Angel and the Demon

Finale and Teaser

Bioware owns the rights to all characters other than Samantha, Maxwell, Kara, Cicero, and Anya.

On the Citadel, the Reaper decision was made. Samantha Shepard threw herself from the platform into a bright green energy beam. The beam started to consume her.

Miranda leapt after her, but attempted to miss the beam itself. Unfortunately the wound in her right side threw off her aim.

Searing pain erupted as her left side slid through the edge of the beam. Her tactical suit was ripped off her arm and leg. She couldn't imagine the pain Sam was enduring completely surrounded by the beam. Concerned only with Sam, she didn't bother to check her wounds. She twisted herself in air, stretching out her biotic awareness for Sam. She located her slightly below herself within the beam.

Using a biotic pull she yanked Samantha towards herself. The bloody mess she caught could hardly be considered human any more. Ignoring her own pain, she gripped Samantha tightly. Quickly looking around, she found a horizontal structural support to her left. She kicked in her biotics, slowing her and her passenger's descent quickly. She drifted towards the support, struggling to maintain her grip on Sam's blood slick body. The beam had taken away the rest of her armor. Bloody scraps of clothing were all that remained. Even her hair was gone.

Miranda lowered herself to the support, carefully bringing Sam to lie in her arms. Her body was screaming, but she knew it was nothing compared to what Sam was experiencing. She wanted to stroke her face, to reassure her somehow, but anything more than holding her would only add to Sam's pain. She held her hand over her mouth. Sam's breath was light, but there. She was afraid to check for a pulse, Sam's neck might not be able to handle the contact.

A green light drew her attention. Looking up to where the top of the energy beam met the crucible, a green orb of energy was expanding. In moments it grew to fill the space above her.

"All fleets, this is Admiral Hackett. Get away from the Citadel. The Crucible is firing. Get as far away from the Citadel as possible." Her omni tool was still working.

The green ball of energy expanded. There was no escape for Miranda, so she just watched the inexorable advance in silence. When it was meters away she bent down and kissed Shepard's bloody lips.

The green glow washed over her without the oblivion she expected..without even any pain…at least no new pain.

Her implants surged with energy. She could feel where each and every one was located. Her biotics released some of the excess energy in a blue glow that surrounded her.

A tingling started in her spine, slowly creeping up towards her head. The feeling was so intense she involuntarily opened her mouth, speaking without meaning. "Ahhhhh." The tingling travelled down each limb, following her nerves to the tip of each finger. She started to breathe harder. The tingling grew within her, expanding until it reached her skin. The feeling stopped once it filled her body, leaving her with a sense that more was coming.

Still frozen from the overwhelming sensations, Miranda watched the green glow rush away from the Citadel. The few Reapers she could see disengaged from the battle as soon as the green light reached them. All Alliance craft appeared disabled after the passage.

Her eyes started to throb. It wasn't painful, just intense. Her focus fluctuated briefly before returning to normal.

Vibration in the structural support grabbed her attention. She looked again towards the Crucible. The green light at the junction of the Citadel and Crucible was growing, with the center becoming too bright to look at. The frequency of the vibration increased. Miranda could sense it was about to climax. She wrapped her arms around Samantha and held her tight.

00000000

There were thousands of fighters without faster than light drives unable make any real distance from the Citadel. Their pilots were among the first wave of people to begin Synthesis. They witnessed the first group of Reapers pull back their oculus and disengage from combat. While paralyzed from the start of Synthesis, they witnessed the huge beam that erupted from the Citadel.

Green light coursed up each of the five arms of the Citadel before surging back to the middle. When it reached the center a powerful beam burst from the station, instantly reaching the nearby Sol mass relay. The force of the beam broke off two Citadel arms, and destroyed a lot of the structure in the other three.

In the coming days they would find that the beam travelled to each mass relay, sending out a Synthesis wave to cover nearby galaxies, then traveling to other mass relays. The entire known universe was covered within hours. The mass relays were rendered inoperable by the surge of energy.

00000000

The Normandy and its crew decided to leave the Citadel as fast as possible, perhaps unfortunately. They might have experienced less trauma if they stayed put. They certainly would have received information about Miranda and Shepard sooner. Joker gave the green beam a run for its money, but the beam eventually caught the vessel.

"Everyone strap in!" Joker yelled. He did not know that the entire crew was already as secure as they could get.

Kaiden had strapped Liara and Oriana into their harnesses before securing his own. James secured Tali and Lia across from them, and Traynor insisted on the harness next to Liara. Garrus was secured with Dr. Chakwas in the medical center. The rest of the crew was secured at their stations, attempting to keep the Normandy stable at its incredibly high speed.

When the beam reached the vessel the Normandy lost power. It drifted helplessly for several minutes. Oriana took Liara's hand at the same time Traynor clutched her other hand.

In the cockpit, Joker tried to communicate with EDI, only to find both the ship and the android unresponsive. "EDI? Come on, speak to me babe."

The orange visor over EDI's eyes flickered a few times, then changed to a green color.

"EDI?" He asked.

"Get ready, Jeff. Something wonderful is about to happen." She said.

"Great. Can you start the Normandy back up?"

"Hold on, the Normandy is taking longer to recover than this mobile unit." She said.

"I only mention it because we're being pulled in by a planet's gravity." He said. The controls flickered, then came back on.

"I would land quickly, Jeff. The Synthesis will be disorienting for you."

"What's the Synthes...aaaaaaaaa." He felt a surge of energy in his implants. Soon after a slight tingling started at the base of his spine. "Whoa."

"Remain calm, Jeff. I will guide the ship if you are incapacitated."

The rest of the crew was feeling much the same thing. Anyone with implants was experiencing a surge of biotic power, and everyone was feeling something along their spine. Traynor and Oriana were looking closely at Liara, who was surrounded by a blue glow. She was frozen, staring open mouthed at the far wall.

"Everyone remain calm. Shepard has started the Synthesis." EDI announced.

"What's the Synthesis?" Traynor asked.

"Is Shepard alive? Or Miranda?" Oriana asked.

"I am sorry, Oriana. I do not have any information about the Commander or Miss Lawson. The Synthesis is the joining of synthetic and natural life. It might be disorienting." EDI answered.

"Might!?" Liara said loudly. She still glowed with blue energy.

"Please hold on. We are going to land shortly, and it is likely to be rough. Most of my systems are still offline." EDI said. The ship started to vibrate.

"EDI? You want to walk us through this Synthesis thing?" Kaiden asked. He was obviously under some distress. A blue glow surrounded him as well.

"Certainly. All organic life will be integrated with synthetic life, and all synthetic life will be integrated with organic life. Those of you with implants start further in the conversion, and the transition will be more intense at the beginning. You and Dr. T'soni will experience the quickest change due to your biotic implants. You will each have a personal AI installed to assist with the conversion." EDI said. The ship started to shake.

"A personal AI? Installed?" James asked. "How? Where?" James was one of the few without implants.

"Forgive my temporary silence, I must assist Jeff with navigation."

00000000

Miranda stared straight ahead. Shocked to her core.

'Synthesis Conversion begun.' It appeared in her vision, but she knew she wasn't looking at a screen. She turned her head, then looked left, then right. It was written on her eye...in her eye. It flickered out.

'Synthesis: 10% complete' appeared. 10%...what?

'Status change requirement. Emergency healing criteria reached. Synthesis conversion on hold.' Ok. Good to know you noticed.

'Healing protocol: 13.78 hours to full health.'

"Wait." She said. "What about Sam?"

'Healing protocol: 13.78 hours to full health. Medi gel vat treatment recommended.'

"Thanks, but..." Miranda said.

'Healing protocol: 13.77 hours to full health. Adrenaline spike detected. AI installation initiated.' What? AI installation?

'Healing protocol: 13.77 hours to full health. AI install: 0.08 hours to completion.' Miranda watched the time count down.

'Healing protocol: 13.69 hours to full health. AI install complete. Initiating.'

"Please remain calm." The voice came from inside her head.

"Are you the AI?" She asked.

"Yes. You may think your questions. I will hear them."

Really?

"Yes."

You're installed in me?

"Yes."

Wow. Where?

"I reside within your biotic implant at the moment. I have been installed ahead of schedule due to heightened levels of adrenaline. What can I help you with?" It asked.

Is Samantha going to be ok?

"Samantha...Commander Samantha Shepard...your spouse according to your records. She appears to be breathing. Open one of her eyes." It said.

Miranda did as she was told. "What the hell." She said out loud. Green light shown out of Sam's eye. She checked the other, it was the same.

"Green eyes are part of the Synthesis. Yours are green as well. It is a good sign."

"Green eyes are a good sign?" She said.

"As I said, you may think the question. I will hear it. It is a good sign because Synthesis would not be initiated in anyone without a chance of survival. It would be counterproductive."

So she'll live?

"It is highly probable, though her chances would be improved greatly by medical personnel and equipment." It said.

Thank goodness.

"I could ask her AI directly if we had proper access. However, she is currently unable to approve the access, so we must wait until she regains consciousness."

Really?

"Yes. With high enough access, you could talk without moving your lips."

Telepathy?

"Not exactly. Wireless communication is a more accurate description. You have to be within a few meters of your target, but that will be extended with time."

What else will the Synthesis do?

"Too much to explore adequately in a convenient amount of time. You will know everything in time. For now, rest. The nano bots are helping you heal, and they work better if you are still. I will warn you if anything approaches. Someone should be along soon. I anticipate they are eager to recover the one who sent the Reapers away, though they might not all be happy about the Synthesis."

It is a bit overwhelming.

"It will be interesting to discover her justification for choosing Synthesis over Control or Destruction."

I imagine it will.

00000000

Liara stepped out onto the uninhabited part of Bekenstein they crash landed on. Lush vegetation surrounded the Normandy, and there were a few picturesque mountains in the distance. Traynor, Oriana, James, Joker, and EDI followed. Kaiden was with Garrus and Dr. Chakwas in the med bay. His L2 implants were giving him a lot of issues.

"You sure picked a nice place to crash land, Joker." Traynor said from behind her. Liara turned and smiled at her. The green in her eyes was disconcerting, but she assumed she would get used to it. Traynor winked.

"It was purely intentional, I assure you." Joker said, hobbling down the ramp out of the Normandy. "While I was immobile from the severe pins and needles in all my limbs, I was thinking 'Why that little blue-green dot looks nice, let's set her down there.'" EDI smacked him on the back of his head. He looked at her in shock, which dissipated when he saw the fond smile on her face.

"How long till we can expect a rescue, EDI?" Liara asked.

"Long range communications should be back up and running in a couple hours. Unfortunately, the mass relays have been severely damaged. Long range travel will be extremely tedious until they are repaired. The Normandy will be repaired before anyone comes for us." EDI said.

"You mean it could be months for help to arrive from earth and the Citadel?" Liara asked.

"Longer from Illium or Thessia." EDI said. Everyone groaned. "It might be slightly difficult for a while, but once the Reapers have repaired..."

"The Reapers!? They weren't destroyed!?" Oriana said.

"Your AI will explain in time." EDI told them. "Shepard chose Synthesis, the fusion of natural and synthetic life. The other options were Control and Destruction. Destruction would mean the destruction of all synthetics, including the Reapers, me, and the entire geth race. All implants would stop working as well. It's unknown what level of technology would be disabled. It is conceivable civilization would be set back thousands of years." She paused to allow the information to sink in. "Control would consume Shepard, using her conscience and soul as a guide for all synthetics. In that case I believe she would directly control me and the geth in addition to the Reapers."

"Wow." Oriana said.

"Double wow." Traynor added. Liara could only think about the three options. By her accounting, Shepard only had a few minutes to make the monumental decision.

"It is assumed the Reapers will be directed to repair the destruction they caused, in addition to the mass relays and Citadel." EDI said.

"It will be scary watching those things move around." Oriana said,

"Yes it will." Liara added. "What happens to Shepard in the case of Synthesis?"

EDI frowned. "The only entry refers to the activation individual 'giving themselves to the process'."

"That doesn't sound good." Traynor said.

"No, not good at all..." Liara looked over at Oriana, and it looked like she was about to start sobbing. She started towards the suddenly frail girl.

Traynor beat her to it. "Now, now, there's no call for that." Traynor pulled Oriana into a hug. "That statement is way too vague to be sure of anything. Let's wait until communication is restored and see what shakes out." She was hugging Oriana tightly, but her eyes were all for Liara.

After a few minutes Oriana pulled away and composed herself. She wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Traynor."

"No problem. It's not even close to time to give up on your sister or Shepard. I'm sure they're holed up somewhere, just waiting for someone to find them. The Commander has a habit of doing that." Traynor said.

00000000

Shepard woke to a different world. It started with a visual display that popped up in front of her face. She turned her head in an attempt to see past the columns of numbers, but they followed her eyes perfectly. Unable to see around it, she studied the numbers. It showed her a long table of physical attributes such as heart rate, blood sugar level, and body mass index. The next table showed the status and charge of her implants. The next table showed a healing status. It told her she'd been unconscious for nine days and three hours, and was currently 93% to complete recovery. She moved her arms, finding she was in a vat of something. Probably medi gel solution. I must be in a vertical medi-vat station. She had a breather tube she could feel in her mouth. Looking between the columns she could see a medical center. The columns of numbers flashed, then went away. A single line of text appeared in the lower left of her vision. Synthesis conversion status? She was 23% into it, whatever it was.

"Please be calm." Someone said. They sounded very close. Shepard looked around, but could not ascertain the source. "I do not have a physical form."

She tried to ask who it was, but since she was in a vat of liquid, nothing came out. It understood the question nevertheless.

"I am a Synthesis conversion assistance AI installed by the Crucible. Simply think your questions and I will answer them to the best of my knowledge." It was using Shepard's voice. "I do not have a name yet. You can name me, and I can change my voice if you would prefer."

Ok, you can read my mind. The voice is fine. You are a synthesis conversion AI...synthesis AI... How about Synth? Wait, is Miranda ok? What about Anderson, Garrus, the rest of my crew?

"I am now Synth. You were not awake to approve access to other entities, so no status updates have been applied to your spouse, supervisor, or co-workers. Your spouse and supervisor have submitted access requests. As they were able to request access, it can be assumed they are well."

What happened to the Reapers?

"You started the Synthesis. When the Synthesis is started, the Reapers retreat and enter stasis." Synth said.

What happens now?

"Synthesis does not remove free will. Everyone will make their own decision for the future."

I see. So what is synthesis doing to me?

"Right now it is merely integrating with your systems. You currently have 87 cybernetic implants ranging from spinal support to military grade biotics. Synthesis is integrating each of them into a cohesive unit, and upgrading them where applicable. Your large number of implants and proximity to the Crucible when it triggered means you are the furthest along to full synthesis." Synth said.

No one is more than 23% through the process?

"True. You should reach full integration in 13 months. A person with no implants could take as many as 60 months. Children only receive immunity and healing assistance until cognitive reasoning is achieved, and many options are not available until adulthood. However, the synthesis can be almost unseen if that is what you wish. Each person makes their own choice, and prevalence and influence can be changed if desired. Synthetics will take longer to gain organic features."

The lists of numbers that appeared when I first woke up could be distracting in certain situations.

"I can remove them if you wish. When synthesis is fully integrated you will no longer need the lists."

Really? Why not?

"The information will be integrated into your brain."

Wow.

"Your spouse is approaching."

Miranda! Remove these tables. And get out of my head.

"I cannot remove myself from your consciousness until the integration is complete, but I will remove myself from your awareness as much as possible."

Fine.

Miranda entered the room, quickly moving to the front of the Medi gel vat. She wore white leggings, black top, and a white lab coat. Her eyes were glowing green. Shepard couldn't help but smile, nor could she resist lustful thoughts that filled her head as she looked Miranda over. Miranda smiled, then raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Her AI is requesting access." Synth told her.

Yes, yes, full access. Why are her eyes glowing green?

"Full access will broadcast your every thought to her. Some might find this counterproductive. Friend level access will allow you to communicate and give her your baseline health information. The green eyes are a consequence of Synthesis within your optical nerve. Your eyes glow as well. You will be able to remove the glow further along the process." Miranda looked concerned.

Ok. Friend level access, then go away.

"...antha? Are you there?"

Sam found herself able to speak, though not through her mouth. "Angel, I'm here."

"Thank goodness. I was getting worried. How are you doing?"

"Synth said you would be able to access my basic health information." She said.

"Synth?"

"My conversion AI."

"Ahh. I named mine Glitch. It was not amused." There was a pause. "Apparently my Synthesis conversion is not far enough along to access your medical info." Miranda said. Sam felt weird talking to Miranda in her head. Then she hoped she wasn't hearing what she was thinking.

"Friend level does not allow that." Synth said.

Quiet.

"My healing percent is 93%..." 93.8% flashed at the bottom of her vision. She rolled her eyes. "93.8% complete."

"Very good. Let's get you out of that vat."

00000000

Miranda forced herself to remain calm during the few minutes it took to release Sam from the medi gel vat. She accessed the interface, then unlocked the breathing system. After nine days of waiting to touch her again, time seemed to stretch. She engaged the drain, allowing the gel to escape. Not only did she want to touch her lover...(Wife. She corrected herself.)...but she couldn't wait to share the events of the last week with her. The gel drained from the unit, then the door unlocked. Shepard pulled the breathing tube from her throat, then slumped down without the gel to support her. She scrambled to right herself, slipping on the slimy floor.

Stay calm, Sam. Your muscles have atrophied during the last nine days. I'll have you out in a few seconds. Sam grew still. She looked up at Miranda expectantly. Miranda disengaged the seal, then opened the door. She took Sam's hand to help her out. Sam glistened with the gel, her nude body causing Miranda's heart to start racing. She resisted the urge to pull her into a tight embrace. She wrapped an arm around her, gently keeping her upright.

Love you, wife. Sam said.

"I love you too, Sam." Miranda said out loud. She led her to a nearby shower. She turned it on with a wave of her hand. Ignoring her own clothes, she helped Sam scrub the gel away.

"Where..." Sam choked out. She coughed a couple times. The breather tube had not done her throat any good. Miranda gave her an encouraging smile. "Where's the rest of the crew?"

"The Normandy crash landed on an uninhabited part of Bekenstein. Everyone is more or less healthy. Garrus' leg still needs to be regrown, they'll take care of that once the Normandy is repaired. Kaiden is having moderate headaches. EDI and Chakwas think they are being caused by his L2 implants. Everyone else is just dealing with Synthesis. It will be a while before we see them in person, the mass relays were severely damaged by the Synthesis. The Reapers have started repairs to them and the Citadel." Miranda finished cleaning the gel from Sam's body. Sam reached up to touch her head.

"What happened to my hair?" She rubbed her hand over the light fuzz on her head.

"The beam burned it off." Sam look downcast for a few moments. "Don't worry Sam. You're still beautiful." Miranda gave her a quick kiss. Samantha, unhappy with the brief contact, pulled her into a longer kiss. She wrapped her wet arms around Miranda, pulling them into a tight embrace under the shower.

"You're wearing a bit much for a shower, Angel." Sam said with a hungry gaze. Miranda smiled then pulled off her lab coat. Sam started shaking a little without her support. Miranda hurried to support her again.

"I'm not sure you're well enough for this, Sam." She looked her over.

"My legs feel weak." Sam admitted reluctantly.

"Let's lie down." Miranda said. She shut off the water and dried Sam off. She led her to the bed. After laying Samantha down, she pulled off the rest of her clothes.

She joined Sam on the bed, unable to keep the smile from her face. She could hardly believe it. She had her back in her arms. She kissed Sam's face, happy to finally be able to touch her again. Sam smiled eagerly in return, but Miranda could tell she was tiring. After only a minute of eager stroking, Sam let her head drop to the pillow.

"Synth is warning me about an imminent shut down." Sam said, obviously not liking the news.

"It's ok, Sam. I will stay with you as you sleep, and I'll be here when you wake." Miranda told her.

"Angel." Sam said with a sleepy grin. She closed her eyes.

"Only for you, Sam. Sleep." Miranda reached across her and pulled a sheet over them.

"Angel...wife...love...you." Sam whispered.

"I love you too, Sam."

Author's note: Thanks to everyone patient enough to read all the way to the end. I am immensely pleased with the response. Below are a few snippets I've been considering for a post-ME3 story. Let me know what you think.

Six months from the end of Angel and the Demon, not necessarily in order:

Shepard stalked her prey, walking softly to avoid the slightest sound of her advance. She carefully passed through a doorway, slipping through unheard. Her bare feet silently stepped across the floor. Her target was swiftly moving her hands through the air before her, sorting through folders and executing commands on a console.

Shepard couldn't keep the smile from her face as she came within a meter of the target's chair. Her target was oblivious to her impending assault. She raised her arms, ready for the attack. One more step and she would be in reach.

"Sam, you know Glitch notifies me when anyone approaches." Miranda said without turning around.

Shepard dropped her arms in defeat. "Darn Glitch." She cursed Miranda's personal AI. Sam kissed her cheek, then wrapped her arms around her wife. "Happy three month anniversary, Angel."

"Happy anniversary, Samantha." Miranda leaned her head into Sam, clutching her arms to her. Sam was pleased to see she was wearing a short chemise and little else. The console continued to flicker with activity.

"You learned how to access your terminal wirelessly?" Sam asked, gazing at the screen.

"Yesterday. I've been practicing ever since."

"That's great!" She watched Miranda work without moving a muscle. "How are the kids?"

"Kara still has a cold. Her AI is working on it. She's drawing. Max is playing Galaxy Conqueror or Conquer the Galaxy...whatever the name of that strategy game he plays. He says he finished his homework." Miranda said.

"Is he playing Traynor again?" Sam said with a smile.

"I doubt it. Traynor is working." Miranda said.

"She can't do both?" Sam said.

"Not any more. She said he's too good now. She has to devote her full attention to keep up with him."

"They should be busy in their rooms for a while..." Sam kissed Miranda's neck gently, then shifted her hands down to stroke her breasts. Miranda reached over her back to pull her closer. "Glitch and Synth will let us know if they leave their rooms." Sam said. Synth was the name Shepard gave her own AI.

"Mmm hmm." Miranda said with a smile. Sam grasped her chemise, and started pulling it up. Miranda lifted from her seat to assist.

Advocate Anari approaches. Glitch and Synth announced at the same time. Shepard groaned. Miranda headed to the bedroom to put on presentable clothes. Shepard looked down at her tights and t-shirt. It will have to do. She headed for the door. Advocate Anari was the adoption case worker assigned to their children.

"Advocate Anari, how nice to see you." She said through the open door.

"Just Anari, Commander Shepard." The beautiful blue asari said with a smile.

"Then please call me Samantha, Anari. I'm not in command anymore." She waved her into the house.

"You should know by now you'll always be a Commander, Samantha. There's no escaping that. I'm sure your students still consider you a Commander." The asari said. She walked in and looked around. "I'm here for a surprise inspection."

"Of course..." Shepard said. "Max is in his room..." She started to lead her towards their son's room.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look what I did!" Kara, their quarian daughter exclaimed. She bolted at Shepard holding a sheet of paper. Shepard groaned. Kara wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. Of all the times to let the nudist flag fly... Shepard knelt down, opening her arms for her daughter. A quick glance at Anari showed an amused smile. Shepard picked her little naked girl up. Kara enthusiastically showed her a drawing.

"It's very nice, sweetie. Now, where are your clothes?" She asked.

"In my room." Kara said sheepishly.

"And why aren't they on you?" Shepard poked her chest lightly.

"They're uncomfalble...uncomfotal...they don't feel good." She said, looking down. Then she sneezed.

"Well, let's go find something you will wear." Shepard said. "And wipe your nose."

"I've got her, Sam." Miranda appeared, holding her arms out for their little quarian. Shepard handed her over, then turned back to a very amused Anari.

"She has a slight cold. Even after the Synthesis, quarians are still more likely to contract infection. Shall we see what our darling son is up to?" Shepard asked. Without waiting for an answer, she turned towards Max's room.

They found Max furiously entering commands into his terminal. A digitized view of the galaxy covered his wall.

"Max? Would you like to say hi to advocate Anari?"

"Hi." He said without turning. The seven year old human switched to his pad, swiped a few times, then turned back to his terminal.

"Hi Max. What are you doing?" Anari asked.

"Galactic conquest 2." He said.

"Are you winning?" She asked.

"Too early to tell. My opponent convinced the rachni to attack Tuchanka, the asari workers on Illium to go on strike, and the turians to declare war." Max said.

"Are you playing Traynor again?" Shepard said.

"No, she's busy working..." He said. "This is some college student." A window popped up with a chime. "Interesting..." His hands moved over the interface quickly.

"What is it?" Shepard asked.

"He convinced the human Attorney General to declare me indoctrinated." Max said.

"Are you playing the humans?" Anari asked.

"No. I'm playing the quarians. They start with the fewest resources, but they have the quickest technical advancement. Technology is imperative. Time to convince the batarians to wipe out his home planet."

"Max!" Shepard exclaimed.

"Yes Mom, I know. It's only a game." He sighed. He didn't turn around.

"Wiping out civilizations is not good, Max. Surely there's another game with less genocide." She told him. "What about that underwater game your sister plays?"

"Aww, Mom. That game's for kids." Max whined, turning to give her a dismayed look. "That's a casual game. You do something, then wait hours until you can do more. It's boring. There's no strategy at all. This is the most popular strategy game in the universe." He added emphatically.

"Alright, Max. Just remember you can't defeat the Reapers without everyone's help."

He sighed. "Mom...there is no Reaper invasion in Galactic Conquest 2. That will be implemented in GC3. It's not going to be out for another six months."

A window popped up making a noise. Max turned quickly around. "Augh." He started swiping his hands across the interface.

She shook her head at him. "Alright, Max. Don't play all day."

Shepard and Anari left the boy in his room. Anari turned to her.

"Shepard, I must admit, the first time I reviewed your request for two children, I was going to reject it. Two people with notoriously awful childhoods rarely make good parents. Normally we would only allow you one child and increase your inspections to once per week. It was only because Admiral Anderson gave you a glowing recommendation that your request was processed." Anari looked at her critically. Shepard's stomach dropped.

"You can't..." She said firmly. Anari held up her hand.

"But...less than a year since their parents were taken from them, and less than two months since you and Miranda adopted them..." Miranda returned with a dressed Kara in her arms. "...the fact that they are talking is a miracle."

"You're not taking them away?" Shepard asked.

"Oh no. They are obviously well cared for, and they are not showing signs of depression." Shepard breathed a sigh of relief. "Maxwell seems to have some isolation issues, but it appears to be more a part of his personality rather than intimacy issues with you. And Kara seems very well adjusted." She looked at the quarian in Miranda's arms. "Possibly a little too comfortable...I assume that has something to do with how you act when not expecting company." She gave them a crooked smile. "Nevertheless, you are the least of my worries right now." A troubled look crossed her face.

"What's wrong?" Miranda asked. Kara was playing with her hair.

"I shouldn't trouble you with this." Anari thought for a moment before continuing. "There have been reports about unregistered rescue ships, which are disturbing enough in a universe that still has slavery, but they only take children, no adults." Miranda tightened her hold on Kara. Shepard clenched her jaw.

"I work for an information broker." Miranda said. "I will investigate." Kara looked between the three adults in confusion.

"I couldn't ask you to do that." Anari said.

"You don't have to." Miranda said. She took Kara back to her room.

"Don't let anyone know you told us about this." Shepard said.

"Will the Alliance help?" Anari asked.

"We'll need more evidence to convince them to commit resources. Fortunately, we have the best information broker in the universe on it." Shepard said.

"I see." Anari said. Shepard saw her to the door.

00000000

Cicero stood in a tiny room, getting ready for his speech. He checked his clothes in the mirror. He straightened his tie. A spike of pain went through his head. He took a sharp breath of air, then let it out slowly.

The Synthesis sickness is what they called it. He called it 'Shepard's sickness'. If you were one of the unlucky ones, one of the 1% of 1% of 1%, the Synthesis caused you constant pain. No race was immune. Some people experienced what could be considered a mild headache. Others experienced debilitating pain that made them essentially invalid. Most of those killed themselves within the first 24 hours of the Synthesis. He was somewhere in the middle.

Preliminary investigations showed it was caused by an allergic reaction to a protective coating worn by the nano bots that assisted with healing. Not that it mattered to him. He was in pain, and he wanted everyone else to feel pain, especially one particular person.

He inserted a capsule of his little helper into his surgically imbedded drug injection port. His little helper was a combination of Hallex and an ancient earth drug called opium. Other sickness sufferers used straight Hallex. Some used black market pharmaceuticals from the terminus. All used something. The dose depended on the intensity of the pain. Marks still littered his arm from the time before his surgery.

He sat cross legged on the floor. He pressed the button to start the injection. He closed his eyes and sat very still. He entered a trance as the drugs took effect. The pain left him.

"Cicero, they are ready for you." His assistant said. He suffered a milder version of the sickness. He could get by with freely available painkillers.

"Thank you, Thomas." Cicero got to his feet. Thomas parted the curtain, and Cicero stepped through. A cheer erupted. He looked over the crowd. In the far corner of the hall, the migraine sufferers were clustered. Sound deadening headphones covered their ears and sunglasses covered their eyes. He knew, though he couldn't see, tears were dripping down each of their faces. Even heavy doses of Hallex didn't help them much.

The opposite side of the hall included the severe body pain sufferers. They were the loudest of the crowd. You couldn't really blame them though. They were so blitzed on heavy painkillers they were always high.

The middle of the group were the highest functioning members of the Sickness sufferers. These people would be the most useful part of the movement. Some of them might even be the soldiers he needed. There were only a few krogan and quarians because their races held their target in too high esteem to join the movement. The other races were well represented.

He smiled at the crowd. "How many?" He asked.

"Around 800 sir." Thomas said through the curtain.

"Very good. Thank you Thomas." He stepped up to a microphone on a stand. He pulled it out of the holder. He didn't actually need one, but he liked the feel of it in his hand. The crowd went silent. "My friends." He said. "People of the sickness, people of the pain." "Pain" echoed throughout the hall.

"The rest of the universe has no concept of what we know, what we experience. They only know the Reaper war is over. They think everyone should be happy about the way things turned out. They don't know what we gave up." He paused. "We know. You and I know..." He looked them over. "They have no idea a thousand people killed themselves the very next day. The pain was just too great. The universe was celebrating as you and I hunched in a corner...our limbs, our heads screaming in pain."

"We had to turn to drugs...many of us illegal drugs, in order to stay sane." He tapped a finger to his head. "It's not fair." Affirmation came from the crowd.

"We might be tempted to force everyone to feel our pain. We could easily join together and bring pain to tens of thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands. But the rest of the universe did not bring this pain upon us." A disappointed murmur ran through the crowd. "They didn't make the choice. They don't even know that there was a choice!" An amorphous rumble came from the crowd.

"The one that put this sickness into us had a decision. Let me ask you..." Cicero walked to one side of the stage. He sat down on a chair, then put his elbows on his knees. He looked at the crowd. They were rapt.

"Why would anyone..." He swept his arm across the crowd. "...anyone chose this over destroying the Reapers?" A chorus of affirmations came from the crowd. "Why keep the Reapers alive?" He paused. "Who would that hurt?" A few scattered shouts came from the crowd. "The geth? They're not living...they're machines. Who living would be hurt by that decision?" He stood up suddenly. "No one!" He shouted. The crowd went wild.

When the crowd finally died down he continued. "We are under attack." Shouts of agreement came out of the crowd. "So, what does one do, when under attack? What does anyone do?" A wave of noise buffeted him. He waited for it to die down. "We strike back at the one person who attacked us!"

The crowd gave him what he wanted. The chant began. "Shepard must die! Shepard must die! Shepard must die!"

"Shepard...must...die." Cicero said, quietly into the microphone. He was pretty sure no one at the event would hear it, but the vid would be edited so no one could miss it. He put the microphone back into the stand, then left through the curtain.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Good sir. Nice enthusiasm spike at the end." Thomas told him.

"Good, good."

"I'll have it edited and released in an hour." Thomas said. "We're starting to get donations from some fringe religious sects."

"Very good, but keep the spotlight on me. No official religious affiliation unless one of the mainstream groups show interest."

"As you wish, Sir." Thomas said.

00000000

Anya crouched in the corner of the dark room. It was only a couple meters wide by a couple meters long, but there were twelve kids in the room. There was one other asari, three human girls, three turian girls, one salarian girl, and two quarian girls. They were all between seven and sixteen. She and the other asari were the oldest by a ways...since they age the slowest, they still appeared between seven and ten. In reality they were fourteen and sixteen. Since there were none with them, she assumed the boys were in another room. The two quarians were in bad shape. They might not need their suits since the Synthesis, but the conditions in the refugee ship were bad. They were coughing and sneezing constantly.

A couple new girls were by the door. The only way out is through that door, but why take us one at a time? Even to her young mind, it seemed odd. The gruff voice from the other room picked them individually by race. No one left the tiny room unless they were chosen. She didn't even know where they went. No one ever came back.

Anya closed her eyes, picturing her mother, as she often did when feeling depressed. Thinking of her mother usually reminded her of the good times...but sometimes it backfired didn't work. Sometimes her mind focused on her mother's death, leaving her crying.

She thought of her mother's beautiful violet skin, smiling eyes, and light lavender marks on her face. Her own violet skin was similar, but her markings were coming in a bright fushia. She wished they were lavender like her mother's.

In her mind she pictured her mother and father together. They smiled and hugged. He was a turian, but he still loved his asari daughter. He said so frequently. He left to go on a mission, his blue Alliance armor shining. Before walking out he picked Anya up. She still remembered the feel of his mandibles against her face. She always played with them. They were much more interesting than the ridges on her head.

When her mother picked her up from day care she was crying. A Reaper hit her father's ship, and everyone on board was killed. Her mother kept her home from school for a week.

A week later the Reapers landed on Illium. Her mother kept her home permanently after that. They watched the news all day, and she slept in her mother's bed at night. Her mother cried often.

The door opened. Anya shook herself out of her memories, then stood up. The thin salarian was silhouetted in the doorway. A human and quarian reached towards him. He waved them out of the way.

"What do you want, Reese?" He said over his shoulder. "Quarian...turian?"

"No quarians, the last one sneezed on me right before I finished. It ruined the moment." The gruff voice said from the next room.

"Asari?" The male salarian asked.

"That sounds good." Reese said.

The salarian waved Anya and the other asari towards him. She didn't know her name, just her age. She'd only been on the ship for a day. They both looked up at the tall man as he appraised them.

"Get me a blue one." Reese said. Anya's hopes fell. She would have to stay in the room longer. She plodded back to her corner.

"You know the big man is going to be pissed that you're sampling the stock." The salarian said.

"You know he only wants the boys."

"He wants the boys for himself, but the girls sell for more." The salarian chided.

"He doesn't know how many we picked up. We'll lose the broken ones later." The door shut behind the little blue asari. Broken ones?

Little did she know, her purple skin saved her from a terrible fate.