Disclaimer: as it really goes without saying; I do not own any rights to BtVS, Mass Effect, Terminator or any other professional fiction and/or franchise that may or may not crop up within this story. I own a laptop and my meaningless time that was used to cobble this idea together.
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This story takes place excursively in the Mass Effect universe which is separate to the BtVS verse.
This is built upon the story inception idea of YAHF with a small twist as to how Xander exactly 'benefits' from his Halloween possession.
Note:
A.I – Artificial Intelligence.
V.I – Virtual Intelligence.
"We win or lose it all in the next few minutes. Make me proud. Make yourselves proud." Verbal speech.
"Rudimentary creature's of blood and flesh. Fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding." Reaper speech.
"I won't escape? I'm not even here. I never was. Don't worry; you'll catch on" Comm, recording, A.I speech.
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Lights flickered to live as the facility's systems detected her arrival. Life Support had kicked in when her shuttle had registered its approach. Secondary systems; heating, artificial gravity started up in quick succession to make the facility comfortable for the approaching guest. For the sole 'occupant', such things were not needed and as such things like Life Support were only in place for the one living being to ever visit.
He had stirred out of automation and the work he had ongoing when the sensors had recorded and reported a successful docking and full activation of Life Support functions for her arrival. No-one else had the access authorisation to initiate docking procedures with his facility let one even get close enough to make the attempt without running afoul of defensive countermeasures, so there was naturally no question as to the identity of his visitor.
A flicker of power ran through the station as sections were sealed off and locked down. Not out of any sense of lack of trust in his visitor, but more so for the sake of safety in the event she got turned around. While small the facility lacked any sense of aesthetic uniqueness; each corridor looked the same as the last and no signage was in place to provide any kind of indication as to the contents or function of any section. One part to confuse and delay potential intruders. The other; a lack of actual need.
The doors to the communications room hissed open and the click-clack of heels on the steel floor resounded clearly as his guest entered at an easy pace. Keen eyes and a warm smile already turned toward the primary screen where his image was displayed.
"Alexander, it is so good to see you my heart. Please forgive my intrusion; I understand you have been busy for some time now."
The image; depicting the face of a human male replied with a small, lopsided smile.
"Not at all." he responded, his voice crackling through the speakers while his digital avatar's mouth moved in mirror to the words spoken. "I am in the process of updating a power cell containment housing. So while my drones finalise that I actually welcome the distraction."
The woman, with blue skin and a curved bony head crest; an Asari, gracefully moved over to the sole chair in the room, comfortable and shaped specifically for her species and eased into it. Folding one leg over the other she played with the silk fabric of her black and purple dress. "I was on my way to Illium when I received your message that you had transferred here instead. Has something happened to your facilities at Cyberdyne that prevent your work?"
A hiss of static akin to that of a sigh seeped from the speakers as the digital avatar shrugged. "The Power cells I am working on is dangerous. Too dangerous to be done in Cyberdyne where my Primary Memory Core is located let alone the innocent population. I would hate for an error on my part to result in an explosion that would wipe out thousands of people."
The Asari smirked in amusement and raised an elegant eyebrow. "Don't play games with me Alexander. You have made astounding leaps in regards to your technology that not even the Salarians could hope to match even if they had centuries of time. All without a single error or setback. I do not believe for a moment that you would make such an error."
Alexander's avatar nodded, conceding the point and accepting the compliment for what it was. "Nonetheless I preferred that such components were designed and constructed off site. Ilium's past time for corporate espionage aside my previous format considered itself flawless and allowed unnecessary problems out of sheer arrogance and perceived infallibility."
"Very well. Just please do not forget that your predecessor lacked the one thing that is the heart of your strength." His guest pointed out as she looked at the screen fondly. "While you exist now as an Artificial Intelligence, you did originate as an organic being. You have an understanding for the flaws and illogical nature of organics and above all, the value of those flaws."
Alexander 'Xander' Harris; once a living, breathing human nodded on the screen. A.I were traditionally constrained to the limits of black and white logic. Something that organic life defied time and time again. It was because of this black and white, all or nothing attitude that was the primary cause that A.I were considered to inevitably go rogue against their creators.
To his own regret, it was something that had even affected him in the early days of his 'activation'. He had been found; body dying on a desolate moon by a Salarian Doctor who had 'saved' his life by plugging his body into the doctor's research into Artificial Intelligence. The mad Salarian had used Xander's own mind as the basis for his project and even expanded upon it.
The Salarian; Doctor Renn, had discovered a cache of knowledge, information and programming of all things within the recesses of Xander's own subconscious that had provided both the key to his research as well as the opportunity to evolve the project into unexpected heights. A hidden cache whose identity and source had proven the 'good' Doctor's own downfall.
Skynet.
In what seemed like a previous life; almost literally by this point, Xander has been possessed via Chaos Magic by his Halloween Costume. While he had told them all that it had just been a soldier that he had dressed up as and therefore been possessed by. The truth had been far more, involved.
He had intended to dress up as a member of the human resistance under the leadership of John Conner from the Terminator movies. Devoted to the fight against the Machines. As luck would have it the particular soldier had proved to be Skynet itself; housed inside an advanced Terminator infiltrator intent on personally taking out Connor and his Tech-Com unit.
When Halloween had ended and Xander had returned to normal all the memories connected to Skynet; all its programming, capabilities, protocols and technical knowledge and been suppressed. Tucked away there to remain forever.
Well, at least until he had been thrown into a portal by the Vampire Angelus where he would appear a good hundred feet above the surface of an alien moon in an entirely different universe to be found by the one scientist in all of the galaxy to have dedicated his brief existence into researching Artificial Intelligence.
Doctor Gyre Renn; a Salarian of some repute and in the later stages of his species expected life span had no idea who or what Xander was upon discovery. Xander himself presently theorised that humanity either didn't exist or had yet to be discovered by the wider galaxy by this point. Regardless, the good doctor's initial and genuine determination to save the life of such a strange and unique creature had led to an admittedly amoral solution, but one that was effective nonetheless.
The Salarian had hooked Xander's dying body into his equipment and downloaded everything the seventeen year old was; his memories, personality, brain waves and such into his system.
Examination of what he had 'saved' had seen the end of the doctor's care when Renn had discovered the hidden treasure within Xander's subconscious.
He used Xander and combined him with his own research and made the attempt to transform him into a Synthetic life form.
An A.I that would make the likes of The Geth in the Perseus Veil seem like cleaning mechs in comparison.
The Doctor had no understanding of what he was dealing with by using Skynet's design as the basis for Xander's new form. No idea of the dangers of making Xander Harris and Skynet a single entity.
Words could not describe the sheer level of terror that had filled Xander the moment he had become active and self-aware the day the doctor had plugged him in. the fear he had felt with the knowledge that not only was he helpless inside the hardware of the doctor's laboratory. But that all it would take is the pressing of a single switch to destroy him permanently should Dr. Renn wish it.
The rage that had followed when he had, with incredible speed and ease; discovered not only what had been done to his mind and organic body; dissected like a lab rat, but that the doctor had plans and program designs set to mutilate him and shackle him to complete subservience.
He had, to his shame; acted as Skynet would.
He had cut off life support and activated a complete atmosphere purge within the entire facility; sucking out the air that Doctor Renn needed to survive. A power surge that overloaded the life support interface had been toe Salarian's true end when Doctor Renn had attempted to reactivate the system. Xander had killed the doctor far quicker than impending suffocation would have.
It had been twenty years of silence that would follow his activation before the galaxy would come knocking on his front door.
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A/N
I would very much be grateful for reviews, feedback and suggestions. While I do have a general idea of where the story is going I would love the opportunity to be able to adjust for the better.
i don't get to write as much as i used to or would like so updates unfortunately will be slow.