A/N: Sorry folks, I'm back to work so my updates will be a little slower. A lot of you asked for more 'synthesis', I wanted to get the dead bodies out the way first, to leave future chapters (like this one) open for more interesting things. I think this chapter will hopefully satisfy, it's longer and there's plenty of mind candy too ;)

Joker

Garrus voice rang in my ear. "Come in Joker?"

I was expecting the worst, the party just had to go out and come back empty handed, I didn't think the need for communications would arise. Pressing my finger to my comm unit I responded, hoping I wasn't going to be delivered bad news. "Reading you loud and clear." I responded, mouth dry.

"We're going to be back a little later than planned." The turian sounded apprehensive, not like I expected. There was no gun fire, explosions or the moans of a hundred angry husks- these were all positive signs.

"Understood, take your time." I wasn't keen on them coming back too early anyway, not that I'd let them know that. "Joker out."

Not a lot of cleaning had been taken up, none at all in fact since our plans were set in motion. The emergency generator, providing minor power to the Normandy, malfunctioned shortly after our 'shore party' left. While the generator wasn't strong enough to do much more then work the elevator and light the ship, without it we were plunged into darkness once more.

This would have made cleaning the ship, let alone exiting it, practically impossible, as we were all up in the med bay. Dr Chakwas had led Bethany away from the scene downstairs, Samantha and I joined them on the crew deck, but as the door to the med bay opened, something short circuited jamming the door half way open. While the lack of light would normally be a problem, apparently we'd found a way to combat that minor inconvenience- much to everyone's horror.

We stared at each other in stunned silence; I was the first to break it, unable to say much else. "Shit."

Each bit of visible flesh on our bodies had some form of glowing circuitry running through it. We looked like computer chips, just shaped like bodies and with faces, a bit different to your traditional silicone squares. We examined each other closely, from the lines and dots running over our skin to the colour of ours eyes and the looks on our faces.

I was glowing light neon green; practically invisible against my skin colour if not for the fact it was bright in the darkness. I traced my fingers traced across my arm, I still had the thick hairs, my skin was currently speckled in goosebumps, we were still human for all intents and purposes, however we were now some sort of cross-robot hybrid, or so I assumed. I couldn't feel the circuits, obviously under the surface, protected by something squishy, like my fat maybe. I had a feeling EDI was going to like this, much to everyone's dismay.

Admittedly I couldn't get my head around it, as I looked across at Samantha a 'healthy' shade of blue, Bethany purple tones and Karin a bright yellow, I wondered if I might have been dreaming, or hallucinating, losing my mind in some way.

"How do you suppose we missed this?" Samantha sounded just as shocked and confused, pinching at her skin as if she could peel away the colourful electrodes beneath it. "Nothing appears to have changed, we're still who we were... aren't we?"

Bethany spoke up, sounding like she was disgusted. "It's kinda' difficult to predict what we are now, what if the reapers did this to us? What if we did just turn into tools for their use and disposal?"

I wasn't going to let the reapers scare us again that easily. We didn't get this far just to have them invade our minds and feelings again. "When we left earth the reapers were going too- they went through the relays before they were destroyed- there's no way they could have done something like this to us while they were being attacked... Shepard did something while up on the crucible, I don't know what but it drove away the reapers and who knows... maybe it helped us?" Okay, so I wasn't really one to make the heartfelt speeches, usually I was a lot more cynical and less endearing, but I wasn't going to take it anymore. I wanted to believe Shepard was a hero, no matter what choices were made to get us to this point; I knew they had to be the right ones.

"Joker's right," I could tell the smile on Karin's face was strained as she tried to maintain a sense of calm amongst us. "Commander Shepard would do what's best for all of us, none of us knew we would end up here, neither did the commander..." She trailed off looking sad, rubbing at her upper arm as an uncomfortable silence descended. I think we were all taking a short opportunity there to acknowledge the dead and the assumed dead, maybe even our own lives that were precariously balancing between life and death. Our choices from now on were what would keep us alive, I'd like to hope we'd make the right ones, but how do you know until you see the result?

I felt the need for a conversation change, none of us were keen to continue our current train of thought, it was too painful knowing we were stuck here, unsure of the fate of the universe and our own lives. "I want you guys to stay here while I try to get the power back up and running." This might give me a chance to freak out without ladies present, I sort of felt I needed to be alone.

"I think someone should come with you." Samantha cut in; she looked to me uncertain despite the authority in her voice.

"Like a buddy system?"

"Well it is dark, you might get hurt. We don't really know what this... thing is doing to affect us, what if it's dangerous?"

"Alright, come with me Samantha. Just be aware with the power down we'll be crawling through the Normandy's maintenance shaft It's not a fun job, I've done it before."

"Why did you have to go and do a thing like that?"

I eyed Karin off, her face stark white in the glow emitting from our bodies. "I might tell you about it later."

Samantha

Okay, I'll be the first to admit it, crawling through a duct system staring at Joker's ass wasn't what I'd had in mind when I decided to accompany him. I was originally thinking I'd just keep my pistol on me (not that I'd need to use it) and he'd head outside to fiddle with some control panel in the back of the ship- I didn't realise all the brains of this thing were buried deep inside. "You know it's really annoying we couldn't just use the door..."

I could hear a hint of amusement in the man's voice. "Yeah lack of power means those doors are sealed tight, not even a Krogan could get through."

"But we were right there, you didn't tell me that all we needed to do was go into the next room!"

"Sealed tight. There's no chance we would have been able to get through, just calm down, I know the ladders here somewhere- ah... I got it, just don't fall down the hole, I don't think you'd appreciate the drop."

I crawled blindly, the glow from our bodies not strong enough to provide good visibility. Shuffling slow on hands and knees, keeping my hands out in front in deliberate movements, not wanting to topple into the hole I'd been warned against. I went to place my hand down, no metal met me and I yelped as I tipped forward, catching the ladder rung in my hand as I reached to stop myself leaning forward.

"You okay?"

"Just having a heart attack, I didn't expect the drop so soon." I squeezed into the space, stretching out as I took hold of the ladder in hand and placed my feet on solid metal. Climbing up, I couldn't help but feel suddenly claustrophobic.

"Almost there Traynor," Joker called, his voice echoing around me in the metal confines. When my fingers found purchase on flat metal and then Joker's hand, I heaved myself out, allowing him to pull me to my feet.

"So we're in?"

"This is the server room. I suppose you could call it EDI's brain but I'd rather not pass that analogy around. I had to come in here to allow her access to all her programs- make her truly AI, the collector's had come to take us and it was the only way to save the ship. I saved her, so she saved me. Maybe to help herself too, but at this stage I really don't care." I could see the circuit lines around his mouth edged upwards in a smile.

"Is that why you like her?" I found myself asking, perhaps it was slightly forward and not appropriate for the situation, we were still in the middle of a 'crisis' of sorts but I couldn't stop my mouth from talking, my brain didn't know how to tell it no.

"Uhhh... I used to consider her my mom. She was bossy, constantly tried to override my orders and was just a little transparent- she was a holographic at the time. I don't think it was until she got her body, really seemed human that I considered her as such. It's hard to consider something without a face... someone you can relate to. I'm glad I see her that way now though."

I felt like I'd asked much too personal a question but his answer was heartfelt and I couldn't imagine him having these deep feelings prior to his answer. "She's a lucky woman." I said without thinking, hoping he didn't take that the wrong way, I hoped he remembered I was a lesbian or this could get real awkward real fast. "So... time to fix her up I guess?"

"Uhh... yeah. Let's have a look here." I heard him shuffling around and come up with a datapad, he turned it on and thankfully it ran on its own power source, light shining from its holographic screen. "Okay, EDI baby, let's see what's wrong."

He clicked a few buttons on the pad, I wasn't too sure what he was getting up to, being as the pad was external to the main server. "I'm just trying to remote access her system, hopefully we can get a good idea of the damage there..."

I wasn't amazingly smart with this computer stuff, I could work programs on the system but when it came to fixing problems with the machines I was pretty hopeless. Of course even with my limited knowledge on certain subjects, I knew something suddenly wasn't right when Joker dropped the datapad to the ground. He was turning brighter, each of the lines and dots connecting along his body shone brightly the room now visible, he was yelling in shock and then went silent, completely still, his eyes bright white, unstaring. "Joker?"

Joker

I groaned and put a hand to my head, feeling my pulse beating beneath my fingers. "Where the hell am I?" This day was turning out to be a nightmare. Between the reapers, dying friends, landing on strange planets and being transformed into some sort of human-robot hybrid I was starting to feel I was in a very bad dream. I wasn't quite sure where I'd ended up but I had a good idea I was somehow inside the Normandy, no longer physically in a room but somehow in its programming.

Surrounded by grey panels, as best as I could describe the scene around me, I faced toward a large orange holographic model of the Normandy, not unlike the one in the command centre. It was see-through, revolving slowly in mid-air, most of its systems were flashing red, obviously displaying its current status, mostly shut down, practically destroyed beyond repair.

I could see I was still me, in the same body with the funny green circuits tracking alongside my veins and arteries in a similar pattern, ten fingers and ten toes. This at least provided me with reassurance, that I could get back to my body and maybe do something to fix the ship while I was in here. Of course figuring out how was the bigger problem on my mind. "Hope Samantha's alright," I imagined whatever happened would freak the poor woman out, but I had no choice but to continue forward in what I was planning on doing.

Each step I took created a new grey platform in front of me. I couldn't determine distance, or height in this strange geometric dwelling. When I reached the ships image I examined closely the breaches in its upper compartments, the hull damage, the offline systems, it may well have been too late to save. I hesitantly reached out my hand, expecting it to pass right through, but the image was solid and I could feel something like static pass up my arm as the Normandy and my circuits lit up, my whole body went rigid and I was flung from the ship as if I'd been round-house kicked in the chest.

"Breach… Breach…"

I tried to draw in breath, listening to the monotone voice somewhere out in the void, it wasn't EDI's voice, I imagined that was a bad sign. I gathered the breach must have been me, I didn't know how all this stuff worked, but EDI must have assumed I was trying to hack into her mainframe or something. I felt my chest, nothing broken and then realised I probably didn't need to breathe anyway- after all my real body would be doing that for me outside of this projection, the thought made my head hurt, I didn't like to imagine the possibilities.

"Defence systems down, unable to determine breach cause, unable to extract program. Defence system down…"

I pulled myself into a standing position, glancing back over to the flashing ships interior. I could have collapsed again, feeling my knees go weak, eyes rolling back and forth as I took in the imagine in front of me. "EDI?" I squeaked.

She looked human, more human then I'd ever seen her before. Blonde hair, blue eyes, red dress with killer heels and the most amazing set of ti- "Jeff? What are you doing inside my server?"

"This is your server? Oh, thought it was someone else's for a minute there." I was surprised I could talk, even if at this stage it was just incoherent babble. "I wish I could give you a clear answer, the emergency system shut down- we all started glowing and in an attempt to fix the ship I somehow ended up… inside you." Wow that sounded dirty.

I watched her walk over with complete fascination, with everything else going on right now I'd easily forget it just be staring at her long enough, she was my ideal woman, heels clacking, bit of thigh showing from the slit in her dress. "How come you look so… human?" I had a tendency to speak my mind, not what was important at the time.

"I am programmed to take on a familiar and well liked image; this one I believe is from 'pin up chicks'-"

"Yeah, don't worry, I don't need reminding."

"How about you Jeff, you look different, I didn't expect you to have your own circuitry. I'm unsure how to respond to this new revelation." She eyed him over, lips layered in red smiling as she eyed him over. "Green suits you."

"Thanks, I think?" He blinked his glowing eyes, still not sure if what was occurring in front of him was reality. "So, it's really you EDI? I'm really here? In your server?"

"Yes Jeff, currently I'm assisting the crew several kilometres away but I have enough power to project myself here also, I'm currently transferring all crucial data from the ship to my physical body, as a safety measure. I won't be able to assist with the power issue until I'm in a closer proximity to the area, you however may be able to resolve it on your own with my help."

"Well if you're going to kick me on my arse I won't be of much use," He warned, smiling to show he was joking. "Maybe I'll have a use for this weird new power… unless it's like I imagined and we are all human batteries now, floating in stasis pods somewhere."

"That's highly unlikely and illogical. I could not currently be in a stasis pod, so I would not currently be here."

Joker shook his head. "But you might just be a projection of what I think is real, in which case this is all a lie?"

"Let's focus on the problem shall we?"

"I'll try."

James

If someone told me that when I grew up and was a big strong soldier I'd be walking through the forest with a bunch of aliens and a robot, I'd probably laugh them out of my house. Now that it was a reality I felt the experience was far more sobering, especially when you were dragging a bunch of dead people along in the process. I was never keen on Shepard's idea to be friendly with other species, sure I'd had a dog when I was a kid but that was a pet, it didn't talk back or tell you what to do.

The wildlife around me appeared Earth-like in nature, my heart ached at the thought, even with the reapers gone the earth was currently in ruins and we were on this strange planet unable to provide aid. Being earth born and raised I was, unlike the others, feeling a little more hostile at the moment, I hoped that an animal would appear soon, I was dying to shoot something, even a lowly pyjak.

Even I knew that the others had suffered a lot. I saw Palaven, Rannoch, even Tachunka was in ruins (though long before the reaper threat), I wasn't the only one who'd lost their home, but I still felt like the only one who was man enough to do something about his feelings (the girls counted in that too).

Of course things became more interesting when we stepped into the scrap yard, Garrus remarked they looked like dreadnoughts but I was sure they were much too small. I pulled my shotgun from its holster, armoured hand clutching tight to the weapon as an uneasy feeling ran shivers down my spine. "I don't like this, too open- too many places for anything to hide."

I noticed Tali had the same thoughts as I did, holding her pistol close to her body. "Do you suppose they were sucked into the mass relays blast also?"

Garrus, always one to avoid sugar-coating assured us of the worst. "There were a lot of ships up in the sky; I'd imagine they'd all be burning shrapnel now, on one planet or another. There may be more where this came from, we should search for survivors, and anything that might help us back at the Normandy." I wasn't a fan of the way he was so negative all the time. It'd be nice for one god damn alliance ship to be up in those skies free to roam independently.

EDI quickly had her say, backed up by facts and figures. I didn't understand what Joker saw in it, I mean she looked good but she didn't really say anything I understood. "I recommend caution, these ships may be unstable and as mentioned earlier we're out in the open. The expression 'sitting ducks' comes to mind."

Garrus pulled out his sniper, surveying the area with his sight. "I don't know what a duck is, but I'd rather not be one if we're not supposed to. Just take it slow guys, no sudden movements."

We traipsed slowly through the tall grass over to the nearest ship. It was intimidating in size, we were specks in comparison to a ship of this magnitude, I felt queasy as we left our dead nearby the bay door, split up into two groups and began our search of the vessels.

EDI and I went off together, entering the main hull of the first ship. It was bright; the lights in here were like those in a surgical setting, again showing the destruction like that on the Normandy. Dead bodies, broken metal, fire and debris. It was a horror story that just got worse. "EDI?" I turned around, she was still a short distance away, stock still, I didn't know what she was doing- there was no marker to tell me if she was aware or not.

She blinked, and glanced over to look at me. "Sorry James, I was momentarily distracted by a problem at the Normandy, powers out, Jokers… assisting. I'm now focused on our mission once more. Please forgive me for allowing this to take me momentarily."

"Uh, yeah sure. As long as everything's okay?" I didn't think she could get 'distracted', I suppose she was more human like then I thought. "Well let's keep searching then." She nodded, but the look on her face was contemplating me, it made me feel I was being x-rayed, I didn't like it.

"Right behind you." She spoke; I could still feel her eyes on the back of my head as I walked. Like she knew something I didn't.

By the time all three ships had been searched our death toll was at an all-time high. Zero alive, burnt to crisps and crushed to death- he remembered learning about the powerful ships and how necessary it was to discharge their drive core before landing, obviously there was no time and the impact would have killed them before the burns did. "Unlucky sons of bitches."

The sweat poured down my face, I was starved and we'd gained nothing new but some basic human food supplies. He hoped there was more for Garrus and Tali down the track or they'd be dealing with some problems. That still left the dead bodies though, ours, not those of the other alliance vessels.

"We should leave them here among the other alliance men and women- if we were to do something with those we already have we would need to do the rest, I can't commit to such a project." Liara lowered the bodies once more, blue glow from her biotics gone, as if to prove a point. I could tell the excursion had taken its toll.

I passed out my waterskin to her and she gratefully accepted, guzzling some of the clear liquid before handing it back looking disappointed that she couldn't take more. They needed to keep some for the travels back to the Normandy, it was still hot and they were all wearing their armour, not helping them cool down much at all.

Garrus didn't look happy. "We should come back here tomorrow with something large enough to take more of the remaining cargo-" He stopped short, glancing out toward the middle of the clearing. "Get your guns out everyone, I'm hearing something…"

My shotgun was still in my hand, I gripped tighter too it, aiming it toward our right flank into the grasses. I saw the grass shifting, not from the wind but from something slinking through them, and suddenly the erratic action became more noticeable with more movement- more of whatever was stalking through the bush.

Liara went to step out to the side and I stopped her. "Don't… you'll give away our position."

I tried to keep it quiet but I didn't know if whatever was coming at us might have better hearing then we did. They were obviously low to the ground, trying to keep out of sight, it was working, none of us could get a good shot at them unless we were trying to hit into the floor.

EDI was the exception, even with her distraction, she shot her pistol and we heard a yelp, they were down one number now. Obviously being a robot had its advantages, great line of sight. A growling picked up and then whatever was in the underbrush leapt out, I felt the impact as it hit my chest, complete pandemonium broke out and I heard gun fire around me. I was staring up at some sort of hyena like creature. With its long, sharp teeth in my face I couldn't exactly get a good look at it, I just knew it had four legs, an ugly temper and at this proximity I could tell it was pulsing with the same strange glow we'd seen on the plants.

I'd lost my shotgun nearby when I'd been pounced on and it was trying to rip into my neck, I tried to clutch a hold of it at its head and shoulders, anywhere I could find purchase to fight it off me. I heard a shot above me; the creature yelped as blood splattered my face, it went limp, a bullet hole right between its eyes. I threw the creature off, found my shotgun and glanced over at Garrus who was putting his assault rifle away.

"Thanks man, what the hell was that thing?"

"I don't know but it was out for you."

Everyone else seemed to be okay; I wiped at the blood on my face and glanced down at the creatures we'd been attacked by. There were six, seven if you counted EDI's first kill, it wasn't glowing anymore, obviously death didn't take kindly to it. When I got close up to the creature I pushed back its dark fur, it was very skinny, unhealthy looking even, but I could see beneath the skin this odd circuitry that tracked through, now a dull black beneath pink flesh. Its eyes were glazed, a flat blue, no pupil, just creepy looking sclera.

My eyes roved to EDI, who was examining the creatures like I did, I had a feeling she knew better than me though. "Let's go take a look at those plants now," I suggested, not wanting to stick around this area much longer. It might help me get an idea of what EDI was so hung up on.

Again thanks for reviewing; I hope this chapter was more to your liking!