Note: This is the second chapter I updated in a row. Make sure you didn't skip 20 or this won't make much sense.

To her credit, Dr. Chakwas did not ask too many questions. She did, though, ask him what he expected her to be able to do.

"I don't know," Alex admitted, irritated. "But you're a doctor. Do something medicine-y and make him shut up."

She smiled, amused. "Alex, medicine doesn't work that way. And I highly doubt that any vaccines or pills of mine would be of much use to a living virus, don't you agree?"

Of course he agreed. But couldn't she just wave her omni tool and fix it? That's what she seemed to do with everyone else who had a problem. Alex had consumed enough doctors to know that traditional medicine wouldn't do shit for a voice in his head, but he really didn't have many other options.

It was this or talk to Shepard, and in his current condition he was more likely to rip her in half.

It wasn't so much that the voices gave him headaches; he was used to those. The constant throbbing was only a minor irritant compared to some of the injuries he'd taken. Pain was something he'd long since learned to ignore as unimportant.

"Pain is an illusion."

For the love of God shut up you oversized fortune cookie.

"Does Shepard ever get bothered by stuff like this? I mean, she's got a bunch of visions in her head, right?"

"You know I'm not at liberty to discuss other patients, Alex."

Which was obviously doctor-speak for Yes, but I'm not going to tell you so suck it up and ask her yourself.

Alex sighed and stood, feeling ridiculous. "Fine. I'll go talk to Shepard. Happy?"

Chakwas smiled. "Very. Good luck, Alex."

Alex just growled at her and headed for the elevator.

Shepard sunk onto the couch in relief. She felt like she hadn't sat down in years…

Her eyes began to drift shut when EDI's voice snapped her awake. "Shepard, Alex is requesting permission to enter."

Shit. Alex. She did not want to deal with him right now. The man was a walking ball of stress, and Shepard finally had a moment to herself for once.

But what if he's in trouble? What if he needs help? Shepard swore and waved her hand at the wall, her imperious way of granting him entrance.

She didn't even have to look up or open her eyes to know he'd walked in. You could never hear him when he moved, Alex was like a damn ghost, but he had a presence that made her hair stand on end and ever nerve tense in anticipation of a fight.

"Shepard," he growled. Oh good. He was in one of those moods. "I've got a Reaper in my head. Get it out."

That got her up. Her eyes snapped open and she jerked her head towards his voice, finding Alex at the top of her little steps, glaring at her as if it was her fault there was a…

Wait.

He had a what?

"You have a what?" Shepard repeated dumbly, not entirely sure she'd heard that correctly.

Alex just snarled and bristled silently. "Harbinger. He won't shut the hell up and I'm about ready to carve him out of my skull."

Shepard motioned for him to come in, worried for so many more reasons than she could count. Did Alex get Indoctrinated? Were the Reapers controlling him? What was happening? Could she stop it?

He stalked forward and leaned against the wall, ignoring the offered couch, and folded his arms. He looked very much like a caged wolf, ready to lash out at the bars and bite the hand that feeds him.

"When did this happen?" Shepard asked, trying to stay calm. Alex going on a Reaper Rampage would more than likely result in their collective murders.

"Since I consumed that Collector I could feel him knocking at the door. Guess when I modified my armor and poked around in those memories he found a way in. Now he keeps bugging me with all this fortune cookie crap and I can't get him to be quiet."

"Is he… influencing you, in any way?"

Alex just leveled a look at her that all but told her what am I, an idiot? "Well he's pissed me off. Does that count?"

It may as well. That was just as dangerous as anything else that could be happening to him at the moment.

"Look. You got the visions, right? You ever hear voices?"

Shepard heard a lot of voices, but those were the voices of ghosts better laid to rest, not Reapers. "Not like this, Alex. This is… bad. Very bad."

Alex shook his head sharply to one side, glaring murderously at the chair as if it had personally offended him, and then wiped his expression again and looked at her. Shepard shivered. Was he… talking to Harbinger? Was that what that had been?

She did not want her viral crewmember to lose what little sanity he still had.

"Well, when I first got my visions, I had Liara with me. She was able to help make sense of them, and gave me control over when they hit."

"Liara?"

"She's an asari, a Prothean expert. She melded our minds or whatever and helped me sort through it all." Shepard paused. "You know, Samara could probably help you. And if not, she might have some advice on how to calm your mind."

Alex stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. "Samara. The Justicar who wants to see me dead. You want me to open my mind to Samara. And I thought I was the crazy one…"

Shepard frowned and stood, scowling. "Look, you asked for my advice? Well there it is. Unless you've got an asari in your pocket, Samara is your best bet. If you ask her nicely, maybe she'll pretend you aren't the Beast and help out of some obligation to the Code."

"Shepard, her obligation to the Code is to kill me."

Alex tensed, glare returning to his face, and Shepard flinched. She would not want that expression leveled at her. Then he seemed to slump in defeat. "Fine. Fine. I'll… go ask Samara. Nicely. If she tries to kill me again I'm throwing her through the window, spaceship or not."

This cannot possibly end well.

This can't possibly turn out well, Alex grumbled to himself as he stalked towards the observation deck where Samara could usually be found meditating. He felt the biomass shifting beneath his skin, eager to form into claws or blades and tear apart the single possible threat on the ship, and he pushed down the temptation with the ease of two centuries' practice.

Swallowing his pride had to be the lesser of two evils here.

He had expected her to be in her usual pose, facing the big window and meditating with her back to the wall. Instead, she was already in a defensive posture before he'd even opened the door, glaring at him with biotics flared around both hands.

Well this conversation was off to an excellent start.

He held up his hands as a gesture of peace—although really that position did not put him at a disadvantage in the slightest—and raised his head enough to get most of his face out of the shadows of his hood. He couldn't make himself look innocent, but he was capable of an expression that wasn't outright murderous.

"Look, I need your help."

Samara narrowed her eyes and straightened, but the glow did not leave and Alex did not step into the room. At least the distrust was mutual. "Why would I aid the Beast? My oath to Shepard is all that stands between you and the Void from which you came."

Alex bit off the instinctive retort to that and managed to growl out, "I'm not here as the Beast. I'm here as a fellow crewmember, and I've got a Reaper in my head."

Samara paused, glow flicking out as she tilted her head in curiosity. "I am listening, Beast."

Alex lowered his hands and stuck them in his pockets, hunching his shoulders. "I went to Shepard, and she suggested I come to you. There's a voice in my head, and she said that an asari could help me block it out."

She stiffened again. "You wish me to meld with you?" It had been a long time since Alex had had that much disgust and loathing aimed in his direction. It was refreshing. "Whatever would make Shepard believe I would do such a thing?"

"Out of the goodness of your heart, maybe? No? Worth a shot." Alex shrugged and glared at the floor. "Look, I'm not asking for you to suddenly decide I'm a great guy. A favor for a favor, right? Surely you've got something you need killed or murdered in a creative way?"

Samara hesitated long enough for Alex to know that she did need something from him, but he didn't let his body language give away that he knew. He'd let the Justicar have all the time she needed to figure out whether or not to trust him.

Finally, she spoke, voice low and mistrusting. "I have been tracking a criminal, an Ardat-Yakshi. I had intended to ask Shepard for help in this matter, but… perhaps something of your unique mindset would be better suited for the task."

Alex raised an interested brow. He knew all about Ardat-Yakshis, of course. He'd never had the opportunity to consume one, though. The genetic defect that made them kill their mates during joining was highly intriguing… he wondered if Samara would let him consume the one she was hunting.

Probably not.

"Oh?"

"Yes." Samara frowned, an odd expression on an otherwise tranquil face. "If… you will aid me in this matter, then I will see what I can do to remove the influence from your mind." Then she narrowed her eyes. "This will not affect my obligation to destroy you, Beast. I must honor the Code in all things."

Alex nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, sure, whatever. So, who or what do you need me to kill?"

"I do not need you to kill, Beast. I need you to hunt."

Alex let a slow, feral grin spread across his face. Now this sounded promising.

A/N: This entire chapter rotates around that fortune cookie line. I never really spoke that much with Samara in game, so instead of the tranquil matriarchal Justicar, I've got a mildly tranquil asari with a special hatred for Alex. So, yes, yes I am taking Samara ooc a little.