Jack - Mass Effect 3 Wiki Guide - IGN

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New ChecklistAll ListsMy ChecklistsAllAll ListsMy ChecklistsHow creative can you get with your first free checklist?Create a free accountJackBy Samuel Claiborn, KBABZ, Bob, +77.8k moreUpdated: Nov 25, 2012 1:27pm UTC

First Appearance	Mass Effect 2
Race	Human
Squadmate	Yes
Voiced By	Courtenay Taylor

Jack, AKA Subject Zero, is a recruitable squad member in Mass Effect 2, and a supporting character in Mass Effect 3. Jack has led an exceptionally troubled life -  as a little girl she was experimented on by a rogue group of Cerberus agents, who believed she had the potential to become one of the most powerful human biotics alive. While formally referred to as "Subject Zero" by the officials, most handlers gave her the name "Jack".

She is a criminal who was convicted of piracy, kidnapping, vandalism, and murder. After being captured for her crimes she was put in stasis on the prison starship Purgatory, and was reawakened when Commander Shepard came to recruit her in Mass Effect 2. 

Appearance and Personality

Jack is often extremely unstable, a result of her brutal childhood at the hands of Cerberus. During her time as 'Subject Zero', Jack was routinely injected with drugs and forced to take part in extreme experiments designed to make her associate acts of violence and killing with pleasure.

As a result of this, Jack is unpredictable, crass, revels in violence and is often rude to others. She is particularly untrusting of Commander Shepard, and seemingly can't understand why the Commander shows an interest and talks to her.

Her appearance is extremely different from most in the Mass Effect universe - Jack is completely bald, and practically every inch of her skin is covered in tattoos. She also wears extremely revealing clothing, and reveals that her tattoos represent various events throughout her life - some are actually the results of experimentation, while others have been added in reference to prisons, kills or other activites Jack has been involved in.

Early Life

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At the age of just four in 2165, Jack was kidnapped by Cerberus agents from the human colony of Eden Prime. Cerberus was particularly interested in Jack's biotic abilities - as she was in the womb, Jack was subjected to a large dose of Element Zero (Eezo) which is believed to have given her extreme biotic powers.

Cerberus took the young Jack from her mother on Eden Prime. The kidnapping was covered up by explaining to Jack's mother that she was killed as a result of the eezo exposure, and afterwards she was promptly moved directly to a Cerbus facility on Pragia, where she was to be subjected to extensive physical and psychological torture.

The Illusive Man, leader of Cerberus, is shown to be particularly interested in human biotics regularly in the Mass Effect universe.  It is likely he believed Jack could be extremely useful to his plans, but the Illusive Man actually shuts down the facility where Jack is captured after discovering how horrible the experiments taking place there really are.

Pragia & Cerberus Experimentation

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Long before the events in the Mass Effect trilogy, Jack was subject to countless horrors during her time in Cerberus' Pragia facility.

The facility, which is in an area of Pragia known as Teltin, was a project designed to agressively awaken the potential in human biotics, and Jack was present at the facility with a number of other human children biotics for many years.

The project, unlike the Alliance's similar Acension Project, focused entirely on agressive, morally wrong experiments. As a result, many involved with the project were left extremely mentally unstable, including Jack herself.

Unknown to Jack, she was actually the focus of the entire project. The other children were used for experimentation purposes, and were deemed completely expendable. Any succesful biotic experiment was then applied directly to Jack, who became known as 'Subject Zero'.

She was purposefully kept away from the other children by Cerberus, who would routinely inflict both mental and physical torture on Jack to see how she reacted and test the extent of her biotic powers. One of the most frequent pyschogical tortures performed by Cerberus was to keep Jack caged up in her room, with a one-way mirror showing her outside where the other children were playing. It is believed that this torture unhinged Jack more than anything Cerberus ever did, leading her to distrust people as the children showed no interest in her.

Jack never knew until many years later that she kept captive in a sound-proof room, and the children couldn't see her through the one-way glass.

Cerberus also deliberately caused the other children to hate Subject Zero. The children would be routinely be forced to fight against Jack in arena style combat, and Cerberus injected Jack with drugs to make her associate killing with a source of pleasure during these combat rituals. 

The children of the facility soon became terrified of Cerberus and Jack, finally realising they were simply being used like lab rats. On the way to another experiment the children rebelled against the guards, using their biotic powers and damaging the facility in the process. 

The rest of the events on Pragia are sketchy, but later filled in during the events of Mass Effect 2. It is known however that Jack escaped during the riot, and years of extreme torture led her to kill practically everyone she saw on sight, finally unleashing her extreme psychotic biotic powers.

Escape & Later Life

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Jack's escape resulted in untold destruction on Pragia - she killed anything she saw before stealing a shuttle and fleeing into the nearby Dakka system.

It is known after this point that Jack was 'rescued' by another ship, but these individuals instead of saving her sold the girl into slavery, most likely on the space station Omega.

The events after this remain vague. It is known that Subject Zero, in order to distance herself from the name, took on the moniker Jack and went on over the years to take part in countless criminal activities, finally leading to her being incarcerated in the prison facility Purgatory by the Blue Suns.

While there Jack's life did not get any better - she was brutally attacked and raped by a gang of prisoners and guards. This led to Jack hunting down and murdering each and every person involved in the attack, finally resulting in the Warden of Purgatory locking her in cryostasis. The Warden hoped to sell Jack on to Cerberus or another bidder for an extreme amount of credits.

She would remain there in a cryogenic sleep until Commander Shepard appeared in Mass Effect 2 to recruit Jack for the suicide mission against the Collectors. 

Jack In Mass Effect 2

Purgatory Escape

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Jack's escape from Purgatory is made possible by Commander Shepard, who has been handed her dossier by the Illusive Man.

Shepard discovers that the Illusive Man, and Cerberus, have paid the necessary amount of credits required to secure Jack's release. However, the Warden of Purgatory, Kuril, decides that Commander Shepard is worth far more as a prisoner than Jack ever was, and sets the Blue Suns on the Commander and his/her squad.

The resulting release of Jack coupled with the fight between Shepard and the Blue Suns leads to Purgatory suffering extreme structural damage. Jack and Shepard ultimately escape the ship after lengthy fighting with the Blue Suns, and Shepard is finally able to kill Warden Kurill before fleeing the base.

There is also a possible dialog option available where Jack demands access to Cerberus' files as soon as she is on board the Normandy. Shepard can agree or refuse this option by lying, and you must have Miranda Lawson or Jacob Taylor in your party for this to happen. Either way, Jack will join Shepard on the Normandy.

It is implied through a message to Commander Shepard at a later point that Jack is not the only one to escape the facility; a mysterious prisoner known as Billy also escaped, and says:

"Hey Shepherd heard I have you to thank you for getting out of Purgatory (sent a ship to round me up, but they didn't weapons-check good enough)! I'm gonna carve your name instead of mine into my next victim as thanks, got anyone you need dead (haha)? You did take a shot at me though on my way out so I have to kill you, you know how it goes. Dad taught me that you let anybody hurt you, they get ideas so you make sure to send a message, not like I'm sending now, though! See you around, the people who live here are coming back and it's showtime! Look around for your name, I'll make sure you find it before I find you! Billy…"

The Normandy SR-2

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Once Jack is on board the Normandy, she will immediately ask for access to Cerberus' files once more. Shepard is allowed to either accept this and give Jack immediate access, or alternatively tell her to 'settle in' first.

Jack can then be found afterwards in the lowest section of the Normandy's engineering deck.  She likely chooses this spot to be as far away as possible from others on board, and whenever Commander Shepard visits she is generally suspicious of his/her motives and displays a desire to be left alone.

By conversing with Jack routinely throughout the game, Shepard can learn more about her past, gain access to her unique loyalty mission and it is also possible for a male Commander Shepard to pursue a romance with Jack.

Jack In Combat

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Jack's combat style, known in game as Subject Zero, involves her using her skills with weapons and her powerful biotic abilities.

She is proficient in the use of heavy pistols and shotguns, and is capable of using the biotic moves Shockwave, Pull and also unlocks the Warp Ammo option once her loyalty mission is succesfully completed.

Jack's unique power, Subject Zero, improves her combat efficiency, health and also her power cooldown.

Jack will also routinely shout out 'I will destroy you!' or 'I'll kill you!' during combat. It is believed this is either a reference to the human enemies of the first game which would shout this often, or instead ties in with her past on Pragia, where she was forced to kill for feelings of Euphoria.

Jack's Loyalty Mission - Return to Pragia

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By pursuing the right dialogue options and giving Jack access to Cerberus' files, Commander Shepard is eventually able to learn that Jack wants to return to Pragia.

She also reveals that she fully intends to destroy the facility. It is up the player to how they respond to this, and Shepard can remark that attacking Cerberus allies is a bad idea. This prompts Jack to reveal that the facility was decommisioned after she escaped, and the mission begins.

As the crew of Shepard, Jack and another squad member travel down to the facility via shuttle, Jack reveals a little more about the structure of the facility, and the Normandy's AI, EDI, reveals that she is detecting multiple thermal signatures throughout the complex.

The group arrives at the facility, which is seemingly deserted. Upon arrival at key points Jack will comment on her escape and time at the facility, revealing that she doesn't remember there being a large amount of containers when she fled in a biotic rage.

The group also stumble across a console, which upon activation reveals that the Cerberus group in the facility had gradually gone rogue, working outside the Illusive Man's orders.  This is why the Illusive Man shut down the facility after Jack's escape, as he wasn't pleased with the way the facility was run, presumably because he tries to protect humanity at any cost.

Jack also reveals that the first time she saw sunlight was when she escaped, glimpsing it through a skylight in the atrium.

The next major plot point is revealed by examining an old bloodstain. Here Jack will reveal that she was often pitted in arena-style battles against other children to test her biotic powers. It is also revealed that she was shocked routinely for not reacting quick enough, and that she was also injected with drugs to feel 'warm feelings' when she attacked others.

Further investigation of the facility reveals that Jack had suffered extensively as a result of being locked behind a two-way mirror in a sound-proof room. She would routinely bang on the window and shout at the children playing outside, but they would never respond and aknowledge her presence. As a result Jack suffered immense pyschological trauma.

Continuing on through the facility, Shepard and his/her crew are assulted by members of the Blood Pack, who are at the facility for unknown reasons. After fighting these off, Jack will eventually learn more about how much other children at the facility suffered by interacting with three terminals inside a room.

It is revealed that the other children at Pragia suffered just as much, if not more than Jack. Children would be routinely subjected to extreme temperatures, biotic experiments, chemicals and other horrors, all with the aim of testing out things before they could be safely applied to Jack, who they were moulding into the perfect human biotic.

The final console reveals a doctor talking about the ongoing riot which allowed Jack to escape, and his desire for Jack not to leave.

The group then move on to Jack's former cell.

Before that happens, a cutscene plays which shows a member of the Blood Pack talking to a human, Aresh Aghdashloo. Aresh is also a former member of the facility, and like Jack he escaped during the riot. After fighting through the Blood Pack, Shepard and the rest of the crew finally find Aresh inside Jack's old cell.

Aresh reveals that while Jack knew none of the kids at the facility, they all knew her. He also tells Jack that the kids feared her and were made to think of her only as Subject Zero, before he finally tells Jack that he plans to re-open the facility because he now believes all the suffering must have been for something.

At this point, several options are possible. Shepard can choose to use a paragon option to spare Aresh's life, or alternatively he/she can tell Jack to kill him by using a renegade option.

Afterwards, it is possible to stay in the facility or leave immediately. Staying allows Jack to look around her cell, and reminisce about life inside her own personal hell.

Once this is completed, Jack will return to the shuttle with Shepard. She is seen flipping the cap of a detonator up and down repeatedly and - after a nod from Shepard - presses the button and destroys the Pragia facility for good with a powerful bomb.

The mission concludes with a final argument between Miranda and Jack about the facility. Miranda tries to justify what happened, but Jack will have none of it. It is important at this point for Shepard to have high renagade/paragon abilities, as it is only possible to appease both crew members by using one of these dialogue options. If your points are not high enough, the renegade/paragon dialogues will be locked off and you may lose favour with either crew member.

Afterwards Jack will return to the engineering decks, now loyal to Shepard. An email from Cerberus is also sent, which says:

"From: Cerberus IntelCommander 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."

Romance

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If Commander Shepard is a male, it is possible for him to pursue a relationship with Jack over the course of the game.

Jack's relationship in the game is unique - it is possible to both pursue a legitimate relationship with her, or alternatively Commander Shepard and Jack can engage in casual sex, which will lock off the full relationship option.

The casual sex option comes about at one point during the game, and afterwards Jack will be cold and distant towards Shepard for the remainder of the narrative.

It is also possible to engage in this scene even if relationships are being pursued with other people.

If the player declines this option, it is then possible to pursue a Paragon relationship path with Jack that reveals a significant amount about her past and softens Jack's demeanour.

The romance with Jack requires Shepard to visit her regularly during the course of the game - making frequent trips down to the engineering Jack will both allow you to pursue this option and also unlock Jack's loyalty mission.

Although initially suspicious of Shepard's motive, Jack will gradually begin to reveal more about her past. She will eventually tell Shepard that she has been the victim of multiple people trying to take advantage of her over the course of her life, and also revealed that she once showed an emotional side when a partner stayed behind and sacrificed his life for her.

This breakdown in Jack's icy exterior eventually leads to Jack coming to visit Shepard in his cabin.  Here Jack shows a side she has never shown before - she breaks down in tears as she reveals to Shepard that he is right, she really does need someone and the two then proceed to spend the night together.

After the lovemaking ends, Jack is shown with Shepard in bed, a happy smile on her face. It is implied that Shepard has finally given Jack happiness, which she can never remember having throughout her entire life.

It is also possible for Shepard to reject Jack during this scene - if so, Jack will simply swear at Shepard every time he goes to visit her.

Death

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It is possible for Jack to die during the assault on the Collector Base, just like the rest of Shepard's crew and even Shepard him/herself.

There are multiple ways that Jack can die during the Suicide Mission - this link contains a chart that details all of the possible outcomes.

If she dies in the game, and you import your save into Mass Effect 3, Jack will not appear as a supporting character. She will however return in a different form - see below for more information.

Jack in Mass Effect 3

Grissom Acamedy

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Sometime after the events of Mass Effect 2, Jack took a job teaching biotics on the System Alliance's Grisson Academy, a facility dedicated to teaching biotics to realise their full potential.

Jack's acceptance of the job comes from two sources; the first being Commander Shepard changing her mentality and 'rubbing off' on Jack during Mass Effect 2. It is likely the second reason for accepting the job is her own horrible past, and her desire not to see other children go through what she did on Pragia inside Cerberus' similar biotic facility.

Jack changes her appearance between Mass Effect 2 and 3; she grows some of her hair back, and wears a lot more clothing. Her tattoos are still clearly visible and she still retains her punk-like style though.

Jack's new job also brings about a significant change in her personality - she is drastically more reserved, swears less and seems to care a great deal about the biotic children inside the facility.

When Cerberus attacks the facility, Jack, with the help of Commander Shepard and scientist Kahlee Sanders, is able to secure the safety of the students from kindap by Cerberus.   

Jack will then leave Shepard and stay with her students, but can still be found at other points during the game. She is not a recruitable squad member during Mass Effect 3.

Citadel/Purgatory

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After the events at Grissom Academy, Jack can eventually be found on the Citadel, inside the Purgatory Bar.

Although never referenced, Purgatory is the same name as where Jack was incarcerated in Mass Effect 2, which may lead her to the bar to resiminisce.

Jack will not appear until Cerberus has attacked the Citadel.  Her dialogue depends entirely on the decision Commander Shepard made after Grissom Academy, where he/she decided to use the biotic students either as support in the fight against the Reapers, or sent them directly to the front lines.

If the students were granted support roles, Jack will remark that they are doing extremely well and Shepard probably saved a lot of lives by doing so. If they were sent to the front lines, Jack seems surprised by the ability of her students to perform when under direct attack.

It is at this point that Jack can romanced, provided you have an imported save from Mass Effect 2 where a romance was pursued. Jack will also dance with Shepard regardless of how the events play out in Purgatory.

Earth

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If Jack is still alive in Mass Effect 3, she will appear via video link during the battle for Earth.

She tells Shepard that she is present in the battle for Earth with her students, but can't reach Shepard's location.

If romanced in the past, Jack tells Shepard to survive, declaring that 'After this is over, I'm getting laid.'

Memorial Wall

If Jack died in Mass Effect 2, her name appears on the Normandy's memorial wall.

It is easy to miss - Jack is referenced by the name Jaqueline Nought, which is known to be a name she used. It is not known whether this Jack's real full name, or merely a pseudonym.

Jack as a Phantom

You must import a Mass Effect 2 save with Jack alive for this Easter Egg. If you don't rescue Jack in Grissom Academy: Emergency Evacuation before Priority: Citadel 2 she will appear as a Phantom in Priority: Cerberus Headquarters in the Reaper Heart/Brain room. The lifebar for a Phantom will simply be renamed "Jack" and she will say "I will destroy you!"

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPJj8efNskM</youtube>

Quotes:

"Turns out, mess with someone's head enough, you can turn a scared little kid into an all powerful bitch."

"If you screw with my head, make me nod and smile at everything...I'd rather you blew my head off. Let me die as me."

"Hello, dead people."

"Fly, bitch!"

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Mass Effect 3BioWareInitial Release: Mar 6, 2012Learn moreGo to comments