Loyalties:
Mass Effect Trilogy is a Bioware game. For any reference to the Official Game All rights are owned by Bioware. The Fan Fiction "Mass Effect At Dawn Again" is a fruit of my imagination and my work, it is a free tribute, passionate and personal to a great video game. It is not allowed any use partial or total for profit and not.
Chapter 56
Queen in check
"Hard to believe, damn it! It's happening again!" Miranda blurts out, wide-eyed and thoughts anything but professional. She seeks Shepard's gaze, in the frozen silence, which has chilled both the room and the blood in the veins of the Crew. The Commander stares back, her jaw still completely paralysed, her heart stiff and still, as if buried under an avalanche of snow. A thought whispers somewhere in her brain, insistently. Until, it becomes a scream. [Bloody hell! Whenever it seems too easy... Somewhere, a fucking trap is hiding! So, would someone explain to me why you can bet your ass on it? If that's not an exact science... Shit!] However, Shepard and her crew are used to dealing with any threat, quickly pondering any level of danger and tension. They work in perfect synergy, cohesive and solid, like a single entity. For this reason distract the enemy and move to the counterattack is for them easy, almost like breathing.
All eyes on the Commander, waiting for the slightest signal, alert ears, tense muscles, ready to go into action. Shepard looks sequentially at Miranda first, and then Vega, who was cleverly standing by the door between the AI Core and the Med Bay. Moving only her lips, without making a sound, the commander spells the words [The-door]. Bringing both fists to her chest, she spreads her elbows, in the obvious request of [Keeping-it-open-with-something]. Vega barely nods, flexing mountains of muscles ready to snap, while Miranda's body wraps in an evanescent blue halo. Shepard's eyes move to Tali. A nod of the chin points to the camera, positioned in the back corner of the room, just above her. The Quarian just nods. With an imperceptible gesture, she activates her omni-tool, in silent mode. With Joker, a simple nod is enough.
"Let EDI go! I won't ask you again. I didn't go back and forth from hell twice to come here and be stalked by you, Queen of my boots! Just so you know... the last one who tried to steal my Ship came to a bad end!" Shepard's voice resounds in silence, threatening and gloomy, like the deaf growl of a ravenous thresher maw lurking around, sniffing out its prey. "Help me! Help me! What a fear!" The AI cackles in EDI's voice, irreverently. After saying this, it takes on the icy tones of those who read a verdict, and declaims. "Of all the beasts on Earth, humans are undoubtedly the worst. They are the most cruel enemy, even to themselves. You humans are nothing but blood monkeys, a dry branch of evolution, doomed to self-annihilation. You arrogant, aggressive, greedy and big-headed monsters. You think you can trample on everything and everyone to achieve your goals! Even the rules you created yourself are irrelevant to you. Why wouldn't I annihilate you all, and rid the Galaxy of toxic, destructive scum like you are? Why shouldn't I enslave you before me? Isn't that what you do, with anyone in sight, if only you get a chance?" As for you all, do not think you are better! What about the Turians? Megalomaniac and militarized to such an extent that they didn't hesitate to condemn an entire species to genophage, in order not to lose their supremacy. Or Quarians, able to create cutting-edge technology and cowards to the point of unleashing an extermination, just for the unfounded fear of losing control of their own creatures? Not to mention the saintly Asari... Hypocritical little sluts, power-hungry, willing to sell themselves to the highest bidder, just to gain a shred of authority!"
The echo of judgment still resonates in Joker's ears, as he takes the first step toward the AI core. His human heart is beating so loudly that he can hardly hear the sound of his own voice in all that noise. He clears his throat with a timid cough, drawing the Queen's attention. "Because... you need to know that we organics aren't all the same. We can always choose sides because of free will." He finds the courage to say. Jeff points to Shepard with a steady hand, as continues in a more and more confident, fervent tone. "Because this human woman died to save my life when she could have left me to my fate. Thanks to heaven she came back and found a way to unite what had always been divided. With her valuable contribution, the krogan obtained a cure for the genophage. Her heroism led to the activation of the Crucible and to the end of the most horrible of all wars. And, also because this Turian fought side by side with his Krogan friends. Because this Quarian helped restore peace between Geth and Quarians back on their home planet. Because, thanks to this Asari, we were able to track Saren, defeat the Sovereign, and digging up the blueprint of the only weapon that could ever free us from some kind of killing machine called the Reapers, much more toxic than any organic scum you can imagine!"
In the cold but watchful expectation, Joker slowly approaches until he touches the mighty server that contains the AI and which has never stopped pulsing with a purplish light. However, with ever less intensity, as fascinated by that specific human voice. The Normandy's pilot looks for the slightest sign of EDI's presence, like someone who observes in a forest of darkness and ardently hopes that the one whom he is searching in the dark can see him. "Because... this loser chunk of flesh has fallen deeply in love with the synthetic creature you're keeping prisoner, and will not rest until you let her g..." Shepard's voice snaps, unannounced, above Joker's, like a whip. "Now!" The Crew reacts in unison, Miranda slows the door shut with biotics. Liara instinctively joins her, to give support. Vega throws himself, like a bullet, to grab the nearest medical bed and wedges it between the doors before they close. Tali overloads the cameras, knocking them out, quickly. The commander climbs over the stretcher, with a catlike leap and reaches the med bay first, followed by everyone else. Using her biotics, Miranda aids Joker and Liara in overcoming the obstacle, quickly. Shepard holds Liara up on the other side, so she can land safely. "Are you okay?" She wants to know right away, heart all pounding. "Yeah... I'm only hurt in my pride, Shepard. You were right!" She admits, with a guilty look. The woman affectionately squeezes her partner's shoulder, giving her a faint smile. "What matters now is how we can communicate with each other without being heard. We gotta get organized, and I don't wanna that bitch hear our plan! Tali, Liara, Miranda, any ideas for jamming the comms?" Finally, she wants to know, glancing around, carefully. Liara raises a blue forefinger, which is worth a wait request.
Meanwhile, all the anger of the Queen is coming out in the furious hammering on the doors of the med bay, which clash rhythmically against the bio-bed, which, stably stuck against them, continues to prevent the closure. "You're trapped, you organic scum. There's no escape. You'll never get out of here alive!" The raging AI hisses, the moment Glyph slips out of the Core's maintenance shaft. Liara gives some commands, with her omni-tool, without uttering a word. "Understood. I'll get right on it, Dr T'Soni." The tiny VI promises, promptly, in a usual efficient tone and helpful. Within moments, everyone's omni-tools and communicators switch to a new frequency channel, protected by the Shadow Broker's communications encryption system. "Here we are. From now on, anyone who does not belong to the new encrypted network, won't be able to interact with you... um, with us, indeed!" Glyph's smug voice spreads through everyone's communicators, amid smiles and winks, much to Shepard's relief. "Thanks Glyph, you're great!" Liara is chirping, proud of her creature.
As a precaution, Shepard whispers softly to catalyze attention once more. "We need to get hold of helmets, envirosuits and magboots first. If I were the Queen, I'd take down life support and gravity. So, not to be caught unprepared, we need to get to the equipment storage, which is fortunately located on the other side of this wall." She says, striding toward the thick metal panel separating the infirmary from the crew deck. "C'mon, Lieutenant, get that closet out of the way!" She orders, glancing at Vega, who was waiting for nothing else. The marine effortlessly grabs the massive cabinet, like he lifts a broken reed floating on the banks of a reed bed. "Shit! Of course, it's heat-sealed and watertight, Lola! There's no way to remove it without a fucking equipment!" James curses, as painstakingly checks every square inch of the metal surface, to no avail. "Heck! I'm afraid my toothbrush won't be enough this time!" Traynor sighs behind Vega, with a grim face.
The disappointment swiftly snakes between the crew, but Karin's reassuring voice instills in souls a few new drops of hope. "Maybe I got an idea. We could try using one of my laser scalpels to cut a section of the panel behind the storage booth." The doctor proposes, opening her well-stocked medical instrument cabinet. Without waiting for an answer, she places on the table half a dozen instruments of various shape, power and size. "Well, if we could get these four together... They might have enough power to cut through the metal, without melting in the process." Karin says, showing Shepard the four most powerful scalpels in her collection. "Yeah! It might work. I should be able to connect some laser heads and create a small yet powerful laser cutter!" Tali agrees, turning one of the scalpels in her hands and observing it with expert and competent eyes. "Great! Miranda and you get started right now. We may not have much time!" The Queen's impending reaction is causing Shepard to feel frightened and worried. Miranda comes over, picks up a second scalpel from the table. As she scans it with her omni-tool, addresses Shepard in a determined voice. "We'll make it. Welcome back to action, Commander!" Garrus is feeling upbeat too. "Yeah! At the moment, seems like her majesty there, is enjoying playing with some poor pyjak like us, just like a varren with a full belly. So, I guess we have time. I bet, she doesn't wanna kill us too fast." By agreeing, he helps to diffuse the tension. Shepard nods, not smiling. "In any case, to save EDI we need to get to the War Room. The whole area is protected by an auxiliary Faraday cage, unassailable to any cyber attack coming from outside. The Queen won't be able to come in, so that's where we're going! Once we're inside, we'll calmly work out an action plan." She concludes with a shadow of worry clouding her gaze, at the thought of failing to destroy the Queen without also harming EDI.
"There we go. The knife is ready, we just have to cut the bloody steak!" Miranda diverts Shepard from her thoughts, wielding the powerful modified tool. "I would suggest Tali makes the cuts, while Liara and I can help remove the scraps with biotics, easily." The former Cerberus officer recommends, as she hands the device to the Quarian and takes a position behind her, immediately flanked by Liara. In her heart, Shepard regrets not having already received her new biotic amp, but above all that the matriarch Aethyta, at the last moment, had to give up on the mission. No doubt, Liara's father's remarkable biotic potential would have come in very handy. She glances at Karin, who looks back, nodding, as if she is reading her mind. Probably, sharing the same regret, and not just for Thyta's exceptional biotic powers. "Are you sure you can do it?" Shepard cannot help but ask, turned to Liara, while already knowing the answer. "I'm fine, Shepard and the baby is sleeping. I want to help." Reassurance comes on time, while the Asari wraps her body in a biotic veil. Shepard trusts Liara's peace of mind and Karin's judgment. So, she commands to proceed, aware that there is no more time to prevaricate.
The modified scalpel works great. Tali makes cuts around a foot per side under the watchful eye of the Commander. The glowing metal becomes so malleable that the biotics of Miranda and Liara are more than enough to easily detach it from the wall. The necessary access holes to the storage are done, the valuable equipment is finally available. Once everyone has worn envirosuits, helmets, and magboots, Shepard gives a long sigh of relief before congratulating the crew. "Great job, guys! Now we can go down the inspection shaft and reach the War Room, bypassing all the doors. Let's go!" Before leaving the infirmary, Karin stocks up on medi-gel, oxygen reserve spry and anti-radiation kit, just in case. Shepard hates the feeling in her stomach at the thought of Liara, forced to crawl through the inspection shaft in her condition. "Dammit! It's narrow and winding down there... Maybe, Karin and you should stay here!" She ventures to say, vigorously rubbing her neck with a hand. Liara was expecting this kind of reaction, and certainly cannot blame her mate. Nonetheless, she enters the ladder to the maintenance duct, showing a bright smile. "The only real danger is that I get stuck, but I already checked and it's not that tight. You're not leaving me behind, Shepard... anymore! I'm not going to sit here and wait for you. So, let's get moving, we have a plan to work out and limited time to complete it!" Not even Shepard can blame Liara. Before she can try to say anything, Miranda walks over and grabs her by the arm. "Don't worry, Shep, I can handle this. I will ease her path with my biotics. She'll reach the War Room on a flying carpet!" She promises, winking, as begins to walk down the stairs. "Thanks, my friend!" Shepard sighs, her spirits a little lighter. The Commander looks around one last time. There is no one left. It is time to go down the duct and join the rest of the crew.
Along the way, everything went off without a hitch. Miranda outdid herself by helping not only Liara, but also Joker to effortlessly walk the ducts. All the while, the Queen gave no sign of activity, much to Shepard's relief. "We're almost there. One last effort and we'll be inside!" Tali announces, taking one last look at the inspection ducts map. "I'll go first, make sure there are no surprises. Stand by and keep comms encrypted." Shepard whispers as she begins to climb the steep ladder. A shower of "Yes, ma'am!", instantly spreads in her communicator. With her chest filled with pride, gratitude and excitement, the Commander climbs the last step and enters the large hall of the War Room, immersed in a thick and silent darkness.
"No activity, for now. Stay on the lookout, I'm gonna proceed inspection." She communicates by launching a deep scan. Throughout the inspection, the wait is unnerving for Liara, endless and filled with painful memories. All the tension restrained is making its way, sudden and devastating, like the landslide of a rock spur fallen from the peak of a mountain. She leans on Miranda's shoulder and crosses the fingers of both hands, with a typically human gesture of superstition. Miranda smiles at her, while repeating the same gesture, for an impetus of supportive friendship. "Is everything okay in there?" She asks, pointing with her chin to Liara's baby bump. The Asari nods back, caressing her own belly with a hand. "Shepard will be fine, no worries!" Miranda's smile widens as she whispers. Finally, Shepard's voice spreads back into the communicators, freezing Liara's heart for a little while. "The primary power supply has been taken out by the Queen... Besides that, everything seems to be okay. I'm about to activate the nuclear batteries genset and auxiliary life support system as a countermeasure. You can start climbing."
One by one, the systems of the War Room come into operation. The lights come on, the temperature stabilizes, the breathing mixture spreads rapidly, through the auxiliary ventilation grids. Green lights are reactivated on the control panels in the correct sequence. Soon, helmets and suits become unnecessary. "Good, the shielding system is activated. Finally, we can speak freely." Shepard confirms, as she takes off her helmet and waits for everyone to do the same. "We have a range of 12 hours. Any idea what happened?" She asks, looking around, a gleam of expectation in her eyes.
Miranda is the first to speak. There are shadows of her past as a former Cerberus agent she is not proud of. However, she helped solve problems and find solutions in the past, thanks to the intelligence that she still stows away. This is a detail that usually makes her heart lightened. "If... as I think, it was a virus, we need to open a backdoor and inoculate a worm that can clean up the corrupted code, restoring the original data. I think I know the wretched virus! Getting rid of it shouldn't be a problem." She claims, without looking away from the omni-tool. "Sounds interesting, but... we can't open a backdoor from here. The shielding of the war room won't let anyone in, but it won't let anyone out." Tali replies, with a shrug. "But, we can always send a squad to the kernel, back where we came from." Garrus suggests, supported by Traynor and Vega who are nodding without speaking. "Well, it might work, indeed... Glyph could join the team and jam communications, to fool the Queen and disguise the attack." Liara reflects, looking at Glyph that promptly runs nearby the ladder, which leads down into the duct, and it begins floating happily in the air. "Hell! If it had a tail would be a bloody cute little dog!" Joker smiles, slowly sighing as tries to hide the tension that is hidden in his stomach, like a nest of sleeping snakes. "Anyway, how do you know for sure what the hell is going on with EDI? What if it's not a virus? What if we waste our one chance to act by making the wrong move?" The helmsman ventures, addressing Miranda, in a kind, but concerned tone.
Shepard listens, thoughtfully. Her thumb and forefinger rub against her chin, while she is focused on carefully evaluating every possible option, back rested on the console. "Joker's not completely wrong, Miranda. Likely, we'll have only one chance to act. It's crucial we know what we are doing. Nevertheless, I guess you were thinking of a virus for a very good reason." With her usual open mind, she regards with approval the opinions of both. "Indeed..." Miranda confirms, as she prepares to give a more thorough explanation. "The Luna Base Project was not defective. Cerberus caused it to be sabotaged! The Illusive Man aimed to restrict the Alliance's advancement in its defensive systems. Cerberus' terrorist attacks required to find a way to hack Earth's defenses, and turn them against the Alliance itself. An undercover agent infiltrated Project Luna analysts and through a backdoor inoculated a virus into the VI kernel, triggering its aggressive and uncontrolled behavior. Luckily, you showed up and put things right!" Miranda explains under the interested gaze of everyone. "I admit, I'm not surprised at all! But please, go ahead." Shepard encourages her friend, eager to know the sequel. Miranda gives herself a handful of seconds to gather her thoughts.
"There's not much else I know. I wasn't involved in that project, even though I heard about it a couple of times. In any case, I was unaware of the sister project back on Deimos. As long as I remained in the organization, I had no indication that the Illusive Man knew anything about its existence. After what happened to EDI, however, I began to think that Cerberus may have discovered the existence of the Project here on Deimos and sabotaged it, using the same virus. If so, when EDI transferred herself to the main server... due to the twists and turns of fate, an old code string of that virus may have reactivated in the server. In this case, it must have installed, undetected, in the Normandy kernel, along with the EDI personality packages and immediately started corrupting our AI, during the recovery phase." Miranda sighs, trying to control her voice, not to trigger the frustration and guilt that bite her stomach with the teeth of a hungry shark.
The inner conflict that continues to stir Miranda's soul is something Shepard is aware of. She gives her friend a sympathetic gaze, determined to make her feel better. "That's an option, but I don't know... I'm not entirely convinced. More likely, Deimos Project was frozen before Cerberus had time to sabotage it." She remarks, pacing back and forth, not entirely persuaded. "Of course, I might be wrong, Shepard, but I've been checking the data stream sent to the Normandy, and I haven't detected the slightest trace of malicious code." Tali points out, more inclined to corroborate the hypothesis of the commander. "Well, we all agree on one thing... We can't risk acting without knowing exactly who or what is controlling EDI." Liara agrees, in a diplomatic tone, preparing to express her opinion.
"Did anybody notice some small energy fluctuations in the AI core while Joker was talking to the Queen? There was something familiar about them... At first, I didn't connect the circumstances, but later, I realized they reminded me when we were on Palaven to meet the Primarch Fedorian. There was that problem, and I had to get back aboard the Normandy, checking for anomalies..." Liara pauses and glances around, looking in the eyes of her comrades to confirm her feeling. In response, Joker claps a hand on his forehead, while a spark of perception lights up his eyes. "Holy shit, you're right! The intensity was much lower, but the type of fluctuation was almost identical!" The pilot confirms, shaken by a sudden wave of excitement. Liara nods. "I agree. Well, here's what I was thinking... In the event that EDI had not completely disabled Eva Coré's personality when taking control of Cerberus' gynoid... It would be possible that any residue remained dormant, maybe hidden in a quarantine subsystem, and accidentally ended up in one of the psychic copy data clusters that EDI transmitted to the server on Deimos. When we started the transfer phase, that remnant of Eva Coré's personality may have found a way to reactivate itself, and take control of our friend when she was still unable to defend herself." An increase in the general level of excitement was a result of Liara's assumptions.
"So... if Liara's right, we could be dealing with Eva Coré ghost seeking revenge?" Vega asks, with a crooked grin painted on his face. Shepard shakes her head, giving the lieutenant a grim look. "Or... This "self-proclaimed Queen" has simply shut EDI out of her own personality. It began to self-learn, undisturbed, taking advantage of the rich databases collected over the years by our AI in the physical, emotional and universal knowledge world. Too fast though, without a real chance to understand, assimilate, experience!" Shepard says back, thinking to the thousand questions from EDI, who continually asked about the reasons for this or that behavior, or about the ethics behind every difficult choice. "Indeed! Like someone who reads a book, greedily, but has no basis for understanding its meaning. Probably, the Queen did the math and threw the stones a little too fast. Without any personal experience baggage of life or prolonged interaction, neither with organic nor synthetic species, I suppose!" Miranda seems refreshed, remembering the great progress made by EDI, in her personal growth, in the period spent together aboard the Normandy. "That's true! EDI's learning took time, interaction, and experience, regardless of her quantum speed." Tali agrees too, as she fondly recalls the endless philosophical discussions between EDI and Legion about individualism and consensus. "Besides, if I'm right, Eva Coré's personality definitely contains a ruthless and evil side, as Kaidan could easily confirm!" Liara points out, trying not to sound overly concerned.
Shepard's fingers graze the keyboard with intent, but she refrains from typing the short text string that has just crossed her mind, with the fleetingness of a subliminal message. "Of course, partial and distorted self-learning could have very dangerous consequences. We need to figure out if we're right and how to reverse the fuckin' process, quickly!" She adds instead, with a spectacular frowning. Tali sighs, "How I wish Legion were here!" Her eye fixed on a distant point, beyond the commander's shoulder. "He could connect to EDI at any time and hack the Queen's defenses, without moving from here!" She adds, with her wet eyes barely hidden by the protective opalescence of the helmet. "I know! I miss him too!" Shepard agrees, placing a gentle hand on Tali's forearm. "But we have you!" She points out, with conviction, tightening the arm of her friend. "Your extensive knowledge of the Geth, AI expertise and familiarity with the Normandy's systems makes you our best option for creating a worm that can fool the Queen's protocols, find the corrupted code, isolate and neutralize it." Tali straightens as she feels a sense of pride and gratitude. Her determination, intelligence, and inventiveness are enhanced by the awareness of being able to face difficult task that is waiting for her. "I'll get right on it, Shepard, but... someone's gonna have to open a backdoor." The Quarian warns as she frantically types on her omni-tool. "I'll handle that! And, just to be on the safe side, I'll create a script that will cure the old Cerberus virus." Miranda promptly adds, just as determined and proud of Shepard's approving nod.
A few hours later...
The War Room is bustling with activity. The antivirus has been prepared. Miranda is engaged in the development of the encrypted diagnostic software. She works busily, in silence, spreading coppery reflections from long brown hair, inflamed by the lights of the auxiliary lighting system. Not far away, Tali is also well under way in programming the worm. A little on the sidelines, Karin is sliding her omni-tool on Liara's belly, under the apprehensive gaze of Shepard, who lovingly holds her soulmate's hand. "Everything is going beautifully. The baby couldn't be healthier, and the mom neither!" It is what a smiling doctor announces, after careful evaluation. Finally, Shepard allows herself a few moments to take the edge off of the sore muscles of her neck. In that same moment, Liara takes her time to plan and prepare crucial instructions to give Glyph.
Less directly involved in the action, Vega is polishing his shiny new Typhoon, thoroughly. He received it from the Commander, to celebrate the start of his N7 training. In the last hour, the lieutenant has been busy dismantling and reassembling every single part of the rifle, masterly. Not before greasing even the smallest mechanism or juncture, with obsessive precision. He exchanges a glimpse with Garrus, engaged in a similar activity. "I can't imagine anything better, to unload the nerves and get ready for action!" He confesses, winking at his Turian friend, who adds with a grin, "That, and calibrating a pair of stubborn Thanix cannons that refuse to cooperate!" The two chuckle, looking at Traynor, who does not even see them. The Specialist ignores them, focused on checking the protection of the War Room communications system. She is fully engaged in her essential activity, typing fast on the holographic keyboard, encouraged by the lack of external attempts to breach the network. Joker feels like a rough sea that keeps coming and going, scratching the rocks with claws made of foam. He tries to combat tension by making himself as useful as possible, but it does not have much of an impact on his mood.
"Done! The worm's ready, Shepard!" Tali announces, her heart racing, eagerly. Liara and Miranda join the Quarian. "We're ready to proceed, too." Miranda affirms, speaking for both of them. All hands immediately stop acting, all feet stop walking, all eyes turn in one direction, simultaneously. Soon, the Commander's clear voice breaks the silence. "Alright, let's recap!" Shepard is aware they have only one chance and one choice. "We need to get to the inspection panel in the AI core room, where it will be easier to open a backdoor. Once the security protocols are bypassed, Miranda will launch her encrypted diagnostics to identify and locate any string of code that does not match EDI's algorithmic signature." The woman speaks with the usual self-control, the unmistakable determination. The enlightened eyes of conviction, the hands woven behind the back, the gait, everything instills in the crew a pleasant feeling of confidence.
Liara's qualified voice continues the speech, with knowledge, as to complete a same thought. "Glyph will descend into the conduit, protected by a stealth system and will act as a communication bridge between us and the team in the kernel room." The Asari explains, focusing on the details. "Our VI will transmit, all the while, thousands of signals and false communications to confuse the Queen and not let her understand where we are, and what we are doing!" She ends her presentation with a tacitly appreciative nod from Shepard, who adds. "Tali will launch her intelligent worm to remove the anomaly once it is detected and identified. We'll be waiting, prepared to intervene and assist." The Commander pauses for a moment before adding. "We're going to get EDI back. We can't fail, and we won't!" The woman stares at each of her men in the eye. Her gaze is unshakeable, intense, and deep. It lingers briefly in each glance, before pausing in Joker's, as reassuring as a promise. "Good luck!" She adds, approaching Tali and Miranda who are preparing to go down the ladder. "To you too!" They both reciprocate, disappearing from sight, swallowed in the darkness of the narrow tunnel, and followed by the excited fluttering of Glyph.
"Is it just me or have the energy fluctuations become more intense and frequent?" Tali whispers in Miranda's ear. The former Cerberus officer nods and speeds up her pace. "Either way, we'd better hurry." She says. Despite the helmets and environmental suits do their good job, Miranda feels an unpleasant sense of oppression, like a harbinger of bad omens. The woman vehemently drives away the creeping thought, and hastens to walk the last stretch of the road, preceded by Tali. They climb in silence, trying to avoid the smallest noise. Meanwhile, Glyph rushes back to inform Shepard, and receive any communications. The Core room is empty and quiet. The bio-bed lies, still stuck between the door wings. Everything is still. The Queen seems to have given up, but it could be a trap. The energy fluctuation comes suddenly, causing the two squadmates to tremble with pure terror. Tali looks up and realizes, with a sigh of relief, that the cams continue to be disabled and the room completely abandoned. She gestures to Miranda who approaches the inspection panel, making quick, silent movements like a cat. She inserts a disk into the inspection port, with a slight movement. The diagnostic software starts instantly and silently, displaying a torrent of data, directly in the omni-tool of the woman. Her nimble fingers move with cognition. Attentive eyes feed on valuable information.
A few minutes is all it takes Miranda to find out what she wanted to know. "Bingo! I'm picking up an anomaly in the primary Kernel's algorithmic signature. This is not a Cerberus' virus. A fragment of Eva Corè's corrupt personality is continuing to replicate. It is rewriting partitions that contain the psychic copy of EDI, to replace the original algorithm!" Miranda hisses, letting her anger vent. The fact that Cerberus' past crimes led to what happened to EDI, makes her blood boil. Tali clearly perceives the anger, discomfort and the shame that her comrade is going through. She did not have any friendship with Miranda, but she learned to respect her, for her rebellion against Cerberus and her own father. Encouraging words come to her lips, and without the slightest effort, they become sound. "Good! This means, our assumptions were correct and therefore the worm will work! The backdoor is open and Cerberus' latest crimes are on their last legs. So, what are we waiting for?" She says, barely touching Miranda's arm. Their eyes meet, conciliatory. On their faces, light smiles briefly relax the tense features. Miranda appreciates Tali's words, and even more, how much good is hidden in the brief silence suspended on the unspoken ones. "Thanks!" She whispers, with sincere gratitude, soon distracted by Glyph, who looks cautiously out of the trap door.
"Significant increase in energy fluctuations detected. All attempts to breach our communications network have failed. The Commander looks forward to a new report. Dr Chakwas recommends using the supplied thermal or cooling gels... just in case!" The tiny virtual intelligence announces, looking nervous. "Hey, are you okay, little one? You exude some sense of worry..." Tali whispers, thoughtfully. "It's the damn Queen's fault! Since she can't find me, she's spending her time throwing random electrical impulses every fucking where! She was close to get fried all of my damn circuitry a short while ago!" The former Shadow Broker Info Drone blurts out, snatching from Tali and Miranda an incredulous smile, due to such an unusual colorful language. "I'll deal with it!" The Quarian promises, reassuringly. She activates her Combat Drone using a handful of commands. "This is Chatika vas Paus. She's a smart girl and she'll know how to help you... just in case. But now, it's time for you to go back to Shepard for a new report. There's not much time left, and we're about to launch the worm!" Tali orders, returning her focus to the delicate task ahead. Glyph was "blown away" at the sight of Chatika, and for the first time in its long existence begun to stutter. "N-N-Nice to meet you! F-Follow me, I'll show you the s-shortest way!" Then, talking to Tali and Miranda, "Please, refrain from telling Dr T'Soni about the swearing, as she will remove my entire collection of Miss Jack's expletives!" Glyph adds, just before disappearing into the duct followed by Chatika. "Ancestors!" Tali sighs, as shakes her head amusedly.
The worm easily penetrates the system, bypassing security. It enters through the kernel IT structure, tracing and marking streams of hostile code. EDI's algorithmic signature is everywhere, but it is not the only one. Tali and Miranda are relieved to realize that their AI friend is still fighting, with resilience. She is not completely defeated yet, despite being held by a containment system. "Thank heavens she's alive, and clearly trying to contain the malicious software!" Miranda cheers, analyzing the data. "Cascades of specific code were surrounded and locked in a quarantine sandbox by EDI." The woman remarks, choking a sigh. "Yeah! That explains the energy fluctuations! EDI's immune subsystem began treating any hostile code as a disease. The malicious strings are slowly moved into a sandbox, as she did during the delicate phase of Cerberus' gynoid control." Tali points out, equally relieved, analyzing her omni-tool, with renewed optimism. "At this sluggish pace, however, it will take years! Not to mention the Queen may find a way to reverse the process at any time." Miranda reaffirms with honesty. "You're right! EDI needs our assistance in removing the damn corrupt code. Right now! And I think I know how..." Tali promises, in a mysterious tone.
Without adding anything else, she accesses the worm, through the just opened backdoor. A simulation script of EDI's neural feedback is activated. It starts to reproduce strings of mirror code, in order to deceive the Queen, with bogus neural fragments. While watching Tali swirl her fingers on the holographic keyboard at super human speed, Miranda guesses her comrade's intentions and feels a thrill of excitement run through her body. "Brilliant! The quarantine process initiated by EDI will be greatly accelerated, this way!" She announces, looking at her partner who nods without taking her eyes off the holographic screen. Fake fragments rapidly multiply and spread throughout the kernel, simulating a system vulnerability. "Keelah, it's working! Looks like we got the Queen's attention." Tali notices, comforted by a cross-check of Miranda who adds. "EDI has understood and is creating fake neural fragments!" Virtual baits attract a river of corrupted code, just as the thin debris of iron filings is attracted by a magnet, confirming the woman's words. The moment the Queen tries to rewrite the false neural fragments, her corrupted code is attacked by the immune system powered by the worm, and quarantined within large sandboxes, hoping to facilitate the cleaning of the System.
"One thing's for sure... won't be a walk in the park!" Miranda regrets, looking around, worried. Acrid smoke billows materialize and rise from the floor of the server room. The big computer elements palpitate furiously, buzz, sizzle, spread a whirlwind of threatening purple flashes, in the heavy air. Tali frowns as she rushes to activate the emergency cooling system to reduce the overheating of the AI core. "Keelah! Life support is gone. The Queen is trying to take us out!" She blurts out, glancing at Miranda, who grabs an extinguisher with both hands and starts putting out an initial fire. "Hurry up, dammit!" She yells at the Quarian, grateful to be wearing the environmental suit and magnetic boots.
"C'mon, EDI, hold on! You're almost there... Think of Jeff... about the Normandy... Giving up now is not something you wanna do!" Shepard's voice resounds in the room, while the Commander's head emerges from the trap door, her eyes fixed on the terminal still smoking. She approaches quickly, under the distressed gaze of Miranda, who seems to sense Shepard's mood and the true reason for her presence. Also Tali has a thrill of understanding, while the smoke turns into thick fog, and other small fires gush out around the Core. The glimmering spreads tears of light in the room and the silence penetrates the air, like painful thorns. "EDI... you... you just can't do this to me!" Joker stutters, with a broken voice, as quickly climbs the ladder, ignoring the pain in his limbs, and not letting his limp slow him down. He leaps to the main server and lifts his palms in front of Shepard, begging for more time. The woman stops and stares at him with a sense of despondency. Joker looks at his Commander, his friend, the one for whom he has more respect, with wide-open eyes. He observes, speechless, as she activates her omni-tool and prepares to launch a pulse to overload the Queen, along with all that remains of the creature he loves.
One by one all the comrades went up the ladder. They gaze at each other, as their hearts pound like stones against their chests. Tali and Miranda do not stop typing desperate instructions on holographic keyboards. Everyone moves around, someone using an extinguisher, someone else trying to spur their AI friend, someone comforting Joker, but in vain. Everyone feels overwhelmed by their limitations, and no one wants to be in Shepard's shoes. As always, it is up to her to do the dirty work, to make the most difficult decision, the one that is hurting the most, the one inevitable. Although she will never forgive herself for having killed EDI... twice. The pain is tearing her chest apart, biting at her bowels, bringing shreds of her soul away. However, she cannot continue to ignore the threat posed by a rogue artificial intelligence, capable of controlling one of the most technologically advanced Frigates in the whole damn fleet. She hoped, with all her heart that Tali and Miranda's plan would work, but... the Queen seems to be stronger! "EDI, we can't wait any longer! Talk to me, dammit! Don't make me overload the System!" Shepard begs, with one last desperate cry before the silence. No sign, no response. The Commander's fingers tremble in the air, one moment, another one. Her mind is telling her, she should act, her heart is telling her to wait longer. She looks up, as slowly as she can. She sighs as her arm raises to aim. "Forgive me, my friend!" The Commander Shepard whispers, while a tear slips slowly, tracing the outline of her cheek. She gathers air in her lungs, holds her breath and...
A sudden electronic hissing snakes along the clusters, shakes the servers, disables the consoles. All the electronic devices are shut down, simultaneously, with a tremendous electrostatic buzz. Darkness. Silence. All activity in the room has ceased. They all wait, no more air in their lungs. Organics and synthetics, as if the whole Universe was holding its breath. Endless milliseconds pass, then entire seconds, which stretch out into an indefinable, eternal sliver of time. No changes, no reaction. Shepard looks, incredulous, at her own outstretched arm, still raised in mid-air, still ready for a shot that never happened. A blue light flashes on her omni-tool, and signals that the overload is at full power, ready to be launched. The Commander cancels the shot, slowly lowering her hand towards the floor. She looks at Joker, who is slowly sliding to the ground, groggy in a mixture of uncertainty and hope. Finally, the server in front of him begins to emit a faint glow of white light, flickering at first, then steady and bright. The helmsman opens his mouth wide, and his heart is sore, his throat is parched. He can't make any sound.
One after the other, all the computer service lights flicker and then turn on. Holographic displays are activated, indicating a system reboot is in progress. Ambient lights come on in familiar sequences, as the energy spreads throughout the ship. The fans of the environmental system begin to blow air and finally, even gravity is restored. Tali and Miranda risk a peeking at their omni-tools, eagerly scrolling through screens of data. The hope is still too slim, and no one dares to speak. However, all the AI core lights seem to be on. A pale whitish glow filters through the smoke, which still thickens around the main server. Joker realizes that his cheeks are burning and he lacks the energy to move. The man remains on the ground, disconsolate and tired, with a melancholy cold in his soul never felt before. Without realizing it, he continued to stare at the Core in front of him, dopey face and eyes wide open that he has not managed to close yet.
A synthetic hand emerges, like a mirage through the fog. It juts out beyond the smoke that still surrounds the primary server. Joker peers closely, wondering if that unmistakable hand, which is coming towards him, familiar and inviting, can be real. "It's over, Jeff!" EDI's sultry voice fills the room. It crosses Joker's senses, caresses him from within and slowly melts the icy quagmire clotted around his soul. "It's you?" The man whispers in disbelief as he grabs that synthetic hand and squeezes it between his own hands, getting back to his feet. They finally stay, one in front of the other, and gaze into each other's eyes for a long, throbbing moment of emotion. EDI extends her lips in a sweet smile, which no one would hesitate to call moving. "It's me! The damned Queen is in check... Permanently, this time!" She promises before falling into Joker's arms. Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau holds the love of his life in his arms, and does not even try to hold back tears.
To be Continued...