Chapter 37: Hacked

Disclaimer: This author in no way profits from the writing of this story. All characters, dialogue, or other referenced material from the Mass Effect trilogy belong to BioWare.

Author's Note: This story does not necessarily follow any particular story and may not be chronologically accurate.

#

Although he didn't have a vast knowledge of or long history with cyber crime, Vadix felt like he knew just enough to be potentially dangerous. He'd never personally taken down a network of criminals' extranet identities but the turian had overheard many conversations about just such an operation. It was this eavesdropping which had given him a basic understanding of how to do shady things on the down-low.

If only his cohorts could see him now.

They deposited the leftovers from prank one back at the mess and then realized they didn't have much time left in the day. After a moment of indecision, they decided to wait until morning to proceed with their plan of attack.

While everyone was readying themselves for the start of the day shift, the duo sequestered themselves onto their bunks, tucked into the back corner of the empty cabin. Cassana watched from across the tiny aisle without a word as Vadix began to download a PLN to his omni-tool.

"So how do you know about this robot anyway?" he asked, still a bit uneasy after the previous day's events yet eager to maintain a conversation with the woman.

A glance up told him she pinked before answering. "Oh, well, when I was wandering around the ship yesterday, I went down to the shuttle bay and James showed me around. He pointed it out to me."

Vadix stared at her, brow plates drawn in, deciding whether to ask her the question that had plagued him for nearly as long as he'd known her. When he'd broached the topic before, she hadn't given him an answer.

Then she looked up and cocked her head, asking with a touch of impatience, "What?"

Shrugging, he took the plunge. It wouldn't be the most awkward thing they'd discussed before. "What does it mean when your cheeks turn a different color?"

Cassana's eyes closed in a slow blink. When she turned her gaze on him again, the man wondered if it was catching: he could have sworn his own face was heating under her scrutiny.

"It's called 'blushing'," she explained as if he were a child, understanding yet exasperated. "Depends on the person a bit, but most of the time it happens when we feel embarrassed or angry."

It was the turian's turn to cock his head. "Just now, were you embarrassed or were you angry?"

With a good-natured scowl, she answered, "A little embarrassed, if you must know."

"Oh," was all Vadix could think to say. "Well, why?"

Her eyes hardened into steel, lips settling into a disapproving line. "Don't we have better things to be doing than discussing my minor emotional distress?"

Glancing down, Vadix felt chagrined. If he were human, he'd probably be blushing right now too. "Right," he agreed quietly. The download had completed and he quickly opened it, enabling the appropriate features. "Do you remember what it looked like?"

"What what looked like?" the woman asked, lingering annoyance still apparent in her voice.

Vadix risked a look up at her. "The robot dog," he clarified. "So we can make sure we're looking at the right model."

"Oh," her mouth froze in the shape of the word. Then, after a pause, "Yes, I think I'd recognize it."

With a nod, Vadix entered a search of the extranet for 'robot dogs'. He showed the first two pictures to her, each time extending his arm into the space between them. Both times she shook her head.

When he moved to stretch the screen toward her again, the human stood, shaking her head, smiling softly. "Not very efficient," she explained briefly before sitting down next to him.

The only problem was that there wasn't much space between his body and the wall: Cassana was practically sitting on him!

At least, it felt that way at first. It was like an energy-sucking black hole, thanks to her lower internal body temperature. The turian shivered at her proximity, scooting down the bed to give himself more space.

Between the automatic heat extraction and the natural attraction he felt for her, proximity was not what he needed right now.

"You okay?" she asked, her face a mask of concern.

Nodding, Vadix rushed to reassure her. "Oh, yeah, fine, sorry. Just, you're pretty cold," he ended lamely.

"Oh," she said again, this time the corners of her mouth reaching upward. Was what I said funny? the turian wondered distractedly.

Cassana nudged him, elbow to elbow. "So, what's the next one?"

Without a word, he shoved his left arm across his body toward her, still perplexed by her reaction.

But then she shook her head and turned back to him. "Nope, not that one either."

"Hm," the man shrugged, finding the next picture. Several more negatives later, he voiced the doubt nagging at him, "You sure you remember it right?"

Body freezing, her eyes slid toward him as her head continued to face forward. The chill he felt now had nothing to do with differences in body temperature. Holding his gaze long enough to make his brow plates crinkle with humiliation, she rolled her eyes and released him from the spell. "Show me the next one," she commanded.

And he couldn't say no.

Obediently, the turian pulled up the next photo. And again his partner shook her head. "No, that one's eyes are red. The one on the ship has blue eyes." It was like she was trying to prove her point.

Vadix remained mute, showing her the subsequent picture.

"That's it!" she exclaimed, all sense of superiority lost in her excitement.

"Finally," was all he could mutter in response, dutifully pulling up the user's manual for the identified mech. "KEI-9," he murmured. "Not one I've heard of before. And not intended for combat. That's interesting."

"Why is that interesting?" Cassana asked, clearly deflated by his own lack of enthusiasm but still irrepressibly curious.

Mandibles fluttering, he responded awkwardly. "Well, I guess Commander Shepard doesn't strike me as the type to have a pet. Given that she's pretty preoccupied with all the Reaper stuff everyone on board talks about, plus any regular stuff the Alliance military has her doing. I just figured she'd only keep things that serve a greater purpose." As he spoke, the turian had looked everywhere but at the human. When he finished though, he finally turned toward her.

Again her steely gaze settled on him, but this time he didn't see censure. It was something different, something he couldn't identify.

"Do you think she would feel the same about people?" she asked softly, eyes clear, intent on some deeper meaning beyond his own understanding.

Pausing to contemplate the concept, Vadix began to nod. "I suppose so, yes. Seems like the most efficient way to lead."

Her question was almost immediate, a fraction of a second linking his answer to her response. "Is that how you would lead?"

This was delving into unfamiliar territory, and the man lifted his shoulders twice before standing up. He didn't want to think about his own psyche, let alone have this intrusive human analyze him. "I don't know," he finally replied. "I've never had the luxury of turning anyone away simply because they were inefficient, or because they didn't add anything of value to my life."

But she wouldn't leave it alone, of course. "What do you mean?" Cassana queried as she stood next to him, a full head shorter.

Staring down at the inquisitive woman, Vadix wondered why this was something she cared to know about. What deductions would she draw from his response?

When he couldn't answer his own question, he answered hers. "Besides my parents, no one has ever wanted to be in my life," he explained honestly. "No need to filter out friends who don't add to the quality of one's life when one doesn't have any to begin with."

She held his gaze like a lifeline, looking at him like he could save her from some unseen tempest raging within her. Somehow the moment felt sacred, like any more words would taint the experience.

Feeling the need to draw her in, to protect Cassana, the turian started to reach for her arm, her hand, her shoulder—anything to bind them to each other, to anchor her to him. Right then, it felt like they could weather any storm as long as they did it together.

The cabin door rolled open and they were assaulted by a tumult of voices, so many chattering at once it seemed the entire crew had entered at the same time.

Cassana looked away from him, toward the new arrivals, any clues as to her internal dialogue replaced by an expression of excitement.

But as Vadix continued to watch her face, he would have sworn the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Come on," she urged under her breath, breaking his concentration. "James and Steve are both here, which means the cargo bay will probably be empty—the perfect time to strike!"

Again the turian nodded in mute acceptance, following her eager steps out of the crew's quarters and away from the newest strangers in his life.

#

"Are you done yet?" Cass asked for not the first time.

This time she heard her partner growl—he actually growled!

"Still no," he ground out. "And every time you ask, it sets me back because I have to find my place again—not helpful."

A pout slipped onto her lips. "I'm just worried that someone will come down while we're 'up to no good'," she finished with a smile.

Vadix took a deep breath and held it several seconds before responding. After he exhaled, he replied, "Then why don't you go back upstairs and keep them busy?"

"Who?" she asked, remembering the flood of people who had interrupted a rather private moment. Granted, Cass told herself, they had been in a public place after all.

Again the turian huffed then turned to glare at her. "The two marines who are usually down here would be a good start. You know them already, don't you?"

He continued scrolling on his omni-tool, tapping every once in a while as he read the owner's manual for the dog mech patrolling the perimeter of the bay. The woman watched him, his expression intent despite the mundane nature of the content.

What he suggested was a good idea, she had to admit. It would certainly be more beneficial than her current activity of standing over his shoulder. But, when it came down to it, Cass also had to admit that she would rather spend time with Vadix than with anyone else on this ship.

Maybe with anyone anywhere.

Not because she was in love with him, of course. It was simply because he was the one person who didn't seem to want something from her, the one person with whom she could be herself and be comfortable at the same time. Even if doing so had a tendency to make him uncomfortable.

"Well?"

His verbal prompting made her jump. "Oh, well, if you insist," she muttered, turning back toward the elevator. The human felt like she'd been scolded.

Scowling, she arrived at the middle floor and slumped into the crew's cabin. The beefy marine caught her gaze and waved her over. Pretending like she hadn't a care in the world, she forced a smile at the two men chatting amicably.

"Hey, linda," James winked at her.

His friend rolled his eyes, turning to Cass, "I don't know why he thinks speaking Spanglish is going to give him an edge with the ladies. You've gotta help me convince him to stop."

Now the woman really did smile: banter was something she always welcomed. "Oh, I don't know. It's definitely not hurting his chances."

"See, Cortez?" the first man crowed. "You're the only one who thinks it doesn't work."

Holding up her hands, Cass interrupted, "Whoa there, I didn't say it did work; I only said it wasn't a detriment."

The darker-skinned man crossed his arms, looking smug. "See, I told you, Vega. And don't you forget it. Besides, this lady isn't into your type," Steve continued, gesturing at Cass.

Both conversationalists looked askance at this statement.

"What is her type?"

"What is my type?"

They asked in near-perfect unison, then grinned at each other.

Cortez sighed, like it should have been self-explanatory. "This intelligent and beautiful woman, like many others, doesn't want someone to woo and impress her. Oh, she may on occasion think she does, and her suitors may often think she does, but what she really wants is someone who both appreciates and challenges her—in all aspects of their partnership." He ended with a wink, laughter sparkling in his eyes.

Raising an eyebrow, Cass wondered at this assessment. For having spent so little time with her, she thought the marine might have nailed her.

James, for his part, was not to be intimidated or put off. "You think I couldn't challenge her? That I don't appreciate her?"

Her other eyebrow joined the fray, surprised at James' passionate response.

"Calm down," Steve placated his friend. "That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that you're going about it wrong, that's all. You don't need to show off to get her attention; you just need to spend time with her, get to know her and let her get to know you. With time, maybe something will blossom. That's how it happened for me and my husband." Here he paused with a soft smile tinged with sadness, like the wilted edges of an aging flower. Then he seemed to shake his head slightly, like shaking off a memory, and continued. "And I'd bet that's how it happened with our newest crew members."

Now Cass sucked in a breath, unsure if the man had just insinuated what she thought.

Lieutenant Vega asked the question aloud, confirming her suspicions as he voiced his own. At least he directed the query at her, instead of speaking about Cass like she wasn't even present. "Wait. Are you with the turian?"

Quickly the woman shook her head, denying the claim as she tried to deny her own feelings, desires, wishes. "Oh no, no, nothing like that. We're not together like that. Vadix and I are just friends, work partners, colleagues, practically."

Steve raised an eyebrow at her as James slowly nodded, seeming to accept her denial as he stared at the space between the other two. Cass sent a pleading glance at the pilot who seemed to see and understand more than the casual observer.

"Am I interrupting?"

Her momentary distress stuttered and then jumped exponentially: Vadix. How much had he heard? With her back to the entryway, Cass had no indication of how long the turian had been in the room. She turned to face him, bracing for the worst.

She saw no emotion on her friend's face.

It would have been better if he had expressed anything at all.

Fearing a confrontation, the woman raced to end the conversation. "You're back!" she exclaimed with overt enthusiasm. "Let's go then. We've got so much to do." Knowing she lacked the strength to move the massive alien if he had no wish to leave just yet, Cass grabbed his arm and tried to yank him back with her toward the door.

She breathed more easily when he followed without resistance. "How did it go?" she whispered as they strode into the elevator—she had no idea where she was going other than 'away'.

Vadix looked sideways at her before responding. "Fine. Just changed a couple settings, so it wasn't difficult."

"Then why did you take so long reading the manual?"

The man snorted a short laugh, surprising her. "Because I didn't want to accidentally maim or kill anyone. It's a practical joke, not an inside job."

Mouth dropping open at his humor, she continued to stare at her strange partner. "I didn't even realize that was an option."

With a shrug, Vadix answered, "I wasn't going to take any chances that it was."

"Okay," Cass replied slowly, unsure about his chipper demeanor. She would have bet all of her credits that he had been incensed by her conversation with James and Steve, meager a sum though it may be. "So are we ready for phase three?"

"Once we iron out the details of how to rig the device, we'll be all systems go."

"Great."

A moment passed in silence as they watched the inside of the elevator door.

Then Vadix said hesitantly, "Is this thing even moving?"

Slapping the heel of her hand to her forehead, Cass remembered. "Shit, no. I wasn't sure where we were going; I just wanted to get out of there as fast as possible. Which level?"

Her hand hovered over the unobtrusive buttons and she turned to look at Vadix. The turian was watching her intently, a question in his eyes. But he answered, "Four. We can brainstorm in the cargo bay. I can't imagine we would be in anyone's way there."

"Okay," the human murmured, pondering what had been left unsaid, unasked.

When the doors slid open, they walked in silence down the hall and down the stairs. They took up residence on a couple of crates, each contemplative with their own thoughts.

"The first big question is what could we use to make a loud noise," Vadix stated after several minutes.

"What do you mean?" Cass blushed, knowing she had not been thinking about their assignment. She hoped it was dim enough that the color change would go unnoticed.

The turian jumped down from his seat and began pacing. "Well, the idea is to strap a contraption to the seat so that when he sits in it, something loud and obnoxious will sound. It'll scare him but it won't be dangerous. The only problem—or at least, the main one—is that we're limited to what we can scrounge up on the ship. I don't know what exists, let alone what we could use."

"Mm, yes, that does present an issue," she agreed, gathering her errant thoughts to focus on the task at hand.

The silence stretched as the pair wracked their brains for ideas.

Finally, Vadix paused in his journeys back and forth, glancing up at the woman when he asked, "Anything?"

Cass shook her head, "No." After a moment she added with a smirk, "Not a very productive brainstorm, is it?"

With mandibles spreading slowly, her friend agreed, "No, it's really not."

"If I may," came the voice of the ship's AI, "this is probably for the best. Your stalled plan will have to be archived."

"What? Why?" Cass cried, disappointment seeping into her tone. Then another thought struck her. "Wait, is your body physically here, or are you just talking through the walls or something?" It was still such an odd notion that EDI could be everywhere while in one spot too.

"The latter option, Cass. And the reason for this intervention is that, while your proposed prank is not inherently risky, it would likely have adverse consequences for Jeff due to a medical condition, which is something I simply cannot allow."