Agatha was just showing off her pregnancy when Alex led her to where the Normandy had docked again on Olympus. Spike nudged into Agatha's hand to show it was ready to attack if it had to. Olympus had its drone with them, and Alex had Nick nearby, as always. Her escort group was also present, and Alex looked at her.

"You sure not the throne room?" he asked.

"I'm sure. If this one is an ally, we don't really need the intimidation effect. I mean…what do you think?" she asked back. He thought it over and realized she had a point.

"If he stabs us in the back, the next meeting will be in the throne room," he muttered. She smiled and let him rest an arm around her waist.

"There was something I wanted to tell you," she murmured softly.

"Hmm?"

"I had an odd dream recently."

"Did you?" he frowned.

"Yeah. I can't…really recall it, though. It escaped my mind the moment I woke up," she said with a touch of worry. "I thought I was imagining it."

"When was this?"

"A day or two ago. I would have mentioned it, but I had forgotten it."

"Well, most of the dreams you have that you can remember, I can glimpse. Can you bring up anything for me?" he asked gently. She thought about it, and he tried to tune in to her thoughts. "Huh. Yeah, it's…kinda fuzzy, isn't it? Had a dream like that again?"

"No. It just…disturbed me. I don't know why, but it did. Especially if I can't recall it, and it rubbed me the wrong way. If it happens again, I'll be sure to tell you," she nodded. He nodded back, kissed her forehead and looked over at Shepard walking over with the Admiral.

"Admiral Hackett, I'd like to introduce you to the Empress and Emperor of the hive mind that's been helping us on the side," John said. Hackett looked over and paused at Agatha's staggering beauty. He saw Spike and cleared his throat. Then he saw Alex's small glare from under his hood. That wisely had him come around and ease himself into a form of pleasant conversation.

"Hello! Ah…nice ship?" the man chuckled. Alex cracked a small grin. Spike sat down to show that it was being tolerable around allies. A gentle pat to its back from Agatha showed it was doing well.

"A lot more to be made, too," Agatha laughed softly in her ethereal tone. "It is a pleasure to meet you. Did you need anything to eat? Drink?"

"I'm good for now," Hackett nodded. "and I saw the footage of how the Mass Relay was eaten. I'm…speechless of it…"

"Footage?" Alex asked.

"Joker got a video of it. I have it here," John said and handed over the data pad. "You didn't know he had it?"

"No. If I did, I would have asked for it," Alex said and watched the screen with Agatha. "This is fucking awesome…!"

"Look at how the core energy almost escaped!" Agatha said with a form of delight.

"Yeah. And he caught how the segments were made, too! Nick," Alex said aloud.

"Yes, my Liege?" the drone asked.

"Make sure we bring up one of our nicest cars for him to try and drive. Or at least sit in while one of us drives it, since his legs could get easily fucked over with the slightest amount of pressure. I'm sure Olympus can make a racetrack in here," Alex grinned lightly.

"I can do that, my Emperor," the Olympus drone nodded.

"You're the ship?" Hackett asked the drone.

"I am a representation of the ship. There are other drones that will speak for me, but this primary drone I made for myself to assist with my Empress and Emperor," the drone explained.

"Do we need to put a fucking sign over your head?" Alex grunted out. The drone laughed softly and shook its head. "Anyways, yeah. Olympus ate the core of the Relay. Then it made more ships to eat the rest of it. I am curious about it eating a Reaper, though."

"If they can do that, it would be a feat of itself. But, Reapers do have their own defenses, you'd think. Relays just…help us teleport. I'm not sure what all there is to say," the Admiral confessed.

"What do you think of your colleague? The doctor?" Agatha asked him.

"She needs help," he said seriously. "Her mind is just…"

"She's indoctrinated. Maybe time away from that thing can help. Otherwise, not sure," Alex seemed to sigh. "It's hard to say with you humans."

"Whatever happened to that beacon she found?" Hackett asked.

"Hell if I know," Alex shrugged. "Why bother, if we know it's not gonna work?"

"I'd still like to make sure it's destroyed," he said.

"We don't know where it is. If we find it, we'll inform you," Agatha said calmly.

"Very well," the man sighed. "What's on your list of things to do currently?"

"My Emperor, I suggest we head over to the entertainment section. A new amusement is going to unfold. You may want to see it," Olympus's drone hinted.

"Okay. I'll bite. You want in?" Alex asked the two men.

"What is it about?" the Admiral asked a touch warily.

"The human named Harkin," the drone started.

"I'm in," Shepard grinned. At how the Commander was giving off a pleased vibe, the Admiral considerably relaxed. But, he was still unsure.

"Harkin? What did he do? I recall him vaguely…" Hackett frowned.

"He used C-Sec intel to hide other criminals," Alex smirked.

"What?!" the man gaped. This was the first time he heard about this.

"We have something new planned for him. Last time, we pushed him off a ledge for a bungee cord experiment. It worked. It's a new form of a ride," the drone said.

"Well, I have a little time to kill. Okay, let's see what's going on," the Admiral sighed. Then he was steadied when Olympus rose up the floor they were standing on. "What the hell…?!"

"Sorry. It's how we move around. We're considered an elite group. Others get to walk," Alex chuckled. He studied Agatha's belly and frowned. "Do you need to lie down yet?"

"I'm okay," she smiled and leaned into him. He nodded and gave a mild glare at Hackett's stunned look. He saw how her belly suddenly stretched out. "I'll need a different gown soon."

"This one will stretch with you for a bit. You're fine," Alex muttered. Nick had a spare two-part gown on it just in case. A hearty treat was given to Spike to placate the Hunter, and Agatha was moved to sit on its back to help rest herself. When they arrived at the seating area over a giant maze-like complex, Robert and Garrus were waiting for them.

"Alex!" Robert grinned and waved him over. "Harkin's going to become a rat in a maze."

"He's already a rat. I call this a new form of favoritism," Garrus snorted.

"You think so?" Alex grinned and had Agatha move to sit in his lap. They settled in the deluxe loveseat made completely for the two of them. Spike moved to settle in a relaxed way off to the side. The drone escort settled around the leading couple, and Kim now moved to start serving up some snacks and drinks. Other drones were moving to ensure everything was orderly and secured.

"Hypnos?" Robert asked when the King appeared with Eir.

"I had to arrive for this. Hello, Admiral. A pleasure to meet you! I am a King known as Hypnos. This is my mate and Queen, Eir. Have you come to join in on the fun?" the King chuckled. Hackett had to blink at the deep tone the King gave off. It was completely unnatural to him. At the beauty that Eir was, he had to regain himself once again.

"So, where is our little rat?" Garrus asked and accepted a couple marinated thresher slices. Hackett caught what he was starting to eat and blinked with shock that he didn't need the dextro-amino acid foods. John would have to explain why later.

"Oh, he's in a cage that Olympus set up. The moment the door opens, he'll have to run through the maze. And, yes, we have traps set up all over. Also, we do have a nice surprise for him at the end of the run. He'll get some liquor, good food and a little cash to spend. That's if we let him go," Hypnos grinned a touch wickedly. "We have video footage set up all over. We'll see everything. He won't. Also, bets are being made on if he lives or dies. I'm betting on him dying, but he's a rather resourceful thing. I'm actually having doubts."

"How much did you bet?" Alex asked.

"A thousand credits," Hypnos shrugged. "Chump change, really."

"Alex, bet ten thousand on Harkin staying alive," Agatha said.

"What? Why?" Alex frowned.

"Because even you know that assholes are hard to kill," she grinned. Now he gave her a look that had her laughing hard. Robert wisely kept his mouth shut. Garrus could only agree with her and wonder if he did the wrong bet for the guy to die.

"Are you suggesting something?" Alex asked her.

"I don't know. Am I?" she asked innocently.

"Bitch…" he growled out at her giggle. A couple tickling pokes to her side to get even were done, and he had her fully recline against him. Hackett found himself chuckling softly with John. Now Alex looked over at them and said, "Do you both plan to bet?"

"I think Agatha has the right idea," John mused. "I'll bet on Harkin living."

"As much as I oppose such things…" Hackett sighed. "He was really abusing our system?"

"I can send you the proof," Hypnos said casually.

"Fine. I won't bet, but I'll just…hope he lives," the Admiral muttered out.

"I'll give you a cut of my winnings," John chuckled. Hackett rose a brow and nodded at the idea.

"It's starting," Alex smirked. They all turned their attention to the giant screen that showed a wall of viral mucus. The moment the sheet pulled away, Harkin was there blinking his eyes from the dark cell. No one had to say anything. All he was told in the beginning was that, if he made it out alive, he would be well rewarded. He snorted, growled to himself and trudged forward.

The first five minutes went fairly well. He figured out he was in a maze, and he only scowled to himself at his new predicament. Then he encountered a dead end with a red button. It clearly said 'Do not push!' in bold, white letters over a red plaque. Of course, he pushed the button. At what was revealed when the mucus wall came away, his jaw dropped.

"Oh, fuck!" he gasped at the awakening Hunter. He bolted before it fully came aware. The only problem was that it had his scent. He was soon being chased down.

Alex was dying with laughter. Agatha was in tears. Anyone watching right now was in hysterics from Harkin scrambling for safety from the giant viral red death bearing down on him. Harkin did the only thing he could think of and slid on the ground underneath the Hunter. The monster paused with surprise and now had to force its massive bulk to turn around. The passages were pretty narrow, so it had to squeeze itself a bit to do this.

"Told you so," Agatha whispered to her mate. Alex sighed and laughed softly. They watched Harkin make it to the center of the maze, with a miraculous feat of skills from steering clear of the Hunter, and he fell to his knees out of breath. There were drones that were already drugging the monster up again to use it for another place. After he recovered, he was able to claim his refreshing meal and a slightly generous amount of credits.

Thanatos and Lelantos were livid at how they bet on the human dying. There were quite a few Kings and breeders that were feeling the pain of the losses they had to pay for. Agatha and Alex were only amused by the whole thing.

"Well, that's fifty credits that I lost," Garrus sighed.

"I'm not sure how much we gained," Agatha grinned.

"I'm glad I went with your option," John chuckled. "Seriously, though, what do we have planned for now? I mean…"

"Commander, the Illusive Man would like a private conversation with you in the Normandy's comm room," a female voice chimed in on his communicator.

"Oh! Thanks! Okay, maybe I'll get a new mission. I'll be right back. Ah, Admiral," John said, but the other man stood up to shake his hand.

"It's time for me to head out. Just send my cut of your winnings to the military distribution line. It's better used there. Keep in touch. And, I'll be taking the doctor with me," Hackett said. John nodded and got up to leave with him. Alex watched them leave and rose up with Agatha in his arms.

"Let's get you to bed," he muttered to her.

"Okay," she smiled and let him carry her off with her entourage in tow. In the conference room on the Normandy, John was given a very rare opportunity.

"One of my teams went dark while checking out a unique site. We found a dead Reaper completely intact. I'm going to put the coordinates on your map. I can't get into too much detail, but you'll know what it's for when you get there. Also, there's something that my team was supposed to get for us. The Reapers have a form of, oh, identity of friend or foe program. An IFF file that's imbedded in their programming. They were supposed to extract it to help shield the Normandy.

"This will be crucial to get through the Omega Four Relay. It may give us a chance, but we can't really put the pieces together until we find the Collector ship in action. We need to see how the program works, and we need to try and track the ship on where it actually goes. The IFF file is still crucial to grant us access, but we still need to know where the Collector ship is to follow it. That will be next on your list. I'll send EDI the intel for you as to where the IFF file was last found and documented. Oh. How are the, ah, guests that you've acquired?" the Illusive Man asked.

"Guests?" John frowned.

"The virus people," he said.

"Ah. They're fine. They've been very beneficial in getting some key missions done," John said in a cool tone. The Illusive Man seemed to have an amused look on his face.

"Good. See to it that they remain useful. I wouldn't want them to turn on us," he seemed to smirk with a rather knowing response.

"What are you getting at?" John frowned.

"Don't worry about it. Just get to that site and see what happened. Remember to get the IFF file. If we want to stop the Collectors, then we need that file," he said and closed the connection. John felt that something was up. He didn't like what his gut was telling him.

"If you know something that I don't…" John seemed to growl out to himself.

"We saw everything," a lesser drone of Kim said when it showed itself. "Our Emperor does not trust him. He is hiding something."

"When isn't he?" John sighed and shook his head.

"We are going to the coordinates he gave you. He seems to give all the instructions from another location that is not his own. Too crafty," the drone seemed to frown. "It may be a trap."

"I'm tired of bending over backwards for him. If he's not going to give me the full deal, then why the hell is he sending me off on these pointless missions?!" John asked with frustration.

"It is because he does not trust you, either. He is keeping you busy. Think about it," the drone said gently. "We shall assist you in any way we can."

"I know you will. At the same time, I just…got this vibe that he knew something about your people. That…he knew something more. Call it a hunch…"

"We shall be aware in a much more diligent fashion from your insight," the drone said seriously. "Your advice has never steered any wrong. We shall continue to work with you."

"Thanks. I have a feeling that he's starting to go down the wrong path. I don't know what to do half the time," he admitted. "He says he wants to work for humanity. But, I've seen so much wrong! And yet, all I can do is keep going."

"And we shall assist you to help clear your path," the drone nodded. He nodded back and let the drone lead him to where the main star map was. It was time to head to the location of interest.

"Interesting," Alex mused.

"Hmm?" Agatha asked while being fed a hearty thresher steak.

"This Illusive Man. I'm starting to hate him more and more," Alex growled out. "But, he did find something. A dead Reaper."

"Is that so?" Agatha blinked. "Interesting."

"We should have one of the ships try and eat it," Alex smirked.

"No," she said lightly.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I've been giving some thought on this. This thing is dead. Supposed to be. I mean…it's also been collecting a lot of memories and stuff, if what we learned about them is true. Won't it overload us? I mean…all those memories just…flooding us. You know?"

"That's a very interesting way to put something. I wonder…" Alex thought and went into the link. :Hypnos, I want your opinion on something.:

:Of course, my Emperor!: The King said quickly. Alex sent over the conversation he just had with Agatha, and Hypnos was in a deep state of thought. :Mother may be right, but we don't really know. We may be able to have a scout ship try to bite into it after we know it's safe to do so. We also don't know what form of natural armor these things have, too. The Relay was just…soft metal that survived for thousands upon thousands of years. They were designed to just sit in space and help people move around. Reapers are battle-ready ships of destruction. Like our ships, but we don't know what form of attack and defenses they have. I did have an idea, though.:

:Tell me.: Alex nodded mentally.

:We can build a massive memory bank. If we can set up several drones to be our servers, that may help cut down a lot of stress on the hive mind. I can start experimenting right now if you like.:

:Do it. I want to be prepared for anything.: Alex agreed. Then he thought out to the hive link. :We need drones to help Hypnos with an experiment. We need you all to start fucking again.:

:Wonderful!: Dionysus chimed in. :Ah, but for what?:

:I want to see what happens if we make drones that just store memories for us.: Hypnos explained.

:Ooh! That would be kinda nice.: The breeder male mused.

:My Emperor.: Cronus nudged him. :When do I start doing something major?:

:Maybe when you stop being a pain in my ass and actually attempt to contribute.: Alex snorted at the first King. :All you've ever done was bitch, moan and be a complete jackass. You want to do something? Fine. We left some old 'friends' on our main planet. Yeah, we didn't really fuck with them that much in the past, but I want to make sure they don't know what we're doing here. We've done a good job so far. We need to keep it that way. Keep track of them and report to me. Got it?:

:I can do that.: Cronus smirked and dropped from the conversation. Alex hadn't touched the group from so long ago, but it was mainly because they had dropped from his life, too, after the island was quarantined. Blackwatch. He didn't know why he was thinking about that group now, but he wanted to make sure he still didn't have to think about them again.

"Love?" Agatha asked.

"Just some…random thoughts that I may want to store away. That's all," he sighed.

"About what?"

"Oh, some stupid group that was trying to keep tabs on me. I kinda lost track of them after the island got shot down. Then you came along, and I just…kinda forgot about them," he seemed to shrug.

"And now?" she asked

"Cronus wanted to do something. I told him to keep tabs on them. He had better not get caught," he mumbled and sighed at the massage she began to give his back.

"Do we have drones with John right now?" she asked.

"Always…" he muttered and let her continue to work on his back. On the dead Reaper that was floating just alongside the dwarf star, Mnemosyne, in the Thorne system of the Hawking nebula, the Normandy had just docked alongside the massive ship. The only thing keeping it stable was the Mass Effect shield in place, but even that seemed to be rather weak. John had to go in, find out what happened, find the file he needed and get out. Fast.

"You sure you want to come along, Garrus?" John grinned.

"I'm getting bored. Sitting around on my ass all day is nice, but I need a little adventure, too," the turian chuckled. "And, before you ask, the kids are calibrating the guns as we speak."

"You good, Miranda?" John asked her.

"I'm fine," she nodded.

"Still laughing over Harkin?" Garrus asked her.

"It was the most…interesting form of entertainment I've ever seen," she said thoughtfully.

"You had a waste basket filled with wet tissues from tears," John prodded her.

"And, that will be the first and last time you will get to see that," she said evenly to get him laughing softly at her. "We need to find out what happened to this group."

"This place gives me the creeps," John muttered and secured his helmet. "I have no idea what the air is like in here. If something got to these guys…"

"Right. Let's go," Garrus nodded. When they stepped foot onto the dead Reaper, something activated. They were now trapped and unable to leave.

"Oh, hell no!" John grimaced.

"What just happened?!" Miranda gasped.

"It sounds like the shielding around this thing locked the Normandy down," Garrus frowned in his helmet. At the sound of Joker coming in to reach them, they knew it was true.

"We can't leave! We're stuck here!" Joker panicked.

"I am detecting that the core of this ship is faulty. If you can destroy it, we can escape," EDI suggested. "Also, the IFF file we need to help get through to the Omega Four Relay should also be there. Please use caution while exploring."

"No need to worry about us, EDI. But, thanks all the same," John agreed. "Okay, let's find what we need. Huh?"

"We are with you," a lesser drone of Nick said when it emerged. Two lesser drones of Kim and Eddie also appeared to help them out. "The air here is different. We can sense it."

"Is that right?" Garrus asked.

"Yes. We shall scout ahead for you," the lesser drone of Kim started before looking over at a humanoid shape suddenly running at them.

"Husks!" John hissed out, and he open fired.

"Was that one of the crew?!" Miranda asked after it died.

"I don't know. We need to tread carefully now," he said.

"What was this?" the lesser drone of Nick asked.

"A fully indoctrinated human. This is what happens when the Reapers gain full control of us," John grimaced. The drones frowned at each other before cloaking and scanning ahead. The lesser drone of Nick moved swiftly towards an idle husk and uncloaked to slash into it. Now it was surprised. Its claws did cut, but not as deep as it was used to seeing. The skin was an armored alloy. Not quite resistant to viral claws, but that just meant one thing. The husks were going to be fun to kill!

"A worthy challenge…" the lesser drone of Eddie grinned.

"The hive is pleased…" the lesser drone of Kim chuckled.

"Finish it off. Find more of them," the lesser drone of Nick muttered out. It took a bit more time, but, after the husk was neatly torn apart, the three drones looked at each other.

"I'll go back to protect our allies," the lesser drone of Kim said and bolted off.

"We will need a sample. I have it," the lesser drone of Nick said and neatly skimmed off a piece of the alloyed flesh to store away. "King Hypnos will need this for research. We will need to evolve more. Ah. Look. Once the armor is gone, the insides are weak to attack. My claws seem to have no problem here, but still a bit of resistance. Not really flesh, but a mix of metal and flesh. We will need to ensure we can remove the armor quickly. If my claws cannot do much damage as swiftly as normal, then our Emperor will need to test this, himself."

"Agreed," the other drone nodded. They rose up from the lifeless husk and moved to where another was standing in the distance. This time, they wanted to goad it into attacking them. They had to study how the husks attacked. At the sight of an electrical charge starting up, the drones grinned.

"King Lelantos will be pleased," the lesser drone of Nick chuckled, and they began to tag-team the husk with a careful game of cat and mouse.

"I think I found the file," Miranda said from where she was at a console near the middle of the ship. Garrus was still on the alert for anymore husks. From what they were reading from various video logs, the crew had definitely turned into them.

"A dreaming god…" Garrus sighed and shook his head. "What's that?!"

"More husks!" John growled and started to fire. Then two bullets strayed from nowhere and shot the enemy down. In the distance was a lone Geth warrior staring at them all.

"Shepard-Commander…" it said before quickly darting off. John was very surprised at this.

"A live Geth? Hmm. Tali won't like that…" the turian muttered.

"I am aware," John muttered. Miranda was just as surprised at this, but she continued to pull the file they needed. Once it was extracted, they had to free the Normandy from the Mass Effect trap. That meant going to the very center of the dead Reaper and disabling the weakened core.

There were more husks waiting for them, and John saw that the drones were having a bit of difficulty cutting them down. Even Garrus was surprised. This wouldn't bode well if there was a full-on attack. Luckily, it was just the turned research group. There were still quite a few of them, though.

"Tough fight?" Garrus asked.

"This enemy is unexpected. We will need to evolve to be better prepared," the lesser drone of Nick said calmly. "How do you fare?"

"I'm good, thanks," the turian said and sniped another husk dead. "Tricky bastards, aren't they?"

"They still get cut down," Miranda said and used her biotics to blast two of them away from them. At the feel of the floor shaking, she gasped.

"Our attacks are making this thing unstable! We have to remove that core now!" John growled.

"We will help clear a path," the lesser drone of Kim nodded and sped off with the other two drones. John looked at Garrus and Miranda before quickly trudging after them. When they got to the main core, they saw the Geth that helped them. It was damaged and offline.

"Tali would have a field day," Garrus chuckled.

"I know. But, let's take it back. It may have some answers for us," John said. "Let's kill the core. Quickly."

"We have a scout ship that will attempt to eat some of this vessel. We should leave before that happens," the lesser drone of Eddie advised. Two drones were already helping with the Geth. They managed to drag it out, and John covered them with his crew to keep them moving quickly. Before they left the main chamber, though, he was able to rig the ship's core to go on a timer to self-destruct. When they made it to the Normandy, they braced themselves for a quick escape.

The moment the core lost power when the self-destruct sequence initiated, a waiting viral scout ship homed in to try and bite down on one of the lifeless limbs of the derelict Reaper. The corpse was starting to get pulled in to the nearby dwarf star, and the scout ship was forced to release its prize. It couldn't bite through it. It lost several teeth instead. It couldn't even penetrate past the armor that shielded it. The small scrap that the lesser drone of Nick had from the salvaged husk would be the key to solving this problem. There was no other choice in that.

As the Normandy sped off to keep from getting pulled into the star's gravitational assault, Alex thought over everything that happened. He was wary of the Geth. He had to see what it was all about. He was also going to wait to see how it treated John first. With John being the one to see what it was all about on a peaceful standing, Alex could then be introduced as an ally. If it all worked out, then he could see where the viral hive stood on the playing field with the Geth.

*Author's Note*

Hello folks! I figured the rare notation was needed by now. First of all, I wanted to thank you all for the reviews. They definitely help, and I appreciate all the feedback that happens, both good and bad.

Yes, I know the characters are out of context on how they appear, but that's the way they started out in this fiction. I'm not going exactly with the game time-lines. If people are upset about this, well, I can't do anything about it now. It's just how the story came along. It's a fiction. Get over it! If you enjoy it, great! If not, well, some stories aren't for everyone. Not much else to say about it.

So, on this chapter, yes, I brought in the Geth way earlier than planned. I have been chatting with a few readers on the side, and I had to agree that I didn't want the viral hive to become too OP. I had to bring in a balancing act somewhere. And, yes, I'm sure many of you may have caught a subtle hint that Alex's old enemies will be making a brief appearance here and there. I have to stir up trouble, right? ^_^

Anyways, thank you all for continuing to read and support. If you have any ideas, feel free to message me! I'll answer when I can.