A/N: Hey C.E.W. I have indeed heard of the Metal Gear games. I haven't had the chance to play any of them though.

22/8 2185

Evening, Captain Quarters, Normandy.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Tali raged, pacing around like a woman possessed. She was currently trying to figure out what the hell went through Mads' head in his decision making.

"Tali, please-"

"Don't. Don't try and justify your action! You have been selfish. Bringing a Geth aboard this vessel, and for what? They are the enemy of my people! They drove my people from our planet! And you bring it aboard here. Are you trying to prove a point?" Tali was furious as her pace quickened.

"Tali, hear me out-"

"How would you feel if I brought a collector on board? Would you like that? Perhaps you would take it to bed?" Tali ranted on.

"TALI!" Mads finally shouted. She stopped her pacing and looking at him. Her glowing eyes carried a look of confusion.

"I didn't bring it here just to upset you. Look, I get you have history with the Geth, that your entire people have history with them. I too would be mad if you brought a communist onboard." Mads took a pause.

"... But we need to figure what the hell is going on with it. It didn't kill us, in fact, it seemed to be after the same thing we were. If this prove fruitless, I'll be the first to throw it out." Mads explained.

"But until then, I have to take a long at it, perhaps even hear it out. Now, I know you are angry, and you have a right to be. So, let me make it up to you. Dinner, at your chosen location. How does that sound?" Mads suggested.

Tali had calmed down as Mads had explained his motive. "Fine, but one more thing."

"Name it."

"I would like to take a look at the photobook." Tali pointed to the crate stashed with all Mads' old things.

"Really?" Mads asked confused.

"Yes. You have refused me so far." She replied.

"Okay. Deal." Mads said and pulled Tali into a hug. It took a few moments for Tali to relax and hug him back.

"I forgive you." She whispered into his ear.

"Thank you." Mads whispered back.

Tali sat on the couch with Mads beside her. Her head was resting on his shoulder as she looked down at the photobook. In his lap was the photobook, opened on the first page. The first thing that greeted them was a baby picture. It was rather low quality. A date and some text were underneath it.

Mads Romanov. Hospital of St. George, St. Petersburg, Russia. 31/08/92.

The picture revealed a small baby in what Tali assumed to be his mother's arms. She noted the date. "It's from the day I was born. That's my mother right there. Lovely woman." Mads explained, and that confirmed Tali's suspicion. Tali took a quick look at the calendar that hung on Mads' wall, that revealed the current date. It wasn't long until it was his birthday again.

Mads had explained that he really didn't care about that sort of stuff anymore. That he "didn't have time for it" though Tali had done enough research on humans to know it was something that was celebrated quite often. Quite different from Quarian culture.

They moved on, saw a lot of different picture. A steady series of picture showing him and his siblings at each age. He seemed like a happy boy in all these pictures, young and pure. Untainted as he would say. Early teenage years showed him getting a bit chubby.

"It wasn't until 7th grade I realized how fat I was getting. I decided that it wasn't going to be. It's amazing how willpower can carry you through all problems." Mads remarked as he studied the pictures with her. He hadn't seen them in ages either.

Then came a series of pictures showing him in his mid to late teenage years. Usually with either a beer or a drink in his hand, and a cigarette in the other. A picture of his graduation from Business school. Then a picture of him in a military uniform.

Tali studied them all in great detail. She liked learning more about him. He spoke with great enthusiasm and pride in the old pictures. Mostly the ones about the army. There were quite a lot of him in uniform. Including one where he stood in, what Tali presumed to be, full military gear. It was with him and several others. The names were written underneath them all. One name in particular stood out. Victor Bespalov, and it rang an old bell in the back of her head.

"Is that the man who left the rifle for you?" She asked, and Mads went quiet, before he nodded silently.

"We were best friends. Sometimes he was a pain in the ass, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone else. A bit like Garrus actually." Mads remembered. Tali chuckled a bit at it.

They kept going like that for a little while.

AI room

A few hours later.

Mads stepped into the lightly dimmed room. On the table was the Geth in question. Currently disabled for their own safety. There was no telling what could happen. A million scenarios had already formed in his mind, and the worst ones had been vocalized by Tali. He would never hear the end of it if he was wrong about it all.

"You better be worth" Mads muttered to himself as studied the Geth. It appeared to be fused with some N7 armor. That will be an interesting discussion.

"Prepare for everything, Edi. I'm waking it up." Mads said.

"Understood Captain. Preparing countermeasures." The AI replied. A digital wall was put up between him and the Geth. The light turned on, and it slowly began to rise up. It studied its new surroundings, then finally settling its glance on Mads.

"What are you?" Mads asked.

"Geth." It simply replied.

"Yeah, I am aware. But so far, all the Geth I had the pleasure of meeting has tried to kill me. Humor me this, why didn't you take the shot?" Mads asked.

"That would be counter-productive to our mission." It answered.

"You said my name onboard the Reaper. How do you know my name?"

"Extranet sources, organic live feed and unreliable sources. We know of you."

"I have fought a great many Geth over the years. How come you are different?"

"You fought the heretics, who consider the old machines to be their masters."

"Heretics? Old machines?"

"Geth build their own future, the heretics asked the old machines for their future. They are no longer Geth."

"I see."

"Romanov-Captain opposes the old machines. Romanov-Captain opposes the heretics. These are mutual goals."

"You want to join the mission?"

"Yes"

Mads thought about its request. There was a small voice in the back of his head telling him what Tali might think of this. Mads didn't really care right now. This was an extra pair of hands, and it might be useful.

"Tell me, what is your name then?" Mads asked.

"Geth." It replied quickly.

"Stop being a cryptic motherfucker and answer my question. Call sign, serial number, anything?"

"There are currently 1183 active programs inside this platform. We are all Geth."

"We are legion, for we are many." Edi jumped in.

"I guess that could work. Legion. Bit weird to drag the bible into this though."

"We accept this as an appropriate metaphor. We will integrate into the Normandy."

"Dear God. This better be fucking worth it."

"Romanov-Captain?" It asked.

"Yes?" Mads asked back.

"We have learned of the Heretics location. And we acquire your help."

"Go on."

"The heretics have a central station, of which they communicate with all units. We wish to neutralize them."

"I see. And you where it is?"

"Yes."

"Okay, inform Joker about the coordination. I have only one question though." Mads said.

He kept silent, probably to tell he was listing.

"What's with the N7 armor?" Mads asked.

"We needed to repair our armor. It was critical."

"And where did you get the material?"

"We were looking for your resting place. We suffered damage, we had to repair."

"... That's my armor, isn't it?"

"No data."

Mads shook his head in disbelief. "Fucking Geth." Mads muttered as he left.

"Is Tali okay with this?" Garrus asked as they stood in the cockpit. Looking over the Geth Heretic station straight ahead.

"No. I needed to turn the charm up to 11 just to avoid getting blasted by the shotgun." Mads replied while keeping his eyes on the heretic station.

"First relationship fight? Was it tough?" Garrus asked.

"Yes, it was. She was ready to rip my head off. Could we please focus on the matter on hand?"

"There, we are closing in. They shouldn't know we are here, stealth drive is on. Unless of course... They look out the window." Joker jumped in.

"Geth do not use windows. Structural weakness." Legion replied.

Mads chuckled as Joker pulled a robotic impersonation to insult Legion. They closed in further to the hull where Legion had pointed out they could enter. Mads equipped his helmet and made sure everything was in order, this was last minute, but these things had to be in order.

They stepped upon the Geth station. Legion was quick to point out there was little gravity or air, since Geth required neither.

"Okay, let's go." Mads said as he began to go forward.

"Romanov-Captain wait!" Legion called out.

"What is it?" Mads said as he turned around.

"We have found another solution." Legion spat out.

"And what is it?" Mads asked.

"We can re-program the heretics to abandon their worship of the old machines. This is an alternative to destroying." Legion replied.

"Re-programming them? So just indoctrinate them into following your cause?" Mads asked.

"Do not think of this as an ethical issue. Geth are not organic beings, they do not think like organic beings." Legion explained.

"Still, this seems like it is in the gray area. Thoughts Garrus?" Mads asked.

"I'm with you Romanov, no matter what you choose. But I'd say kill them and be done with it. No reason to rewire their circuit board." Garrus replied.

"Didn't think this mission would turn into a moral dilemma. I'll make a decision when we get to it. What is your preferred option Legion?" Mads asked as he turned to Legion.

"Understood. We are at a crossroad, Romanov-Captain. 52% of the programs agree with reprogramming, 48% favors destruction. We will accept your decision in the matter." Legion explained.

"Okay, I need time to run it over. In the meantime, we can move further. Legion, you take point." Mads ordered.

"Acknowledged" Legion said as he equipped his rifle and rushed forward. Mads and Garrus were right on his heels.

It didn't take long for them to come across a room. Legion had been kind enough to explain that alarms were limited to the rooms, not the entire base. Should they trip the alarm, the outcome would be manageable. Hopefully, depends if they could trust this Geth. At this point, it was anyone's guess.

The snuck into the room and saw several Geth operating the terminals within. Some of them were probably doing maintenance as well. Mads gestured for them to move out and take different positions. Hopefully, they would be able to deal with these Geth in one swift blow. A generator, or whatever it was, seemed to be powering the trip sensors in the room. Mads moved over to it, and lined up a shot. Two Geth two beside it.

Mads had to hope his theory was correct. That the blast would knock out the two Geth standing beside the power outlet. But that theory relied on it actually exploding upon impact. With his fingers crossed, he fired a single shot from the AK into the power outlet. It did as it was supposed to. Exploding and disabling the trip sensors.

Legion and Garrus did their job, and they did it well. In one swift blow, the entire room was cleared. Only God knew how many rooms like this was left, and if the other rooms would turn out in their favor as well. Still, the big man could spare some of that luck... Right? It was by his will Mads was out here to begin with.

It was probably best not to hope for divine intervention at this point. This was a job best done by them solo. A lot of variables here, so many things could go wrong. And so many new discovers. Like Legion showing them the data banks for the Geth programs. All of them stored neatly, like newborn babies at a hospital.

Fuck, don't think like that. Mads thought to himself. Just makes them seem more human. None of these choices seem ethical now... It was true. This decision was a rather hard one to make. But that was because these weird thoughts seemed to be invading his brain. Screaming to think about the Geth as living beings.

Didn't matter. There was still time to think about... Until there isn't. Perhaps a rush decision would be better. He could think about it until the world ended. But he really wasn't interested in that right now.

Moving forward, they got their fair share of Geth. Each room was sort of the same, expect a slightly different layout. Mads was grateful that both Garrus and Legion seemed to know what they were doing. Well, he knew Garrus, but not Legion. Maybe Legion would be a good addition to the crew after all.

They moved through many different hallways to get to the central hub for it all. It looked like some sick tower defense mobile game from his time. Mads was quick to set up the turrets in a way that suited him the best.

"Has Romanov-Captain come to a conclusion yet?" Legion asked. Fingers ready at the control to fulfill his wish. Legion seemed to be putting quite a bit of stock into Mads as well. Feelings seemed to be mutual.

Mads looked over at Garrus, who seemed to be at a loss as well. Expecting Mads to pick up the torch. That whole feeling of being the leader was not always the easiest to deal with. His gut feelings were even divided.

"... Kill them. If they can be reprogrammed to abandon their beliefs, they can just as easily come back." Mads finally said.

"Understood Romanov-Captain." Legion affirmed and began work. "Prepare for the Heretics attack. They will investigate the breach in security."

"Garrus, take vantage point. I'll deal with these fuckers myself." Mads ordered as he equipped his shotgun.

"Got it." Garrus replied as he hurried off to get a good point.

They came in waves. It helped that they had turrets sent up, and Garrus could deliver a lot more damage from his sniping position. Maybe he even saved Mads' ass a couple of times, but Mads would never let Garrus know that. He would never shut his mouth about it.

Legion gave them updates about how far he was at regular intervals. It was nice to know they didn't have to keep this shit up forever, but as it got closer and closer to 100%, the Geth, or Heretics, stepped up their games. Throwing more numbers at the job was always a sound strategy, but only as long as their enemies actually lost people along the way.

"Romanov-Captain. The upload is done. The ship is now set to self-destruct." Legion remarked.

"Wait WHAT?" Mads yelled out.

"Yes, it is the only way to fully complete it all." Legion replied.

"I thought you just fried them all. Oh shit!" Mads began to gather up his things and make a run for it. Legion and Garrus were right behind him. And of course, the remaining Geth didn't make the escape easy for them. They tried their hardest to stop Mads, Legion and Garrus as they made a run for it. If they didn't make it out, Mads would go to whatever Robot heaven there is, and kick the shit out of Legion until the end of time.

As fate would have it, they made it. Though Mads feared he would get a verbal beating from Tali after risking his life for the wish of a Geth they barely knew. Ah, you can't always win, at least not in every regard.

Mads was not actually all that surprised to find Tali holding Legion at gunpoint. In fact, he made out a rather audible sigh at the scene in front of him. "What's the issue?" Mads asked, a bit tried after dealing with all the events of the day.

"This Geth tried to steal data from my Omni-tool! Data about the fleet! Data that could put the fleet in danger!" Tali proclaimed. Mads gave light to his cigarette.

"The Creators were performing weapons tests, and were discussing plans to attack the Geth. We believed it was a reasonable course to alert our people." Legion defended himself.

"Mads! I trust you with all my heart. I have tolerated this Geth to be here, but this is too much!" Tali said.

"Okay, stop it, both of you." Mads said, and they both looked over at him. "Tali, I understand where you are coming from, but we both know what your father did. If those subjects had been humans, I wouldn't waste a second to alert the alliance."

"I know, but if the Geth find out-" Tali began.

"They will attack, I know. Legion, look at this logically. I know you are trying to defend your people, but this bullshit will spill over and hit us all if this gets to the Geth HQ. I need both the Quarians and the Geth ready to fight the reapers." Mads explained.

"We... Understand. To show good faith, we will not transmit the data." Legion backef down. Tali slowed lowered her gun as well.

"Thank you... Legion... In return, I can offer some non-classified data for you to send." Tali offered.

"We would be very grateful to receive this." Legion replied. Mads even thought for a second that they were going to shake hands, but there was still bad blood between these two. Which was understandable.

"Okay, now that this is sorted, we can carry on." Mads remarked. "And I trust this will be the last time I hear of this?" Mads asked.

They both nodded in agreement. Mads was rather grateful for the outcome, it could have certainly gone a lot worse. Who knows? One day, they might even go beyond the point of just 'Tolerating each other'. But that remains to be seen.