Waiting. Did processor crash? Can't think. Don't know. Too quiet... What happened?
Faint scuff sound. Ah yes, breathing, filters... motors...
Friend or Foe?
Doesn't matter. Dead anyway. Magnus gone... Spark altered... Can't feel Creator... Want to offline.
Hesitant steps. Familiar. Object enters left field of vision. Human. Female. Scarred face plates. Black head strings. Blue optics. Stares.
Stare back.
Human turns head away.
"Tali?" Voice muffled. Wasn't muffled before. Damaged audio processor? Possible. What was I thinking again?
Light clicky steps. Slow, hesitant, but sure. Purple form enters vision. Unrecognizable. Shuttering optics. Still indeterminate. New being perhaps? Noting differences directly to memory. Full face visor. Filter apparatus over presumed oral area. Hood. New note: Glowing optics behind face mask. Robot, perhaps?
"Keelah... I... I... What was Cerberus building?" Filter lighting up with each word.
Familiar... Why?... Oh yeah...
Wheeljack..." Ratchet growled angrily.
Looking up at the big bot, I waved to him. His optics flickered over me and softened a bit, and I giggled as I felt several scans pass over me.
Ratchet's attention flickered back over to Uncle Jackie. "What were you thinking? Bringing a sparkling into this disaster zone you call a lab..." Uh-oh... He sounded angry. Going still, I hoped I would remain unnoticed.
"Well," Uncle Jackie began, his helm-fins lighting up with his words, "I was thinking that these readings just don't make sense, Shepard. Every program used today, even Cerberus programs and VI's, don't cause signals like this."
Shuttering optics. Ratchet and Wheeljack disappear. Human female reappears. Other being gone. New being in vision. Glowing optic. Lacking of face plates. Fatal wound in chest. Robot.
Automatic attempt to open wireless link. Failed. Attempt again. Failed. Attempt again. Self diagnostic runs instead. Wireless adapter missing.
...
...
...
What?
When?
Attempting to access memory logs. When did they take it?
Attempting to access memory logs. When? WHEN?
Attempting to access memory logs. Wait.
Command withdrawn. Re-run self diagnostic. Memory core intact. Sensory signals sending, but not recieving.
Leeching.
They're leeching my memories.
But... but... Who am I then?
"Shepard-Commander," Re-route memory commands to spark. Not as easy, but I'll know who I am. Wait, the robot just spoke. Optics darting to the robot, I stare at it and wonder if it was built using tech from me. It doesn't look like it... but I don't know that for sure.
"Find something, Legion?" The human female asks. Out of line-of-sight. When did that happen?
"Negative, we have noticed an irregularity that is similar to the heretic coding." The robot spoke, but it seemed it was looking straight at me.
"Are you saying this thing was made by the Reapers?" The filtered voice asked.
"Negative," The robot responded, "Origins cannot be verified."
"Then spit it out, Legion, what'd you find?" The human voice spoke as the human re-entered my vision, standing next to the robot in my right peripheral.
"Erratic coding has very baseline pattern that indicates nothing signifigant in most cases, but has priority in the program. Heretics had similar coding, but each Heretic had the same baseline coding that could not be changed. This robot is displaying its own unique code that is changing. Such thing is unheard of, even in the geth consensus."
The human looked at him, the area between her optics crushing together as the furry lines above her optics rose. "In english, please."
The robot finally looked away from me and looked at the human. "This robot is sentient. It is, aware."
Everything was silent as the human looked over to me. "It... knows we're here?"
"We are uncertain, but from observing the miniscule movements of its optics and the slight change in the pattern of its programming, it would be safe to say it has some level of lucidity." The robot replied.
Looking straight at me again, the human leaned over me a bit. "If you can understand me, blink once for yes, and twice for no."
Blink? Shuttering my optics once in confusion, I noted the human seemed surprised.
Looking past my field of vision, the human said to something above me, "Tali, this thing just blinked!" Oh... Shuttering. They call it 'blinking'... weird.
Some soft sounds and the re-appearance of that purple person. "What?" Looking between me and the human, she hesitated a moment, then asked hesitantly, "Can I... ask it a question?"
"Go ahead, I guess." The human stated, sounding bewildered.
Looking down at me, I focused on the purple being as it stammered, "What are... Are there... Are you sentient?"
I was surprised. The humans before always asked each other questions about me. They never asked me anything. Focusing back on the present, I blinked once, and I heard a pause in the being's breathing.
"Hey," Looking back at the human, I listened as she asked, "Did Cerberus create you?"
Cerberus? Sounds familiar, but no. My Creator was Optimus Prime, not some Mech or Femme named Cerberus. But, since I couldn't say that, I just shuttered my optics twice. The human's face scrunched up between the eyes again. Odd. "Did the Reapers build you?"
Reapers? Never even heard of them. Besides, Uncle Jack, Uncle Wave, and Ratchet helped build my sparkling shell, not some 'Reapers'. So, again, a double shutter.
Everyone was quiet again, and I didn't like the silence. This was the first conversation I had had in a long time. Albeit, I couldn't talk...
"Shepard-Commander, We have a request." The robot stated, looking at the human.
"What's it you want, Legion?" The human asked, looking at the robot.
The robot shifted on its feet before stating, "The unit is not responding to wireless pings indicating it is either missing the required hardware, or has disabled its wireless connecter. We would like to request permission to merge our programs so as to have direct communication. And answers."
Looking hesitant, the human asked, "How can you be sure this thing won't hack you instead?"
"We are not hacking." The robot spoke. "We are creating a hardline connection and requesting access. We have also created multiple firewalls and reinforced them so as to resist any hacking attempt. We only require your permission."
As the human looked between me and the robot, a strange feeling flowed through me. I was nervous, yet excited. Something that felt like a cross between dread and over-whelming joy crashed over me, and it took me a moment of sorting through my thoughts to realize what it was.
Hope.
For once in... Primus knows how long, I had hope.
The human bit her lip, and I stared at her, pleading, wanting to speak, to call for help, to be free.
Our eyes locked, and she stared, blue boring into blue. I dare not shutter, I dare not break the link. Her brow furrows again, an unasked question on her lips. Closing my optics for a long moment, then re-opening them, I see her determination, and I feel as if Primus had just given me a gift.
"Legion," The robot looks towards the human, "Do it."
