After Horizon
folder
+M through R › Mass Effect
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
10
Views:
5,608
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
+M through R › Mass Effect
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
10
Views:
5,608
Reviews:
2
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Mass Effect series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from writing this story.
Demons
Garrus is avoiding me. He goes with me on missions when I tell him to, of course. But there’s no smartass remarks, no idle chitchat. Perfectly professional. Does his job, and does it well, but as soon as the mission’s over he disappears. I went to talk to him in the battery and he blew me off with some shit about being busy with calibrations. I haven’t run into him in the mess or anywhere else on the ship for literally days. On a ship this size, that is fucking impossible. This crap has got to stop, but I don’t know how to make it stop, other than chasing him around the ship and cornering him and… well.
I toss the datapad that I’ve been trying to read for the past half-hour onto the desk. It skips like a rock across the surface and hits the picture frame next to my medal case. The image blinks on. Kaidan’s face stares at me. I stare back, accusingly: This is all your fault. I lean in my chair, reach over, pick the picture up. I think about the message he sent me after Horizon. Sort of an apology, sort of not. Always leaving his options open, Kaidan. I look at his face and finally ask myself the question I’ve been trying not to think about. And as soon as I ask it, I know the answer. I turn the frame over and find the button on the back, hold it down until the picture disappears. It feels actually OK. Alright. As long as we’re confronting our demons… I turn towards the terminal near the door, though I know it’s a meaningless gesture. “EDI,” I say. The shimmering blue globe appears. “Yes, Shepard?” Calm, efficient. The usual. “How are things with you and Mr. Moreau going?” I ask. “Jeff and I have an effective working relationship, Shepard.” “That’s what I hear,” I say. “I’m glad you’re working so closely together. “ I wait a couple of beats. “EDI, where do we stand, you and me?“ AIs don’t need much time to think, so the pause that follows is simulated human inflection. And the barely-perceptible tension in the voice when EDI replies, that too is simulated human inflection. But it’s pretty effective, all the same. “I am a member of your crew, Shepard.” “And what exactly does that mean to you, EDI?” This time the pause is shorter, but the change in tone a little greater. “The same thing it means to you, Shepard.” “Are you sure you know what it means to me, EDI?” “Yes, Shepard.” I mull this over for a couple of moments. Trust, but verify—an expression from the 20th century, if I remember my history. I’ll need to ask Tali to install some monitoring routines… “Thank you, EDI. Carry on.” The globe winks out.