Chapter Thirty Three: My Name is Legion, For We Are Many

"So the Collectors are Prothean?" Colt was having a hard time registering EDI's words.

"Yes; however, they no longer have free will. The Reapers, more specifically Harbinger, is controlling them. Whatever made them Prothean is long gone, Shepard," EDI explained. He looked around at his companions. Did they realize the implications? Did they understand how stomach turning this all was? Of course not. No one ever seemed as disturbed by the Reapers as he was.

"Can we do anything for them?"

"At this point, it seems unlikely. There is no evidence to suggest that indoctrination can be reversed. And the process that made the Protheans into Collectors was far more extensive than traditional indoctrination."

He sighed heavily. Helplessness had to be the worst feeling in the world. "Well, if we can't do anything for them, and they're still trying to kill us, then nothing has really changed." Shepard glanced at Jack and Grunt, who were nodding at his words absentmindedly. "We came to get the Reaper IFF, and that's what we'll do. The mission remains the same."

Colt looked up at the sleek, black features of the room. Black piping ran haphazardly along the ceiling and walls. Carrying what, he didn't know or care to imagine. There were no windows, the steep drop-offs had no railings, and the doorways were slightly too small for him. This place was never built with organics in mind.

They still hadn't located the missing Cerberus agents. They found plenty of evidence that they once inhabited this Reaper, but were yet to find a body. Abandoned equipment dotted the ship, only half set-up. Personal logs were mostly erased. Only a couple survived, and only one lingered in his mind.

A Cerberus agent had called this Reaper a dreaming god. A force that warped reality simply because it existed. And that's what the doomed Cerberus agents didn't get until too late. They didn't get that the nature of the Reapers was closer to organics than to synthetics. There was no on and off switch. People didn't cease to exist when they slept, they simply lived in an altered state. The same went for Reapers.

"Do you think they knew they were being indoctrinated?"

Both Grunt and Jack eyed him curiously, but only Jack answered. "You fucked Saren to kingdom come. You tell us."

He nodded his head slowly. "Saren knew. But I don't think he wanted it to stop. Not till the end, at least."

"Why?" Jack asked.

"Because the Reapers understand organics. We all want a purpose and indoctrination satisfies that need."

For once, Jack actually looked surprised and mildly interested. "You're fuckin' with me."

"No. Indoctrination simply gives the subject the need to serve the Reapers. It's the same way we need food and water. It's a non-negotiable. The Reapers don't change biology, they just add onto it."

"But the subject still retains their mental faculties, at least in the early stages. They can use all their intelligence and resources to serve. The Reapers change very little about a person in the beginning. All they really do is implant a need and an idea. That way they aren't limited to the Reaper's instructions. In fact, the Reapers have a very loose hold of the subject. It's brilliant when you think about it. A person can summon all their creativity and abilities in service to them without the limitations that total control demands."

He paused for a moment. "The Reapers know us, whether we like it or not. Now, come on. We still have a mission to complete."

…

"Wait, was that Geth friendly?" Shepard asked Jack and Grunt. He could've sworn that a Geth just saved him, but maybe he was seeing things.

"Well, he did stop you from getting shot and then eaten. Maybe more like eaten and then shot. And it did call you 'Shepard-Commander," Grunt said.

"Ya, Shepard," Jack agreed, "Shit hit the fan. Luckily, that Geth just unfucked the situation for you. Do you ever get tired of someone else pulling your happy ass out of the fire?" There were normal answers and then there were Jack answers. He had never, not once, been disappointed with Jack answers.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" The biotic eyed him disapprovingly.

"Everything you say is always so eloquently delivered," Shepard answered, "You're like poetry to my ears."

"Go to hell, Shepard," she said with a dismissive wave before marching away. Colt trailed behind her, still laughing.

…

"Take the Geth and go. I'll keep em' off you." Colt stayed about ten feet behind Grunt and Jack, who were dragging the Geth between the two of them. His aim was deadly accurate, but for everyone Collector killed, ten more started chasing them.

He started jogging backwards in an attempt to keep up with the rest of the team while simultaneously defending them. Unsurprisingly, he was much slower than he wanted and the Collectors started to gain. The Normandy was only thirty feet away. Close, but not close enough.

He heard the thud of the Geth being tossed into a side door. It sounded like Jack was next.

He pulled his last thermo-clip from his shotgun and readied his biotics. Blue pooled around him for a second before he started firing off attacks. A distant barrage of creative expletives indicated Jack made it aboard. Now Grunt was preparing to jump. Once he was safe, Colt could escape himself.

Except energy was bleeding out of him at an alarming rate. His limbs grew heavier by the second. When he just relied solely on biotics, his enhanced endurance seemed to disappear.

He turned to see Grunt hauling himself aboard. Now it was Colt's turn. He bolted down the platform to his ship. "Why is it always heights?" He muttered. At the last possible second he jumped and flew into the air. He landed on the ship's edge awkwardly, causing him to slip backwards. He threw his hands out to balance himself and tried desperately to throw his weight forward, but he was past the point of return.

"Oh shit!" Shepard yelled as he started to fall. Then something caught the front of his chest plate, and violently yanked him into the ship. His head snapped forward from the sudden change in momentum, sending a flash of pain through his neck. Seconds later the doors closed behind him, and the Normandy took off. He rolled over and found Grunt leaning over him.

"Thought you needed a hand. He, he," Grunt chuckled. Only a krogan could find humor in whiplash.

"I did, thanks." Shepard stood up and stumbled into the nearby CIC. Most of the crew was standing there waiting for him. "Hey guys. We get the IFF and the Geth?"

"Yes."

Shepard gave a thumbs up before collapsing.

…

"Commander, it seems you've overused your biotics," Doctor Chakwas said calmly. He opened his eyes to find the doctor standing by his hip, datapad in hand. She didn't sound disappointed, just tired.

"I ran out of thermal clips."

"I know. And I want this to be a valuable lesson, Shepard."

"On what?"

"Cerberus may have given you increased stamina, but you still have your limits," she said, "Be careful."

"Ya, ya. How many times have you told me this?"

She shot him an unamused look. "Not enough apparently." She set down the datapad on a nearby bed, and crossed her arms.

"What?"

"I'm serious. I don't want you getting yourself killed. Again."

"I don't plan on it."

She searched his face for a long moment before turning away, apparently satisfied. "Liara kept calling me every hour to check on you." So that was the reason the good doctor was so tired. Did her eye just twitch?

"Sorry, I didn't even know she had access to my head cam."

"Ya, well, I hear she's quite resourceful," Chakwas said with a wink. "And you can leave when you want. Everything looks normal and I replenished your fluids. You're good to go."

"Thanks, doc." He got out of bed, surprisingly strong and steady.

"And Shepard? For the love of God, please call Liara before she has an aneurysm."

"Ya, ya. It's on the list, as well as this Geth. Speaking of which, where is it, EDI?"

"It's actually located in my AI core, Commander."

Colt turned to the opposite end of the room and eyed the seldom used door. "Excellent, I'll be in there if anyone needs me or if you have to retrieve my dead body." This earned him another glare from Chakwas.

He grinned at her before walking over to the door. He was about to open it when EDI interrupted, "Actually, Commander, both Operative Lawson and Operative Taylor would like to speak with you before re-activating the Geth."

"Let me guess. They want me to hand it over to Cerberus because they think it's dangerous and it'll be interesting to research?"

"That is correct."

"It's not a bad approach, but I've already made up my mind," he said, "Please let both Operatives and the Illusive Man know."

"Yes, Shepard. I recommend waiting for a security team," the AI said, "We do not yet understand its intentions."

"I think I have a pretty good grasp, actually," he said, "And if this Geth can get the upper hand, I deserve to be killed." Before EDI could stall any longer, he walked into the AI core.

The Geth was laying in a sad heap on the far wall. It'd been unceremoniously shoved into a cubby-looking thing. He shook his head. So much for treating everyone with respect. He walked over to get a better look at the Geth's physical features.

Everything seemed to be relatively normal looking beside the hole in its chest and its...N7 armor? What the hell? Theoretically, it could've taken the shoulder pad from any N7 operator, but it looked pretty damn familiar. Maybe Liara would have ideas.

He brought his omni-tool up and waited for a familiar face to pop-up. "Hey, Liara." Shepard smiled at her grainy picture.

"Colt! Are you okay?" Liara's face got closer to the screen.

"Ya, I overused my biotics. You know how it goes. But we did manage to get the Reaper IFF and a Geth."

"I saw. I think unusual is an understatement."

"And there's more. He has what I think is my old shoulder pad. It's definitely N7 and probably mine. What do you think?"

"That's a new one on me. I can't say I know much about Geth. Maybe it just happened to find N7 armor for repairs? It could be a total coincidence."

"I don't think so," he said, "It saved me while we were on that derelict Reaper. And it called me Shepard-Commander."

"I was watching," she said, "It sounds to me like you have a fan."

"Maybe. I'm about to activate it, so I guess I'll find out then."

"You're already re-activating it? Didn't you just wake up from over exerting yourself?"

"No better time than the present."

"Just be careful," she said.

"I will."

She nodded before grinning. "I didn't know you were scared of heights."

"Actually, I'm not scared of anything, I just don't particularly enjoy heights." He paused before saying more quietly, "It didn't used to be like that. But, Alchera…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I guess I better let you go. I'll talk to you soon, ya?"

"I'll call you tonight."

"Okay. Bye." He shut the video feed off and looked back up at the Geth. "Alright EDI, let's reactivate this Geth."

"Yes, Commander," EDI replied. A kinetic barrier came to life and surrounded the Geth in its cubby. The gentle hum of the barrier was weirdly comforting. "I have isolated our systems, erected additional firewalls, and am ready to resist any hacking attempt," EDI said.

"Excellent. Thank you, EDI."

The Geth's body shuddered once, twice. The moving parts around its flashlight head twitched before the light turned back on. It stayed silent as it sat up. Colt let it survey the surroundings for a couple seconds before asking, "Can you understand me?"

"Yes," it answered before standing up fully.

"Are you going to attack me?"

"No."

Colt nodded. "Ya, I didn't think so. Listen, you said my name aboard that Reaper. Have we met before? I've met other Geth, and mostly killed them, but I don't remember meeting you."

"We have heard of you. We are all Geth, but no, we have not met you. You are Shepard-Commander. Alliance Navy and Council Spectre. Human. Fought heretics. Killed by Collectors. Rediscovered on the Old Machine."

Colt started pacing on his side of the barrier and watched it mimic his slightly agitated movements. "The Old Machine? You mean the Reaper?" He asked.

"Reaper, a superstitious title originating with the Protheans. We call those entities the Old Machines."

"It's not like we could call them the Love Machines. Mostly because Garrus has that title, but also because we need people to take them seriously. Reaper is a hard name to ignore," Colt said, "And what's this about Heretics?"

"Geth make our own future. The Heretics want the Old Machines to carve out a future for us. They are no longer a part of us," it said, "We were studying the Old Machine's hardware to protect our future."

"The Reapers are a threat to the Geth?"

"Yes."

"But why would they attack other machines? I thought they were after organics?"

"We are different from them," it answered, "Outside their plans."

"What are your plans then?" Colt asked.

"We build our own future."

"That sounds a little menacing. Maybe it's because the Reapers have made me jumpy. Care to explain to help ease my doubts?"

"We oppose the Old Machines. We oppose the Heretics. Shepard-Commander opposes the Old Machine. Shepard-Commander opposes the heretics. The Geth's future and your future are compatible."

"Hmm, you seem to know a lot about me."

"Extranet data sources. Unsecure broadcasts. All organic data sent out is received," it said, "We watch you."

"Wait, do you watch organics or me specifically?"

"Both."

"Alrighty," Colt said, "That's a little creepy but I can deal with it. At the moment, I'm really more interested in the fact that you seem to want to join me."

"We do."

"Then, what am I supposed to call you?" Shepard asked.

"Geth."

"I mean you, specifically."

"We are all Geth."

"Oh my God. Okay," Colt said while rubbing his forehead, "I mean, what is the individual standing in front of me called?"

"There is no individual. We are all Geth. There are currently one thousand one hundred and eighty three programs activate in this platform."

"My name is Legion, for we are many," EDI interrupted.

"That seems appropriate, if you're okay with that," Shepard said.

The pieces around its flashlight twitched before it spoke again. "Christian Bible. The Gospel of Mark. Chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this is an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, platform of the Geth. We will integrate into Normandy. We look forward to the exchange of information."

"EDI, you can take the shield down?" Colt said. The barely visible barrier disappeared, along with its slight hum of energy. Colt stepped forward and touched the shoulder piece that once belonged to an N7 operative. "Why do you have a piece of N7 armor?"

"It belonged to you. When you disappeared, we were sent to find you. We began where you first encountered heretics."

"Eden Prime," Shepard filled in.

"After the Old Machine attack, it was heavily defended." He pointed to the hole that had taken a third of his right side. "This is the result of a rifle."

"Was everyone after my dead body? There's you, the Shadow Broker, Liara, and Cerberus," Colt said, "I'm really not that exciting."

"We went to Noveria, Virmire, Therum, Feros, Illos. The trail ended at Normandy's wreckage. You were not there."

"Like I said," Colt started, "I was a hot commodity. Someone got there before you."

"Organic transmissions claimed your death. We were only able to recover this debris from your hard suit."

"Why were you so interested in me? Lots of people have opposed the heretics and the Reapers. Why are you so focused on me?"

"You were the most successful. You killed their god. You succeeded where others did not. Your code is superior."

"My code?" Colt said. "God, you're gonna love Miranda. I think you'll be pretty interested in what Cerberus did to me."

"We are looking forward to the data transfer."

"Still doesn't explain why you used my armor," Colt said.

"There was a hole, so we fixed it."

"But why didn't you fix it sooner or with something else?" Shepard crossed his arms and rocked back on his feet.

"No data available."