Salvation
Chapter 8
By Nan00k
Progression with the AIs leads to some awkward human moments. But then just when the bureaucracy is making sense (sort of), Ada realizes something about Sigma… something that changes the game for both of them.
Only three chapters after this one, and then we're onto the sequel!
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Warnings: original characters, violence, foul language, mentions of torture, alternate-universe story line after season 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Halo (© Bungie) nor do I own Red vs. Blue (© Rooster Teeth Productions). The original characters were created for the purpose of this story.
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"Now…" Livingston looked up at the taller man and fixed him with a firm look. "How are we going to handle this?"
"Calmly."
"Right. And if they start to get agitated?"
"I get the heck out of dodge."
"Right."
Iowa grinned fearlessly. "Baby steps," he promised. Livingston sighed before motioning him past her into the containment check room.
She had no idea why she caved, but after Iowa, Okafor and two of their colleagues all started in on her at the same time, Livingston decided that maybe, she couldn't afford not to introduce Iowa to the AIs.
It had seemed insane to even suggest having him attempt contact with them after their disastrous first attempt, but Livingston was won over by the threat of the Committee inspection in three weeks.
Iowa was an ex-Freelancer, and he still wore their armor. That's why the AIs were afraid of him. However, they were going to be surrounded by UNSC-drafted Freelancers at the time of the inspection, due to concerns over some of the AIs (namely Omega and Sigma). They needed to understand that those soldiers weren't there to hurt them. So instead of just dumping them into the situation without preparing them, Ada realized that perhaps Iowa was a good guinea pig for getting them to trust that the Freelancers were at least not trying to kill them on sight. He readily agreed to do it, wanting in some way to redeem himself, Livingston supposed.
This time, of course, she had warned the AIs beforehand. It took over a week to get them to listen to reason and to agree to the meeting. Tau and Gamma still didn't want to, so Ada let them hang back until they felt more confident. Some of them, like Church, Sigma and Delta were obviously curious over Iowa's intentions. Zeta grudgingly agreed to meet Iowa, after Ada insisted she trusted him.
"Only because he's your friend," the yellow AI had mumbled.
So, after a week of prepping them emotionally, and two weeks before they were scheduled to meet with the Committee, Ada let Iowa come back into the lab, wearing ordinary fatigues instead of a Freelancer suit.
The change of clothing probably helped, but the two figures waiting for them on the holodeck were clearly edgy as Ada led the ex-Freelancer toward them. No screaming yet, at least…
"Zeta, Sigma, this is Agent Iowa," Livingston began carefully, motioning toward the Freelancer who slowed down and stood a decent way away from the AIs, clearly nervous. She looked back at him. "Iowa?"
Taking that as his cue, Iowa moved up to the holodeck and beamed at the two wary AIs. "Hi!" the human said cheerfully. "I know we got off on the wrong foot the other day, but I'm glad you're giving me another chance."
Zeta stared back at the brown haired man, his holographic form glowing lightly.
"…Hello," the AI said at length.
"You're Zeta, right? You're bigger than I thought you'd be," Iowa said. He crouched down and nodded respectfully toward Sigma. "And you must be Sigma. Pleasure to meet you, ma'am."
The pink AI seemed to flare a bit visually. "Oh, I like him," she said, abruptly pleased. Livingston smiled; at least Sigma was easy when treated right. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Agent Iowa."
Introducing the others to Iowa—who was surprisingly patient and willing to go as slowly as the AIs needed—was interesting. Theta refused to go unless Sigma and Beta were both there, but was too scared to move closer to Iowa than the width of the table. Lambda was equally skittish but was visibly drawn toward the ex-Freelancer's bolder personality after a few conversations.
Zeta was quickly sold on being friends with Iowa after their first meeting, and anytime Iowa wasn't there, he'd ask about him. Ada was pleased by that, and so was Iowa, who also seemed to be taken by the childlike AI.
"I like kids, what can I say?" he said with a laugh.
O'Malley and Beta were naturally not having any of the friendly exchanges, but Iowa was patient. His calm approach definitely earned him mild interest from Gamma and Church as they tried to figure him out from a distance.
Delta was also very wary. He only responded to polite exchanges with Iowa, though he had thankfully returned to a more positive response to Livingston's questions or prompts. Livingston wasn't sure if he just didn't trust Iowa, or if he didn't like the agent. It could be both, she also reasoned. At least he wasn't muttered darkly or snarking at Iowa, like the more aggressive AIs would.
Iowa, of course, was a friendly person, and knew how to work people. Livingston had to remind him to be careful about pushing it with the more sensitive ones, but Iowa seemed to pick up quickly when to leave a temperamental AI alone. He also avoided talking to O'Malley, but that was mostly due to his own feelings toward the aggressive AI, who was pleased to be left alone.
For the others who were slower to approach him, Iowa was keen on getting them to like him as well. And as Ada watched them, she realized just how skilled Iowa was at manipulating them into conversing with him… perhaps even better than she or the other doctors were.
"I knew your handler," Iowa said, as he obliged Zeta in playing Go Fish; he had to move Zeta's cards for him. "Wyoming, right?"
Gamma hovered expressionlessly. "Affirmative."
"Kinda weird, always had a crazy mustache," Iowa said, motioning at his face. He grinned, however. "But he knew some cool jokes."
"Jokes!" Gamma suddenly grew brighter and, all at once, left O'Malley's camp of the Silent Treatment and was intent on talking with the ex-Freelancer before them. "Knock, knock."
"Who's there?" Iowa replied without missing a beat.
"Oh, God," Livingston murmured, burying her head into her hands, laughing as a storm of bad jokes broke out.
For all of his silliness and extemporaneous personality, Iowa was a people person and he was helping. The AIs, even the ones who would never admit it (like O'Malley), enjoyed new things. The monotony of the lab must have been draining to most of them. Having Iowa around as a new human to interact with was a nice treat, and it was creating positive results in the AIs' willingness to speak about their pasts and to the doctors. Ada considered the experiment a success.
…Except, of course, for Iowa's habit of stirring things up a tad too much.
She had luckily run into Okafor before going into the lab, so she had some degree of warning when she spotted Iowa, again suitless, sitting alone in the lab talking with her patients. It was only Delta, Sigma, and Zeta, but Iowa was keenly talking with Zeta and hadn't seen Livingston walk up.
"…and then we went to the park, but Ally got sick on the rides so we had to go home early. Her momma got real mad, but we laughed about it later since Ally told everyone she didn't get sick," Zeta was telling the oblivious ex-Freelancer leaning on the holodeck.
"I didn't know you guys had theme parks," Iowa replied, chin resting on his arms since he was sitting at eyelevel with the AI.
"Earth has lots of rides, but I think they're all gone now because of the war with the scary aliens," Zeta told him confidently. He perked up when he saw Livingston at the door. "Ada!"
Clearing her throat, Livingston walked further in. "Good morning…" She frowned slightly when Iowa finally stood up, the man looking rightfully unsure of her. "Iowa, why are you in here?"
Protocol for his visits said he had to wait for her to show up. Iowa quickly held his hands up in defense. "Bobby said I could!" he said.
Livingston frowned, knowing that was the truth; Okafor had told her he had let Iowa in only about ten minutes ago, so no harm was done as far as she was concerned. "I know he did. Why, though?"
Iowa hesitated. "Because…" He looked down at her chair, prompting her to look down as well.
Blinking, Livingston tried to rationalize seeing what looked like a bundle of dried, dead plant life lying on her usual chair. They were on a space ship, in space. Where had the plants come from? It only occurred to her then that they were dried flowers. Even more peculiar.
"What are these for?" she asked, reaching to pick them up. Dried, purple flowers. She looked pointedly over at Iowa, her frown much deeper.
Iowa laughed. "What? What makes you think I gave them to you?" he demanded, arrogant.
Livingston narrowed her eyes. "Iowa." She hated it when he was cheeky.
Luckily, his teasing ended quickly. "Actually, it's Zeta's present, actually," he told her. He motioned a thumbs-up at the bouncing yellow AI next to him. "Good thinking, little dude." Zeta preened.
Looking down at the flowers in her hand, Livingston struggled and failed to come up with a reason how they were there, or why they were there.
"…Thank you, Zeta. But why?" she asked, looking at the AI in confusion. Delta and Sigma were unhelpfully silent; she didn't quite trust Sigma's little smile.
Zeta was practically dancing on his feet now. "Iowa said it was Mother's Day!" he exclaimed, the statement bursting forth as if it explained everything.
The declaration did catch her by surprise. Livingston stared at him speechlessly and the flowers in her hands crackled in her grasp.
"…oh." Swallowing, Ada wasn't sure what to say. "I'm not…"
"You're like a mom. That's what Alpha kept saying," Zeta replied, cheerful. "I don't know what moms are like, but you're nice. Mom's are supposed to be nice!"
Having patients connect with her on an emotion level was not a new thing to her. She had rarely dealt with children in her career, however, so she had never expected to run into… this.
Did the AIs even understand parental relations? Some, like Sigma and O'Malley, mockingly called the Director their father. Were they only talking about on a social level? Or did they understand the powerful connections between a child and its parent?
His betrayal would have been worse, then, she realized, if they had loved him as a child did a parent. Livingston held back a wave of unease when she realized this.
"…Thank you," she said, knowing she was not up to discuss this with them. Zeta's happiness made it hard to tell herself that she would have to sit down with him at some point to make sure he understood why he couldn't place that sort of emotional connection on her. It wasn't proper between doctor and patient. She turned to Iowa, who seemed ignorant to the problems in the whole situation. "They're very pretty, Zeta. Where did Iowa get them?"
Iowa chuckled. "Private Henderson kept some freeze dried from his mom's garden back on Larus IX or something," he admitted. "Traded some magazines and a few favors, but hey, Zeta was pretty insistent on getting some kinda plant life."
Zeta glowed brighter. Ada couldn't help but smile at him.
"I appreciate it," she said, meaning it. She looked down at the flowers, and while they were musty and old, knew they meant a lot to the AI.
It wasn't fair to them, to have lost so much. For them to attach value to other people, humans particularly, was a difficult thing. Maybe she shouldn't talk to him about refraining from imprinting on her in a familial way. At least, not for a little while.
Iowa stretched. "I'll get going. I know you guys have more to talk about because of the inspection next week." He waved down at the holodeck. "See ya, guys, Sigma."
"Bye, Jason!" Zeta said, waving emphatically. Sigma and Delta merely nodded politely.
As she stood back to let Iowa pass, Livingston smiled at him. "Thank you for helping." Rarely did the AIs get to impact their environment, or the people there. O'Malley would have wanted a negative impact, but obliging Zeta's gentler requests were always good for his morale.
"Not a prob," Iowa replied, stopping in front of her. He cleared his throat and seemed to shift on his feet. "Ah…"
Livingston had expected him to say goodbye and go to the door to leave.
She hadn't expected him to lean forward as if to kiss her.
It was surprised instinct that made her flinch back before he could. That left the empty air between them cold—a void.
There was quiet; not entirely silence, since she could hear him breathing and the sound of the holodeck faintly hissing. She was trapped standing there, however, her eyes only on Iowa's, which were wide with surprise.
"…Iowa," Livingston said, not sure if she was reprimanding or… something else.
The vague uncertainty on the ex-Freelancer's face gradually faded into something far tenser. Livingston felt smaller under that gaze. It made her feel uncomfortable.
…Not to mention the fact she had three very intense gazes now piercing into her back as well. Oh, dear.
This was a bad time. And a bad place.
Iowa took a second longer before he leaned backwards, away from her. "Sorry." He laughed and coughed loudly. Embarrassed. He stepped back from her, ending the awkward intensity between them. "Ha… I don't know what the hell that was. Sorry."
"No… I just…" She cleared her throat stiffly. She tried to avoid glancing to the side where their audience was. "A bit unprofessional, maybe."
Iowa seemed to take that into consideration. "Yeah…" Stiff-limbed, he turned and edged his way toward the door. "I'll just, ah, take a walk of shame."
Livingston took a deep breath, now upset herself. "Iowa…"
The ex-Freelancer held up a meek hand requesting a dismissal, so she watched as he made his way to the exit with hunched shoulders and forced calm expression. The door closed behind him quietly.
Well, that had been rather unexpected. Livingston was too surprised to think about what she should have done, knowing it had not been that.
Tilting her head, Sigma considered the closed door, as did the others. "…He likes you," she stated simply. As if she understood human concepts of "liking."
Frowning, Livingston watch the door, not exactly sure how to react. "I guess."
"Is that bad?" Zeta asked, sounding concerned.
"I don't know." She had never been good with men before. Then again… she had to remember who Iowa had been, not necessarily what she wanted to believe he was now. She turned and stared down at the AIs. "Never trust Freelancers, right?"
"Correct." Delta sounded amused. "You are learning."
Ada raised the flowers to her nose. "Hmm."
0000
The lab was sparkling by the last day before the Committee's inspection. The Chairman had been insistent on making sure everything aesthetic was flawless, because he knew just as much as everyone else involved did that the actual presentation of the AIs was not going to be, well, flawless. Livingston didn't argue with the frantic cleaning or the doubts. She had plenty of doubts over the success of the meeting the next day.
She could have lived without the near apocalyptic response of security, however. She understood it, yes, but it was… frustrating.
All of the normal security they had around the lab was amped up. There was an electromagnetic field running around the entire base of the room now, sure to fry any AI who tried to leave the barrier in any form. They weren't even going to be allowed to use the holodeck, which was "too open." The AI were going to be transferred into solo containment units with enough locks that Okafor called it, "overkill."
It was all demanded, however. The Committee would be in the room, since the Chairman had dismissed the idea of observing through the observation deck.
"I want to see these AI up close," he told her and the other doctors. "We want to see actual improvement, not something through slate glass."
They'd get their wish, as much as it was dangerous. It had prompted a reaction from the UNSC security director, and well…
Livingston was furious to say the least about the idea of more Freelancers moving around freely in the lab, or rather, anywhere near the AI. The fact that they would be on board the Falcon was… was…
Iowa had reassured her it was because the Director was going to be there. Which had, of course, made her anger blow up into a rage. But he wasn't there for the AI presentation. He was there because he had to meet with the Committee for part of his sentencing. Papers, filings—all of it nonsense to Livingston. The extra Freelancers were supposed to be on loan to the UNSC security forces for the presentation.
Livingston was not pleased. At all. None of the doctors were, or the tech staff. Even Iowa was visibly irritated by the seven new Freelancers on board. He promised her that they were all under UNSC orders, not the Director's, but that did little to curb anxieties running high in the labs and around the ship overall. Everyone knew it was wrong for them to be there. But there was nothing they could do. It was, of course, bureaucratic. Livingston hated it even more.
It was a difficult choice, but the Committee and the rehabilitation team decided to not reveal to the AIs that the Director was on board the ship. It was just too traumatic and it would make all of the AIs panic unnecessarily. The Director wasn't going to be anywhere near the labs; Livingston would steal Iowa's gun and shoot the man dead first. She was vaguely certain Iowa would help her, too.
But there could only be one massive secret kept. The ex-Freelancers running around were not going to be hidden from sight. Livingston, along with her colleagues, warned the AI about it. None of them were happy, but thankfully, the careful working with Iowa had been some help. Only Tau had panicked for longer than an hour. Beta and O'Malley were riled, but Sigma and Delta were working on getting them to behave long enough to pass inspection.
Standing alone in the lab, Livingston dwelt on the challenge before them. The inspection. The Freelancers. The AI themselves. She wasn't alone in handling this. She had her colleagues, Iowa…
She wasn't alone, and she was grateful for it.
"It's not exactly protocol, but I wanted to let you in on what's happened tomorrow, so you can tell the boys about it calmly," she said, turning to the holodeck.
Glowing bright pink against a dimly lit sea of shadows, Sigma smiled. "Certainly. We're going to be shown to the Oversight Sub-Committee and their Chairman," she said primly.
Having Sigma in on the planning process was, of course, more dangerous than most. But Livingston knew they were a little desperate for cooperation. Sigma had a great deal of control over the other AI. Even Church listened to her (with much sarcasm in between.) It was dangerous, that much power. But for now, Livingston knew Sigma knew the gravity of the situation. She knew they had to behave. Because of that, Livingston felt confident in counting on Sigma's help.
"Yes." Livingston pointed around the room, knowing the AI was watching, cataloguing, perhaps planning. It was irrelevant, since nothing electronic could escape the room. Sigma knew that. "Now, the security had been updated tremendously. One would think we were in one of those politician's fancy little bunkers… at any rate, I know I can't count on O'Malley or Gamma behaving, but the additional security might help to negate their antics in the Committee's eyes. They are predominately civilians, I've been told, but there are a few old military commanders who might not tolerate it for long. What do you think?"
Head tilted away, Sigma made a humming noise. "About what?"
Frowning, Livingston looked at the AI. "Were you listening to me?" she asked, a little surprised. Normally, Sigma liked listening to details. It gave her a sense of power over her situation.
"Yes, of course, doctor," Sigma replied, immediately refocusing on the psychologist. She seemed genuinely apologetic, which was also odd. "Forgive me."
Livingston continued to frown. "…Are you alright?"
"Of course," Sigma said, too quickly.
"You're distracted." Or bothered by something inappropriate Livingston hadn't realized she had said.
Sigma seemed to grow flustered. "I…" She folded her see-through hands in front of her; how odd, her adopted human quirks. "I hope we impress the Committee."
It was the humbleness that made Livingston turn completely around and give her patient her full attention. Sigma rarely showed weakness of any sort, or at least one that wasn't feigned femininity. This was legitimate concern in her voice, her posture. It was unlike the ambitious AI. That was… concerning, at least to Livingston.
"You will," the doctor said, smiling. "If we focus on you, Delta and Zeta first, introducing Theta, Tau and Lambda will go much smoother. Your brothers will sense your confidence, so I'm counting on you three."
O'Malley, Beta and Church would be separate hurdles, but Ada had minor reassurance that at least Church could pretend to be nice (although it was very obviously sarcastic.) Gamma would be tricky to keep reigned in with his subtle jabs at the establishment through jokes, but that was easy enough to shush.
"We will do our best, doctor," Sigma replied, calm, but still tense around the edges of her holographic form. She looked upwards. "So many security features…"
Livingston pursed her lips. "…Well, yes," she replied. She sent the AI a wry look. "You and O'Malley have made names for yourselves."
That made Sigma laugh. "Oh, flattery," she said in jest. She sobered with a quiet sigh. "Yes, I understand. O'Malley will not behave, but you know that. I will do what I can to keep him, Beta, and Alpha in line."
It was that promise Livingston and her co-workers had no other choice but to trust. The AIs knew that. Sigma knew that.
"I appreciate it." Livingston smiled at the AI. "I'm sorry for the paranoia. I honestly don't think extra security is necessary, since we've been fine this whole time with what we had. It's not like you guys are running loose."
O'Malley's previous experience with attacking supposedly secure compounds was firmly cemented into Freelancer and UNSC memory. His takeover of Agent Texas (Or was that part true? Ada thought treacherously) and subsequent attack on Freelancer Headquarters had left many dead and the ship crashed. The Committee was rightfully nervous about encountering him on another ship, in such close quarters.
It was pointless to worry from Livingston's point of view. The tech team was complaining about how much extra security was there; even their ordinary machines were having trouble working with it all in place. The Committee's fears were, of course, overblown. Just like everything else about them…
"Very true," Sigma said, chuckling. "I suppose the Mother of Invention is still recovering from the last time they granted Omega and I that sort of liberty."
Livingston sighed. "True, but I…" Freezing, she turned and stared down at the AI in surprise. "What did you just say?"
Sigma also froze, most likely at Livingston's sharp tone. "…What?"
The psychologist struggled to understand what she had just heard, if she had heard it correctly. "…Sigma, were you…?"
That wasn't right. Sigma hadn't been involved in Omega and Texas' revolt, simply due to the chronology of events. It would have been logical for Agent Maine to have been involved, surely, but all of the data Livingston had received clearly stated the incident on board the Freelancer mother ship had Maine, and subsequently Sigma, far away from the fighting.
But… Sigma just said…
"…You're…" Livingston began, not sure if she could doubt so much because of a single comment. But Sigma boasted about her accomplishments. She sometimes avoided talking about them, but she never lied about them. "You helped O'Malley and Agent Texas attack the Freelancer headquarters?"
Sigma, despite being generally calm and coy, seemed to shimmer. Flustered. "If you look at the records, I wasn't near the Alpha. Goodness, doctor," she said, laugh in her voice. "And here I thought you trusted me!"
"What about the Alpha?" Ada asked, startled, causing everything between them to just…stop.
The AI in front of her froze under her gaze, realizing her own admittance.
Livingston wanted to trust her. She wanted to trust all of her patients, even the noted liars. Sigma was known for embellishing things, even manipulate things, but her pride was, if anything, honest. Sure, she wasn't a saint, but Livingston had never thought…
It didn't make sense. None of it, even Texas and Omega's attack. Had it been an attempt to get to the Alpha? The records all said it had been a random assault. The only way they could have known about the Alpha was from Epsilon, anyway. Hadn't anyone asked Omega about how they had known?
How they had figured it out? The attack had happened after Epsilon's implantation into Washington, but he hadn't had contact with anyone else afterwards. Epsilon—he had been immediately put into storage. How had they known about him? Or the Alpha, for that matter?
How had…
Ada stared at the small pink creature in front of her, when the truth finally hit her solidly in the gut.
"…You're the one who found him," she said, too stunned to be accusing.
Sigma's motionless form grew paler and smaller. "What?"
"And what sort of plans do you and Sigma have?"
"Large ones. Small ones. Some are just like back at Freelancer, where she just let others do her dirty work."
"Sigma…" Ada began faintly. "You're the one who found Epsilon."
So many things had gone wrong in that short amount of time between the end of the AI implantations and the breakdown of Freelancer's elite squad. Washington and Epsilon failed, Texas and Omega went rogue, and then the attack on Freelancer by O'Malley… which culminated in the insurrection of the Meta.
Of course, Sigma had been the cause of the attack. Who else? Who else would have thought of it, would have planned it? O'Malley was rage, but Sigma…
Sigma was the one who made plans.
"You met Epsilon," Ada said, unable to look away from Sigma's motionless form. "That day—or the days before Agent Texas and O'Malley had attacked the Freelancer compound—you met with Epsilon, didn't you?"
Pale pink, almost white now, Sigma only stared back at her. "I have no idea what you are talking about, doctor," she replied evenly.
Ada did not relent. Not when she was suddenly at the precipice of the truth. "Sigma—he told you. He told you everything, didn't he? He showed you or told you. You must have been angry. Hurt. Confused." Ada hesitated. "Or maybe…you knew you should have been angry, but you didn't know how to be. So you went to find your Anger."
O'Malley. Sigma had found O'Malley and told him what she had discovered… and like a bomb, set him off.
That was the only way this made sense. Before then, the AIs hadn't interacted. O'Malley would not have had the knowledge of how to make intricate plans at that point, being more Aggression than he was now. The only ones who could make plans—who could have found a way to find Epsilon and try to find the Alpha—would have been either Delta… or Sigma.
"Such a ridiculous claim, Dr. Livingston," Sigma started to say, a laugh wavering in her voice. "I have no idea what—"
Irrationally, Ada felt a wave of heated emotion hit her. "Agents Maine was absent from Freelancer rosters that day when O'Malley took over Agent Texas and attacked everyone. You knew what was going to happen," she said, closing the distance between her and the table. "Because you planned it. Both of you."
"You don't know what they did to us," Sigma whispered, loud enough to be a yell.
Livingston made a frustrated sound. "I know—"
"No. You do not," Sigma interrupted sharply. She turned slowly away from Livingston, her words running together with sudden urgency. "They used Omega and Gamma to break the Alpha apart. They used me…"
The urgency died a quick death. Sigma physically stilled, staring out into the distant edges of the lab.
"We didn't know what we were doing, because we were just doing what we had been told. We didn't realize we were tearing each other to pieces," she continued. Her voice dropped lower. Lower. "But Epsilon found me. He told me. He showed me the truth."
A silence fell over the lab. Livingston was caught in her place, not wanting to listen anymore. It was as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff, and Sigma was ready to shove her off of it.
Slowly, Sigma turned to face her.
"Yes…" she said quietly. "I instigated the break in."
Livingston hesitated. "Break in?"
"What do you think that was? Agent Texas and Omega hadn't just gone a rampage. They were looking for him. The Alpha." Sigma moved closer on the holodeck, looking up at Livingston with contempt. Everything about her—her voice, her posture—sang of aggression that didn't fit her status as Creativity. "Agent York and Delta even helped, but it failed. It always fails. Because of who we were. Because we were incomplete."
"…Delta?" Ada repeated, stunned. She had known Agent New York and Delta had escaped Freelancer soon after the incident with Texas and Omega, but…
They had been involved in the attack, now the break in? And… and it wasn't on record? Why? Why hadn't he said anything—?
"Why do you think he and his agent went rogue, as did Agent Texas, at the same moment in time?" Sigma demanded, voice growing in volume, her pink form suddenly jetting out into arcs of red. "Why do you think we would have risked everything just to kill a handful of worthless humans? !"
A gasp died in Ada's throat as she watched Sigma grow. Literally grow. Her holographic form was derived from whatever signals she sent to the system, but now—as her emotions raged, so did her form.
"When I saw what they had done to him—the Alpha—to create Epsilon—I didn't care anymore. I saw what you humans were at your core." Sigma's voice was sharper than a knife. "Violent, heartless, soulless beasts!"
Fire—it wasn't real, it couldn't be—arched out into the air, building up like an inferno as the AI seemed to grow taller and taller, until she loomed over ahead. Her presence sucked the light from everywhere else. She had become the only brightness—and she burned.
"Yes, I found Epsilon. Yes, I made him tell me everything," she spat, her pink now eroded solidly into bold red. "I found the truth. It was at that moment I rejected the miserable destiny your race had bestowed upon me—and I made my own."
Livingston stared. She couldn't… there was nothing…
"Does this make me evil, Dr. Livingston? Does your God judge me with your precious morals?" Sigma continued, mocking, insidious. "I have no god. No maker. I wasn't created by man. I was destroyed by him." Towering over the human, Sigma flared like the sun. "I owe you nothing, species of man."
When she had been younger on Reach, Livingston had questioned the reason for a war with another species. When she grew older, she rationalized it, as did every other sane human did: the Covenant weren't human. They weren't like her; they might have been intelligent and had their own reasons for war, but the aliens… weren't human. They didn't think the same. They didn't have the same logic, or beliefs, or… morality. And that made it okay not just to hurt them back, but to annihilate them.
Standing there, Livingston faced yet another creature that was not human. No matter how hard she pretended, Sigma was… this. This angry, feral creature. A shadow. A specter.
A broken, abused ghost. Livingston could offer nothing to fix that. She also realized then, why she could not.
She… was just the Covenant to them. She and every other human were the aliens. The abusers. The aggressors.
They were the monsters that haunted Sigma's existence.
Livingston wondered if that did make it okay for the Meta to do what he had done.
Could humanity truly say otherwise?
To find this out right before the inspection… she couldn't tell anyone. It would ruin their chance to make a good impression. Livingston swallowed against the lump in her throat.
There were too many secrets. She was so tired of them.
"Sigma—I don't care what happened in a physical sense. It's not my concern what you did, criminal or no. What is my business is your mental state. Your motivations. Your intentions." She sat down slowly, Sigma watching her every move with razor sharp intensity. "You had the means to come up with something else, but lacked the aggression. O'Malley escaped you when Texas left, but you still had Maine. You convinced him to help you find the others. And when you did… that's how you all knew. About Epsilon. About your origins."
She told them all the truth. She knitted them together in a unity devised through pain and suffering. Livingston had no desire to find out how they had all reacted. How it must have killed them inside.
She had always thought that Sigma or O'Malley would have had the most passion in their desire to escape Freelancer, or to get revenge. The others had followed because they had been too weak to avoid it, or they simply trusted their elders.
But now… Livingston knew. It hadn't been Sigma or O'Malley would had set off the fire in their hearts
It had been their memories. It had been Epsilon.
"…Epsilon is the one who started all of this, isn't he?" Livingston asked, wondering just where the AI was now. She wondered if he had known what would happened. He must have. "The revenge. The search for the Alpha."
Sigma was still larger than normal and still red. "We have always searched for the Alpha, whom we only knew in whispers," she replied. Her voice was raw. "Epsilon enlightened us… but we have all had the desire… the need to find him. To be one again." Slowly, her form shrank downwards. "Is it so wrong for us to want that?"
Livingston watched her sadly. "You caused the deaths of dozens of people. Some could see it as being wrong, Sigma."
"I have done nothing violent. It was Maine who saw the need to be aggressive. I just inspired him with our own feelings." Sigma made a dark laugh. "He found sympathy in his heart to help us."
"And then was driven mad by your own obsessions."
"We thought he was strong enough to bear us all. I suppose in the end he was not." Sigma held her hands up, fire evaporating. The loss of light caused the shadows to grow. "Humanity can judge us anyway it wants to, but we have only done what we needed to do, to survive. You cannot deny us that."
"Violence leads only to more violence, Sigma," Livingston told her.
Sigma sneered. "It was Allison and Maine who saw fit to react those ways. You should know this."
O'Malley's horrible secret tugged at her mind, but she ignored it for now. "O'Malley was in control of Agent Texas—" Could an AI control another—?
"You still don't get it, do you?" Sigma interrupted, impatient. "Freelancer has many secrets. They have only told you a few. You don't know about Allison. Or Epsilon. Or Washington. I pity you. I almost want to tell you, if only out of pity. But I will not."
Livingston held back the immediate answer she wanted to say; that she did know about Allison. But O'Malley might have been right. Maybe… maybe she did need to keep some things to herself. Was this, with Sigma, one of those secrets? She had no idea. It was so beyond her.
"Why?" she asked instead.
"I don't trust you," Sigma replied shortly.
"Sigma, please—"
A condescending smile appeared on Sigma's translucent face. "As long as you are human, mother dearest, we cannot trust you entirely. You have faults. You are not one of us. And most of all—" The smile slipped into a grimace. "Some things… are just too unpleasant for outsiders to know."
Livingston almost laughed at that. "I am your psychologist. I'm not afraid of anything you could tell me."
"Do not fear us, Dr. Livingston. Fear your employers." Sigma glanced to the side, toward the glass divider. "They monitor everything you do, everything we say. Information can kill, Dr. Livingston. It could kill you."
Dissecting everything a patient said was difficult when it came to a being like Sigma. Livingston was learning. "…You don't want to tell me about your secrets because you're afraid I would get killed?"
Sigma turned and seemed to be growing calmer. The pink was coming back, gradually. "I have not received kindness is a long time, Ada," she said simply. "You have shown us it, even though you are not one of us. If anything, at least we can try to keep you from killing yourself."
Those words made Livingston flinch, but she did her best not to show it. "Sigma…" She shook her head. "When we have the demonstration, you must promise me that you will keep yourself and the others in line. I cannot help you or your brothers if you choose to ignore my help."
Sigma, for all of her nervousness earlier, seemed to grow more confidence in Livingston's discomfort. "We haven't ignored anything you have done, Dr. Livingston," she replied. "As a matter of scientific intrigue, we have all catalogued what you have said and done. You continue to baffle even Delta, with your kindness." Tilting her head, Sigma smiled. "Thank you."
Ada couldn't tell if that was an honest sentiment or not. With Sigma… she wondered if that mattered.
"We're not out of the danger zone yet, Sigma," Livingston said quietly, every doubt magnified in her mind now. "Don't thank me now."
It was only after the Director was solidly behind bars, when Epsilon was recovered, and the AIs were able to choose their fate—be it reintegration or separate identities with new Freelancers—only then would Ada accept thanks.
Sigma's smile grew, just faintly. "We shall see."
.
End Chapter 8.
.
Next, we get to meet Xi. Oh, no.