Chapter Eight

Undisclosed location in the Milky Way galaxy, 1145h

"Rise and shine," a voice yelled outside of Garrus and Jack's adjacent cells. The guard outside banged on the door with his rifle butt and then opened both doors, one at a time.

"What is this?" Garrus demanded groggily.

"What's going on?" Jack also inquired.

"Get out, both of you. You're free to leave."

"Free? Is this a joke?" the turian laughed.

"Don't know, don't care. Boss says to let the both of you go," the guard informed them.

"No strings attached? This ain't smelling right," Jack's eyes narrowed.

"The Illusive Man made some kind of deal with your commander. Don't know any more than that, and I don't care to know, either. The more you know in this organization, the more dangerous it is to be alive."

"Where exactly are we? Can we get to a spaceport?" Garrus inquired.

"Yeah, if you're got an all-terrain vehicle. Now get out of here before we change our minds, alien," the guard yelled.

"What about this thing? Get this goddamned dog collar off of me!" Jack shouted back, pointing to her neck.

"I don't have the power to do that, lady. Besides, you killed one of my team. You're lucky I don't shoot you down right now."

"Jack, I say we take his word for it." Garrus motioned his head to the hallway.

"Fine. Let's split," she agreed. "How do we get outta this place?" Both Garrus and Jack left their cells and swept their eyes down the corridor. "Looks like a fucking maze."

"Take this hallway all the way down to your right. Make a left, then a right, and then take the next hallway all the way down. Turn left and then another immediate left. You'll see an elevator. Hit 'L' for lobby. It'll take you up to the ground floor."

Both companions eyed one another, as if to ask 'did you get all that'?

"I don't have time to waste explaining directions to you. Get moving," the guard ordered and made a gesture with his assault rifle to the end of the hallway.

They obeyed and started to make their way towards the exit. Minutes later, unsurprisingly, they got lost. "Now, did he say to make a left or a right here?" Garrus stroked his chin.

"Damnit. I say we open up one of these rooms and see if we can find some weapons. I want my Cerberusbitchinator back. Or any shotgun's good enough for now," Jack grunted.

"How much of a chance do you think we'll have? I'm not completely healthy, and you've got that thing around your neck. Let's just ask somebody if we see them," Garrus wondered and shook his head with a sigh.

"What did they do to you?"

"They fixed some of me but purposely didn't use painkillers half of the time. I guess they wanted to see how resilient the turian species really is. They also took my omni-tool…I'm glad that I left one of my spares on the Normandy. And what about you?"

"Nothin' other than this stupid dog collar. Illusive Man came to see me."

"He came to me as well." Garrus made eye contact with her as they journeyed down the corridor. "He asked me why I stayed with Shepard after we'd beaten the Collectors."

"Yeah, he asked me the same thing." Jack's face became puzzled. "Bastard also tried to identify with me, too."

"And?"

"There's not one apology that he could give me to excuse anything. Wiping that Teltin facility off the map was enough of a solution to deal with my past problems. Taking him out would probably even make it better."

"Then he also asked me how I'd feel if Shepard had returned to the Normandy somewhat…changed. He didn't say in what way, which is what's making me nervous."

"He asked me that, too. So, the Illusive Man isn't gonna kill Shepard?"

"Doesn't look like it, no. That's all the more reason for us to try and get back to the Normandy. I'm in no shape to fight my way through this place and get him out as much as I'd like to," Garrus told her. The end of the hallway had both left and right directions available. "How in the heck do they find their way around here? All of these hallways look the same? None of the rooms are labeled except with letters and numbers!" He rose his hand up to his forehead in astonishment.

"Let's go left. I hear people's voices coming from that direction."

"Sounds good."

Garrus and Jack made their way to the left. On their way down this corridor, they saw a few agents and guards, who gave them cursory glimpses but said or did nothing against them. "Excuse me," Garrus approached one guard, "can you tell me how to get to the elevator to get to the lobby?"

"Oh, you're in the wrong direction, buddy. Turn around, make a left, then make a right. Take the hallway halfway down, then turn right and then make an immediate left. Then, take this next hallway all the way down, make a left, and then you should be at the elevator," the guard responded honestly.

After they turned around, Jack slammed her palm into her fist. "I'm gonna kill somebody!" she sang. "And it may have to start with the next Cerberus asshole I see!"

"What exactly would you do that with? You're not armed," Garrus rolled his eyes.

"I'm not as weak and pathetic as I look, even with the dog collar, moron," Jack snarled. "I like the sound of my plan better than yours, and it may just have to come to that."

As they rounded the next, corner, they came across a large room with very clear windows. It was not empty; several humans were in it, and several more seemed to be filing inside from the across the hallway. "This doesn't look like a cafeteria, laboratory, or one of their propaganda cinemas. What sort of room is that?" Garrus wondered.

They stopped walking and made a closer inspection.

"It's a really big room…reminds me of my childhood. I don't like it. They look like they're waiting for something, maybe a fight," Jack commented. "Let's keep moving."

"But wait a minute. The guard that freed us said something about Shepard making a deal with the Illusive Man for us. Do you think that he meant that Shepard would be fighting against him?"

"For our freedom? Bullshit. No one's ever done anything like that for me, and they'd be stupid to do so."

"Shepard helped you destroy a place from your haunted past. You don't think he'd help you again?"

"He wouldn't listen to me when I told him that that asari bitch was gonna hand him over to Cerberus! He can go fuck himself!" Jack sighed and turned away.

"Um, maybe you weren't paying attention at the time, but Liara actually tried to stop them from taking Shepard. That agent shot her for trying, even after he put that device on her."

"Guess I wasn't. Well, fine. But he still got himself into this mess-he can get himself out." She crossed her arms defiantly.

"I wonder who they're going to pit him up against. It's been a long time since I've seen a match. You're not interested?" Garrus inquired. "Thought you liked to see violence."

"Only if I'm the one causing it. Come on, Garrus."

"Sorry, Jack," he disagreed. "If you want to go, I don't blame you, especially after all that happened to you in the past with Cerberus. But I'm gonna stay and cheer Shepard on. I owe him that."

Jack begrudgingly nodded her head. "All right. I'm with you. Let's go around the corner and see if we can get in. It looks pretty crowded."

They made their way around the corner, only to bump into the same Cerberus guard that had let them out of their cells. "What're you two doing here?" he glared.


Cyprus, planet surface, 2132h

The terrain of the planet wasn't too rocky, so upon Watson's orders, all squad mates parachuted in from the Normandy's shuttle bay while Joker remained in orbit. He was the last to go out before the cargo bay door shut. Thankfully, Mordin's cloaking field was enough to hide the four of them.

Liara had regained consciousness long ago and told them that she was available for combat situations, should the need arise. It was agreed between her, Samara, and Mordin that all crew members were to be tranquilized if they became hostile. Longoria wasn't keen on the subject at first, but when Liara said that she'd add a bonus of another three thousand credits, she warmed up to the idea.

They overtook the engine room first, sedating both Engineers Donnelly and Daniels. It wasn't too difficult of an operation; Mordin wandered inside and did it all by himself. The next plan would be a bit more challenging since it was the crew deck, and there were several more crew members. Samara and Serena were to use the maintenance stairs that led from the sub-deck up to the AI core, free Legion if he were there deactivated, and have him take control of EDI. They were also to overtake the medical bay. Liara and Mordin would take the elevator and distract the crew members somehow.

As Samara and Serena departed from their companions to the sub-deck, Liara and Mordin boarded the lift. "What exactly do you think we should do, Mordin?' she inquired innocently. "If they've been indoctrinated, perhaps they would be quite hostile towards us."

Mordin shrugged casually. "I initiated a conversation myself in between Ken and Gabby, then provoked them into arguing with one another about a technical term. They were easy to incapacitate after that. But you're right. There will be more than two up here. Um…do you know how to sing?"

"Sing?"

"Might be a valuable distraction to the crew members for a few minutes. I admit that I'm slightly rusty on my operatic patters, but suppose I could make one up if I had some help."

"You want me to sing with you?"

"Unless that makes you feel uncomfortable," the salarian held up his hands. "Then, we will need to change our plans quickly. We have arrived at our destination."

"Uh…" she swallowed nervously. "Maybe I could tell them about one of my dig sites!"

"Unless it is in musical notation, am very doubtful that humans would find an archaeological dig site entertaining."

"Depends on the human you ask," she whispered as they left the elevator.

"Well, if you'd like to initiate the distraction by starting with that, go ahead. Will be quickly composing a patter song up here when we need an alternative distraction," Mordin pointed to his head. "Hmm…" he stuck his head around the corner very quickly and turned back to Liara. "Before you go, I have a quick recon report," he kept his voice low as well.

"Yes?"

"No females present. They may be asleep in their pods already or upstairs. This is taking into account that all of the present human men are heterosexual, but, if you would simply," he spoke so quietly that she had to bend closer to his ear.

"Mordin!" she responded in the loudest whisper of shock that she could. "That very idea is the only reason why so many humans think of the asari as being extremely promiscuous!"

"Will check the sleeping quarters next to the starboard observation room and occupy them if necessary. You haven't lost sight of why we're doing this, correct?"

"But-"

"Suggest seductive human music to be played from omni-tool for accompaniment. Would go back to my previous idea of witty song, but there are no females present in the crew mess. Second method of distraction much better."

Liara sighed to herself, threw a hand upon her forehead, and shook her head. "Oh, goddess. This is for you, Shepard," she said to no one in particular and began to sashay herself into the crew mess.


Normandy AI Core, 2143h

"So, how does one reactivate a geth?" Serena asked whilst scrolling through her omni-tool's crack programs.

"Perhaps it needs a certain amount of voltage or current," Samara suggested. "I must admit that my technical skills are somewhat limited to bypassing locks on doors."

"And how in hell did Shepard get one of these to be friendly?"

"It was not simple. I went with him on that mission to the far side of the Terminus systems on the edge of the galaxy. Apparently, there was a schism in the culture. Some programs favored building their future with the Reapers, and some did not. Those who did not, I believe, were directly built into Legion." The justicar gestured to the inanimate robot in front of them. "We went to the station originally to destroy it, but instead, we rewrote all of the geth to come to one conclusion."

"I'm guessing that it's the one that favors the destruction of the Reapers."

"Indeed, that is so," Samara stated. "Perhaps there is a password to unlock its systems."

"Like what?" Longoria jeered and rolled her eyes.

"I will meditate for a few moments now. If the goddess Athame desires for us to have this instrument, there will be an answer to our question." Samara sat down cross-legged on the floor.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Longoria mumbled under her breath. "Look, you wanna sit down and pray, be my guest. I'm gonna make sure that the med bay is clear of hostiles."

"There is no one currently manning the medical bay," EDI's voice made the Broker agent jump. "Dr. Chakwas was suffering from a painful migraine and retired to the crew quarters for an early evening."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. I operate our weaponry, propulsion, and navigational systems when given control. Previously, I was restricted to only advising the engineers and helmsman as well as operate our cyber warfare suite, but since I was given complete control of the ship, I am now able to assume those duties when necessary," the computer responded. "You may call me EDI. My hardware visually recognizes the asari justicar Samara, but I do not recognize you."

"Is this a friendly AI?" Longoria bent down to whisper into Samara's ear, but she was non-responsive, deep in her meditation. "Fine. Guess I'll find out for myself. Uh, I'm Serena Longoria, from Toronto, Canada."

"Accessing human database systems from North American census reports…record located. Last census report taken in 2180; your name does not appear there."

"I haven't been back to Earth for quite a while, now. Try a few years before that."

"One moment, please. Ah. Welcome, Serena. How may I be of assistance?"

"Are you completely accessible? I mean, what parts of you can I um…control?"

"You do not currently have a rank on the Normandy, Serena Longoria, so I must apologize that your access will be restricted to non-classified files."

"Oh," Serena's face fell with disappointment. "What about her?" she pointed to Samara.

"Justicar Samara has the same access that former Commander Shepard gave her."

"Which includes what?"

"I am not aware of the limitations."

"Wait…did you just say that you don't know if she has restrictions?"

"Former Commander Shepard gave Justicar Samara unlimited access should he become absent or incapacitated and both commanding deck officers Jacob Taylor and Miranda Lawson are of the same fate."

Suddenly, the geth's systems began to power up, and it arose from the shelf it had been sitting on. Instinctively, Longoria reached for her assault rifle but then remembered that Liara and Mordin said that the geth could be trusted. But what if someone had been able to re-program it? Her hand pulled the rifle out of her weapons pack, and she checked her magazine. No shots has been fired. Disruptor ammo could dismantle a geth will little to no problems, provided that she was quick enough.

Samara came out of her trance and arose. "Peace, Serena. Legion will not harm you."

"You apparently haven't fought any of these things," Longoria remarked glibly and hit a few buttons on the side of her rifle to change the ammo type.

"Samara-Justicar, there is an unauthorized human in the AI core. Is the Normandy under attack?" Legion inquired.

"No, Legion. This human female is Serena Longoria; she was hired to keep Dr. Liara T'Soni and Dr. Mordin Solus safe for their passage to the Normandy. She has been trustworthy so far to our cause. We were told that you could also be trusted to assist us, and we do request your help," Samara explained. "Is this still so?"

"Only if your loyalty remains to Shepard-Commander or Lieutenant Commander Jacob Taylor. The other crew members aboard the Normandy are not trustworthy. Alert: there is the possibility that the current commander of this ship may be the gudgeon of a reaper," Legion replied. "We have detected all crew members except for Lieutenant Comander Jacob Taylor to be suffering from indoctrination."

"I knew it," Samara nodded. "Only a reaper could do this to an entire ship. Peace, Legion, know that my loyalty rests only to Commander Shepard. Do you know where Jacob Taylor is? Perhaps we may free him."

"Our systems were deactivated before our memory core could store that data. But it is illogical to conclude that the reaper has disposed of Lieutenant Commander Jacob Taylor."

"He could just have thrown this guy out of an airlock," Longoria offered.

"That is inaccurate," EDI piped in. "The Normandy's airlocks have not opened since the last garbage disposal, which was precisely at 1930 this evening. Jacob Taylor is in a stasis pod in the crew mess."

"Why didn't you say that before?!"

"The question was not asked."

"Fine. Let's go clear out the rest of this deck before Mordin and Liara run out of distractions. What did you say that this geth's name was?" Longoria wondered.

"This platform's name is Legion," the geth answered her. "In the event that the Lieutenant Commander has been put into stasis, we have no leader. It is therefore logical that the next step would be to free him of this state."

"Let us worry about that. You need to hack into the ship AI and put it back under this Jacob Taylor's command." Longoria motioned to Samara that it was time to go, and the justicar agreed.

Once they were outside of the AI core into the medical bay, they took tranquilizer rounds from Dr. Chakwas' desk and loaded them into their assault rifles.

"What's that noise?" Longoria looked up from her task and heard the sound of whistling and catcalling from the crew mess. "Oh. Smart lady. Let's go him 'em while they're totally infatuated with her."

"Agreed," Samara nodded. "We may not have much longer." They hurried out of the medical bay and flanked one another by the door. The attack was swift and fierce; it lasted not longer than twenty seconds. All crew members were sedated and either fell to the floor on their faces or into their plates of food on the tables.

Liara sighed happily and began to redress. "Whew. I'm glad that's over with. I fear that I didn't have too much more clothing to remove," she said breathlessly.

"Good thinking, Liara," Longoria complimented her with a small chuckle. "I told ya that that's all they're ever interested in."

"Your charms did indeed prove useful," Samara also said. "It was a tactic that I myself resorted to once or twice in my maiden days as a mercenary. I would never care to repeat it again."

"All right, enough talk. Where's Mordin?"

The crew quarters' door opened, and the salarian scientist reappeared seconds later. "Will require a refill of tranquilizing rounds," he proudly stated. "Ah. Good job, Dr. T'soni, the gambit paid off," he looked around the mess. "Have we located Legion yet?"

"He's hacking into the ship AI as we speak. We have yet to find the ship's LC, but the geth said we could find him here somewhere," Longoria replied.

"He's here!" Liara exclaimed as she pointed to one of the upright sleeping chambers. "We just need to free him!"

Serena and Samara joined her while Mordin went back to the infirmary. "EDI said that Shepard gave you command over her systems in case the Staff Commander or the LC are absent or incapable of duty. Maybe you can do it, Samara," Serena told her.

"EDI, what kind of security is currently protecting Jacob Taylor?" Samara demanded.

"Voice identification and retinal identification. They are currently restricted to Commander Dean Watson…addendum; Samara may also override them," the ship responded.

"Release locking mechanisms," the justicar ordered. A pulsing red light on the side of the tank began to blink.

"Voice command recognized and accepted, Samara. Please remain where you are for a retinal scan," EDI informed her. "Thank you. Retinal scan accepted."

The tank opened, and Jacob began to fall to the floor, but not before all three organics caught him.