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.
XxxX
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.
A/N: for the sake of imagination. I do have in my own head that Xander's Alixanda T'Soni T-900 model looks like Summer Glau but as an Asari. A good ol' homage to her role as Cameron.
A/N IMPORTANT: please read the entire A/N at the end of this chapter as it addresses some details regarding both this story as well as the chapter..
XxxXxxXxxX
A morning on Thessia was a beautiful thing. Even to an Asari who had seen countless identical mornings over the span of centuries. Benezia had chosen the location of her home for this specific detail. Living a few hours from the nearest city center, Benezia enjoyed a wondrous unobstructed view of the sun as it crested the Stellar Mountains. The gemstone caps of the beaks reflected a breathtaking halo of purple, reds and yellows every morning.
Currently Benezia was perched on her favorite seat watching the sun rise over said mountains, an aromatic tea cradled in her hands while she silently delighted at the tingling soreness that she could feel originating from her chest and rear.
Amethyst was quite a passionate lover but lacked the commitment that Benezia possessed regarding her early morning rituals. Currently her lover was sleeping in their shared bed; blissfully unaware of the seductive lure her svelte naked body posed in tempting Benezia to change her morning routine.
Theirs was a rather unusual relationship, however recent it may be. Both were considered to be in the Matriarch stage of life and yet neither had settled down into the urge of parenthood as was expected in the Matron stage. Benezia had been devoted to her service to her home-world until only recently and Aethyta was a self confessed rebel who had very little interest in 'conformity.'
Alexander would have a field day teasing her over it all. Mischievous thing that her beloved child was.
Perhaps some day soon, maybe when Alexander came to visit her as 'Alixanda T'Soni' Benezia could introduce her child to Aethyta. The former Commando had carefully slipped in a carefully hidden test while getting to know Aethyta to gauge her opinions regarding what Alexander was. Using sightings of the Quarian Flotilla near Asari space to vocally lament the 'Morning War' and gauge Aethyta's response and opinion over The Geth; the closest known analogue to Skynet.
Wonderfully enough Benezia's lover had reacted favorably. The woman had pointed out the foolishness of the Quarian people who had fought the Geth for not attempting to nurture what was essentially a collection of digital children. Aethyta by no measure held the opinion that the Geth were innocent or misunderstood. But was simply of the thought that the war that had resulted in the entire Quarian species becoming nomadic had been avoidable.
Benezia hoped that Aethyta carried that thought in the event that Alixanda was introduced and, if ever, the origins of Benezia's child was revealed.
"There you are Nezia."
The woman allowed her eyes to flicker shut and a gentle smile to fill her face when she felt a soft pair of arms caress her shoulders and reach down to hold her as a pair of wonderfully soft breasts pushed against her back. "What are you doing awake so early? Didn't you deny the existence of dawn when I asked you to join me?"
Aethyta scoffed and softly scraped her fingernails along the skin of Benezia's stomach. "And I would have stood by that denial to my dying breath." The still naked Asari nibbled at Benezia's neck for a moment before clipping a thin Omni-tool receiver to her wrist. "But you're Comm wouldn't stop buzzing and woke me up. Must be important."
Benezia set her tea aside and craned her head back to see the delightfully shaped backside of Aethyta swaying its way back indoors, the woman waving a hand lazily as she undoubtedly made to regain her sleep.
Delaying for just long enough to watch the delectable sight until it disappeared from sight; Benezia finally turned her attention to the communicator clipped to her wrist as it blinked with a gentle but audible hum.
A flick of a finger to check the caller identification had her eyes widen with joy when she saw the name 'Alixanda T'Soni' blink back at her.
Quickly accepting the call, Benezia beamed as the connection was established. "Alexander! I was just thinking of you Little One."
However when the hologram settled to show the image of the caller the Matriarch felt her heart seize and leap up to her throat. It was unmistakably the body that her beautiful child had created and she would have dearly loved to be able to gush and coo at how perfectly adorable she looked. Were it not for the heart wrenching, complete and utter despair and emotional pain that filled the image of her 'daughter's' entire body.
From the rendering of the holo-call it looked as if Alexander was curled in a shower, water cascading over his Asari body. Based on the angle and what Benezia knew of her A.I child's capabilities; the call had been initiated remotely which explained the full body image that was being transmitted. Currently the Alexander was looking away from the communicator and staring despondently at some unseen point.
"Little One? What's wrong? Please tell me what's happened?" Benezia asked with a faint trace of fear in her tone.
"…" Alexander's mouth opened but said nothing for a moment. Instead the petite 'Asari' shook and hugged her legs to her chest tighter.
No. no, something had gone terribly wrong. Benezia swiftly rose to her feet and almost ran indoors.
"Where are you? Illium? Did something happen at Cyberdyne?"
"M-Mom…"
Oh someone was going to die.
Benezia adored whenever her beautifully wonderful child called her that. Made real the love she had for the A.I and that the relationship she had was returned. But she now knew without a doubt that she 'hated' with ever fibre of her being hearing such pain and sadness from someone who should only know joy.
"I-I…" Not even their first meeting had Benezia heard him sound like this. Fear and defiant sure. But not hopeless and broken.
"Talk to me Little One. Please."
Alexander shook but finally turned to look to the communicator. When Benezia finally saw the entire face of 'Alixanda T'Soni' and nearly felt her legs give out when she saw that half of it was missing.
The skin, flesh and muscle had been completely burned away; exposing the endoskeleton skull beneath. A red eye gleamed at her and flickered as it shorted for a moment.
"Mom...please...help me."
The call went dead but Benezia had heard enough.
The Matriarch's eyes hardened and she stormed to the office of her home and waved a hand; activating the systems she had installed from her Commando days. Slotting her communicator into a reader a program was quickly up and running; targeting the last call and tracing the location of origin.
While this was happening Benezia was calling up one of her old contacts. She might not be part of the Asari military any longer, but she still had the respect and admiration of countless still active members who not only owed her favors, but were loyal to her above even the both the Council of Matriarchs and Citadel itself.
"My Lady?"
A voice cracked through the audio emitters as her call was received and the connection made.
"Koreena, is your team currently deployed?"
On the other side of the call; unseen to Benezia; the Asari Commando straightened her back at the severe tone of her Matriarch. "Negative. Myself and all team members are planet side. We can be ready to mobilise within the hour. What is your order?"
Flicking her gaze over to the tracing program and saw the location of the call.
"I need immediate pickup and expedited travel to Nevos, the Transient Embrace. Complete blackout of all information, reports and transmissions as far back as four days minimum." Benezia ordered firmly. "I have a personal matter to attend to and VIP to secure. Do you understand?"
"Orders received. Expect shuttle arrival within 30 minutes. The team will rendezvous at the mission departure point in 45 minutes. Any further orders?"
Goddess bless Koreena. Benezia had mentored the young Asari when she had first been recruited into the Commandos and had never once let her down even when she by all rights had every reason to deny her. "The nature of this assignment is to be considered classified. Even to you and your team. What information you need to know will be provided and nothing more; am I clear?"
"Understood." Koreena responded firmly. There was no doubt or issue with this. The faith and trust the Commando and her team had in their Matriarch was beyond reproach. They didn't need to know why she wanted them to jump. Just that she asked.
Benezia terminated the call shortly after. Her orders had been received and the team that was to speed her on her way to Nevos was in motion. Shutting down the system, the Matriarch stalked through the house to her room she kept her clothes in. it seemed a mite excessive and even extravagant; but Benezia didn't have a mere wardrobe for her clothing, but an entire separate room. She kept everything there, formal attire for official events, dresses and casual clothing for her private free time and a wide variety of lingerie that went from the regular to the more exciting.
But none of that was what Benezia was soon garbed in thirty minutes later when she left her home and made for the shuttle that had been sent for her. Instead the Matriarch was kitted out in the form fitting armor of her military days with a small sidearm clipped to her right thigh.
"The team is preparing a ship to get us to Nevos Ma'am." Koreena called out from the pilot's chair as Benezia closed the door to the shuttle. "I have a contact at a small port who enjoys enough wiggle room to pull a few indiscretions. As far as traffic control will be aware; our take-off will be just a civilian departure."
Benezia nodded in approval. Honestly it wasn't as if there was anything illegal going on that necessitated such secrecy, but with the uncertain nature of what exactly had happened to Alexander, well she wasn't about to take any delays or risks.
"With the classified nature of the assignment and its need-to-know nature, I instructed for a standard loadout." Koreena briefed as she expertly piloted the shuttle toward the nearest city and the port where her team was waiting.
"Well done."
True to Koreena's word, Benezia was airborne and leaving Thessia's atmosphere without delay or any issue and was passing through the Mass Relay to Nevos within moments. The entire time that the galaxy passed by in a cascade of stars the Asari did her best to restrain from pacing back and forth on the spacecraft as her fears ebbed and flowed like the tide as her frantic thoughts conjured worse scenarios for what had happened.
The facts that she had access to were that Alexander had completed his body and was inhabiting it. An unknown event of series of events had resulted in an extreme level of damage to the body; enough to burn away at the flesh to expose the endoskeleton beneath. And finally; whatever had occurred had additionally been enough to cause high emotional distress enough to come as close as rendering an A.I catatonic.
Probably the most prevalent scenario that kept repeating itself in her mind was tied to her last visit to Illium. Where she and Alexander had discussed organisations like the STG attempting to gain access to Cyberdyne. Had that event occurred and Alexander was experiencing a form of mental trauma at what he had deemed impossible taking place?
It was possible that Alexander had desired to celebrate being physical by a short stay on Nevos and the STG had learned of the trip and made a move on Cyberdyne's founder and CEO.
But the problem with that was the fact that Alexander had killed before. His 'creator' Gyre Renn. Alexander had acted in defence of his own existence and freedom to a level of taking the life of what threatened him before. And from past discussions regarding the topic; Benezia understood that he didn't even think twice over the murder.
So what had happened?
XxxX
As far as holiday locations went, the bungalow that Benezia had traced the call to on Nevos was definitely up there. It wasn't the kind of obscenely extravagant that appealed to younger Asari who equated open displays of wealth as a sign of comfort and happiness. It reminded her of her own home in fact with how it was removed from the hustle and bustle of everyone else and had a wonderful view of a private beach barely twenty meters from the door.
Upon landing Koreena's team had set to work immediately in securing a perimeter around the area as well as carrying out her order to secure any and all communications in and out over the past four days and then deleting everything. The Matriarch would not permit her loyal followers to get within sight of the building and brooked no argument over investigating the interior alone.
It was not until Benezia crossed the threshold and stepped into the bungalow that she caught glimpse of her first sign that a fight had broken out.
The dividing wall between the kitchen and living room was completely blown out, scattered into rubble. The faint hiss of a cracked waterline broke the silence of the now joined rooms and every few seconds sparks would fire from the exposed wiring from were the kitchen's refrigerator had been nearly town in two, another gaping hole in the wall next to it.
"Alexander! Little One. It's Mom. Where are you? Are you okay?" She called out, making sure to keep her tone gentle and as free as she could manage from the tense worry that was gripping her chest.
The lighting flickered and a nearby speaker warbled with static in response; indicating that while for the most part unresponsive, Alexander was integrated with the buildings systems and had registered her presence.
The hologram for the call had registered water dripping down Alexander's body and straight away from an initial glance, there was no water damage or leaking significant enough to cover an Asari like that. The only likely place would be in fact the bathroom; likely that whatever violence had occurred her had either passed through or finished there.
A theory that was immediately supported when Benezia turned the corner to the small corridor that led to the bedchambers and attached bathroom and saw another gaping hole.
Carefully stepping in Benezia felt her heart lurch and break all over again.
Alexander had not moved since the call it seemed.
The poor dear was still curled up against the far wall of the bathroom with a ruptured pipe that once connected to the shower spilling its content over his body.
The body Alexander had built was completely stripped bare and to Benezia's incredible surprise; heavily bruised and bloody.
The blood was not too significant a surprise. There would need to be some kind of analogue within the living tissue in order to display an accurate enough skin tone. But the bruising? It was incredible to think that the technology and construction was advanced and detailed enough to be capable of such a thing.
Not that the Matriarch paid any mind to that line of thought as her eyes took in every inch of her 'daughter's' battered body.
The Hologram imaging had only shown one side of Alexander's body and she had even then only seen the damage to the face when he had finally turned to face the image receiver. But now able to see more than that Benezia was horrified to see just how much punishment had been unleashed upon him.
The torn away flesh from the right side of the face extended down to the neck. A good chunk of thigh had been torn away and there were several marks on the chest that unfortunate familiarity identified as bullet wounds.
"Oh Little One. What has happened to you?"
It was almost like approaching a panicked wild animal as Benezia crept closer. She wasn't truly concerned that Alexander would lash out and attack her. But nonetheless she did not want to run any kind of risk of behaving in any manner that could be either misunderstood or trigger what passed as instinct to him.
She didn't pay any mind to the water that hit her as she lowered herself to the floor and gently wrapped her arms around the faintly shaking body of her beautiful child.
"M-mom?" There was a barely noticeable warble to Alexander's soft voice. Not born from emotion but damage to the vocal processor that introduced the faintest trace of feedback. "I-I…"
Benezia hushed him softly, gently pulling the damaged machine closer and resting Alexander's head against her chest. "It's all going to be okay Little One. I'm here. Mommy's here."
A quiet whirr of servos moving as Benezia felt Alexander's arms slowly move to wrap around her waist and she heard a sob break free.
"I-I didn't want to do it." The half whispered cry of Alexander's voice urged at her, somehow as if the A.I was desperate that she understood. "I thought, I thought she was different."
Confusion. Alexander was travelling with someone? Looking up from the crest of the machine's head, Benezia scanned the bathroom and finally spotted a body. Half buried beneath the tiling and rubble, an older Asari, naked just like Alexander with a pistol clenched in a literal death grip and the woman's head twisted a full 180. she looked familiar.
"What happened?"
Alexander shook again. Either from distress or the damage that was affecting motor function. "A-Anya. I met her on Thessia. I was...i was on my way to see you after if finished building my body."
Anya. A nickname certainly. Ah, that's who it was. Between the faint sense of familiarity and the abbreviated name Alexander had just provided. Matriarch Lidanya; soon to be commander of the Citadel's flagship Dreadnought The Destiny Ascension.
"She was nice. Fun and made me feel good." Alexander continued quietly. "I…I liked her."
Oh Little One. Benezia figured it out. Alexander might be an A.I but he was unique even then. He had the capacity to feel and comprehend emotion on top of the fact that even accounting for his previous life as a living breathing organic lifeform; he was young. Of course it wouldn't take very much effort to develop his first crush and love. Even more so considering the amount of time he had endured as purely digital with no ability to experience physical stimuli.
Lidanya had, hopefully without malicious intention, seduced her cute little 'daughter' enough to bed Alexander. Sleeping with an Asari was nothing like if Alexander had done the same to any other race. The sexual act was far more intimate and involved; especially if there was an emotional connection.
"You melded with her."
XxxX Flashback XxxX
Xander quivered at the sensations and pulses of pleasure that flooded through his body at Lidanya's touch. Even as a human he had never thought that sex could feel this good. Even more so as a woman.
He was ultimately following the older Asari's lead, his virgin status and complete lack of knowledge known to Anya. He caressed where she lead him and licked along the taught flesh of her stomach as he rose up to the valley of her breasts.
He couldn't fore the life of him figure out why he had played so hard to get until this point. He was just so glad to have met Lidanya. She was fun and made him feel so happy. And Xander could definitely tell that she thought the same in turn.
What did he have to be worried about?
He finally licked and kissed his way up to Anya's neck, shivering when he felt her fingers find a particularly pleasurable spot between his legs. He kissed at her chin, and looked up just in time to see her loving eyes roll black.
And then he felt it.
He felt her touch like static running through the nerves under his skin as her own melded with his. He felt her fingers still inside him and felt her thoughts brush against the borders of the barriers that were his protective firewalls.
The gentle loving brush of her mind against what was his own artificial one flinched at the contact. As if Anya had suddenly stuck her hand on a live wire.
The first thing Xander noticed when Anya's black eyes flickered back to her normal yellow coloring was the confusion. That confusion rapidly filled with shock. And then fear, then hurt. And finally.
Anger.
Xander opened his mouth to try to say something. Anything. He could explain himself, he knew it. He loved her, she loved him. She could understand and listen if he could only put some context and reason to what she had felt when she touched his mind.
Instead he never got the chance to speak when he was sent flying through the wall thanks to a Biotic enhanced fist to the face.
The wall of the bathroom dented inward when his body impacted against it and Xander twitched when automated programs and subroutines deactivated all the software and hardware connecting the nervous system connecting his Living Tissue to himself to effectively block out the pain of being knocked through a wall. Notifications and alarms alerted him to the fact that the warping Biotic field had shredded the skin and flesh from the right side of his face but thankfully the damage reports stopped there. Not exactly how he would have wanted to test the durability of his endoskeleton, but it seemed that a Biotic field at this level was not enough to cause lasting damage.
"Please Anya. It's not what you think." Xander tried to reason, his remaining eye tearing up while the exposed red optic of his endoskeleton was completely impassive and inexpressive. "I'm not what you think."
Lidanya fumed but despite the rage in her expression she too shed tears that indicated the heartbreak that she was experiencing. "Shut up! You're a machine! Was this some kind of game to you? Some sick twisted simulation to mimic and pretend to be real!?"
Xander idly noted that she had armed herself with a gun between getting out of bed and storming through the hole to confront him. He felt the muted thud of a half dozen rounds slam into his chest as she fired at him. Ignoring the ineffective gunfire, Xander rose to his feet, trying to ignore the pain he felt when he saw her flinch as she got a good look at the mechanical skull that gleamed beneath the stain of blood left from his half shredded face.
"I'm not Geth. Not even remotely like them Anya." Xander urged, pleading for her to listen. "Please listen to me. I-I'm not fake. I'm real."
Lidanya screamed and threw herself forward, an aura of Biotics surrounding her like a halo as she charged. Xander reacted almost instinctively as he ducked underneath a clothesline before grabbing her by the shoulder and throwing her away from him. To Lidanya's surprise and terror she cleared the bathroom and impacted in the corridor.
"Please stop! I don't want to hurt you."
The Matriarch looked down to her sidearm, brought with her to Nevos out of habit more than anything. She had shot this 'thing' in center mass and it hadn't even caused it to even flinch. She needed back up. To call in support to destroy this monstrous machine.
Xander rapidly reached the conclusion that Lidanya had come to and quickly ran after the Asari when she turned and sprinted for the living room; to send out an S.O.S and inform of a rogue synthetic lose on Nevos. He couldn't let her do that. He could still reach her. He had to.
The primary communication system that linked the bungalow to the main resort was attached to the dividing wall between the kitchen and living room. Nothing too complex; just a glorified intercom connected to a service desk.
But with Lidanya's credentials she could easily get the resort to call down the entire Asari military upon her with the right words.
And words like 'Asari shaped Geth' would gather quite a bit of a response.
So Xander didn't even try to stop Lidanya. He just ran into and through the entire wall that contained the system.
He tripped over the rubble and ignored another series of alerts from the T-900s systems when he took another Biotically warped blow to the upper thigh; shredding the flesh there as well.
"Please Anya." Xander begged as he climbed to his feet only to be caught in a Biotic field and tossed back into the kitchen. He slammed into the fridge and nearly broke it into pieces from the impact alone. "Please…"
"Stop calling me that!" She screamed as she shot him again, this time in the neck. "Stop this wretched game and die already!"
There was nothing to do. Xander couldn't think of a single method to calm her down, convince her or at least render the threat she posed as a nonissue. The shock of the melding and in a manner of speaking; interfacing with a cybernetic consciousness, coupled with over a century of fear and mistrust of synthetic life thanks to the Geth. Lidanya was career military. And a highly regarded one at that. Faced with a threat, an enemy like him, she would come at him until he was scrap. And that didn't even touch the fact that Xander could see that a decent cause for her hate and rage was as a result of the emotional attachment to what she had become determined was a malicious deception.
Xander couldn't save her.
He couldn't calm her.
Lidanya raised her sidearm and made to press it against his head, hoping no doubt to cause critical damage to his neural processors. Xander didn't allow it. With incredible swiftness his arm snapped up to grasp her wrist, preventing the Asari from bringing the pistol to bear. The Matriarch's eyes widened and a Biotic aura started to form when the machine stepped toward her and grabbed her by the neck before throwing her into the wall behind him.
The sheer force of the through coupled with the half formed Biotic field sent Lidanya crashing through the wall to roll back into the bathroom.
By the time she was able to stagger back to her feet it was too late. Xander had already followed after her and wrapped his arms around her head and neck.
"I...I didn't want this Anya." Skynet wept, tightening his grip as the Matriarch struggled and scratched at his arms as her airway was slowly crushed. "You made me happy. I really liked you. I-I'm sorry."
With a quick motion he easily broke Lidanya's neck. Twisting the head so hard that Xander was cursed to see the light go out in her eyes as her face looked at his.
It was not an expression of hatred or fear on the Matriarch's face that affected him so much.
He dearly wished it could have been that. It would have been easier. Simpler.
No it was the look of betrayal and lingering love on the expression of Lidanya as she died that cut deeper than anything she had done to him in her attempts to kill him.
It was that final look she gave him as she died that made it feel less like a kill in self defence. And more like a ruthless murder.
XxxXEndFlashbackXxxX
"I didn't want to kill her" Xander cried as he buried his head into Benezia's chest, as if he could hide himself from Lidanya's cold body just a few feet away. "I knew it was a bad idea. I knew about the likelihood of melding. But, I just...i wanted…"
"You wanted to live Little One." Benezia interrupted. "You're young. Its not your fault you fell in love so quickly. It's a truly terrible truth, but young love is rife with heartbreak and pain. It's not your fault that this one was worse than normal."
"I couldn't find a way out. I couldn't think of anything to save her. She just wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't she stop?"
Benezia didn't really know Lidanya personally. Of her reputation and career, sure. But not as an individual. But as cruel as it was, right now she hated the woman.
Yes she could understand the unrelenting drive that had caused Lidanya to relentless pursue her fate, objectively what Alexander was and was capable of was honestly terrifying. But the woman had tried to kill her daughter. And succeeded in inflicting incredibly distress and emotional pain.
And for that Benezia would forever hate and never forgive Matriarch Lidanya.
"Some people just can't be saved Little One. You can try and try but sadly sometimes it just can't be done." Benezia soothed, gently rising to her feet and lifting the synthetic child with her. It marvelled just how light Alexander's body was. "It's no fault of yours for this. You loved her. And I am sure despite everything she loved you at the end."
Leading Alexander out of the bathroom and over to the bedroom, Benezia found a dress that was the right size and helped the A.I dress himself. With a sense of modesty restored the concerned mother gathered up one of the silk bed sheets and careful wrapped it around Alexander, ensuring that it would cover up the large open 'wounds' that exposed the machinery underneath.
"It will hurt. Oh Little One, it will hurt a lot for some time." She explained sadly as the Asari began to gently lead her child toward the exit of the building. "Love had a tendency to cause the most enduring kinds of pain. But it won't be the end. Do you understand my love? You still have me. And someday, maybe not today or tomorrow, maybe not even a hundred years from now. But eventually you will find love again."
"But what if this happens again?"
Benezia frowned sadly and gently rubbed the silk sheet covered shoulder of her baby. "Sadly I can't say what will happen. Maybe this might happen again. Maybe it won't. But I need you to promise me something right now Little One."
"What?"
"Don't ever stop trying."
XxxXxxXxxX
A/N
Okay so it has been…..a while, since an update for this has been posted. First off I apologise to those that have been actually wanting to see more of this. Just got a few personal things that keep me away.
Second, and I hope that people actually read this part: a few things to address concerning Xander/Skynet:
I have spent weeks, months even trying to figure out how to write this chapter. I initially wanted to keep Lidanya alive as a future supporting character or contact point for future Skynet to be able to rely upon. But I could not get passed the detail of how a career military woman (who is supposed to be in charge of the fleet that protects the Citadel of all things) would in no way shape or form react favorably to the discovery that her lover/girlfriend/fling whatever; is effectively the galaxies first and best Geth in an Asari meat-suit.
So she had to die sadly.
I wanted this chapter to be a significant character development point and hope people understand why in this chapter Xander is so incredibly traumatised by what has happened. Yes he is freaking SKYNET with the memories/save files(?) of global annihilation.
But 1/ this Skynet used to be human and is more attached to organic life.
2/ this Skynet is actually capable of emotional attachment.
And the most important part: Xander/Skynet was effectively full on seduced by a space succubus while in the midst of what is effectively sensory overload. Of course he falls hard and quickly. Crush-at-first-sight.
I also kind of went with the idea that in the face of this kind of trauma that Xander has just been forced through; that it would be natural that a sense of emotional reversion (if that's the right word) would happen; causing Xander to express his vulnerability by effectively 'wanting mommy' and such.
A second point that I am afraid might have made this chapter a bit of a confusing read. Is the pronoun consistency regarding Xander. He, she, daughter, etc.
Ultimately this fic is well in its way to be a Genderbend for Xander given and I used this chapter to kind of sort of initiate this. Benezia comes from a species that has no 'sons' so it feels only natural that she would classify Xander/Skynet as a 'daughter.' and second while Xander still identifies (at the moment) as male. Flitting about in an Asari T-900 is naturally going to have people thinking 'he' is actually 'she'.
Oh and for the readers that hate the idea of me 'crippling' or 'neutoring' him as Skynet. Well….get over it. I'm not writing a story of a super powered murder machine. If you don't like it just don't read it.
There is a poll on my profile regarding me request for input toward eventual pairing. Please contribute if possible. Currently I have a 'leading lady' but would appreciate thought out suggestions beyond 'I like this pairing'.
Please provide feedback, tips and pointers and help either in review or through PM so I can refine and make this story better if I have messed up at some point. I am without a Beta so I don't really have a proofreader or someone to bounce off of.