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Subject Zero's origins

Jack revealed that Cerberus operatives raised her in a remote facility where they tortured and abused her. She wants to return to the abandoned facility to destroy it.

Acquisition[]

Prerequisite: Horizon (mission)

After retrieving Jack from Purgatory, Commander Shepard gives her access to Cerberus's files aboard the Normandy. After the mission on Horizon, Kelly will tell Shepard at some point that Jack wants to see the Commander in her “hidey hole on the Engineering Deck”. Talk to Jack and she wants to blow the facility to pieces; Shepard can comment that attacking allies is a bad idea, but the facility was decommissioned after Jack’s escape.

Preparation[]

Because Jack's biotics emphasize low damage crowd control powers, you may want to balance her with either a weapons-expert squadmate or an armor-stripping tech expert, depending on Shepard's own specialties. On higher difficulty levels everything in here has armor and most regenerate, so someone with fire-related powers will shine. Someone with Warp will help in both of these areas as well, with the added potential for detonating Jack's Pull. An area effect armor-stripping ability such as Incineration Blast will render crowds of charging varren instantly vulnerable to Jack's Pull, itself preferably upgraded to a Pull Field. Several of the fights in this mission happen at close quarters, where Grunt excels.

In terms of heavy weapons, the M-622 Avalanche, Arc Projector, and M-490 Blackstorm tend to be most useful for their ability to hit enemies around corners or behind cover. The Arc Projector has unique anti-krogan properties that can help especially during one encounter.

Walkthrough[]

Travel to the Nubian Expanse, then into the Dakka system to find Pragia.

Arrival on Pragia[]

Teltin facility: unwelcoming?

In the shuttle before the mission Jack will give some dialogue about what happened there, as well as the environment, and the location of where the landing pad is because of it. Jack comments that Cerberus built the place to last. As the shuttle is on final approach to the decommissioned facility, EDI comes over the comm and tells the squad that she is detecting multiple thermal signatures from the complex but none near the landing zone. Time to crash their party.

After the shuttle drops off the squad head around and down into the facility. Upon entering the base proper, Jack will comment about the massive amount of containers and how she doesn’t remember the room from her escape. Hack the terminal on the other side of the room for 3000 credits before moving on. The next room has an active security console that gives some interesting information. Apparently the people at the facility were acting outside the Illusive Man's orders and had gone rogue. Turn off the console and you move on. The next room upon entering appears to be a large room, like an atrium, and Jack comments that she saw sunlight through the skylights. From the way she describes it, it was her first glimpse of sunlight. Head down the stairs and to the right. Easily Missed: Before going under the elevated catwalk, turn to your right and a locked crate will be there that you can bypass for 3000 credits.

Only this landing pad is high enough off the ground not to be completely overgrown

Once you pass under the catwalk be ready for an attack because varren will come around the corner and attack. Take them out before they have a chance to kill you or your squadmates. Combat Notes: Jack's Pull power will disable varren once you have their armor down - note that her Shockwave on the other hand often misses these highly mobile enemies. If you gradually pull back firing as they come on that gives you more time. If one gets right up in your face don't be afraid to melee it - that's often quicker than trying to aim at it running around.

Once the varren are down move to where there is an old bloodstain. Select it to begin a conversation with Jack about what happened. Shepard learns that it was an arena where Jack was pitted against the other kids. Apparently they also drugged her because every time she killed she was rewarded, that continues with warm feelings. In addition, if she hesitated she was shocked. Once you have learned enough move on. The next hallway contains medi-gel, and a security console that when activated will display a security guard telling that the subjects have rioted and that Jack could get out. He goes on to say that all other subjects are expendable but save Jack. Jack turns off the console at that point and you can earn 2 morality points based on your response. Open the door and move down the stairs. The stairs contain a fresh kill and Jack will comment that no one is supposed to be here. Bypass the door on the first landing to get some element zero.

Moving Deeper[]

Entryway to the morgue, Teltin facility

After getting down the stairs and entering the next room, you will suddenly come under attack by vorcha and krogan from the Blood Pack. It's a good idea to put yourself and the squad into cover among the large metal operating tables—but beware as you'll be in close quarters with a Pyro and a krogan. The attackers appear on the upper and ground level ahead of you; take these out quickly or it will be a short fight, and not in the good way. Once all the members of the first wave fall, or even before that, the windows to your left shatter as three more vorcha attack. Switch cover if you need to and let them know the price for ambushing you like that. As usual the Pyro will explode if you can hit him with Incinerate or Overload after his armor is down, and you can use fire-based attacks or Warp to stop the krogan regenerating once his own armor is also down, at which point knocking him off his feet to prevent him from closing or charging is a good idea. The krogan and Pyro are the two most dangerous enemies in the room and should be dealt with immediately.

Combat Strategy: It isn't necessary to get locked into the room to take this fight. Edge into the room carefully and you can trigger the enemies to appear but keep the door from locking behind you, at which point you can then retreat back to the hallway with your squad. Carefully coax the Pyro and the krogan to come through the door one at a time where your squad can annihilate them, then go back inside and methodically pick off the vorcha safely from near the door. Pyros are dangerous around corners so consider using a heavy weapon with splash or spread effects to take it out; the Arc Projector can stun the krogan and bounce to the Pyro, instantly blowing it up.

Warning: Standing outside the room and summoning a Combat Drone inside will trigger the enemies but it will also trigger the door to shut and lock, at which point you can't progress further without reloading a previous save.

Once the room is cleared, Jack will question why this small facility had a morgue, and your other squadmate will comment, provoking a rebuttal from Jack. Head to the other end of the room, to the right, opposite of the now dead ambushing vorcha, and hack a datapad for 3000 credits.

Bypass the door to continue and move down the hall. The catwalk you are on will not have any enemies but when you reach the end and the next door, look down the stairs and, at the bottom, put your squadmates into cover on either side of an open doorway. Run through this door frame and take cover behind the crates. Two vorcha will attack you from the elevated walkway across from you. Take them out (powers work well here) and move down the stairs into a hallway of what appears to be a dormitory or cell block. When you move be careful because more varren will charge from the cell doors to attack you. Tip: If needed, you can retreat back up the stairs as the varren will not follow you. This will allow you to pick them off at a distance. Once they are down move further along and your other (non-Jack) squadmate will comment about the conditions. In the second cell from the end on the right are some circuit boards that you can salvage for 3000 credits. Do so and move on.

Jack listens to a log entry

The next room is large and open, and as you advance on a catwalk Jack will comment with surprise that the facing windows are actually a two-way mirror, and that her cell is on the other side. She will tell about how she would bang on the windows and the other children would not answer her. Before going through the door, grab the medi-gel and then go through. The left room contains nothing of special interest (except for an interrogation chair) but the right has three things of interest. Jack will comment that she must have broken through here on her escape. There are two consoles in the room that will reveal how much the other "subjects", for lack of a better term, suffered at the facility. Test subjects were exposed to certain chemicals and apparently freezing temperatures, among other things, in order to develop Jack into the biotic juggernaut she became. Jack refuses to believe that the others had it worse than she did. The other console will show the doctor distraught over the subjects' riot and how Jack may escape, and he'll mention future plans for the project, including a plot to infiltrate the Alliance's Ascension Project. At the end Jack apparently shows up and kills the doctor. Before leaving, hack the research terminal for a biotic amp upgrade. Then move to the door and save your game. Also, be sure to pick up the power cells just to the left of the small corridor leading to the door.

Jack’s Cell Exterior[]

Kureck

A cutscene will play showing a krogan, Kureck, talking over the radio and announcing your arrival to his boss, Aresh. He will ask what to do and his boss apparently says to kill Shepard and the squad; he throws back to Aresh that they need to talk after this. Make sure he doesn’t get the chance.

Combat Notes: The main threat in this battle involves being flanked and flushed from cover while the trio of krogan mercenaries rains rockets and gunfire on you. Staying in cover near the entrance, take out the vorcha on the floor, Pyro first, before they can flank you. Then focus on the krogan in the back, concentrating on one at a time. The krogan will begin sending one of their number at a time down after you, attempting to flank you while the remaining krogan continue their suppressing fire. Whichever krogan leaves the platform becomes the primary threat and you should concentrate on bringing it down at once. When Kureck himself finally comes after you, don't wait around while he closes to point-blank range: as soon as he reaches medium range run to a new cover far away from him. If you keep circling the room he won't be dangerous.

Once Kureck is down Jack says that the only thing left is her cell, and that whoever Aresh is, he is in her cell. Grab whatever ammo may have fallen, and hack the crate for 3000 credits.

Jack’s Cell[]

Once you enter Jack’s cell you begin a conversation with the elusive Aresh. He recognizes Jack and tells her that he, like everyone else at the facility, knew her face, while she hardly knew anybody else. He goes on to tell you that he is restarting the facility because all the experiments must have been for something. So he wants to use the research and find out what they learned. At that point Jack pulls a pistol and threatens to kill him, and you have up to four options available to you.

You can use the Charm option to spare Aresh’s life and Jack lets him go. On the other hand, you can use an Intimidate dialogue option to order Jack to kill him.

Alternatively, or if your reputation's not high enough for the left-hand choices, there are two regular dialogue options ordering Jack either to let Aresh go or to kill him. Taking either will result in corresponding interrupt opportunities: a Paragon interrupt if you order Jack to let Aresh go, or a Renegade one if you order her to kill him.

Let the past die. Blow it up, if you have to.

Whatever you choose, all critical choices have corresponding morality points. When Aresh has been dealt with you can either go or let Jack stay for a few moments.

Staying results in you and Jack walking around the cell and she tells you things about the room and the life she lived at the base. The window, bed, desk, and a bloodstain on the wall outside the cell, all have memories for her and she will elaborate on them. Once you select all four the screen fades to black and you move back to the shuttle.

On the shuttle back to the Normandy Jack fumbles with the trigger for the bomb. She flips the cap on the detonator switch up and down several times, and when Shepard nods in approval she presses the button. Shepard slams a fist on the cockpit door several times to warn the pilot of the coming shockwave, and the bomb goes off. The shuttle is rocked by the explosion but continues on, uninterrupted, to the Normandy.

Normandy[]

If you have already completed Miranda's loyalty mission, when you return to the Normandy, Joker will mention over the PA saying that Jack just went to have a talk with Miranda; when Shepard decides to handle it, Joker replies, “Take pictures.” Once Shepard arrives in Miranda’s office, Jack flings a chair across the room and Shepard tells them both to knock it off. Jack is furious that Miranda will not admit that what Cerberus did to her was wrong. Unless you have enough Paragon or Renegade points you cannot end this situation without alienating either crewmember (fewer Renegade than Paragon points are required). If you do have enough, then you can retain the loyalty of both crew members and can continue any relationships that you have started. If you fail then you will lose out on any relationships with either one, depending on who you alienate. You will also lose the loyalty of the crewmate you alienated. Loyalty can be regained in a later conversation with that crewmate, provided you have a high Paragon or Renegade score.

This conversation can also take place after Miranda's loyalty mission if you completed Jack's before hers.

See also: Loyalty#Confrontations

The amount of Paragon/Renegade points required also varies during the course of the game, due to how Mass Effect 2's Charm/Intimidate system works. You need a high percentage of the total Paragon or Renegade points obtainable from the missions you've undertaken and the conversations available to you on the Normandy and various hub locations in order to pass the persuasion check; the amount of the meter that is filled in does not provide an accurate indication of whether Charm or Intimidate will be possible.

Email[]

Soon after returning to the Normandy, Cerberus Intel sends Shepard an email:

Pragia Facility Update


From: Cerberus Intel

Commander Shepard,

Contacting you per Illusive Man's instructions. He believed you would want to know that he had ordered Subject Zero's project shut down before the riot broke out. Cerberus personnel arrived to find all guards dead, along with most of the subjects. Any surviving children were treated for injuries, given mild amnesic treatments, and delivered to Alliance facilities as survivors of slaver attacks. A few surviving doctors were forcibly retired for their role in the project.

Per your report, the facility on Pragia has been destroyed.

Mass Effect 3 Consequences[]

If you can convince Jack to spare Aresh, Shepard will receive a news alert in Mass Effect 3 stating that he saved a shuttle of children evacuating a Reaper-occupied colony, dying in the process. His last name is revealed to be Aghdashloo.

Enemies[]

Mission Summary[]

Facility on Pragia confirmed destroyed. Concerned that previous clean-up crew failed to destroy all records. Surviving facility scientists already dead, either from uprising or after facility shutdown. Jack should have no further emotional issues distracting her from the mission.

  • Experience reward: 750 (937)
  • Credits: 30,000
    • Cerberus Funding Received: 15,000
    • Credits Found: 15,000
  • Resources:
    • Element Zero: 500
  • Upgrades:
  • Powers

Bugs[]

  • Several users have reported a bug in which, once they reach Jack's room, in spite of you choosing to stay, the screen may immediately fade and the cutscene will begin, in which case you can reload from a save if you want to see the rest of the conversation. This could also result in the computer in Shepard's quarters saying the Catharsis Achievement hasn't been gained, though the actual game console would say it has been earned, along with Jack's loyalty. This bug has been fixed in Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
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