away to reveal a clone of Jack, causing the real Jack to go wide eyed.

"Or an entire army of that wild woman?" Maria continued as she gently patted the glass. "Say hello to one of ten thousand Jack clones in our facility. Or, as he affectionately call her, 'Subject One'."

"Get it?!" The Blonde asked with a laugh. "Because you're Subject Zero? And she's -"

"Thank you, Bella!" Maria spat in annoyance, silencing the woman. "You just can't get good help anymore. Anyway, these clones are your exact duplicates from physical appearance and that tattoo on your ass, right down to personality and, most importantly, raw and unmatched biotic power. The only exception is that nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine are loyal to Cerberus; the only exception being Subject One here."

"And what the fuck does this have to do with me?!" Jack snapped.

"Simple." Maria said with a smug grin. "Who better to test out the knock offs then the original? You're going to test the effectiveness of my clones in battle. If they can make you break a sweat, then I know they're ready."

"Like hell I'm going to help you fuckers commit a fucking **** spree against anyone!" Jack snarled, marching towards the door.

"Just so you know, the second you step out that door, you'll be in front of a five hundred man firing squad." Maria commented, "And my girls never miss."

Jack stopped and slowly turned with a smug smirk of her own. "You know, you made a big mistake leaving Miranda back on Earth. She'll go straight to Shepard and -"

"Oh, I'm counting on it!" Maria interrupted with a laugh. "However... Do you really think that?"

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, how do you know that Miranda isn't just someone who will love you and leave you like all the rest?" Maria asked with a cold grin, "How do you know that Miranda wouldn't just wait out your marriage and then split, leaving you alone for the rest of your life? How do you know that Miranda isn't just using your body for stress relief?"

"I... I just know she wouldn't do any of that!" Jack snapped in reply, even if she was a little unsure herself.

"Why? Did Miranda tell you this?" Maria asked smugly. "Let me ask something else: In all the time you two have been married, has Miranda ever once told you that she loved you?"

"I... I... I..." Jack stammered. As she looked back on the events leading up to this, she realized that Maria was right. Not once had Miranda uttered those words.

Not in the car.

Not after their love making session.

Not during their love making session.

Hell! She had poured her heart and soul out to Miranda when the latter went to apologize... And Miranda never said those words then either!

"Why, I bet that if Miranda bursted into this very facility right now, she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between you and one of our clones of you."

"That... That's not true!"

"You didn't sound so sure that time." Maria commented as she snapped her fingers at Bella. "Bella! Have the girls outside escort Subject Zero here back to her cell."

"Yes, Number One!" Bella replied as she shoved Jack with her rifle shoving her out the door.

"Uh, you're not really counting on Miranda bringing Commander Jane Shepard and The Normandy Crew here, are you?" Xandra asked with a confused look.

"Of course I am." Maria replied, "And on that day, I want Subject One turned loose. And considering that she's the only clone with memories of her, she won't attack Mrs. Lawson. There are more than one ways to break the mind of that woman, after all."