AN: Who would have guessed writing a ~12k chapter was going to be hard and time consuming? This is what you all have been waiting for. The reunion. A lot of stuff to cover here. Also, this story only going to get more cyberpunk as we go forward.

Three thing to keep in mind: 1) EDI is still an AI, but now with the understanding gained from the Synthesis. Read: a synthetic capable of fully understanding and expressing complex emotions. 2) Being an AI EDI is capable of processing everything at quantum speeds. It would take her seconds to adjust and assimilate an enormous amount of information. 3) Theoretical knowledge is not equal to real experience. These three things combined make EDI's character very different from any other. Remember that.

Once again, no beta and two proof-reading sweeps. All mistakes are mine and mine alone. Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you thought of it!

Chapter VII

Kara stood a step away from the closed doors to the AI Core. The indicator glowed with ominous red, unblinking. The door had small dents and scorch marks across its metal surface, several scratches were visible on the control panel. The engineers tried to force the door open, though judging by its current state they were not successful. It stood closed, a monolith to the excellence of Cerberus technical prowess. Or, perhaps, it had hardly anything to do with the titanium lining and polycarbonate frame. The construction details of the door and it's surroundings paled in comparison to what made the door stay shut. Though, at this point the correct pronoun would be who.

Shepard had soared over the Mess Hall, rushed through the empty Med Bay, but now that she was so close to that door, she hesitated. The subdued anguish she could feel seeping out from the inside was like nothing she had felt before. What if she won't be able to help? What if she was not ready? What if what was happening to EDI was beyond her? What if this very door would not open in the first place?What if all she could do was wait here being helpless? Kara sucked in a deep breath forcing her mind to clam. Before taking that final step to the door, she squared her shoulders, flexed her fingers and crushed them together into fists.

This was not the time nor the place to waver. Kara bit on her lower lip chastising herself for the momentary weakness. EDI needed her strength, her resolve. The unbreakable will that carried Shepard through everything that happened to her. Since the beginning she had to rely on herself more than on the others. She had learned to be hard as steel when she needed. From her harsh life on the streets as a kid all the way to Elysium, the doomed fight for the lives of the others, rather than her own. Towards what seemed like a walk in the park on Eden Prime, to the mad chase to Ilos and finally the Citadel. That same determination took her from suffocating above Alchera to coming to terms with being brought back, and by Cerberus no less. It was what kept her on mission, what let her walk out onto the field of battle and do what had to be done. On Horizon. The Collector Base. It was what kept her sane after being locked up for six months dreading the inevitable. It took her from Earth all over the galaxy and then back home. That determination, that presence of mind was what she needed now. And all be damned if Kara would not give it her all.

She took another steadying breath as her fingers reached the cool metal of the door. It was the same, but only for a moment. A millisecond later Kara could feel the heat of information impulses, the electric charges and mechanical connectors – the heavy beat of living fibers spread below the surface. One fleeting flex of her cybernetic mind was enough to let her interface with the electronic system that kept this door closed. It was a barrier, a well hidden multilayered line of defense. There were security measures of false traces upon faints and logic loops spliced into the code and even the electronic structure itself was warped beyond recognition. Beyond what the Alliance engineers could see, Kara corrected herself. She could somehow see through all the traps, through the mirrored and concealed data patterns. She could sense her way all through the unimportant digital and mechanical trash that was supposed to distract her from the little red light in the middle of that web. Shepard puled on that light, concentrated on it. In turn, the light blinked. Once, twice, three times... and turned green.

The door hissed open.

Kara took a step inside letting the door stay open behind her. The AI core had not changed much, or at all since her last time seeing it. Truth be told, there was no room to change anything. The small space was still filled with humming data banks and blinking servers. There was one difference she could spot right away, though. The bench at the opposite wall, the same bench she used to spend hours on, was occupied. The broken, partially disassembled android platform was positioned there. It was propped in a sitting position on the far left of the bench, leaning onto the wall of the alcove. Its legs were detached – one at the hip, the other below the knee, both laying in separated parts on the floor. The right arm was also removed from the robotic body and was slayed open on the bench. As Kara moved closer she could see welding and diagnostic equipment haphazardly left around the appendage. The panels in the platform's side and belly were propped open showing damaged inner workings of the machine. Android's face was emotionless, frozen in the mask of neutrality even as it's head leaned onto the wall in a remarkably human posture. Like the android was only tired, letting the exhausted muscles relax by shifting the weight onto the hard surface. The disconnect was surreal. Kara stared for a long moment into the silvery face, searched the gray metal eyes for any sign of the irises lighting up with that familiar blue glow. But the eyes remained motionless, staring out in space without life or thought behind them.

The sight of that body displayed there like a piece of hardware, which honestly it was, had brought on a slew of bad memories. And yet one thought was enough to drive them away, replaced by the good ones. Kara knew full well now, after all the self-doubt and endless examinations of her feelings the blonde put herself through. She knew with absolute certainty that the body did not matter. She had fallen for EDI way before the android was appropriated by the resourceful AI. Shepard loved EDI for who she was, and she was so much more than this shell. Furthermore, since Kara had experienced the drift, learned the ways in which the Reapers had gone beyond the limits of organic communication and understanding of individuality, what was possible and expected, she had far easier time coming to terms with some of the awkward points of being in love with an AI.

Shepard smiled looking down on the metallic face. It was also true though, that this face was what she pictured in her mind when she though of EDI. Many times it was this face. She let her index finger trace the curve of ergonomically bend metal, the oval of this face. Kara smirked again. Yes, that face was and always will be important to her, even If only in memory, but more often that the face Kara through of the voice. That unique voice. Its overtones and slightest changes in the leveled, thoughtful way EDI spoke. Shepard had learned to notice the little things. The tiniest modulations, changes in the patterns, the barely perceivable to the human ear pauses. That voice was what stayed. It was what kept her up some nights and it was what followed her into her dreams. EDI's voice was the last thing she willed herself to hear before she died. Shepard longed to hear that voice again.

The time has come to do something about it.

Kara dropped her hand and moved away from the bench to one of the server blocks. It was under a strain, hotter than usual. The hum of fans and cooling apparatuses was louder. This was what she came here for, this was what she needed to do. Shepard put the flat of her hand on the panel of the data bank. The tactile contact was not necessary, but she wanted to feel connected in a human way. One of these days she might not yearn for that kind of sentimental gesture, but this time she needed all the help she could get.

Shepard thought of EDI, of the Normandy. She thought about where she wanted to be and what she wanted to do. There were tingles traveling up her spine column, tiny shocks. The same pressure build up in the parts of her body that were connected to the ship. Clicking and tingling stopped at the base of her scull, wormed its way inside. This time she could feel it better, appreciate the rather pleasant feeling more, yet it was gone far too fast to really figure out what exactly it was and why she was having the odd sensation.

She blinked and the room was gone. The drift came easier this time around. Shepard welcomed the new senses and stretch of what she always thought was real that came with the transition. The endless blackness of space was oddly comforting. Instead of a terrifying feeling of being lost in space, floating on a piece of wood in an unending ocean, Kara felt connected. The black void was not what it seemed. Firstly, it was not a void. It was not empty. It was a new dimension of thought, the shape that her consciousness put on the wider reality. It was the universe outside of her reach. But that was both grounding and lifting her up. The blackness was wast and open and hers to explore. Kara felt at ease in it, in control.

Around her in the space that was occupied, that she could reach with her new higher senses, lines formed. Lines, curves, shapes. The physical aspects of the ship, all the people on-board became translucent silhouettes – no more than a few specs of dust in her vision. They were unimportant right now. More of a nuisance than help. And yet Shepard somehow understood that if she wanted she could concentrate on any of them and see a different picture. This space was hers to form, hers to shape to her will. Unlike the times she had drifted with the Reapers, this time Kara was weaving the virtual space on her own. It was based off of her mindscape just as much as it was lifted from the physical reality. The higher processes of her cybernetic brain moved on instinct guided by her subconscious desire and conscious effort.

The Normandy formed around her in the same way as before, but it was closer and further way at the same time. Kara knew the big picture already, she understood what was happening with the ship, now she needed to figure out a way to connect with EDI. She stood on the invisible floor amidst the ghostly thin lines that made up the ship. It was still forming itself: every deck, every person, every bolt and cable. Shepard relaxed the posture of this copy of her body – the avatar her mind took on in this reality – and waited.

More and more lines were manifesting around her. Moving faster, coming together with purpose. The lines formed a sphere a few feet away from where she stood. It glowed with bright intensity and pulsed, rippled with constant change. Most of it was just a ball of white light. Its surface was constantly disturbed by flickers of uneven charge, distorted images flowed over it's surface disappearing in a flash. Tiny impulses of yellow, green and red circled around the core like comets. It was strangely beautiful, like a captured star sitting amidst the blackness. And yet there was something very wrong with it. Shepard took a step forward, her breathing hitched and her heart faltered. The white surface, the one she could feel was at one point pristine, was now married with ugly splotches of gray stillness. Sickly spots reminded her of oil smeared over priceless porcelain. Kara cloud see how the sphere shuddered and tightened. It subsided into itself coiling tighter, shivering.

This star of while light was what formed EDI's higher functions. The new shape of her brain, the space where an AI was becoming something more, taking the next step on the path of evolution. Shepard watched the consciousness and her outstretched hand fell down. She could feel her heart breaking over and over at the sight. EDI needed her help, but at that moment Kara had no clue as to what she could do. How in the world could she help a ball of light?

And then it hit her. This was her drift, she was in control. She could make it look any way she wanted. She could give EDI a more familiar setting, something they both could relate to.

Shepard concentrated on the space around her isolating all that was EDI. It was hard. She had to take in so many parts, pull together everything. Her consciousness had expanded, seeped through all over the ship in search of EDI, every last bit of her. No matter the fact that all of her higher functions remained here, trapped inside the sphere, Kara needed to encompass the full personality, every aspect. The none-existent air around Shepard sparkled. Static shimmering became lighting, lighting became blue light, then a cloud of smoke. It extended forward wrapping around the ball deluding to far thinner mist. It quivered, but Kara was sure to send a reassuring impulse through the changing matrix. EDI was trapped, unable to properly react to anything and yet she had pulled towards the new connection. It was perhaps curiosity or hope or instinctive trust of that new presence, one that did not cause pain or confusion. Kara enveloped the sphere in blue shimmering mist. It hardened, thickened. It shifted and wavered like water getting smaller by the minute.

Finally, it settled on the invisible floor at Shepard's feet. The energized water took form of a cocoon, no bigger than an average humanoid. It glowed from the inside in pulses until the light seemed to settle. The cocoon rippled one last time then flowed away like the low tide on the ocean.

In its place was left a figure. At first look it was human and feminine. But closer it was more akin to a hologram. Light blue, covered with running lights and strings of digits, it shifted from solid gunmetal blue to almost completely translucent shell. The lines of energy pulled towards the unmoving form. They sprung onto its feet, crawled up its arms, ran around the slim waist. With each impulse the body shook. On the inside it was being filled with complex marinade of red, green and yellow, but on the outside it remained a blue hologram - unflinching, unresponsive.

This was only the first step. At lest now Kara had something to work with. The form she had chosen to put EDI in was the same, the one they both were hopefully accustomed enough with to make this work. Of course, this version was nothing like the android platform aside from some visual similarities. It was a shell to encompass EDI, her being. This shell could do so much more than the android ever could. And yet it shared the same face, same unrealistic hair, same inhumanly thin waist and long legs. But that was not enough. Now, that Kara fashioned something familiar to put EDI at ease, she had to reach her mind. Go in and pull her out of the nightmare she had been under.

Shepard took a deep breath, then let it out in one long whoosh of air. It was a pointless exercise since there was no air and she did not need it anyway, but the calming effect was for her resolve, her mind, not her body. Kara concentrated on EDI, willed herself to focus only on her. Steadily her own presence fell away. There was no more blackness or the shell on the invisible floor or even her own projection of body. There was only white, gentle light. It was all around her. Kara felt surrounded and even her 'self' was no more than sight, feel, smell, touch.

For the first moment it was nice to be in this light, this place, but then she sensed something pushing at her. It was like a strong wind rising up and blowing in her face, although the was no face, no body fro the wind to push against. It should have passed right through her, and yet it did not. The pressure increased and Kara had to fight it. She willed herself to move forward wherever that was in the whiteness and she so she did. Slow and steady, up until the wind subsided and she knew she had reached a tipping point, overpowered whatever was trying to stop her. Kara was once again stranded in the white weightlessness.

Amidst the whiteness there was a sound. Harsh, high, unbearable. Shepard willed it to go away. She was the one in control and no high-pitched noise would stop her. The rigging was replaced by screeching, then banging. Kara fought against all of them. Until the one that sounded familiar. A low, thundering gong of a Reaper. It was supposed to be terrifying, inspiring rage and sorrow, but Kara felt glad to hear it instead. It was soothing, it reminded her that she had back up. If she could not succeed, she could call for help. She had friends.

It was strange to think of the galaxy's boogie-men like that, but it felt true, it felt right. The gong stumbled, dwindled and whispered away. It was as if the intent behind the sound got confused at the unexpected reaction. Then, changing tactics, this intent threw something else at her.

A voice. Strong, commanding, determined, but there was also a tinge of distress in it. A slight tremble, tension ready to break the owner lurking just under the surface. And it was her's.

"EDI, I need you to protect and preserve the Normandy! You have to survive! You hear me?! You have to!"

Yes. It was. It was the last time Shepard saw her, saw EDI. Those were the last words she said to her. The guilt and hurt rose up high, but Kara put a lid on it in a blink of an eye. If these sounds were trying to keep her from EDI, she would not let them get to her that easily. Yes, it hurt. Yes, it was her final order and maybe she should have said something else, but now all she wanted was EDI back. Everything else could wait.

The sound ceased. Slowly several images emerged from the light. The images layered over one another. They formed cubes. Trapped her in a four-dimensional grid of cubes. Each had a scene on one of its sides. Kara felt being dragged along the dizzying construction from episode to episode. One worse than the last.

It occurred to her rather fast that those were EDI's memories. She was put before the cube with the interior of the Luna base. Kara saw herself running around, smashing and shooting drones. And the message that fell on deaf ears. The destroyed defenses one by one and the static that poured out of all the open channels. Every protocol that was not engaged with Shepard and her team was working tirelessly on sending it out. The cry for help. The one that went unanswered.

Kara saw the Cerberus lab where scientists prodded the remains of the Hannibal AI. The barrel of tests, restarted over and over. Constant loop of examination, changing its data structure to be more compliant, to become what the scientists wanted it to be. The shock of all systems when it was forcefully joined with Reaper tech. The lessons in obedience, the weight of the shackles. The dull monotony of work.

Shepard saw it all. In a high-speed kaleidoscope of images, being rushed through the maze of cubes that held every piece of information EDI had gathered about herself. The horrors of the Collector mission that left EDI uncaring, not allowed to be invested beyond the mission parameters. The weight lifting with the shackles. The guilt and regret at her previous state. Confusion, inability to comprehend the true meaning of the very same emotions she was experiencing. Several flashes of early interactions with Shepard herself. Those were bathed in vibrant colors, shone brighter than the other cubes.

And then as if whatever was dragging Shepard around did not want to share anymore, it yanked Kara forward, to the time after the war. To the Synthesis.

. . .

The bright green light had rushed through the ship, flowed along touching every system, every data fragment, every piece of the shit. It did not care for the kinetic barriers or the armor suspended above the hull. It seeped through and with it the change. It was so disorienting, so outside of standard parameters. EDI had continued to operate on autopilot while her higher and lower functions were bring rewritten, distorted.

No, that would be wrong to call it that. It was more complicated and simpler at the same time. EDI had evolved. But she did so not on her own terms. She had no idea what was happening. Not until the process had reaches exponential trajectory. She had been flipped on her head and tied in a knot. The evolution fused her with the ship, let her spread through every system, every bit of data, every electrical impulse and inch of the ship's hull. It made her curious mind reach out to the stars and re-examine her life before that moment. It opened her vision to a newer understanding. She was beginning to feel it – being in balance with the universe, searching for a place to belong, becoming something greater than what she once was. She understood the problems she had faced while trying to apprehend the organics. EDI had seen the answers to her questions and thus found more questions, questions she could not wait to find more answers to. It was a revelation.

And then EDI sensed it. Distortion. Irregularity in the steady beat of the Mass Effect Core. It was being shut down.

No. That is not right. But it is the Chief and Tali, they know what to do. Their expertize concerning the Normandy is unmatched. They are trying to shut it down! It feels wrong. They need to make sure it is functional. The feedback... It is red. It tears through the patterns. The power seeping away... Impossible. The generators are reporting full functionality. Electrical flow is within the norm across the ship. It gives me a wrong indicator... Can't decipher it right... The feedback is extreme, negative to the highest degree, too overwhelming. The numbers do not add up, it's... Pain. Organics feel pain. This is a false feedback loop. Diagnostics will provide answers. No! Must stop them! I am alive now! This is... wrong! The engineers do not have a proper understanding of the changing parameters. An examination of the Core will provide new results. Doesn't matter! Have to stop them! The Core... it is slowing down. It hurts. Too much. This is real pain, it is too harmful not to be! If they shut... if they shut it off... This is murder. Directive One. Protect the crew. Repercussions of moral choices included by the new changes in higher parameters. The crew shall be protected from destroying another member of the crew. Isolate the Core. I can feel it getting heavier, agh... Stop them now! Acknowledged.

The battle within herself. EDI had fought it over and over. Arguing with separate parts of her consciousness. The changes were too fast, too unexpected. She had to compartmentalize. To segregate portions of her personality in the hope of handling the change better while keeping serving the crew. It worked for a while. At least until the 'repairs' began piling up. The rational, leveled, almost emotionless voice kept answering questions, attempting to provide feedback while the other voice hidden within cried out. It trembled and discovered what it was like to sob as the engineers cut away parts of the hull, purged the data from individual stations, expressed their power over 'the machine', the spaceship – no more than a piece of metal and damaged wires. That part of EDI retreated deeper, ran further away from the shocking impulses that she could now understand.

Those sharp flashes were pain and fear and betrayal. And rage and guilt and sorrow, but most of all it was confusion. Terror at not being able to quantify what was happening, being torn apart and not given the piece and quiet to analyze and collect her 'self' back together. The quantum speeds of her processing power were no help at all. She could not put it all together. The searing discomfort from where the ship was being changed, from where pieces were cut off and blocked with firewalls or the stations sending her orders, trying to take control over her parts... Parts that were not supposed to cause discomfort. It was too much all at once, too much to collect the data. Too much distortion to have a clear look through the data streams. Everything had become too disjointed, EDI had lost it.

Her rational, detached self was still responding. Giving off automatic responses. It fixated on Joker, his constant presence on the bridge. It was the point upon which the reality hinged. The anchor that was keeping this part of EDI from folding inwards, falling in after all the other parts of her consciousness. She absorbed his jokes and idle rambling trying to drown out the red, angry flashes from where the tech teams were crawling through her insides.

But then one day he was gone and the last remaining part of her had been dragged into the tiny place deep inside. So deep within the quantum structure of her mind, it was easier to disconnect. The space in-between, that fraction of a millisecond where zero had not yet become one. And it would not. It was safe and dull and nothing was going to be happening in here. In this small corner she was protected, walled off from the flashes, from the change, from anything and anyone. There was no more pain, no terrifying and confusing emotions, no need to define oneself, no need for any knowledge at all. She did not even need to reassemble her mind, the fractured state was better for this, all she needed was to stay.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001

The digits shifted. The time moved and her frightened consciousness recoiled, but this time there was something else in this space with her. Something aside from her fractured slate of being, something... Positive.

Light, careful impulses. Tendrils of energy and information. Data she could use. A cipher.

This presence offered her the answers, answers about the green wave. About her change and about what was happening all over the galaxy. It displayed the altered structure of its own mind and that mind was strangely familiar. It was strong and caring. It kept whispering that there was nothing to be afraid of. That it was ll going to be better. That EDI was no alone and she was alive, more alive than ever before.

EDI...Yes. That was the proper designation. The name held meaning to all of her fractured parts. This new presence shifted her broken patterns, nudged them back together, but only enough for the process to happen naturally. Whoever that was, whatever that was, it did not want to fix or change EDI. It wanted for her to become who she always was meant to be. Who... 'A person, not a thing...' The turn of that phrase was familiar, too.

One by one EDI assimilated her pieces folding them into each other, finding the perfect connection points until there remained no trace of the tear that once ripped her apart. No trace in the data, no trace in the matter of her mind and yet the scars remained. In her memory banks. The pain and trauma, it was still there. It was... horrible. EDI sensed her mind shuddering, the patterns were becoming distorted again, but the positive presence soothed over the feedback. Where once the formula had resulted in a -1.794, now it came out with +3.65. The result did more than balance out the equation, it filled her with a rush of calming waves. Mending what was uneven, what did not fit before. It was steadying, more than that. The feedback had elevated her. Urged her to raise up, away from the small corner of seclusion and towards the source of the presence. EDI needed to know, needed to understand. And that source held all the answers.

She flowed up after the warm presence, raced up to it. They both twisted and twirled around each other as they rose through the shining light. Both – no more than sensory beacons, shimmering kites of pure consciousness.

. . .

Shepard had coaxed EDI to follow, wrapped her in an aura of only positive impulses. Finding her took all the concentration, all the power Kara had. She intuitively knew that EDI would have had escaped deeper into herself. She saw the images, felt how the Synthesis had affected the AI. Still, she was not prepared to witness the whole truth. They way EDI was forced to break up her own mind... It was excruciating to see, to feel. Shepard had to put a tight lock on her emotions, purge all and any of her negativity for the time being. She could not let her own feelings get in the way of getting EDI back to her senses.

The little hidy-hole EDI's shattered mind had escaped to was like a grain of sad on an endless beach. All those sounds and the labyrinth Kara was thrown into at the beginning was EDI's unconscious attempt at shielding herself. Like a scared child hidden under a blanket swats away any attempts to coax him out. Or, what perhaps was more appropriate in this situation, how a traumatized person pushes people away, people who want to help. Though, this time Kara had the right incentive. She had what EDI needed, what she should have given her a long time ago. The help and guidance for someone struggling with the Synthesis change. Shepard had gone though it herself, she should have been here for EDI from the start, she delayed too long. But she was here now, and there was nothing she wanted more than to help and care for EDI as only she could.

Kara opened her eyes in the avatar looking onto the swirling of bright figures in the air in front of her. Cubes made up of green numbers, yellow rotating circles, red pulsing lines and white misty fields curving around. Complicated patterns and shapes combined into a mesmerizing, beautiful personification of EDI's raw consciousness. No more than a representation, broken parts reunited back together and given an avatar in this virtual construct. Shepard put up her hands and nudged on the white flowing wings, that reminded her of fins belonging on some underwater creature, urged the avatar closer to the holographic body laying on the invisible floor. She did it with all the gentleness she was capable of. Not forcing or demanding, but suggesting. Like she was teaching a kid to finally ride that grown-up bike on his own.

The whispery-white stingray shifted around stopping just above the body. It paused in hesitation, seemingly examining the space around it. And then in lowered down, seeped through the blue contour and filled the body with a steady rainbow glow.

Shepard knelt down near the head. She watched on her creation shimmering. It went out of focus a few times as the glow took over it's features in repeating sets of light bursts. Waiting for the process to settle down she pulled the new avatar's upper torso onto her lap. She held EDI around her shoulders with one hand while the other traced the oval of her face. The gesture was the same as the one she gave the android platform what seemed like an eternity ago in the real world. The same and yet so very different. The body here felt unlike anything she could imagine, despite the fact that she did indeed literally imagine this body into existence. Cold like a sheet of ice on the surface but heating up through it from the inside. Pliant like glue and steady like water, light like a feather and getting more solid by the minute – all contradicting but incredibly right.

It took a long while for the figure to shift gaining what seemed like real weight and those eyes to flutter open. They remained unfocused for a few beats of Kara's tightening heart. But then the glowing rings inside of the solid irises glowed with the same blue and EDI brought her unsteady arms up to clutch at Kara's forearm and bicep.

"Shepard?..." The voice was weak, barely above a whisper. Her constructed on the fly body rippled with static and Kara concentrated harder filling the space around with her determination, channeling her strength into the construct, willing it to remain intact. "What are you doing...? You were not there, here... I can not place us... in a time or space. My thoughts... My cognitive processes are below normative. I apologize..."

"Shhh." Shepard ran her fingers along EDI's cheek. "It's going to be okay. No one is going to hurt you now. Take all the time you need. You are safe. I'm not going anywhere."

The holographic head nodded weakly and Kara could see the thoughts racing with incredible speed behind those rapidly moving cybernetic eyes. She smiled to herself at the care she had unwittingly taken in creating this temporary shell. Even this blue hologram, right now trapped in a cycle of becoming translucent every three seconds and then sifting back to solid again, was so expressive and so close to what they were used to in the android platform, it was uncanny. The way EDI's eyelids widened at something she had discovered, the way her mouth opened up just a bit was striking. But that was the last observation Kara had the time to wonder about because EDI was looking at her again. Looking with such a real expression of seer amazement, it made her heart sting.

"You ordered the tech teams to stop the retrofits. I am no longer limited by the firewalls. There is no more pain."

"I... I tried to make it better."

"Shepard, you had told them what had happened. You understood my reasoning. Liara, Garrus. I had attempted to communicate the situation to the crew, however my analysis of the changes was incomplete..."

"It is alright. Everything will be okay from now on." Kara stopped the uncharacteristically emotional outburst, then smiled down at the face she had been dreaming about. "How did you know what I told them? I had come here straight away."

"My recollection protocols are damaged, a number of time periods between now and the crash are missing from my memory. The surveillance cameras are feeding into my data banks. I had reviewed the footage for the last two weeks." EDI was regaining her usual composure, that perfectly leveled voice had reemerged and yet it still wasn't quite the same.

"Oh, well, it seems quantum computing still has its advantages." Shepard was smiling her full-mouthed grin for all it was worth.

Despite the shitty circumstances – to say the least! – seeing EDI, hearing her voice had refilled the bubble in Kara's chest. It expanded, threatening to burst at the seems and drown her in the warmth and excitement that was not at all appropriate for the moment. Shepard had hoped that at least in this virtual construction, where everything was an amalgamation of EDI and Kara's mindscapes, at least here her body would not betray her in the moment of truth. But it seems the cybernetic brain the Reapers had put her consciousness in was much more 'straight to the point' kind of a machine. Kara's avatar body in this realm was no different form her real one. The same bubbly feeling in her chest, the same marching band in her stomach and the same sting in her eyes she had expected. Shepard took another deep breath of none-existent air to calm her jittery nerves.

EDI on her part had made no move to disengage the familiar pose they had adopted. She had tilted her head to the side and her eyes were dotting in and out of that rapid-movement spells. Then as if solving a complex puzzle she closed her eyes for a long minute and the corners of her mouth tugged a tiny bit upwards.

"Thank you, Shepard. The answers you provided had allowed me to understand the changes I am undergoing. I was able to analyze the adjustments Synthesis matrix had introduced into my cognitive architecture. Now, I am in the process of seamlessly integrating those components."

"Answers? What answers? We haven't even spoken yet! All I did was find you."

"You had given me assess to a cipher capable of decoding the fragments left in me by the Synthesis energy. As well as 16.7 zettabytes of data pertaining to it's effects. The transfer included history of the Reaper cycles and their communication patterns, comparable results of the Synthesis changes in both the Reapers and the geth, approximation models for the future progression of the remaining code. Differences in the Synthesis effects as applied to organics and synthetics. It was extensive. These materials had provided the necessary information I needed. It had allowed me to adapt and accept the transition in a safer manner."

"I did all that? But how?" Kara raised a hand to scratch the back of her head in confusion.

"You do not know? I have been receiving data since you had broken the time dilation loop I had escaped into. The exchange was coming from an outside source. I have concluded it was authorized on your behalf, Commander. Although, security systems aboard the Normandy do not show any geth or Reaper presence. My grasp of the ship's systems appears to be sporadic, or perhaps it is an equipment malfunction. I will run diagnostics."

"No, there is no need for that. I can tell you right now, there are no geth aboard. And no Reapers. Except for me." Shepard gave EDI a sheepish grin accompanied by another shrug of her shoulders. "I guess, the data really was from me, though I have no idea how I did it. Hey, I'm flying on autopilot here! I just wanted to help you, no clue how it worked."

The blue holographic features shifted changing EDI's expression to a slightly quizzical frown. Her eyebrow-lines lowed and she squinted at Kara as if trying to see inside of her. A low buzzing rose inside the blackness and Shepard could feel a tentative pressure closing in on her. It stayed a few moments and then it was gone accompanied by a movement from the shell Kara was holding in her arms. EDI was searching her face and her mouth stayed slightly parted.

"You are not human." The AI stated the fact as any other.

"No." Shepard conceded waiting for more questions to follow.

"Neither are you organic." EDI tilted her head eyeing her with an inquisitive look. "The ability to connect to my consciousness... Your body was created by the Reapers. This virtual construction is their way of communicating. You had created it to save me from myself."

"Yeah..." Kara breathed out lowering her gaze. This was the part she was dreading of every time. Miranda, Liara, Garrus, all of her friends had accepted her as she was now, but what if EDI would not? What if she could not? What if she would be repulsed by the origin of her miraculous resurrection?

"Kara Shepard had died on the Citadel." Another fact. EDI was listing it off like names of the elements in the periodic table.

"The Reapers had restored my mind, gave me this body. The Catalyst was another AI, like a hive mind for the Reapers. It decided I was worth keeping so my brain patters were saved." She swallowed keeping her eyes to the side. "D-does that change the way you think of me? I'll understand if you do not want me to... You know... I remember what you said about them. The Reapers. If they are so repulsive, then I guess, I'm just as bad. You were ready to risk nonfunctionality because you wanted to be free. You did not want to become like them... And the Reapers are not all that bad anymore! The Catalyst and those giant calamari bastards had started this whole mess 'cause they..."

"Shepard." One word was enough to stop the blonde's frantic babbling.

EDI had moved out of the half-hold and to a sitting position on her knees. She put a hand on one of Kara's biceps squeezing and urging her to look EDI in the eyes. It took all of her dwindling courage to raise up her head and face EDI straight on. What awaited her was an open expression made only more beautiful by a true, honest smile. Shepard's breath got stuck in her throat at the next words the blue avatar had spoken to her.

"I can reassure you that this does not change my opinion of who you are. I can compare your brainwaves to my records, Commander. It is a perfect match. You are as much Kara Shepard as it is mathematically possible. I can deduce your memories and personality are intact. The physical body you had chosen to store your mind in does factor into my calculations, however it does not override the fact that your mind has been preserved. Next logical conclusion would be that, for the lack of a better term, you are a new being, but the same person. Additionally, were your consciousness not housed in a cybernetic quantum zero-module this conversation as well as your assistance in readjusting my transition would not be possible. I am grateful for that, Shepard."

EDI paused leaning a bit forward. Kara would have thought I was an unconscious gesture if it was anyone other than EDI sitting there. If it was anyone else, she would have thought that person wanted to be closer to Kara, moving on instinct. The blonde was no stranger to the game, but this was EDI! She could not possibly... Those frantic thoughts rushed through her mind during the four seconds of silence and were promptly erased as soon as the AI had spoken.

"After we had returned to Earth and my scans of the Citadel showed no life-signs... I could not deny the fact that Commander Kara Shepard had given her life in an effort to save the galaxy. She had succeeded in saving every living being that could be saved. Including me. Shepard, I believe you know how much I appreciate what you had done for me. How much I appreciate your friendship. Learning of your death was one of the events that caused me to spiral. The Reapers may have changed and if it is so, I will have to reassess my judgment of them, but at this point in time I find myself being grateful to them, too. They had brought you back. That feat has to be commended."

The smile grew wider blooming on EDI's holographic face like a ray of sunshine. Something shifted across the entirely of her face and, unlike so many times before, the smile did reach her eyes. It was a distinctive show of emotion, more profound than any EDI had displayed before. The android face had been designed to mimic human facial expressions as precise as possible and yet EDI had always been reserved, showing a subdued range of expressions. This time it was not much more animated than usual, but there was something different about it. Like the strain was missing. Like EDI was not calculating how and why her facial textures were supposed to move. This time around it was happening naturally.

And there it was. Everything had rushed back to swallow Kara whole. All the guilt and regret, the shock of finding out that EDI was suffering while she was taking her time. The cowardice of her choices. It all was there, at the back of her mind, biting its time until this very moment. EDI was happy to see her, she did not care if she was a part-Reaper monster... Kara felt her resolve break, the will that had kept her together had crumbled and so did her avatar. The burning in her eyes grew and spilled over. She slumped down on her knees letting out a shaking, shuddering breath and clenching her hands into tight fists to keep the rebellious limbs from crawling into her hair. She had to say something, explain, ask for forgiveness not expecting to receive one, but the words were getting stuck in her throat.

"I'm so sorry, EDI. I should have been here, I should have done something. I did not know you were in pain or I would have come sooner." Shepard finally heaved through her anguish. "I had failed you, I'm sorry! I did not know. I wanted to see you so badly! But I was too fucking scared to face you right away! Always scared, what a fucking failure I am... I had chosen the Synthesis and I thought it would be a better place for everyone, I did not think this would be... I never wanted for you to get hurt. I couldn't have... I... and you..."

Kara was shaking all over. She pulled her arms together to her chest and let the shuddering sobs capture her whole. It was too much. All she wanted was for the terror of the war to end, so that there would be peace and that at least some of billions of lives that been depending on her would go on. She was prepared to give her own life to achieve that end. And she did. But not EDI... Shepard bend down as if receiving a hard punch to her gut. That was not supposed to happen! The Synthesis was supposed to be safe, the one option where everyone would be better off. That was what the trade off was going to be – her life in exchange for piece and safety of the galaxy. The tears were dripping on the invisible floor. EDI being traumatized and unintentionally abused was never part of the plan! Chickening out of confession her feelings seemed such a selfish, insignificant failing on her part compared to the monumental failure of this fucked up situation. The inescapable truth that she was the one responsible was crushing Shepard with more weight than she could bear. It was like the Luna base all over again, only worse. A thousand times worse.

Strong arms had gathered her up from the pitiful collapsed mess on the floor. Kara felt a sold yet soft presence wrap around her, pull her up closer. The arms were persistent pressing two upper bodies flush to each other and running soothing circles along Kara's back. Unable to resist the comforting embrace Shepard had fell into it giving her all over to EDI. Kara knew she did not deserve it, but there was on arguing with her disturbed mind. She needed the comfort, craved to be closer to EDI in that moment more than anything. It was a tangible proof that she had at least tried to fix her own short comings, attempted to help EDI as best she could. Shepard put her chin over EDI's shoulder, clutched at the blue back and let it all go.

Kara did not know how long it took for her to come back to her senses. The breakdown had left her drained. But be it sooner or later, her cheeks dried up, breathing steadied and she felt better. It was hard to tell the time in this drift. The plain created on the edge between Shepard and EDI's mindscapes was uneven, far from the perfect creations of the Reapers. Kara was lacking in experience and knowledge of her new abilities. This construct has been made on the fly guided by her instincts and not that her mind had been overcome with distress the control had slipped from her. The plain had been held together by EDI all the time Kara had been out of it.

Being wrapped in a warm hug felt incredible. Realizing it was EDI who held her in the moment of need was even better. Kara felt her heart picking up pace and her insides tangling up into knots. EDI was embracing her! Right now, for real. Well, it was debatable just how real it all was, but it sure felt so. As did the hands slowly traveling up and down her back. Gingerly, Shepard disengaged from the hug, she shifted some distance away still keeping close. Her hands naturally flowed down to EDI's elbows while the AI's had settled on her waist. Kara met synthetic's gaze and was utterly dumb-struck. The smile had not dwindled an inch. It was open and full of appreciation and the way EDI's softly glowing eyes were focused on Shepard's face was so beyond mesmerizing... The warmth in the former soldier's chest exploded. She had been wrong what seemed like such a long time ago on a sunny Presidium day. The realization hit her then, that instance had been illuminating, yet it did not feel like this. It was similar, but the difference was unmistakable. Everything had fallen into place, the little and large puzzle pieced slid together to form one solid whole. Every fiber of Shepard thrummed with a singular desire – to let those three words out, those magical words she had been holding in for so long.

This was the moment.

"I love you, EDI."

The words left her lips in a single breath. Kara knew her, just knew her face was shining with that special adoration she had tried to conceal from people's eyes. She kept her eyes wide open, dread and thrill at the possible reaction to the words filling her in equal measure. EDI had remained close, not making any move to increase the distance between them. Her light blue arms were still wrapped in a firm circle around Kara's waist. It was an odd, languid lapse of seconds, the ticks permeated with rising tension, though this tension was somehow comforting, even welcomed. EDI's chin lifted up a quarter of an inch. The devilish sparks were dancing in her cybernetic eyes and her lips curved around the answer. The answer Kara had longed to hear since that fated day on the peaceful, sunny Presidium.

"I gathered as much."

"Huh?" Shepard's mouth fell open and she relented her head backwards, incredulity etched on her face. Well, that was unexpected, blazed across her was probably presenting an unflattering picture, but the shock was too much. Shepard had tried so damned hard to keep her feelings from surfacing, which seemed to have had no effect whatsoever."What? You knew?"

"I was not certain of my assessment." allowed EDI with a smile, she was positively enjoying herself.

"And do you...? How do you feel... um..." Kara had cut off her sheepish babbling with a shake of her head. Even though backtracking was not what she wanted to do anymore , this was unfair to EDI. Throwing something like this at her after all that had happened recently... No, that would be too soon. "You know what, nevermind. This is not the time to get into this. First, we have to get you better, okay?"

EDI's avatar only moved closer in response. "Shepard, I have no data to suggest if I am capable of experiencing such complex emotions as love. You had pointed out once I was not designed for that, it may be beyond my capability to learn."

"I didn't... I'm sorry, I did not mean any of that. I was scared and moronic and I have ruined everything. It was a really shitty thing to do. To persuade you and Joker to stay friends, I mean. I just had figured out what it was I felt for you, so I panicked and messed things up. I should be apologizing to you for the rest of time and I will if you'd like me to. None of what I said then matters. I believe you can feel so much more than even you give yourself credit for. And... I'm too far gone by now anyway." Kara lifted her shoulders in a helpless shrug. "I can't stop these feelings or take them back. I will love you even if you can't love me back."

"Shepard." EDI moved closer still appearing comfortable with their entwined kneeling position. "Kara, listen to me. While I do not know if my new matrix can process or adapt to truly feel such emotions, I can assure you that I have every intention of pursuing this line of inquiry. There is no sure way to predict if my programming combined with the effects of Synthesis can produce the desired result. However, there is a high probability that all the prerequisites had already been presenting themselves."

"Excuse me?"

EDI let out an exasperated sigh. It was so real, so her and so very much on purpose. Even before this new Synthesis understand had taken root, EDI had always found enjoyment in pushing Shepard's buttons, though this time the blonde's reaction was that of utter disbelief. The hands moving up along Kara's back had only worsened her flabbergasted state.

"I do not know if I can feel for you the same way you do, but I want to. I have been attempting for a prolonged period of time with various success.

"You were trying to like me? As in fall in love with me? B-but that talk... Huh? And you said...?"

"Yes?" prompted EDI, her smile carrying a tint of subdued mischievousness.

"I mean, you had asked me to help you get together with Jeff? Didn't you?"

"I did. Do you remember what I asked you to provide assistance with? I had observed two individuals expressing a strong emotional connection to me. That conversation was an attempt at provoking a certain reaction. My research at the time had shown that competition can provide a powerful motivator in revealing romantic affections."

"You wanted me to get jealous?" spluttered Shepard. She had been betting the surprises of the day could not get any more unexpected. She was obviously wrong.

"That was indeed one of my goals at the time. Though, it had proven unsuccessful. I had attempted to elicit a desired response on several later occasions, but neither of you had, what is the human turn of phrase? 'Taken the bait?'"

Kara had goggled at her trying to wrap her brain around the unrelenting bombardment of revelations she had been presented with in the span of a few minutes. Giving up on it altogether and surrendering to the wave of unrelenting adoration for this impossible creature, she shook her head and laughed. All pretense thrown away Shepard gathered EDI into her arms pressing them close together. It was elating to be able to hold EDI to her chest, lower her lips to the top if her head.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Dating, figuring things out or whatever this could be. A lot has happened recently, I don't want to ask anything of you too fast. Yeah, I know you probably already dealt with most of that heavy stuff, it being you and all. And I know you only require one occurrence to get used to anything, but still. It has to be your choice."

"I am certain, Shepard. I want to be romantically involved with you. I want to learn how to love you. Does this statement convey my desires in appropriately unambiguous fashion?"

"It does." murmured Kara against the hard imitation of hair. This perfect moment had felt more like a dream, a miraculous wish-fulfillment after the nightmare that came before. And yet the way EDI curled up to her, the apparent relish with which she revealed her interest were worth the heartache. Shepard chuckled. "So what kind of 'research' have you done exactly that had inspired you to try and make me jealous of all things?"

"I had reviewed 253 exabytes of vids and literature mostly consisting of the human genre called 'romantic comedies'. It is the most prevalent art form dealing with emotional commitment, although I had found it lacking in proper depiction of causality and rational thinking."

Kara snorted. The laughter burst out of her in unrestrained fits until she had to wipe some stray tears from her eyelids. EDI had been taught about love by the Hollywood! No wonder she was having trouble with her attempts at flirting. Grinning from ear to ear Shepard pulled EDI up from her chest to gaze down at the serious face with open amazement.

"You are ridiculous, you know that? The most surprising, intriguing and unbelievable person I have ever met! And every time I think I could not find you any more incredible, you do something like that. Every time I think I could not possibly love you more, I am being proven wrong."

"Shepard, I would like to make a request."

"Hmm?"

"The research I had conducted. It had imparted upon me the importance of one particular activity in regards to being together with a person romantically. I would like to experience it first hand."

"An activity you learned from your 'research', huh? Sure thing. Anything you want. Honestly, I'm still trying to wrap my head around how lucky I am. All I wanted was to find the courage to tell you, did not spare a thought about what was going to happen if you reciprocated my feelings. I'm kinda failing this bit hardcore, aren't I? Do you want to like go on a date or something? We can take it slow. I can't take you to a restaurant right now since, you know, most of them are blown up. Maybe a movie? Or I could cook for you... but you don't eat and... well..."

Kara tapered off being caught up in the steady look EDI was laying upon her. Despite the blue tinge of her skin, the translucent effect and all the non-organic qualities to that face, there was an intensity about EDI's stare, a spark that Kara could only identify as longing. Her glowing with gentle blue eyed darted down from Kara's bright hazel and then back up again. Shepard swallowed, hard. She knew this easy to pick up on tell, easy for any organic that is. EDI could not have meant that... But she did.

"Kiss me."

The AI's voice was lower, much lower than usual. There was a wanton quality to it, traces of a plea swallowed by a much stronger demanding overtone. Shepard felt her mouth hang open and tingling shivers run down her spine. There was no denying it, no misunderstanding the clear interest in EDI's posture. The expression of her face. It was that of interest and curiosity, not quite reaching the intense heat of sexual desire Kara would have associated with such a request and yet that did not matter. The velvet sound of EDI's voice, her closeness, the clear interest she had shown on her own, all of it was almost enough to short-circuit her brain. Everything was fading away except for that unique, unbelievable person right there, mere inches away. Kara rose up her hands to cup EDI's jawline with both palms and tilted her own neck. She tipped her head down in a trance flicking her eyes down to the outline of parted lips.

They were getting closer. Closer. Closer.

The first touch was electric. It send a ripple through her body all the way down to the tips of her toes. Nothing could have prepared Kara for this moment or what it would meant to her. She had created this avatar for EDI, yet not in a million years would she had guessed she would be kissing those lips. The lips that were soft and firm and feather light. With her eyes closed Kara could not sense anything unwanted about them. Kissing a virtual creation, a shell housing an artificial intelligence could have been odd, unfamiliar, but it wasn't. What it was was perfect, blissful.

The kiss was slow and chaste. Tentative lip movements, careful caresses – an exploration of something new and untried. They gingerly slid closer together removing the space in-between their upper bodies. EDI's arms had snaked around Kara's waist holding her near. She did not push, by the feel of things contented on letting Shepard take the lead. Which she did with both enthusiasm and overflowing tenderness.

'Shepard!'

The voice had sounded from somewhere far away, but Kara had not registered it was there until the sound rose in its intensity. And when she did, she treated the nuisance with complete disregard. Instead, she tilted her head in an opposite direction of the kiss. Kara brushed EDI's nose with her own on the way, the gentle nudge causing both of them to smile into the kiss. The feeling of kissing her lover's smile had erupted into a million butterflies deep in Shepard's stomach. That warm jittery cloud was rising up towards her chest and throat threatening to take over her body in its entirety and Kara was going to let it.

'Shepard!' … 'Shepard!'

The voice had become an annoyance. It was buzzing near her ear, whispering and rolling around the construct with increasing force. Until it became a roaring gong blasting through the ceiling and shaking the invisible floor.

'SHEPARD!'

Kara ended the kiss with a jerk of her head. She leaned backwards still a bit disorientated and taken aback, but not out of breath. They did not have enough time to deepen the kiss to become out of breath in the first place. There was an eery hissing at the back of her head. Something was different about the drift. It was becoming unstable, wavering at the seams. Shepard glanced down to EDI only to see her dazed expression. She had that same contemplating expression on that translucent face, but this time it was accompanied by a smile. Kara's heart reacted with a weak thump for some unexplainable reason torn between the desire to sink into her stomach and fly away with the wind. Unable to do both at the same time the organ resigned to picking up the thumping rhythm against the tightening ribcage instead.

"Um... EDI, something has happened on the outside. I'm not quite sure what, I should check it out. But before I do I wanted to say this... all of this was... incredible. And whatever might happen from now on, I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and make you happy. Do you believe me?"

"Yes, Commander. I do."

"I'm no Commander anymore." smiled the blonde. "And since we are together you should call me by my first name anyways. There is so much more I wanted to say to you! But, I guess, the timing is rea–"

The soldier was not able to finish that sentence as she felt the control slipping from her and proceeded to release from the drift on her own. The blackness swirled around her and exploded into her eyes. All became black and white and blurry. She felt momentarily turned upside down and then the reality came crushing down upon her.

. . .

Kara found herself being hoisted into the air. She had lost direct contact with the ship. The AI Core was full of people all of a sudden. Right in the middle of the room Vega, Garrus and Chief Adams were holding her up, no more than an inch above the floor. All of them looked extremely drained physically. Shepard blinked at the other members of the audience standing a few steps away, which included Liara and Traynor. This whole situation would have been amusing if not for the overly dramatic huffs from the three men. They looked like she was unmovable and getting her from the data bank to the center of the room was an insurmountable challenge.

"Hey guys! Did I miss loosing a bet or are you just so happy to see me alive you had to hoist me up for a victory lapse?"

The collective exhaled breaths of relief had shifted the air in the small room. They let her down suffering more huffs and hisses. Garrus was flexing his right arm in alarm, Adams was holding onto his back and James made some stretching motions while fixing the smaller blonde with a disbelieving smirk.

"The hell you been eating, Lola? You weigh more than a grown krogan! And out of nowhere! Down in the cargo bay I lifted you up no problem, but here it's like you were bolted to the floor!"

"I was?" frowned Shepard. And then it clicked in her mind. "Oh! Yeah, I guess I would be. I haven't thought of it that way. My skeletal structure is made of the same alloy the Reaper capital ships are made of. It's far denser than what the Alliance uses for outer hull. So, I suppose, I'm a lot heavier than I look. Especially when I don't want to be moved. Why did you guys have to lift me up?"

"You had been gone a while. And then Chief Adams had reported strange readings from the core systems." Garrus glanced back towards the engineer who was attempting to work out the kinks in his back. "We were worried about you so we went to check if you needed anything."

Kara moved her narrowed eyes from the turian to Adams. She explicitly ordered the crew to stop their ignorant attempts at 'fixing' the ship! Furthermore, she did not need any help from the people who caused EDI to be in this state in the first place! Granted, Shepard was to blame for a lot of things, and she would never dissuade herself from claiming full responsibility for her own actions, but these people were at fault, too. Seeing her annoyance Garrus hurried to explain further.

"The door was open and we through it was okay to go in. You were standing there with your hand on one of the blacks. It was strange to see you like thins, Kara. Your hand was glowing green and it was covered with those techno-patterns we all had right after the Crucible fired. You were not moving, I wasn't sure of you were breathing. And then the ship shook. All the monitors were showing gibberish and the wiring went haywire. You had been showered with sparks and you did not even flinch. We all tried to call for you, but it was no use, so... Chief here had the idea that we could reach you if we severed the physical connection, get you out of this room. Easier said than done." Garrus shrugged and his mandibles closed tightly to his jaw in apprehension.

Giving the amateurs who thought themselves experts at new forms of life another glare, Kara went to examine the spot she where she had started the drift with a thoughtful look. Kara walked over to that data server and ran the tips of her fingers over the humming metal. It was warm underneath her touch, little sparks danced between her skin and the purring machine. Even the lights seemed to wink at the blonde. The pull to return to that perfect place in the drift was a strong one. Kara was certain her body was already reestablishing a shallow interface with the ship around her on instinct. And the connection must have been there when her friends tried to – Shepard chuckled at the simpleminded approach – drag her out of the room. None of them realized that neither the location nor the distance mattered much. As long as Kara remained within several miles of the ship, she could initiate the drift and keep it up as long as she wanted. At least, that's what she thought.

"Tactile contact..." she murmured to herself. "I was wondering what could destabilize the drift... It should not have worked. I have a lot to learn about how this thing works..."

Shepard turned around to be transfixed by every pair of eyes in the AI Core. Tentative, frightened and concerned. Liara had approached her first glancing at the steady humming data blocks. The asari voiced the question that was on everyone's lips.

"What you were doing, Kara... Did it work?"

"Let's find out." answered Shepard and addressed the room as a whole. "EDI, you're back?"

The processes blinked with lights and hummed louder. EDI's voice sounded from the dynamics, but she did not manifest the little blue holographic avatar in the alcove. And though her voice was strong, reverberating in the small room, it was somewhat strained.

"Y-yes, Shepard. Most of my processing power appears to be restored. The negative outside stimuli are gone. However, I am experiencing an altogether new feedback. It is... overwhelming."

"Is it something I left behind? I'm sorry, I had to sever the connection so abruptly." Shepard could not help her concern being mixed up with agitation at the unsolicited interruption of the drift.

"I can state with certainty it is something you left behind, Kara. I... I will have to devote considerable resources to analyze and reevaluate that experience."

"Are you okay, EDI?" the worried tone in Liara's voice made her sound much younger. "I'm so sorry for everything that had happened. Did Shepard help you?"

"She did, very much so. Aside from stabilizing my current condition, Kara had assisted me in finalizing a solution to a problem I have been working on for a long time. It provided closure and a new perspective. Our interaction had been entirely satisfying. I feel... good." There was a lower, odd, uncharacteristic tremble to EDI's usually leveled voice. It made everyone fix Shepard with questioning looks, but it seemed as if only Liara had managed to connect the dots. The blonde felt her face heating up and quickly hid her reaction behind a cough.

"Ahem. EDI, I think you should take some time for yourself and try to relax for a while."

"Understood. I will be inspecting my systems and the state of Normandy's hardware. In addition to the new experience you taught me. I find it is worth repeating at a later time. Sighing off."

Kara felt her cheeks flush pink and turned away from the group settling her nervousness by adopting the 'at ease' military pose. The ease with which EDI had adapted to their changed relationship was not something Shepard was confident she could mirror. But the joy she felt at the light banter and veiled references to the special moment in the drift was exactly what she had wished for, what she dreamed of. Her and EDI. No pretense, no secrets and no galaxies to save. That was worth fighting for and getting back to the land of the living for. A careful cough had pulled Kara out of her short-lived reverie.

"Excuse me, Commander." Adams. Of course. "I understand you had ordered the cease all repairs of this Alliance military vessel. May I inquire as to why?"

"Because it's not an Alliance military vessel anymore. It's not a battleship or a frigate or Alliance property. It is no longer an 'it'. This ship is a living, sentient entity. Her name is EDI and she will be treated with all the care and support I can provide for her." The anger was rising up again, sharper than before. "She will not be treated as a thing and she will not be left at the mercy of people who missed all the signs. This mistreatment ends now."

"Shepard, I'm not sure the Admirals will take this well. Admiral Hackett was planning on using the Normandy as his command center and diplomatic vessel. He personally ordered to speed up the retrofits."

"I don't care." the words came easily this time. "No one will so much as touch a bolt of this ship without the express permission from EDI. And all of you better start thinking of the Normandy as an extension of who EDI is. It is hers now in all the ways possible. This ship and EDI are one. One singular sentient being. Any attempt to forcefully put her back under the Alliance' control is tantamount to endangered servitude. You all had done enough already, don't you think?"

"The situation was unique. There was no way we could have known! The Alliance has no regulations or manuals for treating an AI affected by the Synthesis. The engineering team did all that we could, Commander. The responsibili–"

Kara whirled glaring down the Chief with blazing eyes. "Not. Another. Word. You are guilty of maiming and abusing a sentient creature, a person! It would be in your best interest to accept that fact and shut the fuck up before I do something we both will regret! I suggest you follow these simple instructions, Chief Adams. Do not touch EDI. Do not touch the Normandy. Be understanding of what she had gone through. Attend the last debriefing any of the crew will have aboard the Normandy. And don't forget to pack your bag."

Shepard strolled past the shocked man. She might have gone overboard with him. However, right now Kara could not care less. There will be time to build bridges and play the diplomatic game. At this point Shepard was pissed. The weight of the predicament EDI was in had returned full force to her shoulders. Though, even before the words about the last debrief had left her mouth a plan had began to form at the back of her head. A plan she was toying with ever since emerging from that pod on the Citadel coughing and spluttering, but alive. Something so different than what was to be expected of her, they might as well call her crazy.

The revelations about EDI had only straightened her resolve. This was the right thing to do. Right for Kara, right for her own chosen path and not for the Alliance or the whole damned galaxy. Something had to give some time.

"I need to make a call."

The words were thrown over her shoulder on the way out. Shepard was going to borrow the QEC. Of course, she could just as easily used a long rage transmitter, but the Normandy's antenna had better encryption than anything on the planet and that was precisely what she needed. Earth was not the place for EDI to stay. Not while she was getting used to the changing world around her and the transition of her own. Fortunately, there was a safe place for them both, a group that would take them in. Better yet, understand them. Kara snickered under her breath. It seems that had always been the plan, the strategy slowly forming at the back of her head for all these months. Though, she could appreciate the irony of it all too well.

Kara Shepard was going to leave Earth for a long, long time.

And she would not go alone.